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Saido Berahino: Stoke complete deal to sign West Brom's 23-year-old striker - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Stoke sign West Brom striker Saido Berahino for £12m on a five-and-a-half-year deal. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Stoke have signed West Brom striker Saido Berahino for a fee of £12m on a five-and-a-half-year deal.
The 23-year-old's contract had been due to expire at the end of the season, and the Baggies offered him a new deal for a third time in December.
He has not played since September and his relationship with the club had broken down since the 2014-15 campaign.
"I've had a tough two years but everything happens for a reason. I'm mentally stronger now," Berahino said
"Now I am finally here I just can't wait to start. For Stoke to show their faith in me is unbelievable," he added.
"On match fitness I am not there yet, but I am going to work hard to get myself back so I can help my new team-mates climb the table."
Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes said: "We've signed a young English striker who has already proven his ability in the Premier League.
"After a frustrating period he's now desperately keen to reignite his career and we look forward to seeing him do that with us."
Berahino reacted angrily to a bid from Tottenham being turned down on transfer deadline day in summer 2015 and two months later tweeted that he would never play for West Brom again under then-chairman Jeremy Peace.
And in January 2015, he scored four goals but barely celebrated in what was interpreted as a sign of his growing disillusionment at the Hawthorns.
Speaking after Saturday's 4-0 defeat by Spurs, West Brom boss - and former Stoke manager - Tony Pulis had said Berahino would not be sold "unless it is right for the club".
He added: "It has to be a two-way situation. That has always been the situation; we will not sell the lad because it suits him."
England Under-21 forward Berahino is the Potters' second signing of this transfer window after the loan deal for Derby keeper Lee Grant was made permanent. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38696547 | |
Lawro's Premier League predictions v Split star James McAvoy - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson takes on actor James McAvoy in this weekend's Premier League fixtures. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson will be making a prediction for all 380 Premier League games this season against a variety of guests.
Lawro's opponent for this week's Premier League fixtures is actor James McAvoy, star of new film 'Split'.
McAvoy is a Celtic fan and says he grew up supporting them for many reasons.
"I think your choice of football club quite often is not your choice," he told BBC Sport. "It is thrust upon you by your family, wherever you grew up, or sometimes even your religion, so it is a kind of environmental thing that you just soak up.
"That is why I am a Celtic fan but why I enjoy being a Celtic fan is different and I have much more power over that.
"In London, I keep an eye on Arsenal but I am not really an Arsenal fan. I am more of a plastic Gooner just because I used to live two doors away from the East Stand when they played at Highbury.
"That was amazing. When I couldn't get tickets, which was quite often, I would be able to watch the game on TV, open the windows and turn the sound down, and just have the roar of the crowd in the background."
You can make your Premier League predictions now, compare them with those of Lawro and other fans by playing the BBC Sport Predictor game.
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
Last week, Lawro got four correct results, including one perfect score, from 10 Premier League matches. That gave him a total of 70 points.
He beat UFC star Michael Bisping, who got three correct results, with no perfect scores, for a total of 30 points.
All kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless otherwise stated.
James McAvoy's prediction: I am looking for a thriller. 3-3
James McAvoy's prediction: I still keep an eye on Arsenal, and they just surprise you every now and again with the most ridiculous result. I am going to be positive here, though, and say they will take Burnley apart. 3-0 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38632703 | |
Chapecoense plane: Footballer Neto dreamt of crash - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | Chapecoense football club player Neto is one of six survivors of a plane crash that killed 71 people in Colombia last November. | null | Chapecoense footballer Neto is one of six survivors of a plane crash that killed 71 people in Colombia last November.
Almost two months after the accident, the BBC's Julia Carneiro met him at the Conda Arena in the city of Chapeco. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-38698277 | |
Australian Open: Johanna Konta praises support from her family and friends - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Friends' 30-year-search for Celtic treasure trove pays off - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Irish jockey Jack Kennedy performs amazing acrobatics to stay on horse - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Man City 2-2 Tottenham: Pep Guardiola 'upset' not to win - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praises his side's "outstanding performance" but says he is "upset" they could not beat Tottenham, who came from behind to to draw 2-2 at the Etihad Stadium. | null | Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praises his side's "outstanding performance" but says he is "upset" they could not beat Tottenham, who came from behind to to draw 2-2 at Etihad Stadium.
The Spaniard was unimpressed by the first question he was asked by Match of the Day commentator Guy Mowbray. Three weeks ago, he gave a particularly awkward interview to another BBC reporter, Damian Johnson. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38707859 | |
Meet the British family spanning six generations - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | A family from Yorkshire is thought to be the only one in Britain with six generations alive at the same time. Grandmother Sue Godward and her daughter Niki Mellor spoke to 5 Live. | null | A family from Yorkshire is thought to be the only one in Britain with six generations alive at the same time.
There are 47 family members; the eldest is great-great-great grandmother Hilda Hanson, who is 103 and known as “little gran”.
The youngest, baby Finley, was born on Christmas Day.
Grandmother Sue Godward and her daughter Niki Mellor managed to baffle 5 live’s Eleanor Oldroyd with their confusing family tree.
This clip is originally from 5 live Breakfast on Saturday 21 January 2017. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38704598 | |
Martin McGuinness: The end of a long journey - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The BBC's Peter Taylor looks back as Martin McGuinness retires from frontline politics. | Northern Ireland | The political retirement of Martin McGuinness on Thursday due to ill health marks the end of a remarkable journey. Perceived by some as a terrorist, others as a freedom fighter, he ended up a statesman, a journey similar to those previously made by other historical figures from Menachem Begin to Jomo Kenyatta and Nelson Mandela.
It also marks the closing of a chapter in Northern Ireland's turbulent history in which Mr McGuinness played a crucial role both as perhaps the most important IRA leader on the island of Ireland and one of its most skilled and charismatic politicians. Without his endeavours, in umbilical political partnership with his former comrade-in- arms, Gerry Adams, I doubt if Northern Ireland, despite the continuing fragility of its institutions, would be where it is today.
I first met Martin McGuinness 45 years ago this month, shortly after the day that became notorious as Bloody Sunday when British paratroops shot dead 13 civil rights marchers in the Bogside enclave of Londonderry/Derry.
I remember watching a candle-lit procession on its way to the church where the coffins of the dead were lying and being told by the nationalist politician, John Hume, to keep an eye on one of the mourners.
He pointed to Martin McGuinness. I followed his advice and soon met him on the steps of the gasworks that served as the IRA's headquarters in the Bogside. At the time he was second in command of the IRA's Derry Brigade. He was soon to become its commander.
He did not fit the stereotypical role of an IRA commander at the time. He was personable, highly articulate and utterly committed to his cause of getting the "Brits" out of the North.
A few months later, following an IRA ceasefire, he was sitting down in a posh house in Chelsea, along with Gerry Adams, as part of the IRA delegation that met the Northern Ireland Secretary, Willie Whitelaw. The IRA said it wanted a British withdrawal by 1975. Not surprisingly, the talks got nowhere and it was back to the "war".
If anyone had looked into a crystal ball at that time and told me that the young IRA commander would go on to become Northern Ireland's deputy prime minister, sharing power and joking, as "the chuckle brothers" with his former arch enemy, Ian Paisley, and then would don white tie and tails to dine with the Queen at Windsor Castle, I would have said that pigs might fly. But pigs did.
"The chuckle brothers" - Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness at the Northern Ireland Assembly, 2007
Mr McGuinness's role was critical in persuading the IRA's rank-and-file that "armed struggle" had run its course and the future road to Sinn Fein's holy grail of a united Ireland lay in sharing power at Stormont with its unionist opponents.
This was tantamount to accepting partition (the division of Ireland in 1922 into two states) and the role of the British state - albeit, as far as Sinn Fein is concerned, a temporary accommodation as a means to an end.
Remarkably Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness finally persuaded the majority of the IRA to swallow the political heresy and agree to the ceasefire of 1994 that was to lead on to the Good Friday Agreement four years later.
A measure of the faith and trust that rank-and-file IRA men and women had in Martin McGuinness is reflected in the sentiment I heard from many of them that "if it's good enough for Martin, it's good enough for us". Such sentiments speak volumes of Mr McGuinness and the esteem in which he was held as IRA leader.
These landmark steps were only made possible as a result of a protracted and fraught secret back-channel dialogue, via an intermediary, between MI6 and MI5 in which Mr McGuinness was the key conduit to the IRA's ruling Army Council.
But Mr McGuinness, because of his IRA past, remains a controversial figure. There are still some Unionists who would take issue with the tribute paid by Ian Paisley's son who said that by working with his father, Martin McGuinness had "saved lives" and "made countless lives better".
His critics can only see him as the former leader of a terrorist organisation responsible for a grievous toll of death and destruction. They will never forget - or forgive the IRA - for the lives of the hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians murdered in the IRA's campaign and the number of families who have been left bereft.
But for me, the true recognition of the journey Mr McGuinness has made came in an interview I did with the mother of Marie Wilson, the young woman who died in the IRA's bomb attack on the Remembrance Day parade in Enniskillen in 1987.
The intelligence services believe that Martin McGuinness, although he denies it, was at that time the acting head of the IRA's Northern Command that prosecuted the "war" in the North.
In words of moving candour, Mrs Wilson said she respected Mr McGuinness's role in helping to bring the conflict to end and making such attacks, she hoped, a thing of the past.
• None McGuinness will not stand in NI election | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-38690431 | |
Australian Open 2017: Johanna Konta beats Caroline Wozniacki to reach last 16 - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Britain's Johanna Konta beats Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open. | 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.
Britain's Johanna Konta saw off former world number one Caroline Wozniacki with a stunning display to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Konta, seeded ninth, won nine games in a row on her way to beating the Danish 17th seed 6-3 6-1 in 75 minutes.
It was an eighth successive victory for the Briton, who won the title in Sydney in the build-up to Melbourne.
Konta, 25, will face Ekaterina Makarova next after the Russian upset sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-3.
• Watch highlights of Konta v Wozniacki on BBC Two from 15:05 GMT on Saturday
"We played in the fourth round here last year and I think it was 8-6 in the third, so I am expecting a battle," Konta said.
"It will be tough, just like against anyone in any match, you don't have any easy matches any more."
"I think if she keeps playing like this, then she has good chances against Serena," Wozniacki said of Konta.
"Serena has won so many Grand Slams and she's been in tough positions. But I think Johanna is playing on a very high level right now."
• None Serena powers through to round four
• None How to follow the Australian Open on the BBC
After a tight start to the contest on Margaret Court Arena, Konta took control midway through the first set and powered away from Wozniacki.
The British number one's consistent aggression on serve, return and off the ground left the Dane struggling to find an answer.
A thumping drive volley gave Konta the first break of serve in game seven and she got the better of the Wozniacki serve once again to clinch the set.
A bewildered Wozniacki double-faulted twice to fall behind in the second set and in the end she did well to get on the scoreboard at all after going 5-0 down.
There was the odd sign of nerves from Konta as she closed in on victory but after double-faulting on her first match point, she converted the second to end the day with 31 winners to Wozniacki's six.
"I definitely played at a high level today," Konta said.
"Caroline really makes you work for it and doesn't give you anything so I am happy with my level.
"I knew it would be incredibly tough and I wanted to assert myself from the get go and play the match I wanted to play. What an amazing crowd, you guys were incredible."
Konta's Australian Open challenge is gathering some serious momentum. Always aggressive from the baseline, she hit 31 winners against an opponent who is very quick across the court and one of the best on tour at getting balls back in court.
Konta has now won eight matches and 16 sets in a row, and if she can get past Makarova in the fourth round, she is likely to face the ultimate test of Serena Williams after that. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38702928 | |
Greenwich mum makes Jamaican Patois-speaking doll - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | A mother from London has created a Jamaican Patois-speaking doll for her daughter to reflect her heritage. | null | A mother from London has created a Jamaican Patois-speaking doll because she could not find a toy for her daughter that reflected her Jamaican heritage.
Toya was developed by Saffron Jackson, from Greenwich, who wanted the doll to look and sound like her daughter.
It was launched six weeks ago and sales have been booming. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38704697 | |
Mild panic greets Trump digital transition - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As Obama moves out the White House, he today also gives up key online real estate - a move already creating controversy. | Technology | President Trump's first tweet on the @POTUS account showed this image
Much is written about the Herculean effort to move one family out of the White House and a new family in within the space of just a few hours.
But in our modern age, the digital moving trucks must also roar into action, as prime presidential online real estate gets a makeover, and eight years of President Obama's social media chat is confined to the national archives.
Let’s start with WhiteHouse.gov, the official website for the President, which as of noon Friday, has a brand new look - and has already provoked mild panic.
Many noted that pages about climate change were swiftly deleted. So too were pages about LGBT rights and various science policies.
But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Pages about everything were deleted as what was essentially Obama’s homepage was replaced with Trump’s.
That means posts about any former policy positions no longer exist on the White House website if you follow the original links.
So while the web address pointing to the White House’s position on climate change no longer works, the same can be said about Obama’s pages relating to the economy. Unpredictable as he is, no-one is suggesting Donald Trump is about to describe “money” as a hoax.
That said, on the new whitehouse.gov, a search for “military” will yield 154 results. “Climate change”? None.
Nervous internet sleuths have found one reference to climate change, a promise to lift the "harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the US rules".
Make of that what you will. People on Twitter certainly are.
Also wiped clean was the White House's petition website. On Friday, by 4pm in DC, only two petitions were posted on the site. The first demanded the release of the President's tax returns. The other demanded he put his businesses in a blind trust. If either petition gets 100,000 signatures, the White House has to provide a response - at least, that was the rule the previous administration set itself.
Trump reportedly gave up his cell phone upon assuming the presidency
Speaking of which, it’s all change on Twitter too.
From today @POTUS - President of the United States - has been taken over by the Trump team. All previous tweets from Obama’s team - and Obama himself - have been deleted from that account, but archived under @POTUS44. The 44 relating of course to the fact Obama was the 44th US President.
The tweets were not, as a smattering of people blurted out, “deleted by Trump” once he had control of the account.
Twitter removed them - and that's because scrubbing the account of Obama’s tweets is a smart move for everyone involved. Had Twitter left the old tweets in place you’ll find yourself seeing people retweeting Obama’s words but with Trump’s identity attached, a recipe for misinformation disaster.
Trump’s first tweet on @POTUS posted a picture and a link to his inaugural address - the full text of which was posted on Facebook. Is Trump having a change of heart over his social network of choice?
Maybe. Facebook certainly offers the chance to speak more clearly at length, and, as the leader of the free world, it would be more useful to post to an audience of almost two billion rather than Twitter’s rather limited 300m.
We won’t know for sure until about 3am, DC time, tomorrow morning. Everyone will be surely waiting for those twilight hours to see if the President springs back into life posting his thoughts on his own personal account, @realDonaldTrump.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38699809 | |
Dan Evans: Britain's latest tennis star snubbed by Kevin Pietersen - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Meet the new British tennis star who bought his own shirts and was snubbed by ex-England cricketer Kevin Pietersen. | null | Last updated on .From the section Tennis
Four days ago, Dan Evans was not exactly a household name.
The British tennis player had just reached his first ATP final and moved to number 51 in the world rankings.
But that was not enough to get a photograph with former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen, who turned down Evans' request when they met outside a restaurant in Melbourne this week.
However, the 26-year-old might soon be the one getting asked for selfies after his stunning start to the Australian Open.
Evans caused a shock when he reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time with a 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) win over Australian 27th seed Bernard Tomic on Friday.
The Birmingham-born player will pocket at least $130,000 (£79,000) for reaching the fourth round, regardless of whether he beats France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
But the British number three was a little rankled by the snub from the batsman, 35, who is in Australia to play for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.
"There was some serious rage for about 20 minutes after that happened," said Evans.
"He didn't want me to have my picture with him. Quite funny, isn't it, how things work out? He was my favourite cricketer until that point.
"I think he was worse for wear, That was his excuse when he replied [on Twitter]. It was so embarrassing, as well. He didn't even just say, 'No'. He handed me off, as well."
However, it appears the two made up after the win over Tomic, with Evans tweeting a picture of himself at a Melbourne Stars game in the BBL on Saturday.
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller asked if he had got the tickets from Pietersen and Evans replied with the message of "sure did".
'He would have been proud of my efforts'
Immediately after winning the final point of the match against Tomic, Evans was overcome with emotion and was seen pointing up to the sky.
He later revealed it was a tribute to his former coach Julien Hoferlin, who died of cancer last year.
In 2014 Hoferlin criticised Evans, saying tennis was just a "brief interlude in his life".
Speaking after his victory on Friday, Evans told the BBC: "When he [Horferlin] coached me I didn't give 100% at the time and there was off-court stuff he wasn't happy with.
"I wish he could have seen what happened tonight, he would have been proud of my efforts. He always said I could do it and that I should be playing top-40 tennis. Tonight was for him."
Evans managed to overcome being distracted by an unruly spectator at the Hisense Arena.
"This guy was coughing as I was throwing the ball up, as well as screaming at me when I was losing points," he said.
Evans was also asked about comments from Tomic's father and coach, John, who once told him he was not good enough to train with his son.
The British number three said Tomic Sr congratulated him in the changing room after the match.
"It was nice of him," added Evans. "I didn't have a problem with him at all, to be honest. It was his opinion." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38693517 | |
Barack Obama's last day as 44th president - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | From leaving a note for his successor on the Oval Office desk to giving a final speech. | null | Barack Obama spent his last day in the White House and as the 44th president of the United States.
He received his successor, Donald Trump, at the White House in the morning and boarded Air Force One one final time in the early afternoon to go spend some time in California. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38699742 | |
Women's March: A united message spanning generations - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | 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 | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Cardiff Uni using jet sensors in osteoarthritis patch - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | Scientists are hoping to create a smart patch which could detect the early onset of osteoarthritis in patients' knees. | null | Scientists are hoping to create a smart patch which could detect the early onset of osteoarthritis in patients' knees.
Cardiff University's team uses damage sensors from aircraft wings to catch subsonic cracking sounds in joints before the disease fully develops.
They believe a disposable patch using them could save expensive diagnosis and treatment of advanced osteoarthritis.
Dr Davide Crivelli, of the School of Engineering, explains how it could work. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-38660739 | |
Wayne Rooney: Goals from the Man Utd record-breaker - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Meet the mum with quadruplet toddlers - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Meet the mum to quadruplets who went viral after sharing a video that 'sums up motherhood'. | Education & Family | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ashley and Tyson Gardner had two sets of identical twins by IVF
What is it like being the mother of quadruplets?
Utah couple Ashley and Tyson Gardner had struggled to conceive for eight years, but they eventually had two sets of identical twin girls by IVF treatment.
A photo of Ashley holding the ultrasound scans had already attracted huge attention online so shortly after the girls' second birthday, she posted a video on YouTube, that went viral, to show what her everyday life is like.
The film, suitably called "Sums up motherhood in 34 seconds", shows Ashley having a brief break from the constant job of looking after her children by sneaking into in the pantry and treating herself to a stick of red liquorice.
"They don't ever go away. They want everything you have," she says in the video and to prove her point, after only a few seconds, one of her daughters peeks under the door and calls out to her.
The couple have a large social media following and their pages are littered with photos of smiling babies, but when they were told they were going to have four children at once, they did not know what to think.
"When we first found out we were having quadruplets, it was pure terror and pure joy at the same time," Ashley explained.
"The doctors said we only had a 40% chance of having one baby, so to have all four to come at once was a huge blessing and a huge miracle.
"The odds of both eggs splitting are literally one in a million.
"But I didn't know anyone who'd had quadruplets. I didn't know if it was physically possible for a woman, I knew nothing about it.
"I had vertigo and morning sickness for the first 16 weeks. I couldn't eat anything and I lost 20 pounds in my first trimester.
"My body hurt, my bones hurt and my hips would dislocate every time I rolled over."
In order to support the family, the couple run four businesses from home.
"We work when the girls are asleep - during their naptime and then after they go to bed, until one or two in the morning, every single night.
"It's really helpful we both work from home, because every other morning one of us takes the girls and the other gets to sleep in.
"Having quads was expensive in the first months.
"They were on a high-calorie formula that cost $25 (£20) a can and needed lots of nappies."
The couple's social media fans helped to ease the expense.
"My heart was truly touched by the amount of nappies and baby outfits that turned up by our door when they were born," she said.
"There really are amazing, kind, good people out there and I'm so grateful to those who follow our story and love these babies."
Ashley and Tyson regularly blog and vlog about their children's progress.
"When my pregnancy announcement went viral, so many people prayed for me and my babies. Now I feel it's my duty to show these people what they prayed for," she explained.
Ashley insists that she goes about her daily life "like anybody else, it just takes a bit longer".
"We do everything times four. We take them shopping with us and load them into the car several times a day.
"Just because there are four of them, we can't let that stop us living our lives. We don't just stay at home."
Ashley described the "special relationship" that the toddlers share.
"There are four of them and they work together to conspire against you, which is really funny. They're definitely tearing the house down.
"Each set of twins has their 'own language' and talk to each other.
"If one girl steals a toy from another one, her twin will steal it back for her. They protect one another."
At times, the quads can be overwhelming for Ashley and Tyson.
"We're first time parents and we're learning as we go like anyone else. There are definitely anxieties.
"Not many people have raised four toddlers at the same time so you're kind of on your own.
"I feel like we're doing a good job. Just the fact that there's four of them and they're all healthy and happy and growing and thriving is an amazing miracle to science and to God." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38690621 | |
US President Donald Trump's first speech - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | It was 20 minutes long and touched on jobs, patriotism, rebuilding, radical Islam and winning. We have boiled it down to two and a half. | null | It was 20 minutes long and touched on jobs, patriotism, rebuilding, radical Islam and winning. We have boiled it down to two and a half. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38699839 | |
Chelmsford Morris group's 'fit, mildly eccentric men' plea - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A decades-old Morris dancing group says it desperately needs "fit, mildly eccentric men" to join in order to keep going. | Essex | Chelmsford Morris was founded in 1972 and currently has about 30 members - but most are now women
A decades-old Morris dancing group says it desperately needs "fit, mildly eccentric men" to join in order to keep going.
Chelmsford Morris was founded in 1972 and currently has about 30 members.
However, the vast majority of members are now women and some male members are expected to retire soon.
Club bagman Celia Kemp said the the situation meant "the men of Chelmsford Morris may have to stop dancing in 2017 because of a shortage of dancers".
"Eccentricity is not a requirement but is usually the definition of a Morris dancer," says Celia Kemp
"The women's side is doing really quite well," she said. "They are going from strength to strength.
"But we really need some younger people to join. We have nine grown up sons between us and none of them have taken up Morris dancing.
"We would like people who have perhaps got fed up with the gym and who want to try something new - it is also such a good social life.
"Eccentricity is not a requirement but is usually the definition of a Morris dancer."
Dances usually involve six or eight men. But the club currently has seven male dancers who can perform most of the dances.
"That is really pushing it," says Ms Kemp, "because people have lives outside Morris and you need people in reserve." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-38663448 | |
Obama leaves Democratic party a skeleton of its former self - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | With the end of their White House rule, Democrats are left hoping for a Tea Party-style insurgency | US & Canada | Following the inaugural ceremonies, Barack and Michelle Obama - private citizens once again - were whisked off by a military helicopter stationed behind the US Capitol.
They'll spend a few days on holiday at a California desert resort before, as Mr Obama tweeted from his personal account, getting "back to work".
And, for Democrats, there's a lot of hard work to be done. With Mr Obama's departure, the party is only just beginning its long journey in the political wilderness.
Democrats have lost Congress. They've been decimated in state legislatures. Their hoped-for liberal majority on the Supreme Court was blocked by intransigent Senate Republicans. And now the presidency is gone, as well.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
In the days ahead, the party that thought it had time and demographics on its side, that saw Mr Obama's coalition of young, ethnic and educated voters as a durable governing majority, will try to figure out what, exactly, went wrong.
Ironically enough, some liberals are looking at the Tea Party grass-roots conservative movement that emerged in the months after Mr Obama became president in 2009 as a model for their path back to power.
At the time, many on the left mocked the impromptu outbursts of conservative protest - which bedevilled Democratic politicians at constituent meetings - as ill-conceived, uninformed or ineffective. Now, they point to recent efforts to confront Republican legislators over attempts to repeal Mr Obama's healthcare reform as signs of life in a dispirited party.
Democrats face a tough challenge in the days ahead. They have to settle on a leader for their national committee - resolving an ideological battle between left-wing populists and those who preach continued Obama-style moderation and incrementalism.
They need to devise a strategy to win back Congress, complicated by the fact they have to defend 10 Senate seats in the 2018 mid-term congressional elections in states that Donald Trump won. And, before too long, candidates for the 2020 presidential nomination will begin jockeying for position.
More than anything else, however, they need to begin rebuilding their party on the local and state level. Mr Obama's successes glossed over a party that is bereft of young leaders working their way up through the ranks.
At the moment, the Democratic Party is a skeleton of its former self. Until they put some meat on its bones, memories of the 2008 hope that Obama ushered in - that they were a party of destiny - will seem to liberals like a cruel joke. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38696853 | |
Liverpool 2-3 Swansea City - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Swansea lift themselves off the bottom of the Premier League table with a thrilling victory at title-challenging Liverpool. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Swansea lifted themselves off the bottom of the Premier League table and dealt a huge blow to Liverpool's title hopes with a thrilling win at Anfield.
