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Studies show slowdown of up to 25%, while speeds over oceans are unaffected or faster Across the world’s land masses, measured wind speeds have been mysteriously weakening for the past 50 or so years, in some regions slowing down by as much as 25%. Several studies have come to the same conclusion , using wind observations from weather stations across the world. Strangely, the slowdown seems to be happening largely over land. Over the oceans the phenomenon is less pronounced, with some areas even showing an acceleration . One suggestion is that climate change is partly to blame by altering patterns in the global atmospheric circulation. Another suggestion is that urban development and more vegetation is creating a rougher ground surface that slows winds. However, winds have slowed down across Saudi Arabia , mostly desert, which probably means this is only part of the answer. Now an EU-funded project is trawling through historical records back to the 1880s to find out whether this ph...

Fox News Breaking News Alert Stocks end December, 2018 sharply lower, despite day's gains 12/31/18 1:07 PM

Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Arj03v

By JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEXANDER BURNS from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2BQfu2C

Home secretary says move is to secure borders and prevent deaths of those crossing The UK is to deploy two extra Border Force ships to the English Channel to try to disrupt a recent increase in people trying to reach the UK from France in small and often unseaworthy boats, Sajid Javid has announced. The home secretary said two Border Force cutters would be moved as part of wider efforts to ensure the route does not become more popular in response to several days of headlines about a rise in the still relatively tiny number of people attempting the crossing . Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RuVmwC

Thrusting young senators, a former vice-president … and Bernie Sanders again? We profile some of the likely 2020 contenders Elizabeth Warren had long been expected to announce a run for the Democratic nomination for president, from the progressive wing of the party. On Monday morning, the Massachusetts senator duly made it official . Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EW5jga

• Director of rugby confronted Sam Peters at Gloucester • RFU received no complaint from Sunday Times reporter Steve Diamond will not face a disciplinary hearing after confronting a journalist at the end of Sale’s victory at Gloucester on Saturday and inviting him to “go outside” because the reporter involved will not make an official complaint. Diamond, Sale’s director of rugby, approached Sam Peters, who was reporting on the match for the Sunday Times, at the end of his media conference to take issue over an article written three months before in which Peters had been critical of him. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VlaRX9

• BBC’s Tim Davie and ITV’s Tom Betts reportedly in frame • Susanna Dinnage had taken job but will now stay at Discovery The Premier League is determined to make a swift appointment to fill the vacant role of chief executive, after the surprise decision by Susanna Dinnage to walk away from the job. That leaves broadcast executives Tim Davie and Tom Betts, the two candidates understood to have been on the original shortlist with Dinnage, as the most likely candidates. Davie runs BBC Studios while Betts is ITV’s director of strategy. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Ar3ynZ

• ‘He was being bashed by every horse in the race,’ says trainer • Repeated contact from other runners a factor in eventual fall A rough passage through the early stages of last week’s King George contributed to the first ever fall in the career of Bristol De Mai, according to his trainer, Nigel Twiston-Davies. The grey had never failed to complete the course in his 25 previous races over obstacles but got no further than the ninth on Boxing Day, hitting the fence after taking an extra stride in the manner of a horse that had lost its confidence. “He just didn’t like it,” the trainer reflected between races here on Monday. “He didn’t have a very clear run, he was being bashed by every horse in the race. Thistlecrack gave him a hard time.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2R2Fq5k

An increase in migrants crossing the Channel by boat has created tension in the area, locals say UK and France to step up patrols as boat with 12 Iranians lands in Kent On Dover’s Marine Parade an empty boat with its windows smashed lies docked on concrete, a blue police banner still stuck to it. The catamaran is the lasting remnant of a voyage taken by a group of 12 migrants who crashed on to the shore in recent weeks. Reports say a growing number of migrants are crossing the Channel from France to the UK and arriving in Kent. An estimated 220 people are thought to have attempted the journey in the past six weeks, including 40, in five boats, on Christmas Day and a further 40 since. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QbtOrC

By SIMON ROMERO from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2Qfmrzc

• Keramuudin Karim says allegations are ‘a conspiracy’ • Three female national team players have alleged abuse The Afghanistan Football Federation president, Keramuudin Karim, has denied allegations he sexually and physically abused members of the women’s national team. Three players detailed to the Guardian last week the abuse they say they suffered at the hands of Karim. He and four other senior Afghan FA officials have been barred from leaving the country by the attorney general’s office, which is looking into the claims. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GL2Do0

On Sunday alone, 14,000 people pledged to go meat-free for first month of new year As the hangovers kick in and promises are made at the end of the festive season, more and more people are committing to making a lifestyle change that may require stronger willpower than, say, going to the gym more than once in the first month of the year. Record numbers have signed up to “ Veganuary ” and will try living on a plant-based diet, at least for a few weeks. With vegan options becoming cheaper, and more widespread and convenient, organisers of the initiative believe 2019 will be the year of the vegan. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2SvLMa4

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2Qc6fih

Biggest shakeup since privatisation could also see savings lost ‘within months’ What is the price cap and how does it work? Millions of households will see their annual energy bills drop as the government’s price cap takes effect on Tuesday, but experts have warned that the saving will be wiped out within months. The long-awaited ceiling on default tariffs amounts to the biggest shakeup of the energy market since privatisation. Unlike Ed Miliband’s proposed energy price freeze , the cap is a ceiling that can move up and down twice a year depending on the costs facing energy firms. While energy regulator Ofgem has said 11m households will save £76 a year based on typical consumption, industry watchers think that will soon be offset by a rise in the cap. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2AnqXqg

• More done for bank balances than combat sports’ reputation • Mayweather afterwards: ‘Once again, I’m still retired’ Floyd Mayweather came out of retirement briefly to score a lucrative victory in an exhibition boxing match in Japan over kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa that will do more for his bank balance than it did for the reputation of combat sports. The 20-year-old, who is unbeaten in professional kickboxing and mixed martial arts, was sent crashing to the canvas three times in the first round by Mayweather, leading the Japanese fighter’s corner to throw in the towel. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GOqrYc

