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Sainsbury's in Singhbury's Aylesbury shop name sign row - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A shopkeeper removes his shop sign after supermarket giant Sainsbury's said customers "raised concerns". | Beds, Herts & Bucks | The shop's owner said Sainsbury's thought his sign looked like their own supermarket signs
A shopkeeper removed the sign outside his store after supermarket giant Sainsbury's said it looked too much like theirs, he has claimed.
Singhbury's Local in Aylesbury put its orange sign up last year.
Co-owner Inderjit Singh Nagpal said Sainsbury's objected, but he said "Singh" was his middle name, "bury" referred to Aylesbury and the colour orange was important to Sikhs.
Sainsbury's said it contacted the shop after its customers raised "concerns".
The sign was erected early last year but removed from the shop front in October.
A spokeswoman for the supermarket said: "There were no legal proceedings around this but we did contact the owners after customers raised their concerns with us."
Initially Mr Nagpal told the BBC it had been taken down because of water damage. However, he has now said it was because Sainsbury's contacted him.
There is currently no sign above the Weedon Road store
He said although he was prepared to change the colour of the sign, he would not change the name because he could justify it.
Mr Nagpal said he hoped his legal representatives and Sainsbury's would reach a decision next week. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38529780 | |
BBC Sound Of 2017 winner: Ray BLK - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | null | Ray BLK, the Sound Of 2017 winner, explains how her south London neighbourhood shaped her music | null | It helped her deal with growing up in a tough south London neighbourhood.
And that "hood" has shaped the music she has created so far.
She says 2016 was a whirlwind of a year - and it looks like 2017 could follow suit with Ray BLK named the winner of BBC Sound of 2017. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38499321 | |
CES 2017: New routers defend smart homes against hacks - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Security firms unveil new internet routers that can stop smart household gadgets being hijacked. | Technology | The futuristic looking Core is controlled via a smartphone app
Security firms have launched routers at CES that can stop smart household gadgets being hijacked by hackers.
Symantec, BitDefender and Intel unveiled devices that scrutinise data as it flows across home networks.
The companies say routers with built-in defences will be essential as homes are filled with net-connected gadgets.
The routers also come with parental control features that help manage how much time children spend online and what they see.
"You will have to buy a security solution for your internet-of-things," said Alex Balan, chief security researcher at BitDefender.
The "internet of things" refers to the growing collection of smart gadgets that can be controlled via the net.
"Pretty soon everything will be connected one way or another and managed by a smartphone app," said Mr Balan. "You won't be able to avoid it."
But that interconnectivity and ease of use comes at a cost, he said, adding that the end of 2016 had seen a surge in attacks that compromised net-connected CCTV cameras, televisions and media servers.
BitDefender unveiled a new version of its Box router while Arris revealed that it was adding Intel's security software to its devices
The poor security on these gadgets led to them being enrolled in massive networks by hackers who use them to carry out overwhelming attacks. One network, called Mirai, staged some of the biggest net attacks ever seen.
The problem has got so serious that the US Federal Trade Commission has kicked off a competition to create tools that consumers can add to their home network that can protect IoT devices from attack. Cash rewards of $25,000 (£20,000) will be given to the best entrants.
"Security for these devices has to start at the network level," said Gareth Lockwood from Symantec. "There's no other way to do it."
As the entry and exit point for home networks, routers were the best place to put a security system that can watch for malicious traffic coming in and cut off hackers trying to access insecure kit.
The show floors of the CES tech expo are packed with new internet-connected products for the home
While current home routers do have security systems, most are pretty basic, said Mr Lockwood, and none is ready for the explosion of smart devices predicted to be in use soon.
"If we look forward four to five years from now we expect to see between 20 to 30 billion devices in homes," he said. "There'll be tens of devices per household."
Read all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
The three companies launching secure routers at CES are taking slightly different approaches to solving the IoT headache though one common feature they share is a smartphone-based management system.
All three will face competition from established devices such as the Cujo smart firewall and the Home Halo and Eero products as well as from Asus which has teamed up with Trend Micro to put security software on its routers.
The devices launched at CES will only initially be available in the US but will reach other regions later in 2017. Typically, buying one of the secure routers includes a subscription to a firm's standard security software that runs on desktops, laptops and tablets.
All three also include net access control systems that let parents decide for how long different gadgets can be used and which sites youngsters can visit. Some, such as the Norton Core, have an internet pause button that cuts off access for everyone in a household. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38415067 | |
Football sex abuse: Junior clubs must get coaches cleared or face suspension - BBC Sport | 2017-01-07 | null | Junior football clubs in England face immediate suspension from the Football Association if their coaches are not cleared to work with children. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Junior football clubs in England face suspension from the Football Association if their coaches have not been cleared to work with children.
The warning, in a letter to clubs from the FA, follows allegations of historical child abuse in the sport.
It is FA policy that all coaches of youth teams must have an FA accepted in-date criminal records check (CRC).
The FA says while 99.7% of clubs have been compliant, there are more than 2,500 coaches without an in-date CRC.
There are also nearly 5,000 youth teams without a named coach.
FA chairman Greg Clarke has written to clubs demanding they update their information on the FA's Whole Game System (WGS) by midnight on 15 January.
Failure to do so will mean "clubs will face suspension from all football activity without further notice", the FA says.
Furthermore, a club's affiliation will be removed as of midnight on 28 February if they remain non-compliant with the requirement that their coaches having an in-date CRC.
The letter warns clubs that if they "have a coach who is not compliant with this, you must not allow them to coach, train, supervise or assist at matches with any youth teams, until this requirement is met".
It continues: "This is an essential aspect of any club's responsibilities when working with U18s and, as a club, you are responsible for ensuring that no-one coaches, or has unsupervised access to children, until they have an FA accepted check."
The spotlight has fallen on abuse in football since a number of former footballers came forward publicly to tell their stories.
Police said in December there are 429 potential victims linked to football, some as young as four at the time of the alleged offence, and 148 clubs are now involved, with 155 potential suspects identified. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38537776 | |
Is your child a cyberbully and if so, what should you do? - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | What should you do if you find out your child has been bullying others online? | Technology | One in five teens claims to have been cyberbullied but few admit to being the bully
Parents worry about their children being bullied online, but what if it is your child who is doing the bullying?
That was the question posed by a BBC reader, following a report on how children struggle to cope online.
There is plenty of information about how to deal with cyberbullies, but far less about what to do if you find out that your own child is the source.
The BBC took advice from experts and a mother who found out her daughter had been cyberbullying her school friends.
Nicola Jenkins found out that her 12-year-old daughter was posting unpleasant comments online from her teacher
Few parents would want to admit that their child was a bully but Nicola Jenkins has gone on record with her story. You can watch her tell it here.
"Nobody thinks that their own child is saying unkind things to other children, do they? I let them go on all the social media sites and trusted the children to use it appropriately.
"Our form tutor phoned me up during school hours one day to tell me that there'd been some messages sent between my daughter and two other friends that weren't very nice. One of the children in particular was very upset about some of the things that had been said to her.
"Her friend's mum spoke to me about it and showed me the messages that had been sent. When I approached my daughter about it, she denied that there had been anything going on. It took a while to get it out of her, but I was angry with her once I actually found out that she had been sending these messages.
"I spoke to her teacher and to the other parents, and between us we spoke to the children to let them know that they can't be saying unkind things and to just make them aware that whatever they do is recorded and can be kept. And they all did learn a lesson from it.
"I removed all the social media websites from her so she wasn't able to access them for a while and then monitored her input and what she's been saying to people.
"But it did make me feel angry and quite ashamed that my daughter could be saying things like that to her friends, but she has grown up a bit since then and she's learnt her lesson.
"You want to trust your children, but they can get themselves into situations that they can't get out of.
"And as they get older, they look at different things. I know my son looks at totally different things to what my daughter does, so it's just being aware of what they are accessing and make sure that they are happy for you to look at what they are looking at as well."
There is plenty of advice for parents on coping with cyberbullying but less on what to do if your child is the bully
According to not-for-profit organisation Internet Matters, one in five 13-18 year olds claim to have experienced cyberbullying but there are few statistics on how many children are bullying.
Carolyn Bunting, general manager of Internet Matters, offers the following advice:
"First, sit down with them and try to establish the facts around the incident with an open mind. As parents, we can sometimes have a blind spot when it comes to the behaviour of our own children - so try not to be on the defensive. Talk about areas that may be causing them distress or anger and leading them to express these feelings online.
"Make clear the distinction between uploading and sharing content because it's funny or might get lots of 'likes', versus the potential to cause offence or hurt. Tell them: this is serious. It's vital they understand that bullying others online is unacceptable behaviour. As well as potentially losing friends, it could get them into trouble with their school or the police.
"If your child was cyberbullying in retaliation, you should tell them that two wrongs cannot make a right and it will only encourage further bullying behaviour. Stay calm when discussing it with your child and try to talk with other adults to work through any emotions you have about the situation.
"Taking away devices can be counterproductive. It could make the situation worse and encourage them to find other ways to get online. Instead, think about restricting access and take away some privileges if they don't stop the behaviour.
"As a role model, show your child that taking responsibility for your own actions is the right thing to do. Above all, help your child learn from what has happened. Think about what you could do differently as a parent or as a family and share your learning with other parents and carers."
Twitter's image has been tarnished by trolls
Many critics blame social media for not doing enough to deal with cyberbullying. Abuse is prolific on Twitter and it has pledged to do more, including improving tools that allow users to mute, block and report so-called trolls.
Sinead McSweeney, vice-president of public policy at Twitter, explained why the issue is close to her heart:
"As a mother of a seven-year-old boy, I've always tried to strike the right balance between promoting internet safety and encouraging the type of exploration, learning and creativity that the internet can unlock."
She offered the following advice:
"If you find that your child is participating in this type of behaviour, a good first step is to understand the nature of the type of material they're creating, who is the target, and try to ascertain their motivations.
"If the bullying is taking place on a social media platform, make sure to explain to them why the behaviour is inappropriate and harmful, and to supervise the deletion of the bullying content they have created. If it continues, it may be worth seeking additional advice from a teacher or trusted confidant."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38529437 | |
NHS running blade fuels boy's Paralympic goal - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ben Moore is one of the first children in England to receive a false leg for sport, on the NHS. | Health | At the age of 10, Ben Moore took a brave decision.
He chose to have the lower part of his right leg amputated and was fitted with an artificial limb.
Ben was born with a condition known as fibular hemimelia - giving him a foot with only three toes and a leg that failed to develop.
It left him struggling to walk and frequently in pain.
Ben was fitted with an artificial leg after his amputation - which he says was fine for walking around school, but which did not match his sporting ambitions.
Frustratingly for a boy already keen on sport in primary school, he could not keep up with his friends.
However, his prosthetist Clare Johnson recommended him to become one of the first children to be fitted with a false leg designed specifically for sport by the NHS - and now his sights are set on competing at a future Paralympics.
Ben, now 13, says: "It has turned out really well. All my PE teachers like it that I've got a prosthetic leg and that I'm still doing sport. They say I have a lot of grit and zest!"
He was fitted with his new blade just before Christmas and switches between that and his other prosthetic leg depending on what he is doing.
Ben says his blade means he can now compete on the sportsfield
"Ben has been empowered by his blade," says Clare. "We hope it will give him a level playing field so he can compete with his peers and participate in more sports with a lighter prosthetic."
Clare adds that although she was able to make an attachment for Ben's disordered right leg as he was growing up, it was not possible to include the sort of components that could give him a spring in his step.
After three weeks practising with the blade, Ben returned to Clare's treatment room at Brighton General Hospital and tried jogging, running and playing indoor tennis.
He has also just taken on his able-bodied cousin in a straight race and won.
"The blade feels good," says Ben. "The spring of it is the bit that makes me go faster."
"I wanted the blade to do more running, so I didn't have to stick with cricket and stuff like that to do with upper body. I wanted to do more things with my lower body, run faster and get a bit more speed in football."
There are about 1,500 children in England who have lost all or part of a limb and 1,100 of them either lack a leg or have one which does not work properly.
It is the first time the NHS has fitted some of them - in Brighton, North Cumbria and Luton - with false legs especially designed for sport.
Ben is one of "several hundred" children who will receive sports prostheses each year
While Ben has his blade, a child from Cumbria has been given a water limb called a "swim fin" which will make swimming with friends possible.
The £1.5m programme is intended to help what the NHS says will be "several hundred" children each year.
The cost of a blade, together with the follow-up training and assessment, is estimated at around £1,000, but it could be several times that amount in the private sector.
Clare says that by preserving the health of the children who get prostheses, the scheme could actually save money.
She says it also supports the health service's campaign to encourage healthy lifestyles among children.
"I don't like the idea that there are a lot of obese children and couch potatoes. I like to think that I have given (Ben) the blade and that he will show to other children that if he can do it, then everyone can do it. Sport is for everyone, not just a small elite."
Kathleen Moore says her son is a fighter
Ben's mother Kathleen is proud of her son's determination to play different sports, which have also included touch rugby.
"He's been up against it," she says, "but despite everything he fought back and he's a little fighter to this day. Now he's got the blade, the sky's the limit."
Don't bet against seeing Ben competing for Great Britain in a future Games. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38517649 | |
West Ham United 0-5 Manchester City - BBC Sport | 2017-01-07 | null | Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup sees Manchester City thrash Premier League rivals West Ham 5-0 in the third round. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Pep Guardiola's first taste of the FA Cup ended triumphantly as his Manchester City side thrashed Premier League rivals West Ham in the third round.
City led 3-0 at the break, Yaya Toure starting the rout by firing a debatable penalty into the bottom left corner.
Havard Nordtveit bundled Bacary Sagna's teasing cross into his own net, just 146 seconds before David Silva's composed tap-in.
Shortly after the restart, Sergio Aguero cheekily diverted in Toure's shot to become the third-highest goalscorer in City's history.
And John Stones headed in his first Blues goal as the visitors comfortably saw the game out in a rapidly emptying London Stadium.
Following Friday's opening third-round tie, City are the first team in the pot for Monday's draw, which is live on BBC Two and online at 19:00 GMT.
Watch all the FA Cup goals and read the reaction
Guardiola has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks thanks to a combination of City's faltering form and his tetchy interviews.
But his team responded with a devastating performance against the hapless Hammers.
West Ham could not cope with the pace, power and precision of the visitors.
Toure whipped in the spot-kick after Pablo Zabaleta fell over Angelo Ogbonna's standing leg before Nordtveit and Silva ensured City scored three first-half goals for the first time under their Spanish manager.
The Blues were relentless as they condemned West Ham to their heaviest FA Cup home defeat.
Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola has regularly been forced into defending his footballing philosophy in recent months but performances like this justify his perseverance.
"West Ham could not live with their passing, their movement, their one-touch football," former England striker Alan Shearer said on Match of the Day.
Hammers manager Slaven Bilic claimed ahead of the game that City "were not that confident anymore" after Guardiola's methods had been questioned following his team's mixed form in the past couple of months.
How wrong the Croat was.
But that, in part, was down to his team's inability - or refusal - to put the away side under any serious pressure when they were in possession.
Sign up for the 2017 FA People's Cup and take your chance to win tickets to the FA Cup final and achieve national five-a-side glory.
The Hammers failed to press the visitors in their own half, allowing Toure - who had more touches and made more passes than anyone else in his 78 minutes on the pitch - to dictate from his holding midfield role.
However, it could all have been very different had Sofiane Feghouli not spurned a golden chance to pull the Hammers level at 1-1.
The Algeria winger - only playing after his red card against Manchester United was rescinded - sidefooted wide of a gaping goal just seconds after Toure's penalty.
And that proved the catalyst for the Hammers' collapse.
"The way West Ham's heads went down is alarming. Alarming for the fans and for the manager. It was embarrassing," Shearer added.
The Hammers have struggled for consistency in front of goal this season, scoring just 23 times in their 20 Premier League matches - four of which were netted against Swansea on Boxing Day.
Regular injuries to Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew have not helped matters, nor has on-loan Juventus forward Simone Zaza's inability to find his feet - or the net - in England.
No wonder they have targeted an attacker in this transfer window, already having bids turned down for Sunderland's Jermain Defoe and Hull City's Robert Snodgrass.
This was another toothless performance. And, like the humiliating 5-1 defeat against Arsenal last month, they were worryingly disorganised and open at the back.
With some home fans leaving after City's third goal and those left at the final whistle jeering his team, could Hammers hero Bilic be starting to come under pressure?
What they said
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "We were able to keep the ball more than the last games. We created more chances. Before the penalty we had three or four clear chances. After the second and third goal it was easy in the second half.
"It's important to win away but it's not easy. I'd like to involve the fans and make them believe we are good. We are the good guys - we run a lot and fight."
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: "The penalty was the turning point because we looked good until then. It was maybe a soft one.
"We had a great chance to equalise but we didn't. We made mistakes after the goal and started to chase the ball. Quickly it was 3-0 and game over.
"It's a very bad day for us. It wasn't good enough.
"What disappointed me the most is that we started to chase them all over the pitch and then conceded two more and it was all over."
• None The Hammers suffered their worst home defeat in FA Cup history, having never previously lost by a five-goal margin
• None Only once have West Ham suffered a bigger FA Cup defeat - 6-0 against Manchester United in January 2003
• None Sergio Aguero has been involved in 12 goals in 11 FA Cup appearances for Manchester City (10 goals, two assists)
• None West Ham have shipped three or more goals in a game on eight occasions this season - twice as many as they did in the whole of 2015-16
• None John Stones scored his first club goal since April 2015 (for Everton against Manchester United in the Premier League)
Back to the Premier League for both clubs next weekend.
West Ham, who are 13th in the top flight, host London rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday (15:00 GMT), while fourth-placed City go to Everton on Sunday (13:30 GMT).
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Attempt blocked. Nolito (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Nolito.
• None Goal! West Ham United 0, Manchester City 5. John Stones (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Nolito with a cross following a corner.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Bacary Sagna (Manchester City) because of an injury.
• None Offside, Manchester City. Bacary Sagna tries a through ball, but Pablo Zabaleta is caught offside. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38465098 | |
CES 2017: Amazon's virtual aide Alexa shouts above rivals - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Many products at CES the year feature voice-activated virtual assistants - but Amazon's Alexa is in far more than most. | Technology | A fridge with personality was launched at CES this year
Virtual assistants are everywhere at CES this year - but one speaks louder than the rest. Amazon's Alexa has popped up in a bewildering list of devices including fridges, cars and robots.
Manufacturers are clearly interested in making their appliances voice-operable, and many see Alexa as a great way to do this.
But having Alexa also allows the appliances to gain capabilities, such as streaming music and turning smart lights on and off.
How did Alexa come out on top and how will it benefit Amazon?
The firm was quick to notice the potential of voice control following the rise of smartphone apps that could interact with appliances, answers tech analyst Dinesh Kithany at IHS Technology.
"Alexa's rivals haven't been promoted quite as well," he told the BBC, though he noted companies adopting the assistant must think of genuinely useful ways to integrate it into their products.
Manufacturers are able to design new "skills" for the assistant - meaning the AI is not limited to what Amazon has built in.
Alexa can, with a quick bit of programming, be adapted to lock car doors or tell you when your washing machine's cycle will finish.
Perhaps this is how Amazon has cornered so much of the market - by explicitly designing a flexible AI that allows companies to implement it as they see fit.
Over the last seven years, the world has witnessed the rapid proliferation of Google's Android operating system - now in more smartphones than any other OS by far, as well as many TVs, watches and computers.
Part of this meteoric rise is down to the fact that Google gives Android away for free to device manufacturers - just like Amazon is doing with Alexa.
Despite the search giant having a long history of voice recognition research, it has only just started promoting its own Google Assistant to third parties. That gives Amazon first-mover advantage.
Who would have thought an online retailer would be leading the virtual assistant revolution?
While a glance around CES's show floors suggests Alexa is poised to dominate, it's worth remembering that this is a US trade show.
Amazon is not quite as global a company as Google or Microsoft - the online retailer doesn't have a website for countries in Scandinavia, the Middle East or Africa, for example.
And not all implementations of Alexa make the assistant easy to access, notes Lauren Goode at news site The Verge.
She tested headphones by OnVocal that make the aide accessible - via a tiny button that needs to be pressed to activate it.
"You'd kind of think that walking around while wearing these is just as good as having an Echo strapped to your body. It's not," she wrote.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
She's the star of CES even though her creator isn't exhibiting on the show floor. Amazon's Alexa was the first voice assistant to turn up in a compelling consumer product, the Echo speaker, rather than just on a smartphone.
Although Google Home has now joined the fray it's clear who's in the lead. Across CES, you can hear Amazon's creation at work.
Who'd have thought a few years back that an online retailer with a patchy record when it comes to hardware devices would be the single most influential player at a consumer electronics event?
In the past, it has been Apple and Google who've been able to dominate CES without even turning up - now Amazon is looking like the tech industry's thought leader.
Nvidia has chosen to integrate Google Assistant with its new streaming box
While Alexa may be popular, it certainly has rivals.
Nvidia announced at CES that its media streaming device, Shield, would feature Google Assistant - allowing users to display photos on their TV screens via voice command, for example.
It can also connect with the Nest smart thermostat and adjust the temperature - or turn on smart home devices.
Microsoft's Cortana will, of course, be available in Windows 10 devices - a wide array of which were launched this week.
But curiously, despite publishing a teaser video for a Harman Kardon speaker featuring Cortana last month, the product failed to materialise.
Harman Kardon told the BBC that the device was "not ready for display".
A Harman Kardon speaker featuring Cortana, though teased in December, was not at CES
The battle of the AIs doesn't even end there. In October, Samsung acquired fledgling AI Viv and is expected to launch it with the firm's Galaxy S8 smartphone later in 2017.
It is worth noting that the South Korean tech giant has also agreed to buy Harman Kardon.
Will Viv nudge out Cortana in future Harman Kardon speakers and one day give Alexa a run for its money? It's anyone's guess at this point.
And there was an interesting announcement from Mattel's Nabi brand, which makes child-friendly tech.
Its new Aristotle speaker incorporates Alexa and will soon feature Cortana, too.
Parents can even set it so that children speaking to the device must say "please" when uttering a command.
It should be no surprise that more than one branded virtual assistant can be accessible via a single device - they are summoned from the cloud, after all.
In the future, other appliances might allow users to call on the virtual assistant of their choice by name for specific tasks. Not just one digital butler, but a whole staff.
Apple's Siri is not to be forgotten. It can be used to interact with several smart home devices unveiled at CES - including a smart smoke detector by Netatmo and Chamberlain garage door openers.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Even more voice-activated assistants are entering the market - Olly the robot develops a different personality to suit each of its users
Voice control is "the way of the future", said tech analyst Adam Simon from Context.
"It has really galvanised the smart home market," he said. "At last we've got something bringing it together."
One downside cited by some is the potential for a greater proliferation of microphones and AIs to erode privacy - particularly in intimate settings such as the bedroom.
But Mr Simon told the BBC that consumers would decide whether or not to tolerate this.
"My own inclination is that people will accept that this is a necessary evil," he said.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38539326 | |
Donald Trump taunts Schwarzenegger over Celebrity Apprentice ratings - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | US president-elect Donald Trump taunts new Celebrity Apprentice host Arnold Schwarzenegger over the show's ratings. | Entertainment & Arts | Mr Trump described himself as a "ratings machine"
Donald Trump has taunted Arnold Schwarzenegger, his replacement as host of The Celebrity Apprentice, saying the actor was "destroyed" in TV ratings.
"So much for being a movie star," wrote the US president-elect, who described himself as a "ratings machine".
In response, the actor called on him to work for all Americans "as aggressively as you worked for your ratings".
Monday's season launch was seen by an estimated 4.9 million people - down 43% on the last season premiere in 2015.
Schwarzenegger has received mixed reviews for his debut as the new star of the show.
The veteran action star and former California governor has replaced Mr Trump's "You're fired" catchphrase with "You're terminated" - a reference to his role in The Terminator film and its sequels.
In the tweets, sent on Friday, Mr Trump wrote: "Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got "swamped" (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT.
"So much for being a movie star - and that was season 1 compared to season 14. Now compare him to my season 1."
More than 11 million people watched the opening episode of Celebrity Apprentice in 2008, according to Variety.
Referring to Republican Ohio governor John Kasich and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump added: "But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary."
In return, Schwarzenegger tweeted: "There's nothing more important than the people's work, @realDonaldTrump."
He added: "I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings."
Mr Trump starred in The Apprentice until 2015, when his political career took over.
The contestants on the current series, who compete to raise money for charity, include boxer Laila Ali, Boy George and Motley Crue singer Vince Neil.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38531417 | |
CES 2017: The jacket that lets you stash 42 gadgets - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A gadget-friendly jacket shown off at CES has 42 secret pockets. | Technology | Scotte Vest doesn't advise using all 42 pockets at once
As I swim in the ocean of shiny new tech that surrounds me at CES, I find myself wondering where on earth I would put all this stuff if I had to take it with me.
One firm I met there thinks it has the answer - in the form of a jacket with 42 secret pockets, each tailored for a specific device.
Scotte Vest's $150 (£120) sleeveless gilet is an Aladdin's cave of pockets: it includes a laptop-sized space on the back, somewhere to store a tablet in each of the front panels, an inside breast pocket for smartphones made out of touchscreen-friendly material and a channel for headphone cables or chargers.
It also contains a sunglasses pouch with attached cleaning cloth.
However, the firm does not recommend using all 42 pockets at once.
"It is having a pocket for what you need at the moment," said spokesman Luke Lappala.
"If style isn't necessarily your number one priority, you could fit everything you ever need in there."
I can vouch for that, after stashing my 11in (28cm) laptop, charging cable and plug, smartphone, tablet, radio equipment, battery power bar and notebook in a single Scotte Vest garment.
I didn't look or feel particularly elegant, and the weight of the laptop alone almost tipped me over twice - but once the load had settled onto my shoulders I began to feel like I was wearing a backpack rather than a gilet.
It was surprisingly difficult to get everything back out again after this little experiment. I could feel the charger about my person but it took me a while to locate the pocket it was in. Helpfully, each garment comes with a small fabric map setting out the location of all the pockets.
The idea was born in the year 2000 when chief executive Scott Jordan almost damaged his ears in an airport after getting a headphone cable tangled on a doorknob, Mr Lappala told me.
It was inspired by the traditional fisherman's vest.
The laptop pocket is on the back of the coat, making it feel like a backpack
Scotte Vest claims to have sold more than 10 million garments so far, ranging from trench coats to shorts, all with varying tallies of pockets.
It is great for travellers, said Mr Lappala. And drone pilots.
The firm even has a rival in the form of the J25 made by AyeGear - although as its name suggests, that one has a mere 25 storage areas.
I can't believe I've come to Las Vegas to write about pockets.
Read all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38527350 | |
CES 2017: Strap turns your finger into a phone - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | null | BBC Click's Marc Cieslak reports on a device that allows one of your fingers to make phone calls. | null | A strap which effectively turns one of your fingers into a phone - which can send and receive calls -has been developed.
The strap sends vibrations down the wearer’s hand and can be fitted to any watch.
BBC Click's Marc Cieslak tried it out at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
Follow all our CES coverage at bbc.co.uk/ces2017 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38532572 | |
Jeremy Corbyn: Red Cross NHS warning 'unprecedented' - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | null | The Red Cross is warning there is a "humanitarian crisis" in its hospitals in England, something the NHS denies. | null | The Red Cross is warning there is a "humanitarian crisis" in its hospitals in England, something the NHS denies.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the remarks from the charity were "unprecedented" and "the biggest wake-up call ever". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38543947 | |
Saving Sally: The little Filipino film that needed saving - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The cult Filipino romance, with its gadgets and animated monsters, and the fans who saved it from obscurity. | Asia | Set in an animated Manila, 'Saving Sally' has been billed as a teenage love story
It's a tale of unrequited teenage love terrorised by giant animated monsters in the chaotic streets of Metro Manila.
Saving Sally tells the story of Marty, a young aspiring Philippines comic book artist, played by Enzo Marcos.
He falls in love with his best friend Sally, a gadget inventor - portrayed by Filipina actress Rhian Ramos - who is also the centre of Marty's universe.
The story quickly unfolds with stunning cartoons which tell the story of Marty's lonely world.
Like every love story, there are numerous complications and challenges for the hero.
Namely defending the love of his life from a beastly rival and her difficult parents, who take the form of monsters because to Marty, that is simply what they are.
"Sadly, Marty also has the innate ability to do nothing about everything despite his vivid fantasies of defending Sally from the big bad world," described the film's director Avid Liongoren.
Marty often dreams of defending Sally from the evils of her world
While it has been described as a "typical teen movie about love, monsters and gadgets", the film also touches on serious issues prevalent in Philippine society.
"On the surface, it's a fun and straightforward love story, with good laughs and visual gags that reference Filipino as well as Western pop culture," said screenwriter Charlene Sawit-Esguerra , who wrote and conceptualised the film.
"But it also touches on darker themes like physical abuse and escapism."
Saving Sally's darker themes are mixed in with the teenage love story
After an arduous 10-year journey and a series of setbacks, the team's efforts paid off. Saving Sally gained an entry into the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
The annual festival serves as an outlet to better promote local talent in the Pinoy film industry. But the MMFF sadly still could not save Sally.
The humble film was not widely shown in local cinemas.
The Philippine skyline takes centre stage in this film, which features stunning artwork
Its creators said the answer could lie in the nature of the domestic cinema industry.
Largely unregulated, Philippine cinemas have built a notorious reputation for favouring commercial successes movies like Hollywood blockbusters and "manufactured" romance dramas.
"They pick the films that they think people will watch. So it is more of a perception that since ours is a small, non-studio film, no-one would want to watch it," explained Mr Liongoren.
Ms Sawit-Esguerra said "demand" was often a deciding factor before a film could be considered for screening.
"Theatre owners here think that local audiences will only watch films starring big-names and A-list stars, produced by major studios. Saving Sally has neither," she said.
"Because of this, many cinemas don't want to take the risk and would rather see how audiences responds to our movie first."
Saving Sally earned a festival entry but was not widely screened in cinemas
To film critic Oggs Cruz, another problem with the film lay in its animation, the very thing that its makers fought so hard to create.
"While most Filipinos enjoy animated films, the animated aspect in Saving Sally doesn't favour its commercial ability," he told BBC News.
"It is an adjunct of the main characters and I don't think it has any effect in its marketability. Sadly it won't entice children or adults."
"A lot of Filipinos are proud of their heritage but ironically, they would rather watch the latest Star Wars movie than support local film festival entries.
"It's a losing situation for the film makers whose work will get pulled out for more commercially viable movies that will earn more money."
The show's creators turned to the power of social media and launched an online campaign to save Sally, calling on audiences to contact theatre owners demanding they screen the film.
"Let your voices be heard. Please help us make noise and reach out," read a Facebook post on the movie's official page which drew close to 50,000 reactions and was shared more than 10,000 times.
Thousands of curious Facebook users and fans began to show their support for the film by leaving comments and writing posts using the hashtags #ShowSavingSally and #ImSavingSally.
"It was worth the wait and our money. Great storytelling and amazing animation - good job," gushed Dicay Galvez from Makati city who shared his joy in finally being able to catch the film.
"I cannot imagine the love and passion that went into this film, it may be a typical love story but the entirety of the movie itself is a work of art," wrote Ace Antipolo in an Instagram post.
"Big movie companies in the Philippines just don't put this kind of effort anymore but the efforts of a small group of people who worked for 10 years just to complete this beautiful masterpiece will be cherished forever."
"I guess business is business but I just don't understand why some cinemas saved spots for other movies over Saving Sally. Please show it in Bacolod," said Fraire Acupan.