Gylfi Sigurdsson scored from close range with 16 minutes left to give Paul Clement his first win as Swans boss and the club their first away league victory over the Reds.
Roberto Firmino had struck twice to draw the hosts level after Fernando Llorente's two goals in four minutes after the break.
The defeat leaves Liverpool seven points behind leaders Chelsea, who now have a game in hand, at home against Hull on Sunday.
The Tigers are one of three teams, along with Sunderland and Crystal Palace, leapfrogged by Swansea, who move up to 17th after only their second win in eight league games.
In the wake of last weekend's demoralising 4-0 defeat by Arsenal, Clement said Swansea would be "naive" to ignore the possibility of Premier League relegation this season.
On the evidence of their performance at Anfield, it would be equally naive of anyone to write them off.
In the space of seven days they have gone from a side who collapsed at the first setback to one capable of rallying under extreme pressure.
Their first-half defensive display - which saw them restrict Liverpool to a couple of half-chances - belied their status as the club with the division's most porous defence.
Their second-half performance was clinical, epitomised by Llorente's two strikes - a close-range finish following Federico Fernandez's header from a corner, followed by a header from Tom Carroll's cross - and Sigurdsson's decisive, well-placed finish. These were their only three efforts on target.
It was also gutsy. They had to dig very deep against a side who, before Saturday, were unbeaten in the league in over a year at home and who had scored 26 goals in their previous nine league games.
In the programme for this match, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp described October's encounter with Swansea in Wales - a 2-1 win sealed by a late James Milner penalty - as "one of the toughest we have had all season."
The German may feel the need to revise that after Saturday's game.
Despite having Philippe Coutinho back in the side - and ending the game with Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge on the pitch - the Reds were short of attacking invention and strength in the absence of Sadio Mane, who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Their failure to move the ball quickly enough in the first half meant they did not properly test Swansea's packed defence.
And while Firmino scored his first goals in six games - the first a header from Milner's cross, the second a fierce finish after he had chested down Georginio Wijnaldum's delivery - a total of five shots on target and an Adam Lallana deflected effort against the bar is scant product from nearly 75% possession.
With this result coming after successive away draws at Sunderland and Manchester United, the Reds are in danger of allowing a title challenge to slip away before February has even begun.
Their next game, at home to the league leaders, is now surely a must win.
What the managers said...
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "It's hard to accept. In the first half we created four or five chances which we didn't take.
"The start of the second half we were poor and then we played brilliantly and scored two. Then we were a bit passive and one player was alone in our box, which is completely senseless.
"The most disappointing moment was the third goal and I can't explain it as we had so many chances to challenge.
"It's really difficult to accept at this moment. It is fair Swansea won, no - but was it deserved, yes."
Swansea manager Paul Clement: "We frustrated Liverpool and defended really well. We showed great togetherness and it was a massive team effort.
"At half-time I told the players we would get at least one chance, but to get three was unbelievable.
"It's very important for the confidence of the side that we can come to a big team and get a result. We need to work hard on the training pitch and make sure we get another result in 10 days' time."
Reds first to 50 goals - the stats you need to know
• None Liverpool's unbeaten Premier League run at Anfield has ended after 17 matches (11 wins, six draws).
• None Firmino has scored three goals in his past two Premier League games against Swansea.
• None Llorente has now scored eight Premier League goals but his first two away from home.
• None Liverpool conceded three goals at Anfield in a league game for only the second time under Klopp.
• None The Reds are the first Premier League team score 50 goals this season, while Swansea are the first to concede 50 (both now on 51).
• None Swansea have won back-to-back away league games in the same season for the first time since May 2015.
Liverpool will attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Southampton in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg on Wednesday (kick-off 20:00 GMT). The Reds then welcome Wolves to Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round on 28 January (12:30), before another home game - the big one in the Premier League against Chelsea - at 20:00 on 31 January.
Swansea's involvement in the FA Cup ended in the last round so their next game is at home against Southampton in the Premier League on 31 January (19:45).
• None Substitution, Swansea City. Jay Fulton replaces Leroy Fer because of an injury.
• None Offside, Liverpool. Dejan Lovren tries a through ball, but Divock Origi is caught offside.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match Leroy Fer (Swansea City) because of an injury.
• None Leroy Fer (Swansea City) has gone down, but that's a dive.
• None Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Divock Origi with a headed pass.
• None Attempt missed. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick.
• None Attempt missed. Adam Lallana (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Daniel Sturridge.
• None Attempt missed. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38620045 | |
Week in pictures: 14-20 January 2017 - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A selection of the best news photographs from around the world, taken over the past week. | In Pictures | Ice skaters competed in the women's platoon during the first ice skating marathon on natural ice in Noordlaren, the Netherlands. Skating on natural ice in the Netherlands reportedly dates back into the 13th Century when it was a method to get fast and easily from one place to another on the frozen canals in the country. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38688378 | |
Empathy and education in the age of Trump - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A Davos cocktail party may not, at first, seem like the ideal place to teach people to understand those with whom they disagree, but that's what some academics are doing. | Business | Donald Trump has been sworn in as president, after running a divisive campaign
The rarefied environs of a Davos cocktail party may not, at first, seem like the ideal place to teach people to understand those with whom they disagree.
But Peter Salovey thinks there is no better place to preach the gospel of empathy.
As president of Yale, he has direct access to the university's distinguished alumni. Some, such as Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman and Chinese billionaire Zhang Lei, are the very epitome of the so-called global elites against whom there has been somewhat of a populist backlash in the past year.
Prof Salovey comes to the World Economic Forum with a message.
He says the business leaders in Davos would do well to understand the ordinary men and women behind populist uprisings, such as the one in his own country, which culminated on Friday with the inauguration as President of such an unlikely candidate as Donald Trump.
"We live in a complex world, a world where our fellow citizens are telling us that they feel left out," says the convivial psychology professor.
In such times, he adds, reaching across cultural, political and economic divides is more important than ever, and Prof Salovey thinks he knows how to help Davos delegates do just that.
Prof Salovey says the Davos elite must try to understand what has driven populist uprisings
"How does one learn how to listen, how does one learn how to think critically, how does one learn how to communicate? And how does one learn to develop emotional intelligence, the ability to empathise with another person?"
The answer, he says, lies in education - in particular, the humanities.
To that end, the function room at the Belvedere Hotel in which Yale's annual reception is held features some rather novel exhibits, at least for a forum mostly dedicated to dealing with the immediate present.
In conjunction with the Smithsonian, delegates can explore some of the world's most endangered languages by watching interactive videos of their last remaining native speakers, or flick through an archive of pictures displaying ordinary Americans at work in factories and farms - taken for propaganda purposes at the behest of Franklin D Roosevelt, in order to highlight the success of his New Deal.
Perusing such artefacts, says Prof Salovey, can help the gathered Davos crowd grapple with complex problems such us: "What are the fundamental problems that humans have grappled with for millennia? What are ways in which we share a common humanity?"
Davos delegates at Yale's annual reception can look through old photographs to try to learn from the past
He says people do feel that they have worked hard and paid their dues, and yet still they feel downwardly mobile. "That's not the American dream," he adds.
One person who understands the American dream all too well is Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), which was opened to great fanfare by President Obama in Washington just a few months ago.
President Obama, pictured here with Lonnie Bunch at a reception at the White House a day before opening the NMAAHC
Since then, nearly a million people have wandered through its doors, and encountered one of America's darkest moments, in slavery, and one of its greatest strengths, in the huge contributions of African Americans to the country's cultural makeup.
"I think it is crucially important in the times we are living in to be able to give people a sense of hope and possibility, but to also help them understand that despite how bad you may think things are, they were once worse, and people struggled to improve, across racial lines," says Mr Bunch.
Addressing the assembled businessmen and women, he says: "You can't be a good businessman without understanding the societal issues that have shaped the moment you are in.
"Businessmen always forecast what they think is the next trend. Part of that comes from understanding the past.
"What we want is not only for people to understand the past but also to bring those skills of the humanities - critical thinking, nuance, ambiguity - to basically be able to be nimble, to wrestle with a variety of issues, not just have a single point of view."
However, Mr Bunch stresses, "change doesn't happen without struggle, without sacrifice."
Alluding to the incoming US administration, the historian says that it is "incumbent upon all who enter the museum to be an activist, to help make America better".
Mr Bunch has been director of the Smithsonian Institution's NMAAHC since 2005
For his part, Prof Salovey is committed to defending the values of educational institutions such as Yale, not just as bastions of free expression, but also as havens for diversity.
"We believe that the most stimulating educational environment that we could create comes when we have a wonderful mix of the world on our campus," he says, in a thinly veiled broadside at Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric.
"We have policies on campus who support students called 'Dreamers', who came to the US as children, but perhaps their parents were not documented.
"We support DACA, the act that gives a status to people whose immigration status may be ambiguous, or undocumented."
Prof Salovey cites his own family heritage - his grandparents, he says, were uneducated immigrants and education lifted their children out of poverty.
This, he says, is the American value he most wants to protect.
"We want to educate the world," he emphasises.
"I'm not willing to give up on that, and I will advocate as vigorously as I know how, to continue that tradition in all of our institutions of higher learning." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38695006 | |
Eight ways President Donald Trump will make history - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | From his bank balance to his lack of pets - here's how Donald Trump is making presidential history. | US & Canada | Donald Trump has already pulled off a series of presidential "firsts"
Donald Trump is guaranteed to make history as the 45th president of the United States.
And whether you love or loathe him, it's a fact that the Republican will set a range of records as soon as he occupies the Oval Office.
From his age to his bank balance, via his notable lack of pets - here are just some of "The Donald's" historic "firsts".
Donald Trump celebrated his 70th birthday on 14 June, which makes him the oldest man in US history to assume the presidency. The previous record-holder, Ronald Reagan, was 69 when he took office in 1981.
Perhaps keen to allay fears about his senior status, the business mogul had his doctor prepare a gushing letter pledging that he would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency".
Right-wing Indian activists celebrate The Donald's 70th birthday in New Delhi
The average age of all 44 previous incoming presidents is a sprightly 55.
The youngest ever incumbent - Theodore Roosevelt - got the job aged 42 years and 322 days, after President William McKinley's assassination in 1901.
Mr Trump is the first billionaire president. Exact estimates of his personal wealth vary, with Forbes putting it at $3.7bn (£3bn) and the man himself claiming in a statement that it's "in excess of TEN BILLION DOLLARS".
Many of America's past presidents have also been extremely wealthy, of course. Recent estimates say George Washington's estate would be worth half a billion in today's dollars.
Donald Trump has said he will take only a dollar in salary - like former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger (L)
Before his 1963 assassination, JFK reportedly lived off a $10m trust fund thanks to the vast wealth of his father - investor and alleged bootlegger Joseph P Kennedy, Sr.
Mr Trump will be following in the footsteps of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger by taking just a symbolic dollar as a salary.
When Mr Trump began unveiling his cabinet picks, the number with fat wallets quickly drew the scorn of Democrats.
"Donald Trump's administration: of, by and for the millionaires and billionaires," tweeted Vermont Senator and Democrat presidential contender Bernie Sanders.
For better or worse, this will be the wealthiest administration in modern American history.
According to the Washington Post, commerce secretary nominee Wilbur Ross is worth around $2.5bn on his own - roughly 10 times what George W Bush's first cabinet were worth in 2001, when the media branded them an assembly of millionaires.
Treasury appointee Steven Mnuchin quite literally bought a bank after 17 years at Goldman Sachs, and reports put his wealth at over $40m.
It has been estimated that the cabinet could be good for an eye-watering $35bn, all told. As Quartz pointed out, this is more than the annual gross domestic product of Bolivia.
Mr Trump's triumph is also significant because, until now, no-one has been elected president in more than 60 years without experience as a state governor or in Congress.
The last president with no political experience, Dwight Eisenhower, was Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War Two, before he was elected to office in 1953.
Some Trump voters saw his lack of political experience as a guarantee of authenticity
But as Mr Trump tells it, his lack of links to the Washington establishment is an asset not a flaw - and more than made up for by his experience as a deal-maker.
Mr Trump has named his son-in-law, real estate developer Jared Kushner, as a senior adviser - prompting cries of nepotism from opponents.
Some claim the appointment makes the 36-year-old the most powerful presidential son-in-law in US history.
He isn't the first to fit that profile, however.
President Woodrow Wilson's Treasury Secretary, William Gibbs McAdoo, was also married to his daughter, Eleanor.
First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are set to wield considerable clout
That said, their case pre-dates America's 1967 anti-nepotism statute, and Mr McAdoo was already a cabinet secretary when he wed.
Ivanka Trump, Mr Trump's elder daughter and wife of Mr Kushner, is also being spoken of as the most influential "First Daughter" ever.
So much fuss has been made of what Donald Trump owns that you might have missed one glaring absence - a pet.
It looks likely that he'll be the first US President in over a century not to have an animal pal in the White House, after plans to have him adopt a goldendoodle dog reportedly fell through.
According to the Presidential Pet Museum, almost every commander-in-chief has had a pet, and some had a virtual menagerie.
John F Kennedy stands out for owning a veritable Noah's Ark - everything from a rabbit named Zsa Zsa to a canary called Robin - but the crown belongs to Calvin and Grace Coolidge (White House occupants from 1923-1929), who the museum says "quite literally had a zoo".
Barack Obama's Portuguese Water Dog, Bo, is among the more traditional pets to live at the White House
Their animal companions included at least a dozen dogs, a donkey named Ebenezer, and various creatures presented as gifts by foreign dignitaries - among them lion cubs, a wallaby, a pygmy hippo named Billy, and a black bear.
Donald Trump won the presidency on a pro-job platform, and has blamed free-trade policies for the collapse of the US manufacturing industry.
This is a rare stance for a US president, probably last seen in his fellow Republican Herbert Hoover in the 1930s.
In September 2015, Mr Trump told the Economist China is "killing us", and that millions of Americans are "tired of being ripped off".
He said that as president, he would consider a 12% import tax to make the Chinese "stop playing games".
During his election campaign, Mr Trump also threatened to rip up Nafta, the free trade agreement between Canada, the US and Mexico, which has been in place for 23 years.
The Republican has long been opposed to the TPP, which he views as a poor deal for the US
He also vowed that the US would quit the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, a 12-nation agreement, on his first day in the White House.
Former model Melania Trump is as trailblazing as her husband.
She will be the first presidential spouse from Slovenia, and the first non-native English speaker.
She is only the second FLOTUS born outside the US, though - the first being Louisa Adams, wife of the sixth US President, John Quincy Adams (1825-1829), who was born in London.
As Mr Trump has been married twice before, Melania will also be the first third wife to reside in the White House. The only other US president to have divorced was Ronald Reagan, who split from his first wife, actress Jane Wyman, long before leading the nation.
Melania speaks Slovenian, English, French, German, and Serbian, and may be the most competent linguist to hold the role of FLOTUS.
Melania Trump will be the first non-native English speaker to be FLOTUS
She is the first president's wife to have posed nude, for GQ magazine in 2000 among others.
Mr Trump is no stranger to men's magazines either. He appeared on the cover of Playboy in March 1990 with the tag-line: "Nice magazine, want to sell it?" | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38637123 | |
#WomensMarch against Donald Trump around the world - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A day after his inauguration, women around the world march to protest at Donald Trump's election. | In Pictures | President Obama may have been out of office for only one day, but it was enough for this woman to express her loss in London | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38703840 | |
World landmarks recreated with Lego - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | An artist has recreated more than 70 global landmarks using Lego bricks. | null | More than 70 famous world landmarks have been recreated with Lego.
The models were put together by professional Lego builder Warren Elsmore and feature a new exhibition at The Harley Gallery in Nottinghamshire.
Mr Elsmore said each creation could take several months to build. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-38697427 | |
Bulls and bullying: the fight over animal rights and tradition - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Australian Open 2017: Rafael Nadal beats Alexander Zverev in five sets - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Rafael Nadal beats German teenager Alexander Zverev in five sets in the third round of the Australian Open. | 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.
Former champion Rafael Nadal overcame rising star Alexander Zverev in a gripping contest to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The Spaniard, who won the title in 2009, came through 4-6 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 in four hours and six minutes.
Zverev, 19, had recovered a break early in the final set before requiring treatment for cramp.
Nadal, 30, goes on to face France's Gael Monfils, who beat German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-6 (7-1) 6-4.
Canadian third seed Milos Raonic made it through to the last 16 with a 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-3 win over Frenchman Gilles Simon.
• Watch highlights of day six on BBC Two from 15:05 GMT on Saturday.
Zverev has long been touted as a future world number one and it appeared as though he would make his Grand Slam breakthrough against Nadal.
The teenager's big serve and brilliant backhand earned him a 2-1 lead after three sets, only for ninth seed Nadal to battle his way back in characteristic fashion.
It is almost three years since Nadal won his 14th major title at the 2014 French Open, and that was the last time he got past the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam.
Injuries have taken their toll, but it was Zverev whose fitness failed him in the closing stages on Rod Laver Arena.
• None How to follow the Australian Open on the BBC
The German won a gruelling 37-shot early in the final set but the damage was done as he could not recover fully, despite treatment from the trainer.
"I won by fighting and running a lot," said Nadal. "I think everybody knows how good Alexander is. He's the future of our sport and the present too.
"It's been a very tough match for me. I didn't start playing my best and I was not feeling very well because I was losing too much court. When I felt I was feeling better I had more time to control from the baseline.
"It was a close one but he deserved to play a little more aggressive than me. I had to fight for every point."
Denis Istomin, the qualifier from Uzbekistan who stunned Novak Djokovic in round two, produced another superb effort to beat Spanish 30th seed Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 4-6 6-4 4-6 6-2.
He will next play 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian produced a stunning performance to beat French 18th seed Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Belgian 11th seed David Goffin impressed with a 6-3 6-2 6-4 win over Croatia's Ivo Karlovic, setting up a clash with Austrian eighth seed Dominic Thiem, who beat Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Thirteenth seed Roberto Bautista won the all-Spanish battle with 21st seed David Ferrer 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 and next faces Raonic. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/38702869 | |
Global protests on Donald Trump inauguration day - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | Protests were held around the world as Donald Trump became the new president of the United States. | null | Protests were held around the world as Donald Trump became the new president of the United States. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38699844 | |
T2 Trainspotting: Critics praise film sequel - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Critics broadly praise T2 Trainspotting, but many note it will not have the same impact as the original. | Entertainment & Arts | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. T2 Trainspotting: What would you choose?
T2 Trainspotting has received broadly positive reviews from critics, although many noted it will not have the same impact as the original.
The sequel to 1996's Trainspotting sees most of the original cast reunited with director Danny Boyle.
Kate Muir of The Times said the film was "like riding a tragi-comic wave".
"The original actors have matured well, and while the lunatic enthusiasm of their youth has disappeared, they give their nuanced all here," she added.
Based on the Irvine Welsh novel Porno, T2 Trainspotting is set in the present day with the main characters now in middle age.
Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner have all reprised their roles for the new film.
Writing in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw said: "Reuniting the cast of Trainspotting for a new adventure 21 years on could have gone badly.
"But Boyle and his four musketeers give it just the right frantic, jaded energy and manic anxiety."
He added that while "T2 isn't as good as T1", it "has the same punchy energy, the same defiant pessimism, and there's nothing around like this".
Danny Boyle (far right) directed both the original Trainspotting and the sequel
Boyle's masterstroke is to tackle the passing of time head-on. Where the characters in the original film were blissfully insouciant about their self-destructive hedonism, they are here all too aware of the cul-de-sacs and dead ends at which they've now arrived.
They are, to quote T2's most striking line, "tourists in their own youth" - a description that applies just as much to the audience member who goes to the film hoping to have the same giddy high they experienced two decades ago.
Overall, is it as good as the original? The answer is no - but it comes pretty darn close.
However, The Scotsman's Alistair Harkness was less positive about the film, awarding it three stars.
"The best that can be said about the new film is that it hasn't completely tarnished the original," he wrote.
"Boyle's frenetic, collage-like directing style gives the film a trying-too-hard feel and even though some of it does jolt T2 to life, the cast doesn't always have the emotional range to make it cohere."
The original cast have reunited for T2 Trainspotting
The Telegraph's Robbie Collin also gave the movie three stars.
"There's no chance of its successor matching that legacy, but it won't tarnish it either. Though the film feeds on its forerunner, it's worthwhile on its own terms," he said.
The Hollywood Reporter's Neil Young wrote: "T2 never threatens to find its own distinctive voice."
He also pointed out the female characters "are very much on the sidelines, even more so than in Trainspotting".
"Kelly MacDonald pops up for a one-scene, two-minute cameo (which nevertheless somehow nabs her fifth billing)," he said.
But the Scottish Daily Record's Chris Hunneysett was more positive, calling the film "an addictive hit of pure cinema".
He said that while it "won't capture the youthful zeitgeist the way Trainspotting did", Boyle "has created an unapologetically abrasive tale of longevity, loyalty and friendship".
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38689704 | |
Donald Trump protests: 'Why I've decided to march' - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Ronnie O'Sullivan in 12th Masters final to play Joe Perry - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
A message of hope at Washington march - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | More than half a million people demand to be heard a day after Donald Trump is elected. | US & Canada | For such a divisive figure, Donald Trump managed to unify hundreds of thousands of Americans at the Women's March on Washington.
Moments after Mr Trump was sworn in as the 45th president on Friday, he delivered a thundering speech in which he promised to improve the lives of millions of Americans.
A day later, throngs of women, men and children streamed into the same area where he made that pledge, in order to take a stand for gender and racial equality.
Though Mr Trump's named was mentioned frequently, the march, which organisers estimate attracted more than half a million, was not only about the new US president.
Messages ranged from "Thank you for making me an activist Trump" to "We will not be silenced," but the common thread throughout the patchwork of signs was hope.
"It's about solidarity and visualising the resistance," said Jonathon Meier, who took a bus from New York.
"And I think it not only helps with the healing process, but it gives me hope for the next four years."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Washington DC is leading anti-Trump protests around the world.
A sea of activists, some clad in knitted, pink "pussy" hats and others draped in American flags, ambled about the National Mall, stopping to catch a glimpse of some of the high-profile speakers and singing along to songs like "This Little Light of Mine".
Peppered among the many protest signs were images of ovaries and female genitals, a nod to concerns over losing access to birth control and abortion care under a Trump administration.
Jellema Stewart, who travelled from Buffalo, New York, said she was marching for her grandmother, who died at age 38 during an illegal abortion in the 1950s.
"I'm here to make sure her voice is heard," she said. "I marched in 2004 for reproductive rights and it's now 2017 and we're still fighting for the same thing."
Ms Stewart also said she was energised by thousands at the rally, insisting that it sends a message to the new president.
"He gave racism a voice again," she said of Mr Trump. "So we have to be louder than the racism and discrimination that came out of this election and show him that we are definitely a force. To show him that we count and we will be watching."
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All eyes across the world seemed to be watching, not only the march in Washington, but the dozens of other sister marches that took place in more than 60 countries.
Aerial images showed thousands massing in so-called "solidarity marches" in the UK, Canada, and Australia as well as in US cities including New York, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.
For demonstrator Chrystian Woods, the marches signalled that the US would not be defined by who was in White House.
"It's not about being anti-Trump," she explained.
"It's letting the world know that America is more than just that. America is love, inclusiveness and unity and that America is accepting people who are not like us."
"I believe deeply this country is for all of us," said Brooklyn resident Amy Briggs.
"I would have been very dejected yesterday if I wasn't able to be here and experience this solidarity," she said as a young female approached her to sign a rainbow flag.
The mood was festive among the peaceful protesters, but some were cautious about what comes after the pink hats come off.
Leigh Caputo, a Baltimore public school teacher, said she did not want people to think a march was the only solution.
"I'm hopeful that this [march] mobilises people because there's a lot of work to be done," said Ms Caputo.
In the months leading up to the event, the organisers faced intense scrutiny over claims that the name exploited past African-American movements and catered to white women.
Critics on Facebook told white women to "check their privilege", leading to heated discussions about racial divisions and what the march could achieve.
It is difficult to ignore the fact that 53% of white women did vote for Mr Trump while the female half of more than 90 million eligible voters did not cast a ballot at all. So what about the sea of white women at the march?
Lesley Mansfield, who travelled from Sante Fe, New Mexico, agreed that it was puzzling that so many women voted for Mr Trump.
"It's a reality we have to be aware of," she said. "But being here reminds us that there are people who think like we do - like the majority who voted for Hillary Clinton."
Those sobering statistics did not seem to loom over those in attendance on Saturday, and like the Trump supporters who stood in the same spot 24 hours earlier, they were full of hope for America's future. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38707986 | |
Trump inauguration speech: 'Angry', 'authentic', 'primal' - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Conservative commentators react to Trump's speech online. | US & Canada | Donald Trump campaigned on becoming a president unlike any Washington has ever seen. With his inauguration speech, he's already set the tone.
Earlier this week, Trump posted a photo of himself sitting at a desk at Mar-a-Largo, a permanent marker hovering over a notepad.
"Writing my inaugural address at the Winter White House, Mar-a-Lago, three weeks ago. Looking forward to Friday," he tweeted.
It's unclear whether the president-elect actually wrote the speech himself, but the content was pure Trump: the same populist message that resonated throughout the primaries and the campaign.