US singer was taken to hospital after performing in Peter Pan in Birmingham last week The US pop singer Jimmy Osmond has suffered a stroke and will take time away from the stage, a spokesperson has said. Osmond completed a performance of Peter Pan at the Birmingham Hippodrome theatre on 27 December before he was driven to hospital and diagnosed with a stroke, the representative said in a statement on the theatre’s website. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2rYqKp2

The world in 2019: The vexed politics of our times has obscured the view ahead. Over the holidays we are examining some big issues on the horizon. Today we look at tensions between the leading global powers Many of those peering with trepidation into 2019 have first turned to the past, to see what lessons history offers as a great power rises and the hegemon falters. Some look back two and a half millennia to the Peloponnesian war and the idea of the “Thucydides trap”: that war is made inevitable by the emergence of a new power (Athens) and the fear of the established leader (Sparta). Others draw on more recent transitions to suggest that powers moderate behaviour in times of decline or retrenchment. However it plays out in the long run, there is trouble ahead – and not only for the US and China. With evidence mounting of the impact of the trade war between the world’s two largest economies, Donald Trump has boasted of “ big progress ” towards a potential deal. But whatever is being...

Mick Schumacher, whose legendary father suffered a brain injury five years ago, is making his own name in motor racing A few months ago Damon Hill was waiting in a lounge at Heathrow airport, watching the departure board for news of his scheduled flight to Cologne. He had been invited to the opening of a museum dedicated to the career of Michael Schumacher, his old rival. The flight was delayed. And then delayed some more. He was sitting with another invited guest. This was Ross Brawn, the engineer who masterminded all of Schumacher’s seven world titles: two with Benetton, five with Ferrari, hardly one of them without controversy. “We’ve never really brought up some of the things that went on and that might be interesting to know,” Hill said on the phone this week. “But as you get older, you look back and it all seems mad. It’s so intense, everyone wants to win, and some people cross the boundary. It’s a choice people make.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2R1uX...

Troops ‘fighting Isis remnants’ and ‘slowly’ being sent home, tweets US president Donald Trump has appeared to water down plans for an immediate pullout of US troops from Syria, even as he defiantly claimed that his achievements in the conflict should make him a “national hero”. The tweeted comment on Monday came the day after a senior Republican senator said the US president had promised to stay in Syria to finish the job of destroying the Islamic State group – days after he shocked allies, and his own military establishment , by saying troops were coming home. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EXcTXL

They like to think they’re revolutionaries, but Brexiteers lack the necessary intellect, ideas and vision I spent most of 2018 hearing the same story of revolution, ambition and factional rivalry played on a loop. And when I wasn’t listening to the Hamilton soundtrack I wrote about Brexit. I’m late to the Hamilton party, I know. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about the first US Treasury secretary opened on Broadway in 2015. I only got tickets to see it in London a few weeks ago, but by then I was word-perfect on the score. For the uninitiated, Hamilton tells the story of an orphan immigrant’s climb up the social and political ladders of newly independent America, culminating in a death that … well, let’s just say it puts the modern Twitter spat into perspective. Plus singing, dancing, rapping. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VfKyBP

Games, food and even gyms are becoming more popular than hitting the dancefloor An estimated £200m has been wiped off the value of the UK nightclub scene in the past five years as partygoers desert the dancefloor in search of new pleasures. More clubs closed in 2018 as people swapped thumping bass for alternative entertainment including indoor golf, trampolining and, in east London, a vegan food festival described as “the wildest plant-based party” in the capital. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2rZq42P

As new brands begin to tackle social and environmental harm, a more sustainable future awaits From Meghan and Harry’s wedding to the Dolce & Gabbana debacle in Shanghai, 2018 was a big year for fashion moments. But it may also be remembered as the year we finally took notice of the negative environmental and social effects of an industry that’s been allowed to get out of control. And it’s hard to do this without remembering what happened in June, when we learned that Burberry had been burning £28m worth of its clothes , accessories and beauty products to safeguard its brand. Insiders already knew that H&M was burning excess stock, but to discover that the luxury sector was at it too made many question the industry as a whole. The same month, Mary Creagh, who chairs the Commons environmental audit committee, announced that she would be investigating the sustainability of the fashion industry. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2LFvEjU

21st-century Britain is very different from 1960s Singapore. Tories wanting a pivot to Asia must admit current realities In a few weeks, Singapore observes the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival. The spot where he landed is marked with a statue – arms folded, looking out to sea – while the 52-storey headquarters of a local bank towers behind him. It’s a popular selfie spot. Singapore’s government plans a series of exhibitions and historic walking trails that will turn the spotlight on the island’s long and successful history – both before and after the imperial adventurer strode ashore and planted the union flag in January 1819. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2AqLWsn

President prepares annual address amid security clampdown and continuing unrest More than 147,000 security forces will be deployed to New Year’s Eve celebrations across France as gilets jaunes anti-government protesters were expected on the Champs Élysées in Paris and Emmanuel Macron prepared a televised address on his plans for 2019 amid plummeting approval ratings and continuing unrest. Tens of thousands of police officers, military personnel, civil security guards and firefighters will be stationed in major cities in part due to the ongoing terrorist threat after a gunman killed five people at Strasbourg’s Christmas market earlier this month. But security has also been reinforced in Paris and cities including Bordeaux and Nice in case of surprise anti-government protests by the gilets jaunes – or “yellow vests” – movement. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2sat64t

The duchess formerly known as Markle can change a fashion company’s fortunes if she wears one of their pieces December’s annual Fashion Awards may have been attended by some of the industry’s most influential figures, such as Kate Moss, Edward Enninful, Kendall Jenner and the Beckhams, but it was Meghan, Duchess of Sussex who stole the show. Arriving as a surprise on stage to present the creator of her wedding dress, Clare Waight Keller , the award for best womenswear designer, it was an appropriate end-of-year headline given that 2018 witnessed the “Meghan effect” take hold. The fashion industry is familiar with an “effect”. The Kardashians, the Beckhams and Meghan’s in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, have had it appended to their names as a testament to the power they yield to put a trend or fashion label on the map. But while Meghan has on occasion shown the same penchant for high-fashion brands such as Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Prada, with her newfound influence the duchess has...