Given its animation-meets-real life component which plays out heavily, and its slacker hero, Saving Sally has drawn comparisons with popular 2010 geek sleeper hit Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
But will Sally see a similar indie cult following to that which Scott Pilgrim enjoyed?
Its makers said the public response "has been incredible" and fan demand played a crucial role in boosting the film.
Saving Sally was shown on around 50 screens to begin with, but was expected to close at 86 screens.
"Theatres have relented to the barrage of messages from Filipino youngsters wanting to see our film," said Mr Liongoren.
Ms Sawit-Esguerra said: "Saving Sally surpassed what it was expected to earn, according to Industry experts. It also made it to the top four of the festival films based on how it did at the Philippine box office."
She also added that they have received offers for a North American release but that has not yet been finalised.
"We've also been invited to film festivals in Portugal, Spain and Belgium," she said. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38486968 | |
The Donald Trump tweets that say so much and reveal so little - BBC News | 2017-01-07 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | James Naughtie reflects on the tweets of Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration as US president. | US & Canada | It is as if the campaign is still going on.
Two weeks away from his inauguration, Donald Trump seems to prefer the role of "candidate" - flaying his opponents and aiming arrows at the federal government from the enemy camp.
It is almost as if he does not want to accept fully that he is the new chief executive who will be dealing with official Washington from the moment he drives back from the Capitol as the president on 20 January.
And his weapon of choice, forged for him like a legendary warrior's sword in the furnace of the new technology, is Twitter.
No president-elect has battled like this.
Most of them go to ground, secluded with the staff who will take over the West Wing, and make their plans. Dream their dreams, you might say.
They have followed the golden rule: do not give too much away, because it will make life more difficult when the inauguration is over and the business of power begins.
The Trump Twitter account is not just a break with that pattern, but a challenge to the very idea.
His New Year tweet (one of them, I should say) wished love to everyone "including my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do".
Mr Trump wished love to everyone via Twitter at the turn of the year
The implication, of course, is that he does know what he is going to do. The trouble with his Twitter account is that it makes you wonder.
More than 34,000 tweets to nearly 19 million followers (many "enemies" among them, no doubt) and a narrative that has become a kind of stream of consciousness. They read like the unfiltered, disconnected thoughts of someone for whom patience is an ugly word.
You always have to say something, even if you say the opposite the next day. On Twitter, who cares?
Yet, the messages are powerful. One contemptuous tweet about the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives winding down the Office of Congressional Ethics led them to beat a humiliating retreat and cancel the plan.
Mr Trump's choice as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the other day: "Whatever he tweets, he is going to drive the news."
And, bizarre though it may seem, the South Korean government is poring over them. The JoongAng Daily reported that a Twitter-watching position had been set up in the foreign ministry in Seoul "because we don't yet have an insight into his foreign policies".
What insight will they get from tweets which have criticised the Central Intelligence Agency, praised Julian Assange - the Whistleblower of WikiLeaks and a bete noire to most Republicans - and praised President Putin, who gets more friendly treatment than all Democrats and some Republicans at home?
And remarkably the tweets take aim at the entire intelligence community in Washington. What precisely are the South Koreans meant to make of that?
Not too much, you may think, because who can tell how this mercurial candidate is going to be moulded into a president? We still do not know and what his Twitter account tells us - colourfully, astonishingly, sometimes hilariously - is that he is refusing to let us know.
Far from revealing what a Trump presidency is going to be like - as he says his tweets do - they have the effect of enveloping him in a thick fog.
Yes we know he will "make America great again", cut immigration, build his wall, cut taxes, be Israel's greatest ally and so on. But how he is going to build a White House team on foreign affairs and security, conduct relations with Capitol Hill, deal with allies in Nato and the rolling chaos in the Middle East, we have very little idea.
And when the first crisis arrives - as it will before long - will he be able to find the calm that he needs?
Where it all began: Trump's Twitter page in April 2009
No president-elect in modern times has said so much and revealed so little.
We know how Mr Trump feels about almost everything, but about priorities, his approach to the compromises of power, the way he will deal with the bureaucracy - in practice we know very little.
A week or two before election day in November, one of his close associates told me that, if he won, Mr Trump had agreed that in office he would relinquish control of that Twitter account, because it would be inappropriate in the White House.
The satirists' loss, certainly. But, if it happens, a step into reality, at last.
Some day he has to stop being the candidate and playing that game, even though he enjoys it so much.
So the first great test for the Trump White House team is surely getting his finger off that keyboard. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38534308 | |
Tomorrow's Cities: What can be done to improve air quality? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Daytime in the city: Will we still work in offices in future and how damaging is urban air to our health? | Technology | Cities are at their busiest during the day - and their most polluted
Part two of our series "A day in the life of a city" looks at the ways in which offices are changing and how cities are coping with the ever-growing problem of pollution.
The morning rush hour is over and, if you live in a city in the developed world, you are likely to be settling down at your desk for the next eight or so hours.
However, the office block and skyscraper, which have been part of our urban landscape since the end of the 19th Century, may also soon become surplus to requirements.
Should we rethink our office space?
Urban architect Anthony Townsend thinks cities need more creative approaches to how we work and is keen to reclaim the streets by creating pop-up workspaces in the parks and plazas of the financial district in New York.
"Before the New York Stock Exchange, traders met under a tree on Wall Street to buy and sell shares. It is only in the last 50 years that we have taken that creative energy and sucked it up into office buildings and separated it from public space," he said.
An atrium filled with natural light and the smell of fresh coffee greets workers at Deloitte's Edge headquarters in Amsterdam, which also uses an underwater aquifer to provide ambient temperature all year round and a sensor network to monitor the use of lights - providing a better working environment while saving money.
The Edge has been dubbed one of the world's greenest offices and now many are following suit - installing sensors to monitor light, electricity and water usage, planting urban gardens and offering employees access to bike or car-sharing schemes.
When you pop out to buy your lunchtime sandwich though, it is a different matter.
Cities are huge polluters - responsible for 70% of the world's carbon emissions, according to the United Nations.
In Singapore huge man-made super-trees house a variety of flora and fauna
And, according to the World Health Organization, more than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits. While all regions of the world are affected, populations in low income cities are the most impacted.
Cities are literally getting greener - with foliage-covered walls popping up in many
To counteract this, cities are rushing out a whole series of green initiatives - from electric buses (being trialled in many cities including Perth, London and Paris), to bike-sharing schemes, such as those in Montreal, Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Some are committing to "urban greening" - London is considering a garden bridge - while in Paris, 20,000 residents have backed plans via a citizen engagement app 'Madam Mayor, I have an idea' for a 2m euro ($2.2m, £1.7m) investment in vertical gardens across the city.
Officials have found 40 potential sites and are now calling on gardeners, landscape designers, urban farmers and architects to bid for projects.
Horticulturist and designer Patrick Blanc has been creating vertical gardens since 2001 in city hotels, malls and tower blocks around the world.
The benefits are many-fold, he said. As well as acting as a natural biofilter and providing a habitat for birds and bugs, it also feeds humans' natural sense of well-being in nature, a phenomenon known as biophilia.
China is turning to machine learning to predict smog levels
In China, it will take more than planting trees to combat pollution. The city authorities in smog-ridden Bejiing are working closely with IBM to use machine learning techniques to analyse weather and emissions data to predict how bad air will be over the next 10 days.
According to Jonathan Batty, an IBM executive who helped set up the system, it has allowed the authorities to take short-term preventative measures.
"That might mean closing factories for a couple of days or reducing urban traffic or stopping construction work," he said.
The government also uses the data to provide a traffic light warning system for citizens - red means air pollution is high so spend the minimum time outside, while green indicates safe levels.
London provides a similar system on its city dashboard which is available to Londoners on the web.
Prof Andy Hudson-Smith, who heads up University College London's Centre for Advance Spatial Analysis, came up with the idea to share data with the wider public.
"Cities now do have vast amount of information on air pollution and the data from London is all bad but it seems that citizens haven't woken up to how bad the air is," he said.
"I'm surprised that people haven't kicked off. This stuff is life-threatening - if you live on a main road, it can take five years off your life."
Would you take an internet-connected gnome seriously?
The problem with the current way of collecting air pollution data is that often people do not understand what the readings mean, he thinks.
So he has a cunning plan to "humanise IoT" (the internet of things).
He is putting around 100 internet-connected gnomes in the Olympic Park in East London.
The gnomes will talk back to people as they go around the park and among other things will tell them how bad the air pollution is.
Unlike more complex data sets, they will be more plain speaking, said Prof Hudson-Smith.
"They will probably just tell you to go home."
Jakarta launched its smart city programme in 2014 and rather than spend vast sums of money on platforms provided by firms such as IBM and Schneider Electric, it decided its smart city approach would be much more citizen-based.
It has an app - Qlue - that allows citizens to report issues, upload photos of potholes and abandoned cars they come across around the city.
Floods are a major issue there and citizens can also access PetaJakarta, a joint project between the University of Wollongong in Australia and the Jakartan government. It uses tweets about floods to create a real-time map of the city.
Jakarta tweets more than any other city in the world and also faces some of the worst congestion, so a Twitter account offering lift-shares - dubbed Nebenger - has attracted some 93,000 residents
In another congestion-busting initiative, the city is now partnering with Google-owned navigation app Waze to share data about traffic conditions around the city. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37372119 | |
Australian baby Brian Junior weighs in at 6.06kg - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Brian Junior was born in Melbourne and weighed in at 6.06kg (13.5lb) and was 57cm long. | null | Brian Junior was born in Melbourne and weighed in at 6.06kg (13.5lb) and was 57cm long.
His mum, who always wanted "a little fat baby" says she was shocked to find out he was twice the size of an average baby. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38743296 | |
My idol turned out to be my sister - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Jennifer Bricker was born without legs but still became a gymnast, after watching an Olympic champion on TV. The two had more in common than they could ever have guessed. | Magazine | Aerial performer Jennifer Bricker was born without legs, but she never let it stop her. By the age of 11 she was a gymnastics champion - having fallen in love with the sport after watching Dominique Moceanu win a gold medal for the US at the 1996 Olympics. And it turned out the two had a lot more in common than athletic talent.
Wrapped in a loop of red silk suspended from the ceiling Jennifer Bricker climbs and twists to the music. Her head hangs down and her strong arms let go as she balances on her back, high above the ground - a move that's all the more daring because she has no legs.
Jennifer was a few months old when she was adopted by Sharon and Gerald Bricker. She had big brown eyes, a radiant smile, and huge amounts of energy. When a doctor advised her adoptive parents to carry her around in a kind of bucket, they refused.
Jennifer soon learned to walk - and run - on her hands and bottom, and grew up fearlessly climbing trees and bouncing on the trampoline with her three older brothers. "They encouraged all of that by having me jump off everything and scare everybody half to death," she says.
At the age of three she was fitted with prosthetic legs, but she never really took to them - she moved more freely without.
At school Jennifer loved competing in ball games. "I was right there with everyone else," she says. "My parents didn't treat me differently so I didn't grasp the concept that I was different. I knew I didn't have legs but that wasn't stopping me from doing the things I wanted to do."
The Brickers had always been open with her about her adoption. "I knew that I was Romanian and that probably a good reason why I was given up for adoption was because I didn't have legs," says Jennifer.
Sharon and Gerald even encouraged her to understand her birth parents - Romanian immigrants to the US who had given her up on the day she was born. "You didn't walk in their shoes so you really don't know what was going on in their life. They were from a different country. They had a different mindset," they would explain.
At the same time, they made sure she felt loved and wanted, telling her she was the answer to their prayers.
Jennifer grew up in a tiny community in Illinois. The first time she saw a fellow Romanian was on TV. It was 1996 and the Olympic Games were taking place in Atlanta. Jennifer loved to watch the women's gymnastics team, but there was one member of the team she especially idolised - 14-year-old Dominique Moceanu. She was only six years older, and, as Jennifer puts it, "very small" like her.
"I was drawn to her because we looked alike and that was so important to me," says Jennifer. "No-one looked like me growing up. I didn't know any other Romanian people. I just saw myself in her in so many ways and that was a big deal for me."
Dominique Moceanu during the Women's Beam event in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia
Moceanu and the women's team went on to win gold, and it was at that moment Jennifer decided she was going to be a gymnast, too. She took up power tumbling, which involves performing floor exercises down a runway. But Jennifer did not want any allowances to be made for her disability. "That way when I compete, I know that it's legit," she says.
She remembers spectators being surprised when they saw her: "Wow, this girl doesn't have legs - is she competing?"
"But the love, the support when I did compete was amazing," she says. "They would always applaud and cheer because I made sure that there were no exceptions made for me - nothing."
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At the age of 10 she took part in the Junior Olympics and by age 11 she was tumbling champion for the state of Illinois.
Jennifer continued to follow the ups and downs of her idol, who was now making headlines for different reasons. In 1998, when Dominique was 17, she took her parents to court, accusing them of mis-spending $1m of her post-Olympic earnings. During the court case, stories came out about her father's harsh treatment of her. She succeeded in legally breaking free from her parents and taking control of her own finances.
Dominique Moceanu takes an oath in court with her father in the background
When Jennifer was 16 she asked her mother if there was anything they hadn't told her about her birth family. She really wasn't expecting her to say, "Yes," because her parents had always been so open. But to her surprise, her mother did have something important to tell her. She sat her down and said: "Your biological last name would have been Moceanu."
There was no doubting what that meant. "Immediately when she said that I was like, 'Wow, that means Dominique's my sister,'" says Jennifer.
The Brickers had found out purely by accident. Jennifer's was meant to have been a closed adoption, but her birth parents' names appeared on some documents. Then, during the 1996 Olympics, the TV cameras had cut to Dominique's mother Camelia and father Dumitru in the crowd. As their names flashed up on the screen, the Brickers realised they were looking at Jennifer's parents. But they decided not to tell their daughter until she was older.
When she found out, Jennifer wanted to get in touch with Dominique, but she was determined to do it properly. "I couldn't just call her and say 'Hey, I'm your sister' - I didn't want her to think I was crazy." Her uncle happened to be a private investigator so she asked him to contact her biological parents. They didn't deny putting her up for adoption, but after that first phone call they no longer responded. "It was clear they wanted to continue keeping me a secret," she says.
Four years later, Jennifer wrote her sister a letter, explaining the situation and telling her how she had inspired her to take up gymnastics.
"I almost could not believe it myself, you had been my idol my whole life, and you turned out to be my sister!" she wrote.
She included copies of all the documentation she had and lots of photographs - all from the waist up. "I instinctively made the choice not to tell her I didn't have legs because I thought it might be a little bit much," explains Jennifer. "She's already finding out she has a sister she didn't know about. I'll just wait and tell her about the no legs afterwards."
By now, Dominique was 26 years old and no longer competing professionally. It was a busy time in her life. She had married a fellow athlete and they were expecting their first child. She was trying to finish her college exams before giving birth. On 10 December 2007, after finishing a statistics exam, Dominique drove to the post office to collect a package.
She tore open the envelope when she got back to the car - the first thing she saw were some court documents with her parents' signatures. That piqued her interest. Then she shifted her attention to the photographs of a girl who looked just like her younger sister, Christina. "The resemblance was unbelievable," she says. Finally she turned to the neatly-typed letter. One sentence leapt out at her: "My biological last name is Moceanu."
"That letter was the biggest shock of my life and I'll never forget it," says Dominique.
She needed to know if it was true. Still sitting in her car, she called her mother, who lived a few time zones away, and woke her up with the words: "Did you give up a baby girl for adoption in 1987?"
"She had the wake-up call of her life - it was just so blunt," she admits.
Her mother burst into tears. She said "Yes" but could barely say anything else.
"My heart broke for her because she had to keep this a secret for all these years and she could never have had the opportunity to deal with it," says Dominique.
The next few weeks were an emotional rollercoaster. Dominique wrote back to Jennifer, asking for time to process the news and explaining that she was about to have a baby.
"I needed to answer some of my own questions and figure out how this could have happened," says Dominique.
At the time her father was very ill so it was difficult to communicate with him, but Dominique found out that he had made the decision to give Jennifer up at the hospital out of fear that they would not be able to pay her medical bills. Her mother had not had a say in it, and had never even got the chance to hold her.
Dominique's own daughter was born on Christmas Day and a few weeks later, on 14 January, she felt ready to call her sister for the first time. She was nervous and had even prepared notes, but the conversation soon flowed.
Then Jennifer bit the bullet. "By the way, you know I don't have legs right?" she said.
Dominique was stunned into silence. How did this fit with what she knew?
"She told me that I was the reason she started gymnastics, and I thought that was a beautiful thing," says Dominique. "I never imagined she would do all of these sports without having legs."
That spring, Dominique, Jennifer and their younger sister Christina met for the first time in Ohio, where Dominique lived.
"On one hand it was surreal and a bit like a dream," says Jennifer. "But on the other hand it was very natural. The DNA was very clear at that point. When I met my younger sister it was like looking in a mirror."
The sisters marvelled at all the things they had in common - the way they laughed, even certain hand gestures - but when they spoke about their upbringing, their stories could not have been more different.
"They did not have the love and support that I had. They had some abuse and turmoil and secrets so it was not an easy childhood for them," says Jennifer.
The Moceanus, themselves former gymnasts, had come to the US in 1981, after fleeing the Ceausescu regime in Romania. Dominique was born shortly after they arrived, and they dreamed she would be the next Nadia Comaneci.
When she was six months old they hung her on the washing line to test her strength - she held on until the line broke. "That was a sign to them I'd be a great gymnast," says Dominique. It was a story her father loved to tell - unfortunately the training methods he and the coaches espoused were a hangover from the communist era.
Dominique says she was constantly humiliated and berated about her weight and any shortcomings in her performance. "People thought these measures were the way you had to succeed," she says. "But those kinds of things are really damaging to the self-esteem when you're a young, growing, pre-pubescent child." There was also the threat of physical punishment from her father if her performance was not up to scratch. He was an authoritarian figure who dominated the household.
"We all agree that it would not have been a great childhood environment for me to grow up in," says Jennifer.
"My parents had never been around many children with disabilities," says Dominique.
Their father died before Jennifer could meet him, but in January 2010, at the age of 22, she met her biological mother, Camelia, for the first time.
"I remember it in slow motion," says Jennifer.
"She was wearing a fur hat - it was such a stereotypical Eastern European thing.
"She couldn't believe how much I looked like my sisters and so she was instinctively speaking in Romanian." Dominique had to translate for her mother, who was too stunned to switch to English.
The women hugged, and Jennifer showed her videos of her performances, including a trampoline act she had performed on tour with Britney Spears. "She was so amazed and she knew that she could have never given me that life," she says.
Jennifer felt no anger towards her. She credits her adoptive parents for this. "They gave me the freedom not to be bitter," she says.
Jennifer with her parents, Sharon and Gerald Bricker
In fact, she says her heart went out to her mother.
"You know, my biological mother was very much a victim of an abusive marriage," she says. "She did not have an easy life - and that's not me making an excuse for her, that's just the truth."
The sisters live in separate states but try to see each other when they can, making up for lost time. Jennifer now travels the world as an inspirational speaker and performs as an aerial acrobat.
"She's wonderful, she's up there in the air and you can see her passion," says Dominique. "I'm proud of her as an older sister - she's really living her dreams."
Listen to Dominique and Jennifer speak to Outlook on the BBC World Service
Images of Jennifer Bricker taken from Everything is Possible by Jen Bricker with Sheryl Berk. Baker Books, © 2016. Used by permission
Dominique Moceanu has also written a book about her life, Off Balance
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38697627 | |
Will Donald Trump mean the end of global trade? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Global trade flows are already falling, but could Donald Trump prove to be their final death knell? | Business | Mr Trump insisted leaving the TPP was good for American workers
Free trade and globalisation had a bad 2016, but it looks like 2017 could be even worse.
For decades there has been a consensus that globalisation brought more jobs, higher wages and lower prices - not just for richer countries but also for developing and poorer nations.
But there is now a growing movement of anger as people see jobs being taken by machines, old industries disappearing and waves of migration disturbing the established order.
Global trade flows are falling and trade deals are being ripped up.
The new US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 45% on Chinese goods, accusing the country of economically "raping" the US.
One of China's fiercest critics, Peter Navarro, has been appointed as a top trade advisor.
A Japanese factory's Donald Trump masks are in demand, but the US exit from the TPP agreement will hit trade between the two countries
An executive order pulling out of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement aimed at deepening economic ties between the twelve countries that border the Pacific Ocean was one of Mr Trump's first acts on moving into the White House.
The future of free trade is looking very gloomy.
But what's behind the anger that threatens decades of relative global consensus on globalisation?
The sense of grievance in the US is clear: the manufacturing sector in the country has seen six million jobs disappear between 1999 and 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Studies have shown that the decline in the US has been mirrored by gains in China.
Automation has helped drive the decline in US manufacturing jobs
But Chinese imports only explain 44% of the decline in employment in manufacturing in the US between 1990 and 2007, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn.
Part of the decline has been down to the outsourcing of jobs to other countries but automation and more efficient processes have also taken their toll.
"All countries end up with losers from technological development - whether it is telephone operators or bank tellers," says Gary Hufbauer, a trade expert from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
"The problem in the US is that we don't do much to help those people who lose out through social security support or job retraining," says Mr Hufbauer.
The anger that flows from this has found a home in the protectionist rhetoric of politicians like Mr Trump.
"There has been no growth in household income during the last decade in Europe, the US and Japan. People are not happy and if you have to blame someone, it is easy to blame foreigners,"' says Mr Hufbauer.
The rise of political opposition to globalisation has coincided with - and contributed to - a period of declining world trade growth since the financial crisis of 2008.
Between 1986 and 2008 world trade grew at an average of 6.5%, according to the World Trade Organization.
Between 2012 and 2015 that rate has slowed to an average of 3.2% and is predicted to expand by just 1.7% in 2016.
That slowdown would make it the longest period of relative trade stagnation since the Second World War.
Since the financial crisis the slowing of the Chinese economy and political and economic stagnation in the eurozone have contributed to this flat-lining of world trade.
At the same time, in an attempt to insulate companies and industries at home, politicians have turned to tariffs and restrictions on imports from other countries.
"Governments worldwide have almost doubled their resort to trade distortions in the last two years," says Prof Simon Evenett, a trade expert at St Gallen University.
"The recent surge in 'beggar-thy-neighbour' activity predates Trump and Brexit, suggesting that populist pressures are likely to exacerbate protectionism," he says.
The flat lining of economic growth has increased pressure on politicians.
"Governments across the world are enacting protectionist policies often masquerading as 'industrial policy," according to Prof Evenett.
He says this often involves offering government subsidies to local companies, introducing import barriers and new '"local" standards for products from abroad.
Yet while protectionism may seem appealing to politicians assailed by angry workers, they often only end up raising prices for consumers.
For example, there was an outcry in 2012 when cheap Chinese tyres flooded into the US market, putting the viability of the domestic producers in question.
President Obama responded with punitive tariffs to get China "to play by the rules".
The protectionist measures were well received in the US, but a study by the Peterson Institute established that the tariffs meant US consumers paid $1.1bn more for their tyres in 2011.
Each job that was saved effectively cost $900,000 with very little of that reaching the pockets of the workers.
With the economic and social benefits of free trade coming increasingly under attack, proponents of globalisation have tried to launch a counterattack.
For example, The World Bank recently published a study of developing countries showing that average incomes for people living in the bottom 40% increased between 2008 and 2013, despite the impact of the financial crisis.
"There is a realisation in rich countries and among rich elites that there are problems with globalisation," says Branko Milanovic, an economist whose work on income inequality has driven much of the debate.
"They realise that for their own political self-preservation they have to tackle them."
But the solutions are not obvious, nor easy to implement.
"Most of the benefits of globalisation have been enjoyed by a relatively small group within each country.
"The question is not whether there are benefits to globalisation - there clearly are. But the question is about who is enjoying those benefits," says Andrew Lang from the London School of Economics.
Part of the anger might dissipate if economic growth was to stop its stubborn flat-lining trajectory, lifting incomes around the world.
Many in the US, Europe and Japan have seen no increase in their household income in the past 10 years
"To help solve these problems you need to get the world economy revved up. Governments need to commit to fiscal stimulus to get their economies going again," says Gary Hufbauer.
Branko Milanovic points to the success of previous politicians in turning round seemingly intractably weak economies.
"It's not impossible for politicians to address these issues.
"Thatcher and Reagan managed to effect change in relatively short periods of time - a presidential term of four years should be enough to start making a difference," he says.
But Prof Evenett is pessimistic: "I expect the global plateau in world trade to continue in 2017 and that is before Donald Trump enacts any of the protectionist measures he has threatened." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38731812 | |
Reality Check: Did millions vote illegally in the US? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | President Trump claims that he would have won the popular vote had it not been for fraud. Is he right? | US & Canada | The claim: Donald Trump would have won the popular vote in last year's US presidential election had it not been for people voting illegally.
Reality Check verdict: There is no evidence to support the assertion that at least 2.86 million people voted illegally.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump stands by his concerns about illegal voting.
The disclosure came after the president was reported to have claimed in a closed meeting on Monday that between three and five million unauthorised immigrants had voted for Hillary Clinton.
At the end of November, Mr Trump tweeted: "I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally."
While the president won the election via the electoral college, he actually received 2.86 million fewer votes than his rival.
So his suggestion is that at least 2% of the people who voted did so illegally, assuming that they all voted for Mrs Clinton.
Non-citizens of the United States, including permanent legal residents, do not have the right to vote in presidential elections. Voter registration requires applicants to declare their citizenship status, and they could face criminal punishment if they falsely claim citizenship rights.
In addition to being registered voters, in two-thirds of states, voters are required to bring identification to the polls in order to be allowed to vote. In all states, first-time voters who register to vote by post must provide valid identification before voting.
Donald Trump and his team have referred to two studies they say show the threat posed by unauthorised voting; both have been challenged.
A 2014 study published in Electoral Studies found evidence that suggested non-citizens do vote and "can change the outcome of close races". Donald Trump referred to this study on the campaign trail in Wisconsin on 17 October.
The research has been roundly criticised by political scientists who said it misinterpreted the data. The team behind the research used data collected by the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), which is a national survey taken before and after elections. The CCES published a newsletter that disputed the findings and said "the likely percent of non-citizen voters in recent US elections is 0".
During the campaign, Mr Trump also referred to a 2012 Pew Center on the States study that found 1.8 million dead Americans were still registered. The deceased, alleged Mr Trump, were still voting. The report, however, does not make any statements about this claim.
Although it is not impossible for non-citizens to break voting laws, there is no evidence that millions of immigrants without the right to vote influenced the outcome of the popular vote.
Election officials, including those from the Republican Party, have said there was no evidence of mass electoral fraud and senior Republicans such as House Speaker Paul Ryan have distanced themselves from the claim.
But President Trump tweeted from his personal account on Wednesday to say that he would be asking for a major investigation into voter fraud.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38744612 | |
Driving standing up conviction for tall Newcastle man - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A 6ft 7in (2m) Newcastle man admits driving standing up but later claims he was "just tall". | Tyne & Wear | Adam Elliott had photographs taken to show his height in relation to the size of his car
A tall man has been convicted of driving while standing up after admitting dangerous driving.
Adam Elliott was accused of showing off to other motorists with his head poking out of the roof of a convertible Ford Ka.
The 26-year-old from Newcastle, who is 6ft 7in (2m) tall, pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court but later blamed his height.
Speaking after the hearing, he said: "I was not stood up, I am just tall."
Judge Robert Adams said it was "pretty obvious" Elliott had been "showing off, demonstrating your height to people in an open top small car".
"It was a dangerous thing to do," he said.
Adam Elliott pleaded guilty to dangerous driving but later insisted he was just tall and not standing up in the car
Mr Elliott, a car dealer, was seen in Gateshead and on the Tyne Bridge driving the car with the top down in January last year.
He had been delivering the vehicle to a customer, he said.
"I pleaded guilty to this because I was advised to, but I still insist I was not standing up," he said.
"It's just because of my height.
"I'm an excellent driver but I was advised to plead guilty to get it over with."
The court heard Elliott had 12 previous convictions for driving while disqualified.
He was given an interim driving ban of 12 months and will be sentenced next month.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-38730051 | |
Dylan Hartley: England captain feared for international career following ban - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | England captain Dylan Hartley says he feared that his latest ban would cost him his international career. | null | Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley says he feared that his latest ban would cost him his international career.
The 30-year-old has been confirmed as England's captain for the Six Nations by coach Eddie Jones - two days after his six-week suspension for hitting Leinster's Sean O'Brien ended.
Hartley will not have played for nine weeks before England's opening game against France on 4 February.
"I did think that maybe that was it," Hartley told BBC Sport.
"But again, a conversation with Eddie - a very clear and direct conversation - and I know where I stand," he added.
Hartley, who led England to the Grand Slam last year, was banned in December after he caught the Irish flanker with a swinging arm during Northampton's 37-10 Champions Cup loss. It was the third red card of his career.
The subsequent suspension took the total number of weeks he has been unavailable during his career to 60.
"I obviously came back to Northampton and wanted to make a positive impact in a big game for the club," said Hartley. "It obviously went horribly wrong.
"Positive, dominant, hard tackle. That's what I was thinking. Obviously the outcome was different to what I intended.
"That walk off the field is never a quick moment. It seems to drag on for quite a while, but obviously gives you time to reflect and I understand I could have jeopardised a lot.
"I put myself and the team in a difficult position and since then I've had clear directives from the management of what they expect and here I am."
Hartley said that part of the directive from Jones was to improve his tackle technique.
"I've worked very hard with [England defence coach] Paul Gustard on that," added Hartley. "It's not something that just finishes now that I'm back playing. It's an ongoing thing."
Hartley was dropped from England's 2015 Rugby World Cup squad after he headbutted Saracens' Jamie George, but was recalled by the Australian after he replaced Stuart Lancaster.
The hooker went on to lead the side to a Six Nations Grand Slam as they embarked on a run of 14 consecutive Test match victories. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38751283 | |
Newspaper headlines: MPs' 'new plot to thwart Brexit' - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Supreme Court's ruling that Parliament must vote on whether the government can start the Brexit process dominates Wednesday's front pages. | The Papers | Most of the papers lead on the fall-out from the government's Brexit court defeat
The Brexit Supreme Court ruling makes the lead for nearly all the papers, but one of the most eye-catching headlines can be found in the inside pages of the Daily Mail.
"Champions of the People", it proclaims, praising the three justices who found themselves in the minority as they sided with the government in the case.
The Mail attracted controversy in November when it branded three High Court judges "enemies of the people" for ruling Parliament had to be consulted over Brexit.
The Mail thinks it is not good for democracy that this decision has been now backed by the Supreme Court, arguing this, in effect, turns the EU referendum into a "mere opinion poll".
The Guardian is pleased with the Supreme Court judgement, saying it upheld a major constitutional principle in the face of what it describes as "shameful attacks" by the Brexit press.
It think the government should now publish a formal White Paper on its goals for Brexit.
But the Financial Times warns MPs against trying to micro-manage the negotiations.
The Daily Telegraph says Parliament has a duty to act responsibly and not seek a re-run of the referendum campaign.
"What's not to like when British judges in Britain's Supreme Court rule that British law makes the British Parliament sovereign," is the Daily Mirror take on Tuesday's Brexit ruling.
But it is not an opinion that is shared by all the leader writers.
The Times warns the Lords against trying to frustrate Brexit.
It would do so at its peril, says the paper, adding: "Showdowns between the two houses rarely end well for the Lords and the country does not need yet another constitutional headache."