"Today, we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, DC, and giving it back to you, the people," he said at the beginning of his remarks.
For some on Twitter, it bore an eerie similarity to the Batman villain Bane's speech in The Dark Night Rises, so much so that someone posted a 10-second mash-up of the two.
But such snarky reactions, warned Fox News commentator Guy Benson, underestimate how popular his rhetoric is with Trump supporters.
"People panning the speech still don't seem to understand how resonant the 'I will never ignore you' theme has been, and still is," he wrote, referencing Trump's many callouts to those who feel left out of American progress.
Trump spoke of a country whose citizens had too long been ignored by the coastal elite: "Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs. And while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land."
He painted a picture of a broken and damaged country, dotted with rusting-out factories "like tombstones", city streets plagued with "crime and the gangs, and the drugs that have stolen too many lives," and the wealth of the middle class "ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world".
It was an unusually bleak speech for an inaugural address.
According to MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, the speech was not intended to follow tradition: "Donald Trump's speech was not an inaugural address. It was a primal scream aimed at Washington, DC."
Author Hugh Hewitt called it "authentic, determined, almost grim". He wrote, "I expected more joy, but it cannot be said that POTUS @realDonaldTrump said anything he hasn't said before. He has a plan and it's going to roll out fast."
Others were sceptical of the breadth of those plans. Trump said the country was poised to "free the earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow", as well as "eradicate from the face of the Earth" radical Islamic terrorism.
Writer Ben Shapiro expressed doubt about Trump's plans to both take power away from DC, and use his position as President to steer trade and create jobs.
"These cannot both be true," he wrote.
Many also noted that it's easy to campaign as an outsider, railing about America's problems, but harder to lead, when one must find solutions.
"After three months in which Trump is president and it's still the same Washington, that speech is going to seem wildly imprudent," wrote Noah Rothman, assistant editor at Commentary Magazine.
Commentator Mary Katherine Hahn thinks voters aren't interested in sweeping rhetoric. "I am unabashedly ideological. The country is not. His message is populist & popular. His opponents dismiss that at their political peril."
Pollster Frank Luntz said President Trump seemed to pivot, if not in tone then at least in substance: "President Trump's inaugural speech was the best delivery I've ever seen from him."
A more well-known conservative kept mum on his opinion. When the Washington Post asked George W Bush what he thought of the speech, he merely replied, "Good to see you."
One high-profile Twitter user was an unabashed fan. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke tweeted multiple times in favour of Trump's speech. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38697908 | |
Manchester City 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Tottenham recover from two goals down to snatch a point from Manchester City, as Gabriel Jesus is denied a goal on his debut. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Son Heung-Min earned Tottenham a point in controversial circumstances as they came from two goals down to earn a draw at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's side, looking to bounce back from a 4-0 loss at Everton, had swept into that commanding advantage courtesy of two uncharacteristic errors from Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris.
France international Lloris headed an attempted clearance straight at Leroy Sane four minutes after half-time to allow the City attacker a simple finish, then dropped Raheem Sterling's routine cross straight at Kevin De Bruyne's feet five minutes later.
Spurs responded swiftly through Dele Alli's header before they were the beneficiaries of a decision that left Guardiola raging and paved the way for the visitors to scramble a point.
Referee Andre Marriner ignored Kyle Walker's push on Sterling as he raced into the area - and seconds later Son swept a low finish past City keeper Claudio Bravo with 13 minutes left.
City pressed for a winner but were frustrated once more when Brazilian teenager Gabriel Jesus, on as for his debut as a substitute for Sterling, saw an effort ruled out for offside.
The result means Man City remain fifth, three points off second-place Tottenham and nine away from leaders Chelsea, who play Hull City on Sunday.
City boss Guardiola will have few complaints about the manner of their performance but they were let down by the familiar failing of a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.
City played with verve and intensity as they penned Spurs back, but Sergio Aguero was frustrated on several occasions by Lloris, Pablo Zabaleta shot inches wide, Sterling missed that vital opportunity after he was fouled. New boy Jesus also headed inches wide.
Guardiola's animated body language spoke of his frustration - but there was also fury at the key incident - Sterling was shoved by Walker in the area seconds before Spurs attacked for Son to equalise.
He had every right to be angry. City deserved victory and for all the justified criticism aimed in their direction, there was not too much wrong with this performance.
Manchester City's Bravo provided the pre-match narrative with his growing reputation as the goalkeeper who rarely makes a save - but it was the man regarded as one of Europe's finest who was almost the real villain of the piece here.
Bravo was again the goalkeeping bystander as he extended his miserable recent sequence, but Tottenham's Lloris suffered a rare nightmare display and takes responsibility for both City goals.
He should have done better than head a routine long ball against Sane for the opener, while his fumble that led to De Bruyne's second was the sort of work he would normally complete without a second thought.
Bravo was powerless for the Spurs goals - although today's two goals make it 16 from the last 24 attempts on target against him - but Lloris' misfortune was proof of how matches, and the the reputation of even the best goalkeepers, can be decided by the finest margins.
Lloris has saved Spurs on many occasions but today he was saved by his colleagues.
Mauricio Pochettino's side would not put this display anywhere near the top of any list of their best performances this season - but they may come to regard this as a priceless point earned without playing well.
Spurs were over-run for much of the game, unsettled in possession by the pressure applied by City, but showed resilience and determination to get a draw they barely deserved.
They were also grateful for City's generosity in front of goal as they wasted as succession of chances, and to referee Marriner for refusing what appeared to be a clear penalty when Walker shoved Sterling as he raced clear in what proved to be a decisive moment.
Spurs' travelling fans celebrated as if this was a victory at the final whistle. Some days you just take the point and get home - to be able to do that at the home of close rivals will make it taste even sweeter.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport: "We played good, it was an outstanding performance but it's a pity what happened. All you can do is create and play better and better but it is the same for the whole season. We are upset, sad at what happened but I am so proud about what we did and the players don't deserve that again.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino told BBC Sport: "It was a tough game for both sides. It is true, they were better in the first half and maybe deserved more, it was lucky for us to be 0-0 but in the second half the game was more balanced. We conceded two and it was difficult to come back but they always believed, that is important. It's a massive point for us.
• None Manchester City failed to win a Premier League game they were two or more goals ahead in for the first time since December 2014 against Burnley.
• None Six of Son Heung-min's seven Premier League goals this season have been scored away from home.
• None Dele Alli has scored more Premier League goals this season (11 in 21 games) than he had in the whole of last season (10 in 33).
• None Hugo Lloris made two errors leading to goals in the match - the first goalkeeper to do so in a Premier League match since Joel Robles in May 2016.
Tottenham return to league action on 31 January against Sunderland, after their FA Cup fourth-round tie with Wycombe next Saturday.
Manchester City travel to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on 28 January before meeting West Ham on 1 February.
• None Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Moussa Sissoko tries a through ball, but Harry Kane is caught offside.
• None Offside, Manchester City. Leroy Sané tries a through ball, but Sergio Agüero is caught offside.
• None Victor Wanyama (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt missed. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) header from the left side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Aleksandar Kolarov with a cross following a set piece situation.
• None Offside, Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne tries a through ball, but Gabriel Jesus is caught offside.
• None Attempt missed. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by David Silva.
• None Attempt missed. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne with a cross. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38620041 | |
France's Socialists open battle for party's future - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | France picks its Socialist presidential nominee in a fight for the party's direction, even its survival. | Europe | Seven candidates are vying for the Socialist nomination, including one woman, Sylvia Pinel
France is choosing its left-wing presidential candidate this weekend, in what is seen as a crucial test for the direction - even the survival - of the governing Socialist Party.
Six men and one woman are competing for the nomination, with former Prime Minister Manuel Valls currently seen as the frontrunner. But will this contest go any way to uniting a Left bitterly divided by five years in power, and a president too unpopular to seek a second term?
With the tide out, the muddy inlet of Saint-Brieuc seems to sleep in the watery afternoon sun. Its shore deserted but for two Portuguese men picking their way along the sand, looking for worms.
The northern coast of Brittany has until recently been a staunch Socialist area
Above them, a small, green-topped lighthouse sits on the rocks, and basking in the wan sunlight at its foot is a local pensioner, Patrick Labbe.
"This is a left-wing stronghold," Patrick told me. "But that's less and less the case. The Socialist Party has been a disaster on social issues - just look around Saint-Brieuc and you'll see so much destitution."
Saint-Brieuc sits on the northern coast of Brittany; one of the most reliably Socialist regions in France, and a source of support for left-wing candidates seeking to win the first round of the primary contest on 22 January.
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But Patrick says attitudes are changing: "I voted for [President] Hollande, and like a lot of French I'm disappointed."
"The Socialist Party will struggle to pick itself up. There's a lot of abstention. People are turning to the extremes, in particular Marine Le Pen. Those who are really disappointed want a big change."
Sparking interest in this primary is seen as crucial to reviving the chances of France's governing party, and uniting a scattered field of candidates on the left.
As Patrick Labbe headed home on his bicycle, Manuel Valls was arriving at a local factory a few kilometres away, to drum up some support.
Peering into the cabs of armoured cars, as men in blue overalls applied the finishing seals, Mr Valls seemed as coolly polite as the atmosphere itself, the workers barely glancing up as their former prime minister passed by.
Manuel Valls (R) is currently favourite but Arnaud Montebourg (L) is seen as one of his two main challengers
Mr Valls is the favourite to win the left-wing nomination - seen as more authoritative and experienced, according to one poll, if a little remote.
But after serving as prime minister to France's least popular post-war president, and forcing through some of the government's most hated liberal reforms, his challenge has been to reinvent himself as a unifier of the Left.
Since launching his campaign, the former prime minister has reversed his position on key issues like labour rights, and the government's use of the constitution to bypass parliament.
One opinion poll suggested Benoit Hamon (R) could win the nomination if he went through to the run-off
Perhaps it's no surprise, given the strong competition from party rebel Arnaud Montebourg, who has been snapping at his heels for weeks. A former industry minister, who was sacked after refusing to support Mr Valls's liberal reforms, he's promised an end to austerity and more investment.
And in the past couple of days, hard-left candidate, Benoit Hamon, has surged from behind to challenge Mr Montebourg for a place in the primary run-off on 29 January. Among his core proposals are a monthly payment of €750 (£650; $800) to every French citizen, regardless of income; and the legalisation of cannabis.
A fourth Socialist party candidate and former education minister, Vincent Peillon, is trying to catch up with them with plans to revamp Europe, lower taxes on the poor and invest in green technology.
Three hopefuls from other left-wing parties are currently trailing well behind: Sylvia Pinel (Radical Party of the Left), Jean-Luc Bennahmias (Democratic Front) and Francois de Rugy (Ecology party).
Far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon (L) and Emmanuel Macron are both polling ahead of all the Socialist candidates
But the real competition could come from outside the primary itself, because two of the Left's most popular politicians aren't even taking part.
Jean-Luc Melenchon is running for the presidency on his own, far-left ticket, and could pose a real challenge to candidates like Mr Montebourg or Mr Hamon, should they win.
And then there's Emmanuel Macron, the renegade protege of President Hollande, who resigned from his ministerial post to launch a new political movement called En Marche, promising liberal values and a fresh approach to politics.
His growing appeal among young voters has surprised many sceptics who initially wrote him off as a "champagne bubble" that would quickly burst.
These days his presidential campaign attracts crowds in their thousands, where the leading primary candidates manage only hundreds.
Mr Macron classes his movement as "neither left nor right" but his centrist agenda is attracting many formerly Socialist voters.
The truth about this primary contest is that whoever wins the nomination could quickly find themselves face to face with the real battle for the Left.
Follow BBC News coverage on the French presidential election campaign here
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38676370 | |
Presidential inaugural ball: Trumps enjoy first dance - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have the first dance at the inaugural ball. | null | President Donald Trump and his wife First Lady Melania Trump have the first dance at the inaugural ball. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38702978 | |
Trump's @POTUS Twitter account used Obama crowd image - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Donald Trump's account is rapidly evolving after using an image of Barack Obama's 2013 inauguration | US & Canada | Donald Trump changed the image at the top of his new @POTUS account after Twitter users spotted it was from Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.
Mr Trump inherited the official presidential account as he was sworn in as America's 45th president.
The original image showed flag-waving crowds in front of the US Capitol.
But it was changed about an hour later, amid claims from Mr Trump's opponents that crowds at his inauguration were not as large as in 2013.
Trump supporters on social media branded claims Mr Trump was trying to make his inauguration appear better-attended "pathetic" and a "non-story".
The header image has since changed again from a stock picture of an American flag to an image of the new president gazing out of a window.
Mr Trump's @POTUS account has gained millions of followers since its launch, as all 13.6m followers of Barack Obama's account - now archived at @POTUS44 - are in the process of being ported over to the new Trump account.
The new president's first tweet was a link to a Facebook post of the full text of his inauguration address.
His former twitter account still has more than 20m followers.
The header image was changed again shortly afterwards
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Trump said his inauguration would have "an unbelievable, perhaps record-setting turnout".
But the number of people who turned out to view his midday swearing-in appeared to be smaller than the estimated two million who turned out for Obama.
Images of the National Mall, taken from the top of the Washington Monument, showed sections of the white matting laid down to protect the grass were largely empty.
There will be no official estimate of the crowd's size to settle the issue.
Obama's 2009 inauguration (top) appeared to be better attended
For decades, the US National Park Service provided official crowd estimates for gatherings on the National Mall.
But the agency stopped providing counts after organisers at 1995's Million Man March threatened a lawsuit. They complained that the National Park Service undercounted attendance at the march.
More people turned out to witness Mr Trump and his entourage travelling along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House on Friday afternoon. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38698837 | |
Melbourne car deaths: Mobile footage shows driver - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | A bystander films the driver of a car arrested in Melbourne in connection with the death of three pedestrians struck by a vehicle. | null | Three people, including a young child, have died after a car deliberately hit pedestrians in central Melbourne, police say.
At least 29 people were injured, among them a baby who is in a critical condition after the car hit a pram.
Police have arrested the driver but say the incident was not terror-related.
Footage filmed by a bystander showed a maroon car driving in circles in front of nearby Flinders Street railway station. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-38688521 | |
Chapecoense: Brazilian team prepare for first game since plane crash - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | Those closely affected by the Chapecoense tragedy speak to the BBC on the eve of the club's first match since the fatal plane crash. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Sirli Freitas took one, final phone call from her husband Cleberson Silva before he had to switch off his phone.
"There was so much background noise," she said. "So much laughter and fun.
"I said, 'are you really on a plane, or in a bar?'"
Journalist Silva was on a plane that went down in the Andes on 29 November. He was one of 71 people who died along with almost the entire Chapecoense football team.
The players were en route to the biggest match in the club's 43-year history, the final of the Copa Sudamericana against Colombia's Atletico Nacional.
On Saturday, Chapecoense will play their first match since the crash - a friendly against defending Brazilian league champions Palmeiras.
The people of Chapeco will, once-again, fill the small Arena Conda to see some of the 22 new players who make up the squad.
Three of the six survivors were players, including central defender Neto, who was one of the team's leaders.
He lay for six hours, trapped beneath the fuselage and trees, before being the last to be pulled out.
"I remember the lights went out suddenly, then I started praying, asking God to help us," he said. "But a lot of people thought the plane was just landing, because it was not an abrupt fall.
"I remember the moment that I couldn't hear the plane engine anymore. It was just the wind, and then an alarm.
"But no-one got desperate, there was a lot of people praying. These are the last memories I have."
When Neto woke up in hospital, he was told he had been injured in the match because nobody knew quite how to break the news to him.
But the truth dawned on him when there were no video clips of the match or evidence of his injury.
Chapeco is a quiet, unassuming city with an air of settled contentment. Its population of about 209,553 is only slightly higher than the number of people who crammed into the Maracana Stadium to watch the 1950 World Cup final between Uruguay and Brazil.
But they form a tight-knit community, and a major part of that is the Chapecoense football team.
Club flags and signs adorn shops and bars all over the city.
The relationship between citizens and club is one of mutual and humble respect and affection, according to 41-year-old Karina Dini.
"It was a strong bond, we were all a family," she said, sitting in the office of the language school she runs with her husband.
"There weren't any players who were going to parties or anything. Most of them were very committed. We could meet them in restaurants or the supermarket.
"It was amazing because players from the first division don't get that contact with people. They have big cars, they can't talk to people."
Like Karina, whose husband's uncle died in the crash, most people here know someone who was on the plane, or someone, like Sirli Freitas, who's been affected directly.
"My eight-year-old son understands [what happened], but his sister, who's three, still asks for her dad even though she knows he's not here any more," she said, through tears.
"If you ask her about him, she says that he was on the plane that crashed, but but at other times she'll say, 'let's call daddy'."
Outside the Arena Conda, there's a message to the world: "We were looking for a word to say thanks for all the love we've received, and we found several."
Around the stadium, the streets have been painted green and white, in the club's colours.
There has been a steady procession of press conferences, introducing some of the 22 new players. Rui Costa was brought in from Brazilian club Gremio and made director of football a week after the tragedy.
Costa is adamant that Saturday's match is far more than a friendly.
"When I got here we had four players and a devastated dressing room. It was all about sadness and silence," he said.
"A dressing room should never be silent and here, it was. So we have accomplished our first goal - you can see a football team training here."
"We had a list with 90 names that we were interested in," he said, as he explained how he assembled the squad in less than two months.
"We were choosing based on technical characteristics, then behaviour, then salary.
"We were working almost 24 hours a day because we knew it was not about just putting them on the pitch to play together.
"We had to respect the culture of the club. That's what they hired me for."
The last time the people of Chapeco went to the Arena Conda, it was on a day of torrential rain, to receive the bodies of their players, directors and journalists.
On Saturday, they will return, to honour the city's fallen, and to meet their new family. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38695490 | |
Us/Them play revisits Beslan school siege - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The Belgian creators of a play, Us/Them, which relives the Beslan killings through the eyes of two children, say recent attacks have brought the story closer to home. | Entertainment & Arts | The 2004 Beslan school siege is remembered for the deaths of more than 330 people including 186 children, after a Russian school was seized by Chechen rebels. But the Belgian creators of a play, Us/Them, which relives the atrocity through the eyes of two children, say recent attacks have brought the story closer to home.
The actress Gytha Parmentier has now played Us/Them in three languages.
When the play opened in 2014 she was speaking in her native Flemish. Later she had to translate into French the words of her character - a young girl who dies in the Beslan siege.
Now she's making the one-hour piece work in English opposite Roman Van Houtven, the only other member of cast.
Last year the play was a hit at the Edinburgh Festival and it has now arrived at London's National Theatre.
"Acting in English, Roman and I had to learn to move our mouths in a very different way," she said. "But acting in a different language gives a new juiciness to what's in the script."
That script is by Carly Wijs, who also directs. She recalls the spark for the play came when her eight year-old son mentioned news coverage he'd just seen of the terror attack at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in 2013.
"Godfried had been watching the report on the children's news and I was struck by the way he described it. He spoke in a way which was almost aloof - at eight you're just becoming aware of things which are on your planet but not really of your own world of home and family.
"Then Bronks, which is a fantastic production company in Brussels, asked me for a theatre idea for children. So I thought I would break a taboo by writing about Beslan while borrowing Godfried's tone and his very objective manner."
In Belgium Wij/Zij has been listed as suitable for children of nine and above; in London the National Theatre pitches Us/Them for young people aged 12 and over.
The highly physical production is made for touring and the Dorfman stage at the National is almost bare apart from balloons and string.
The production avoids the off-putting cuteness which can trip up adult actors impersonating young children. The result is heart-breaking yet somehow heart-warming too.
The show may not strike theatregoers in advance as an obvious excursion for kids. But it's an unexpectedly charming hour in the theatre perfect for family viewing. However, the National has mainly programmed performances late in the evening which may be a bad call.
Wijs says her view of the events of 2004 was influenced by one TV documentary in particular.
"There was a beautiful BBC programme called Children of Beslan which was helpful: they spoke to many survivors. But our play isn't a documentary. It has to work for children who know nothing of Beslan and also for their parents who remember all that went on."
Parmentier says there are clear differences between how children and grown-ups react.
"Adults tend to laugh and cry in a different way: often the laughter is in relief when they think something horrible is about to happen on the stage and it doesn't.
"I think parents automatically work out a narrative arc in their minds but children are happy to switch their attention from one thing to another."
Wijs thinks for children almost the most horrifying thing is when the girl has to undress to her underwear because it's getting hot and stuffy in the school gymnasium.
"To them it's a nightmare but I suspect adults barely register the moment."
The play pre-dates last March's terror attacks in Brussels in which a total of 35 people died and hundreds were injured. Wijs lived in the Molenbeek district, a focus in the city of Islamist radicalisation.
"We haven't changed the play because of those bombings but if the Brussels attacks had come first I wonder if I could have created the play. I've just done another play in Brussels which is full of light and comedy - it's a reaction to the depressing times we live in.
But both women say they haven't ignored recent violence closer to home.
"In 2015 in Belgium we had a performance in Namur in (French-speaking) Wallonia, a few days after the Bataclan attack in Paris", says Parmentier.
"We and the theatre thought hard about whether we should cancel: would it be too hard to watch a play about so many people being killed? But instead the theatre arranged an audience discussion after the show and people were full of questions about what they had just seen. I think the play helped some of them process what had happened in Paris."
Us/Them is playing at the National Theatre until 18 February. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38695475 | |
Bake Off: Angus Deayton to present Creme de la Creme - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Angus Deayton will take over from chef Tom Kerridge as host of the Bake Off spin-off. | Entertainment & Arts | Deayton previously hosted Have I Got News For You
Angus Deayton is to host Great British Bake Off spin-off Creme de la Creme.
The show, for professional pastry chefs, is staying on the BBC despite the main show moving from BBC One to Channel 4.
The first series, broadcast on BBC Two in 2016, was hosted by chef Tom Kerridge.
Deayton is best known as a former presenter of topical quiz Have I Got News For You. He was sacked from the show in 2002.
The show will see 10 teams of chefs competing in tasks to make perfect pastries and spectacular showpieces.
Deayton will be joined on the Love Productions show by judges Benoit Blin, chef patissier at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire, and Cherish Finden, executive pastry chef at The Langham, London.
Tom Kerridge had taken on presenting duties for the debut series
Love Productions' executive producer Kieran Smith said: "We're delighted Angus has taken up the baton to host the new series.
"His distinct humour and presenting style brings a fresh dynamic to the show."
The show will return to BBC Two later this year.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
• None Bake Off format 'to stay the same'
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38688912 | |
One solution to two big social problems - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | In France, some students are snapping up cheap rents in exchange for helping old people out in their homes | Magazine | Here's a solution that could tackle two of the West's most urgent problems: a young generation priced out of affordable housing, and the loneliness and isolation of a rapidly ageing population.
For so-called millennials, like Mikyoung Ahn, a large home is a seemingly unattainable dream. She could not imagine living in a spacious detached house on the leafy outskirts of Paris, just half an hour from the Arc de Triomphe. She definitely couldn't imagine paying just 120 Euros (£100) a month to live there.
Yet, with the help of an innovative housing scheme, that idea is no longer a fantasy for the 25-year-old student from Seoul, South Korea.
An aspiring architect, she wanted to live and study in one of the world's cultural capitals. To realise her dream, she turned away from traditional student accommodation. Instead of moving in with other young people, Mikyoung chose as a landlady and housemate a 78-year-old widow with a passion for patchwork.
"I knew I was going away from home for university, and that I wouldn't have any family or any friends," she says. "But after the first meeting her, I knew it was going to be perfect."
Mikyoung and her landlady, Monique, have been living together since October, after they were matched by an organisation called Ensemble2Generations. This organisation and others like it pair elderly people with students, in an arrangement called homeshare.
The concept is simple, yet it attempts to bridge an intergenerational divide that exists in many parts of the world.
On one side are older people, who own properties that were purchased when house prices were comparatively cheap, but who may now need some help with daily activities like shopping and cleaning.
On the other side are young people, who cannot afford to rent a decent flat, but who may have some time to spare.
Monique has got Mikyoung into her hobby, quilting
Mikyoung helps Monique with a range of everyday tasks. She carries Monique's shopping in the supermarket, washes up, and has even created an instruction sheet to help Monique understand all the buttons on her TV remote.
"It's not a big deal," she says. "It's just life, you know. If I lived here, I would have to clean the dishes or take the trash out. I feel really this is my home - this is our home.
"Every night when I come back, I prepare the dinner and I put on the music that I have learned today. For example, Champs-Élysées or something like that, and we sing together."
Monique, who is a retired schoolteacher, is now an avid fan of Downton Abbey, after being introduced to the programme by Mikyoung.
"We have very good moments together, because we share a lot," says Monique. "We often sit together and watch TV programmes. Everything is simple between us."
Turning to Monique, she adds: "You are like a granddaughter to me."
Homeshare is not a new idea - it was first trialled in the USA and Spain during the 1980s. However, experts have recently started to view it as a scalable solution to two problems that continue to cause social problems. While young people are migrating to cities, pushing up the price of rent, many populations in the developed world are ageing.
Meet the people fixing the world in the new World Service programme, World Hacks
Homeshare schemes are now active in 16 countries across the world. Since 1999, an organisation called Homeshare International has acted as a network for homeshare schemes.