After two years of a compliant Congress, Trump can expect scrutiny into alleged collusion, obstruction and corruption When Democrats formally assume the US House majority in January for the first time in eight years, they will contend with a president long dubbed by most members of their party as unfit and unqualified to serve. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2ApdSgq

Forget the takeaways, the meals out – and all those overambitious cookbooks The simplest way to improve your diet and eat more healthily isn’t counting calories, “eating a rainbow”, buying low-fat everything or following any other of the tired, ineffective mantras that are trotted out. In practical terms, the surest way to eat better is cooking most of your food at home or, failing that, talking some other nice person into doing it for you. The more you eat out or rely on convenience food, the more the balance of your diet will go the wrong way. The more food you eat that isn’t homemade, the poorer your diet is likely to be in terms of nutrition and the quality and provenance of its ingredients. If you base your meals on mainly unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients, and cook more often than not, you won’t go far wrong. Motivate yourself for more hands-on activity in the kitchen by calculating how much money you’ll save. It’s easy to spend £20 a week on barely satisfying sand...

A Whitehall official’s pronouncement in 1994 reflects an age-old problem: how to imagine a different world Who can resist this hinge in time, when one year ends and another begins, without indulging in a bit of light speculation about the future, if only to contemplate where, if anywhere, on Earth might be a safe space at the end of March. This interregnum between Christmas and new year is also when Whitehall’s records of old arguments and negotiations and decisions are released, at least partially. It’s a moment usually treated as an exercise in history, but really it’s a snapshot of the way people anticipate the future. The latest releases , published at the end of last week, are particularly interesting because they reflect the way Whitehall copes at a moment of extraordinary upheaval. They cover the early 1990s, the years after the Berlin Wall was breached. The Soviet Union was tottering. Nelson Mandela was newly freed, and a technological revolution was waiting to be unleashed....

By JILL COWAN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2EZzcNu

Massachusetts senator releases video announcing run Terry McAuliffe – is he really the face of the future? Senator Elizabeth Warren jumped into the race for president on Monday, announcing she is forming an exploratory committee for 2020. The Massachusetts Democrat, known for her critiques of big banks and corporations, became the first major candidate to declare her intentions with a video posted online on New Year’s Eve. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2AqZnbI

Israeli court says Jamil Tamimi was mentally ill when he stabbed Hannah Bladon in 2017 A court in Israel has sentenced a Palestinian man to 18 years in jail for fatally stabbing a British student, Hannah Bladon, in Jerusalem, under a plea bargain that acknowledged he is mentally ill. Jamil Tamimi, 59, killed the 20-year-old University of Birmingham exchange student on a tram in April 2017 as she travelled to a church where she volunteered. He had chosen her at random when she got up to offer her seat to another woman, the court heard. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QXeR1D

Max Rushden , Jonathan Wilson , John Brewin and Gregg Bakowski discuss the dominant thrashing of Arsenal, players flying again at Manchester United, early kick-offs and Neil Etheridge saving penalties from presidents Join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . We look back at the weekend’s football action, starting with Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Arsenal, sending them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table and Gregg into dreamland. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RnWLFh

By NATALIE RENEAU and WHITNEY HURST from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2EYtiLF

By SARAH MERVOSH and MATT FLEGENHEIMER from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2SovnnU

By ASTEAD W. HERNDON and ALEXANDER BURNS from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2AnrSHv

Fox News Breaking News Alert Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announces she’s forming an exploratory committee in step toward 2020 presidential run 12/31/18 5:39 AM

Once it was revealed that the ‘live’ show was in fact a pre-record, the glamour of spending NYE with your favourite musicians lost its appeal Nobody in recorded history has ever actually planned to watch the Hootenanny. Since its debut in 1993, Jools Holland’s televised New Year’s Eve bash has been the nation’s eternal fallback plan: a last resort when parties are cancelled, babysitters pull out, water pipes burst, theatre tickets are torn up by toddlers and girlfriends catch gastroenteritis. Publicly, there was less social shame in claiming you spent the stroke of midnight lancing your boils. Yet, when safely behind closed doors, the show quickly worked its magic. Like Later … on steroids, the Hootenanny was a two-hour hug where the whiff of British naffness and stage-managed revelry only added to the charm. And occasionally, like a drunk finding a £50 note, the show stumbled across a truly dynamite performance, such as Amy Winehouse belting out a rabble-rousing Monkey Man or Mavi...

No one in the Calais region is sure what has prompted the rise in crossing attempts or whether it will last UK and France pledge drive to tackle people smuggling in Channel Wahid has tried twice so far. Both times, the small inflatable boat that he and about a dozen others were riding in was intercepted by a French coastguard vessel maybe an hour, perhaps two, after it pushed off from the beach. He is a bit vague on the details, for which he apologises. “It was cold, very cold. The sea was calm, flat, but it was frightening. A dark night and, of course, no lights. Dangerous. We all knew it was dangerous. We could die. Instead, we’re back here.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Qf84eq

As humans slow down for the holidays, so does the environmental damage they inflict – if only briefly So the animals must pay for our dysfunctionality. Japan, swayed by some notion of nationhood, asserts itself by declaring its resumption of whaling . Revenge is being wreaked on the Save the Whale campaigns of the 1970s and 80s – the bedrock of modern environmentalism – and all those yoghurt-knitting hippies. Killer whales and belugas are kept in “whale jail” in the far east of Russia, as far from prying eyes as possible – ready to be sold to marine parks in China . Highly evolved animals are stolen from the sea and people buy tickets so their family can watch them perform in artificial pools thousands of miles from home. Related: The idea of Japan resuming commercial whaling is horrifying | Owen Jones Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2AnggUC