The Daily Telegraph says that ministers are privately warning the government is prepared to flood the Lords with hundreds of Conservative peers if it obstructs the process of leaving the EU.
The Daily Mail believes new recruits are being discouraged from joining the Army because of historical inquiries into soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It says the Army remains 4% below its required strength, the nearly 7,000 cadets who signed up in the past year being about 3,000 short of the target.
A group campaigning to end the investigations tells the Mail that the figures are no surprise, asking why anyone would want to join the forces when they could be hounded for years.
The Financial Times thinks the world ought to start taking seriously US President Donald Trump's threat to impose trade tariffs in order to protect American goods.
In an editorial it argues that many still assume he is bluffing in order to win better deals.
But, it says, the first few days of his presidency have shown that he is not posturing and he thinks protectionism will make America richer.
The FT wonders how far he will get before he and his country both discover just how wrong he is.
The reported Trident missile failure may have made the headlines in recent days, but the Times reminds us that problems involving nuclear submarines are not new.
It reports on a CIA document which has revealed that a Soviet submarine and an American one, which was carrying a 160 nuclear warheads, crashed into each other in 1974 near Holy Loch, about 30 miles from Glasgow.
One expert says the crash was so serious there was a danger that the crews could have tried to defend themselves - believing they were under attack - leading to the possibility of war.
The growing number of homes with wood-burning stoves is partly being blamed for worsening air pollution levels in London, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Air quality readings in some parts of the capital were worse this week than in Beijing.
The weather and traffic pollution have led to the alert but, according to experts at King's College, wood fires were also responsible with more than a million homes now having the stoves.
David Cameron explains in the Times why he is becoming the president of Alzheimer's Research UK
On its front page, the Daily Mirror again has photos of drivers clutching their mobiles while out on the road.
Four months after the paper began its campaign to change public attitudes, it asks, "When will we ever learn?"
A traffic officer tells the paper he has heard every excuse in the book from the drivers he has pulled over.
He says one builder tried to throw his phone out the window when he was caught, while another woman insisted she did not own one, until it went off under the seat where she had hidden it.
The Mirror says cars and vans are deadly weapons in the hands of what it calls "mobile phone morons" and calls for more of them to be banned.
In the Times, David Cameron explains why he is becoming the president of Alzheimer's Research UK.
He says there needs to be a deeper understanding of the disease so that dementia is not accepted as inevitable in later life.
The paper says the article represents his "first important political intervention since leaving Downing Street".
It thinks Mr Cameron is concerned that Theresa May could downgrade funding for dementia research which for him was a "personal priority." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38739900 | |
Ryan Mason: Jake Livermore 'feared the worst' after head injury - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Former Hull midfielder Jake Livermore says he feared the worst when Ryan Mason fractured his skull against Chelsea. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Ex-Hull midfielder Jake Livermore says he feared the worst when former team-mate Ryan Mason fractured his skull.
The England midfielder, 25, clashed heads with Chelsea defender Gary Cahill during Hull's defeat at Stamford Bridge but is making 'excellent progress'.
Livermore - who joined West Brom on Friday and has been in touch with Mason - said: "It's never nice to see any fellow professional seriously injured.
Livermore played with Mason at both Tottenham and Hull, with Mason becoming the Tigers' record signing when he left White Hart Lane last summer.
Mason will continue to be closely monitored by staff at St Mary's Hospital in London.
"I only spoke to him a couple of days ago and he wished me well at West Brom," Livermore said. "You fear the worst when something like that happens.
"I know his family very well. Everyone wishes him all the best, fingers crossed he'll be fine.
"He's a strong character anyway. I've played with him for a long time growing up and I've no doubts he'll be fine."
Hull fans are being encouraged to show support for Mason by taking part in a minute's applause during Thursday's EFL Cup semi-final against Manchester United at the KCOM Stadium.
The club wants fans to applaud in the 25th minute to represent the number of Mason's shirt. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38736602 | |
Why Brexit ruling is a relief for the government - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The government lost its Supreme Court appeal, but ministers will still be relieved at the ruling. | UK Politics | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sets out three key points from the ruling
Certainly, the prime minister did not want to find herself in the position of having to ask MPs for permission to start our divorce from the European Union.
Today's verdict from the justices doesn't take away from the reality that having to go to Parliament before triggering Article 50 is a political inconvenience Theresa May very much wanted to avoid.
Nor does it change the sentiment among opposition MPs, some of whom are determined to try to amend whatever legislation the government puts forward to include guarantees of this or that, to try to force a vote on staying in the single market, or to push for final binding votes on the process when negotiations are complete.
However, the sighs of relief are real in Whitehall this morning for two reasons.
Nicola Sturgeon wanted the Scottish government to be consulted before Article 50 was triggered
The justices held back from insisting that the devolved administrations would have a vote or a say on the process. That was, as described by a member of Team May, the "nightmare scenario".
The Scottish National Party has said it would not try to veto Brexit, but there is no question that having a vote on Article 50 in the Holyrood Parliament could have been politically troublesome for the government. After the judgement it seems like an unexploded bomb.
And second, the Supreme Court also held back from telling the government explicitly what it has to do next. The judgement is clear that it was not for the courts but for politicians to decide how to proceed next.
That means, possibly as early as tomorrow, ministers will put forward what is expected to be an extremely short piece of legislation in the hope of getting MPs to approve it, perhaps within a fortnight.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Attorney General Jeremy Wright: "The government will comply with the judgement of the court"
Nightmare number two for the government would have been explicit instructions from the court about the kind of legislation they had to introduce.
That wouldn't just have made ministers' lives very difficult when they want, above all else, to produce something that gives their opponents minimal room for manoeuvre.
But it would have raised spiky questions about the power of the courts versus our politicians and parliaments - a fight few had the appetite to have. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38730907 | |
One protester's story: Paying the price for seeking freedom in Egypt - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Six years since the outbreak of the revolution in Egypt, human rights campaigners says the situation in the country is far worse, Orla Guerin reports. | Middle East | Mahmoud Hussein says he needs a crutch because of abuse and medical neglect in prison
It is six years since the outbreak of the 18-day revolution in Egypt which swept the autocrat, Hosni Mubarak, from power. But human rights campaigners say the situation in the country is now far worse than before the uprising, as Orla Guerin reports from Cairo.
With every step he takes, Mahmoud Mohammed Hussein is reminded of the price he paid for wanting freedom and democracy in Egypt.
The 21-year-old has a pronounced limp and relies on a crutch - a legacy, he says, of beatings during almost 800 days in a series of prisons. Ten months have passed since his release, but he still appears frail.
Mahmoud is one of thousands who have been detained in recent years under Egypt's latest strongman, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
As army chief he led the military overthrow of Egypt's first democratically-elected president, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013.
Since then Mr Sisi has presided over a sweeping crackdown on dissent - ensnaring Islamists, liberals, journalists, aid workers, and icons of the revolution of 2011.
People took to the streets of Cairo on 25 January 2011 to demand Hosni Mubarak resign
Mahmoud joined the throngs behind bars back in 2014, when he was just 18.
His ordeal began on 25 January, the anniversary of the outbreak of the revolution. His fate was sealed by his T-shirt which read: "A nation without torture."
"It was a day of celebration for me," said Mahmoud, who has dark curly hair and a ready smile.
"I wasn't part of the revolution, but I believed in it and its goals. It made me feel like a human being, with rights and duties.
"Nowadays, people see the anniversary as a black day, they worry when it comes. For me the mood was one of celebration."
Supporters of Abdul Fattah al-Sisi were allowed to take to the streets on 25 January 2014
But then - as now - the streets were reserved for President Sisi's supporters. They could gather freely, unlike his critics. Protests are virtually banned here.
We witnessed police opening fire that day - with live rounds - on unarmed demonstrators.
Mahmoud said he was not involved in any of the protests, but that he was detained as he headed for home.
"The officer who arrested me told me, 'You have my picture on your T-shirt'," he said.
"The T-shirt was inspired by the revolution. I saw it as a beautiful thing, not a crime. A country without torture is a dream that everyone wishes for."
Dozens died in clashes with security forces at anti-government protests three years ago
That dream was apparently not shared by the police he encountered that day. Mahmoud said they soon employed the torture skills for which human rights groups have long condemned the Egyptian police.
"I was abused at the checkpoint where I was arrested," he told us.
"Then they transferred me to the police station. I was electrocuted on my private parts. They kicked me with their military boots, and hit me with sticks.
"Everyone knew I was there because of the T-shirt. They believed this was a personal insult to them, so they beat me."
The aim, he said, was to get him to sign a false confession.
Mahmoud Hussein (centre) was photographed with the T-shirt reading "A nation without torture"
"A senior officer beat me and kicked me and then asked junior police officers to do the job," he said.
"They wanted me to sign a report saying I was against the police. I refused. The juniors have their own ways - if beating doesn't work, then electrocution might do the job.
"I was stripped naked, without even boxer shorts, and I was beaten just to admit to certain charges".
Mahmoud asked the officers to spare his leg, which was injured in the past.
"They insisted on kicking me and beating me on that leg," he said.
"Because of all the abuse and the medical neglect in prison I now need my friend, the crutch, and two surgeries."
His account is consistent with testimony from others who have been detained in recent years. We asked the Egyptian government for a response to the allegation that detainees have been beaten and tortured in custody. There was no reply.
In the past the authorities have denied there is systematic torture, but said there may be individual cases.
Mahmoud described both physical and psychological abuse.
He told us he spent 14 months in one overcrowded cell where he could barely move, and could not see daylight.
There were about 150 other prisoners, including Islamists and men held for rape and murder.
"I always had this element of fear," he said, "All the time, because prison is like a tomb. It's a place that takes away your soul, and kills everything beautiful in you."
Tens of thousands of people have been jailed in a sweeping crackdown on dissent since 2013
Mahmoud was released from detention last March - following campaigns at home and abroad.
While he is back home with his family in Cairo, he is not completely free.
He still faces charges including joining an unauthorized protest, possession of explosives and joining a banned terrorist group - all of which he denies.
"I could go back to prison at any time," he said. "They could just pick me walking on the street.
"Since my release that has happened twice. I was held for a few hours and then they let me go."
Public criticism and peaceful opposition are effectively banned in Egypt, rights activists say
Mahmoud has also been receiving threatening phone calls.
"One told me I would not have time to come back to prison," he said, "meaning that someone could stab me or kill me. I didn't reply. I just hung up."
In spite of all the dangers, including the risk that he could be put on trial, Mahmoud refuses to be silenced.
"In Egypt my rights and the rights of thousands of others like me are violated, just for dreaming or hoping for freedom," he said.
"Their destiny is prison, or death. That's not going to stop me from speaking out, or caring for thousands like me. "
Officials here would not give us a comment on allegations that all dissent is being crushed.
President Sisi said in September that "there can be no return to dictatorship"
President Sisi has said in the past that stability is more important than freedom, but he maintains that dictatorship cannot return to Egypt. Critics believe in some key respects it never left.
When asked if the revolution is now dead, Mahmoud gave a swift response.
"No, not at all," he insisted. "25 January is a dream that will never die. The revolution lives in the hearts of people like me, of everyone who believes in it.
"The current regime is trying desperately to erase it from memory."
As for the T- shirt that cost him his freedom, he has no regrets.
"I always say that if I could go back, in spite of all the abuses I suffered, I would wear the T-shirt again," he said.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38730565 | |
What would you do for your best friend? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | From being "best woman" at his wedding to donating a kidney - what one woman is doing for her best friend. | Liverpool | "It takes a special kind of person" to donate their kidney, Andy said of his friend Helen
About 3,000 people have kidney transplants each year in the UK and about a third of these are from living donors. Helen Crowther has given one of her kidneys to her best friend Andy Clewes. He has suffered with chronic kidney disease since birth and has recently started to need dialysis treatment.
When Helen first offered Andy her kidney he laughed along, thinking it was a joke.
"But she really meant it and as I got worse she became more insistent until about 12 months ago she said 'right, I definitely want to do it'," he said.
Helen's kidney was removed at the Royal Liverpool Hospital on Tuesday morning.
Helen said it "feels like a privilege" to be able to give her kidney to her best friend
It was then "whisked down the M62" to Andy in the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
"The last 12 months have gone so slowly and to finally get to this end point is fantastic," the 46-year-old said.
"I was just on the cusp of dialysis, feeling exhausted all the time and unable to concentrate in work - now I can't wait to get my life back. I'm really excited."
Andy, a radio DJ in Macclesfield, said: "I'm incredibly lucky and grateful. It's hard to put into words such a massive thing... it takes a special kind of person to do this."
The pair are hoping to encourage others to sign up to the organ donor register
Born a week apart, the pair struck up their friendship in 2006 after meeting at a charity fundraising event. Last year Helen, 46, was Andy's "best woman" at his wedding.
Helen, a charity worker from Runcorn, said she thought donating a kidney was "the obvious thing to do".
"I do appreciate it's a huge thing. I just didn't want to see Andy poorly. I was aware you can live well with one kidney so couldn't see why you wouldn't do it."
Helen's kidney was removed at the Royal Liverpool Hospital
When Andy's mum met Helen for the first time at his wedding and thanked her, she "was in tears".
"It's a bit embarrassing when people are saying you're so brave," she said. "His family were so lovely at the wedding and I was overwhelmed really. I was just doing it as Andy needed to get well. I had the ability to help him.
"It feels like a privilege. I am just so grateful I can do it."
For Andy, he is planning on getting back to a normal life.
"I've been restricted physically up to now but the doctors say I'll get a burst of energy.
"I'm going to want to go off on holiday... to do everything. I think I'm going to be quite annoying."
He said it had made him very aware that others "aren't so fortunate and rely on the kindness of strangers" so he hopes his experience will encourage people to become organ donors as they "really will be changing lives".
Kidneys filter waste products from the blood and convert them to urine.
These waste products can build up in people whose kidneys fail, which is potentially life-threatening and the reason a transplant is needed.
Kidneys are the most common organ donated by a living person and a healthy person can lead a normal life with one working kidney.
Before 2006, living kidney donation was limited to exchanges between family members and friends but since the UK allowed "non-directed altruistic donation" by strangers, more than 500 people have gone ahead with the operation.
There were 1,035 living kidney donor transplants performed in the UK in 2015/2016 - but as of September 2016, there are 5,338 people waiting for a kidney.
You can find more information on the NHS Organ Donation website.
Andy said the friends were "always there for each other"
"Nobody wants to see anyone they love on dialysis," said Helen. "This should improve his quality of life. He'll be healthier and that's all I want."
"It's just a couple of months out of my life when I'll feel a bit tired and sore, but for Andy it will be a whole new life."
Andy said: "It's a totally selfless act and she's got a friend for life whether she wants it or not."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-38682073 | |
Is hotel art a waste of time? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Chinese hotels are using art to try and stand out from their competitors, but does it make business sense? | Business | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Does using art to sell hotels make good business sense?
If you visit the Emperor Qianmen hotel, near the Forbidden City in Beijing, be sure to bring an umbrella - otherwise you may get drenched. That's because it sometimes rains inside the lobby.
This is not due to a leaking roof. The "rain" comes from an installation by the Canadian artist Dan Euser, whose other pieces at the Emperor include an astonishingly realistic "waterfall" in the hotel's spa.
The Emperor is a "water hotel", explains the Chinese artist Bingyi, another member of the team behind the establishment's design. It is built on the site of an old bath house, and it was this, Bingyi adds, that gave the hotel's architect, Adam Sokol, the idea for an aquatic theme for the project.
At the Emperor Hotel in Beijing an art installation creates rain inside the lobby
Art can be found almost everywhere at the Emperor. Bingyi's work on display includes Cave in Heaven, a vast ink and paper mural covering 400 square metres, over the entire walls of a large space.
Bingyi believes that China today is a fruitful place for collaborations between artists and hotels, like the one at the Emperor.
"Cultural significance is very important to Chinese.
"We take the greatest pride in our cultural heritage… we write calligraphy, we write poetry, we have this kind of particular passion to turn every little craft into this magnificent habit of living, and we're just obsessed with it," she says.
The lobby of luxury hotel Nuo displays huge vases made from Chinese porcelain
The Emperor is far from the only hotel in Beijing to place an emphasis on the role of art.
Enter the lobby of the Nuo, a new luxury hotel, and you could be forgiven for thinking you had stepped into a museum. Throughout the vast space a series of giant vases are arrayed, each one more than two metres tall. They were made in Jingdezhen, home of fine Chinese porcelain for thousands of years.
The blue and white vases echo the Ming Dynasty theme that pervades much of the hotel's design.
But they are only the beginning, says Adrian Rudin, the hotel's general manager:
"Wherever you go, from the lobby lounge to the bar, there are different art pieces, some sculptures, some paintings, from different young and upcoming artists." He estimates the value of artworks at the hotel at around $50m [£40m; 46m euros]."
Beijing hotel managers say that art is one way for luxury lodgings to set themselves apart from rivals
Why so much - or indeed, any - art?
"It is a selling point in terms of consumers who are interested in fine art and culture," says Mr Rudin. But, he adds, there are other reasons too.
The hotel is the starting point of a new venture with the aim of creating an "international luxury Chinese brand" Mr Rudin explains.
In this context, he believes that art has a key role to play in helping the new enterprise to find a distinctive voice.
Other luxury groups also see merit in this kind of approach.
The Rosewood Hotel says its aim is to create a space that feels like a "luxury private home"
One of the troubles of the modern international hotel scene, says Marc Brugger, is that it is an "ocean of sameness". Mr Brugger is managing director of the Rosewood hotel, another recently-launched luxury property in Beijing.
He believes that art can play a valuable role for luxury lodgings seeking to find new ways to set themselves apart. However, for this to be successful, time and careful thought are required.
When the hotel was being conceived, Mr Brugger recalls, the idea of creating somewhere that felt like a "luxury private home" emerged. In such an establishment, art would have its natural place.
This meant departing from the usual hotel design process.
Chinese artist Bingyi's work for the Emperor Hotel includes Cave in Heaven, a vast ink and paper mural covering 400 square metres
According to Mr Brugger, what often happens is that plans will be drawn up and some blank spaces will be left for "art" to be added later.
"That method is much faster" he says, than the "holistic" approach taken in designing the Rosewood, where most of the art was specially commissioned and integrated into the design.
The design team searched for up-and-coming artists who could create work that would fit well into the scheme, rather than existing pieces from established names which might overpower or destabilise the overall look.
It took a long time to find the right artists, says Mr Brugger, but he feels that the results were well worth it.
Do collaborations between artists and hotels like these make good commercial and creative sense? Up to a point, say experts.
"There is a rationale for doing this, in a crowded hotel market" says Peter York, who has been an adviser to many large luxury enterprises. Companies need to find ways "to stand out from the ordinariness of luxury now, because luxury has become very ordinary".
But he says there can be risks, both for the hotels, and more particularly for the artists: "It's a sensitive balance between what you do to make a lot of money, and to pump your brand, and the verdict of history - and you don't want the verdict of history to come in too fast", he warns.
Still, Chinese hotel operators, and the artists they work with, remain optimistic about the future and the benefits that can flow from working together.
"We're really re-imagining what is luxury" says Bingyi. "We just all need to be reminded every single day how beautiful things can be." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38719405 | |
Ross Brawn eyes Formula 1 changes to make sport 'purer & simpler' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | The new racing boss of F1, Ross Brawn, says he wants to make changes that will make the sport "purer & simpler". | null | Formula 1's new racing boss Ross Brawn says he wants to develop a purer, simpler sport in which more teams and drivers can win.
The ex-Mercedes team boss, who has been appointed managing director of racing by F1's new owner, was critical of some rule changes of recent years.
Brawn said he wanted to "narrow the gap between the top and bottom" of the field and give F1 a broader appeal.
"I have ideas we should study and perhaps use in 2018 or 19," he said.
Brawn pointed to the example of football's Premier League, where Leicester City were able to transform themselves from relegation candidates to champions in the space of 12 months and on a limited budget.
The 62-year-old said: "We all know the analogy of Leicester City - that would be the ideal in F1, when a good team on a great year with a great driver could really mount a challenge. But at the moment that's not really possible."
Brawn is a member of a new senior management team appointed following the removal of Bernie Ecclestone from his position as chief executive.
American media executive Chase Carey, who was appointed president when new owner Liberty Media began its takeover in September, has now also taken on Ecclestone's former title.
Brawn is heading up the sporting and technical side of Liberty's business and former ESPN sales and marketing chief Sean Bratches is to run the commercial side.
What needs to change?
Carey has outlined plans to better promote the sport, by making more of grands prix as events in their host country and with a much wider use of digital media.
Brawn's job is to hone the on-track show to make it more appealing after criticism it has become predictable and has lost some of its edge in recent years.
He was critical of decisions made by Ecclestone, such as the adoption of a double-points finale in 2014 and a short-lived attempt to change the format of qualifying at the start of last season.
He told BBC Sport: "These have been short-term, knee-jerk reactions and that is exactly what we mustn't do.
"We need to stabilise the small teams and get them on a better financial footing.
"We need to reduce the scope of the technology because there is too big a gap between the bigger and smaller teams."
He also hinted he wanted to remove the controversial drag reduction system, an overtaking aid that drivers can use at the press of a button to give them a boost in straight-line speed.
"We need to make sure there is no artificial solutions," Brawn said. "The drag reduction system; everyone knows it's artificial. We need to find purer solutions.
"We need to think through the solutions. I have ideas - I can't share them all with you because I want to share them with the teams first - but I have ideas of things we should start to study and perhaps use in '18 or '19."
Will the technology have to change?
Brawn said the high-technology aspect of F1 was a crucial part of its appeal but added: "You must balance the technology with the sporting side."
He indicated he would be open to trying to change the turbo hybrid engines introduced in 2014, which have seen revolutionary steps forward in terms of fuel efficiency but which have been criticised for being too expensive and sounding dull.
"That is something we need to discuss with the teams," Brawn said. "They have made a huge investment in these engines so you can't just discard them and say: 'We are going to change the engines.'
"But how do we get from where we are today to where we want to be in two or three years' time with a great racing engine that everyone admires and enjoys?"
Could a driver at a smaller team win the F1 title?
Part of the reason for the lack of competitiveness is the huge spread of budgets between the front and back of the grid.
Brawn said: "The level of resource the top teams are using has made an enormous gap. My nirvana would be you get slightly odd circumstances and suddenly a team from the back wins. But at the moment you have two or three teams who can win and we need to spread that."
He said a budget cap was a "delicate" issue, but added: "It has never really been tried, it was never fully adopted by Formula 1, and I think we should at least discuss it again and see if there's potential."
But he said there were other ways of closing up the field.
"We have to see if we can develop the rules to reward innovation less," Brawn said. "Because as it is now innovation is heavily rewarded and if you can afford it, the slope is still quite steep - more money, faster cars. If we can flatten that off with the regulations that would go in the right direction."
He also said he would like to try to establish a 'draft' system for promoting drivers from junior categories so the drivers who make it into F1 were there "purely on merit".
Historically, some drivers at the back of the grid have paid for their seats in F1.
"What I'd love to see is a proper progression of talent into F1 where you could even introduce a draft system where the guys who win the GP2 or Formula 2 are available for the lower teams to use in their first year or two in Formula 1." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38734708 | |
In Pictures: National Television Awards 2017 - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A look at the stars on the red carpet at this year's National Television Awards in London. | Entertainment & Arts | Cheeky chaps Ant & Dec went into the ceremony with three nominations - best entertainment programme, best TV presenter and best challenge show for I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! - and collected all three awards. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/38749226 | |
In pictures: The Pole who works in a UK hospital - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Photographer Ed Gold spends a day in the life of a Pole working in a UK hospital. | In Pictures | Anna Maria Bak, 27, is Polish and works in A&E at Colchester General Hospital. Here, photographer Ed Gold takes a snapshot of her life in Britain.
"I came to the UK for the first time in 2010. I had studied English philology at university in the Polish town of Krosno. Philology is the study of language in historical literature and I learnt a lot about Great Britain. I wanted a new challenge in my life and decided to try my luck abroad.
"My friend and I rented a room for two weeks in Stratford in London. We were supposed to earn money but we lost it instead by paying for too many travel tickets.
"I moved back to Poland for another year but I'm tough. My surname Bak means bumblebee in Polish. We are fighters because we've been through hard times.
"I was lucky when I returned to England as I got a job at the Italian restaurant Carluccio's. I had a friend working there as a waiter. I learnt a lot about customer service. People are more polite in the UK than in Poland.
"I left that job as it was only part-time and I couldn't afford my Oyster card and rent. I was in debt. I then found a Polish woman on the internet who was finding jobs for people in nursing homes, but she ripped me off and took £70 from me for certificates I never needed.
"Still we have a saying in Poland, 'If you have enough oil in your head' - it means if you have enough intelligence, you will make it work.
"I found myself a job at a nursing home. I did that for two years in north London. I remember a patient asking me 'Where they could spend a penny?' and I asked them what did they want to buy?
"I wanted a more challenging job so I moved to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, working as an admin assistant in the radiology department. Now I'm working in the A&E at Colchester General Hospital. I'm really happy to work in health as I make a difference. I go the extra mile.
"The Polish NHS is not too bad but I think the quality of care provided in the English hospitals is much higher. The staff are always friendly and helpful and patients get treated with respect and dignity. Unfortunately I can't say the same about Polish hospitals. I've been a patient in Poland and found communication between staff and patient to be very poor.
"Renting is much cheaper outside London and my quality of life is higher in Colchester. I am careful with my money and saving up so that I can buy a house one day.
"Everything costs less in the UK, even the food. I really like The Body Shop - it is mission impossible to get those cosmetics in Poland. Plus in Poland you earn a third of what you can here.
"I also love the full English breakfast - it's the best breakfast ever. Usually for Polish breakfast you'd have cottage cheese, fresh bread and butter but you wouldn't get that protein boost in the morning - a full English keeps you going for hours. I do miss the Polish food though and the snow we get in winter.
"It's hard though being miles away from my mum. I send her parcels full of goodies like food and cosmetics twice a year. Recently I've been sending hats to her because she is ill. I know how to deal with stress at work but I cry at home when I hear bad news about mum.
"I live with my flat mate Zelda, who is from Latvia. I have friends from all over the world - it's one thing I really like about living in the UK. I met Zelda at work. We like to watch movies and eat Chinese takeaways. We don't have much time to go out but we're planning to. We'd normally go out to a local pub and then find somewhere to dance. I like my flat and feel very comfortable here.
"I haven't seen things change because of Brexit and I've never suffered racism.
"No-one has the right to say to me 'You're out of the UK', because I pay my taxes, I'm not here just to make money. It really bugs me if people come here from abroad who claim benefits after three months and have access to the free health service. I think to be here from abroad you should pay taxes.
"I get on better with English people now than Polish people and I think in English. Although I was born in Poland and have a Polish passport, I've found it easier to live here than other Poles as I've adapted to British society so well.
"I will apply for citizenship in Britain but only when I get enough money. It's expensive and costs about £2,000." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38637627 | |
Lego copycats fool China boss - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Lego now has a factory in China, but there are fears about copyright violation there. | null | Lego - the toy loved by children around the world - now has a factory in China.
And some of them are so convincing even the boss can't tell them apart. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38729557 | |
Celtic 1-0 St Johnstone - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Celtic equal the Lisbon Lions' run of 26 games without defeat after a slender win over St Johnstone. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Celtic equalled the Lisbon Lions' run of 26 domestic games unbeaten with a slender win over St Johnstone to move 22 points clear in the Premiership.
Saints threatened with Danny Swanson hitting a post and Craig Gordon having to deny Steven Anderson's looping shot.
Celtic took a firm grip on the game, only for Scott Sinclair to miss one of several chances as Saints held firm.
But their resistance was finally broken when Dedryck Boyata headed past Saints goalkeeper Zander Clark.
Boyata had previously lacked confidence and assurance and his displays were often hapless. But he has become a player reborn.
There was little pressure on him defensively, since flurries of attacking intent from St Johnstone in the first half petered out after the break. But he was calm at the back and passed the ball in assured form.
This game, though, called for a decisive figure and while Celtic players cursed missed opportunities, it was Boyata who eventually provided the clinical touch.
He had already seen a first-half header cleared off the goalline by David Wotherspoon, before then racing back into his own penalty area to execute a perfect sliding tackle on St Johnstone striker Chris Kane.
There was less demand to be swashbuckling after the break, but he saw another header pushed away before rising to bullet a header past the St Johnstone goalkeeper Clark.
Celtic captain Scott Brown has delivered more eye-catching displays in previous games, but perhaps a strong-willed, unbending performance was fitting in his 400th match.
He was everywhere on the pitch and cleared from a St Johnstone corner kick in the second half. He barely flinched.
He watched in frustration as Stuart Armstrong saw several curling shots saved or fly wide. Moussa Dembele, too, was off the pace, and failed to convert two Sinclair crosses.
In the midst of Celtic's dominant second-half possession, there were two moments of typical Brown play. One was a driving run into the penalty area that carried him past three St Johnstone players and earned a corner. Minutes later, he clipped a shot from the edge of the area that Clark saved.
If there was an emblematic moment, it was Brown's dogged clearing from his own penalty area late on, defiant and strong.
There is never any doubt that a fixture against St Johnstone will be combative. They are well-drilled and organised. It was not unusual to see Chris Millar bravely stand up to Dembele and rob the striker of the ball.
Paul Paton, too, was relentless. Challenges tended to be physical, uncompromising, and no quarter was given. Runs were blocked, tackles were fierce, there were occasional tussles, and in Kane there was a willing runner up front.
St Johnstone were entirely subdued after the break, but in the first-half there were moments of attacking hope, mostly at set-pieces. Anderson saw one header drift wide and then the centre-back's lob was pushed over the bar by Celtic goalkeeper Gordon.
When Celtic failed to clear a corner, the ball bounced in front of Swanson and his carefully executed volley sent the ball off the upright.
The visitors were adamant they should have been awarded a penalty just after Boyata's goal, when Brown appeared to push Anderson over inside the area. Referee Andrew Dallas was unmoved, though.
For all their effort and resistance, St Johnstone could not hold Brendan Rodgers' side at bay.
• None Tam Scobbie (St. Johnstone) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt missed. Scott Brown (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
• None Attempt blocked. Nir Bitton (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38659687 | |
Lantern festivals light up China - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Lanterns shows are being held to celebrate Chinese New Year. | null | This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38741118 | |
Donald Trump: 'Waterboarding absolutely works' - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | US President Donald Trump backs waterboarding and says "we must fight fire with fire". | null | In Donald Trump's first broadcast interview as US president, he defended his call to resume using waterboarding - a torture technique - to interrogate terror suspects.
"When Isis [so-called Islamic State] is doing things that nobody has ever heard of since medieval times, would I feel strongly about waterboarding? As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire," he told ABC News. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38751516 | |
Egypt activist 'tortured for his T-shirt' - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Mahmoud Hussein, 21, describes how he came to be arrested in Egypt, and what happened to him in detention. | null | It is six years since the outbreak of the 18-day revolution in Egypt which swept its leader, Hosni Mubarak, from power.
Human rights campaigners say the situation in the country is now far worse than before the uprising, and Mahmoud Hussein, 21, is one of thousands who have been detained in recent years under Egypt's latest strongman, President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
He told the BBC's Orla Guerin how his ordeal began. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38742237 | |
Inflatable 'Trump' rooster orders overwhelm Chinese factory - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | A factory in China is cashing on the inauguration of the new US president as the Year of the Rooster approaches. | null | A factory in China is cashing on the inauguration of the new US president as the Year of the Rooster approaches. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-38724044 | |
Australian Open 2017: Serena Williams beats Johanna Konta, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni wins - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Six-time champion Serena Williams outplays Britain's Johanna Konta to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January.