"The benefits to the householder are they feel much safer at home because of having someone else in the house," says Elizabeth Mills, the organisation's director. "They're happier, incidents of accidents and falls go down, and the reassurance for the householder's family is absolutely enormous."
Most programmes offer two homeshare arrangements for prospective participants. The first allows the student to live in an elderly person's home rent-free in exchange for help around the house. The second requires the student to contribute money to household bills, but places fewer burdens on their time.
It costs roughly 900 Euros a month for a student to live in the centre of Paris
So will schemes like this help solve the housing crises of millenials - and the problems of the elderly?
Research into homeshare projects in Spain and the USA indicates that participants are overwhelmingly satisfied by the arrangement. The Spanish study, for example, reported that 93.2% of elderly people had benefitted in some way from the programme, while 98.7% of students had benefitted.
The organisation that paired Monique and Mikyoung, Ensemble2Generations, conducts face-to-face interviews before placing people together. Students even have to put pen to paper to explain why they want a placement, so that their application can be examined by a handwriting expert. Despite this, some partnerships simply do not work out.
A major issue is that people of different generations may not always get on. Monique's previous housemate was a young gardener who spent a lot of time out of the house. When they did occasionally eat together, the gardener did not want to have a conversation. Instead, according to Monique, he just stared vacantly at his phone. But that did not shake Monique's confidence in homeshare.
"I never doubted whether I wanted to homeshare. I knew there were other people out there… It is a good solution for me."
And although the gardener did not provide much companionship for Monique, experts widely acknowledge that homeshare is an effective antidote to loneliness - a problem that affects over one million elderly people in Britain, according to Age UK. Helen Bown, a policy expert who specialises in social isolation, says that the emotional support provided by a homeshare relationship often exceeds its financial advantages.
"People talk about not feeling so lonely anymore, particularly people who are single, " she says. "People have talked about having a safety net, particularly at night.
"I think one of the most compelling things that people have talked about, consistently, is the impact emotionally for people - the positive relationship. The feeling that people are contributing; that they are part of a mutually beneficial relationship, not just a transaction of care and support."
This is certainly the case for Armelle, a 64 year-old woman living in Cergy, northwest of Paris. Eighteen months ago, Armelle's husband died of cancer. Devastated, and fearing loneliness, she got in touch with Ensemble2Generations. Since then, she has housed a 19-year-old student called Blandine, from Versailles, who is studying engineering at a local university.
"If my husband had been here, I would never have thought of accommodating a student," says Armelle. "But she's like a companion. It's so good to have a presence in the house. I enjoy Blandine's company a lot."
Armelle and Blandine have an easygoing friendship
Armelle and Blandine's relationship is like a casual friendship. They relax together in the evenings and chat about their lives. While she was away from the house for a few days, Armelle even allowed Blandine to have a house party.
"Though her contract says that she's not allowed to have friends over, I know that I can trust her," says Armelle, laughing. "I even helped her organise it."
The house has a large fireplace and a spectacular view over the lakes of Cergy. Unsurprisingly, Blandine is fond of these home comforts, and is not keen on moving into a cramped student flat for the next academic year.
"In student accommodation everything is in the same room, except for the bathroom," she says, wrinkling up her nose.
"I have a few friends who are offering to flat-share next year. I tell them, "Why not?" but I'm actually very comfortable here - I'm not sure I'm going to leave."
Join the conversation - find World Hacks on Facebook, and follow the BBC World Service on Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38399246 | |
Newspaper headlines: President Trump's 'message to the world' - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | US President Donald Trump's inaugural address comes under focus on Saturday's front pages. | The Papers | The papers are dominated by coverage of the US presidential inauguration - with every front page featuring a picture of Donald Trump.
Mr Trump, says the Times, unveiled a new era - but it notes that the imagery was unusually dark for an inaugural address, with the president describing crime-ridden inner cities, catastrophic levels of drug addiction, and rusted-out factories.
The Daily Mirror describes it as a "chilling inaugural speech" in which Mr Trump vowed to put the United States first - "and to hell with every other country".
The Daily Mail says it was an incendiary speech, that both electrified and divided his nation.
It points out the the new president had been expected to finally go easy on the vitriol and enjoy the pomp and ceremony of the event. But it says he used the speech to fire both barrels at the political establishment.
In the view of the Financial Times, the new president made a defiant and uncompromising address, in which he promised to revive the country with an aggressive rejection of globalisation. The paper says his inauguration marked the end of an incredible journey that was propelled by a groundswell of populism.
The Sun says more than a billion people watched the swearing in of the new president on TV, with 900,000 spectators on the National Mall in Washington to witness Mr Trump give a thumbs up and fist pump. However the paper notes that the crowd in Washington was only half of that which saw Barack Obama become the first black president in 2009.
Writing in the Guardian, Gary Younge says there was no higher calling, no sense of a greater purpose, and no impassioned idealism. He describes the first words of Mr Trump's presidency as a "crude and unapologetic appeal to nationalism".
In the i, Michael Day describes the address as "lousy" and says "it hardly made the heart soar".
The editorials have mixed messages for President Trump.
The Sun says that now he is in the Oval Office, he may be stunned by the complexity of many of the problems he faces. It notes that plenty of people will write him off - but says that President Reagan was written off too - before he changed the world.
The Daily Mail claims his speech was "truly astonishing" - as he tore up the rule book and delivered an inauguration address unlike any heard before.
The Daily Express asserts that the progressive left-leaning programme, which seemed woven into Western democracy, is now being unravelled. It says this is a profound change, which will affect us all.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the inaugural address was what Mr Trump's supporters had gathered in their thousands to hear. But it says that for outsiders, it was an unsettling speech that seemed to presage the emergence of an inward-looking, isolationist America.
The Daily Mirror says the US and the rest of the world should be "very afraid" following what it describes as the new president's "rambling, pugnacious and protectionist speech".
The Guardian is equally horrified, saying his America First nationalism was both "crude and shameless". It concludes the reality of a Trump presidency is a "terrifying prospect".
A number of papers also leave space to comment on the person whose day it could have been: Hillary Clinton.
The Daily Mail says protocol demanded she attended the inauguration with her husband - and her solemn face showed the strain as she arrived at the US Capitol.
The Daily Express observes the former first lady looked more like she was attending a funeral.
For the Guardian, Mrs Clinton stood stoically as chants of "lock her up" emanated from the crowd. However, on a more positive note, it adds that she left the ceremony waving to supporters and smiling broadly.
Finally - despite their disagreements about President Trump - the papers all seem united on one point.
The Daily Mirror,Daily Express and the Sun all declare that the stand-out person at Friday's events was the new First Lady, Melania Trump.
Many commentators, including the fashion director of the Daily Telegraph, compare her to Jackie Kennedy.
The Guardian says she wore a sleek ice blue dress and jacket, which was custom-made by US designer Ralph Lauren.
For the Daily Mail, she did not put a foot wrong, describing her as the "dazzling new First Lady". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-38700109 | |
Donald Trump inauguration speech was ‘angriest ever’ - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | An expert in US politics has claimed President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech was the angriest he had ever heard. | null | An expert in US politics has claimed President Donald Trump’s inauguration speech was the angriest he had ever heard.
Dr Mike Cornfield, associate professor of Political Management at the George Washington University, told BBC Radio 5 live's Anna Foster he thought President Trump's address was “extraordinary for a man who did not win the popular vote and who did not fill this mall”. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38699639 | |
Anti-Trump protesters fill Trafalgar Square - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Picasso prints at Barnsley's Cooper Gallery - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The 17 Picasso prints will be on show at a free exhibition until April. | Sheffield & South Yorkshire | Pablo Picasso visited South Yorkshire in 1950 for an international peace conference
An exhibition of original prints by world-renowned artist Pablo Picasso are to go on show at a museum in Barnsley.
The 17 linocut prints are on display from Saturday at a free exhibition at the town's Cooper Gallery.
The valuable prints are out on loan from the British Museum and were previously on display at the Lady Lever Art Gallery near Liverpool.
Barnsley-born Ian Macmillan has written a poem about a previous visit by the artist to South Yorkshire.
Mr Macmillan was inspired by Picasso's visit to Sheffield in 1950 for an international peace conference.
The Spanish artist is acknowledged to be one of the most important artists of the 20th Century.
He experimented with a wide range of styles and themes in his long career, most notably inspiring Cubism.
The prints are on loan from the British Museum for the first time
Picasso experimented with a wide range of styles and themes in his long career, most notably inspiring Cubism
The artworks at the gallery include prints showing the development of key Picasso prints including Jacqueline Reading that depicts the artist's wife, Jacqueline Roque.
Mr Macmillan said: "It shows the dynamic cultural times we're living through round here and that the town is becoming even more of an artistic and creative hub."
The Picasso prints are on show until 29 April.
Pablo Picasso died in 1973 at the age of 91
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-38687986 | |
World v Trump on global climate deal? - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | 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 | |
Theresa May congratulates Trump on taking office - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Theresa May says she looks forward to meeting the new US president and expects "very frank" talks. | UK Politics | Theresa May has congratulated Donald Trump on taking office as US president - and says she looks forward to meeting him in Washington.
The prime minister stressed her belief he was committed to advancing the "special relationship" with the UK.
But Mrs May told the Financial Times she expects "very frank" talks on areas where their opinions seem to differ such as the EU and Nato.
The PM said she hoped for early progress on a US-UK trade agreement.
Mrs May said she believed Mr Trump "recognises the importance and significance of Nato", despite him being quoted earlier in the week as describing the military alliance as "obsolete".
"I'm also confident the USA will recognise the importance of the co-operation we have in Europe to ensure our collective defence and collective security," she told the FT.
Mr Trump also said recently he did not really care if the EU separated.
Mrs May, who this week outlined for the first time her plan for Brexit, said: "The decision taken by the UK was not a decision about breaking up the EU.
"I want the EU to continue to be strong and I want to continue to have a close and strategic partnership with the EU. It is important for security issues. With the threats we face it's not the time for less co-operation."
Mr Trump was sworn-in as the 45th US president on Friday.
In a statement issued after the inauguration, Mrs May said: "From our conversations to date, I know we are both committed to advancing the special relationship between our two countries and working together for the prosperity and security of people on both sides of the Atlantic.
"I look forward to discussing these issues and more when we meet in Washington."
In her FT interview, Mrs May said she was "confident we can look at areas even in advance of being able to sign a formal trade deal".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "We will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come", Donald Trump said
But despite Mr Trump's indication he backed a quick post-Brexit trade deal, there was a heavily protectionist tone in the inauguration speech.
Some Labour MPs questioned how the prime minister's aim of a free trade deal with the US would be possible given the "America first" strategy outlined by Mr Trump.
David Lammy tweeted: "Every decision on trade will be made to benefit Americans. Hmm - looking forward to this trade deal, then."
Chris Bryant said: "I'm not sure a UK trade deal with Trump will be very mutually beneficial."
However, speaking to the BBC in Myanmar, also known as Burma, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said there was every reason to "be positive and optimistic" about a trade deal.
"I think the new president has made it very clear that he wants to put Britain at the front of the line... and obviously that's extremely exciting and important".
Earlier Mr Johnson offered his own "warmest congratulations" to Mr Trump.
He said the UK would "work hand in glove for the stability, the prosperity and the security of the world".
Meanwhile, Thousands of women are expected to join a march in London later as part of an international protest campaign on the first full day of Mr Trump's presidency.
Mr Trump has appeared to make good on a pledge to return a bust of Sir Winston Churchill to the White House's Oval Office.
The bust of Sir Winston Churchill can be seen on the far left as Mr Trump prepares to sign his first orders in the Oval Office
The sculpture of the World War Two prime minister's face is said to be a replica of one given to President Lyndon B Johnson in the 1960s and first appeared in the Oval Office during George W Bush's administration in 2001.
It was replaced by a bust of civil rights champion Martin Luther King Jr during Barack Obama's presidency.
The presence of the Churchill bust was noticed as Mr Trump signed his first orders as president.
A report that the bust of Dr King no longer remained in the Oval Office was later found to be discredited. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38702859 | |
Who will succeed Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness? - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | As Martin McGuinness steps down, who will take over as Sinn Féin's leader in Northern Ireland? | Northern Ireland | Sinn Féin's successor as Northern Ireland leader of the party will be announced next week
Former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness has confirmed he will not stand in the Northern Ireland Assembly election.
His successor as Sinn Féin's leader in Northern Ireland will be announced next week.
So who will replace him? Three names are tipped as the most likely contenders - Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Health Minister Michelle O'Neill and MLA and former MP Conor Murphy.
Conor Murphy is a key member of the Sinn Féin negotiating team who has represented the party at the Hillsborough, Leeds Castle and St Andrew's negotiations as well as playing a key role in the Fresh Start agreement negotiated at Stormont House.
Conor Murphy has represented the party at the Hillsborough, Leeds Castle and St Andrew's negotiations
After his election to the assembly in 1998, he was the party's chief whip.
In 2005, he became the first Sinn Féin member to be elected as MP for Newry and Armagh.
Following Mr Murphy's re-election to the assembly in 2007, he was appointed minister for regional development, a position that he held until 2011.
He was criticised for the NI Water crisis as minister during the winter of 2010/11.
In 2012, ahead of a ban on double-jobbing, he left the assembly to concentrate on his role as an MP.
He returned to the Assembly in 2015 when Mickey Brady was elected MP for the constituency. Since re-entering the assembly he has been a member of both the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee and the Public Accounts Committee.
Health Minister Michelle O'Neill has held various senior positions within Sinn Féin.
She has worked in the Assembly since 1998, initially as political adviser to MP and former MLA Francie Molloy, before being elected to Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council in 2005.
As health minister since May 2016, tackling mounting hospital waiting lists has been a huge task for Mrs O'Neill
Mrs O'Neill was elected to the assembly for the Mid Ulster constituency in 2007, sitting on the education committee and serving as Sinn Féin's health spokesperson.
In 2011, she was appointed as minister for agriculture and rural development.
The following year, she announced that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) would move to a former British army barracks in Ballykelly, County Londonderry.
Following the announcement, it came to light that Strabane had been chosen as a more suitable location by an internal DARD assessment, a decision that Mrs O'Neill then overruled.
In February 2013, it was also revealed that the decision had been questioned by the Finance Minister Sammy Wilson.
As health minister since 2016, tackling mounting hospital waiting lists have been a huge task for Mrs O'Neill.
In October, she launched a 10-year plan to transform health service, saying it would improve a system that was at "breaking point".
Opposition politicians questioned the lack of details in the plan, which was not costed.
But it set out a range of priorities, including a new model of care involving a team of professionals based around GP surgeries.
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has previously been a writer, journalist and publisher of the Belfast Media Group newspapers and the Irish Echo in New York.
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir became finance minister in May 2016
The former west Belfast councillor served as Lord Mayor of Belfast from June 2013-June 2014 and was broadly praised for reaching out to unionists, despite attacks by loyalist protestors.
Mr Ó Muilleoir subsequently stood unsuccessfully as Sinn Féin's candidate for South Belfast in the 2015 Westminster election, but was returned in the Stormont Assembly election of May 2016.
As finance minister, he was the first Sinn Féin minister to hold a major economic brief in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
His role has included leading the implementation of the devolution of corporation tax, due to happen in 2018.
However, he became embroiled in controversy in 2016 when news emerged about a back channel of communication between a Stormont committee chairman and a witness who was giving evidence on the Nama property loan sale.
Mr Ó Muilleoir denied knowledge of alleged coaching of loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson by finance committee chair Daithí McKay before his appearance. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-38684941 | |
Trump inauguration: Compare 2017 with 2009 - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | It's been eight years since a new president took the oath of office at the US Capitol. Here's some side by side comparisons of Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009 and Donald Trump's in 2017, | US & Canada | It's been eight years since a new president took the oath of office at the US Capitol.
Here are some side-by-side comparisons of Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009 and Donald Trump's in 2017.
App users should tap here to fully explore the interactive images. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38682574 | |
Did ye get healed? - How Van Morrison's music helped me recover my life - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The former Beirut hostage John McCarthy explains how Van Morrison's music helped heal his life and inspire other writers | Entertainment & Arts | I have a special connection to an enigmatic Belfast man whose music crosses jazz, blues, folk and rock.
In the late 1980s, I was held hostage in Beirut. Of my five years in captivity, four were spent with the Irish writer Brian Keenan.
Stripped of virtually all external stimuli, we had to keep our minds and hearts going with memories.
Two lonely men, we shared things that had touched us - books, films and music.
Our soundscape then was as blank and depressing as the concrete walls of our cells. But music would emerge from our memories and we would hum snatches of songs as they came to us.
Brian talked of traditional Irish music and of the great Belfast musician Van Morrison.
I had never seen Morrison in concert but knew some of his hits - Brown Eyed Girl, Gloria and Moondance.
But as Brian spoke, I somehow I felt as though I had stood with him in a crowded Belfast concert hall watching Morrison leaning into the microphone as he sang one of his soulful ballads - or throwing himself about the stage like a wild man, overwhelmed by the power of the music.
Morrison is only a few years older than Brian and was born only a few streets away in East Belfast.
They went to the same school and came from the same modest backgrounds. Morrison's father had been a shipyard worker and they had grown up in near identical, small terraced houses. However, only a short walk away, was another world, a street lined with large villas called Cyprus Avenue.
Morrison wrote about it on a track on his seminal album, Astral Weeks. Brian took me to these streets for the first time to record a BBC radio documentary, Van Morrison and Me.
Two years ago, Morrison played a concert on Cyprus Avenue which Brian attended.
He dedicated the song "Motherless Child" to Brian, something he has never forgotten and which deeply moved him.
"It's a song which has a very special significance for me. Chained to a wall, never knowing if you were ever getting out, ever going home, your whole sense of who you were evaporated. And you felt lost and lonely, a bit like a motherless child," Brian said.
When I was finally released in 1991, I strove to come to terms with what had happened with the help of my girlfriend Jill Morrell, who had been campaigning constantly for my release.
We settled in a cottage in the Oxfordshire countryside and Morrison's music became a key part of our liberation soundtrack.
Jill and I tried to make sense of those extraordinary times, writing a memoir of my captivity and her campaign.
One song particularly touched us both, and that was Wonderful Remark.
I remember one night getting a magnifying glass to read the lyrics crammed onto the cassette's sleeve notes.
As I read, I was stunned. Morrison's words seemed to capture the emotional heart of our experience over the hostage years: "How can you stand the silence, that pervades when we all cry? How can you watch the violence that erupts before your eyes?"
How did he come to write that?
I had met Morrison once or twice since my release at charity events and hoped that personal connection might help persuade him to speak to me about his music.
So I was delighted when he agreed to meet me at the Culloden Hotel, a beautiful former bishop's palace on the outskirts of Belfast. When I asked him about Wonderful Remark, he told me that it was a song about hard times he had suffered in New York.
He was short of money and felt stranded, a situation which contrasts to mine. But we both experienced similar feelings of frustration and sadness, as Morrison explained: "It was a song about my circumstances but it was nothing compared to what you've been through. It was about people who were supposed to be helping you and they weren't there.
"It was about the business I'm in and the world in general. A lot of the times you can't count on anybody."
Brian took me from Cyprus Avenue to other locations which feature in Morrison's songs. Hyndford Street, where Morrison grew up and the nearby Beachie River.
Brian told me he used to go there as a boy with his father: "If we missed school, we'd go round there and catch frogs and newts. And it was a place where you could go courting where nobody could see what you were up to."
John McCarthy and Brian Keenan next to a mural celebrating Belfast's most famous musician
Ian Rankin is another writer who says he has been influenced by Morrison's music at an important moment in his life.
In his mid-20s he was living in London, frustrated that he was not making progress as an author.
He told me how, after suffering panic attacks, his doctor advised him to rest.
So he grabbed a handful of Van Morrison cassettes and caught a train up to Scarborough to reflect on his life.
"It's very personal music and I thought here's someone who understands something of what I'm going through, they've seen highs and lows," he said.
While Wonderful Remark is the stand-out Morrison song for me, Ian was most influenced at the time by tracks from Morrison's 1973 album Hard Nose the Highway: "What I learnt was something about ploughing your own furrow. Don't let the world get in the way, if you want to be a writer, be a writer."
Ian decided to move to France to concentrate on writing novels. He has since written 21 Inspector Rebus books and become a world-famous author.
Van Morrison - Sir Van Morrison now - is rightly regarded as one of the truly original songwriters and performers of his generation.
His official accolades include two Grammys and an Ivor Novello award. One song - Someone Like You - has appeared in no less than seven Hollywood movies.
But the real accolades are from the millions of people, like me, who have, time and time again, been moved by his songs.
When I asked him how he had managed to touch so many people's lives, he said it was about working with the natural talent with which he had been born.
"I think it comes from God, whatever that concept is. A lot of people are given gifts and they don't develop them. I thought because I was given this gift, I had to develop it."
You can listen to John McCarthy reflect on Van Morrison's influence on his life on BBC World Service at 14:06 GMT on Saturday or on demand afterwards via iPlayer Radio. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38601706 | |
The policemen who dressed as women to hide from IS - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | When Islamic State seized control of his hometown and began killing his police colleagues, Iraqi officer Abu Alawi resorted to unconventional measures to stay alive. | Magazine | When the so-called Islamic State group seized control of a town near Mosul and began killing police officers, some of them resorted to unconventional measures to stay alive, reports John Beck.
For more than two-and-a-half years it helped keep the middle-aged former police officer hidden from IS and safe from the bullets and knives that killed almost all his colleagues.
When the jihadists arrived in his hometown of Hammam al-Alil in mid-2014, as they swept across northern Iraq, the first things they did was to round up police and army officers.
They killed the higher-ranking men immediately, but eventually offered an amnesty of sorts to the rest. If they renounced the government in Baghdad and pledged to live under IS rules, then they'd go free.
Abu Alawi stayed in hiding. At first in his home or a bolthole dug in his garden. But IS searches became more stringent and he realised that he'd have to move further afield.
Ahmed, 22, from a pro-government militia, stands in a burnt-out building used by IS as a prison
The solution, he decided, was a niqab - the black, face-concealing veil that IS forces all women under its rule to wear. From then on, when a sympathetic friend would tip him off about impending searches, he'd shroud his moustachioed face and portly figure and move somewhere safer, disguised as a woman.
There was a thrill, he said, in "playing" with IS, but when he passed close by the black-clad militants it wasn't fun any more. Then he feared he'd share the fate of friends who'd donned the same disguise but been less lucky, or less convincing, and were arrested as a result.
"They were near to me so many times and I was so afraid," he said, miming a heart pounding in his chest. "All the time I was thinking I was going to be checked and discovered."
IS eventually left Hammam al-Alil, setting oil wells alight as it went
Hammam al-Alil is a former spa town, once famous for the therapeutic powers of its thermal springs. It's hard to imagine holidaymakers visiting now. I met Abu Alawi there as he waited for a Danish non-governmental organisation to distribute blankets and solar heaters on a cold and damp winter morning. Men and women split into separate queues and stood patiently between the muddy puddles.
After IS arrived, I was told, they gathered the former officers in the town's main square. Then they blindfolded them, loaded them on to trucks that drove a short way out of town, and shot or beheaded them.
Federal police took me to one mass grave, a police shooting range turned rubbish dump. The awful smell was the first sign of what had happened there.
Then came the clouds of flies and, lying amid the refuse, between discarded children's toys and food packaging, the badly decomposed remains of a man - his hands and legs bound and marked by signs of torture.
"Under here it's all bodies," our escort said, gesturing towards a series of narrow trenches covered with bulldozed earth and he cautioned that the area was probably still booby-trapped with improvised explosive devices. He estimated there were at least 350 people buried in the area.
Another man in the aid distribution queue, Abu Ali - younger, taller and thinner than Abu Alawi - produced his old police ID card.
He'd buried it in his garden while IS was here, and he too had survived the massacre, in part thanks to a niqab.
"All I did was hide, hide and wear the veil like this," he said, stooping over to minimise his stature.
His brother, a fellow officer, was executed, leaving behind a wife and seven children. And when they left Hammam al-Ali, IS took Abu Ali's father with them to Mosul as a human shield.
This was not a unique story. Everyone I spoke to in the town had lost someone, some entire families. One militia member in his early 20s said IS had killed his parents and murdered or captured seven of his brothers.
But a semblance of normal life has in some ways returned to the town.
At the dilapidated thermal baths near the banks of the Tigris, smiling children and soldiers played in the warm waters.
Others collected grey mineral-rich mud in bottles and touted its therapeutic qualities.
It may be the start of healing, but the scars of occupation by IS will last for some time yet.
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38663595 | |
Could tuition fees really cost £54,000? - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The headline cost of increased fees might be £9,250. But repaid with interest over 30 years it could be much higher. | Education & Family | The last time tuition fees were increased there were waves of student protests
How much will it cost to get a degree in England when tuition fees increase to £9,250 in the autumn?
If that seems high for a three-year degree, that's how much a think tank has calculated a student could have to pay back with interest.
And that wouldn't be the full size of the debt. There could be another £40,000 still outstanding when fee loans are written off after 30 years.
When fees start increasing from this autumn, it will mean borrowing about £28,600 for three years, with the amount then rising with inflation each year.