Prime minister focused on getting what MPs want ahead of Commons vote, No 10 says Theresa May has been in contact with EU leaders over Christmas to try to seek the reassurances she hopes will persuade enough MPs to back her Brexit deal in January, Downing Street has said. “She has been in contact with European counterparts over the break, and you can expect more of that to continue over the week,” the prime minister’s spokeswoman said. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2BORwER

From the Presidents Club to Christine Blasey Ford, it’s not been a great year. But there were glimmers of hope, such as in Ireland A pale, slouching Harvey Weinstein has so far escaped criminal charges for the allegations of sexual assault against him. A “millionaire” is given a three-year jail sentence for killing a woman , who died from the 40 horrific injuries he inflicted on her, including having bleach poured over her face, because this was said to be “consensual” rough sex. The incredibly brave Kurdish women who have faced down Islamic State have now been totally abandoned by Trump’s policy on Syria. This is how we end the year, and though there are those reluctant still to give up the narrative of sunlit progress, it’s not been a great one for women. But there are so many great and good women out there who shine light into the darkness. I raise a glass to you for 2019 Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2TlIHtn

Tanguy Ndombele and Nicolas Pépé have caught English eyes, while Lucas Hernández is the window’s hottest property Current club Atlético Madrid. Estimated value £72.3m Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Sun7mn

Left winger won two league titles and FA Cup with Liverpool Thompson was a mainstay of Shankly’s team in the 60s The former Liverpool and England midfielder Peter Thompson has died at the age of 76. The left-winger won two league titles with Liverpool under Bill Shankly as well as the club’s first FA Cup, in 1965, scoring 54 goals in 416 appearances. He also helped Shankly’s formidable team of the 60s reach the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1966. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2ViwQhq

Medics say antibiotics shortage stops them following protocols to fight drug-resistant bacteria Doctors in Gaza and the West Bank have warned they are battling an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant superbugs , a growing problem in the world’s conflict zones, which could also spill over the Palestinian borders. The rise and spread of such virulent infections adds to the devastation of war, increasing medical costs, blocking hospital beds because patients need care for longer, and often leaving people whose injuries might once have been healed with life-changing disabilities. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EZkfLo

Police closed motorway in both directions after man in his 20s allegedly climbed bridge A man has been arrested after allegedly climbing the Severn Bridge and flying a drone from it. Avon and Somerset police were called to the M48 Severn Bridge, which connects England and Wales, at 8.10am on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EZ5qr3

Brazil’s indigenous peoples, already targeted by loggers, face a powerful foe in the new president. We must protect them On 1 January, Jair Bolsonaro will be sworn in as Brazil’s 38th president. He has expressed open disdain for the indigenous peoples of Brazil, and it is no exaggeration to say that some of the world’s most unique and diverse tribes are facing annihilation . Genocide is defined by the UN as “the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”. Large-scale mass genocides rightly receive global attention, yet countless others go unreported and unpunished because the victims number only a few hundred, or even a few dozen. Right now, deep in the Amazon rainforest, a small tribe of survivors is on the run. They are the Kawahiva , an uncontacted tribe of just a few dozen people, the victims of waves of horrific attacks which have pushed them to the brink of extinction. We know almost nothing about them, except that they are fleeing...

Man who died fleeing Mount Vesuvius eruption is one of several important finds in latest dig Teresa Virtuoso is more than used to digging up tombs. But when the archaeologist found the skeleton of a man who died while trying to escape the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79, she couldn’t help but think about his final moments. “At that moment, it wasn’t only about doing a job,” Virtuoso, who is coordinating excavations in part of Regio V, an entire quarter of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii that is yet to open to the public, told the Guardian. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EXuQp9

With his acute observations on David Bowie, Paul Weller and Radiohead, Cavanagh combined a passion for music with an eye for the small details of human behaviour David Cavanagh had a brief go at Twitter, then stopped. He didn’t use Facebook. No one thought to write him a Wikipedia page. Four days after Christmas, when news came of his death, his former colleagues and readers paid him no end of tributes, all of which were suffused with both a deep sense of shock and a fitting sense of someone who had lived and worked outside the ephemeral cycles of the modern media. Anyone who spent time with him would recognise most of the following: the fact that he could be introverted and silent, but also talkative and extremely funny; his fondness for the unfashionable pleasure of a couple of lunchtime beers; his astounding brilliance at pub quizzes. I still don’t know the year he was born (1965, at an informed guess), but I am reasonably certain he was brought up in Belfast, had a violinist fath...

Envoy suggests president would like to return to Britain for state visit after exit from EU Donald Trump might visit Britain in May 2019 after the country’s departure in March from the European Union, the US ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson, has said. Asked whether the state visit promised last year by Theresa May could be rescheduled to coincide with a commemoration of the end of the second world war in May, Johnson told BBC radio: “Between you and me, I think that would be a good time.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QdRuvm

The tennis coach had always found conferences intimidating – until a workshop on women in sport inspired her to step outside her comfort zone During the 2012 Olympics in London, I went along to a female coaching workshop in London. I had just started as the captain of Great Britain’s Fed Cup team and I took a few colleagues with me. It was the first time I had been at a coaching event that was dedicated to women’s sport and women in sport . Sport is such a male-dominated world that every workshop, conference or certification course I had previously attended was an intimidating environment. It is never easy being in a minority. I would always find a seat at the back or in a corner; I never ventured to ask or answer a question; and I dreaded being singled out for a demonstration. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Vlr52E