The American, 35, won 6-2 6-3 and will next play unseeded Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who beat fifth-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-4 3-6 6-4.
Konta, seeded ninth, went into the quarter-final on a nine-match and 18-set winning streak but came up short in her first meeting with Williams.
Williams is now two wins from claiming an Open-era record 23rd major title.
• None Watch day 10 highlights on BBC Two from 16:45 GMT on Wednesday
"Johanna Konta has been playing so well," said the second seed.
"I was in the locker room watching her clean up her matches. She is a future champion here for sure, so I am pleased to get through this.
"I got a little frustrated with my serve, but I told myself 'don't get Babyrena' [Williams' angry alter-ego] and focused on enjoying myself out here. Today I felt I can do this, it is such a great opportunity for me."
Konta described facing Williams as the "best experience of my life".
In a match of big hitting and small margins, it was Williams who established an early control she would not relinquish.
The American's usually dominant first serve faltered as she made just 45%, but she returned brilliantly to break the Konta serve - the best on tour this season going into the match - four times.
Konta had the first chance but went long with a backhand on break point at 1-1, then found her second serve under greater pressure than at any stage of the tournament so far.
Williams looked razor sharp on return, with two thumping forehand winners setting the American on the way to a 3-1 lead.
More heavy blows brought a second break, and with it the set, in game eight to end a run of 18 straight sets for Konta stretching back to her warm-up win in Sydney.
Konta showed why she had been seen as a real threat by recovering from 0-40 early in the second set and then breaking to lead 3-1, but a loose game handed the advantage back and Williams raced through five straight games to victory.
No matter how many times you have watched Serena Williams play, it is perhaps just not possible to appreciate how hard she hits the ball - and how quickly it arrives on your racquet - until you have shared a court with her.
Johanna Konta had her first experience of that today and was not able to maintain the standards she had set earlier in the fortnight when faced with such persistent pressure.
But a run to the quarter-finals means she could well retain her position in the world's top 10.
After a few days' rest, Konta is planning to play Fed Cup for Great Britain in Estonia and then rejoin the tour in Doha and Dubai. She has a packed schedule ahead, although may play one or two fewer tournaments if she keeps winning matches at the same rate.
Lucic-Baroni 'in shock' at return to semis
World number 79 Lucic-Baroni upset Pliskova to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne - 18 years after she reached the same stage at Wimbledon.
The 34-year-old hardly played in the early years of the century because of a series of personal issues.
"I can't believe this, this is crazy," said Lucic-Baroni.
"The only thing I can say is God is good. I can't believe I'm in the semi-finals again. I feel a little bit in shock right now.
"I know this means a lot to every player but to me this is overwhelming, this has truly made my life and everything bad that has happened OK."
Lucic-Baroni was a tennis prodigy, winning junior titles at the Australian and US Opens, and winning the Australian Open doubles with Martina Hingis in 1998.
She went on to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon the following year, losing to Steffi Graf.
Lucic-Baroni and Williams will meet for the first time since Wimbledon 1998 in Thursday's semi-final, which begins at 03:00 GMT.
"It is really happening for the mid-30s," said Williams.
"Mirjana - it is so good to see her back out and inspiring to see her in the semi-finals. Whatever happens there will be someone in the final in their mid-thirties."
Serena's sister Venus takes on fellow American Coco Vandeweghe in the other semi-final. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38740755 | |
Chinese man cycles 500km in wrong direction to get home - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Police paid for the man's ticket home when they realised he had been cycling off course for 30 days. | China | The man (not pictured) was stopped by police after cycling for 30 days
A man hoping to cycle home cross-country for Chinese New Year realised 30 days into his trip that he had been travelling in the wrong direction.
The young migrant worker from China was aiming for his home in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, after setting off from Rizhao - over 1,700km away.
But he was stopped by traffic police 500km off course, in the central Chinese province of Anhui.
When they found out, the police paid for a train ticket to get him home.
The man had set off from Rizhao, in Shandong province, in December.
A report from the People's Online Daily said the man had been living in internet cafes and was low on funds.
But he was determined to make it home so he chose to cycle the route.
The unnamed man could not read maps, meaning he had to rely on others for directions.
Police stopped him when he was riding on a highway, which cannot be used by cyclists.
After discovering his mistake, both police and people working at the toll station he was stopped at contributed to his ticket home. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-38748373 | |
Trump's 'control-alt-delete' on climate change policy - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Are the Trump team's actions on climate and energy the opening shots in a war on knowledge? | Science & Environment | Amid concerns over his attitude to climate change, the new President has signed orders to push forward with two major oil pipelines
Are the recent actions taken by the Trump team on the issues of climate and energy the opening shots in a war on knowledge?
Or are they simply what you'd expect from a new administration of a different political hue?
Let's examine what we know.
Just after Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president, a range of information on the White House website related to climate change was moved to an Obama online archive.
The only references to rising temperatures on the new Trump White House site are a commitment to eliminate "harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan". This was President Obama's broad-based strategy to cut carbon emissions.
The brief White House document now contains a further indication of the green priorities of the new administration. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), should focus on its "essential mission of protecting our air and water".
The Twitter account of Badlands National Park has seen a number of tweets relating to climate change deleted
While the administration figures out how to achieve that re-focus, staff at the EPA have been told to freeze all grant making, and to be quiet about it. This means that no external press releases will be issued and no social media posts will be permitted. It is unclear when these restrictions will be lifted.
Reports from news agencies indicate that the roll-back will not stop there, with climate information pages hosted by the EPA expected to be shut down.
"My guess is the web pages will be taken down, but the links and information will be available," the prominent climate sceptic and adviser to the Trump transition team, Myron Ebell, told Reuters.
"If the website goes dark, years of work we have done on climate change will disappear," said an anonymous EPA staff member, according to reports.
The Trump team has also taken immediate steps to push forward with two controversial oil pipelines.
So are all these moves evidence of a malevolent mindset, determined to crush all this snowflake climate change chatter?
Definitely, according to Alden Meyer, a veteran climate campaigner with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"President Trump and his team are pursuing what I call a 'control-alt-delete' strategy: control the scientists in the federal agencies, alter science-based policies to fit their narrow ideological agenda, and delete scientific information from government websites," told BBC News.
"This is an across-the-board strategy that we are seeing at multiple federal agencies on a range of issues, though climate denialism is clearly the point of the spear."
Not according to White House spokesman Sean Spicer.
"I don't think it's any surprise that when there's an administration turnover, that we're going to review the policy," he said.
However the disappearance of tweets of basic climate change information from the Badlands National Park Twitter account has raised serious concerns that the Trump team is not just seeking to roll back regulation, but is also taking an ideological stand against what they might see as "warmist" propaganda.
Protesters have maintained a long-term presence to stall progress on the Dakota Access Pipeline
Back in 2009, President Obama enacted rules that federal agencies should have scientific integrity policies, that guaranteed the rights of free speech of employees, following on from the gagging of some researchers and the altering of reports under the Bush administration.
While the current steps being taken by the Trump team may turn out to be less restrictive than feared, on this side of the pond there's a great deal of concern.
Scientists see the forthcoming visit of UK prime minister Theresa May to Washington as an opportunity to press the President to rein in his approach.
"We are beginning to see our fears realised less than a week after President Trump has taken office," said Bob Ward, from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
"I hope that the Prime Minister will challenge President Trump about this censorship and political interference in the process of gaining and sharing knowledge about climate change during their meeting on Friday."
Climate scientists in the US are also rallying to fight back.
A march on Washington by scientists is being proposed, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts have been created based on the the idea that "an American government that ignores science to pursue ideological agendas endangers the world".
Meanwhile, another national park - Golden Gate NPS - has started tweeting climate facts.
Follow Matt on Twitter and on Facebook | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38746608 | |
Trump and truth - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Why the struggle over who defines the facts will be a central feature of the Trump administration | US & Canada | This is a critical moment for journalism, particularly in the United States.
More than 40 years ago, the unmasking of the Watergate break-in inspired journalists around the world.
Reporters appeared as tireless investigators holding the most powerful to account.
Now, a new president declares the fourth estate "dishonest human beings".
A global survey published last week found only 43% of people trusted the traditional media.
Journalists find themselves on the defensive having to demonstrate their integrity to a sceptical public.
Donald Trump believes he is in a "running war" with parts of the media.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Where do Donald Trump supporters get their news from?
This struggle over who defines the facts will be a central feature of his administration.
Social media enables leaders to bypass traditional media and to talk to the public directly.
Donald Trump, with his 34,000 tweets, understands the reach and the power this gives him.
He can sit in the White House and, with a single tweet, define the news agenda of the day or distract attention away from uncomfortable news.
Some of the traditional media now accept they were instrumental in the rise of Donald Trump.
He was the "candidate that kept on giving", as you would regularly hear in Washington.
Controversy surrounded the size of the crowd at Donald Trump's inauguration
But President Trump's rise to power was partly built on attacking the media.
At rally after rally, I watched Donald Trump point at the press pen and denounce journalists as "terrible" people, the "worst".
He wanted to define much of the media as part of the establishment elite who had ignored the plight of ordinary Americans.
He sowed the seed that journalists and their stories about him could not be trusted.
Painting journalists as untrustworthy gave him cover when he was accused of lying and exaggeration.
And so we inhabit the "post-truth world".
Democracy can't function without facts that are widely accepted.
It doesn't mean that facts shouldn't be disputed or their meaning argued over, but societies need a bedrock of information to inform their decisions.
If conspiracies and exaggerations are accepted as alternative realities, then it is much more difficult for a leader to be judged in the court of public opinion.
When, a few days ago, the senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway was asked why the president's press secretary had lied about the crowd size at the inauguration, she defended him by saying he was offering "alternative facts".
Kellyanne Conway used the term "alternative facts" to defend the White House press secretary
Her interviewer, Chuck Todd, of NBC, retorted that "alternative facts aren't facts, they're falsehoods".
It was an early round in the battle for the truth.
I recall an exchange I had at a Trump event where it was explained to me that the fact that a lot of people believed something gave it an element of truth.
Most Americans still get their news from TV, but more than 30% get it from the internet and particularly from Facebook.
There is now a lot of research on the role of social media in spreading false information.
In Europe, too, the reputation of the media is under fire.
Journalists have been damaged by hacking, by intrusion and the suspicion that they don't tell the whole story.
In Germany, parts of the mainstream media were accused of covering up reports of assaults on women in Cologne on New Year's Day 2016 because many of the allegations related to men believed to be migrants.
In the Edelman Trust barometer - published last week - trust in the media had fallen to an all-time low in 17 of the 28 countries polled.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer says the administration will "hold the press accountable"
In the United States, news organisations are grappling with difficult questions.
One TV executive said the biggest challenge was to avoid being seen as part of the "running war" that President Trump describes.
Some organisations in the US, the UK and Germany - including the BBC - are embracing "reality checks" as part of their coverage, but they are time consuming and difficult.
Governments, too, are looking into how to boost trust in statistics and official information.
It might mean the creation of more agencies that are truly independent of government and politicians.
The new White House press secretary has said: "We are going to hold the press accountable."
It signals a battle over who defines the truth and who defines the facts.
American journalism will face one of its severest tests.
• None The hotel developer who became president | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38731191 | |
Rubbish including a bathtub and toilet strewn in Houghton Conquest road - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Fly-tippers have left a Bedfordshire road littered with rubbish, including a toilet, a bathtub and a fridge. | null | A road was left blocked with fly-tipped rubbish including a toilet, bathtub and pool table.
Police say the person responsible for the fly-tip along London Lane in Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire, may have struck locally before.
Cyclist Martin Galpin, who came across the debris, described it as "obscene". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-38735164 | |
Voter fraud claims: White House defends Trump's stance - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | White House press secretary Sean Spicer spars with reporters over unproven voter fraud claims. | null | This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38735858 | |
Rafael Nadal beats Milos Raonic to reach Australian Open semi-finals - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Rafael Nadal makes his first Grand Slam semi-final since 2014 with an accomplished victory over Milos Raonic. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online.
Rafael Nadal reached his first Grand Slam semi-final since 2014 with a superb 6-4 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 victory over Canada's third seed Milos Raonic.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner, who has been troubled by injuries in recent years, saved six set points in the second set before dominating the third.
Nadal, the 2009 champion, faces 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov on Friday after the Bulgarian beat David Goffin.
The Spaniard, 30, remains on course to meet Roger Federer in Sunday's final.
Federer, 35, will play his fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the first semi-final on Thursday.
Nadal is attempting to become the first man in the Open era - and only the third man in history after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver - to win each of the four Grand Slam titles twice.
The ninth seed's victory means six of the eight players in the men's and women's semi-finals are over 30.
• None Watch day 10 highlights on BBC Two from 16:45 GMT on Wednesday
Nadal lost here in the first round to Fernando Verdasco 12 months ago and admitted to wondering if he may never again challenge for major honours.
"I think I am not a very arrogant person so I always have doubts," he said.
"Even when I was winning I had doubts and even more so when I had injuries. But doubts make you work harder.
"I have had a great career but I had some tough moments so that makes me enjoy moments like this even more."
Nadal close to his best
Nadal last reached a Grand Slam semi-final when he won the French Open - his last major title - three years ago.
A wrist injury in 2016 raised serious concerns about his future but he looked close to his very best against Raonic.
He broke the big-serving Canadian once in the first set to take the lead but Raonic, who was the highest seed left in the men's draw, looked like he would level the match in the second.
Raonic needed a medical timeout midway through the set for an abductor problem, but seemed to come back stronger and had three set points on Nadal's serve at 5-4.
Nadal saved them all, then saved two more in the tie-break before Raonic double-faulted on the sixth set point, and the former world number one took the set with his first chance.
Nadal took advantage of Raonic's lack of mobility in the third set to wrap up an impressive victory, his 50th since making his debut in the tournament in 2004, with a hold to love.
His win came after two hours and 44 minutes on court and he celebrated with a huge leap before falling to his knees as emotion took over.
Nadal was reluctant to talk about a possible dream final against Federer.
"Let me enjoy today, the victory, and being in the semi-final," he said. "For me, it is great news. It is a good start of the season and now I have a very tough match against Dimitrov."
Federer, who won the last of 17 Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in 2012, has only just recovered from a knee injury that kept him out for six months.
"It is great for tennis that Roger is there again after an injury, after a lot of people talk about that probably he will never be back," Nadal added.
"The real thing is that he's back and he's probably ready to win again, fighting again to win a major. And that's good for the fans because Roger is a legend of our sport."
Dimitrov, who works with Dani Vallverdu, former coach of Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych, had earlier beaten 11th seed Goffin 6-3 6-2 6-4.
The 25-year-old began the year with a title in Brisbane and has now won 10 matches in a row.
"The last two years have been a rollercoaster for me, but I'm happy with the way it happened," said Dimitrov.
"I'm appreciating things much better now. To be back in the semi-finals of a Slam means too much for me right now."
He will be appearing in his second major semi-final, having made it to the same stage at Wimbledon in 2014. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38740946 | |
Liverpool 0-1 Southampton (Agg: 0-2) - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Southampton reach a first major final since 2003 with a determined display to beat Liverpool in the EFL Cup at Anfield. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Southampton reached the EFL Cup final at Wembley with a fully deserved victory over two legs against Liverpool - crowned by Shane Long's late winner at Anfield.
Claude Puel's side, defending a 1-0 lead from the first leg, should have put the tie out of Liverpool's reach inside the first 45 minutes but Dusan Tadic's close-range shot was blocked by keeper Loris Karius and captain Steve Davis blazed another great chance wildly over.
Liverpool raised the tempo in front of the Kop in the second half but Daniel Sturridge wasted their two best chances, Fraser Forster acrobatically hooked an Emre Can shot off the line and the hosts also had a late penalty appeal turned down when substitute Divock Origi tumbled under Jack Stephens' challenge.
But Southampton broke clear in the closing moments and Long finished convincingly from Josh Sims' pass to send them into the their first final in this competition since 1979, where they will meet either Manchester United or Hull City - a feat achieved without conceding a goal.
Southampton's date at Wembley on 26 February is a rich tribute to this brilliantly run club and their understated French manager Claude Puel.
Saints were vastly superior over two legs against Liverpool and, despite the home side's complaints about that late penalty claim, no-one could seriously begrudge them their victory.
And it was all done without their talisman and key defender Virgil van Dijk, out through injury. Southampton were dangerous on the break in the first half and then, when they needed to be, were superbly organised, disciplined and determined defensively before breaking for Republic of Ireland international Long to strike the killer blow.
Southampton have once more demonstrated their ability, as a club, to take the blows of key departures and still achieve.
They lost manager Ronald Koeman to Everton in the summer - as well as important components such as Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane to Spurs and Liverpool respectively - and have carried on undisturbed with a Wembley appearance as their reward.
Liverpool lose their way - one win in seven matches
Liverpool's laboured performance was in stark contrast to the all-action attacking displays that briefly took them to the top of the Premier League earlier this season.
Jurgen Klopp's side looked jaded and have lost their way, with only one win in seven games this year, a third-round FA Cup replay victory at League Two Plymouth Argyle.
Liverpool look shorn of threat without £34m summer signing Mane, away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, and lacking an alternative plan when teams as disciplined as Swansea and Southampton have been in inflicting two successive home defeats.
Sturridge felt the frustration of Liverpool's supporters for a poor performance and two missed chances, while substitute Origi looks short of confidence.
Klopp's decision to play Can and Jordan Henderson together in midfield backfired badly and his decision to leave out Georginio Wijnaldum was questionable.
Southampton's players enjoyed every second of their celebrations with their fans in the Anfield Road end as they looked forward to the chance to win their second major trophy, following an FA Cup triumph over Manchester United at Wembley in 1976.
Saints had several anxious moments in the second half, especially when goalkeeper Forster dropped Can's shot behind him then recovered miraculously to claw it off the line as Sturridge closed in.
They also survived two penalty appeals - for handball against Long and that fall from Origi - but this was a glory night for Southampton and one they fully deserved.
BBC Radio 5 live pundit Mark Lawrenson: "Absolutely, totally and utterly deserved. They always, always carried that goal threat. They played with so much pace, so much directness. Over the two legs they have totally outplayed Liverpool. They thoroughly deserve the Wembley appearance."
A first for Klopp - the stats you need...
• None This is the first time Jurgen Klopp has lost a semi-final as a manager, progressing from the previous six.
• None Southampton have reached the final without conceding a single goal.
• None Liverpool have failed to score in all three games v Southampton this season in all competitions.
• None Claude Puel is unbeaten in six games against Liverpool as a manager (W3 D3).
• None This is just the second time Liverpool have been eliminated in six League Cup semi-finals (the other v Chelsea in 2014-15).
• None The last time Liverpool failed to score in either leg of a semi-final was in the 1970-71 Fairs Cup v Leeds.
'Seven good chances' - what the managers said
Southampton manager Claude Puel: "It is fantastic for all the squad and a good reward for their hard work. It was difficult to find this opportunity to play a final at Wembley. In the two legs we deserved the win. We were fantastic in the first leg at home and tonight we had chances in the first half.
"In the second half it was difficult but now we go to Wembley, not just to participate but to win this cup. I have been there once, just to watch France beat England."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "They won both games, they deserved it. We did really well. We cannot create more chances than we did in the second half - we were dominant. It is difficult because you have to take risks but too many risks plays to their strengths.
"We had seven good chances. You have to score, and we didn't do, so we lost. I'm fine with the performance but not the result."
Liverpool host Championship side Wolves in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday at 12:30 GMT, while Southampton travel to Arsenal in the same competition at 17:30.
• None Goal! Liverpool 0, Southampton 1. Shane Long (Southampton) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Josh Sims following a fast break.
• None Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
• None Attempt missed. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Adam Lallana.
• None Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Emre Can.
• None Attempt blocked. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nathan Redmond. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38659708 | |
France's Benoit Hamon rouses Socialists with basic income plan - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | What does the rise of left-wing presidential hopeful Benoit Hamon say about France's Socialists? | Europe | Benoit Hamon has been short on detail with his plan for basic income in France
He's been called the "French Bernie Sanders". After his decisive win in the first round of France's Socialist party primary, left-wing rebel, Benoit Hamon is suddenly the centre of attention.
But what do his rapid rise and eye-catching policies say about the future of the French left?
With his designer stubble and cheeky grin, the 49-year-old Socialist party rebel has been grabbing more than his share of the limelight over the past few weeks.
The most left-leaning of the seven initial candidates in the Socialist race, his programme has been built around the radical proposal of a universal monthly payment for all French citizens, regardless of income. He also wants to legalise cannabis, to tax the wealth created by robots and to ditch the labour law passed last year that made it easier to hire and fire.
The income plan he has outlined would be put into effect in three stages.
Critics have pilloried the plan as unworkable, estimating its cost at between €300-€400bn.
It's true that Mr Hamon has been short on detail when it comes to how his vision for France would be funded. But that doesn't seem to have affected his popularity among left-wing voters.
By finishing several points ahead of former Prime Minister Manuel Valls during the first round of voting on Sunday, Mr Hamon has drawn attention to some important questions for France's ruling left-wing party: most obviously, the deep split between the Socialist party's left-wing supporters and the more liberal, centrist line taken by the current Socialist government.
Manuel Valls was the prime minister who pushed through some of that government's most unpopular labour reforms and security measures. That left a rift with the party that may force him out of the presidential race in the run-off on Sunday.
Benoit Hamon is going into round two in a strong position, having secured the support of fellow left-winger Arnaud Montebourg, who came third in the first round.
Benoit Hamon (L) resigned as a minister with Arnaud Montebourg in 2014 after they called for an end to austerity
If Mr Hamon wins, it will reorient the Socialist party away from the centre of French politics, and back to its traditional left-wing positions.
That may not help him much during the presidential race. Whoever wins the Socialist nomination is tipped to come fifth, according to the opinion polls.
But it could have two important consequences for France.
A nomination for Mr Hamon is likely to funnel centrist votes towards liberal former banker Emmanuel Macron, whose growing popularity is starting to worry the far-right National Front (FN), which is now banking on a place in the second round of the presidential poll.
Francois Fillon, Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron are leading the field in the presidential race
And, even as the populist campaigns gather speed in France, the appearance of Benoit Hamon at the head of the Socialist campaign could also signal a return to the politics of a previous era.
For years France's established parties have drifted to the centre ground and voter apathy has grown.
But now voters already have the prospect of an old-school Catholic conservative heading the main right-wing Republican party. And if Benoit Hamon wins the Socialist nomination on Sunday, the main left-wing party will once again embrace its traditional positions on workers' rights, redistribution, civil liberties and the environment. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38723219 | |
Has La La Land been overhyped? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Not every moviegoer is a fan of La La Land - with many complaining it has been mis-sold. | Entertainment & Arts | "Incredible!" "Glorious!" "Magnificent!" - The hype surrounding La La Land has been difficult to miss.
In addition to all the critical praise, the film is dominating awards season - equalling the all-time record held by Titanic and All About Eve for the most Oscar nominations.
But now many moviegoers are coming forward to say - or rather whisper - that they just didn't get it.
I was one such moviegoer who was desperate to see it - but left feeling somewhat disappointed.
La La Land's posters have made much of the rave reviews
I'm keen to stress I don't think La La Land is a bad movie. Far from it - the songs are catchy and it's beautifully filmed.
But after the acres of five-star reviews, I came away feeling it had been somewhat overhyped.
Judging by our inbox after the Oscar nominations on Tuesday - there are other film fans who felt the same way.
"I could not agree more with those who criticised La La Land - absolutely dreadful film. The direction was immature and the film lacked any pace, leaving aside the fairly abysmal singing and dancing." - Leslie
"Somehow, I think the critics and the Academy members have been in La La Land. Saw it Sunday and although I didn't hate it I just can't see what all the fuss is about." - Graham
"Very weak storyline. Music and singing not on a par with any of the great musicals. Just wanted it to end! When will the critics actually be honest about a film? Five star this, five star that... it would barely get a two in my opinion." - Nigel
It's not unusual for the films which float around during awards season to be popular with critics, but less so with the general public.
Indeed, there is a school of thought popular with marketing researchers that it is actively necessary for a film to split opinion in order for it to be successful.
Oscar Wilde certainly believed that, famously stating: "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."
Titanic seemed to prove this theory - despite having an effect on audiences similar to Marmite, it went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time (since beaten by Avatar) and scooped the Oscar for best picture in 1997.
The last musical to win best picture was 2002's Chicago - starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger.
I distinctly remember going to see it at the cinema and being bowled over by how good it was. The acting, the editing and the songs all blended together to make an almost-perfect film.
The subsequent success of movies such as Mamma Mia and Pitch Perfect prove that audiences are more than willing to go and see musicals on the big screen.
But while those films are fairly mainstream, feel-good box office fodder, La La Land has been criticised for not quite delivering what it advertises.
In the film's ubiquitous promotional image, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are seen dancing together against a purple skyline. The vibrant colours make it look young, appealing, glamorous.
Many of the film's reviews reinforce its image as a Hollywood love story. "A gorgeously romantic modern-day musical" is how the i paper described it.
But the film is actually far from romantic - lacking the traditional happy ending which would've seen Gosling and Stone's characters end up together.
Personally I thought not being predictable is actually one of La La Land's best qualities, I was pleasantly surprised that its ending took an unexpected route.
My issue was more that it simply didn't quite live up to the months of build-up and promotion and subsequent awards success - it has already broken the record for the most Golden Globe Awards in history.
The film has been roundly praised by critics
Of course, a bit of a backlash is inevitable for any pop culture product once its success has gone stratospheric.
It is always difficult for any film, album, book or TV show to live up to expectations once it's been so highly praised.
If I had gone into the cinema with no expectations, I probably would have come away from it with a better opinion than I did having gone in with such high expectations.
When I saw Chicago, I was 15 years old and paid no attention to reviews or hype - and I enjoyed the film so much more as a result.
Some film fans have taken issue with the fact that a movie about jazz is fronted by two white actors, while others say the script is weak and that Gosling and Stone's singing talents are questionable.
The Spectator's Deborah Ross - one of the few critics to strike a slightly more dissenting note - said the songs had "lyrics I couldn't make out for the life of me" - but, as she and most other critics agree, the songs themselves are impossibly catchy.
It would be hard to argue La La Land is a bad film - it just doesn't quite do what it says on the tin.
My advice to those who haven't seen it would be to ignore the reviews, go in with a clear mind and just enjoy it as a perfectly nice but unspectacular film.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38744603 | |
Usain Bolt loses one Olympic gold medal as Nesta Carter tests positive - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Usain Bolt has to hand back one of his nine Olympic gold medals after Jamaican team-mate Nesta Carter tests positive for a banned substance. | null | Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Usain Bolt will have to hand back one of his nine Olympic gold medals after Jamaican team-mate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance.
Carter was part of the Jamaican quartet that won the 4x100m in Beijing in 2008.
His was one of 454 selected doping samples retested by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year, and has been found to contain the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine.
Bolt, 30, completed an unprecedented 'triple triple' in Rio last summer.
He won gold in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay to add to his successes in the same events in 2008 and 2012.
Carter, 31, was also part of the squad that won the event in London five years ago and helped Jamaica win at the World Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
He ran the first leg for Jamaica's 4x100m relay team in Beijing, which also included Michael Frater, Asafa Powell and Bolt.
• None An Olympic career in 325 seconds - Bolt in numbers
• None Usain Bolt having to return Olympic Gold 'is disgusting' - Darren Campbell
The team won in a then-world record of 37.10 seconds, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago and Japan, who could have their medals upgraded. Brazil would then receive bronze.
The head of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association, Dr Warren Blake, said he did not expect the whole team to be penalised: "I didn't rule out he'd be found guilty but my personal opinion is that I'm surprised they'd go that route."
Carter's lawyer has confirmed that the sprinter will lodge an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The test and what happened next?
Carter was tested on the evening of the Beijing final in 2008 but that was found at the time to contain no "adverse analytical finding".
More than 4,500 tests were carried out at those Games, with nine athletes caught cheating.
An anomaly was discovered in Carter's submission following the IOC's decision to retest 454 samples from Beijing using the latest scientific analysis methods.
Carter and the Jamaican National Olympic Committee were told of the adverse finding in May - before the Rio Games - and told his B sample would be tested.
It was reported by Reuters in June that Carter's A sample had been found to contain methylhexanamine, which has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) prohibited list since 2004.
It was reclassified in 2011 as a "specified substance", meaning one that is more susceptible to a "credible, non-doping explanation".
Sold as a nasal decongestant in the United States until 1983, methylhexanamine has been used more recently as an ingredient in dietary supplements.
Speaking in June, Bolt said the prospect of having to return the gold was "heartbreaking".
He told the Jamaica Gleaner: "For years you've worked hard to accumulate gold medals and you work hard to be a champion, but it's one of those things.
"I'm more concerned about the athlete and I hope he gets through it."
Analysis - 'It takes the shine off Bolt's achievement'
It takes the shine off Bolt's achievement. Eight doesn't have the same ring - 'double treble, plus two'.
It will be really frustrating for him. You can only account for yourself, you cannot account for your team-mates.
We know it has nothing to do with Usain Bolt - it will not damage his reputation - but it will affect it, take shine off it and he won't be a happy man.
When I hear stories like this, a part of me does celebrate. If athletes think they have got away with it, then with retrospective testing they can never sleep peacefully.
It has to be the strongest deterrent the sport now has. Even when athletes retire they can still have their medals taken away.
Marlon Devonish, 40, was part of the British 4x100m relay team which lost the silver medal at the World Championships in 2003 following Dwain Chambers' failed drugs test. He went on to win Olympic relay gold with Britain at Athens 2004.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, he said: "With relays you work together, you build a relationship, but you never know what goes on behind closed doors and clearly Carter was taking drugs.
"Carter has tarnished the team. It's a massively selfish act and I'm sure Bolt and the rest of the team are bitterly disappointed.
"The relationship between me and Dwain, we get on, we are cool. He apologised to me I and accepted it. Dwain has to live with it for the rest of his life, it was a sincere apology.
"I was devastated when I found out, but you have to move on."
Russia's Tatyana Lebedeva has also been stripped of her Beijing long jump and triple jump silver medals after dehydrochlormethyltestosterone was found in one of her samples.
The 40-year-old has told Russian news agency Tass that she plans to appeal against the decision to strip her of her medals, adding that she "will always fight to the end".
Lebedeva has resigned from the executive committee of the World Olympians Association (WOA), the umbrella organisation that represents 148 national associations of former Olympic athletes.
Now a Russian senator, she won gold in the long jump at the 2004 Athens Games and has two other Olympic medals, won in Sydney and Athens. She retired from competition in 2013. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/38744846 | |
James Ellington: British sprinter has surgery in UK after motorbike crash - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | British sprinter James Ellington has surgery in a London hospital, a week after suffering career-threatening injuries in a motorbike crash in Spain. | null | Last updated on .From the section Athletics
Sprinter James Ellington has had surgery at a London hospital, a week after suffering career-threatening injuries in a motorbike crash in Spain.
Ellington, 31, and fellow sprinter Nigel Levine, 27, both sustained a suspected broken pelvis with Ellington also suffering a facial fracture and a broken leg in two places.
"Out of surgery, all went well," Ellington tweeted on Wednesday.
"Feel like I have done 200 rounds with Tyson and 50 marathons."
Both athletes were hit by a car on 17 January and will miss the 2017 season, which includes the World Championships in London in August.
A British Athletics statement read: "James Ellington and Nigel Levine have safely returned to the UK via air ambulance, following a road accident in Tenerife last week.
"Both athletes have been admitted to hospitals in London where they are receiving specialist medical treatment for their injuries, under the supervision of the British Athletics' medical team.