But while students have battled for years over the headline figure of £9,000 and now £9,250, the Intergenerational Foundation says they're missing the much bigger picture of what it will really cost in repayments.
And it's going to publish its findings in a report called The Packhorse Generation.
These extra costs start to rack up while a student is still at university, because interest is charged as soon as students start their courses, adding thousands to the debt before students have even graduated.
Students pay back fee loans from their earnings after graduation
Students start paying back their fee loans once they earn more than £21,000 per year - and the more they earn the more they pay each month, until the debt, plus interest, is cleared.
So this means total repayments can vary widely.
The think tank, which campaigns for fairness between generations, forecasts that:
A more likely scenario is that a graduate would start on a lower salary and gradually progress upwards.
And the think tank gives an example of someone starting out on £22,000 and then rising over the years to £41,000, with the projection that they would pay back about £31,000 and leave a further £69,000 unpaid.
These are not necessarily bad deals for students if it helps them into a good career.
But Estelle Clarke, a former City lawyer on the advisory board of the Intergenerational Foundation, argues that we're failing to understand the "stranglehold" of debt that we're building up for young people.
She also warns we should be looking nervously at the vast scale of write-offs in the current system.
Would the sell-off of student loans mean tougher terms?
At present the taxpayer picks up the tab for unpaid loans after 30 years, allowing graduates to walk away from tens of thousands of pounds of debt and interest charges.
"Taxpayers end up paying for this system twice over. Firstly, they will shoulder the burden of an economy deprived of cash as millions of graduates' incomes are diverted to loan repayments," says Ms Clarke.
"And secondly, they shoulder the burden of the non-repayment of most loans due to the extortionate ratcheting up of interest in spite of regular payments made."
But the government has long considered selling off more of the student loan book to the private financial sector.
Would a private operator, looking hungrily at monthly repayments from millions of graduates, want more favourable terms and a bigger slice of that unpaid debt?
Ms Clarke warns that there is not nearly enough protection for students against future changes to repayment arrangements to "extract even more cash from graduates' pockets".
"No other lending has so little protection," she says.
New York plans to offer free tuition to middle-income families
By international standards, the only real comparison for such levels of student borrowing is the United States.
But as England is increasing the cost of tuition, the US has been trying to reverse out of a spiral of higher fees and higher debt.
This month the governor of New York announced a plan to scrap tuition fees at state universities and colleges for families earning up to $125,000 (£102,000) per year, which would help 80% of households.
It reflected deep-seated middle class anxieties about student debt - especially for families not rich enough to afford the fees and not poor enough to get financial support.
This really can be a lifetime of debt, with warnings this month of aggressive tactics from lenders trying to recover student loans from pensioners, with the over-60s in the US still owing £55bn of student debt.
Under the Obama administration there had been growing efforts to tackle student debt.
But with the election of President Trump the future of student loans, now measured in the trillions, has become much less predictable.
The Department for Education argues that England's system is already extremely accessible, because there are no upfront costs for any students.
Instead the costs are backloaded to be paid after graduates are working.
And since graduates are likely to earn more, they can afford the cost of repayments, which in turn supports the next generation of students.
"The English system of student funding is sustainable, and has been recognised as such by the OECD," said a Department for Education spokeswoman.
"Critically, our system removes financial barriers for anyone hoping to study - with record numbers of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds going to university last year."
But this is something of a turning point - with fees and debts about to begin a long upward curve. And the Intergenerational Foundation's warnings cast a cold light on the scale of the escalating costs.
Will this be the next stage of a sophisticated, self-funding, open-access, affordable university system, or unwitting steps towards a financial sinkhole?
• None New York to scrap tuition fees for middle class | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38651059 | |
Brexit: Berlin business leaders unimpressed with UK's message - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An appeal over a post-Brexit trade deal was met with sniggers in Berlin, Damien McGuinness writes. | Business | Two British officials failed to win favour from German business leaders in Berlin
The distinguished audience members were too polite to heckle. But the eye rolling, frowns and audible tutting made it quite clear how the Brexiteers' message was going down with German business leaders.
Owen Paterson, a former minister and Conservative MP, and John Longworth, co-chair of Leave Means Leave, came to Berlin on Saturday with a clear mission - to persuade German business leaders to lobby Chancellor Angela Merkel to give Britain a good trade deal.
They should have been on safe territory.
The two men are confident, witty speakers with impressive business and free-trade credentials.
Mr Longworth is a former head of the British Chamber of Commerce. Mr Paterson's years spent trading in Germany meant he could open his address with a few remarks in German - which drew an appreciative round of applause - and a well-judged joke about multilingual trade.
But it turned out they had entered the lion's den.
The laughter from the audience quickly turned to sniggers as they heard the UK described as "a beacon of open, free trade around the world".
Westminster's decision to leave the world's largest free trade area does not look like that to Germany.
When Europe was blamed for spending cuts and a lack of British health care provision, there were audible mutters of irritation from the audience.
The occasional light-hearted attempts at EU-bashing - usually guaranteed to get a cheap laugh with some British audiences - was met with stony silence.
Brexiteers argue German manufacturers will want to still sell to UK customers
In another setting - at another time - this gathering of the elite of Germany's powerful business community would have lapped up the British wit.
Every ironic quip would ordinarily have had them rolling in the aisles. But British charm does not travel well these days.
Rattled by the economic havoc Brexit could unleash, Germans are not in the mood for gags.
Britain used to be seen by continentals as quirky and occasionally awkward - but reliably pragmatic on the economy.
However, since the Brexit vote, Europeans suspect endearing eccentricity has morphed into unpredictable irrationality. The UK has become the tipsy, tweedy uncle, who after too much Christmas sherry has tipped over into drunkenly abusive bore.
When the audience was asked how many of them welcomed Brexit, only one hand went up - and it turned out that belonged to a businessman who wanted more EU reform and was fed up with Britain slowing things down.
Brexiteer rhetoric over the past year has often focused on the size of Britain's market and how keen German manufacturers are to sell to British customers.
Many leave campaigners remain convinced that German business leaders will force Mrs Merkel to grant the UK a special free trade deal in order not to lose British trade.
But that's not what's happening.
Angela Merkel has said Britain will not be able to cherry-pick the best bits of the single market
Instead German firms are remarkably united in their support of the chancellor in her rejection of British "cherry-picking" - even if it means losing business in the short-term.
When you talk to German bosses they say their top priority is in fact the integrity of the single market, rather than hanging on to British customers.
That's because their supply chains span across the EU.
A German car might be designed in Germany, manufactured in Britain, with components made in various parts of eastern Europe, to be sold in France. This only works if there are no cross-border tariffs, paperwork or red tape.
German companies - more often family-owned and with deeper connections to their regional heartlands - tend to look at the wider picture, sometimes thinking more long-term.
They supported Mrs Merkel on sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, even though that meant a blow to trade. The financial hit was deemed less bad for business than worsening unrest in nearby Ukraine.
The same calculations are being made over Brexit.
Theresa May's speech on Brexit last week made front page news in Germany
This doesn't mean German business is thinking politically, and not economically. But rather, it indicates a wider attitude towards how business can thrive long-term.
German business leaders tell you that the British market may be important. But it is only one market, compared to 27 markets in the rest of the EU.
Leave campaigners also still underestimate the political and historical significance of the EU for Germany, where it is seen as the guarantor of peace after centuries of warfare.
It is tempting to see the clashes between Westminster and the EU27 as one big decades-long misunderstanding of what the EU is.
An idealistic peace-project versus a pragmatic free-trade zone. This makes it even more ironic that London may reject the free-trade area it spent so much time creating.
Germany was shocked and saddened by the UK's vote to leave the EU. But the decision was quickly accepted in Berlin.
"The Brits never really wanted to be members of the European Union anyway," is something you often hear these days.
Many Germans now want to just work out a solution that does the least amount of harm to the European economy. Hence the irritation in Germany when British politicians keep rehashing the pre-referendum debate.
"It was frustrating to hear the same old arguments from the referendum campaign," one business leader told me when I asked him what he had thought about Saturday's discussion.
Germany has moved on, he said. Maybe Britain should too.
The Brexiteers might not have persuaded their audience in Berlin. But if they return to London with a better idea of the mood in Germany's business community, then the trip may well have been worthwhile. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38707997 | |
Should all countries use the Shanghai maths method? - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | When children in Shanghai took part in the Pisa tests of educational attainment, the world was shocked by their maths results. Should the rest of the world be teaching maths the same way? | Magazine | When the Chinese city of Shanghai took part in the three-yearly Pisa test of 15-year-olds' academic ability in 2009 and 2012 it topped the table in maths, leaving countries such as Germany the UK and the US - and even Singapore and Japan - trailing in its wake. What is its secret?
The life of a teacher in a Shanghai primary school differs quite a bit from that of teachers in most other countries. For one thing each teacher specialises in a particular subject - if you teach maths, you teach only maths.
These specialist teachers are given at least five years of training targeted at specific age groups, during which they gain a deep understanding both of their subject and of how children learn.
After qualifying, primary school teachers will typically take just two lessons per day, spending the rest of their time assisting students who require extra help and discussing teaching techniques with colleagues.
"If you compare that to an English practitioner in a primary school now, they might have five days of training in their initial teacher training year, if they're doing the School Direct route, for example," says Ben McMullen, head teacher of Ashburnham Community School, London.
"They might have some follow-up training during the first or second year of training - inset, staff meetings etcetera - but there's no comparison between the expertise of someone who's had five years of training in a specific subject to someone who's had only a handful of days."
It's a similar story in secondary school, where teachers spend less time in the classroom with pupils than they do on planning and refining lessons.
There are other differences too. School days are longer - from 07:00 until 16:00 or 17:00. Class sizes are larger. And lessons are shorter - each is 35 minutes long, followed by 15 minutes of unstructured play.
There is no streaming according to ability and every student must understand before the teacher moves on. In the early years of school basic arithmetic is covered more slowly than in the UK, says McMullen, who has travelled to Shanghai in one of the groups of British teachers sent every year by the Department of Education to watch and learn.
"They looked at our curriculum and were horrified by how much we were trying to teach," he says.
"They wouldn't teach fractions until year four or five. By that time, they assume that the children were very fluent in multiplication and division.
"This is essentially a 'teaching for mastery' approach: covering less and making smaller incremental movements forward, ensuring the class move together as one and that you go over stuff again and again until it's truly understood."
In a world where a lot is going wrong there is also a lot going right. So what if you could build a country with policies that actually worked, by homing in on ideas around the world that have been truly successful?
It seems that other cities in mainland China may not be on quite the same level as Shanghai. In the 2015 Pisa test Shanghai was bundled together with Beijing, Jiangsu and Guangdong, and they jointly came fifth in maths, behind Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
It's also been suggested that Shanghai's results in previous years could have been skewed by the failure to include about a quarter of pupils in the city. However Pisa insists its results demonstrate that the children of menial workers in Shanghai outperform the children of professionals in the West.
This is one of the key attractions of the system - it helps poor children realise their potential, increasing social mobility. But there are also drawbacks, according to Henrietta Moore of the Institute for Global Prosperity at University College London.
"The idea there is that effort brings rewards and so you will get this totally driven sort of idea but what you don't get - and what Chinese maths teachers are currently grappling with - is this creative problem-solving that requires space and mulling and dwelling," she says.
"We're actually much better at this in the UK and they're trying to develop that and learn from us."
Another criticism of the system is that parents work children too hard. An estimated 80% of students receive private lessons outside school.
"One of the downsides of parental interest in education is they get competitive - they're more competitive than the children - so they want to have all these extra classes," says Moore.
So is this a system other countries would do well to adopt?
"I would adopt the idea that anyone who teaches maths needs a deep understanding of the conceptual building of maths and a deep understanding of how children learn that," says Anne Watson, emeritus professor of maths teaching at Oxford University. "I would also want to take on board the idea of high expectations for everyone."
"Two things really appeal to me about this," she says. "The idea that everyone can be more of a maths master than I think we believe here in the UK. I also really like the incredible attention to the micro-detail. I'm really interested in this notion of incrementalism and moving things on in small chunks.
"The fundamentals of this policy are right and it's incredibly inspiring to think everybody can become more freed up by maths."
Ben McMullen's primary school has already been borrowing some of Shanghai's ideas, he says.
There is no streaming, pupils are interacting more and there is a "different atmosphere" in class.
"The younger learners moving up the school have an incredibly robust sense of maths, calculation and of concept," McMullen says.
And for teachers there is another great upside, he says - less marking.
Join the conversation - find the BBC World Service on Facebook and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38568538 | |
Was there a Trump Twitter glitch? - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Twitter says it's resolving "complications" with the @Potus switchover, as some users claim they're following Trump against their will. | Newsbeat | Twitter says it's trying to fix "complications" with the switchover of the @Potus account.
The account for the President of the United States was handed over to Donald Trump on Friday and was supposed to keep its existing followers.
Those users were also meant to automatically follow a new archive account with the Obama administration's tweets - @Potus44.
But some claim they've not been moved over.
Others say they stopped following @Potus before the inauguration, but are now re-following the account even though they didn't choose to do so.
There are even claims some people who never followed Obama or Trump are automatically following Donald Trump as @Potus.
The White House had been working with Twitter on plans for the switchover for some time.
Before the inauguration on Thursday night, @Potus under Barack Obama had 13.6 million followers.
@Potus44 now has 14.2 million and @Potus under President Trump has 14.3 million.
It's unclear if it's down to new followers or a glitch.
It's been reported Twitter blames the complications on two scenarios.
It could be that those who blocked @Potus before the inauguration effectively blocked @Potus44 (because of workings going on behind the scenes at Twitter).
Another suggestion is that some unfollowed @Potus after Twitter had already counted them as a follower to be transferred over to Donald Trump's account.
Twitter previously told Newsbeat both @Potus and @Potus44 should end up with around 13 million followers after the transfer process. This may not account for new followers to both accounts.
The switchover took some time overnight with followers dropping on both accounts at first.
Meanwhile Donald Trump changed the image at the top of his new @Potus account after Twitter users spotted it was from Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.
Several other accounts have also been switched over including @Flotus for Melania Trump and @WhiteHouse from @ObamaWhiteHouse.
It's not known if they're affected.
Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat | http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articles/38703956 | |
Trump inauguration: Violent protests in Washington DC - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | Violent protests broke out in Washington DC as President Donald Trump was sworn in as president. | null | Violent protests broke out and a limo was set on fire in Washington DC as President Donald Trump was sworn in as president. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38700648 | |
Quiz of the week's news - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A weekly quiz of the news, 7 days 7 questions. | Magazine | It's the weekly news quiz - have you been paying attention to what's been going on in the world over the past seven days?
If you missed last week's 7 days quiz, try it here
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38679701 | |
Utah couple's life transformed by quadruplets - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | Ashley and Tyson Gardner had two sets of identical twins by IVF. | null | When Ashley and Tyson Gardner found out they were going to have quadruplets, a photo of Ashley holding the ultrasound scans went viral.
The couple, from Utah, had struggled to conceive for eight years, but they eventually had two sets of identical twin girls by IVF treatment.
"When we first found out we were having quadruplets, it was pure terror and pure joy at the same time," Ashley explained.
"The doctors said we only had a 40% chance of having one baby, so to have all four to come at once was a huge blessing and a huge miracle."
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38684920 | |
Women's March: Thousands join UK anti-Donald Trump marches - BBC News | 2017-01-21 | null | Thousands of people attend anti-Trump protests in London and Edinburgh. | null | Thousands of protesters have joined rallies in London and Edinburgh as part of an international campaign on the first full day of Donald Trump's presidency.
Organisers aim to highlight women's rights, which they perceive to be under threat from the new US administration.
The BBC's Sian Grzeszczyk was at the London protest. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38704266 | |
Masters 2017: Barry Hawkins knocks out world number one Mark Selby to reach semis - BBC Sport | 2017-01-21 | null | England's Barry Hawkins denies world number one Mark Selby the Triple Crown by winning 6-3 to reach the Masters semi-final. | null | Last updated on .From the section Snooker
Barry Hawkins denied world number one Mark Selby the Triple Crown by winning 6-3 to reach the Masters semi-final.
World number 12 Hawkins, who was runner-up in 2016, took a lengthy opening frame before fellow Englishman Selby levelled with a 76 break.
Breaks of 63 and 60 gave Hawkins a 3-1 lead at the break before world champion Selby pipped him to the fifth frame.
It was 4-3 when Selby produced a superb 101 before Hawkins hit back to take the next two frames and seal victory.
He will play England's Joe Perry, who also produced a shock with a 6-1 win over world number six and 2011 champion Ding Junhui (China) in the last of the quarter-finals.
The world number nine had breaks of 55, 63 and then 127 in the seventh and final frame to secure the victory.
Earlier, Hawkins said his 6-1 opening-round win over former world champion and compatriot Shaun Murphy gave him extra belief going into Friday's match against Selby.
"I was quietly confident in my game, I played well against Shaun," he said.
"The last few times against Mark I've played him instead of playing the table, but today I managed to settle better and play the balls."
English defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will face Hong Kong's Marco Fu in Saturday's other semi-final.
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/38696872 | |
Rory Cellan-Jones becomes video game character - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | A video games developer digitises BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones to appear in its next blockbuster game. | null | One of the UK's leading independent video game companies has digitised BBC's technology correspondent for a forthcoming blockbuster.
Rebellion shared a first look at what it had done with Rory Cellan-Jones' features for Sniper Elite 4. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38403943 | |
Man City 2-1 Burnley: Pep Guardiola's awkward post-match interview - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | A tetchy Pep Guardiola engages in an awkward post-match interview with BBC Sport's Damian Johnson after Man City's 2-1 win over Burnley. | null | A tetchy Pep Guardiola engages in an awkward post-match interview with BBC Sport's Damian Johnson after Manchester City's 2-1 victory over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
Watch highlights on Match of the Day, 22:30 GMT, on BBC One, the BBC Sport app and this website. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38490825 | |
India's double first in climate battle - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | India opens two world-leading clean energy projects - the world's biggest solar farm and a chemicals plant using CO2 to make baking soda. | Business | Two world-leading clean energy projects have opened in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
A £3m industrial plant is capturing the CO2 emissions from a coal boiler and using the CO2 to make valuable chemicals. It is a world first.
And just 100km away is the world's biggest solar farm, making power for 150,000 homes on a 10 sq km site.
The industrial plant appears especially significant as it offers a breakthrough by capturing CO2 without subsidy.
Built at a chemical plant in the port city of Tuticorin, it is projected to save 60,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year by incorporating them into the recipes for soda ash and other chemicals.
The owner of the chemicals plant, Ramachadran Gopalan, told a BBC Radio 4 documentary: "I am a businessman. I never thought about saving the planet. I needed a reliable stream of CO2, and this was the best way of getting it."
He says his operation has now almost zero emissions. He hopes soon to install a second coal boiler to make more CO2 to synthesise fertiliser.
The chemical used in stripping the CO2 from the flue gas was invented by two young Indian chemists. They failed to raise Indian finance to develop it, but their firm, Carbonclean Solutions, working with the Institute of Chemical Technology at Mumbai and Imperial College in London, got backing from the UK's entrepreneur support scheme.
Their technique uses a form of salt to bond with CO2 molecules in the boiler chimney. The firm says it is more efficient than typical amine compounds used for the purpose.
The plant is projected to save 60,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year
They say it also needs less energy, produces less alkaline waste and allows the use of a cheaper form of steel - all radically reducing the cost of the whole operation.
The firm admits its technology of Carbon Capture and Utilisation won't cure climate change, but says it may provide a useful contribution by gobbling up perhaps 5-10% of the world's emissions from coal.
Lord Oxburgh, former chairman of Shell, and now director and head of the UK government's carbon capture advisory group, told the BBC: "We have to do everything we can to reduce the harmful effects of burning fossil fuels and it is great news that more ways are being found of turning at least some of the CO2 into useful products."
Meanwhile, the nearby giant Kamuthi solar plant offers a marker for India's ambition for a rapid expansion in renewables.
The world's largest solar farm at Kamuthi in southern India
It is truly enormous; from the tall observation tower, the ranks of black panels stretch almost to the horizon.
For large-scale projects, the cost of new solar power in India is now cheaper than coal and Prime Minister Modi plans to power 60 million homes from the sun by 2022.
But solar doesn't generate 24/7 on an industrial scale, so India has adopted a "more of everything" approach to energy until then.
Its recently-published National Electricity Plan projects no further additions to coal-based capacity between 2022 and 2027, and estimates that the share of clean generating capacity (including nuclear) will increase to 56.5% by the end of that period.
The firm behind the solar plant, Adani, is also looking to create Australia's biggest coal mine, which it says will provide power for up to 100 million people in India. Renewables, it says, can't answer India's vast appetite for power to lift people out of poverty.
Will India stick to its renewables promises with Donald Trump as US president?
And questions have been raised recently as to whether India will stick to its renewables promises now President-elect Donald Trump may be about to scrap climate targets for the US.
At the recent Marrakech climate conference, China, the EU and many developing countries pledged to forge ahead with emissions-cutting plans regardless of US involvement. But India offered no such guarantee.
Some environmentalists are not too worried: they think economics may drive India's clean energy revolution.
Roger Harrabin presents Climate Change: The Trump Card on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, 3 January.
Correction 8 January 2017: This article was updated to change 'Baking soda' to 'Soda ash', and to include more details from India's National Electricity Plan | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38391034 | |
Cairngorm mountain rescue couple speak about ordeal - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | A couple rescued from the Cairngorm mountains after being forced to shelter down for the night have spoken about their ordeal. | null | A couple rescued from the Cairngorm mountains after being forced to shelter down for the night have spoken about their ordeal.
Bob and Cathy Elmer from Leicestershire, who were reported missing on Sunday, said at times the snow came up to their waists. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-38501505 | |
Sofiane Feghouli: West Ham midfielder's red card rescinded - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | West Ham midfielder Sofiane Feghouli has the red card shown to him during Monday's defeat by Manchester United overturned. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
West Ham played for 75 minutes with 10 men after Sofiane Feghouli was dismissed for this challenge on Phil Jones West Ham's Sofiane Feghouli has had the red card shown to him during Monday's defeat by Manchester United rescinded by the Football Association. The midfielder was sent off by referee Mike Dean for a challenge on Red Devils defender Phil Jones 15 minutes into a match the Hammers lost 2-0. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said Jones "made a meal" of the tackle from the Algeria international. He will now be available for Friday's FA Cup tie against Manchester City. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38497190 | |
London Zoo counts its animals in annual stocktake - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | Staff at London Zoo have been counting the animals for its annual stocktake. | null | They are counting the animals one-by-one at London Zoo.
The annual stocktake is required for the zoological gardens' licence.
Last year, 18,430 were counted out of a total of 712 species. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38495250 | |
Pep Guardiola: Man City manager 'arriving at end of coaching career' - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the "goodbye" to his coaching career "has already started". | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he is "arriving at the end" of his career and will not be coaching at 65.
The Spaniard was in charge at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before replacing Manuel Pellegrini at City last summer.
"I will be at Manchester for the next three seasons, maybe more," Guardiola, 45, told NBC prior to his team's 2-1 win over Burnley on Monday.
"I will not be on the bench until I am 60 or 65 years old. I feel the process of my goodbye has already started."
Guardiola, who gave an awkward post-match interview to BBC Sport - which you can watch at the top of this page, won 14 trophies in four years at Barcelona, including three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.
He took a year's break before joining Bayern in 2013, leading the German team to three successive league titles but missing out on the Champions League.
Guardiola added: "I am arriving at the end of my coaching career, of this I am sure."
City were reduced to 10 men against Burnley when Fernandinho was sent off after 32 minutes, but goals from Gael Clichy and Sergio Aguero gave them the lead.
Ben Mee pulled one back for the Clarets and, despite City holding on, Guardiola cut an edgy figure following the victory.
Asked at his post-match news conference about his comments to NBC, he said City "might be one of my last teams".
After City's win over the Clarets, Guardiola was interviewed by BBC Sport's Damian Johnson. Here is the tense exchange in full:
Johnson: "What was your view of the red card for Fernandinho?"
Guardiola: "You are the journalist. Not me."
DJ: "You're the manager. I'm sure the fans would like to know."
PG: "Ask the referee - not me."
DJ: "Are you concerned that's his third red card this season? Is there a discipline problem with him?"
PG: "We will accept. Like I said before, the team with more ball possession we have always sending-off. I have to understand the rules here in England. I know you are specialist but I have to understand it."
DJ: "So the interpretation is perhaps different in England?"
PG: "Of course, yes. Around the world our keeper in the box is fouled, not here. I have to understand that. Claudio Bravo is fouled."
PG: "He is fouled. Here not - that's OK but I have to understand that."
DJ: "You don't seem that happy that you've won."
PG: "More than you would believe. More than you would believe, I am happy."
PG: "I'm so happy, believe me. I'm so happy. Happy new year."
DJ: "Are Manchester City in the title race?"
PG: "Yesterday, no. Why today are we in the title race?" | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38492059 | |
Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe family 'treated like a bargaining chip' - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | Political prisoner Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe released from solitary confinement | null | An Iranian court will hear an appeal this week over the imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian mother accused of a plot to topple the Iranian government. Her family insist she is innocent.
After spending 10 months in solitary confinement Nazanin has now been moved to a unit for political prisoners. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe tells the Today programme that since she was moved there is "more fight in her" and she has ended her hunger strike.