Promise to move Israeli embassy to Jerusalem among first tests for radical new president The Israeli and Hungarian prime ministers, Benjamin Netanyahu and Viktor Orbán, will join the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, at Tuesday’s inauguration of Brazil’s new far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Netanyahu wants Bolsonaro to confirm his election promise to move Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem. The pledge has divided allies and sparked a diplomatic row – an early sign, analysts said, of how the former army captain’s radical ideology will sit uneasily with the realities of governing. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EZFfjZ

As former lord chancellor, I regret supporting an act that restricted basic access to justice to so many people The weak, the vulnerable and the ordinary citizen depend on the rule of law for protection from abuse by the strong and the state. The law is pointless unless those who need it can access its protections. Legal aid is key to such access. Related: ‘It’s completely wrong’: falsely accused Tory MP attacks legal aid cuts Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EZlABS

From Australia’s sandpaper storm to some impressive popularity contests, via José Mourinho and worm denial 5 January: “We have money for sardines and I’m thinking lobster. I will do my best to try and bring in the best players. I will look to the lobsters and sea bass, but if not we must buy sardines. But sometimes the sardines can win games” – Perhaps, Carlos Carvalhal, but they couldn’t keep Swansea in the Premier League. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Aq3Rzt

By THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GLlDTy

By ADEEL HASSAN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2QcRyvw

We are being victimised by a culture of a pay secrecy that is wreaking havoc. I wish I had the courage to speak out A Norwegian financial trade union might be an unlikely mouthpiece for challengers of the global gender pay gap, but earlier this year it became just that. In an advertisement designed to highlight the company’s commitment to fairness in a sector still dogged by inequality, kids took part in a social experiment in which they were videoed being instructed to complete a simple task, for which they were rewarded with jars of sweets. Though all children completed the assignment to a similar standard, the boys were given more sweets than the girls. The adult running the experiment subsequently explained to the perplexed youngsters that the difference was down to their gender. Girls’ work, so the stoic message went, is worth less than boys’. The children took issue, displaying a spectrum of emotions from confusion and annoyance to distress and resentment. It’s not fair, they u...

Curtis Pritchard was left unconscious after shielding AJ, 20, from blows in Nantwich, Cheshire A Strictly Come Dancing star has spoken of how his brother “saved his life” – and risked his own dancing career – when the pair were attacked in a nightclub. Professional dancer AJ Pritchard, 24, suffered bruising to his face, arms, legs and body in the “unprovoked” assault while on a night out with friends in Cheshire on 27 December. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2StBJCC

Criminal case opened against US citizen for ‘carrying out act of espionage’ Russia has detained a US citizen in Moscow accused of spying, according to the FSB security service. It said in a statement the American was detained on Friday “while carrying out an act of espionage” and that a criminal case had been opened. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2s106vC

That is, so long as you don’t ignore the outside world, like the Twitter CEO who blithely tweeted from a yoga retreat in Myanmar Late in 2018, Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey felt the wrath of his own social media platform when he posted a series of fulsome tweets about his experience of a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in Myanmar, a country that has recently been plagued by brutal ethnic violence . After Dorsey admiringly celebrated Myanmar as an “absolutely beautiful country” where “people are full of joy”, numerous critics were quick to point out that Dorsey failed to even mention the military-led campaign of mass killings, rape and torture of the Muslim Rohingya population. It was, to say the very least, insensitive. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RpOYa7

Steve Diamond crossed the line between aggression and chaos, Saints stunned Exeter and Ben Te’o made his mark Steve Diamond. Discuss. Sometimes his bracing approach to life yields results, as when his team played with focus and fury to win at Gloucester. There is a long line of coaches in sport who have secured their legend through what has become known as “the old school”. But it is not a simple pact, the line fine between aggression and chaos. The director of rugby’s fracas after the match with the journalist Sam Peters, whom he invited “outside” – still furious over an article written in September – suggests he cannot help himself. What he thought he was going to achieve in a room full of journalists, or even just outside it, is anybody’s guess. Dignity was not the winner. Michael Aylwin Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Rmj4eK

A look ahead to the new year’s elections, anniversaries, awards, contests – and Brexit Abortion in Ireland The Irish government’s Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill takes effect, which permits free access to abortions up to 12 weeks of gestation after Irish citizens voted overwhelmingly to overturn an effective ban on abortion in a May 2018 referendum (1 January). Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Su683B

The Guardian and Observer sport photographer Tom Jenkins selects his favourite images from the thousands of frames that he shot during 2018 and recalls the stories behind them 20mm lens 1/2000 f4 ISO 3200 Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RmijlU

Much has changed since the debacle of 2015, not least the settling on two spinners who can help control a game With a home World Cup swiftly followed by a home Ashes series the summer of 2019 has the potential to rival the greatest in the history of the English game and also to be among its most crushing disappointments. The home side are the favourites to win both competitions and the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, Tom Harrison, has declared himself “giddy with excitement” about the “once in a generation opportunity” the coming months represent. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2GKuPHC

Jürgen Locadia proves his worth, Hart loses out to Heaton, Palace need reinforcements and Arsenal need a defence After Ole Gunnar Solskjær rained praise down on Marcus Rashford, calling him the “catalyst” for Manchester United’s pressing game, Romelu Lukaku might wonder when he will next be given a start. Rashford scored and created Paul Pogba’s opener in the 4-1 win . Asked about Lukaku, who was a late, scoring replacement, Solskjær said: “At times he’s a good target man but if you tell him to be a target man he’ll never face the goal, today he was side on and he’s got the attributes of a top, top striker. We need to work on his fitness but I’m delighted even though he was half a yard offside – it was a good finish.” Next up is Thursday’s trip to Newcastle United as the caretaker manager seeks a fourth consecutive win from his opening four games. So far Rashford has excelled for the Norwegian so why would he drop him now for Lukaku? Jamie Jackson Continue reading... from The Guard...