"Both James and Nigel have been overwhelmed by the support they have received since the accident last week."
The pair had been in Tenerife as part of a British Athletics group taking part in a warm-weather training camp when the accident happened.
Any pelvic injuries to sprinters are career-threatening and both athletes will need significant rehabilitation.
Ellington is a 100m and 200m specialist and a two-time Olympian who was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100m relay teams at the 2014 and 2016 European Championships.
Levine is a 400m runner who was born in Trinidad and raised in Northamptonshire.
He won a European outdoor relay gold in 2014 and an indoor relay gold in 2013. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/38729992 | |
What executive actions has Trump taken? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | President Trump signs a flurry of orders as he lays out his presidential agenda. | US & Canada | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What exactly is an executive order, and how significant are they to a president's legacy?
One of the first ways a new president is able to exercise political power is through unilateral executive orders.
While legislative efforts take time, a swipe of the pen from the White House can often enact broad changes in government policy and practice.
President Donald Trump has wasted little time in taking advantage of this privilege.
Given his predecessor's reliance on executive orders to circumvent Congress in the later days of his presidency, he has a broad range of areas in which to flex his muscle.
Here's a look at some of what Mr Trump has done so far:
Mr Trump signed the order at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) undoing a key part of the Obama administration's efforts to tackle global warming.
The order reverses the Clean Power Plan, which had required states to regulate power plants, but had been on hold while being challenged in court.
Before signing the order, a White House official told the press that Mr Trump does believe in human-caused climate change, but that the order was necessary to ensure American energy independence and jobs.
Environmental groups warn that undoing those regulations will have serious consequences at home and abroad.
"I think it is a climate destruction plan in place of a climate action plan," the Natural Resources Defense Council's David Doniger told the BBC, adding that they will fight the president in court.
Immediate impact: A coalition of 17 states filed a legal challenge against the Trump administration's decision to roll back climate change regulations. The challenge, led by New York state, argued that the administration has a legal obligation to regulate emissions of the gases believed to cause global climate change. Mars Inc, Staples and The Gap are among US corporations who are also challenging Mr Trump's reversal on climate change policy.
After an angry weekend in Florida in which he accused former-president Barack Obama of wiretapping his phones at Trump Tower, Mr Trump returned to the White House to sign a revised version of his controversial travel ban.
The executive order titled "protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States" was signed out of the view of the White House press corps on 6 March.
The order's new language is intended to skirt the legal pitfalls that caused his first travel ban to be halted by the court system.
Immediate impact: Soon after the order was signed, it was once again blocked by a federal judge, this time in Hawaii.
Surrounded by farmers and Republican lawmakers, Mr Trump signed an order on 28 February directing the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers to reconsider a rule issued by President Obama.
The 2015 regulation - known as the Waters of the United States rule - gave authority to the federal government over small waterways, including wetlands, headwaters and small ponds.
The rule required Clean Water Act permits for any developer that wished to alter or damage these relatively small water resources, which the president described as "puddles" in his signing remarks.
Opponents of Mr Obama's rule, including industry leaders, condemned it as a massive power grab by Washington.
Scott Pruitt, Mr Trump's pick to lead the EPA, will now begin the task of rewriting the rule, and a new draft is not expected for several years.
Immediate impact: The EPA has been ordered to rewrite, or even repeal the rule, but first it must be reviewed. Water protection laws were passed by Congress long before Mr Obama's rule was announced, so it cannot simply be undone with the stroke of a pen. Instead the EPA must re-evaluate how to interpret the 1972 Clean Water Act.
A bill the president signed on 16 February put an end to an Obama-era regulation that aimed at protecting waterways from coal mining waste.
Senator Mitch McConnell had called the rule an "attack on coal miners".
The US Interior Department, which reportedly spent years drawing up the regulation before it was issued in December, had said it would protect 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests.
An attempt to cut down on the burden of small businesses.
Described as a "two-out, one-in" approach, the order asked government departments that request a new regulation to specify two other regulations they will drop.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will manage the regulations and is expected to be led by the Republican Mick Mulvaney.
Some categories of regulation will be exempt from the "two-out, one-in" clause - such as those dealing with the military and national security and "any other category of regulations exempted by the Director".
Immediate impact: Wait and see.
Probably his most controversial action, so far, taken to keep the country safe from terrorists, the president said.
The effect was felt at airports in the US and around the world as people were stopped boarding US-bound flights or held when they landed in the US.
Immediate impact: Enacted pretty much straight away. But there are battles ahead. Federal judges brought a halt to deportations, and legal rulings appear to have put an end to the travel ban - much to the president's displeasure.
A fence is already in place along much of the US-Mexico border
On Mr Trump's first day as a presidential candidate in June 2015, he made securing the border with Mexico a priority.
He pledged repeatedly at rallies to "build the wall" along the southern border, saying it would be "big, beautiful, and powerful".
Now he has signed a pair of executive orders designed to fulfil that campaign promise.
One order declares that the US will create "a contiguous, physical wall or other similarly secure, contiguous, and impassable physical barrier".
The second order pledges to hire 10,000 more immigration officers, and to revoke federal grant money from so-called "sanctuary cities" which refuse to deport undocumented immigrants.
It remains to be seen how Mr Trump will pay for the wall, although he has repeatedly insisted that it will be fully paid for by the Mexican government, despite their leaders saying otherwise.
Immediate impact: The Department of Homeland Security has a "small" amount of money available (about $100m) to use immediately, but that won't get them very far. Construction of the wall will cost billions of dollars - money that Congress will need to approve. Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Republican-led Congress will need to come up with $12-$15bn more, and the funding fight - and any construction - will come up against issues with harsh terrain, private land owners and opposition from both Democrats and some Republicans.
The department will also need additional funds from Congress to hire more immigration officers, but the order will direct the head of the agency to start changing deportation priorities. Cities targeted by the threat to remove federal grants will likely build legal challenges, but without a court injunction, the money can be removed.
The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, along with Arizona Democrat Raul Graijalva, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
They argue the Department of Homeland Security is required to draft a new environmental review of the impacts of the wall and other border enforcement activities as it could damage public lands.
With the stroke of a pen...
On his second full working day, the president signed two orders to advance construction of two controversial pipelines - the Keystone XL and Dakota Access.
Mr Trump told reporters the terms of both deals would be renegotiated, and using American steel was a requirement.
Keystone, a 1,179-mile (1,897km) pipeline running from Canada to US refineries in the Gulf Coast, was halted by President Barack Obama in 2015 due to concerns over the message it would send about climate change.
The second pipeline was halted last year as the Army looked at other routes, amid huge protests by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe at a North Dakota site.
Immediate impact: Mr Trump has granted a permit to TransCanada, the Keystone XL builder, to move forward with the controversial pipeline. As a result, TransCanada will drop an arbitration claim for $15bn in damages it filed under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mr Trump made no mention of an American steel requirement. Construction will not start until the company obtains a permit from Nebraska's Public Service Commission.
The Dakota Access pipeline has since been filled with oil and the company is in the process of preparing to begin moving oil.
In one of his first actions as president, Mr Trump issued a multi-paragraph directive to the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies involved in managing the nation's healthcare system.
The order states that agencies must "waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay" any portions of the Affordable Care Act that creates financial burden on states, individuals or healthcare providers.
Although the order technically does not authorise any powers the executive agencies do not already have, it's viewed as a clear signal that the Trump administration will be rolling back Obama-era healthcare regulations wherever possible.
Immediate impact: Republicans failed to secure an overhaul of the US healthcare system due to a lack of support for the legislation. That means Mr Trump's executive order is one of the only remaining efforts to undermine Obamacare.
Abortion activists were among the many protesters that came out against Trump's presidency one day after his inauguration
What's called the Mexico City policy, first implemented in 1984 under Republican President Ronald Reagan, prevents foreign non-governmental organisations that receive any US cash from "providing counselling or referrals for abortion or advocating for access to abortion services in their country", even if they do so with other funding.
The ban, derided as a "global gag rule" by its critics, has been the subject of a political tug-of-war ever since its inception, with every Democratic president rescinding the measure, and every Republican bringing it back.
Anti-abortion activists expected Mr Trump to act quickly on this - and he didn't disappoint them.
Immediate impact: The policy will come into force as soon as the Secretaries of State and Heath write an implementation plan and apply to both renewals and new grants. The US State Department has notified the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that US funding for United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) would be withdrawn, arguing that it supports coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation. The agency has denied this, pointing to examples of its life-saving work in more than 150 countries and territories.
This policy will be much broader than the last time the rule was in place - the Guttmacher Institute, Kaiser Family Foundation and Population Action International believe the order, as written, will apply to all global health funding by the US, instead of only reproductive health or family planning.
The TPP pact would have affected 40% of global trade.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, once viewed as the crown jewel of Barack Obama's international trade policy, was a regular punching bag for Mr Trump on the campaign trail (although he at times seemed uncertain about what nations were actually involved).
The deal was never approved by Congress so it had yet to go into effect in the US.
Therefore the formal "withdrawal" is more akin to a decision on the part of the US to end ongoing international negotiations and let the deal wither and die.
Immediate impact: Takes effect immediately. In the meantime, some experts are worried China will seek to replace itself in the deal or add TPP nations to its own free trade negotiations, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), excluding the US. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38695593 | |
Robert Snodgrass: Hull accept bid in the region of £10m from Burnley - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Hull City accept a bid in the region of £10m from Burnley for Scottish midfielder Robert Snodgrass. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Hull City have accepted a bid in the region of £10m from Burnley for top scorer Robert Snodgrass.
The Tigers, who are 19th in the Premier League, rejected a bid from West Ham earlier this month for the 29-year-old midfielder.
The Scotland international, who joined Hull from Norwich in 2014, has scored seven Premier League goals this season.
The Tigers say the move is now down to the player and he has not yet gone for a medical at Burnley.
Hull have so far rejected offers of up to £6m from West Ham for Snodgrass, who missed Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea with what manager Marco Silva described as "a small injury in the knee".
West Ham remain interested but Silva is reluctant to part with Snodgrass having already sold midfielder Jake Livermore to West Brom for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £10m.
Any deal for Snodgrass would have to be for about the same price.
Snodgrass has been linked with a move away from the KC Stadium since December, before Hull triggered a one-year contract extension, tying him to the club until the end of the 2017-18 season.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38744778 | |
Oscars 2017: Best actress nominees - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A look at the best actress nominees for the 89th Academy Awards on 26 February 2017. | Entertainment & Arts | Find out more about the nominees for the 89th Academy Awards, which will take place on 26 February 2017.
The character: Michele Leblanc, the head of a video game company, who is raped in her home.
The critics said: "Huppert gives a performance of imperious fury, holding the audience at bay, almost goading us to disown her. Audaciously, Elle presents her not so much as a victim but as the casualty of a world she is very much a part of; maybe (still more troublingly) an accessory to." [The Guardian]
The character: Mildred Loving, whose interracial marriage to Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton), led to the couple's arrest and banishment from the US state of Virginia in the 1950s.
The critics said: "When her expressive eyes, usually downcast, rise up to confront a world that needs changing, it's impossible not to be moved. The stabbing simplicity of Negga's acting is breathtaking." [Rolling Stone]
The character: Jackie Kennedy, whose husband President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Oscar record: Portman won best actress for Black Swan in 2011 and was nominated for best supporting actress for Closer in 2005.
The critics said: "Portman's intricate performance... may just trump her Oscar-winning turn in Black Swan as the most high-wire feat she's ever pulled off." [Variety]
The character: Mia Dolan, an aspiring actress working in a Los Angeles coffee shop.
Oscar record: Nominated for best supporting actress for Birdman in 2015.
The critics said: "This is a career-best moment for Stone, who is grounded and spunky as the scrappy aspiring actress, then graceful and poised as Mia continues her journey." [Cinema Blend]
The character: Streep plays Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having an awful singing voice.
Oscar record: Streep has 19 previous Oscar nominations and has won three times - twice as best actress, for The Iron Lady (2012) and Sophie's Choice (1983), and once as best supporting actress, in Kramer vs Kramer (1980).
The critics said: "Ms Streep is a delight, hilarious when she's singing and convincingly on edge at all times." New York Times
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38536718 | |
What will Trump do about Afghanistan? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Will the US cut its losses and bring America's longest war to an end? | Asia | There are still 13,000 Nato military personnel in Afghanistan, mostly American
As Donald Trump settles into his new home in the White House, one of the most pressing issues in his in-tray is Afghanistan.
America's longest war isn't something that he has said much about, and - as with so many issues - what he has said is contradictory.
In the past, he has described America's involvement in Afghanistan as a "disaster", and has talked about pulling out US troops.
But when he spoke to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on 2 December, he reportedly told him that America would not waver in its commitment to Afghanistan.
Then, however, he failed to invite Mr Ghani to his inauguration, deepening worries in Afghanistan that it simply was not a priority for the new president.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani praised the US for its commitment to Afghanistan, during his first official visit to Washington in 2015
The Taliban pitched in earlier this week, calling on President Trump to withdraw American forces from what they described as the "quagmire" of Afghanistan.
"Nothing has been achieved," said the insurgent group, "except the staining of innocent Afghans in their blood, and the destruction of villages and gardens."
The official American assessment of progress is not much more upbeat.
Mr Trump's challenge was summarised with shocking clarity earlier this month by the US watchdog overseeing the reconstruction process in Afghanistan, the special inspector general for Afghanistan, John F Sopko.
Mr Sopko says the US has spent more in real terms in Afghanistan than America spent on the reconstruction of Europe after World War Two, yet only 63% of the country is currently controlled by the Afghan government, opium production is at record highs and corruption is still rife.
"After 15 years," he says, "Afghanistan still cannot support itself financially or functionally.
"Long-term financial assistance is required if the country is to survive."
Just how vulnerable parts of the country are became very apparent when an Afghan colleague was given rare access to the battle against the Taliban in Helmand a few weeks ago.
Aziz Ahmad Shafee flew into the provincial capital, Lashkargah, with soldiers from the Afghan National Army's 215th Corps.
A convoy of Humvees drove the troops a few kilometres to the outskirts of the city: that is where the front line is now.
Afghan soldiers told the BBC they lacked even the most basic supplies
The Taliban now control more than 80% of Helmand.
A province, let us not forget, where most of the 456 British military personnel killed in the Afghan conflict lost their lives.
And - despite a complete restructuring of the command of the 215th Corps overseen by American forces - it seems it still is not combat effective.
Afghan troops complain they lack even the most basic supplies.
"For a month we've been saying we are running out of ammunition but we don't get any new supplies," Sgt class 1 Hyatullah told the BBC.
"Our enemy is firing at us, but we don't have enough bullets to take them on."
His commander urged America's new president not to falter in his commitment to the Afghan government.
"As a soldier of Afghanistan, I ask his excellency Donald Trump to continue the fight here", said Brig Gen Mohammad Wali Ahmadzai, the commander of the 215th Corps in Helmand.
"If he can give us more support, we can wipe the terrorists out."
Most of the foreign troops in Afghanistan were withdrawn at the end of 2014, but when I visited the headquarters of Resolute Support, the Nato mission in Afghanistan, it was busy, with helicopters flying in and out every few minutes.
There are still 13,000 Nato military personnel in Afghanistan, mostly American.
Most US military personnel have left Afghanistan - there is little appetite for more losses among the US public
Brig Gen Charlie Cleveland, the spokesman for the Resolute Support mission, believes America still has a clear strategic interest in Afghanistan.
He says the US troops now have two tasks:
Resolute Support's work with the Afghan army has, says the brigadier general, been instrumental in ensuring it has managed to hold the ground it does.
"In the winter of 2015-16, the government of Afghanistan changed their strategy," Brig Gen Cleveland tells me.
"They realised they couldn't defend everywhere, and so what they really started focusing their efforts on was the major population centres.
"As we look at the security situation right now, the government controls - secures - really about two-thirds of the population.
"About 10% of the population is controlled by the Taliban, and the remaining difference is really what's contested."
He says while this situation is not ideal, the Afghan army has managed to reverse what was a deteriorating situation in 2015 and establish an "equilibrium" in favour of the government.
Nevertheless, there is much work to be done.
Some 5,000 Afghan military personnel were killed last year, losses both the Afghan government and Resolute Support agree are unsustainable in the long term.
Afghan security forces have launched operations against both Taliban and IS militants
And, amid the uncertainty about American policy, other powers have been flexing their muscles in Afghanistan.
Last month, Russia hosted a meeting in Moscow about the country's future, with senior officials from China and Pakistan, and it makes no secret of the fact it has been talking to the Taliban.
So the big question is what will President Trump do?
Two of his key cabinet picks may provide a clue.
President Trump's Defence Secretary, Gen James Mattis, is a former commander of forces here.
He has spoken in the past about the need to urge Pakistan to take further action against the Taliban and the Sunni Islamist militant Haqqani network.
Soviet troops pulled out of Afghanistan in 1988, but Russia is talking to the Taliban
The new president's national security adviser, Lt Gen Michael Flynn, has also talked about the need for Pakistan to take tougher action against Taliban fighters who shelter there.
And President Trump has been very consistent about his desire to take a tougher line against the so-called Islamic State group.
Pulling out of Afghanistan would make that more difficult, given the toe-hold it has established in eastern Afghanistan over the past couple of years.
So it seems unlikely that - in his effort to extricate America from foreign entanglements - President Trump will simply declare that it has no strategic interest in Afghanistan and withdraw his troops.
He and his advisers will certainly not want to be responsible for America's longest war ending in what many people would regard as a clear defeat. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38730061 | |
Six Nations: Dylan Hartley confirmed as England captain for 2017 - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Dylan Hartley is confirmed as England's captain for the Six Nations - two days after his six-week suspension for striking ends. | null | Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley has been confirmed as England's captain for the Six Nations - two days after his six-week suspension for striking ended.
Coach Eddie Jones announced at the launch of the championship that the 30-year-old will continue in the role.
"I haven't actually told him... shall I say now? I'd like to announce Dylan's the captain," Jones said.
Hartley, who led England to the Grand Slam last year, was banned for hitting Leinster's Sean O'Brien in December.
He caught the Irish flanker high with a swinging arm during Northampton's 37-10 Champions Cup loss and was shown the third red card of his career.
The subsequent suspension took the total number of weeks he has been unavailable during his career to 60.
Hartley will not have played for nine weeks before England's opening game against France on 4 February at Twickenham.
When the captain was asked if he had changed his game in response to his latest sanction, Jones interrupted: "He's had 60 weeks off mate, he's a world expert."
The Australian added: "I think he's ready. He trained well on Tuesday and has still got a couple of days to go. We're pleased to have him back. It's the continuity of the job."
Hartley, when asked about his suitability for the role, said: "We did this last year, talking about me. I'm confident, I feel fresh, I feel fit, and focused.
"I'm here on behalf of the team. The challenge is to use this week as best we can to get the preparation right for a huge first game."
Hartley was dropped from England's 2015 Rugby World Cup squad after he headbutted Saracens' Jamie George, but was recalled by Jones after he replaced Stuart Lancaster.
The hooker went on to lead the side to a Six Nations Grand Slam as they embarked on a run of 14 consecutive Test match victories.
British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has refused to be drawn on whether Hartley's disciplinary record will affect his chances of leading this summer's tour to New Zealand.
'I slipped in the hotel this morning'
Jones attended the launch with a dressing on his face and a black eye, caused by a fall in the bathroom of his hotel.
However, the Australian did initially suggest he suffered the injury while attempting the combat sports England players have been practising since October.
"First we had judo and then we had MMA, so we're just going through all the martial arts sports to see what effect they have on the body," Jones said.
"My mother always told me I've got to shave and I forgot, so I walked out of the shower to get the shaver and this is what happened."
Back row James Haskell has been given the all-clear to link up with the squad after recovering from a foot injury that kept him out for six months.
The 31-year-old was a key part of England's Grand Slam and unbeaten tour of Australia in 2016.
But, having missed the autumn internationals, he faces a battle to oust Tom Wood, who was this week singled out for praise by Jones.
Jones said people would "have to wait and see" if Haskell would feature against France in 11 days' time.
"He has not had much rugby," he added. "He's played around 60 minutes against Zebre and 36 seconds against the opposition the previous week." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38742427 | |
'Help me find my birth family' - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | How a 19-year-old Swiss man's appeal for information on his birth family led to a huge response. | Europe | Marco has this image of his mother, who has been missing since 2000
For one young Swiss man looking for his birth family, official channels had turned up nothing. So Marco Hauenstein, 19, turned to Facebook to try to find out more - not anticipating how widely his post would be shared.
Marco did not have an easy start in life, as the very few facts he knows about his birth mother indicate.
Gina Barbara Hauenstein was a drug addict, and during the 1990s spent time, Marco believes, in Zurich's then notorious Platzspitz open drugs scene, where addicts bought heroin in a city centre park, and injected it openly.
When Marco was born in 1997, he was already addicted too, and had to spend the first months of his life in hospital withdrawing and recovering.
Although his mother visited him from time to time, he never lived with her. About his father, he knows nothing: on his birth certificate, the space for the father's name has been left blank.
In 2000, Gina Hauenstein disappeared. Despite a police search both within Switzerland and across Europe, no trace of her has ever been found, and she remains listed as a missing person.
Marco meanwhile lived with a foster family. He describes his childhood as happy, but he admits questions about his birth family were "always on my mind".
When he turned 16, Marco left his foster family. There had been disagreements, not unusual between parents and teenagers, but Marco says his relationship with his foster family is good, and has improved since he began to live independently.
At the same time, he started to look for his birth family, and in particular for his mother. "I really wanted to know, for myself, who was my family, who I belonged to," he explained.
"So, when I was 16, I started to call town record offices, and I contacted the police. But without success."
Marco Hauenstein's search has drawn in many social media users, including journalists
Talking to Marco, it is not entirely clear why this more traditional search for family members was unsuccessful. Switzerland is a small country, Marco was never adopted, he knew his birth name, his mother's name and, it seems, the town she came from, where her parents (his grandparents) still apparently lived.
Perhaps the idea of a Facebook appeal seemed the most logical, or the fastest, way to reach out. And posting messages on social media might understandably be easier for a teenager than cold-calling official figures in local government or the police.
But the simple message which appeared on Facebook just three weeks ago has had consequences Marco - who uses the name Marco Julius Schelling on Facebook - did not expect. His message was shared and re-shared across Switzerland and Germany many thousands of times, and soon the media took an interest in his story too.
My name is Marco Hauenstein, and I was born on 17.06.1997 in the Aargau/Zurich region. After going through drug withdrawal as a newborn for 3-6 months I grew up with the Jung family, and later with the Schelling family.
After searching for many years without success, I'm turning to you. I'm looking for my birth parents / grandparents!
When I meet him in Zurich, he seems rather overwhelmed by the attention. He is accompanied by a camera crew from a local television station, and during our conversation he fields calls from a German channel, and a Swiss newspaper. At the same time new responses to his Facebook appeal are appearing on his phone every couple of minutes.
"I've had thousands and thousands of messages," he says. "I really didn't expect this."
Marco Hauenstein as a baby, with his birth mother
But his Facebook search has had some initial success. An aunt, a half-sister of his mother, has reached out to him, he says, and he has talked to her by phone.
"It was very emotional, we didn't talk much, it was just, 'Hello, so good to talk to you after all these years'." The plan is "that we will meet tomorrow… I think we will meet tomorrow".
Marco has also received information relating to his grandmother, an uncle, and even, he says, some hints about the identity of his father. But he seems reluctant to share too much detail. When our interview finishes, he is met by yet another television crew.
Messages for Marco keep pouring in
The next day, I get a message from Marco. The planned meeting with his aunt has not taken place, he says, because "I could not reach her".
It is clear the social media attention, and then the interest shown by the mainstream media, have caused problems.
Adopted or foster children hoping to meet their birth families, or birth parents looking for their children, are generally advised to proceed using an intermediary, to communicate in confidence, and to arrange a face-to-face meeting only when all sides are really ready for it.
The advent of sites like Facebook has changed that. Social services report growing numbers of cases in which adopted or fostered children, or parents who have given their children up or had them taken into care, have been tracked down and contacted out of the blue. The brutal reality is that these contacts are not always welcome: not everyone wants a reunion.
Tracing relatives is difficult for Marco despite the power of social media
But for Marco, the hopes for a happy ending seem at least partially fulfilled. One day after the failed meeting with his aunt, another short post appears on his Facebook page: "On Friday I was able to meet my grandmother and my uncle," he writes. "It was a very moving moment, at last I have got a part of my family back!"
His aunt, he continues, "needs more time" before agreeing to meet him.
Time will tell if the reunion brings Marco the sense of completeness he feels he needs. His mother remains the key person he wants to find. But there has been no trace of her for 17 years. No one, not the police, the local authorities, nor Marco's new-found relatives, has any clue where she might be.
Marco is not deterred. His search, via Facebook, continues.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38717880 | |
Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool forward signs new five-year contract - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Liverpool forward Philippe Coutinho signs a new five-year contract worth about £150,000 a week, making him the club's highest-paid player. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool forward Philippe Coutinho has signed a new five-year contract worth about £150,000 a week, making him the highest-paid player at the club.
The 24-year-old Brazil international joined the Reds from Inter Milan for £8.5m in January 2013, and his new deal will take him through to 2022.
Coutinho has scored 34 goals in 163 appearances for Liverpool.
"It is a club that I am very grateful to and this shows my happiness here," he told the club's website.
There is no release clause in Coutinho's new contract, the terms of which come into effect from 1 July.
Coutinho, who had been linked with a move to Spanish champions Barcelona, added: "I signed this new contract to stay here for a few more years because it's a great honour for me.
"It gives me great happiness because I was welcomed here with open arms by everyone at the club and the supporters right from my first day."
Coutinho was brought to Anfield by former manager Brendan Rodgers, with Southampton also interested in signing him at the time.
He has established himself as one of the Reds' key players during his four years at Anfield.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes his decision to sign a new long-term contract sends out a "big statement".
"This is wonderful news," said Klopp, whose side are fourth in the Premier League, 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.
"He is truly world class - in that very top bracket. He knows he can fulfil his dreams and ambitions here at Liverpool."
Coutinho has recently returned from an ankle injury, prior to which he had scored six goals in 14 appearances this season.
Coutinho's ability to create and score goals has not only brought him adulation at Anfield and more recognition at international level with Brazil, it also brought him to the attention of the likes of Barcelona.
Liverpool's move to secure Coutinho is not only a coup for Klopp and the club, but is also a contract without an exit clause, which is a vital component of the deal.
It is a strategy designed to avoid the sort of scenario they faced in 2014 when Luis Suarez signed a new deal at Liverpool in December 2013 that was ultimately only security for when he made a £75m move to Barcelona that summer.
Coutinho has expressed his complete satisfaction at Liverpool and is accompanied by none of the controversies that made Suarez even more likely to leave Liverpool and the Premier League.
Liverpool believe this is one deal that has been signed by a player who is in it for the long haul at Anfield. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38741844 | |
Japan gets first sumo champion in 19 years - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The deeply traditional Japanese sport has been dominated by foreign wrestlers in recent years. | Asia | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Kisenosato posed for photos with a red sea bream, a traditional way to mark victory
Japan has formally named its first home-grown sumo grand champion in almost two decades, in a boost to the traditional wrestling sport.
Kisenosato, 30, was promoted to the top-most yokozuna rank after his win in the first tournament of the year.
He is the first Japanese-born wrestler to make it since Wakanohana in 1998. Five wrestlers from American Samoa and Mongolia have made it in the interim.
Foreign wrestlers have come to dominate sumo, amid a lack of local recruits.
Kisenosato, who comes from Ibaraki to the north of Tokyo and weighs 178kg (392 pounds), has been an ozeki - the second-highest rank - since 2012.
After being runner-up on multiple occasions, he finally clinched his first tournament victory - and thereby his promotion to yokozuna - in the first competition of 2017.
"I accept with all humility," Kisenosato said in a press conference after the Japan Sumo Association formally approved him.
"I will devote myself to the role and try not to disgrace the title of yokozuna."
Wakanohana (R), seen here fighting Hawaiian Akebono, was the last Japanese wrestler to be promoted to yokozuna
Many Japanese fans will be pleased to see a local wrestler back at the top of a sport regarded as a cultural icon.
As yokuzuna, Kisenosato, whose real name is Yutaka Hagiwara, joins three other wrestlers in sumo's ultimate rank - Hakuho, Harumafuji and Kakuryu.
The trio all come from Mongolia, following a path forged by sumo bad-boy Asashoryu, who was Mongolia's first yokozuna in 2003.
The last Japanese-born wrestlers to reach the top were brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana, who made it to yokozuna in 1994 and 1998 respectively.
In recent years, sumo has been hit by falling numbers of Japanese recruits, partly because it is seen as a tough, highly regimented life.
Young sumo wrestlers train in tightly-knit "stables" where they eat, sleep and practise together and are sometimes subjected to harsh treatment in the belief that it will toughen them up.
In 2009, a leading coach was jailed for six years for ordering wrestlers to beat a young trainee who later died, in a case that shocked the nation.
Those at the top of the sport are also expected to be role models, showing honour and humility - and can be criticised if they get it wrong.
Mongolian wrestler Asashoryu led the sport for many years, but sumo elders were troubled by some of his behaviour
Sumo must also compete with the rising popularity of football and baseball, which have vibrant leagues that draw crowds of young Japanese fans.
But the sport is attractive to wrestlers from other nations, who can earn a good living. Wrestlers have come from Estonia, Bulgaria, Georgia, China, Hawaii and Egypt, as well as Mongolia and American Samoa.
As a child, Kisenosato was a pitcher in his school's baseball club before he chose to train as a wrestler at a stable in Tokyo.
He made his debut in 2002 and, reported Japan's Mainichi newspaper, the 73 tournaments he took to become a yokozuna are the most by any wrestler since 1926.
Speaking to reporters after the tournament victory on Monday that sealed his elevation, Kisenosato said he was pleased to be holding the Emperor's Cup trophy at last.
"I've finally got my hands on it and the sense of pleasure hasn't changed," he said. "It's hard to put into words but it has a nice weight to it." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38721106 | |
London pollution: 'Very high' air pollution warning alert - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | A "very high" air pollution warning has been issued for London for the first time under a new alert system. | null | Pollution alert warnings are being issued to the public at bus stops, tube stations and on roadside signs, under the new system set up by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Many Londoners, however, are going about their daily business undeterred. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38737820 | |
Sir Alex Ferguson: Manchester United making progress under Jose Mourinho - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Manchester United are making progress under Jose Mourinho and are "unlucky" not to be challenging league leaders Chelsea, says Sir Alex Ferguson. | null | Manchester United are making progress under Jose Mourinho and are "unlucky" not to be challenging Chelsea, says their former boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson, 75, stepped down in 2013 but retains close ties to Old Trafford and attends most games.
"I think he has done a great job," said the Scot in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport.
Ferguson also explained why he thinks Wayne Rooney's United goalscoring record will never be broken.
'Without those draws, they'd be challenging Chelsea'
Jose Mourinho became Manchester United's third manager since Ferguson retired when he replaced Louis van Gaal in May.
Although he won his opening three games in charge, Mourinho's team collected just six points from their next seven Premier League matches.
There was a period earlier in the season when he wasn't getting the decisions and his emotions boiled over. You see him now - he is calm and in control
They have been sixth after every round of matches since the end of October and stayed in that position after the 1-1 draw at Stoke on 21 January, when Rooney scored an injury-time equaliser to become United's record goalscorer, with 250.
Nevertheless, Ferguson can see signs of progress under the Portuguese. And though Chelsea are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League - and 14 points ahead of the Old Trafford club - he believes his former side are "unlucky" not to be up there with them.