But he is heavily critical of what he says is the government's lack of action in her case, calling his family a "bargaining chip in international politics". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38487662 | |
Richard Cockerill: Leicester Tigers sack director of rugby - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | Leicester Tigers sack director of rugby Richard Cockerill after nearly eight years in charge. | null | Leicester Tigers have sacked director of rugby Richard Cockerill after nearly eight years in charge.
The 46-year-old has been on the Premiership club's coaching staff since 2004, took over as head coach in 2009 and became director of rugby in 2010.
"It is with great sadness and regret that I leave my position. I still believe that I am the right person to lead the team," Cockerill said.
Head coach Aaron Mauger will take over on an interim basis.
Leicester won three Premiership titles under Cockerill and were twice runners-up Leicester were runners-up in the European Cup in Cockerill's first season in charge and won the LV Cup in 2011-12
Tigers are fifth in the Premiership, 15 points adrift of leaders Wasps having lost five of their 12 league games so far this season. They were beaten 16-12 by Saracens on New Year's Day.
Cockerill, who has spent 23 of the last 25 years of his career with Tigers, said he "respected the board's decision" to make a change they see as being "in the best interests of the club".
He added: "This club has made me the person and the coach I am today and I will never forget what they have done for me. I will miss being part of the Tigers family."
Last month, following the 18-16 Champions Cup win over Munster, Cockerill said reports claiming he faced the sack and that described the coaching structure at Leicester Tigers as toxic were "rubbish".
• None Listen: 'Lancaster would be a very good choice for Leicester'
Former England and Tigers hooker Cockerill spent 10 years with the club as a player from 1992 before returning to Welford Road as an academy coach.
After two spells in interim charge he was appointed full-time head coach in April 2009, with Tigers winning the Premiership title and reaching the European Cup final in his first season in the role.
Leicester have never failed to reach the Premiership semi-finals under Cockerill and as well as winning the final in 2008-09, they were also victorious in 2009-10 and 2012-13.
Tigers chairman Peter Tom CBE said: "We thank Richard for his loyal and dedicated service as a player, coach and director of rugby. He has a great passion for the club and for the game of rugby, and has shared in many massive occasions with the Tigers.
"The club always has aspirations to contest the major honours in the game and that remains unchanged but the board believes this is the right time to make a change."
As a player, hooker Cockerill made 262 appearances for Tigers, winning five league titles, two domestic cups, two Heineken Cups and he also played 27 times for England.
I am not surprised. Tigers cannot stand the fact they are in fifth position and quite a bit away from the top four; they want to be top two and won't get there this season.
They haven't been there for the last three or four seasons and that is one of the reasons that Tigers have reluctantly had to say goodbye to Richard.
His record is second to none. He is man and boy with the Tigers and if you cut him in half he would be Tigers colours through and through. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38489596 | |
Joel Sartore: The man who takes studio photos of endangered species - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | American wildlife photographer, Joel Sartore, is fighting to save endangered species by making us fall in love with them. | Magazine | American wildlife photographer Joel Sartore is fighting to save endangered species by making us fall in love with them.
Joel Sartore had been a National Geographic wildlife photographer for 15 years when his wife, Kathy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. With three young children at home, he took a year off work to nurse her through radiation treatment and chemotherapy.
This pause from travelling the world to take photos gave him the chance to slow down and consider the impact of of his work.
"Magazine stories come and go," he says.
"But I had not seen the plight of endangered species getting better so I thought about what I could do to actually make a difference?"
The answer came to him while he was photographing a naked mole-rat at a children's zoo in his home town of Lincoln, Nebraska.
He decided to place the small mammal against the white background of a cutting board which he had found in the zoo's kitchen. The result was a professional studio-style portrait.
"I thought maybe if we do eye-contact, if we photograph animals where there are no distractions, all equal in size on black and white backgrounds, where a mouse is every bit as big and amazing as an elephant, then maybe we could get the public hooked into the plight of endangered species and extinction," he says.
As Sartore's wife recovered, he began to travel to other zoos in his area to take more portraits.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Joel Sartore is an American photographer on a 25 year long wildlife project.
Staff co-operated by helping the photographer create sets, allocating him rooms which he could paint black or white and leaving food inside.
"Usually the animal thinks he's just coming in to get lunch, which he is, but he's also going to get his picture taken," says Sartore.
As the project grew, it caught the attention of editors at National Geographic, who commissioned Sartore to produce a few series of photographs, on amphibians for example, and America's endangered species.
The photographer began travelling the world armed with different-sized tents in which to photograph smaller animals like birds and lizards. For the larger ones, he remained reliant on the safer environment of zoos.
"This animal was the sweetest little guy. He gave us all sorts of different body languages and facial expressions during the shoot. I remember also that he was eating through most of the portrait session as well. So he may look shy, but he was actually very happy at this moment." © Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark
"Most of the animals I photograph are born and raised in captivity and their keepers know the critters' moods very well," he says.
"Once in a while I'll come across an animal that's really feisty and a bit aggressive, but by and large, these shoots go as smooth as butter."
He has now photographed more than 6,000 species in 40 countries. The project has developed into The National Geographic Photo Ark, and its portraits have made it on to National Geographic Magazine covers and have been projected on to buildings - the UN Building and Empire State Building in New York and the Vatican in Rome.
An image of "Toughie" projected onto St Peter's Basilica © Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark
Some of the species captured by the Photo Ark are on the verge of extinction.
This year, Sartore photographed Toughie, the world's last known living Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog.
Toughie was captured in Panama in 2005 by conservationists attempting to save as many amphibians as possible from chytrid fungus, a skin disease that can have a 100% mortality rate among frogs.
He was brought back to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Georgia where he mated with captured females, but none of his tadpoles survived and his female companions died. Sartore took Toughie's portrait shortly before he also died, in September this year.
"I try to talk about him every time I give public presentations because instead of getting depressed about him going extinct, I'm going to use his story to hopefully inspire others to care," he says.
Sartore has also photographed one of the last surviving northern white rhinos in a zoo in the Czech Republic.
"We got to her just in time," he says of the animal, who was called Nabire.
"We got a very nice portrait of her and she laid down and went to sleep at the end of the shoot because she slept a lot at the end of her life."
She died about a week later.
With her death, and the death of another northern white rhino in San Diego not long afterwards, there are only three of the species left, all living under armed-guard in Kenya. They are too old to breed, though a conservation project is attempting to create an embryo through IVF which would be implanted in the womb of a similar rhino species.
"It's not just the little things we're allowing to slip into extinction," says Sartore.
"It's the big stuff too, unfortunately."
Sartore hopes his project will eventually document 12,000 species and become a resource for future generations. He also hopes it will prevent other species from meeting the same fate as Toughie and Nola.
"At least 75-80% of the species that I've photographed could be saved from extinction, but people need to know they exist first and they need to fall in love with them and want to learn how they can help them," he says.
While there's an understanding that bigger animals, like polar bears and tigers, are under threat, Sartore says there is not enough awareness of the plight of smaller ones like rodents, toads and bats.
"The goal of Photo Ark is to celebrate all creatures great and small and to let people know that as these other species go away, so could we," he says.
"It's in humanity's interest not to throw away all of creation - to keep things around so we have a healthy planet."
Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37991269 | |
Mein Kampf: Is Mein Kampf really a hit with Germans? - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Hitler's Mein Kampf has many readers but it is not among Germany's best-sellers. | Europe | Original editions of Mein Kampf: It urged Germans to avenge their defeat in World War One
"Mein Kampf becomes German best-seller" reads one international headline. "Hitler's Mein Kampf a hit in Germany" reads another.
The fact that the Nazi manifesto reached number one in Der Spiegel's non-fiction charts in April is cited as evidence that Adolf Hitler's propaganda is making a comeback in Germany.
But the term "best-seller" does not necessarily mean very much. A quarter of all books sold in Germany are bought in the run-up to Christmas. At other times of the year it is possible to top listings with relatively few sales.
Mein Kampf (My Struggle) is an expensive academic text, costing €58 (£49; $60), and is being bought by libraries, schools and history academics.
"This was a very special case. You can't really compare it with other books," Thomas Koch from the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association told me.
"It's the first time that an annotated version has been published. So I can imagine that was why figures were relatively high."
The plain IfZ edition of Mein Kampf: Publication has not been contested in court
Most of the book's sales were made in the first quarter of 2016, before tailing off after April. This suggests that the initial run, when the book was republished in German for the first time, was followed by market saturation.
For a German non-fiction book, sales of 85,000 are not bad. But the figures don't indicate a runaway hit.
The current biggest non-fiction seller is The Hidden Life of Trees, a book about the ecosystem of woodland, which has sold half a million copies so far.
The major hit of the last few years is a witty explanation of how the human bowel functions, by a medical student in her 20s, that sold over a million.
The top-selling non-fiction book of the past decade, by comedian Hape Kerkeling, sold five million copies. Mein Kampf on the other hand is ranked 79th for non-fiction sales on the German Amazon site, narrowly beaten by a handbook on web coding, and a long way behind a handbook explaining how to get more Twitter followers.
Nevertheless it is understandable that the publishers might be overwhelmed. IfZ, which printed the book, is a non-profit research institute, not a publishing house, and had expected lower sales of what is a dense academic text.
Prof Wirsching says publication of Mein Kampf with scholarly notes did not help neo-Nazis
And the institute believes this edition of Mein Kampf is helping to demystify, rather than empower, Hitler's legacy.
"It turned out that the fear the publication would promote Hitler's ideology, or even make it socially acceptable and give neo-Nazis a new propaganda platform, was totally unfounded," said IfZ director Andreas Wirsching.
"On the contrary, the debate about Hitler's world view and his approach to propaganda offered a chance to look at the causes and consequences of totalitarian ideologies."
• None History Extra: When Poland was torn to pieces The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38500422 | |
World's oldest known killer whale Granny dies - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The world's oldest known killer whale, estimated to be 105 years old, is missing and presumed dead, researchers say. | Science & Environment | J2, or Granny, in the Salish Sea in 2010
The world's oldest known killer whale, affectionately known as Granny, is missing and presumed dead, researchers say.
Estimated to be over 100 years old, the matriarch's official name was J2.
She was the focal point of a recent BBC documentary that followed biologists' study of her clan of orcas, an effort to unravel an evolutionary mystery.
Studying female orcas, which live long beyond their reproductive years, has revealed insights into the menopause.
Only three mammals are known to experience menopause - orcas, short-finned pilot whales and humans. Even our closest ape cousins, chimpanzees, do not go through it. Their fertility peters out with age and, in the wild, they seldom live beyond childbearing years.
Following Granny and other matriarch killer whales has shown their crucial role within the family group. They guide the pod as it forages, take care of other females' young calves and even feed the larger males.
These post-reproductive female leaders help their families to survive, and the advantage they offer could show what drives a species to evolve to stop reproducing.
An older female orca leads the way with her pod trailing behind
This research continues, but an icon of the most well-studied killer whale population on the planet will no longer be part of it.
Prof Darren Croft from the University of Exeter, UK, who leads this evolutionary biology research, told BBC News: "It was inevitable that this day was going to come but it is very sad news and a further blow to this population."
He explained that in her later years she had "been helping her family group to survive by sharing her knowledge of when and where to find food."
The orcas of an area known as the Salish Sea - close to Vancouver and Seattle - have been the subject of a four decades long study led by Dr Ken Balcomb from the Center for Whale Research (CWR).
Dr Balcomb started this work after a period - between 1965 and 1975 - during which killer whales were taken from the Salish Sea to supply marine parks. The predictable habits of these Southern Resident killer whales, as they are called, made them an ideal target for capture,
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. How a team in the US researched an orca family tree
By observing and cataloguing the killer whales since 1976, when he first photographed Granny, Dr Balcomb exposed just how unsustainable the hunting of the whales was. He and the CWR garnered the Southern Residents protection as an endangered species.
On the centre's website, which first reported Granny's death, Dr Balcomb wrote that he last saw her on 12 October, 2016, as she swam north far ahead of the others.
"Perhaps other dedicated whale-watchers have seen her since then," he wrote, "but by year's end she is officially missing from the Southern Resident Killer Whale population, and with regret we now consider her deceased."
Prof Croft added that it was "just incredible" to think of what Granny lived through over the last century and how the world and her environment had changed over that time.
"She lived through the live captures," he told BBC News, "and in recent years her world has changed dramatically with dwindling salmon stocks and increases in shipping threatening the survival of this incredible population.
"Although J2 is gone we will continue to benefit for many decades to come, from the incredible data collected on her life over the last 40 years by the Center for Whale Research."
The population of Southern Residents is now estimated to be just 78 animals, as of 31 December 2016.
Numbers of salmon, which these killer whales feed on, are dwindling in the region. This has prompted Dr Balcomb to wonder if there is a future for these animals as their food supply runs down.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The killer whales struggling to feed themselves
• None What can orcas teach us about the menopause? | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38496164 | |
Rebecca Ferguson asked to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The 2010 X Factor runner-up wrote she would "graciously accept" the invitation on the understanding she can sing "controversial" song Strange Fruit. | Newsbeat | Rebecca Ferguson says she's been asked to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony.
The singer tweeted she would "graciously accept" the invitation from the American president-elect if she can perform Strange Fruit.
"[It's] a song that has huge historical importance, a song that was blacklisted in the United States," she posted.
Strange Fruit was originally recorded by Billie Holiday but was written as a poem by Abel Meeropol.
A sample from Nina Simone's 1965 rendition was used on Kanye West's Blood on the Leaves.
The words of Strange Fruit describe the lynching of African Americans in the early 20th century: "Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze".
It's been described as one of the first great protest songs.
Rebecca wrote that the song "speaks to all the disregarded and down trodden black people" in the US and if she can sing it she will "see [Mr Trump] in Washington".
The 2010 X Factor runner-up released an album covering Billie Holiday songs in 2015, although Strange Fruit does not feature on the track listing.
Warning: third party content, may contain adverts.
Reports from the US suggest America's next president is struggling to find musicians to perform at his swearing in ceremony on 20 January.
When Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009 Beyonce and Aretha Franklin performed.
Claims were made that Trump's team have considered breaking protocol and will offer an appearance fee to get an A-list performance.
One confirmed artist for the event is America's Got Talent runner-up Jackie Evancho who will sing the national anthem.
Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat | http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/articles/38491238 | |
Turkey nightclub attack: 'I played dead' - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | Francois al-Asmar says he played dead to survive the attack on an Istanbul nightclub that left 39 people dead. | null | So-called Islamic State says it was behind the new year attack on a Turkish nightclub that killed 39 people. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38488572 | |
West Ham United 0-2 Manchester United - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | Manchester United move level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham by beating West Ham, who had Sofiane Feghouli controversially sent off. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United moved level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham after victory at West Ham, who played for 75 minutes with 10 men following the controversial dismissal of Sofiane Feghouli.
Referee Mike Dean showed Feghouli a straight red card after the midfielder's 15th-minute challenge on Phil Jones.
Replays showed it was more of a coming together between two players committed to winning the ball than a reckless tackle meant to cause harm.
Antonio Valencia was guilty of an astonishing miss for the visitors before Juan Mata scored from 10 yards after a clever pass by fellow substitute Marcus Rashford.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was one of three players offside when he doubled the lead after Pedro Obiang's clearance fell to Ander Herrera.
It was Jose Mourinho's side's sixth straight Premier League win and their seventh in all competitions.
• None Relive the action from London Stadium as it happened
• None Listen: 'Man Utd are back in the title race'
Dean at the centre of controversy - again
The Hammers have beaten Bournemouth, Sunderland, Burnley and Hull at home this season, yet their hopes of claiming a first major scalp at London Stadium were undone by the fastest sending off in the Premier League this season.
There is no doubt Feghouli lost control of the ball and deserved a booking for his challenge on Jones.
But Dean, who sent off Southampton's Nathan Redmond in the 4-1 defeat by Tottenham on Wednesday, brandished a red card for the fifth time this season, much to the fury of West Ham boss Slaven Bilic.
Jones, who was clearly hurt and rolled over several times before receiving treatment, was booed by home fans for the rest of the game each time he touched the ball.
Feghouli is now set to miss his side's FA Cup third-round home tie against Manchester City on Friday, while Hammers supporters showed their anger at the official by chanting 'Mike Dean - it's all about you'.
In the second half, Dean kept his cards in his pocket after Cheikhou Kouyate's reckless challenge on Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
This was far from vintage Manchester United, yet Mourinho's team started 2017 as they finished 2016 - with three points.
They are now unbeaten in their past 13 games in all competitions, while they have taken 25 points from the last 33 on offer.
Valencia will surely be haunted by his 36th-minute miss. It was a brilliant save by Darren Randolph to deny him from close range, but the Ecuador international should have buried the chance, as should Jesse Lingard, who hit the post with the follow-up.
Mourinho's decisions to bring on Mata at the start of the second half and Rashford before the hour mark proved decisive.
The pair combined to break West Ham's spirited resistance - the busy and menacing Rashford evading a couple of challenges before cutting back for Spaniard Mata to find the net.
The 19-year-old England striker hit the post before Ibrahimovic, standing in an offside position, scored a controversial second to complete West Ham's misery.
Beaten by Leicester City on Saturday, it has been a 48 hours to forget for West Ham in terms of results.
However, they dug deep, displayed a steely resolve - and might even have got something from the game despite the visitors' extra-man advantage.
David de Gea twice saved well from Manuel Lanzini, before Michail Antonio's glancing header flashed agonisingly wide as the Hammers threatened.
And shortly before Mata broke the deadlock, Antonio found himself clean through after Lanzini's perfectly weighted pass, only for De Gea to block his effort.
'We are champions of bad decisions'
West Ham boss Bilic: "I was pleased with the performance, we fought hard and gave everything. I told my players that if we did this we will be all right in the table.
"Ten men against a team like this is very hard - but we had chances.
"I am disappointed with the result and frustrated by how we lost it, but I am proud of my players."
Manchester United manager Mourinho: "It was hard for us to think well with one more man - and it was very hard for them physically.
"I was happy with my choices in Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford, they gave us what we needed. Rashford is very professional and very mature. He is a Manchester United player with Manchester United DNA.
"I don't feel sorry for West Ham - I didn't watch the decisions. I think if you talk about decisions, we are the champions of bad decisions."
• None Manchester United are now 13 games unbeaten in all competitions - longest run since March 2013 (18 games).
• None Ibrahimovic has already scored more goals in all competitions than Manchester United's top scorer last season (Martial, 17).
• None This is Mourinho's longest winning run in all competitions (seven) since January 2014 when in charge of Chelsea.
• None West Ham have lost consecutive Premier League games without scoring for the first time under Bilic.
• None Since the start of last season, no team has been shown more Premier League red cards than the Hammers (eight - level with Southampton).
• None Mata has been involved in 40 Premier League goals (25 goals, 15 assists) since his Manchester United debut. Only Wayne Rooney with 46 - 29 goals and 17 assists - has a better record in that time.
• None Dean has shown 14 red cards in the Premier League since the start of last season - at least six more than any other referee.
West Ham are back in action on Friday when they host fellow Premier League side Manchester City in the FA Cup third round (19:55 GMT kick-off).
Manchester United start their defence of the famous trophy at home against Championship club Reading - managed by former Old Trafford defender Jaap Stam - on Saturday (12:30).
• None Håvard Nordtveit (West Ham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Attempt blocked. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Attempt saved. Ander Herrera (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Marcus Rashford.
• None Attempt blocked. Andy Carroll (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Michail Antonio with a cross.
• None Attempt saved. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Marcos Rojo.
• None Goal! West Ham United 0, Manchester United 2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Ander Herrera.
• None Attempt blocked. Ander Herrera (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Paul Pogba.
• None Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38433519 | |
Umbrella sends distress alert when left behind - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | An app-connected umbrella is on show at CES that texts its owner when it has been left behind. | null | An app-connected umbrella for forgetful people is on display at the CES technology show in Las Vegas.
But the BBC’s Leo Kelion questioned whether the innovation justifies its price tag.
See all our CES 2017 coverage | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38473422 | |
Crystal Palace 1-2 Swansea City - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | Newly appointed Swansea boss Paul Clement watches his new side gain a dramatic win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Newly appointed Swansea boss Paul Clement watched his side gain a dramatic win against Crystal Palace to move off the bottom of the Premier League table.
Clement was appointed earlier on Tuesday, although first-team coach Alan Curtis had picked the team for the game at Selhurst Park.
Alfie Mawson headed Swansea ahead from Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick, before Wilfried Zaha volleyed an equaliser.
The result means Palace have only picked up one point in the three games since Sam Allardyce replaced Alan Pardew as manager in December.
Plenty for Clement to be encouraged with
Clement, a former Derby County boss, left his job as assistant manager at Bayern Munich to take over the Welsh side and said he was "excited" by the challenge.
He will also be delighted with and encouraged by his side's performance in a hard-fought victory.
They dominated the first half with Ki Sung-yueng shooting just wide and Fernando Llorente and Federico Fernandez heading narrowly off target before Mawson put Swansea ahead.
Clement began the game watching from the stands but later joined Curtis in the technical area to help guide Swansea to only their fourth league win of the season.
Another pleasing aspect for Clement will be the defensive performance. Centre-halves Mawson and Fernandez excelled, restricting Palace to only three shots on target.
A spectacular scissor kick from Zaha from 18 yards out looked to have denied Swansea before Rangel's first goal of the season, in the 88th minute, made it a perfect day for Clement.
The result takes Swansea above Hull up to 19th, only one point behind Crystal Palace in 17th.
This was Allardyce's first home game in charge of the Eagles and he will be disappointed with his side's efforts against a team that came into the game with one away win in the league all season.
To make things worse for Allardyce, he will be without Ivorian goalscorer Zaha and Malian second-half substitute Bakary Sako, who will both now go to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Zaha has scored four goals this season, while Sako made an impact as a second-half substitute, forcing Lukasz Fabianski to tip a free-kick over, and causing the Swansea defence problems with his power.
Palace will also be hoping that a shoulder injury to top scorer Christian Benteke is not serious after he landed badly following a clash with Fabianski.
Allardyce was unhappy at two potential penalties that his side were denied - for Fabianski's challenge on Benteke and when Rangel appeared to handle the ball.
• None Swansea ended a run of eight away Premier League games (drew one, lost seven) without a win
• None Crystal Palace have now kept only one clean sheet in their last 25 Premier League games.
• None Alfie Mawson scored his first Premier League goal for Swansea in his 10th appearance for the club.
• None Only Hull (20) have conceded more goals from set pieces than Crystal Palace (17).
• None Since August 2014, only one Premier League midfielder (Sadio Mane - 43) has had a hand in more goals than Gylfi Sigurdsson (42 - 23 goals and 19 assists).
• None Sam Allardyce has lost his first home Premier League match as a boss for the very first time - he had previously won four and drawn one.
• None Angel Rangel ended a run of 95 Premier League matches without a goal by grabbing the winner - it was his first since May 2013 against Wigan.
What they said
Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce: "The lack of energy the players had showed massively. We struggled to keep up with Swansea, we hadn't recovered properly. I should have made more changes but I still don't know the squad too well.
"The second half was ours, we saw a wonder goal from Wilfried Zaha that should have got us at least a point, but we switched off and it's massively disappointing.
"You can see it with your own eyes, you don't need to be a football manager. Some people say it's rubbish but it's not, the players were trying 100% but they were not physically able to reach their usual levels. They are shattered.
"It's beyond our control, certain elements. But we can defend better for the two goals and our first-half performance was nothing like I expect to see from my team."
Swansea first-team coach Alan Curtis: "It is a terrific result for us and a huge three points. The first-half performance, we were excellent and we could have gone in with more than the one goal.
"We have been accused of lacking character but we came back and won it and we deserved it. In training you see the players have the ability, it is just the confidence that has been lacking.
"Any team under Sam Allardyce will come on strongly, they have some terrific players. We had 24 hours more rest compared to them and that may have made a difference."
On the club's new manager Paul Clement, who joined Curtis in the technical area later in the match, he added: "He came down for some moral support, he made his presence felt at half-time, but there was not too much to say. We would have surprised a lot of people with our performance today."
Paul Clement will take charge of a Swansea match for the first time when they play an FA Cup third round tie away at fellow Premier League strugglers Hull City on Saturday, 7 January (15:00 GMT). Crystal Palace are also in cup action at the same time, with an away game at League One side Bolton.
Both sides are next in Premier League action at 15:00 GMT on Saturday, 14 January. Palace play at West Ham with Swansea at home to Arsenal.
• None Angel Rangel (Swansea City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Goal! Crystal Palace 1, Swansea City 2. Angel Rangel (Swansea City) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Leroy Fer with a through ball.
• None Attempt blocked. Leroy Fer (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
• None Attempt blocked. Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Kyle Naughton.
• None Fraizer Campbell (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the right wing. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38441016 | |
Sir Bradley Wiggins to join Channel 4's The Jump - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Recently retired cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins signs up for Channel 4's winter sports show The Jump. | Entertainment & Arts | Cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins is to swap two wheels for two skis after signing up to appear on Channel 4's winter sports show The Jump.
The news comes six days after the five-time Olympic champion announced his retirement from cycling.
The other contestants will include fellow Olympians Louis Smith and Jade Jones, and model Caprice Bourret.
The last series was beset by injuries to competitors including Tina Hobley, Beth Tweddle and Rebecca Adlington.