Probe could get as close as 2,200 miles from Ultima Thule before beaming back images A Nasa probe will perform the most distant flyby in history in the early hours of New Year’s Day when it barrels past a space rock called Ultima Thule on the outer edge of the solar system. Unless gremlins intervene, the New Horizons spacecraft will zoom by the cosmic body at 5.33am GMT and snap thousands of photographs of the dark, icy body as it speeds on into the void. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EZloCl

Tomorrow is a new year, but fresh starts don’t obey the calendar. Here, six photographers reflect on a time when life shifted on its axis Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Qd3QDV

I realise now that #MeToo and Time’s Up were a wake-up call for the men who simply didn’t have empathy for women At the start of the #MeToo movement , many men expressed surprise at the number of women who had been the victim of sexual harassment and even assault. I was surprised by their surprise because I’ve lived in the world all my life. I’ve had to politely wiggle out of literal and metaphorical dark corners while working hard to create a narrative that this influential man’s suggestions were only an in-joke. I’ve had to protect my own bullies’ egos and reputations in order to keep working. But most of what I know, I know from what I’ve seen and heard from other women. The men of Hollywood seemed outraged to discover that the way they treated women every day, was the way women were treated. I will concede that some men didn’t understand the scale of it or couldn’t identify individual perpetrators. I also suspect those same men didn’t want to know and had spent a lot of their wor...

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and ROBERT GEBELOFF from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2F0FQSR

By SANDRA E. GARCIA from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2CH9f2G

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2Qdoeov

By SARAH MERVOSH from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GQ7rIL

By MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2GIQ7p0

No one in the Calais region is sure what has prompted the rise in crossing attempts or whether it will last UK and France pledge drive to tackle people smuggling in Channel Wahid has tried twice so far. Both times, the small inflatable boat that he and about a dozen others were riding in was intercepted by a French coastguard vessel maybe an hour, perhaps two, after it pushed off from the beach. He is a bit vague on the details, for which he apologises. “It was cold, very cold. The sea was calm, flat, but it was frightening. A dark night and, of course, no lights. Dangerous. We all knew it was dangerous. We could die. Instead, we’re back here.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Qf84eq

Pilot will redistribute surplus food, with aim of stopping waste going to landfill by 2030 The government has appointed a food waste champion to tackle the problem of 250m meals being thrown away in the UK each year. Ben Elliot, a philanthropist and co-founder of the lifestyle group Quintessentially, will aim to help the government eliminate food waste going to landfill by 2030. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QcCzl6

The number of British citizens applying for Irish passports has doubled since vote to leave European Union The number of British citizens applying for Irish passports rose by 22% in 2018, Ireland’s foreign office said on Monday, more than doubling the total of annual applications since Britain voted to leave the European Union. Almost 100,000 eligible Britons sought to hang onto their EU citizenship via a passport from their nearest neighbour this year, up from 81,000 last year and 46,000 in 2015, the year before the Brexit vote led to a sharp rise in applications. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Qb4Bxp

Wildlife Trusts report comeback of rare seahorse breed and nudibranch slugs but plastic pollution still poses grave risk A rare kind of seahorse and a rainbow-coloured sea slug with a titillating name are among the creatures making a comeback in UK waters, according to an annual conservation review. The coast around Britain is now home to more than 100 species of nudibranchs – brightly hued, soft-bodied marine molluscs that appear nude because of their lack of external shells. The Wildlife Trusts credited a big conservation push around the coast for their proliferation. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2ApXhJd

Scramble to find survivors after suspected gas blast at apartment building in southern central city Rescue teams are scrambling to find survivors after a suspected gas blast caused the partial collapse of a high-rise apartment building in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk, killing at least two people, news agencies reported. News outlets in the city, which is 1,700 km (1,050 miles) east of Moscow in the southern Urals, said it was unclear how many people were trapped in the debris, but cries for help could be heard from beneath the rubble. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RnIpVu

Incident on Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith leaves man in his 30s seriously injured Nearly 40 people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing in west London. A man in his 30s was left seriously injured after the incident on Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, in the early hours of Monday morning. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EWKZff

The storm struck the Philippines shortly after Christmas, with the number of fatalities expected to rise The death toll from a storm that struck the Philippines shortly after Christmas rose to 68 with the number of fatalities expected to climb even higher, civil defence officials said Monday. Fifty-seven people died in the mountainous Bicol region, southeast of Manila, while 11 were killed in the central island of Samar, mostly due to landslides and drownings, the officials said. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QXQNvw

Amphibian expert says toads were trying to mate with python, as thousands of the invasive pest are flushed out by rising waters in Kununurra A huge storm in Australia’s north on Sunday flushed out a sight which either fascinated or horrified those who saw it – 10 cane toads riding the back of a 3.5m python. Paul and Anne Mock were at home with their daughters in the remote West Australian town of Kununurra, when a large storm dumped almost 70mm of rain into their dam. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2St3U4t

The administration’s base-level awfulness has made this a competitive category but some weeks stood out as truly dire It would be safe to say Donald Trump hasn’t had the best year. From his longtime adviser flipping on him, to inside revelations about the level of his ineptitude, to being named in court filings as having allegedly directed illegal campaign payments, the president has faced a barrage of scandals. Trump also lost the House of Representatives, held a number of bizarre press conferences and demonstrated his lack of familiarity with umbrellas . The president did, however, score one recent success, when his neologism “smocking” proved popular. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2SsV5rz

Isaac Cordal’s 15cm sculptures, part of his project Cement Eclipses, are a social commentary on the spaces they inhabit The Spanish sculptor Isaac Cordal sees the city as his playground. He specialises in miniature street art, producing tiny figures as a social commentary on the spaces they inhabit. “My work is a filter to try to understand and change the world we have created,” Cordal says. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2AhCsjd