"You can see he has got to grips with the club," he said.
"The team is playing really well and he has been very unlucky. He has had six 1-1 draws and in every game he has battered the opposition.
"If they hadn't had all these draws, they would be there challenging Chelsea. That is the unfortunate part but he is going to have to live with that."
'The team is mirroring its manager'
Mourinho has been sent to the stands twice this season, against Burnley and West Ham, as his side struggled to overcome supposedly inferior opposition at Old Trafford.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager seems far more relaxed now though.
United go to Hull on Thursday for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final unbeaten in 17 games. That run encompassed nine successive wins, including a 2-0 triumph in the first leg at Old Trafford, their longest-winning sequence since Ferguson called time on his illustrious career.
Ferguson said: "I was a little bit different from Jose in the respect that I wanted to build the football club and wanted young players to be part of that.
"Nonetheless, the first team weren't doing great and you have to find solutions to correct that. I think Jose is finding solutions now. There was a period earlier in the season when he wasn't getting the decisions and his emotions boiled over. You see him now - he is calm and in control.
"That is the obvious observation I am making of the team now. The team is mirroring its manager.
"On Saturday at Stoke, they played to the last kick of the ball. They never gave in and got their rewards to take something from the game with that great Rooney goal.
"And did you see what he did? Ran to the halfway line. No celebration. Pointed to the ball as if to say 'get it, we are going to win this'. That is exactly the spirit Jose has created."
Sir Bobby Charlton's club record of 249 Manchester United goals had stood for 44 years until Rooney went past it at the Britannia Stadium.
Charlton amassed his tally in 758 appearances for the club. Rooney, 31, has gone one better in 546 games since moving from Everton for £27m as an 18-year-old in 2004.
With the chance to score even more this season and a contract that runs to 2018 if the Liverpool-born player remains at Old Trafford until its conclusion, Rooney has set a record that is unlikely ever to be beaten, according to Ferguson.
"In the present-day game, it is difficult to see any club having players who can stay with them for 10 years.
"Jose has mentioned Marcus Rashford and there is an opportunity for that young lad, if he stays at United, and develops his potential the way that Wayne has. But it is a very big target to hit.
"Bobby Charlton's record was quite substantial. I couldn't think anybody would beat that. It is an achievement par excellence."
It is nearly four years now since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager of Manchester United, yet the ease with which he skipped from room to room to conduct interviews at a Cheshire hotel on Tuesday suggests that, at 75, he remains as enthusiastic for life as ever.
There is no longer the same hint of menace about him if the questions are not to his satisfaction, although I suspect if I had strayed off topic, I might have got a mild blast of the famous hair dryer.
But Ferguson remains engaging company. Far different to the combustible figure who dominated the touchline and harangued anyone who got in his - and United's - way.
These days a funny story usually close at hand. Today, it concerned the mother of Everton chairman Bill Kenwright, who, Ferguson recalled, pleaded with him over the phone not to take away "my boy" as negotiations over Rooney's £27m move from Everton drew to a close in 2004. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38735437 | |
Nicole Cooke 'sceptical' of Team Sky and Sir Bradley Wiggins - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Ex-Olympic champion Nicole Cooke says she is "sceptical" of Team Sky's drug-free credentials and Sir Bradley Wiggins' therapeutic use exemptions. | null | Last updated on .From the section Cycling
Ex-Olympic champion Nicole Cooke says she is "sceptical" of Team Sky's drug-free credentials and Sir Bradley Wiggins' therapeutic use exemptions.
Wiggins was granted three TUEs to take anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone before the 2011 and 2012 Tour de France and the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
"Taking TUEs just before major events raises questions for me," Cooke said.
Cooke also told MPs British Cycling is run "by men for men" and its attempts to stop doping are "ineffective".
Wiggins' TUEs were approved by British authorities and cycling's world governing body the UCI, and there is no suggestion either the 36-year-old or his former employers Team Sky have broken any rules.
Cooke, 33, made the claims in evidence submitted to a Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday.
The committee is examining doping in sport and Tuesday's session was held to discuss issues raised at a previous hearing involving British Cycling and Team Sky in December.
In a wide-ranging testimony, Cooke provided examples of sexism she had encountered in her 13-year career, stating British Cycling shows "discrimination and favouritism" because it is "answerable to itself".
The Welsh former world and Commonwealth cycling champion added that the fight against doping is "the wrong people fighting the wrong war, in the wrong way, with the wrong tools".
"While there is still a way to go, British Cycling is absolutely committed to resolving the historic gender imbalance in our sport," said the governing body in a statement.
British Cycling is the subject of an investigation by UK Anti-Doping into allegations of wrongdoing in the sport and is also awaiting the findings of an independent review into an alleged bullying culture.
Five-time Olympic champion Wiggins was granted a TUE to treat asthma and allergies, which was revealed when hacking group Fancy Bears released athletes' medical files stolen from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Cooke compared her use of the steroid triamcinolone with that of Wiggins, stating she was granted a TUE for injections of the drug to treat a career-threatening knee injury as an alternative to surgery.
She said she did not race again until "long after the performance-enhancing effects had worn off", and she added that Wiggins appeared to use the "same steroid before his main goals of the season".
Cooke added she found the chronology of Wiggins' TUEs "disturbing" and that it made her "sceptical" of what Team Sky have done.
The team was launched in 2010 with a zero-tolerance approach towards doping in cycling.
Cooke on the package delivered to Wiggins
An inquiry by Ukad was launched following a Daily Mail allegation that a medical package was delivered to Wiggins on the final day of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.
Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford told MPs in December that the package contained legal decongestant Fluimucil, but MP Damian Collins, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, says British Cycling have been unable to provide paperwork to prove the contents of the medical package.
"I find the stance of being the cleanest team, yet Dave Brailsford not being able to say what a rider took, definitely makes it hard to back up that claim," Cooke added.
She also raised concerns as to why Simon Cope, who was British Cycling women's coach at the time, was chosen to courier the package to Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman in France.
"I do find it very surprising that Simon Cope transported something internationally without knowing what was in it," Cooke told MPs.
She also alleged that Cope, a former team-mate of Wiggins at the Linda McCartney professional team, "spent some weeks riding a moped in front of Wiggins as part of a training regimen" as an example of how resources were "stripped out of the women's program to augment the men's program".
'They did nothing for women'
When asked by MPs if sexism was culturally embedded in British Cycling, Cooke said: "Yes I do".
She claimed that during her career, the governing body showed only "transient" support for female road riders.
As part of her written evidence and appearance via video-link from Paris, Cooke cited numerous examples of "discrimination and favouritism" shown by British Cycling.
She said the prize for the women's 2006 British Championships was a "tiny fraction" of the men's race, despite Cooke having just won the Grande Boucle Feminine Internationale - the women's equivalent of the Tour de France.
The 2008 road race world champion added she had to take her own skin suit to the event in Italy after British Cycling had forgotten to organise one, having to then sew a Team Sky logo onto it at the behest of Brailsford.
"The facts are they did nothing for the women," said Cooke.
An independent review into the culture of British Cycling began after its former technical director Shane Sutton was accused of using offensive and discriminatory language towards cyclist Jess Varnish.
Despite being cleared of eight of the nine charges against him, the Australian was found guilty of using sexist language in October but denies any wrongdoing and said he would appeal the ruling.
What has the response been?
In her written evidence, Cooke said she had "no faith in the actions in support of investigations conducted by Ukad or the testing they conduct, both completed at significant expense to the public purse".
In response, Ukad said: "There should be no doubt about the determination of this organisation to protect clean sport; our staff passionately believe in protecting everyone's right to clean, fair and honest competition.
Regarding Cooke's accusations of sexism, British Cycling said in a statement: "There is always more that can be done and we strive to make continual improvements to ensure that cycling is reaching out to women and girls of all ages and abilities."
Meanwhile, UK Sport has launched an independent review to investigate some of the issues raised by Cooke.
"UK Sport takes its responsibilities as an investor of public funds and a champion of equality in sport very seriously," said a spokesman.
"On matters raised relating to the governance of the national governing body, UK Sport and Sport England have recently published a new code for sports governance which raises the bar for the requirements around governance that all sports bodies who receive public funding will need to address and comply to." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/38728410 | |
North Korean defector's family heartbreak - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Thae Yong-ho is one of the highest ranking North Korean officials ever to defect. He's been talking to the BBC's Steve Evans about the regime. | null | Thae Yong-ho is one of the highest ranking North Koreans officials ever to defect. He's been talking to the BBC's Steve Evans about the regime and how he feels about his family back at home. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38742230 | |
Sean Spicer: Who is President Trump's spin doctor? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | New White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has warned that the media will be held "accountable". | US & Canada | In a 2014 lecture to students at his former high school, Sean Spicer outlined a set of 17 "rules for life" that they would be wise to follow.
Rule number 16, he told the students at Portsmouth Abbey in Rhode Island: "Follow your mom's advice: It's not what you say, but how you say it. The tone and tenor of your words count."
The now White House press secretary also told students that they should be true to themselves. Rule number eight, was relevant here, he said. "Trust your gut. If it does not feel right, use caution."
With that guidance in mind, Mr Spicer's bellicose press conference with the White House press corps on Saturday suggests that the new presidential spokesman will not sugar-coat his words over the next four years.
While the press secretary-journalist relationship is naturally an adversarial one, Mr Spicer has, in his first few days in the role, already cast himself as being in open conflict with much of the mainstream media, pledging to "hold the press accountable".
This, it appears, is the frontline of a strategy that White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus described as a will to "fight back tooth and nail every day" at supposed media efforts to "delegitimise" the president.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sean Spicer, White House press secretary said "no-one had numbers" for the inauguration
Mr Spicer, 45, is not a new hand at managing negative press coverage.
He previously served as spokesman and chief strategist for the Republican National Committee (RNC) and has long criticised coverage of his party and Mr Trump.
He took the post of communications director at the RNC in 2011, a time when it "was deep in debt and had a badly tarnished brand", according to the Republican Party website.
He is said to have helped turn around its fortunes by boosting the social media team, leading rapid response efforts to combat attacks, setting up an in-house video and production team and expanding the use of surrogates - people who can publicly appear on behalf of candidates, defend them and boost their appeal.
Mr Spicer has not shied away from criticising Mr Trump in the past. In July 2015, speaking on behalf of the RNC after Mr Trump questioned Republican Senator John McCain's status as a war hero, he said that there was "no place in our party or our country for comments that disparage those who have served honourably".
Mr Spicer claimed President Trump's inauguration was the "largest inaugural crowd ever"
He also described Mr Trump's June 2015 comments about Mexican immigrants being rapists and criminals as not being "helpful to the cause".
Before joining the RNC, he worked as Assistant US Trade Representative for Media and Public Affairs in the George W. Bush administration: a role that involved promoting the kind of free trade that his boss now fiercely criticises as being unfair for the American worker.
Still, Mr Spicer was loyal to Mr Trump on the campaign trail even as the path-breaking candidate split the party and many Republican luminaries distanced themselves from him.
The broad-shouldered, compulsively gum-chewing Republican ("Two and a half packs by noon," he told the Washington Post) is a long-time member of the US Navy Reserve.
He received a Masters degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport in 2012 and is known to be fierce, and deeply competitive.
One editor who has been blasted many times by Mr Spicer told the Post that her young child recognises his voice on the phone and bursts into tears.
His wife Rebecca is the chief of communications at the National Beer Wholesalers Association and previously worked in the Bush White House after a career in television news.
As press secretary, Mr Spicer will serve as President Trump's most visible spokesman, and is expected to hold daily televised media briefings, though he has spoken of his desire to shake up the way White House media is managed.
While he has said that Mr Trump will do press conferences, he also wants to utilise technology to "have a conversation with the American people and not just limit it through the filter of the mainstream media".
He has also described White House press briefings as having become "somewhat of a spectacle". Many would use that word to describe the first under the Trump administration. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38711850 | |
Bernie Ecclestone: Why F1's titanic leader was loved and loathed - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Bye, bye, Bernie. F1's revolutionary, roguish leader has finally vacated the throne he created - so how will he be remembered? | null | Bernie Ecclestone stands a little under 5ft 3in tall but for 40 years has wielded a giant influence in Formula 1 with canniness, wit and not a little menace.
At times, Ecclestone has had close to absolute power. So the end of his reign following the takeover of the sport by US giant Liberty Media represents a seismic change.
Ecclestone, now 86, is a tactician of remarkable skill, and a deal-maker extraordinaire who used chutzpah and brinksmanship to turn F1 into one of the world's biggest sports, form relationships with world leaders such as Russian president Vladimir Putin and make himself and many of F1's participants multi-millionaires.
In a remarkable four decades, Ecclestone revolutionised the sport:
• None He bought the Brabham team and won two world titles, including a historic first with a turbo engine in 1983.
• None Turned F1 into the biggest annual sporting event in the world, outstripped only by the Olympics and the World Cup.
• None Controversially took the commercial rights away from the teams and made himself a billionaire.
• None Fought off a criminal prosecution for blackmail that arose from a complicated series of sales of those rights.
• None Carved a notorious reputation for making controversial statements, including saying Adolf Hitler was "able to get things done" and likening women to "domestic appliances".
But what made him mind-bendingly - some would say obscenely - rich is what brought him down in the end.
Selling on the commercial rights to F1 is the source of Ecclestone's vast wealth. But it was never about the money, per se - it was about the deal. And now the deal has done him in.
Restructuring the finances of the sport in the first years of this decade, Ecclestone also reorganised its decision-making process.
He did it to increase his power, but the structure he set up inadvertently neutered him and gave the big teams - particularly Mercedes and Ferrari - power to block him. This has led to log-jam.
The latest company to buy the sport - USA's Liberty Media - has looked at this, at a skewed prize-money structure, at a policy that is threatening to price out much-loved historic races in favour of characterless new ones in countries with questionable regimes, at a refusal to engage with digital media, and several other issues, and decided to ease him out.
Ecclestone is held in genuinely high regard within F1 for everything he has achieved but, outside a handful of acolytes, few will be genuinely sorry to see him go.
There has been a feeling for some years that he is a man out of time, that the sport needed to move on. In truth, this has contributed to the stalemate in F1 - people were simply waiting him out.
Many believe his departure will be good for the sport. However, it will certainly make F1 less colourful, and it is hard to imagine seeing the like of him again.
Where did he come from?
Ecclestone's involvement in F1 started in the late 1950s. After a brief driving career in lower categories, he emerged as a manager for the British F1 driver Stuart Lewis-Evans but then disappeared from racing when Lewis-Evans was killed in a fiery crash at the 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix.
He appeared again in the late 1960s, again as a manager, this time to the Austrian Jochen Rindt. He was already very rich.
What had the fortune come from? "Property," Ecclestone says. All manner of rumours have abounded, including that he was involved in organising the Great Train Robbery, when £2.6m was stolen from a Royal Mail train in Buckinghamshire in 1963.
"Nah," Ecclestone once said. "There wasn't enough money on that train. I could have done something better than that."
Rindt became F1's first and so far only posthumous world champion after he was killed at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix. But this time Ecclestone did not retreat.
Within a couple of years, he bought Brabham from its founder, the three-time world champion Sir Jack Brabham, and began establishing his power base.
How did he become omnipotent?
Back then, circuit deals and television rights were operated on a somewhat haphazard, piecemeal basis. Ecclestone offered to look after them on the teams' behalf and wasted little time in building his influence.
He persuaded television companies to buy F1 as a package, rather than pay for individual races. That guaranteed vastly increased exposure, and the sport's popularity grew increasingly quickly.
The vast growth of F1 from what it was then to what it is today arguably started in earnest after the 1976 season, when a championship battle between the playboy Englishman James Hunt and the ascetic Austrian Niki Lauda caught the public's imagination.
By the 1980s, F1 was becoming a global sport, more and more races were being shown live, and a generation of charismatic stars enhanced its appeal - Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet and, most of all, Ayrton Senna.
Ironically, Senna's death in 1994 only increased its reach and shortly after that the sport started on the route that has led to Ecclestone's departure.
The beginning of the end
Controversially, in the mid-1990s, Ecclestone struck a deal with his long-time friend and ally Max Mosley, who was then the president of governing body the FIA. It saw his own company become the rights holder of F1, taking over from the teams' collective body that Ecclestone previously ran.
This led to a furious row with some of the teams - particularly McLaren, Williams and Tyrrell - who claimed what Ecclestone was doing was illegal and that he was effectively robbing them.
But the complainants were eventually bought off. Ecclestone then set about monetising his new asset.
In 2000, Mosley granted Ecclestone the commercial rights to F1 until the end of 2110 for a one-off fee of $360m. Even then, many were shocked by the relatively paltry amount of money that changed hands to secure such a lucrative and lengthy deal.
This led to a dizzying series of sales as the rights transferred through various institutions. A German cable TV company bought them, and then collapsed, which led to its creditors - banks - taking its assets. In 2006, the German bank BayernLB sold its 47.2% stake in F1 to an investment company called CVC Capital Partners.
CVC ran the sport for 10 years, employing Ecclestone as chief executive and empowering him to carry on as before, before selling to Liberty last September, in the deal completed on Monday.
But the sale from BayernLB to CVC is what ultimately led to the court cases on bribery charges that Ecclestone fought and survived a couple of years ago - and which he ended by paying the German courts $100m to end the case, without a presumption of guilt or innocence.
It did not escape notice that a man charged with bribery had paid - perfectly legally under German law - to end a criminal trial.
What is he like?
Despite his diminutive stature, Ecclestone is a forbidding character. Stories abound in F1 of real and threatened menace.
A conversation with him is akin to juggling sand - he ducks and dodges and avoids questions with obfuscation, distraction and quick wit, a dizzying mix of truths, half-truths and fallacies.
He is approachable but apart, engaging but unknowable. After a verbal sparring match, he will sometimes reach up and chillingly pat you on the cheek, not unlike a mafia don in the movies.
For years, the more unsavoury aspects of Ecclestone's stewardship were glossed over or laughed off - largely because he was making those he was working for so much money.
But in recent years, the tone in F1 has changed as more and more people began to feel he was past his sell-by date.
He was a reluctant embracer of the internet age, and rejected entreaties to try to use it to extend F1's reach.
His argument was that he saw no way to make money out of it; others argued that his modus operandi of pursuing only the deal, the bottom line, and disregarding its potential longer-term effects was doing more harm than good.
His simple model - sell television rights and races to the highest bidder no matter who it was; squeeze the highest price possible out of continuing partners - created an annual global revenue in the region of $1.5bn (£1.2bn).
Yet he became increasingly haphazard and intransigent in his decision-making, coming up with unpopular ideas such as a double-points finale in 2014 or the fiasco over the change to the qualifying format at the start of 2016 - to try to spice up the sport.
He was responding to declining audiences, but seemed to ignore the fact they were dropping largely because of his switch away from free-to-air towards pay television in key markets, and the questionable effect on the racing of gimmicks such as the DRS overtaking aid and tyres on which drivers could not push flat out.
The declining audiences have led to a crisis of confidence within the sport, the response to which is a new set of rules for 2017 that mean faster, more dramatic-looking cars. But already there are concerns that these may not have the desired effect.
But while the problems are real, the fact remains that F1 has just changed hands in a deal that values it at $8bn (£6.4bn).
And that is almost entirely down to Ecclestone and what he has built with his remarkable personality, vision and drive.
Controversial he certainly was; past his best he may have been. But for all his faults, Bernie Ecclestone is a unique and titanic figure who turned what was essentially a niche activity into a glittering global enterprise that to many represents an intoxicating mix of glamour, danger and raw, unmatched drama.
Gone from power he may be, but he will never be forgotten. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38721123 | |
Australian Open 2017: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni reaches semi-finals - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | BBC Sport charts the return to form of 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who is into the last four of the Australian Open 18 years after her last Grand Slam semi-final appearance. | null | BBC Sport charts the return to form of 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who will face Serena Williams in the last four of the Australian Open, 18 years after her last Grand Slam semi-final appearance.
READ MORE: Lucic-Baroni 'in shock' at return to semis | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38751600 | |
Living rough: 'People walk past you like you're scum' - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | As the latest statistics on rough sleeping in England are due to be released, BBC News investigates the problem of homelessness in Birmingham. | null | As the latest statistics on rough sleeping in England are released, BBC News investigates the problem of homelessness in Birmingham.
The city is among the top 10 English areas with the most rough sleepers, according to data from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
A film crew spent a night on the streets of the city with homeless charity worker Paul Atkin. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-38734054 | |
Reality Check: Is North of England getting a big boost? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Is the government announcing a fresh cash boost for the North of England? | Business | The claim: The government is announcing a cash boost for the North of England.
Reality Check verdict: The money has already been announced twice.
Prime Minister Theresa May is to continue former chancellor George Osborne's plans to create a Northern Powerhouse.
On Monday, she held a cabinet meeting in Daresbury in Cheshire, where she unveiled her new, more interventionist industrial strategy.
Details on where exactly the Northern Powerhouse cash will be spent are new, but the £556m total is not.
Last March, George Osborne said a total of £1.8bn would be awarded in a round of "growth deal" funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across England.
LEPs combine businesses, councils and other bodies to decide regional spending priorities, on things like city centre regeneration projects and innovation funds for businesses.
It is part of a wider scheme aimed at boosting the post-Brexit UK economy and creating jobs, with a particular focus on investment in science, research and innovation.
Mr Osborne's replacement, Philip Hammond, announced in November that £556m of this pot would go to the North of England. It was announced again in the Autumn Statement later that month.
As well as the North's share, Mr Hammond allocated £492m to London and the South East, £392m to the Midlands, and smaller amounts to other regions.
Northern leaders say their cities are stuck with weak economies because of underinvestment, while the South East takes the lion's share of public cash.
The government says the Northern Powerhouse will go some way to rectifying the imbalance. In this case the North of England is getting 13% more than London and the South East.
But other areas of government spending favour London over the North.
The capital will receive six times more money on transport spending per person over the next five years, according to research by the Institute for Public Policy Research. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38723772 | |
Oscar nominations 2017: How diverse is this year's line-up? - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | After the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of the last two years, 2017 promises to be a more diverse affair. | Entertainment & Arts | Dev Patel is nominated for Lion and Viola Davis is nominated for Fences
After the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of the last two years, 2017 promises to be a more diverse affair.
In the acting categories there are a total of seven nominees from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Denzel Washington is nominated as best actor for Fences and Ruth Negga as best actress for Loving.
Moonlight's Mahershala Ali and Lion's Dev Patel are up for best supporting actor.
The supporting actress category includes Viola Davis for Fences, Naomie Harris for Moonlight and Octavia Spencer for Hidden Figures.
Three of the nine films up for best picture - Fences, Hidden Figures and Moonlight - feature predominantly black casts.
In the directing category, Moonlight's Barry Jenkins is only the fourth black best director nominee in Oscar history.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This year, non-white actors have received seven Oscar nominations
The first was John Singleton, nominated in 1992 for Boyz n the Hood. He was followed by Lee Daniels, for Precious in 2010, and 12 Years a Slave's Steve McQueen in 2014. McQueen's film won best picture but he lost the best director prize to Gravity's Alfonso Cuaron.
In the documentary feature category, Ava DuVernay's 13th is up against I Am Not Your Negro from Raoul Peck and Ezra Edelman's OJ: Made In America. (With a running time of seven hours and 47 minutes, OJ is the longest film ever nominated for an Academy Award.)
The two-year diversity drought in the acting categories inspired the #OscarsSoWhite backlash on social media.
Of course, most of this year's nominated films were already in production well before that furore erupted.
Moonlight's Jenkins has told the BBC his film was not a response to the #OscarsSoWhite criticism, having conceived the project "at least three-and-a-half years ago".
But the outcry did lead the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, to take steps to make its membership more diverse.
Has that made a difference this year? Hollywood Reporter's Oscars guru Scott Feinberg thinks not.
"The Academy may claim that this is the result of it flooding its organization with an unprecedented number of diverse new members this year, but I maintain that these nominees, up against the same competition, would have been nominated in either of the last two years," he writes in his Oscars analysis.
In June 2016, the Academy invited almost 700 new members to join, with a focus on women and ethnic minorities.
One of those new members is British film director Amma Asante, whose film about an interracial marriage A United Kingdom opened the London Film Festival.
She told me last year that the organisers of the Oscars needed to keep up the momentum on its actions to improve diversity.
"I don't know the change happens overnight," she said.
"I'm interested to see what will happen in two Oscars' time."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38730038 | |
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Cardiff City - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | Brighton went back to the top of the Championship thanks to Tomer Hemed's winner against a determined Cardiff. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Brighton went back to the top of the Championship thanks to Tomer Hemed's winner against a determined Cardiff.
Chris Hughton's side were dominant in the second half but had to wait until the 73rd minute when Oliver Norwood found Hemed who fired home.
The visiting Bluebirds had threatened in the first period, but David Stockdale denied Kenneth Zohore.
The match had been rearranged after the scheduled meeting on 30 December was postponed because of fog.
Cardiff remain 16th in the Championship while Brighton hold a two-point advantage over Newcastle.
The Seagulls made a fast start and could have led after four minutes, but winger Jamie Murphy could not quite connect with a cross.
Joe Ralls went close with Cardiff's first effort and Zohore spurned a good opportunity when he raced clear on 23 minutes before firing straight at David Stockdale.
The visitors again went close through Sean Morrison who headed firmly at goal from Ralls' free-kick, but Stockdale tipped the ball over the bar.
The goalkeeper was again called into action when Junior Hoilett cut inside and fired at goal, but Stockdale produced a fingertip stop to turn the ball wide.
Brighton did test Allan McGregor just before the break when Solly March broke clear, but his effort was held by the on-loan goalkeeper.
However, if Cardiff shaded the first period, the promotion-chasing hosts were dominant after the restart.
Hughton's men wasted one of the best opportunities of the match when Israel international Hemed missed from close range after March's cross.
The longer the game stayed level the more Cardiff attempted to frustrate, but Brighton got their breakthrough when substitute Norwood found Hemed, who turned past defender Sol Bamba and smashed the ball into the net.
Murphy almost made it two only a minute later after Connor Goldson's cut-back, but McGregor denied him. Anthony Knockaert also missed a late chance to increase the advantage.
Brighton held on despite a late effort from substitute Craig Noone that was blocked.
The defeat for Neil Warnock's side was the first time Cardiff have lost a league game away at Brighton since January 2002, when Bobby Zamora netted the winner for the Seagulls.
Brighton boss Chris Hughton told BBC Sussex: "They've got good players in their team and we had to be patient and look for the opportunities.
"I think you've got to give them credit, but it was going to be that one bit of brilliance or one bit of really good play that was going to break the deadlock, and I always felt it was going to be us rather than them.
"The league is too tough to be able to expect anything different than what we expect, and that's everybody behind us in the table really pushing."
Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock told BBC Radio Wales: "I asked the players to show how far we have come and I thought we more than matched them at times.
"It shows me what we are looking for and what we need to succeed.
"I think Brighton will be glad that they don't play us again. We had good chances and their goalkeeper has made three good saves."
• None Attempt missed. Tomer Hemed (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from more than 35 yards is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Oliver Norwood.
• None Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card.
• None Attempt missed. Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Steve Sidwell.
• None Offside, Cardiff City. Sol Bamba tries a through ball, but Craig Noone is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Craig Noone following a corner.
• None Attempt blocked. Craig Noone (Cardiff City) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kadeem Harris.
• None Attempt missed. Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from very close range is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Anthony Knockaert with a cross following a corner.
• None Attempt saved. Jamie Murphy (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Connor Goldson. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38642752 | |
Brexit ruling: Gina Miller attacks 'despicable' politicians - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Brexit victor says no government is above the law and some politicians are still "twisting the truth". | UK Politics | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Gina Miller was the lead claimant against the government in the Supreme Court
The woman who brought the successful legal challenge against the government over Brexit has accused prominent politicians of behaving "despicably".
Gina Miller told the BBC they had "exacerbated" worries during and after the EU vote and failed to defend her and others with "legitimate concerns" about the process in the face of abuse.
She insists she did not bring her case to thwart the UK's exit from the EU.
But she said some politicians were in "la la land" about what lay in store.
The investment manager was speaking to the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg after the Supreme Court upheld her challenge to the government's approach.
By a margin of eight to three, the justices ruled that Parliament must give its consent before Theresa May can start official talks on the terms of the UK's exit.
Ministers say it was right for the court to decide and they will comply with the ruling.
Mrs Miller, who voted to remain in the EU, said she felt vindicated but that her goal all along had been to give a voice to the millions of people with a stake in the process and help deliver "the best Brexit we can get".
"This is about right and wrong, it's wrong that a government think they are above the law. It's right that I can bring this case," she said.
The 51-year old, who was born in Guyana but educated in Britain, suggested the EU referendum had created a climate of fear in which anyone asking questions about Brexit was seen as unpatriotic and "branded as traitors".
"There's this sense that if you ask a question about Brexit then you're not representing Britain," she said. "Asking questions about Brexit is the most patriotic thing you can do."
She added: "People voted because of legitimate concerns. Politicians have behaved despicably because they have exacerbated those anxieties."
Asked if Theresa May and her ministers had behaved "despicably", Ms Miller said it was "wrong of them not to stand up earlier when the judges were being vilified".
"I think it was wrong of them to not actually speak up sooner about abuse for not just myself but for other people who live in the UK."
Mrs Miller, who says she has been subjected to constant abuse including death threats, said she felt her "family and safety have been put in jeopardy".
"The idea that as a woman I had no right to speak out and I'm not bright enough to speak out. And as an ethnic woman I have no place in society. That's worrying."
She said she was still concerned that politicians were "twisting the truth" when it came to the UK's future outside the EU and Mrs May and her ministers needed to "be honest" with the public about what was achievable from the negotiations.
"Even now, some of the things I hear about what is possible, as we progress Brexit, it's as though they are living in some sort of la la land because it's pure fantasy."
She added: "There are 27 other member states on the other side of the table who are not just going to give us what we want. They are not going to give us cherry picking". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38737964 | |
RAF Typhoons escort Russian ships - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Three RAF Typhoons and a British warship escort a Russian aircraft carrier and other ships up the English Channel. | null | Three RAF Typhoons and a British warship escort a Russian aircraft carrier and other ships up the English Channel. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38750696 | |
Euro 'could fail', says man tipped as US ambassador to EU - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The man tipped to be Donald Trump's ambassador to the EU has told the BBC the single currency "could collapse" in the next 18 months. | Business | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Professor Ted Malloch is gloomy about the euro's future
The man tipped to be Donald Trump's ambassador to the European Union has told the BBC the single currency "could collapse" in the next 18 months.
Professor Ted Malloch said he would "short the euro" - taking a market position which bets on the value of the currency falling.
He also said Britain could agree a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal with America in as little as 90 days.
And that it was best for the US if Britain executed a "clean" Brexit.
Once outside the single market and the customs union, the UK could bypass "the bureaucrats in Brussels" and forge a free trade deal, he said.
Mr Malloch added that any attempt by the EU to block Britain beginning negotiations with the US would be "absurd" and like a husband "trying to stop his wife having an affair".
Theresa May will be the first foreign leader to meet the new president when she arrives in Washington at the end of the week.
The possibility of an early trade deal with America, once the UK has left the EU, will be on the agenda.
"I remind people that the largest merger and acquisition deals in history are often done in about that time frame [90 days]," Mr Malloch, a professor at Henley Business School, said.
"Some of us who have worked on Wall Street or in the City know that if you get the right people in the right room with the right data and the right energy, and Trump is certainly high energy, you can get things done.
"I think this will cut out the bureaucrats in effect and it won't take two years, it won't take seven years to actually come to an agreement."