But that has not deterred Sir Bradley and the other 13 contestants from signing up this year.
The 36-year-old, who in 2012 became the first Briton to win the Tour de France, said skiing was "a big passion".
"It was a mix of that and the other committed names this year that made me want to sign up," he said.
"Major retiring Olympians such as Sir Steve Redgrave have also trod this path.
"I see this as a sporting challenge and want to go out there and win it.
Contestant and Big Brother 2010 winner Josie Gibson has already been photographed taking a tumble on the slopes.
Earlier, she tweeted: "All sinking in now that I will hopefully be flying down the slopes on @TheJumpC4 I'm not going to lie I'm so nervous."
The Jump is presented by Davina McCall. No transmission date has yet been announced.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38490980 | |
Where are the black dolls in High Street stores? - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An internet search for black dolls will bring up millions of results in less than a second - but parents have discovered the toys to be increasingly hard to find on the shelves of High Street stores. Why is this? | Nottingham | While black dolls can be bought online, they are absent from the shelves of many British toy stores
An internet search for black dolls will bring up about 20 million results in less than a second - but parents have discovered the toys to be increasingly hard to find on the shelves of High Street stores. Why is this?
Three-year-old Sofia-Lily is the only mixed-race girl in her playgroup. She often points out this difference to her mother Abbey Potter, who has been trying to reassure her child, partly through dolls that look like her.
"They make her feel like it's OK to look the way she does," said Mrs Potter, who is from Nottingham.
But sourcing these toys is not straightforward.
"I have found a lot of trouble finding dolls of any other ethnicity than white," she said. "I got a Cabbage Patch doll from eBay - it took me so long to find one and I think it was from America.
"My parents go to a lot of different countries like Mexico and Jamaica and they get Sofia-Lily dolls from these places.
"On her first holiday, we went to Spain and I found these dolls that were hard-bodied and smelt like cocoa butter. The next year, we found dolls with curly and different types of hair.
"I would say to big toy manufacturers that they need to evolve and they need to produce more dolls of different varieties: race, disability, size. If they don't, it could affect our children, because they grow up having been affected by all sorts of things."
A dark-skinned doll, carried by Johnathan Thurston's daughter Frankie at last year's Australian Rugby League final, was seen as a moment of inclusion and diversity
Despite the revolution of internet shopping, some families' finances do not stretch as far as a bespoke broadband package - and on the High Street, they can find their retail options are significantly reduced.
Abbey Rose, 32, who has 11-year-old and four-year-old girls and a three-year-old boy, said a lack of black dolls could stunt a child's emotional development, leading them to be "less affectionate".
"My four-year-old daughter said she wanted a baby doll for Christmas," said the black mother-of-three from Nottingham.
"I said: 'Do you want a white or black one?' She said a white one because 'they were prettier'."
Abbey Potter, pictured with daughter Sofia-Lily, has called on toy manufacturers to "evolve" and produce more black dolls
But why are black dolls and toys absent from the shelves of many stores in the UK? Is the demand just not there?
Census data for 2011 from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a population in England and Wales of 56,075,912. About 14% of these people are from non-white backgrounds - so is that enough of a market for toy companies to make big bucks?
Given that estimated 14% equates to nearly eight million people, the answer would seemingly be yes. Additionally, this somewhat unscientific calculation is assuming white parents solely buy white dolls for their children.
While most people in England and Wales are from white backgrounds, parents believe there is more than enough demand for a greater number of black toys to feature on the shelves of high street stores
But it would appear that a lack of demand is the underlying narrative from toy firms in the UK.
An email sent in October 2015 by an executive at Zapf Creation - the firm behind the famous Baby Born and Baby Annabell dolls - said the sales of an ethnic version of its Baby Annabell went "step-by-step down" from 1998 to 2013.
The executive said at the end of 2013 it was decided that production of this doll would stop as of 2014.
"As a public limited company, we are forced to make decisions like that if business figures do not justify to keep a product in the range," the executive said.
A Zapf Creation spokeswoman told the BBC: "Whilst the black version of the Baby Annabell doll was discontinued due to lack of demand, the black version of the Baby Born Interactive doll is still in production and available to all UK toy retailers. However, some retailers take the decision not to stock all versions of the dolls and accessories due to shelf space constraints."
Lecturer Sheine Peart said white dolls and ethnic dolls should be "side by side" on the shelves
Speaking at the annual Toy Fair in London, Peter Ireland, from Bigjigs Toys Ltd, said the importance of black dolls was clear, but added a firm's ability to sell them might depend on the company's size.
"There's no reason why we shouldn't stock black dolls... we have far more white dolls in our range as the sales on these are greater than those of black dolls, but if we don't stock any then people are never going to get black dolls," he said.
"If you're [a business that is] all over the world, then you've got a bigger market, but if you're just in the UK, your market's a bit limited."
Numerous toy companies were contacted several times by the BBC. The Entertainer declined to comment, while Disney, Smyths Toys and Toys R Us failed to respond.
An organisation that represents toy manufacturers, the British Toy & Hobby Association, said in a brief statement: "Toy makers offer a diverse range of dolls, including different ethnicities."
Last year, Mattel introduced its new generation Barbies, a moment hailed by black rapper, actor and producer Queen Latifah as "the industry catching up with what the public wants".
But a walk around four major toy store departments in ethnically-diverse Nottingham - John Lewis, Toys R Us, The Entertainer and Disney - garnered a total of three types of black doll on sale.
BBC News came up short in its quest to find black toys and dolls in Nottingham's John Lewis store
A black doll by Barbie manufacturer Mattel was found inside Toys R Us
In the same store, a dark-skinned DC Super Hero Girl was found - but the vast majority of the toys were white
No black toys were found in The Entertainer store in Nottingham
One type of black doll - based on Princess Tiana in The Princess and the Frog - was on sale at the Disney store in Nottingham
BBC journalist Khia Lewis-Todd, who has made a film on this subject, said the toys currently on offer "do not support" her daughter's culture.
"Carrying out the doll test at a school and youth group in Nottingham and going to the Toy Fair opened my eyes in terms of how some children portrayed toys of ethnicity, and how some suppliers approach them," she said.
"Some suppliers believe they are important, but if something doesn't sell as well, why should they continue to make it? Some critics have argued this is putting profit over the importance of what children need to see."
Accurately representing physical features is just as important as offering dolls of different skin colours, according to the Race Equality Foundation's Jane Lane
Jane Lane, from the Race Equality Foundation, believes the issues are not solely to do with colour.
"The key issues, I think, are not only a range of skin colour differences but accurate depictions of physical features," she said. "Mouth, lip shapes, nose and eye shapes and hair texture.
"The main point about black dolls is they are, for a child, white or black, a true three-dimensional representation of real people - unlike book pictures and jigsaws.
"They need to be accurate because our society is... racist and dolls need to counter this by being positive and not stereotypical of some mythical concept."
Toy manufacturers should work closely with local communities to properly assess demand, says lecturer Sheine Peart
Sheine Peart, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, said a lack of black dolls "marginalises" black children.
"If I want to have black figures, Lego figures provide that, as do Playmobil, and I can buy a black Barbie and a black male doll called Steve - who's the equivalent of Ken," she said.
"I can buy them, but I have to hunt them out if I want to buy them as a parent. I've never seen this black Steve anywhere but I've seen Kens in the shops - it should almost be side by side.
"If there's a black child, and they see no black toys, it almost creates a colonial environment and that effectively says, 'there's no place for me'.
"It positions the black child as an outsider and not integral to society. It marginalises them. Psychologically, that probably will have some impact."
Ms Peart has called on schools across the country to help kick-start a change.
"The dolls need to be marketed more, displayed more and advertised more, and supermarkets can't put them on the shelves unless the manufacturers are producing them," she said.
"I'd like to see schools ensure they have a stock that is available and a stock that is replenished.
"I would also like to see manufacturers work with youth groups, schools and other members of community groups so they can find out [the need]. Making things happen is not just a case of money and availability, it's also a case of will." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-38065205 | |
Sherlock beats the Queen in festive TV ratings - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Eight million people saw the return of Sherlock on BBC One - more than watched the Queen's Christmas message. | Entertainment & Arts | Benedict Cumberbatch is back as Sherlock for the new three-part series
More than eight million people tuned in to see the return of Sherlock on BBC One on Sunday, overnight ratings show.
That means it was the UK's second-most watched programme of the festive period - behind the New Year's Eve fireworks, which were watched by 11.6 million.
The biggest Christmas Day audience came for the Queen's Christmas message, which was seen by 7.7 million people.
The first episode of the fourth series of Sherlock had an average audience of 8.1 million.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Benedict Cumberbatch talks about the new Sherlock series
The episode, entitled The Six Thatchers, was based on Arthur Conan Doyle's story The Adventure of the Six Napoleons and involved six smashed statues of the former UK prime minister.
It "reached new heights of action and emotion", according to The Guardian's Mark Lawson, who saw parallels between Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes and James Bond.
He wrote: "The episode felt very Bond overall - Holmes has never done so much running towards or away from explosions."
The Telegraph's Ben Lawrence wrote that it was "a dizzying triumph of complex plotting (although the much-talked-about demolition of six busts of Margaret Thatcher was an unnecessary piece of iconoclasticism) and beautifully choreographed action scenes".
Martin Freeman has made Watson "a nuanced, compelling character", he said, but added: "It is, of course, Cumberbatch's show and here he looked tanned and lean, ready for action but heading, ultimately, for a fall.
"Cumberbatch is an actor who invests so much in every scene that watching him is an exhilarating experience and an almost psychological exercise."
The programme's overnight ratings were slightly down compared with those for last year's New Year's Day one-off Sherlock special, which had 8.4 million.
Elsewhere in Sunday's BBC One schedule, Mrs Brown's Boys was watched by an estimated 6.7 million, while six million saw Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell's demise in EastEnders.
EastEnders narrowly lost the battle of the soaps to Coronation Street, which attracted 6.2 million on ITV.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38488141 | |
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic accuses Man Utd defender Phil Jones after red card - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | Manchester United's Phil Jones "made a meal" of the tackle for which Sofiane Feghouli was sent off, says West Ham boss Slaven Bilic. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Manchester United defender Phil Jones "made a meal" of the challenge for which West Ham midfielder Sofiane Feghouli was controversially sent off, says Hammers boss Slaven Bilic.
West Ham played for 75 minutes with 10 men after Feghouli was shown a straight red card by referee Mike Dean.
Manchester United went on to win 2-0, their sixth straight league victory.
"It was not a red card. Feghouli's foot was not high in the air, it was not deliberate," said Bilic.
Bilic said England international Jones had gone in "dangerously" on Feghouli, and said West Ham will appeal against the red card.
"It was the key decision and it killed us. It put the game in a different perspective and was totally unfair for us," he added.
"Phil made a meal of it, but you cannot blame him. Maybe he made a meal because he is the one who went dangerously and he is saving himself."
Match of the Day pundit Martin Keown said: "It is a massive mistake from Mike Dean. It is remarkable, so early in the game too.
"I don't know how he can be so certain of who is fouling who. Sofiane Feghouli is trying to make a tackle, it is more a foul from Phil Jones. The reaction from him gets the player sent off."
Fellow MOTD expert Kevin Kilbane agreed: "It's such a bad decision and the reaction from Phil Jones might have helped in getting Sofiane Feghouli sent off. Feghouli should be given a reprieve."
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho said he did not feel sorry for West Ham after Feghouli's dismissal at London Stadium.
"If you talk about decisions, we are the champions of bad decisions," added Mourinho.
The game was goalless when Feghouli became the fifth player to be sent off by Dean this season.
West Ham dug deep before substitute Juan Mata gave the visitors the lead, Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubling the advantage despite being one of three players offside.
"It was a big offside for the second goal," said Bilic. "When the players are sprinting it is hard for the referees, I am the first to say that.
"But the players were walking. They should spot this."
Manchester United are one point behind fourth-placed Arsenal having played one more game than the Gunners.
West Ham, meanwhile, drop from 12th to 13th in the Premier League table. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38492564 | |
Tales from the bar - a tour of London's 'great pubs' - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Giant barrels, mosaic ceilings and ghostly visions - stories from some of London's oldest and most intriguing public houses. | In Pictures | Giant oak wine barrels sit above the bar of the Cittie of Yorke in Holborn - which is more reminiscent of a great hall in a Tudor mansion than than a traditional pub.
The jury is out as to whether or not the massive casks were ever used as genuine storage vessels - or simply part of the inn's Tudor makeover in the 1920s.
The Cittie of Yorke features in a new book, Great Pubs of London, written by George Dailey and featuring photographs taken by his daughter Charlie.
The book examines the histories of 22 pubs. Take a look at some of them here.
On a quiet street in the heart of one of London's most exclusive neighbourhoods, the Nags Head's first customers would have been staff from the mansions on neighbouring streets.
"The likelihood is that, because of its location, most of the early landlords were connected with horses, carriages and stabling," writes Dailey.
The pub's main bar - with its 150-year-old Chelsea pottery beer engine pump handles - is unusually low, with short stools in front.
This is because the floor of the bar servery is positioned midway between the main bar and the lower back bar to the rear, which was once possibly a stables or courtyard.
The Nags Head is also filled with dozens of toys, penny arcade machines, posters and photos - and the current landlord's collection of military memorabilia.
The Blackfriar - built in 1875 - stands on the site of London's Dominican friary in the parish of Ludgate.
The Dominicans are known as "the blackfriars" because of the black cloaks they wear.
In the early 20th Century the pub's interior was remodelled by the sculptor Henry Poole, who created a vision straight out of medieval England.
There is a sumptuous mosaic ceiling, with marble columns and copper clay friezes.
And black-cloaked friars can be spotted just about everywhere - all appearing to enjoy sins of overindulgence.
The interior of the French House looks more like a Parisian backstreet bar, than a traditional London pub - and it remains a favourite of artists, writers, actors and photographers,
George Dailey describes the inside as "a little tired, faintly bohemian - but with unmistakeable Gallic charm".
For most of the 20th Century the pub's official name was The York Minster.
Its metamorphosis into "The French" started in 1914, when its German owner sold the business to a Belgian - but "The French sounds more romantic", says Dailey.
The inn on this site was first built in 1520 - on the north bank of the Thames to the east of the City.
It would have been a timber structure surrounded by gardens and marshland. It was rebuilt in the 18th Century.
Regular visitors included the writers Charles Dickens, Samuel Pepys and Samuel Johnson - and the venue was known for its bare-knuckle and cock fights.
It's thought the pub's strange name derives from the fact that a collier - a ship carrying coal - from Whitby in North Yorkshire used to moor regularly beside the pub.
Initially it was just called The Prospect.
For people heading to London from the south, Borough High Street in Southwark was a terminus.
The walled City of London was only a bridge away, but it was closed at night.
Latecomers were forced to take rooms at one of the local inns - including The George.
The George became a home for political debate and gossip - and Shakespeare's plays were often performed in its courtyard.
According to Dailey: "There is no pub in London that can boast of having a completely untouched 18th Century interior - but The George comes very close."
The current building, which backs on to the shore of the Thames, dates from 1720 - built on the site of a previous pub, which burned down in 1710.
In 1865, Charles Dickens is thought to have written about The Grapes - or The Bunch of Grapes, as it was then known.
He describes "a tavern of dropsical appearance... long settled down into a state of hale infirmity. It had outlasted many a sprucer public house, indeed the whole house impended over the water but seemed to have got into the condition of a faint-hearted diver, who has paused so long on the brink, that he will never go in at all."
Although rebuilt in the 1920s, there has probably been a pub on the site of The Ship since the mid-16th Century - and in its early incarnation it was known as a haven for persecuted Catholics.
The pub is now just behind a busy underground station, but initially it would have overlooked a rough area of pasture land - Lincoln's Inn Fields.
This narrow pub on the Thames is one of the best places to watch the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race - if you can find a space to stand.
Anecdotal evidence suggests the Dove was actually a licensed pub as early as 1730 - when the green fields and orchards of 18th Century Hammersmith offered tranquillity away from the City of London, which was then only a two-hour coach ride away.
With all the hallmarks of a village inn, The Flask is very close to Highgate Cemetery - the burial place of Karl Marx.
It also claims to have two ghosts - a Spanish barmaid who took her life when the landlord rejected her amorous advances, and a hapless man dressed as a cavalier who crosses the main bar and disappears into a wall.
The poets Byron, Shelley, Keats and Coleridge were regular drinkers here. Coleridge believed the clean air on the hill at Highgate was beneficial in his attempts to cure himself of opium addiction.
When the building now known as The Lamb and Flag was built, in the mid-17th Century, Covent Garden was a relatively new urban area - a smart and desirable address.
But a century later, the gentry had moved away and the area had become a red-light district. Records from 1772 show that The Lamb and Flag - or Coopers Arms as it was known then - was trading successfully, but the clientele was drawn from the lower levels of society.
A century later, and the venue was a popular location for unlicensed bare-knuckle fights.
Great Pubs of London by George Dailey is published by Prestel. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-38384519 | |
Arts news in 2016: Knocking on death's door - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | BBC arts editor reflects on a year spent reporting on the deaths of so many major arts figures. | Entertainment & Arts | Will Gompertz appeared with Huw Edwards on the BBC One Ten O'Clock News on the night of David Bowie's death
Each specialism within journalism has its area of breaking news.
For foreign correspondents, it tends to be a conflict or catastrophe. Politicos deal in shock resignations or revelations. For us in the arts unit, it is award ceremonies - and celebrity deaths.
An instant obit of a once great, but now late, talent is what programme editors demand from us.
And you can be as Boy Scoutish as you like in your preparations, but the artistic life - and death - isn't about pleasing the establishment: creative souls do things their own way.
So, I was not entirely awake on Monday 11 January 2016 when my phone rang around 6.55am. It was a producer at the Today programme.
Had I heard the news, he asked? M…maybe - I hedged. What news? David Bowie is dead, he said.
Oh no! Oh no for lots of reasons. Firstly, it was awful news. I loved David Bowie; couldn't imagine him dead. He was still making great records. He wasn't particularly old, and now - well - he was no longer here.
And then, oh no - I had to make sense of his incredible life, without much time to pause for thought. Six minutes later, I was on-air talking to Today's Nick Robinson.
I got home late from work that night, put Heroes on and thought… sad day, but thankfully rare - a once-a-year occasion at worst.
But three days later came another call from another producer. Had I heard the news…?
Oh dear. Alan Rickman was fine actor whom one generation fell for Truly, Madly, Deeply, in 1990, and a new generation got to know and eventually love as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
By the time news emerged of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's death on 14 March, we had already paid our tributes to Pierre Boulez, Harper Lee and Sir George Martin. All titanic figures, but at least they had led full lives.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Will Gompertz looks back at the life of "trailblazer" Dame Zaha Hadid
And then on 31 March, another shock.
Dame Zaha Hadid had died. I had interviewed the Bagdad-born British architect just a few weeks before, when she appeared as hale and hearty and feisty as ever.
She was frustrated with her adopted country, rightly so. Her fellow Brits had been sniffy and slow in recognising her brilliance - and now she was gone, still in her prime, before amends could be made.
2016 was beginning to feel like a weird year. A sense compounded three weeks later with the announcement of Victoria Wood's death.
That was a blow, too. We adored her. She was great. Always funny, jokes on the money; and never mean. We need such towering talents in our lives, not scythed down by the Grim Reaper. But he wasn't done yet.
Tributes were left to Prince after his death in April
The very next day, at around 3pm our time, social media stories started bubbling up speculating that Prince had died at his Paisley Park estate. Now, come on! Don't be silly. Don't be true. Don't be dead.
At this point, articles started to appear asking if arts deaths were at an all-time high. Columnists wrote think pieces explaining to us that it was all to do with our obsession with celebrity in a post-Warholian media age.
Meanwhile, the man in charge of obituaries at the BBC noted his services had been called upon far more frequently in the first third of 2016 than in the same months of the past five years.
It had been an extraordinary period. It has been an extraordinary year - with a sting in its tail.
On 11 November at 1:15am - a call from a producer on the Today Programme. Had I heard the news?
I knew he was frail and unwell, but there is something about truly great, unique artists - which he was - that you hope can circumnavigate that realities of live and death.
That pop's longstanding poet-in-residence had succumbed while still making fine work seemed unfair, to us and to him. He knew better:
You Want it Darker by Leonard Cohen (2016)
And so we went into the festive season. Surely Death was done?
Sadly not. In fact, he indulged in a Christmas rush with many unpleasant surprises to unpack.
The news about Status Quo's Rick Parfitt broke on Christmas Eve. George Michael was found dead on Christmas Day. And then, the following day Richard Adams passed away. So did Carrie Fisher, and her mother - Debbie Reynolds - 24 hours later.
I think it is fair to say 2016 was a most unusual year.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38394697 | |
Trump v the car industry - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Ford's decision to cancel its $1.6bn investment in Mexico will be seen as evidence that Trump's nationalism is having the desired effect. | Business | Ford's decision to cancel a $1.6bn investment in Mexico and invest an extra $700m in Michigan will be widely seen as concrete evidence that Donald Trump's economic nationalism is having the intended effect.
Coincidentally, Ford's decision comes on the same day that the new President-elect launched an attack on General Motors for producing cars in Mexico bound for the US market.
"Build them in the USA or face big border tax" said the incoming US president on Twitter.
Cars made in Mexico can move across the border tax free thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), something that Donald Trump attacked during his campaign for causing the loss of US manufacturing jobs to cheaper labour.
In fact, only a tiny fraction (2,400 out of 190,000) of the GM model he singled out, the Cruze, are made in Mexico.
But while he may have picked on the wrong model, the message was unmistakable - the President-elect's hostility to NAFTA hasn't faded post-victory.
That position - and its popularity among many US consumers - is clearly not lost on car makers. GM was quick to take to the airwaves to assure US customers that most GM cars are still made in the US and shares in the company recovered from early falls.
The Ford Focus will be made in Mexico and while Ford's boss credited the business-friendly promises of the incoming President, he insisted it was switching investment in petrol cars in Mexico to electric cars in Detroit for its own business reasons.
Shares in other targets of Mr Trumps ire, like defence contractor Lockheed Martin, did not recover so quickly and the President-elect will know his comments can cause ructions in boardrooms.
Precisely the effect he is going for - and after today, one he will feel is working a treat. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38502177 | |
In pictures: London Zoo animals counted for stocktake - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Tigers, penguins and an aye-aye baby are some of the animals counted by zookeepers at London Zoo's annual stock count. | London | Tigers, penguins and a lesser-known aye-aye baby were some of the animals counted by zookeepers at London Zoo's annual stock count.
Sumatran Tiger cubs were just one of the hundreds of species counted. These two pictured, Achilles and Karis, arrived at the zoo in 2016.
In previous years, the count has taken about a week to complete.
Although it is undertaken once a year, keepers have an inventory which is updated continuously. The count is required as part of the zoo's licence.
Last year, nearly 18,500 animals were counted, including 21 red-kneed spiders and six Philippine crocodiles. There were a total of 712 species.
The results are logged into the International Species Information System (ISIS) where the data is then shared with other zoos.
Zookeeper Martin Franklin said the length of time it took to count the animals varied from department to department.
"I'm lucky in reptiles as we tend to have pretty large animals and it's a walk in the park to count them. We count them every day so we know what we've got but the point is we need to have a snapshot once a year for licensing purposes."
"It's harder for other departments so for example our insects team have a real job on their hands. They might cheat a little bit sometimes and count an entire colony as just one animal but generally speaking, everything is counted.
"Our aquarium guys have a great trick - they take photographs so they can make sure they don't double count anything."
Founded in 1826 by Sir Stamford Raffles, it is the oldest zoological scientific zoo in the world.
Last year saw four Humboldt penguin chicks hatched at Penguin Beach, and the zoo's first-ever aye-aye baby - a type of Lemur - arrived.
The aye-aye, called Malcolm, was born was born on 1 July, but emerged from his secluded nesting box for the first time just before Halloween.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-38498269 | |
Sweden's best-selling car not a Volvo - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | A Volvo was not Sweden's best-selling car last year, for the first time in more than half a century. | Business | Volvo still has the largest share of the country's car market overall
Sweden's best-selling car in 2016 was not a Volvo - the first year that has happened in more than half a century.
Instead the Volkswagen Golf topped sales, according to the country's carmakers' association, although Volvo still had the largest share of the country's car market overall.
The Golf made up 5.9% of new cars bought in the country, while Volvo's V70, S90 and V90 took 5.7% together.
Volvo was last knocked off top spot in 1962 by a Volkswagen Beetle.
Despite Volvo's car business now being owned by a Chinese firm, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, it is still viewed as an iconic Swedish brand.
And it still sells the most cars in Sweden, with more than one in five cars (21.5%) on the country's roads, compared with Volkswagen's 15.7%.
However, Volvo's V70, the most popular car in Sweden for the past two decades, has ceased production in favour of the newer V90 model.
The Swedish carmakers' association said 2016 saw record car sales with 372,000 new registrations, up by 8% on the 2015 figure, helped by a strong economy, while truck sales were up by more than 15%. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38493295 | |
Your #BackToWork tweets of sorrow - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | The hashtag #BackToWork is trending on Twitter as those returning to their jobs after the Christmas and new year break share their sorrow. | England | The hashtag #BackToWork is trending on Twitter as those returning to their jobs after the festive break share their sorrow that the fun is over and normal service is forced to resume.