A few home truths helped save the standup from a lifetime of misery I was in my mid-20s and living in a house I shared with some old friends and new mice. One night, I was waffling on about something trivial, but giving it great weight. My best friend, Jules, looked at me with pity and disdain and said: “Lou, I can’t bear to be around you, you’re just so negative.” Best thing she ever said! The finality, the rawness, the reality – she saved me from my own silly self. I didn’t know it at the time, of course – too negative to see it, I suppose. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2St4zTv

Growing up with Punjabi cuisine has left Coco Khan dependent on spices for her cooking. Can she learn to cook an ‘English’? Like many British Asians, I grew up in a household full of the smells of spice, the sound of lamb sizzling and the steady beat of a knife chopping coriander and ginger. Punjabi cuisine takes the highest place in my heart. It’s a reminder of my identity and my family, where food formed a huge part of life. When I cook, often cobbling something together from whatever is lying around, I stop thinking. It’s second nature. Which is great until I receive feedback that my shepherd’s pie has a really odd masala vibe, or that I put the wrong kind of “hot” in hotpot when I added a green chilli. The truth is, I have become dependent on spice. I keep chilli flakes on my desk; my spice jar collection is 30-strong. It has become a crutch – I would compare it to someone who slathers every meal with ketchup because they don’t how to create flavour any other way. Continue readi...

PM Narenda Modi weakened after Rahul Gandhi’s Congress ends 2018 with string of regional victories The world’s largest exercise in democracy looms in 2019. In the beachside towns of Kerala state, the mountain villages of the Himalayas and across the dusty cities of the Gangetic plain, an estimated 850 million people will cast their votes in India’s national election sometime between March and May. And the race just got competitive. A few months ago the prime minister, Narendra Modi, looked invincible. His party had followed its thumping national election win in 2014 with a run of victories in India’s largest states. The Congress party, which ushered India into independence 70 years ago and had been its default ruler since, was reduced to a rump, with leaders from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) boasting the country would soon be “Congress- mukt ” (Congress-free). Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QeupIW

Online freedom has come under sustained assault from Beijing in 2018, with references to Xi Jinping’s new powers among the prohibited phrases China stepped up its campaign in 2018 to control what news and information its citizens can see. While censors continued heavyhanded control for any content deemed dangerous for social stability, including Peppa Pig videos and the letter “n” , regulators also deployed more sophisticated methods, going beyond Chinese social media and working harder to curate and shape what Chinese residents consume. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EX9sAw

By abetting the ad industry, universities are leading us into temptation, when they should be enlightening us To what extent do we decide? We tell ourselves we choose our own life course, but is this ever true? If you or I had lived 500 years ago, our worldview, and the decisions we made as a result, would have been utterly different. Our minds are shaped by our social environment, in particular the belief systems projected by those in power: monarchs, aristocrats and theologians then; corporations, billionaires and the media today. Humans, the supremely social mammals, are ethical and intellectual sponges. We unconsciously absorb, for good or ill, the influences that surround us. Indeed, the very notion that we might form our own minds is a received idea that would have been quite alien to most people five centuries ago. This is not to suggest we have no capacity for independent thought. But to exercise it, we must – consciously and with great effort – swim against the social curren...

• Arsenal players accuse Mohamed Salah over penalty incident • ‘We don’t have divers,’ says Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp proved far more defiant than Arsenal’s defence as, rather than revelling in a biggest league win over top-six peers for 16 months and Liverpool’s largest lead in this season’s title race , he rejected suggestions Mohamed Salah is a diver by insisting the striker should not have to bleed to win a penalty. Related: Roberto Firmino hits hat-trick as Liverpool rout shambolic Arsenal Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Qgunk4

• Van Gerwen seeks third title after easy semi-final win • Smith, seeded 10th, on target 6-3 to reach first final Michael van Gerwen will attempt to win a third PDC World Championship title after sweeping aside Scotland’s Gary Anderson 6-1 in their semi-final on Sunday night. In Tuesday’s final the Dutchman will face the St Helens-born Michael Smith, who played superbly in the other semi-final to end the run of his fellow Englishman Nathan Aspinall 6-3. It will be Smith’s first final. Van Gerwen won the title in 2014 and 2017 and looked every inch the top seed in a brilliant performance against Anderson at Alexandra Palace in London. Anderson, who struggled to find his best form, at least avoided a whitewash by winning the sixth set but that was where his resistance ended. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2BOUWYa

Patriots earn ninth straight playoff bye with win over Jets Texans win division after overcoming losses in first three The Houston Texans clinched the AFC South title as Deshaun Watson threw for 234 yards and ran for a touchdown, and DeAndre Hopkins had 147 yards receiving in a 20-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans (11-5) won nine in a row after starting 0-3 to save their season and will make their fifth playoff appearance after winning the division for the fifth time in franchise history. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Solc2x

Liberally scattered with talent from Dominic West and David Oyelowo to Lily Collins, this mercifully song-free adaptation was a rich feast to end the year Andrew Davies’s six-part adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel Les Misérables (BBC One) begins with an explanatory caption. “After 20 years of war, France is defeated and Napoleon is exiled. A new king is waiting to be crowned. The old order is to be restored. The revolution is to be forgotten. And there are no songs.” It didn’t really say that last bit. But it could have, because the USP of this version is that it is not the musical that long ago usurped the novel as What We Mean When We Talk About Les Misérables. “Boo!” shouts the half of the country that also likes fancy-dress parties, board games and other terrible, terrible things. “Hurrah!” shout the rest of us. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EVzC6t

• Brown: ‘I could have ended up with a serious injury’ • Full-back landed on his head after tackle in air Mike Brown hit out at the officials at Twickenham for taking no action when he was taken out in the air and hit the ground head first during Harlequins’ 20-13 victory over Wasps. Related: Sale’s Steve Diamond embroiled in media fracas after win at Gloucester Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Q9vUYR

By JOSE A. DEL REAL from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2Rm04wN

Concerns raised over Seaborne Freight, which won a £13.8m contract to operate a Ramsgate to Ostend route One of the companies contracted by the government to charter ferries in the event of a no-deal Brexit does not own any ships, has not previously operated a ferry service and is not planning to do so until close to the UK’s scheduled departure date from the European Union, it has emerged. Concerns have been raised about Seaborne Freight, which was awarded a £13.8m contract to operate freight ferries from Ramsgate to the Belgian port of Ostend if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, after a councillor for the Kent port queried whether it would be possible to set up the new service by the scheduled Brexit date. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2RjDGEn

Streak (YC S11) Is Hiring a Site Lead for Our Vancouver Office by OmarIsmail | on Hacker News .