He added: "Obviously there are things to iron out, certainly there are differences and compromises to make, but it can be done.
"So, there won't be a deal signed in the White House on Friday, but there could be an agreement for a framework going forward where people are empowered to have that kind of conversation behind closed doors and it could take as little as 90 days.
"That is very positive and it sends a signal that the United States is behind Great Britain in its hour of need."
Although not yet confirmed, Mr Malloch has been widely reported as being the president's choice for the Brussels role.
The economist and former deputy executive secretary to the United Nations in Geneva went for an interview with the president's team at Trump Tower earlier this month.
If successful, he will be officially nominated by the Secretary of State elect, Rex Tillerson.
The EU has made it clear that Britain cannot enter substantive free trade talks with countries outside the union until it has left the EU, a position Mr Malloch - a supporter of Mr Trump and the Brexit campaign - dismissed.
If successful, Mr Malloch will be officially nominated by the Secretary of State elect, Rex Tillerson
"I think it is an absurd proposition and may be a legalism," he said.
"There are going to be all kinds of things happening behind closed doors and you can call them what you like.
"The fact is that when your wife is having an affair with someone else, you tell her to stop it, but oftentimes that doesn't stop the relationship."
Many trade experts say the "90-day" proposition will be impossible to execute, as there will need to be detailed negotiations on controversial areas such as food imports between the UK and the US, as well as financial services and pharmaceuticals.
"Non-tariff" barriers such as health and safety regulations and the recognition of professional qualifications will also have to be hammered out.
There could also be a need for some form of immigration agreement.
Furthermore, Britain is not yet an autonomous member of the World Trade Organisation, which oversees the rules on free trade deals.
It negotiates as part of the EU's agreement with the global trade regulator.
Government sources insist that transferring full rights to the UK alone will be straightforward.
Mr Malloch said despite the obstacles, Britain would gain a free trade deal well ahead of the rest of the EU and the elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany could lead to a fundamental shake-up of the union.
"I personally am not certain that there will be a European Union with which to have [free trade] negotiations," he said.
"Will there be potentially numerous bilateral agreements with various countries?
"I think the prospect, in a changed political reality, is greater for that.
"I think Donald Trump is very opposed to supranational organisations, he believes in nation states, in bilateral relations and I think that he thinks the EU has overshot its mark.
"It seems to me as well that Trump believes that the European Union has in recent decades been tilted strongly and most favourably towards Germany."
Mr Malloch said that the present free trade negotiation between the US and the EU - called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - was "dead".
He also questioned the future of the single currency.
"The one thing I would do in 2017 is short the euro," Mr Malloch said.
"I think it is a currency that is not only in demise but has a real problem and could in fact collapse in the coming year, year and a half.
"I am not the only person or economist of that point of view.
"Someone as acclaimed as Joseph Stiglitz - the famous World Bank economist - has written an entire book on this subject." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38749884 | |
Brexit white paper: Climbdown or goodwill gesture - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Giving MPs a white paper is a clear concession by Theresa May but one that is unlikely to affect her Brexit timetable or damage her authority. | UK Politics | It was only yesterday that the Brexit Secretary, David Davis, told MPs it just might all be a bit tricky to have a White Paper, a formal document outlining the government's plans for Brexit, and stick to the timetable they want to pursue.
Rebel Remainers though were "delighted", that, stealing Jeremy Corbyn's thunder, a planted question from a loyal Tory MP at PMQs today produced in fact a promise from the Prime Minister that, after all, there will be a White Paper.
It is a climbdown, no question, a last-minute change of heart.
Late last night Brexiteers were being assured there would be no bending, no delay to the government's plans and no giving in to the Remainers.
Even early this morning, government sources were privately suggesting that they were quite happy to have the white paper option up their sleeve, but there were no immediate plans to make that promise.
Then voila, at 1205 GMT, the pledge of a white paper suddenly emerged. As one senior Tory joked, "welcome to the vacillation of the next two years".
It may be being described as a "massive, unplanned" concession but it doesn't seriously hurt the government.
First off, it shows goodwill to the rebel Tory Remainers, many of whom feel their Eurosceptic rivals have had the upper hand of late. Schmoozing matters round these parts.
It takes one of the potential arguments that could have gathered pace off the table, before the Article 50 bill is even published. And, rightly or wrongly, no one expects a white paper will contain anything new that the prime minister has not yet already said.
It's largely a victory for the Remainers about process, rather than substance.
For her critics this is evidence of weakness, that's she has been pushed into changing her mind.
But it doesn't need to change the government's timetable, and today's embarrassment of a climbdown might be worth the goodwill that Number 10 will get in return. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38747976 | |
Australian Open 2017: Johanna Konta 'prepared' for Serena Williams quarter-final - BBC Sport | 2017-01-25 | null | British number one Johanna Konta believes she has done everything she can to be ready for her first meeting with Serena Williams. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Williams v Konta coverage: Wednesday, 02:00 GMT: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live; live text commentary on the BBC Sport website. Wednesday, 16:45 GMT: TV highlights on BBC Two.
British number one Johanna Konta believes she has done everything she can to be ready for her first meeting with 22-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams at the Australian Open.
Konta, 25, will face second seed Williams in the quarter-finals at around 02:00 GMT on Wednesday.
"I've played quite a few Grand Slam champions and former world number ones," said world number nine Konta.
"So I've prepared myself as much as possible for a competitor like Serena."
• None Confident Konta 'can improve in every aspect'
Konta beat Russian 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 6-4 to reach the last eight without dropping a set.
She has a 2-1 winning record over Serena's sister Venus - a seven-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one - including a first-round victory at last year's Australian Open.
It will be Konta's second quarter-final at a Grand Slam, after reaching the semi-final in Melbourne last year, compared to 35-year-old Serena's 47th.
"I've been fortunate enough that I've played her sister a few times and I think she's just as incredible," said Konta.
"I was thinking I'd love the opportunity to be on court with her before she retires. But I doubt she's talking retirement.
"She will be playing until the very last ball she can physically hit. Hopefully it won't be the last time I play her before she retires."
Serena, in pursuit of her seventh Australian Open title, had only played two matches between the end of the US Open in August and her first-round victory in Melbourne.
Konta, meanwhile, remained busy on tour and took her world ranking from 49 at the end of 2015 to a career-high of nine.
"I watch her game a lot. She's been doing really, really well, She has a very attacking game and I look forward to it," said Serena.
"I have absolutely nothing to lose in this tournament. Everything here is a bonus for me. Obviously I am here to win, and hopefully I can play better."
"The game is there for Konta. It's all about the head now.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
"It's a big ask when you've never played Serena Williams to beat her at a Grand Slam quarter-final but you never know. She's got the game to beat anyone.
"She needs to follow her game plan, believe in it and commit on every shot. If you have doubts then Serena eats you alive."
"I think Serena's looked great. There can't be any of these second-gear starts she had a few years ago.
"The match against Konta is another level. It will help Konta that she hasn't played her - there is no scar tissue.
"Serena wins her matches often in the first 15 seconds she strolls on to the court, but that's not going to happen with Jo." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38716313 | |
A trip through an underwater museum - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Exhibits about climate change and migration are just two of 12 installations in Museo Atlantico, an underwater museum off the coast of Lanzarote. | null | Exhibits about climate change and migration are just two of 12 installations in Museo Atlantico, an underwater museum off the coast of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
Jason deCaires Taylor describes the museum and how the installations have changed just one year after being placed underwater. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38733683 | |
Oscar nominations 2017: Seven non-white actors recognised - BBC News | 2017-01-25 | null | Diversity in the 2017 Oscar nominations and how it compares to last year's crop. | null | The last two Oscars suffered a backlash due to the lack of non-white nominations.
This year's nominations in the acting categories are more diverse. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38737641 | |
Weather forecast for the UK - BBC Weather | 2017-01-22 | null | Weather forecast for the UK | null | This is the weather forecast for the UK. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast-video/21416743 | |
Trump inauguration: Two Americas in 24 hours - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | In the space of 24 hours, events in Washington showed two Americas, poles apart. | US & Canada | In the space of 24 hours, Washington was the scene of two Americas.
President Trump's supporters came feeling they've just taken their country back.
The protesters on the women's march feel they have just lost theirs. It is that stark.
The mood at the march was determinedly cheerful, there were men, children and lots and lots of women. Grandmothers teaching their granddaughters the political ropes.
But the underlying message was clear - liberal America has just been shoved out of power.
These marches were enormous and they came out in cities across the country to repudiate not just Donald Trump, but his whole world view.
They didn't just protest about women's issues, there were also signs addressing his positions on climate change, healthcare and Muslims.
Can they change President Trump's agenda? Probably not.
But approval ratings matter - they are a form of political capital and when this many people really dislike the new president, that makes it harder for him to persuade members of Congress to support him on difficult issues.
The polls show us that Mr Trump is the most unpopular new president in American history. Those are the facts.
These marches put faces to those numbers. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38707721 | |
Andy Murray: How much should be read into Australian Open exit? - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | After early Australian Open exits for the world's top two players, Russell Fuller assesses whether more should be read into the upsets. | null | Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January.
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have so much shared history.
And now, in the space of just four days in Melbourne, the world's top two players have both been on the receiving end of upsets almost without parallel in the past 10 years.
Former players were cheering Mischa Zverev on from the locker room - not because of any antipathy towards Murray, but because his opponent was playing the style of tennis many of them used to play to great effect.
Serving and volleying against the Briton seems counter-intuitive. Along with Djokovic, he is the best returner in the world - and if he does not manage to pass you, then he is more than likely to send a top spin lob fizzing over your head to within inches of the baseline.
But Zverev served superbly, and volleyed even better, again and again and again. The German hit some astonishing returns and made short shrift of Murray's second serve. And when the pressure started to rise, his level did not start to fall.
Pinned behind the baseline too frequently for comfort, Murray started missing more regularly. The Scot was unable to turn the tide or summon up the aggression that served him so well in the second half of last season.
• None Has Djokovic's obsession burnt itself out?
Andre Agassi addressed this subject before the match. The four-time Australian Open champion was very complimentary about Murray in a video link to Melbourne Park on Saturday, as he explained how the 29-year-old could improve still further.
"I have always sort of talked about Andy as a person that has never really utilised his game to his maximum potential. He's so good at certain things that it almost makes him a bit indecisive," Agassi said.
"If you actually minimised his defensive skills just 5%, he might even actually be a better player.
"He puts himself through unnecessary wear and tear on a court, because his offensive upside is, I think, still more than he shows."
Murray says he will now reflect on whether he could have done anything differently to prepare for the first Grand Slam of the year. He only had time for two weeks off after a frenetic end to last season, and must now balance the need for rest with his instinctive desire to play in Great Britain's Davis Cup first-round tie in Canada the week after next.
Murray suggested in the immediate aftermath of defeat that he intends to play in Ottawa, but his coaching team may well argue he should take a longer break before heading to Dubai in late February. The first two Masters events of the year follow in Indian Wells and Miami.
There is no immediate threat to Murray's world number one ranking - he will be 1,715 points ahead of Serb Djokovic when the list is refreshed at the end of the Australian Open.
He is certain to be number one until at least May because he has just a handful of ranking points to defend between now and the start of the clay court season.
Can anything further be read into the early exits of both Murray and Djokovic, who will both have turned 30 by the time the next Grand Slam is staged at Roland Garros in four months?
Ageing players are once again doing very well at this Australian Open, with half of the 12 men left in the draw on Sunday night older than the pair of them.
And yet in the modern era, men have found it tricky to win Grand Slam titles in their thirties. Stan Wawrinka and Agassi have each done it twice, but even Roger Federer has managed it only once.
Mats Wilander, who won the last of his seven Grand Slam titles at the age of 24, explains why it can become harder to find the consistency required over seven rounds.
"You have good days and you have bad days when you get older," Wilander told BBC Sport.
"You don't have to call on anything when you are younger - it's just there naturally. You don't worry about the consequences, you just play and you fight until the bitter end. I think the mind gets in your way when you get older."
There are still three Grand Slam champions left in the draw, with Federer, Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal all now over 30. The younger challenge is led by Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov.
Along with Federer - who will not now have to face Murray in the quarter-finals - it may be Raonic who takes most heart from Sunday's events.
You will not find him at the net as often as Zverev, but he did add the 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek to his team in December with the explicit intention of trying to move forward on a more regular basis.
We are a long way from declaring a new serve-and-volley era, but Melbourne Park's quicker courts have contributed to an enthralling first week - unless, that is, you happen to be ranked number one or two in the world. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38711323 | |
Women's March: A united message spanning generations - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Thousands of men, women and children took part in the Women's March in London. | UK | "Stand united, we will never be divided," was the message chanted by the crowd as people marched through central London.
Cheers erupted every few minutes as the crowd held up placards to the beat of drum and bass music from a portable sound system.
"Girls just wanna have fundamental rights", "Women won't be trumped" and "Burn bras not bridges" were some of the messages directed at US President Donald Trump from the UK.
Women - and men - of all ages descended on the capital for the Women's March in London on the first full day of his presidency.
There was a united message from the crowd, who came with glitter on their faces and even fancy dress to take part in the two-mile walk.
Many were parents who said they wanted to send out a message for the next generation that they have a voice and can stand up for the women's rights they believe to be under threat from the new US administration.
Danae Savvidou said she had attended the march for her 10-month-old daughter
Mum-of-one Danae Savvidou, 25, travelled alone from Gloucestershire to London to take part in the event for the sake of her 10-month-old daughter.
She said: "She was born during the presidency of a man who openly supported women's rights and protected them.
"I feel like we've gone back 100 years and I feel sad for her generation.
"Donald Trump isn't presidential material. He's openly misogynistic and racist as well. I see America as a leader and partners in the Western world. He represents such a big nation.
"Our leaders over here are right wing as well. It's not going the right way for me.
"Brexit is a concern. I hope we protect the rights the EU offers, such as employment rights and maternity. These issues need to be spoken about. When a nation is doing badly, women suffer.
"Personally I want my daughter to see what I've done today to show you can do things to change the world and she does have the power."
It was a message which resonated with many other parents as they walked with their children in the fresh winter's air along Piccadilly.
The march had many parents attending with their children
Nancy Pegg, 39, a mum-of-two from south-west London, came along with her daughter Sophie, nine, who carried a yellow banner emblazoned with the words "Yes to equality".
She said: "This is about equality for girls not in a fortunate position.
"Trump is a concern but empowering women is the main motivation. I think it's important for my daughter to have a powerful voice and to know she can be a strong force.
"We live in a male-dominated world. I want to show her anything her brother can do, she can do too. There are no boundaries."
Although the event was labelled a Women's March, there were hundreds of men in the crowd showing their support.
Car horns beeped to galvanise the demonstrators who, in turn, greeted the drivers with cheers as the march progressed to its rally in Trafalgar Square.
The Raise Voices Choir motivated the protesters by singing "Don't let Trump get his way" to their own version of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".
Student Patrick Bone, from Shepherd's Bush, London, attended because he felt "progress made in the last decades is in threat of being eroded".
He added: "Trump's election signalled a rise of the populist right who look to blame economic problems on minorities or disenfranchised groups.
"His election was a catalyst for something that's been coming a long time.
"This march is to show we will stand and be counted. This is only the beginning. The work begins today."
Tom Amies, 33, a doctor from Middlesex, walked beside his wife Lydia, 34, as he carried their 11-month-old daughter Niamh in a baby carrier sling.
"This is for my daughter, he said.
"There has been a political slide to the right and a sense of misplaced trust. Trump wants to repeal Obamacare. It shows how good we have it with the NHS.
"There are going to be people there who have that healthcare for life-saving treatment and they will no longer be able to afford it."
Lydia Amie, husband Tom and daughter Niamh attended the march as a family
The demonstration brought representatives from all nationalities, including Americans who felt they needed to take a stand even though they were thousands of miles away from their country.
Retired banker Carol Moore, 68, originally from New York, came to represent the Democrats Abroad UK Women's Caucus.
She said: "I've come because of the horror of seeing Donald Trump win. He is divisive and will hurt the middle classes by repealing the healthcare act.
"This march has taken on huge visibility here in the UK because the issues are global. Women's pay was an issue when I worked in the City.
"There is still the issue of sexual violence and how it's prosecuted and handled here.
"I hope this is a message to women to recognise they have a voice to fight issues here in the UK and around the world."
Business development manager Anna McDermott, 29, originally from California, has been in the UK for 11 years.
She said: "As an American, I cannot accept what Donald Trump says and I can't accept him as a president.
"I do hope this sends out a message. 'Good morning. Welcome to day one of the resistance. This is the world shouting back'."
As the crowd moved into Trafalgar Square, the noise quietened so demonstrators could listen to the speakers on the stage, who included TV presenter Sandi Toksvig and Labour MP Yvette Cooper.
However, the final address was given by 10-year-old Sumayah Siddiqi who read out a poem to the crowd which had a message of optimism with the words "I shall stand for love".
Sumayah Siddiqi addressed the crowds at the Women's March | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38706746 | |
Sorry cats, doggos run the internet now - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | After years of stability, we've recently we've seen signs of a dramatic shift in online governance. | Technology | This is Igor, a very good dog
Like many a BBC reporter before, I come to you with news of a coup, and perhaps the most significant transition of power you’ll read about this weekend.
Cats on the internet are over. Done. "Cheezburgers" are off the menu. Play yourself out, Keyboard Cat.
While in years past we’ve perhaps welcomed the charming cynicism of the likes of Grumpy Cat, it seems people of the internet are now, in stranger times, longing instead for the unconditional and unwavering love of dogs - and I have the highly subjective data to prove it.
Let’s start with Reddit. The top three posts of all time on its r/aww subreddit, the section for all things cuddly, are all about dogs.
"But wait!" you might say. "The fourth one is a cat!". Ah, but is it? It begins with a cat, but watch closely as it climbs out of its cage and into the one next to it. What does the cat find? A dog! That should be all the proof you need.
If it isn’t, here’s something a bit more concrete.
This is Gavin, a very good dog
Socialbakers is a company that monitors social media for trends and stats relating to things that are most popular. I got in touch with them about this, and within hours they came back to me with the goods.
For starters, the runaway champion of most popular animal on Facebook is a dog named Boo. He’s got more than 17.5m likes, more than double that of his closest competitor, Grumpy Cat.
In third place, Nyan Cat - who isn’t even a real cat, for crying out loud.
On Instagram, fine, I’ll admit, the top celebrity is a cat. But 2nd, 3rd and 4th place? All dogs. All good dogs.
When it comes to searches on Google, dogs .
But more significant was the historic moment on 3 January 2016, when, for the first time, the term "cute dogs" overtook "funny cats" in global searches.
Like any viral phenomena, there’s a new vocabulary to get your head around if you are to be a part of this new term of internet governance.
Dogs aren’t just dogs. They’re doggos. Puppies are puppers. And while not all puppers can be considered doggos, all doggos are most certainly puppers. Or woofers. Woofers that bork. If you want, you can boop a doggo’s snoot. That is - to lightly bop on one’s nose.
This is Loki, a very good dog
When in mild distress, or sometimes just for emphasis, their chosen curse word is the ferociously aggressive "heckin".
Oh, and if a dog sticks his or her tongue out a little bit? That's a blep.
Like any new language, the best way to learn is to engross yourself in the culture - and one fine place that speaks fluent doggo is the happiest corner of the internet, Facebook’s Cool Dog Group (CDG).
Here you’ll find the likes of Igor, who, let me tell you folks, is a born superstar, believe me.
Igor’s just one of hundreds of puppers posted every week, a most welcome addition to news feeds that would otherwise be clogged up with baby pictures and wedding photos. You’re welcome.
It’s the grassroots of doggo appreciation that has the movement set to make huge strides in 2017.
It’s being spearheaded by Matt Nelson, a 20-year-old who studies golf course management in North Carolina, and a man described by serious newspaper Washington Post as "the internet’s most famous dog rater".
Nelson runs the WeRateDogs account on Twitter. People submit dogs to be rated, and Nelson will consider the merits of said dog and provide a score out of 10.
Recent scores: 12/10 for Hercules, 13/10 for Duchess and 14/10 for Sundance who, in a short clip, plays the drums.
Late last year this generous but fair system was brought into disrepute by the user Brant, who questioned why all the dogs got such unfathomably high ratings.
"They’re good dogs, Brent," replied Nelson - an era-defining retort which you can now buy on a hoodie. Or a mug.
Since then, popularity has exploded. He now has over a million followers.
"We started up an e-commerce store," Matt tells me. "We have a book deal. So many things I thought you could never do with just a Twitter account."
You could say there’s plenty of data out there to suggest that I’m wrong, and that cats are still very much in control. And you’d be right - I found plenty evidence which completely disproves the theory I’ve outlined here, but I’ve left it out as I don’t care.
There was one piece from Gizmodo in 2015 that suggested there were scientific reasons to why cat memes were more popular online - but to that I say WRONG. Fake meows.
Because the web is just different now. Looking at cat pictures was a way to waste time by mucking about on the internet.
This is Zulu, a very good dog
Now, like the therapy dogs of the real world, internet doggos are supplying a much needed diversion from the humourless drudgery that makes up much of the modern social web.
"Dogs are just a pure innocent thing," Matt Nelson says. "They are the embodiment of unconditional love, and that’s what people want now.
"I see my account as this refuge of something bright on the internet."
And so that’s it. Sorry cats. You had a good run.
Before publishing, my editor told me I was brave to write to this piece.
"No no," I said. "Brave is allowing people to leave comments…"
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38702996 | |
Australian Open 2017: Dan Evans' challenge ended by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | Britain's Dan Evans is beaten in four sets by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last 16 of the Australian Open. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Britain's Dan Evans had his best run at a Grand Slam ended by a 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-4 6-4 loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last 16 of the Australian Open.
Evans, ranked 51 in the world, started off promisingly as he traded blows with the Frenchman before winning the opening set on a tie-break.
But Tsonga's heavy hitting and big serving took its toll as the 12th seed won the next three sets.
Tsonga will play 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals.
Evans, who reached his first ATP final this month and beat former US Open champion Marin Cilic and home favourite Bernard Tomic to reach the last 16, survived long enough to be the last remaining Briton in the men's singles after Andy Murray's shock defeat by Mischa Zverev.
"He was just a bit too strong for me," said Evans. "I played pretty well. I was pretty sore.
"He was so physical. To win the first set took too much out of me. There was a long game at the start of the second set where I got broke. It was uphill from there."
Evans had to fend off four break points in the first set, while having only one on the Tsonga serve, before threatening to repeat the shocks of earlier rounds by taking the tie-break.
However, Tsonga heeded the warning and quickly went 4-0 up in the second set as he began to dominate the Briton with his powerful and accurate hitting.
While Evans sporadically threatened the 2008 finalist, and managed 43 winners to Tsonga's 59, the Frenchman was always in control after the first set and won the match with a service game to love.
"Dan played good tennis and he had nothing to lose," said Tsonga.
"It was difficult for me because he was hitting the ball really early. After that the game was pretty difficult, then I went over him and finished strong.
"I've played pretty good since the start of the tournament. It will be a good challenge against Stan Wawrinka - he's playing unbelievably."
Birmingham-born Evans described his exploits at the Australian Open as the best and "most exciting" week of his tennis career.
He now plans to go home before joining up with the Great Britain team for their Davis Cup tie in Canada from 3-5 February.
"I need to maybe get a bit fitter," added Evans. "I think today I was flagging pretty much after the first set. I did feel that.
"My body was sore. Maybe that's something I can improve on a bit.
"But, you know, I've still come a long way from where I was last year."
It was just an amazing run for Dan. He's played unbelievably well.
Getting two top 10 wins - beating Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic in the space of a week - really tells him where he's at just now in terms of his level, never mind his ranking, what his level could be.
His schedule suddenly looks a lot different to this time last year when he was setting off to Asia for some Challenger matches and now he can get ready for all the Masters Series events.
So it's changed days and exciting times for him. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38709892 | |
Bulls and bullying: the fight over animal rights and tradition - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Animal rights activists caught in social media cross-fire regarding banned bull-taming tradition. | BBC Trending | Tamil actress Trisha Krishnan deleted her Twitter account as a result of a row over bull-taming
A ban on the ancient practice of bull-taming has spurred thousands to protest in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. While the demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, the argument over the festival has turned ugly online.
This week around 4,000 protesters camped out on a beach in the state's capital, Chennai (Madras) - with hundreds more gathering in other parts of the state.
The crowd, who are mostly students, are against India's ban on Jallikattu, a 2,000 year old bull-taming tradition, which takes place as part of an annual harvest festival.
Bull-taming involves men chasing and removing prizes tied to the bull's horns. Animal rights activists argue it's abusive and results in mistreatment of the animals, but protesters contend the practice central to Tamil identity and that the bulls are rarely harmed or killed.
The men participating in Jallikattu attempt to grab prizes attached to the bull's horns
Jallikattu was banned by India's supreme court in 2014, a ruling that was upheld in 2016. The lawsuit that led to the ban was filed by animal rights groups including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). And as protests against the ban have spread, PETA activists and supporters have found themselves targeted on social media.
"I have been threatened with rape I'm called all sorts of names which I can't repeat," says Poorva Joshipura, CEO of PETA India.
"The general public are being incited and influenced through lies and online bullying and fake news which has unfortunately become so common in our world today," Joshipura tells BBC Trending radio.
She takes particular issue with memes containing false personal information which have been shared online.
"One is a picture of me wearing my vegan boots (footwear made without leather or any animal ingredients), boots that I really like a lot. The meme falsely says that the boots are made of leather," Joshipura says. "I have been campaigning against the leather industry for years."
Hear more on this story on the BBC World Service.
The Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan has also been caught up in the debate. In 2010, Krishnan worked on a PETA campaign. Reports on social media suggested that she had tweeted, and then deleted, her support of a Jallikattu ban.
One of the social media posts spreading about the actress was a fake obituary claiming she had died of HIV.
The faked obituary poster of Trisha Krishnan lists cause of death as "HIV affected" - insinuating that the actress is sexually promiscuous. It also calls her father a "poramboku" (wastrel) and her mother a "peethasirukki" (boastful woman).
In response, Krishnan first denied that she supported the ban and later deactivated her Twitter account, releasing a statement saying: "I'm a proud Tamilian by birth and I believe and respect the Tamil culture and tradition and I will never go against the sentiments of my own people who have been instrumental in my growth and stature."
Krishnan declined a request by BBC Trending for an interview. Her spokesperson told us that "PETA and Trisha are separate", stressing that the actress had only collaborated with the group on one campaign.
Bull tamers must hold on to the animal's hump for about 15-20 metres or three jumps of the bull to win a prize
Krishnan wasn't the only high profile person targeted on social media. The actor Vishal also received online backlash for being a supporter of PETA, and subsequently deactivated his Twitter profile.
False allegations that the PETA India CEO Poorva Joshipura wears leather boots have been circulating online
The pictures and rumours have been spread by groups such as Chennai Memes, a politically active viral marketing agency which made up the leather boots rumour about Poorva Joshipura.
Gautam Govindaram, one of the founders of Chennai Memes, defended the group's decision in creating the meme, telling BBC Trending: "I'm sure she has at least one product that is made of leather. She can't say that she has never used any product in her lifetime that has not been made of leather. I can be 100% sure I mean if she's born and she's one year old or two years old she must have come across with something made of leather."
Operating primarily on Facebook, Chennai Memes create around 20 memes a day, often referencing local and national political and social issues.
The group were cited by local media as being key to galvanising and mobilising the youth-led protests over the Jallikattu ban - creating shareable posters and spreading information on dates and timings of events through their Facebook page, which has more than 600,000 fans.
Govindaram added that the group was not behind the memes targeting the actress Trisha Krishnan.
"It's not exactly only us, it's the entire people here in the state of Tamil Nadu who are making a stand," he says. "Why should an organisation from another country come here, tell us about our traditions and why do they have the government of India in the palm of their hand?"
A number of villages in Tamil Nadu are reported to have defied the Jallikattu ban and held bull-taming events this week. And other prominent South Indian film stars, like Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan, have expressed their support of the sport.
Next story: The Instagram star who cuts Michelle Obama's hair
Johnny Wright has several celebrity clients but perhaps none is as famous as the former First Lady. READ MORE
You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-38656721 | |
Chile declares state of emergency over forest fires - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | null | Chile has requested international help to deal with forest fires. | null | Chile has requested international help to deal with forest fires.
They broke out over a week ago and spread quickly in the dry and hot summer weather. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-38710219 | |
The English vet saving Sri Lanka’s street dogs - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | null | The vet who left behind her home in England to care for Sri Lanka’s street dogs. | null | A vet has left behind her home in England to care for Sri Lanka’s street dogs.
Janey Lowes from Barnard Castle, County Durham, has spent the past two years caring for the neglected animals.
There are about three million street dogs on the island – about 60% of puppies born on the street do not survive to adulthood.
The 28-year-old set up charity WECare Worldwide to raise money to buy the equipment needed to treat the animals and to set up her own clinic in Talalla.
You can see more on this story on Inside Out on BBC One at 19:30 GMT on Monday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38691375 | |
10 things we didn't know last week - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Cambridge University has a professor of play, and more news nuggets. | Magazine | 3. Some drugs used to treat Parkinson's disease have had the side-effect of turning patients into gambling addicts.
4. Vladimir Putin thinks Russian prostitutes are "undoubtedly the best in the world".
5. The expression to "shed crocodile tears" exists in 45 European languages as well as Arabic, Swahili, Persian, Indian languages, Chinese and Mongolian.
6. Legal marijuana businesses have created 123,000 jobs in the United States.
7. BMW exports more vehicles from the United States than any other manufacturer.
8. There are six men still alive who walked on the moon.
9. Native Americans are issued with cards by the federal government, certifying their "degree of Indian blood".
10. Getting trolled by Donald Trump can be good (as well as bad) for your business.
Seen a thing? Tell the Magazine on Twitter using the hashtag #thingididntknowlastweek
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38662601 | |
Australian Open: Johanna Konta praises support from her family and friends - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | Great Britain's Johanna Konta says her family and coaches were crucial to her progress after the Lawn Tennis Association cut her funding. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website; TV highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January.
Great Britain's Johanna Konta says her family and coaches were crucial to her progress after the Lawn Tennis Association cut her funding in 2015.
Konta, 25, has reached the last 16 of the Australian Open, after playing in the semi-finals in Melbourne last year.
In 2015, the LTA reduced Konta's funding, as part of wider cuts in support for emerging players, which saw Konta relocate her training to Spain.
"That period of time was very difficult," said the world number nine.
"When the organisation decided to stop funding me it wasn't in my benefit. It's not a cheap sport and whether through a federation, a private sponsor or a family, no-one gets there without help.
"I don't believe tough love is the answer and I was very fortunate to have very good people around me.
"My family, my support system, also my coaches at the time did a tremendous job in pulling together and making sure our focus remained on the work and not on external situations out of our control."
Sydney-born Konta has previously said she was grateful for the support the LTA has offered since she became a British citizen in 2012.
Konta plays 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in the last 16 in Australia after a convincing 6-3 6-1 win over Danish former world number one Caroline Wozniacki.
"I was very happy with the way I was able to assert myself from the beginning and maintain my level to the end," said Konta.
"Against someone like Caroline, she's not going to give it to you - you really have to earn it."
Konta beat Makarova 4-6 6-4 8-6 in last year's Australian Open and the winner of their match on Monday could face six-time winner Serena Williams in the quarter-finals.