The sudden withdrawal from lie ins, naps and all-day snacking has hit some people - and even their pets - quite hard.
And this morning's rude awakening has proved as alarming as the need to remain conscious for the duration of a 09:00 to 17:00 shift.
The uncomfortable shift from lying horizontal on a sofa to sitting upright at a desk has proved difficult for some - with reports of email amnesia and password mind blocks.
The drastic change in diet from a constant graze on festive leftovers and tins of chocolates to a one-hour slot to fill up on "new year, new you" salads is leaving a bitter taste in many mouths.
Even animals are affected by the back to work blues - Pete the office pooch at the Dogs Trust is reluctant to get out of his bed - or his Christmas jumper. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38495874 | |
Gary Barlow: Don't judge talent show Let It Shine on TV ratings - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Gary Barlow says the TV ratings system "shouldn't really apply any more" as he launches a new talent show. | Entertainment & Arts | Gary Barlow has been a judge on The X Factor in the past
Gary Barlow has said the success of his new BBC One talent show should not be judged on TV ratings because they are less relevant than they used to be.
Barlow is using Let It Shine, which starts on Saturday, to find the five leads for a Take That stage musical.
Let It Shine will go up against The Voice UK, which has moved to ITV.
Barlow told the BBC: "I think people are ingesting TV in a different way now. That old system of ratings shouldn't really apply any more."
Speaking on the set of the show, the Take That star added: "But I think people are still loving, downloading and buying music and listening to music more importantly.
"And I think people are ready for a new Saturday night experience."
Barlow is on the judging panel with Amber Riley, Dannii Minogue and Martin Kemp
The eight-week show will be hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Graham Norton, while Barlow will act as a judge alongside Dannii Minogue, Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp and Glee star Amber Riley.
The winners will tour the UK with the new musical for a year.
Audiences for TV singing contests have been in decline for a number of years. December's The X Factor final was the least watched in the show's history and lost out in the ratings to BBC One's Planet Earth II, which was shown at the same time.
The Voice UK, also had its smallest ever audience for a final last April, with 4.5 million watching, compared with 6.3 million the previous year.
The judges on The Voice will be Gavin Rossdale, Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson and will.i.am
However, Barlow, who was a judge on The X Factor for three series, said there was demand for another TV singing show.
"I think it's incredibly exciting," he said. "It's something I haven't done before. I've done lots of things in my career. But this feels like something new.
"And I have to say I think Saturday night needs a new idea at the moment. And I think this could be it."
Let It Shine is filling the BBC One Saturday night slot that was vacated by The Voice UK's move to ITV.
ITV has reinstated Sir Tom Jones as a coach on The Voice UK, two years after he was sacked by the BBC. The BBC showed the first five series of The Voice UK. Both shows start on Saturday and their transmissions overlap for 25 minutes.
Barlow refuses to see it as any kind of singing show shoot-out.
He said: "I've got to be honest with you. It's the same with music - I don't look right or left - I just concentrate on what we are doing and try and make it the best quality it can be."
Fellow judge Dannii Minogue, whose sister Kylie was a coach on The Voice UK, believes there is enough appetite from viewers for both shows to do well.
"I think they are really different shows," she said. "The Voice has really settled into what it's doing. I think it has such a fan base.
"This one is different. We are giving them the skills which you can take on to use forever. But then also it's a 12-month gig. That's a really big job for someone. You come out of that and you can do anything you want to do."
Let It Shine editor Guy Freeman, who is also in charge of the BBC's Eurovision Song Contest coverage, insists that there are good reasons for the BBC to have replaced The Voice UK with another singing show.
"A: there's gut instinct. B: there's an awful lot of research which says that people at the beginning of a dark winter want a real treat on TV, because Christmas has finished. Everything is finished and you don't want TV to suddenly kind of desert you."
Let It Shine is on BBC One on Saturday from 19:00-20:25 GMT. The Voice UK is on ITV on the same night from 20:00 GMT.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38490975 | |
House price predictions for 2017 - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Experts give their predictions for the UK housing market in 2017 and look back at some of the key issues for property buyers and sellers over the last 12 months. | Business | Radstock Street is being marketed as "desirable lateral living"
Buyers of a four-bedroom family home in London need deep pockets - but perhaps not as cavernous as a year ago.
Asking prices in the capital for these top-of-the-ladder properties fell by 8.7% over the past year, according to search site Rightmove. House prices grew much faster in eastern England and the West Midlands than in London, according to Zoopla.
London's annual house price growth for 2016 (3.7%) was below the UK average of 4.5% for the first time since 2008, the Nationwide Building Society says.
So has the London bubble burst? Are bargains to be had? Well, these things are relative.
One new development in Radstock Street in Battersea will see eight large apartments go on the market in February for £3.65m each.
For most people around the UK, that is an eye-watering price for a three-bedroom property. Yet, the developers say these homes will be attractive to downsizers - people aged in their 50s and 60s already owning a home in central London.
The idea of downsizing to a £3m-plus home might make those eyes water a little more, but Louisa Brodie, head of search at Banda Property, says these apartments are "realistically priced".
"They have car parking, a porter, and are brand new. Properties like this are rare to find, and areas like this have a unique selling point," she says. "London is still one of the most desirable places to live, anywhere."
This is surely a sign that London property has been decoupled from the rest of the country for many years.
Despite the drop in activity in London, the average house price in the capital is still £474,000, more than double the typical price of £217,000 in the UK as a whole, according to the latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The slowdown in central London is the result of the most significant change in the housing market in 2016 - a stamp duty surcharge on buy-to-let and second homes.
Since April, anyone buying a home that is not their main residence has had to pay a 3% stamp duty surcharge. This meant that, for second homes or buy-to-let properties, the rate for properties priced at more than £1.5m reaches 15%.
The surcharge led to a burst of activity in March followed by a steep drop in transactions in April - a "hangover" that still persists, according to Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).
In Scotland, the equivalent tax - the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) - was also up-rated.
The new surcharge, alongside a rise in normal stamp duty costs for £1m-plus homes since 2014, had a bigger impact on the market than the Brexit vote in June, according to experts.
Ray Boulger, of John Charcol mortgage brokers, says it led to many at the expensive end of the market choosing to extend their homes rather than move. This made it more difficult to create chains lower down the market.
Ed Stansfield, chief property economist at Capital Economics, says the housing market recovered "remarkably quickly" after cooling immediately after the UK's vote to leave the EU.
He says a "degree of nerves" surrounding the economy and potential buyers' caution over stretching too far financially had kept a lid on house prices.
Another major factor in the market over the last 12 months, according to the experts, is a lack of homes going on to the market. This supply squeeze has meant that, despite all the other pressures on affordability, prices continued to increase.
The constraint on supply proved to be more problematic than expected, according to Mr Rubinsohn of Rics, whose prediction of a 6% rise in house prices for 2016 looks to be the most accurate.
This trend will continue, he says, spelling more difficulties for first-time buyers whose incomes may fall in real terms. Many will continue to rely on the Bank of Mum and Dad for help with raising a mortgage deposit, while others will look to the government's Help to Buy projects to find somewhere affordable.
Others see first-time buyers as key to the buoyancy of the housing market.
"First-time buyers still underpin the wider market. So long as the government continues to support them either directly via Help to Buy or by further tax changes then the market should not plunge but this is not completely in the gift of politicians who frankly have more pressing matters to attend to," says property buying agent Henry Pryor.
"Like last year if you already own a home then you are probably better off than someone who doesn't. If you don't, then it seems unlikely that 2017 will see a swift solution emerge."
The experts have a relatively wide spread of predictions for 2017 - from price falls overall to rises matching or outstripping the general level of inflation.
Martin Ellis, housing economist at mortgage lender the Halifax, is offering a hedge-your-bets prediction of between a 1% and 4% rise.
"The relatively wide range for the forecast reflects the higher-than-normal degree of uncertainty regarding the prospects for the UK economy next year," he says.
Given that a buying a home is the biggest financial transaction of most people's lives, they - and their mortgage lender - will want some certainty over their job and income before taking the plunge. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38389967 | |
Africa Cup of Nations: Joel Matip & Allan Nyom not selected by Cameroon - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | Liverpool's Joel Matip and West Brom's Allan Nyom have not been named in Cameroon's 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool defender Joel Matip and West Brom's Allan Nyom have not been named in Cameroon's 23-man squad for this month's Africa Cup of Nations.
The duo were among seven Cameroon players who said they did not want to play in the tournament, which starts in Gabon on 14 January.
They could have been banned from club football during the competition.
But a potential club versus country row has been defused by their non-selection in the final squad.
Cameroon, who are coached by Belgian Hugo Broos, have been drawn in Group A with hosts Gabon, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau.
Right-back Nyom told Broos he wanted to stay at West Brom to keep his place in the team.
Bournemouth striker Benik Afobe has also withdrawn from DR Congo's squad. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38499968 | |
Ademola Lookman: Everton close to completing £11m deal for Charlton forward - BBC Sport | 2017-01-03 | null | Everton are close to completing an £11m deal for Charlton forward Ademola Lookman and will step up their pursuit of Morgan Schneiderlin. | null | Last updated on .From the section Football
Everton are close to completing an £11m deal for Charlton Athletic teenager Ademola Lookman - and will then intensify their interest in Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin.
Lookman, 19, is expected to have a medical at Everton shortly, after terms were agreed between the clubs.
Boss Ronald Koeman will then be keen to secure a deal for Schneiderlin, 27.
The France midfielder, who played for the Dutchman at Southampton, has been told he can leave Old Trafford.
Schneiderlin, who has also been linked with a return to France at Marseille, has failed to figure under manager Jose Mourinho.
It is understood Everton have had a £19m bid turned down but it seems certain they will return with a renewed offer closer to United's asking price.
United are keen to recoup most, if not all, of the £24m they paid Southampton in July 2015 and have also rejected an offer from West Bromwich Albion.
Koeman wants early recruits with midfielder Idrissa Gueye, arguably Everton's most influential performer this season, now away on international duty with Senegal at the Africa Cup Of Nations, and James McCarthy out injured.
Everton also retain an interest in another player marginalised under Mourinho at Old Trafford, Koeman's fellow Dutchman Memphis Depay.
Forward Lookman is expected to be first in at Goodison Park, with director of football Steve Walsh making his signing a priority.
Everton - with Walsh a key figure - are embarking on a policy of recruiting emerging young talent as well as established players.
The Toffees signed teenage striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Sheffield United for £1.5m in August and the England youth international started the 3-0 win against Southampton on Monday after several appearances as a substitute but was forced to go off early on with an ankle injury.
Charlton had hoped Everton would loan Lookman back to them for the rest of the season but he is seen as someone who could quickly play a part at Goodison Park. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38449936 | |
Myanmar police officers detained over Rohingya beatings video - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | A video posted online showing Myanmar police officers beating boys from the Muslim Rohingya minority has led to several arrests, as David Campanale reports. | null | A video that appears to show Myanmar police officers beating members of the Muslim Rohingya minority during a security operation has emerged on Burmese social media.
The government said the incident, apparently filmed by a police officer, happened in restive Rakhine state in November and several officers had been detained. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-38490957 | |
The A-Z of Brexit - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | An alphabetical guide to the biggest story of the next two and a half years. | UK Politics | "Brexit means Brexit" is something we've all heard many times. But it's still not entirely clear what it actually means. If you're feeling lost, help is at hand: here's our handy guide to the A-Z of Brexit.
Known as the "exit clause", Article 50 sets out the process the UK will go through to leave the European Union.
It sets the clock ticking on negotiations, giving a deadline of two years before the UK's membership of the EU ends - unless all EU member states' leaders vote unanimously to extend that period.
It says that any deal negotiated between the UK and EU will come down to a vote of European leaders, where it will need to be passed by a qualified majority and passed by the European Parliament.
Previously tasked with cleaning up the continent's financial services, Michel Barnier is the European Commission's chief Brexit negotiator.
He's a politician with a long career as an MEP, vice-president of the centre-right European People's Party, French foreign minister, and European commissioner.
Mr Barnier is also known for not being keen on giving interviews in English. At the height of the eurozone crisis he implied this policy was led by caution, saying: "One wrong word, and we could move markets."
The European Council is made up of the 28 EU heads of government, plus the European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The council doesn't make laws, but the heads of EU governments can vote on the union's political direction through a process that weights their votes according to the size of the country they represent.
Although Prime Minister Theresa May represents the UK on the council, she won't attend any meetings or votes it holds on the subject of Brexit negotiations after Article 50 is triggered.
More properly known as the Department for Exiting the European Union, DexEU is the government department responsible for the UK's negotiations with the EU.
It is led by David Davis. The department will conduct negotiations on Brexit with the EU, as well as talking to individual states about bilateral agreements after the UK leaves the EU.
Academic Sara Hagemann, who is Danish, said she had been told she could no longer advise the government on Brexit.
Leave campaigner Michael Gove made waves during the EU referendum campaign when he claimed Britain had "had enough of experts."
More recently, academics at the London School of Economics said that Foreign Office officials had told them non-UK nationals would no longer be able to brief the department on issues relating to Brexit.
The FCO insisted that it was a misunderstanding, saying "We will continue to take advice from the best and brightest minds, regardless of nationality."
Trading with other countries without customs duties, import bans or quotas is the goal of International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who has previously said that free trade "transformed the world for the better".
EU membership means the UK isn't allowed to make its own deals with other countries - deals like the Ceta free trade agreement signed between Canada and the EU after seven years of negotiations.
But opponents of free trade deals like Ceta and the proposed TTIP deal between the EU and US have claimed that the deals harm workers' rights and damage environmental safeguards.
Greenland provided the closest thing Brexit has to a precedent when it left the European Economic Community - a precursor to the EU - in 1982.
Greenlandic objections to its membership to the EEC, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, centred on the Common Fisheries Policy which allowed European trawlers to fish in its waters.
Since then, Greenland's fishermen have fared better than its fur industry, which since 2010 has been barred from selling any seal products within the EU.
The style of Brexit favoured by campaigners like Nigel Farage, "hard Brexit" would entail the UK leaving the European single market.
It would allow the British government more direct control over policies on immigration, but may mean tariffs on exports to the EU.
It's often presented as the opposite of "soft Brexit", which sees the UK remain in the EU single market - potentially having to accept EU rules like freedom of movement as a part of the deal.
Nigel Farage said 23 June should go down in history as the UK's "independence day" in commemoration of the vote to leave the EU.
But a petition calling for a national holiday on 23 June received a negative response from the government, which said it had "no current plans to create another public holiday" because of the economic cost of days off.
Former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker will be a key figure during the Article 50 negotiations with the EU.
Before the vote to leave, Mr Juncker warned the UK that "out is out", and that there would be no way back.
The European Commission is the EU body that will carry out much of the negotiating between the EU and UK, before a final deal is approved by the European Council's 27 non-UK EU leaders.
It's reported the Russian government of Vladimir Putin may stand to gain from Brexit, as the UK's decision to leave the EU could distract from its sanctions against Russia.
Former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said the UK had supported a harder line on EU-Russian relations.
Mr Plevneliev said: "If Brexit is going to be a divorce, we should stay the best possible and the closest friends."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Lord Kerr says Article 50 was drawn up in the event of a coup
Ratified in 2009, the Lisbon Treaty aimed to streamline the EU's decision making process following a period of expansion that saw membership grow.
It created the post of President of the European Council (currently held by Poland's Donald Tusk) and expanded the use of the proportional qualified majority voting system that awarded votes according to the size of a member state.
The Lisbon Treaty also contains Article 50 - drafted by Scottish peer Lord Kerr - the mechanism that dictates the way in which a member state can leave the EU.
The leader of the EU's largest member state, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has said "Brexit negotiations won't be easy" but that there's no need for the EU to be "nasty" to the UK during negotiations.
German leader since 2005, Ms Merkel will face a re-election battle in 2017. Her decision to welcome more than one million refugees to Germany is likely to be a big issue in that campaign.
Norway isn't a member of the EU, but is a part of the European Economic Area, the European Free Trade Association and the Schengen Zone.
Norway has been mooted as one of the models a post-Brexit UK could emulate after a "soft Brexit", but Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the UK "wouldn't like" finding itself on the fringes of the EU after Brexit.
The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban is a strident critic of many aspects of the EU. Since the UK voted to leave, he has spoken of the opportunity it presents for change, saying: "We are at a historic cultural moment. There is a possibility of a cultural counter-revolution right now."
In October Mr Orban held a referendum of his own, calling on Hungarian voters to reject the EU's refugee quotas.
A member of the European Council, Mr Orban will be one of the EU leaders voting on the UK's Brexit negotiations.
Nothing to do with the colour of your UK passport, this is the process by which London-based financial institutions can operate in the rest of the EU.
Passporting became a concern for global banks after the referendum, as they feared they could lose their rights to access the European single market.
International Trade Minister Mark Garnier suggested that such a thing could happen. When asked if passporting could end and be replaced by something else, he replied: "Exactly."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US President Barack Obama: "UK is going to be in the back of the queue"
President Barack Obama enraged Leave campaigners before the referendum with his suggestion that a post-Brexit UK would find itself at the "back of the queue" to negotiate trade deals with the US.
Boris Johnson called his intervention "hypocritical", while Tory MP Dominic Raab called him a "lame-duck president".
In-coming US president Donald Trump has been much more positive... See entry below, for T.
The Commons Library says the position of UK citizens in the EU - and vice versa - after Brexit remains uncertain.
It does, however, suggest that people already using their freedom of movement to live in other EU countries are unlikely to be affected, as it would be difficult - practically and politically - to change their residency rights retrospectively.
The UK could give up its membership of the European Union, but still have access to the single market.
This would make trading with other European countries easier, as there would be less change after Brexit.
The price would most likely be some kind of free movement agreement - meaning that EU citizens could still move to the UK to live and work, even after Brexit.
The incoming American president is a fan of Brexit, even saying in the days before his election victory over Hillary Clinton that a win for him would be "like Brexit plus-plus-plus."
He has befriended leading Brexiteer Nigel Farage - who was the first foreign politician to meet the president-elect after his win over Hillary Clinton.
Some in the UK, including Mr Farage, hope a Trump administration will move the UK to the front of the queue for trade deals with the US, heralding a new economic special relationship.
The UK's nations and regions weren't united in voting leave - Scotland, Northern Ireland and London voted to remain in the EU.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested she will hold a second independence referendum if the UK goes for a hard Brexit.
In Northern Ireland there are mixed responses. Some fear the return of border controls - the Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny is planning an a summit on the issue. Meanwhile, the border town of Newry has seen an influx of shoppers from the Republic, keen to take advantage of the euro's increased spending power.
Former Belgian Prime Minister and the European Parliament's lead Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, has suggested he is unwilling to negotiate on the free movement of people, saying: "European values will never be up for negotiation."
He has already held a preliminary meeting with David Davis (See entry for D, above) which the two said afterwards "a good start". And he has since warned that the European Parliament would negotiate directly with the British if EU leaders "don't take the parliament's role seriously".
Home Secretary Amber Rudd sparked controversy with an announcement that firms would have to publish the percentage of overseas workers they hired - although the government later rowed back on the idea.
There is also uncertainty over what could happen to UK employment rights, as some things like agency workers' rights and limitations on working time are guaranteed by EU law.
Police figures showed a rise in religious or racially motivated hate crimes in the weeks following the EU referendum.
In response, the government launched a new hate crime action plan to combat the increase.
Or more specifically, the yeast-based spread Marmite.
The falling value of the pound after the UK voted to leave the EU led to a row between Tesco and the manufacturer, Anglo-Dutch corporation Unilever, which wanted to raise the price of Marmite and other products.
The companies resolved their differences, which came after Unilever said the weak pound made selling its wares in the UK less profitable.
The capital of Croatia, the EU's newest member state.
The Croatian Foreign Minister Miro Kovac expressed his concerns about the effect Brexit could have on the EU's growth plans, saying: "We also want stability in southeastern Europe and we will work so that Brexit does not have too much effect on the enlargement process."
Croatia's fellow Balkan states Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are all currently in the process of joining the EU. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37761607 | |
Chile wildfires destroy scores of homes in Valparaiso - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | null | Hundreds of people are evacuated from Valparaiso, Chile, as forest fires set homes alight. | null | Hundreds of people were evacuated from the port-city of Valparaiso, Chile, after forest fires set homes alight.
The wildfires have been fanned by high temperatures and strong winds. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-38493113 | |
Rail fares: Who are the season ticket winners and losers? - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Rail fare increases have been called a "kick in the teeth" by critics. Yet commuters using annual season tickets in some parts of England find themselves worse off than others. | England | The cost of annual season tickets has increased by 1.9%, analysis by the BBC England Data Unit found
Commuters in some parts of England will be worse off than others from rail fare rises, which were called a "kick in the teeth" by critics.
In some areas there was no increase in annual season ticket prices, despite wage growth.
Others have seen their annual fares rise despite average pay having fallen.
Across the UK rail fares of all types - from season tickets to single journeys - increased by an average of 2.3% on the first weekday of the new year.
Analysis by the BBC England Data Unit found annual season tickets had increased in cost by 1.9%, while median take-home pay had increased by 2%.
The government said wages were growing faster than regulated fares, which include season tickets.
Passengers commuting to Manchester with the most popular annual season tickets saw no increase at all, while the median take-home wage increased 2.8%.
Annual passes from East Didsbury, Macclesfield, Stockport, Altrincham, Wilmslow, Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Glossop and Knutsford are all the same price as they were before the increase.
Yet commuters in Liverpool will pay 1.9% more for an annual pass. This is despite median wages having fallen, according to the Office for National Statistics.
For more stories from the BBC England Data Unit follow our Pinterest board.
Someone travelling from Runcorn to Liverpool would pay £1,532 for their annual pass, £28 more than in 2016.
In Liverpool the average full-time wage, after tax and National Insurance deductions, fell from £21,901 in 2015 to £21,634 in 2016.
The most expensive annual season ticket per mile travelled is Harlow Town to London Liverpool Street.
A commuter pays £3,496, which is £64 more than in 2016. It works out at 39p per mile travelled.
The figures are based on a Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) list of the most commonly used commuter services in six major cities. Our analysis of the figures was based on full-time workers using an annual season ticket five days a week, except on bank holidays or on 25 days of annual leave.
Lianna Etkind, public transport campaigner at the CBT, said: "Wages remain stagnant and trains continue to be hopelessly overcrowded, so commuters are rightly angry at annual fare rises when they see little or no improvement in the service they receive.
"Many commuters are now being charged at a similar level to a premium rate phone number for their season tickets and are left feeling equally as fleeced.
"It's high time the government introduced a fairer ticketing system that actively encouraged rail travel, not penalised people for choosing to take the train."
According to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, about 97p in every pound paid by passengers goes back into running and improving services.
RDG chief executive Paul Plummer said: "Money from fares is helping to sustain investment in the longer, newer trains and more punctual journeys that passengers want."
The Department for Transport said it had saved commuters money by capping season ticket increases so they are in line with inflation.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Thanks to action by the government on train ticket prices, wages are growing faster than regulated fares."
Northern Rail, which runs commuter services into Manchester, confirmed it had not increased annual season ticket fares but said other prices had risen.
It declined to comment further. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38497987 | |
Call the Midwife is top Christmas Day show but ratings fall - BBC News | 2017-01-03 | https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews | Call the Midwife was the most-watched programme on Christmas Day - but audiences fell to their lowest level on record. | Entertainment & Arts | The Christmas special saw the team of midwives relocate to South Africa
Call the Midwife was the most-watched programme on Christmas Day - but audiences on 25 December fell to their lowest level on record, figures show.
The historical drama attracted an audience of 9.2 million.
It is the smallest number of viewers for Christmas Day's top show since the current ratings system began in 1981.
Mrs Brown's Boys got nine million viewers, the Strictly Come Dancing special had 8.9 million and The Great Christmas Bake Off had 8.2 million.
Data from those watching on-demand services on smartphones and computers is not included in the figures, from research body Barb.
Call the Midwife fans saw the nuns and nurses from Nonnatus House travel to South Africa in a bid to prevent a hospital from closing down.
Heidi Thomas, creator and writer of the Call the Midwife, said: "We are always so proud to be part of BBC One's Christmas Day schedule, and absolutely delighted that so many people joined us.
"At this special time of year it really feels as though the cast, crew and audience of Call The Midwife are one big family, and we can't wait to share series six with everyone."
The new series returns to BBC One later this month.
The Queen's Christmas Message was in the top 10
BBC One had eight of the 10 most-watched programmes on 25 December, while ITV had two.
The other top 10 programmes for Christmas Day were Doctor Who, EastEnders, The Queen's Christmas Message and Disney film Frozen.
Audiences for Christmas Day - which traditionally attracts big audiences - have been falling in recent years with the introduction of catch-up and on-demand services.
No programme has attracted more than 20 million viewers since 2001, and the figure of 15 million has not been achieved since 2008.
Call The Midwife's 9.2 million is just over half the number who watched Wallace And Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death in 2008 (16.2 million).
The single biggest Christmas Day TV audience was recorded in 1989 when 21.8 million watched the UK premiere of the film Crocodile Dundee.
The average Christmas Day audience this decade is 11.1 million. In the 1980s, it was 18.5 million.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38498985 |