• Manager says Liverpool are ‘best team in Europe’ • City close gap to seven points before showdown Pep Guardiola suggested Manchester City’s Premier League title defence would have been over if they had not beaten Southampton, while admitting it remains precariously balanced going into Thursday’s showdown with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. City won 3-1 thanks to goals from David Silva and Sergio Agüero, either side of a James Ward-Prowse own goal, to cut the gap on Liverpool to seven points and improve on a run that had seen them lose three out of four games in the league. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2AlCLcQ

Retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is sweet, but becoming the first Indian side to win a Test series in Australia drives Kohli You can’t spell ‘magic’ without MCG. I’m not sure that’s significant in any way, but it’s nice. In some ways, India’s Test win this week at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was magical. Related: Paine's pain a familiar refrain as Australia's dire year ends flat | Adam Collins Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Rn5VBV

Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2ApJfHx

• Dinnage named as Richard Scudamore’s successor last month • TV executive’s decision comes as a huge blow to organisation Susanna Dinnage has told the Premier League she will no longer be taking up her position as its new chief executive, the organisation has announced. It was announced in November that Dinnage would replace Richard Scudamore at the Premier League at the beginning of next year having worked as global president of Animal Planet, part of the Discovery group of TV channels. “I am excited at the prospect of taking on this fantastic role,” she said at the time. “The Premier League means so much to so many people.” Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EZhbie

• Bath 23-16 Leicester • Back-to-back wins send hosts up to fifth All of sudden things are looking up for Bath. Back-to-back victories, the latest gutsy but every bit deserved puts them fifth going into the new year and with a spring in their step, even if Sam Underhill’s ankle injury ensures optimism must be tempered. He made way midway through the second half with his right ankle heavily strapped, leaving Bath and England sweating – for he was again among the standout performers and any prolonged absence would be keenly felt. The Bath director of rugby, Todd Blackadder, revealed afterwards Underhill had rolled his ankle – “serious enough not to continue but hopefully not too serious” – but considering the openside flanker’s luck with injuries over the past year, Eddie Jones, who was watching from the stands, will monitor his progress closely with England beginning their Six Nations campaign in a little over a month. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EYfIbV

Towards the end Old Trafford was the loudest in recent memory, Manchester United’s joyous fans singing the “20 times” ditty about their record number of titles. Related: Agüero strikes as City survive Saints scare and return to winning ways Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2ViNPAb

• Ruth Jefferson’s star entered in Ascot’s Clarence House Chase • Trainer seeks stepping stone to Cheltenham Festival Waiting Patiently’s next task, after a luckless exit from the King George on Boxing Day, could be to take on the mighty Altior at Ascot a fortnight on Saturday. Ruth Jefferson revealed on Sunday that she has given her horse an entry in the Clarence House Chase as she casts about for a suitable stepping stone to the Cheltenham Festival. Choosing the right race, in this instance, is beset by difficulties. The Malton trainer would like to find out more about her charge’s capabilities before settling on his Festival target. More pressingly, she has a fit horse on her hands, bursting for a run; equally, he should not be risked on too dry a surface and there is very little rain around. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Ax23F5

By MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2EVGOQZ

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2Rnssyp

Official figures show independent schools are sticking to easier IGCSEs while they wait for new GCSEs to bed in The Labour party is demanding an inquiry into GCSE reforms which it says are putting state school pupils at a disadvantage by forcing them to sit harder exams than students in the private sector. The Department for Education describes the reformed GCSEs, which started to be introduced last year, as “gold standard”. But official figures show that many independent schools are opting for internationally recognised GCSEs (IGCSEs), which are being phased out of state schools at the behest of the government because it considers them less robust. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2LDKLdq

Bird fails to complete mission before big college football game AT&T Stadium roof was closed with 90,000 fans present A bald eagle that flew during the national anthem before Saturday’s college football playoff semifinal between Notre Dame and Clemson never made it to his designated landing spot, on the opposite end of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Related: Alabama and Clemson prevail to reach College Football Playoff title game Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2EVanBf

Survey of GPs from across the UK reveals children and young people struggle to access treatment and face long delays Online CBT is not a therapy substitute but a step to help manage anxiety GPs across the UK are warning that children and young people who are struggling with mental health problems will suffer because many struggle to access treatment at the NHS. . In a survey of UK family doctors 99% said they feared that under-18s will come to harm as a direct result of facing long delays to see a specialist and vital care being rationed. Continue reading... from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2Sr2lnK

Ruth Windle says Sajid Javid should consider the inflammatory nature of his language, Thomas Hodgson calls for better communication with French authorities, Liz Byrne lends perspective and Lucy Gabriel takes issue with Trump and his wall So according to the home secretary, Sajid Javid, 94 refugees trying to cross the Channel is a “major incident” ( Rise in migrants trying to cross Channel declared a ‘major incident’ , 29 December). Tell that to the people of Lampedusa, who have received 400,000 refugees (both alive and dead) on their shores in the past two decades – and whose municipal officials have resisted calling them “migrants” and named them “refugees” (which they are until proved otherwise). The home secretary would do well to consider the inflammatory nature of his language, playing as it does right into the anti-immigrant narrative with its aspersions of illegality. The Guardian might also consider the laxity of its language – 17 uses of the word “migrants” in one article...