On Makarova, Konta added: "Every time we play, we have a battle. That match last year was a high-level match from both of us. She always seems to do well on these courts and I'm looking forward to it." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38704836 | |
Donald Trump protests: 'Why I've decided to march' - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | null | As women globally take to the streets as part of a day of protests, Hannah tells us why she decided to march. | null | As women across the world take to the streets as part of a day of protests against Donald Trump, Hannah tells us why she decided to join them. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38707101 | |
Friends' 30-year-search for Celtic treasure trove pays off - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | null | Two metal detector enthusiasts found a huge hoard of Celtic treasure, reports Robert Hall. | null | A 30-year obsession finally paid off for two metal detector enthusiasts when they discovered one of the world's largest hoards of Celtic treasure.
The last coins of nearly 70,000 - worth millions of pounds - have now been removed from the site in Jersey. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38703914 | |
Wayne Rooney: Goals from the Man Utd record-breaker - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | BBC Sport picks out some great goals from Wayne Rooney's Manchester United career after the striker became the club's all-time leading goalscorer. | null | BBC Sport picks out some great goals from Wayne Rooney's Manchester United career after the striker became the club's all-time leading goalscorer.
WATCH MORE: It's a great feeling - Rooney on breaking record
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38705054 | |
Sean Spicer: Who is President Trump's spin doctor? - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | New White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has warned that the media will be held "accountable". | US & Canada | In a 2014 lecture to students at his former high school, Sean Spicer outlined a set of 17 "rules for life" that they would be wise to follow.
Rule number 16, he told the students at Portsmouth Abbey in Rhode Island: "Follow your mom's advice: It's not what you say, but how you say it. The tone and tenor of your words count."
The now White House press secretary also told students that they should be true to themselves. Rule number eight, was relevant here, he said. "Trust your gut. If it does not feel right, use caution."
With that guidance in mind, Mr Spicer's bellicose press conference with the White House press corps on Saturday suggests that the new presidential spokesman will not sugar-coat his words over the next four years.
While the press secretary-journalist relationship is naturally an adversarial one, Mr Spicer has, in his first few days in the role, already cast himself as being in open conflict with much of the mainstream media, pledging to "hold the press accountable".
This, it appears, is the frontline of a strategy that White House Chief of Staff Reince Preibus described as a will to "fight back tooth and nail every day" at supposed media efforts to "delegitimise" the president.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sean Spicer, White House press secretary said "no-one had numbers" for the inauguration
Mr Spicer, 45, is not a new hand at managing negative press coverage.
He previously served as spokesman and chief strategist for the Republican National Committee (RNC) and has long criticised coverage of his party and Mr Trump.
He took the post of communications director at the RNC in 2011, a time when it "was deep in debt and had a badly tarnished brand", according to the Republican Party website.
He is said to have helped turn around its fortunes by boosting the social media team, leading rapid response efforts to combat attacks, setting up an in-house video and production team and expanding the use of surrogates - people who can publicly appear on behalf of candidates, defend them and boost their appeal.
Mr Spicer has not shied away from criticising Mr Trump in the past. In July 2015, speaking on behalf of the RNC after Mr Trump questioned Republican Senator John McCain's status as a war hero, he said that there was "no place in our party or our country for comments that disparage those who have served honourably".
Mr Spicer claimed President Trump's inauguration was the "largest inaugural crowd ever"
He also described Mr Trump's June 2015 comments about Mexican immigrants being rapists and criminals as not being "helpful to the cause".
Before joining the RNC, he worked as Assistant US Trade Representative for Media and Public Affairs in the George W. Bush administration: a role that involved promoting the kind of free trade that his boss now fiercely criticises as being unfair for the American worker.
Still, Mr Spicer was loyal to Mr Trump on the campaign trail even as the path-breaking candidate split the party and many Republican luminaries distanced themselves from him.
The broad-shouldered, compulsively gum-chewing Republican ("Two and a half packs by noon," he told the Washington Post) is a long-time member of the US Navy Reserve.
He received a Masters degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport in 2012 and is known to be fierce, and deeply competitive.
One editor who has been blasted many times by Mr Spicer told the Post that her young child recognises his voice on the phone and bursts into tears.
His wife Rebecca is the chief of communications at the National Beer Wholesalers Association and previously worked in the Bush White House after a career in television news.
As press secretary, Mr Spicer will serve as President Trump's most visible spokesman, and is expected to hold daily televised media briefings, though he has spoken of his desire to shake up the way White House media is managed.
While he has said that Mr Trump will do press conferences, he also wants to utilise technology to "have a conversation with the American people and not just limit it through the filter of the mainstream media".
He has also described White House press briefings as having become "somewhat of a spectacle". Many would use that word to describe the first under the Trump administration. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38711850 | |
Iraqi Kurdish fashionistas make a splash - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A group of young men hopes to put Iraqi Kurdistan on the fashion map - and effect social change. | Middle East | Conflict and militancy may be first things that occur to many about Iraq, but a group of young fashion-conscious Kurds are hoping to help project a brighter, more optimistic image - and perhaps effect social change along the way.
The group calls itself Mr Erbil, after the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq that has been at the frontline of the struggle against the militants of the Islamic State (IS) group.
Mr Erbil's launch and first photoshoot last February quickly made waves on social media. Dubbed "gentlemen's gatherings" in a recent profile in Vocativ, it took place at the city's ancient citadel, a UN world heritage site.
Mr Erbil hopes to promote a new image for the region
The pictures of the 20 men posing in latest Western men's fashion - specifically, the style recently associated with hipsters, replete with the trademark sharp suits, tight trousers and lovingly trimmed beards - became wildly popular on Instagram.
Widely dubbed "Iraq's first gentleman's fashion club", Mr Erbil now has some 30 core members and more than 25,000 fans on Instagram, and a Facebook presence too.
The style may be Western, but Mr Erbil stress that what they are doing mixes "modernity" and cultural heritage, by harking back to the lifestyles of the traditional Kurdish landowning class, the effendis.
The favoured style appears to be mostly hipster-inspired
According to the Vocativ article, in days past, the "effendis" - literally, "lord" or "master" - would dress in their finest clothes to attend cultural salons or visit tea shops.
The group says that the focus of their activity is to organise trade shows and cultural events to promote fashion as "aesthetic expression".
But it is not just about fashion - there is also a serious, almost political side.
Mr Erbil sees itself as something almost akin to a movement representing young Iraqi Kurds who are looking for a better life and want to promote Kurdish culture to the world.
The group even hopes to effect social change and challenge traditional attitudes, particularly on women's rights.
The Mr Erbil account frequently posts pictures and musings about women's issues in Kurdistan, Iraq and the world.
The group's account is very popular on social media
The effect Iraq's near-constant conflict has had on women's lives is also a frequent subject.
Every Thursday, Mr Erbil writes a post on the "girl inspiration", in which they promote women working on behalf of the community.
One of them is Dashni Morad, who gives workshops in leadership skills to women who survived the massacre and rape of members of northern Iraq's Yazidi sect by IS militants.
"The effort she puts in for humanity, love and peace is so impressive!" says a post by Mr Erbil post on 19 January. "Keep up the good work, you are making us proud."
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38692382 | |
Ronnie O'Sullivan in 12th Masters final to play Joe Perry - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan overcomes a split cue tip to beat Marco Fu 6-4 and reach the Masters final against Joe Perry. | null | Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, Connected TV, Red Button, BBC Sport website and app from 13:00 GMT
Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan overcame a split cue tip to reach his 12th Masters final with a 6-4 win over Marco Fu at Alexandra Palace in London.
Fu hit 110 to lead 2-1 before O'Sullivan needed to repair his cue.
The next four frames were shared with O'Sullivan knocking in breaks of 95 and 122 while Hong Kong's Fu hit 141, the highest of the tournament, and 89.
O'Sullivan won the last three frames and will play Joe Perry in Sunday's final after he beat Barry Hawkins 6-5.
"It is probably the best match I have won, given the circumstances," O'Sullivan told BBC Sport.
"The tip was gone, completely gone. It just couldn't take any chalk. I mis-cued five or six times. It was like chalking a bit of slate.
"I was going to wait for the interval but it was so gone and they said 'look, you can take the interval now' and that was sweet."
The interval normally comes after four frames, but tournament officials allowed the Englishman to fix his cue after frame three.
"I had my cue tip over a kettle because the steam softens it up but it had no effect. I just could not play any shots, I had no touch or feel, so I had to put a new tip on. I was lucky it was a decent tip," he said.
The new tip seemed to galvanise him as he made frame-winning contributions at every opportunity following the interval, knocking in four half centuries in the last three frames.
"If you're playing well you can get away with a new tip. If you're cueing badly and you put a new tip on, it's over," said O'Sullivan.
"I fancied the job. Even with a new tip. I thought 'if I can get a feel of it'."
Fu, runner-up in 2011, added: "It is better to lose like this than for me to collapse and miss easy shots with regret. If he plays like that in the end, you can't do anything. I am not too upset about it. It is just a joy to be involved in a match like this."
O'Sullivan, who has been beaten in three finals this season, is aiming to win the Masters for a record seventh time but when he was told he was in his 12th final, he replied: "I've only won six though so it's not a very good strike record is it?"
Perry was trailing 5-2 in his semi-final against last year's runner-up Barry Hawkins but won the eighth frame despite needing a snooker.
He followed that up by winning the next three, including a break of 70 in the decider, to take the match.
Perry said: "I really can't believe it. When Barry potted the ball to leave me a snooker, I was thinking about what to say to him and wish him all the best for Sunday. This game is mad, it never ceases to amaze.
"It is the best win of my career. I have to go out against O'Sullivan and play to the best of my ability. You don't know what can happen. From the go, I will go out there to win and not just enjoy the occasion."
Hawkins said: "I am devastated. After the eighth frame he started playing better and made an unbelievable break in that last frame."
Marco knows how good a performance has beaten him. You can only be admiring of that.
We have seen Ronnie O'Sullivan produce something special on a number of occasions but from the adversity of having to change his tip halfway through, against a player who was playing so well, that is just a magnificent performance.
Ronnie has to be very proud of himself.
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app, or if you want to get involved yourself, read our Get Inspired guide. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/38705567 | |
2,000 guitars in mini scale - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | null | A musician from Opole in Poland has made 2,000 mini guitars. | null | This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38712423 | |
Our cat in Havana - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | In Havana, stray cats and dogs prowl the streets. Responsibility for looking after them lies with the public - as Will Grant found when he befriended a ginger tomcat. | Magazine | In Cuba's capital, armies of stray cats and dogs prowl the streets. The state does little to look after them, so responsibility lies with the public - as Will Grant found when he befriended a ginger tomcat.
My younger sister sometimes reminds me of the apparent indifference I showed when our family cat, Pippit, died in 1991. A slender tabby who lived well beyond her expected years, Pippit enjoyed a long and happy life with us. Finally, at the impressive age of 21, she died just as we returned from a family holiday.
Waking up to find that Pippit hadn't lasted the night, I took it upon myself to break the news to my sister. Sensitivity and tact weren't exactly high in my repertoire when I was 15 - I simply crashed into her room with the line: "Helen, the cat's dead!"
I don't know if you've ever seen anyone wake up and immediately burst into tears, but I should take this opportunity to apologise to Helen for what was probably the meanest thing I did to her when we were growing up.
So, given she has this image of me as callous when it comes to pets - unfair, I hasten to add - she was surprised, when she visited Havana recently, to find just how much Cuba has influenced my attitude towards animals.
There are no state-funded pet rescue organisations on this communist island, so caring for neighbourhood strays is down to local businesses or residents.
Around a dozen state institutions, from the Central Bank to the Museum of Metalwork, have adopted their own stray dogs. Under the scheme, the homeless hounds are named and duly issued with ID cards, which are placed on their collars to save them from the dog-catcher.
Vladimir, a former street dog, with his ID collar in Havana
The adoption system operates under the premise that they are now officially considered the government buildings' guard dogs, although the ones I've seen are docile street mutts rather than fierce Rottweilers.
The city government does operate a programme for neutering and spaying strays in Old Havana, but the handful of voluntary animal protection organisations that exist simply can't deal with the sheer numbers across the island.
Cubans are by and large dog people. There is a pretty significant culture of dog ownership, even among those who are barely scraping by.
Cats, on the other hand get a raw deal. Especially stray ones.
So, since we arrived in Cuba, we've tried to do our bit. We've already taken in two kittens we found lost and half-drowned during a torrential downpour one night. My girlfriend's mother is now the proud owner of the uniquely named Honorato and Carilda.
But for my sister, on her recent visit, it was my relationship with Django which really stood out.
A ginger-and-white tomcat, he started life inside our building's parking garage. We would often hear a faint mewing after we parked the car.
As a kitten, Django would hide deep inside the motor of some diplomat's SUV, seeking refuge by nestling near the carburettor.
Once he grew a bit and emerged from the darkness of the car park, he was almost instantly adopted by the building.
We would leave food out for him. As would some Russian neighbours. So, apparently, did Sindi, one of the doormen. He looks like he could find a second job as a nightclub bouncer, but fell for the scruffy, soot-stained Django as much as we did.
Django was the name my Mum gave the kitten when she came to Havana and it stuck. We were smitten.
Evenings would be interrupted and conversations broken off mid-flow so we could go out and feed him a mixture of leftovers and expensive kibble specially brought in from Mexico.
The treatment Django received in our building was well above the experience of most alley cats in Cuba with food regularly provided - if not by one neighbour, then another. Sometimes, both.
That brought with it the inevitable interest of other local waifs and strays. At one time there were three or four more trying to get in on the act. Fair enough - it's a dog-eat-dog world out there for a Cuban cat.
Still, we began to worry. There is a nasty habit in Cuba of angry neighbours removing a constantly barking dog or an unsightly stray cat by feeding it mince laced with rat-poison.
Alternatively - almost as cruelly - the witless pet might be shoved into the back of the car, driven out to the countryside and let out on the roadside, far from home. Noisy neighbourhood dog dealt with, even if the owners are now frantic with worry.
In the end, nothing like that befell poor Django. It was a far more inevitable fate, under the wheels of a car thundering down 70th Street.
The headlines of 2016 were full of high-profile deaths. But spare a thought for one of the year's final victims, taken on New Year's Eve in Havana - a much loved, slightly grubby, ginger-and-white street cat called Django.
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38609794 | |
Irish jockey Jack Kennedy performs amazing acrobatics to stay on horse - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | Irish jockey Jack Kennedy manages to stay on his horse Bilko despite almost being thrown off it at a meeting at Thurles. | null | Irish jockey Jack Kennedy manages to stay on his horse Bilko despite almost being thrown off it at a meeting at Thurles.
WATCH MORE: McCoy 'has breakfast every morning now'
Pictures courtesy of At The Races. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/38694316 | |
Leicester defeat shows when a diamond does not work - Danny Murphy - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | Leicester's latest away defeat came because they got their tactics wrong, says Match of the Day 2 pundit Danny Murphy | null | Leicester's defeat at Southampton was a great example of how tactics, rather than players, are hugely important in deciding football matches.
You still need a talented, intelligent team with the ability to carry those tactics out for you, of course, but your system can win or lose a game for you - just the same as an amazing bit of skill will.
That is what happened as St Mary's when Leicester lined up in a diamond shape in midfield. They played it really poorly, because it looked to me as if they had not worked on it very much.
Southampton quickly worked out how to capitalise on their weaknesses and, by the time Leicester changed their shape at half-time, they were 2-0 down and as good as out of the game.
That tactical effect is not always so obvious when I watch Premier League matches.
A lot of the time both teams are playing a similar way, or both are well organised and working hard - and it is a moment of quality that wins the game.
On Sunday, Saints were much better tactically and they won the match because of it.
'A difficult system to master, without the ball'
I never played regularly in a diamond at any of my clubs, but we used it at certain times when I was at Liverpool and it worked quite nicely for us.
In particular, we did it a few times when we played Manchester United at home because we felt their strength was in central areas, trying to play through us.
Using the diamond forced them wide and they put crosses in, which was what we wanted them to do.
It also meant we could press them higher up the pitch because the two strikers would be backed up by the man at the point of the diamond.
It tends to suit teams who have the majority of possession and play a lot of football because you have got four men in the centre of midfield and, although you are lacking in the wide areas, you should have at least one extra man in the middle. That is the theory anyway.
What actually happened with Leicester was they did not try to play out from the back and keep hold of the ball to use that extra man.
And, when they lost the ball, the guys who were in the diamond were crossing positions too much because they were not sure when to look for the ball in middle or when to go and try to win it out wide.
'One of the hardest jobs a player can be asked to do'
It is a difficult system to master, especially when you have not got possession.
I am not against it, because I have played in it when it has worked, but it does not stretch the pitch as much as other formations and you do feel like you are doing extra work.
I played as the wide man in a diamond a few times in my career and it is one of the hardest jobs a player can be asked to do.
It involves a heck of a lot of running, because you are kind of playing in centre midfield, then you are playing right midfield - then right-back and on the right wing.
You have to know when to go and chase the ball and when to sit and, on Sunday, Leicester's Danny Drinkwater, for example, struggled to get that right.
We know Danny is a very good central midfielder - he was one of the best in the Premier League last season.
However, he was on the right of the diamond against Saints and was not used to that position, which let Saints left-back Ryan Bertrand really enjoy himself in the first half.
Sometimes Drinkwater was reacting to Saints attacks down his wing too late because he was too narrow and he could not get out to Bertrand in time, or he went out wide too early and left a gap inside.
He was not the only Leicester player to be caught between two places where they were meant to be and Saints utilised all this space really well because they kept switching play.
That left the two Leicester full-backs isolated a lot of the time and Southampton were getting a lot of crosses into their box - they scored their first goal from one of them.
Leicester need to find a settled formation again
I saw a lot of the Leicester players question each other during that first half and get angry about who was marking who and where they were supposed to be.
So Ranieri was right to come out afterwards and acknowledge the way they started the game was his fault because he had tried something new.
The players will always take some of the responsibility because they are out on the pitch, but asking them to work on a system for a few days then go away to a good side like Southampton is a bit too much to ask.
Compare that performance to the way Leicester were playing last season when all their players looked so comfortable playing 4-4-1-1 because they all knew their jobs. They had little partnerships all over the pitch, and it was perfect in so many ways.
Things are different now. They have brought in some new players and are trying to adapt a little bit and they also have to deal with teams raising their game against them because they are the champions.
The expectancy level has gone up and, maybe because they have had a bad run, they have changed things too much instead of sticking to what they know.
That is not a criticism of Leicester, because every club wants to evolve and improve their squad with better players . When you do that, you want to keep the ball a bit more and play in different ways.
But it did not work out for them last week when they switched to play with three at the back in their defeat by Chelsea either.
The sooner they get back to a settled formation, the sooner their results will pick up. I don't think we will see that diamond again any time soon, though.
What next for the Foxes?
Sometimes it is not the fact you lose a game that hurts you, it is the way you lose it.
Leicester's players will watch a recording of that Southampton game at some point this week and there are not many positives for them to take from it, even in the second half.
The league table does not look too good for the Foxes either - and their away form has been terrible all season.
They need to pick themselves up quickly, but I still look at the attacking quality they have in their squad compared to the other teams down at the bottom and think they can go on a run and climb the table.
Will they go down? You can never say never, but I would be shocked if they got sucked into the bottom three. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38713714 | |
Anti-Trump protesters fill Trafalgar Square - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | null | Thousands of protesters in London fill Trafalgar Square as part of a Women's March on the first full day of Donald Trump's presidency. | null | Thousands of protesters in London fill Trafalgar Square as part of a Women's March on the first full day of Donald Trump's presidency. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38704604 | |
770 babies baptised in Georgian ceremony - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | null | The BBC's Rayhan Demytrie reports from a mass baptism ceremony in Tbilisi, Georgia. | null | Hundreds of babies have been baptised at a mass ceremony in Georgia. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38708530 | |
World v Trump on global climate deal? - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As the new president settles in, much of the world reaffirms its commitment to the Paris agreement. | Science & Environment | As a pro-coal president strides into the White House, the rest of the world is rallying in defence of the climate.
Donald Trump has called climate change "a hoax" and filled his cabinet with representatives of fossil fuel industries.
One of the world's leading climate scientists told me she was positively scared about his potential impact on the planet.
But so far the leaders who joined with President Barack Obama in Paris in 2015 to sign the global climate deal are standing firm.
As Mr Trump ponders pulling out of the UN climate deal, China, India, Germany, the EU and the UK have all reaffirmed their promise to curb CO2 emissions.
And in the USA itself, moves have already been made to consolidate the low-carbon economy in a sign that fossil fuel companies will still face a battle over CO2 emissions, even with support from the White House.
Only this week, China's President, Xi Jin Ping, warned Mr Trump that walking away from the Paris deal would endanger future generations.
As Mr Trump promises to boost jobs by scrapping President Obama's clean energy plans, China is pushing on with a $361bn (£293bn) investment in renewable energy by 2020.
China's Xie Zhenhua says the world will pressure the Trump administration over clean energy
China's green aspirations are undermined by its expansion of coal-fired power stations, but this week it also suspended plans for 104 new coal plants.
Xie Zhenhua, the veteran climate negotiator who forged a close partnership on clean energy between the two mega-powers, told China Daily that the global momentum behind low-carbon technology was unstoppable.
He was quoted as saying: "Industrial upgrades aiming for more sustainable growth is a global trend… it is not something that can be reversed by a single political leader.
"The international community and US citizens will pressure the Trump administration to continue clean energy policies."
The State Department may not dismiss this flippantly: while US-Chinese relations may be increasingly frosty in many areas, climate change and clean energy remain a valuable sphere of co-operation.
American politicians may also be wary of watching China seize the moral heights as world leader in tackling climate change.
Its energy minister, Piyush Goyal, said this week: "We respect the fact that America has chosen its leader.
"However, clean energy is not something that we are working on because somebody else wants us to do it - it's a matter of faith and the faith of the leadership in India.
"Nothing on Earth is going to stop us from doing that."
Solar energy prices are now on a par with coal in India, which boasts the world's biggest solar farm and the first chemical plant to eat its own CO2 emissions.
It will continue to expand coal-fired generation for the next few years, but its National Electricity Plan projects no further increase in coal-based capacity after 2022 - much earlier than previously suggested.
India's Tuticorin plant is the world's first zero-emission chemical facility
Dollars, technology and jobs will pour into clean energy in these countries, and the USA will surely be keen not to miss out.
Meanwhile, moves are being made to consolidate President Obama's climate legacy.
The US previously pledged $3bn to the UN's green fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change and get clean technology.
Mr Trump won support among some voters for promising to stop payments and spend the cash on American citizens instead.
But this week President Obama slipped the fund a further $500m.
And it won't just be on the international stage that Mr Trump's team will face fossil fuel battles.
Some early skirmishes on American soil are already under way.
This week, the Environmental Protection Agency cemented stricter efficiency standards for cars.
Republicans will try to reverse this - but when carmakers previously resisted efficiency rules, they ended up producing such uncompetitive gas-guzzlers that the industry had to be bailed out.
Even Republican plans to boost extraction of fossil fuels, while popular in some states because the industries create jobs, will provoke local resistance from people who don't want oil pipelines, or don't want the tops blown off their mountains to get to coal.
It may be hard to persuade investors to put cash into coal anyway.
Many states will resist fossil fuels, too.
California has long led the way on car emissions and recently insisted it will keep its right to set its own tighter regulations for cars.
Mr Trump's team may try to rescind this.
The Paris climate agreement resulted in 195 nations pledging to reduce emissions
There are already CO2 trading schemes between states on the east and west coasts, and last week New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to build enough offshore wind capacity by 2030 to power 1.25 million homes.
Here's the big picture: as the world moves together to tackle climate change, it is clearly problematic if the biggest historic polluter threatens to pull in the opposite direction.
Will Angela Merkel, for instance, be so sanguine about Germany's controversial switch to renewables if the US forces its already-low energy prices even lower, triggering protests from German industry?
In the words of Jo Haigh, professor of atmospheric physics at Imperial College, London: "If Trump does what he said he'd do, and others follow suit, my gut feeling is that I'm scared. Very scared."
But he may not. And they may not. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38676898 | |
UK-EU trade deal: Another WTO issue - BBC News | 2017-01-22 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | If the UK and the EU are going to have a trade agreement, it is best to get as many sectors covered as possible to reduce the chances of a WTO challenge. | Business | The UK is set for a hard Brexit from the EU
So the UK, it seems, is headed out of the European Union's single market, perhaps also out of the customs union.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she wants to preserve barrier-free trade between the UK and the EU as far as possible.
One option that has been floated, if the two sides can't agree a comprehensive free trade agreement, is sectoral deals. They might cover cars, for example, or perhaps financial services.
But there is a problem with this approach: World Trade Organization rules.
Perhaps the most fundamental idea behind the WTO's rule book is non-discrimination.
It goes by the rather confusing name of "most favoured nation".
It is Article 1 of the WTO's main legal agreement. It means that you must give the same degree of access to your home market that you give to the most favoured nation to all WTO members. A favour for one should be given to all.
You should not discriminate for or against any WTO member.
There are a few situations where the rules allow countries to depart from this principle - the one that is relevant here is for free-trade areas and customs unions (the two have important similarities, but are not the same).
The World Trade Organization is based in Geneva and came into being in 1995
The WTO's rule book says the member countries "recognise the desirability of increasing freedom of trade by the development, through voluntary agreements, of closer integration between the economies of countries parties to such agreements".
So a trade agreement between the UK and the EU would be allowed under WTO rules, in fact welcomed, even though it is something that is intrinsically discriminatory. It would involve the EU and the UK discriminating in favour of each other against outside countries.
Of course, the EU itself has the same effect, offering EU members better access to each other's markets than is available to either China or the United States, for example.
But there is a catch. The WTO rules say such agreements should cover "substantially all the trade" between the members of the customs union or free-trade area.
What does "substantially all" mean? There is some case law which touched on this. A dispute between Turkey (which has a customs union agreement with the EU) and India went to the WTO's appeals body, which said in its report: "It is clear, though, that 'substantially all the trade' is not the same as all the trade, and also that 'substantially all the trade' is something considerably more than merely some of the trade."
Not as cut and dried as you might hope, but all the trade experts I have spoken to say that a deal covering just a few sectors wouldn't qualify.
That seems to be reinforced by what a WTO dispute panel said in another case. This one, as it happens was about cars, an agreement between the US and Canada in the 1960s known as the Auto Pact.
There is one line in the panel's ruling that is particularly relevant here: "The Auto Pact, nevertheless, is a purely sectoral agreement which does not meet the requirements of Article XXIV:8" - that is the provision that sets out the "substantially all the trade" requirement.
So such a narrow sectoral deal might well be vulnerable to challenge in the WTO.
But would it actually happen?
There seems to be a great deal of reluctance to challenge these agreements. (The India v Turkey and Auto Pact disputes were not fundamentally about the wider trade agreements, but about very specific restrictions that the complaining country thought were against the rules.)
More than 600 of them have been notified to the WTO or its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
Many are thought to stretch the credibility of "substantially all trade", by having various sectors uncovered.
But that makes countries reluctant to challenge others, for fear of shining an unwelcome light on their own agreements. As one senior trade official put it to me: "It's a glass houses kind of thing."
So a sectoral agreement between the UK and the EU might be challenged, but it would depend on whether any country wanted to do so.
Think of cars. There is another factor that might make a challenge less likely. Japan and the United States have car industries that have a presence in Europe and might well benefit from a deal between the EU and UK.
So perhaps we might get away with a narrow trade agreement. Even so, the uncertainty would be unwelcome to the industry concerned.
There is also the possibility of simply ignoring any unwelcome WTO ruling. The WTO has no real powers of enforcement. It can allow the other side to retaliate, but it can't arrest the trade minister.
On the other hand, the British government appears to be keen on the rules-based system of international trade and would probably be very uncomfortable about defying a ruling.
All the more reason, if the UK and the EU are going to have a trade agreement, to get as many sectors covered as possible, to reduce the chances of a WTO challenge.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38658025 | |
Chapecoense: Emotional scenes at Brazilian team's first game since plane crash - BBC Sport | 2017-01-22 | null | There are emotional scenes as Chapecoense play their first match since most of the team were killed in a plane crash. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Brazilian club Chapecoense have played their first match since most of their team were killed in a plane crash. BBC Sport's Mani Djazmi was at the Arena Conda and describes Saturday's emotional scenes.
The lifting of trophies are among the metronomic ticks of any football season. You can set your holidays by them.
But there cannot have been a more enduring image than the lifting of the Copa Sudamericana trophy by the surviving players of Chapecoense on Saturday.
Neto, Alan Ruschel and Jackson Follmann were presented with the trophy that was awarded to the Brazilian club after their team-mates died in a plane crash on the way to face Colombia's Nacional in the first leg of the 2016 final on 29 November.
Follmann, who was the reserve goalkeeper, left his hospital bed for the afternoon to be at the stadium, where the club were playing their first match since the crash.
Recovering from a partial leg amputation, he was pushed on to the pitch in a wheelchair by former Chapecoense goalkeeper Nivaldo.
Neto has just started walking without crutches, while Ruschel is targeting May for his return to football. Remarkable when one considers what happened to them.
The first thing Ruschel did upon returning to Chapeco on Saturday was visit his favourite bakery.
"Yes, this was the first place I went to, we woke up really early and we hadn't eaten, so the first place we went to was the bakery," he said.
"We used to go there, me, [goalkeeper] Danilo and Follmann after training, so it was a good place for this new start."
While the trophy was being received, the families of the dead players, journalists and club directors were given medals.
"It was a hard day, a bit sad, but also a day that we felt the support of all these people," said Dhayane Pallaoro, whose father Sandro was the much-loved president of Chapecoense who died in the crash.
"We could never imagine the extent of football's solidarity.
"One of the things I'll never forget was my dad's speech that we watched on the big screen," the 28-year-old added.
"He used to say that Chapecoense was a big family, that from the kitmen to the president, they were all equal.
"They had a dream and they transformed Chapecoense into a big club, and we hope they can never be forgotten."
A mother of one of the journalists spoke about how it was her son's dream to report on Chapecoense.
"He lived for them," she said. "And he died with them."
Hanging from the perimeter fence that surrounds the pitch at the Arena Conda stadium were thousands of paper swans and hearts. Green and white ribbons streamed from the home end.
On banners and in songs, the repeated epitaph was 'eternal champions'.
One sensed this day was an opportunity for Chapeco to let out a big breath.
It was the next landmark after a funeral, when the pain and longing still burns, but the inexorable flow of life has taken everyone just a little bit further away from the agony.
But it was also a celebration by the people of who they are, and who their players were.
After the emotion of the build-up, the glorious triviality of a football match started, when Chapecoense's new striker, Wellington Paulista, kicked off their friendly with Palmeiras.
Finally, again, the Arena Conda embraced the sights and sounds for which it was built.
The drums, the undulations of the crowd with the balance of play, the truculent child who has to be taken home early.
And the fouls, the mis-placed passes, and the goals.
Douglas Grolli is a central defender who played for Chapecoense as they rose through the divisions.
He asked his club, Cruzeiro, if he could return, to help in the rebuilding process.
His first contribution was a goal from close range to make it 1-1.
Chapecoense's new era was underway and now, the crowd's emphatic oneness had a new focus.
Chapecoense took the lead just after half-time, but Palmeiras equalised with a fine strike from outside the area by Vitinho, prompting rousing applause by the home fans.
On the 71st minute, a minute's applause was held to remember the 71 who died.
The match was stopped, and players stood where they were.
That probably gave some Chapecoense players a chance to study the faces of their new team-mates.
The match ended 2-2 and it was an understandably disjointed performance by a team that had never played together before.
But football doesn't understand, and makes no allowances. So plenty of work lies ahead for Grolli and the rest, as they begin the dream of lifting another trophy. Or, for now, perhaps just staying in the top division. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38708226 |