you're watching bbc afternoon live — these are today's main stories: further misery for rail passengers — with an above inflation hike in fares of at least 3%, despite a raft of issues on the network in 2018. they never run on time, it doesn't matter what season you have it, the service is appalling. what will a post brexit britain's be on the world stage? the foreign secretary says we can learn lessons from them. as we start a new chapter in our economic history when we leave the eu, we can look at the long—term approach that countries like singapore have. six people are dead and six others injured after a commuter train crashed in denmark. coming up, we have all of the sport. news of a really disappointing defeat for andy murray at the

brisbane international as his comeback takes another blow. chelsea makes another signing and we will tell you about him. we will talk to press room. with the weather, chris. ican press room. with the weather, chris. i can almost hear simon saying get stuffed! we will be taking a look at turkey, where we have cold weather. we will also be looking at floods that are affecting parts of northern europe. also coming up,... # enola gay #. i will be talking to one of the founding members of omd and asking what they have done with the old synthesisers. hello. as if going back to work

after the christmas break wasn't bad enough, commuters travelling by rail kicked off 2019 by paying above inflation price for their tickets. fa res have inflation price for their tickets. fares have increased by 3.1% in england and wales and almost 3% in scotland. 0ur transport correspondent reports. passengers in the north of england suffered the most in 2018. across britain, delays and cancellations have risen to their highest level in 17 years. with flares up again, some passengers say they are not getting value for money. at the end of the day, it is public transport and of

the public cannot afford it, what goodis the public cannot afford it, what good is that? the price is quite steep, but it is easier than taking the car. yes, generally speaking it is ok for me. the trains are getting delayed regularly. you'll you can't rely on them. you end up with everyone coming into two carriages. you can't get a seat. don't seem to see the advantage. it is easier to swallow a price increase if you think you are getting value. i think it is really hard to talk about a fair increase when you are not getting what you are paying for. from today, tickets increased by roughly 3% in england and wales. in scotla nd roughly 3% in england and wales. in scotland the rise is smaller. northern ireland's system is different and there is no increase.

someone commuting from riding into london will pay an extra £140. the government says its happy for fares to rise in line with a low index of inflation if unions agree that workers wages should go up at a the reality is that costs are rising and rising fast. the biggest factor is wage increases. fare rises should be lower. but this morning, the labour leader was out supporting protesters. our fares are already the highest in europe. it's a tax on all commuters and people that actually have to use the railway because there is no other way of getting around. in the long term it actually drives some people away from public transport, that's

not good. the rail industry says that 98p of every pound spent on a ticket is invested back into the railways. today it has launched a new rail card for those aged 26—30 and it says young people will be able to get a discount from september. the rmt described the railways as a grossly mismanaged rip—off. 0ur correspondent is at manchester train station for us. not such a new year? commuters had a pretty bad 2018. in the north—western but some of the worst affected routes in terms of those timetable problems backin terms of those timetable problems back in may. big problems in particular on the northern network. many people heading back to work today after the christmas break and

2019 getting off to a bad start. if you look at a journey from liverpool to manchester, a season ticket, will set you back more than £3000. i got the train up from london this morning, a standard open return, £350. i was speaking to commuters whojoined £350. i was speaking to commuters who joined the £350. i was speaking to commuters whojoined the train £350. i was speaking to commuters who joined the train at macclesfield, most of them, not all of them, very happy. if prices keep going up, some are going to have to think about driving to work, car sharing, possibly even stop working in manchester and work closer to home. the foreign secretary says a post brexit britain could learn lessons from singapore. jeremy hunt praised the country attitude. why has he gone that? this is all part of

something that you see quite a lot of in the next few weeks, which is over meant ministers talking about the role of post brexit britain. jeremy hunt is out there saying that we still have a role to play, the uk will still be influential. he is talking about areas where he thinks the uk can lead, like defending democracy. something he thinks is becoming increasingly important as it receives an part of the world. the choice of singapore is one that has attracted a lot of attention, because there are many in the conservative party who look to singapore and say, the uk could do that after brexit. cut taxes, and stimulate the economy. mr hunt is not going quite that far, but he is saying —— he is not saying let's do that after brexit. i would never

argue that the uk should or would ever want to follow the social and political model of a country with very different traditions like singapore. but i think we can learn from their economy, the way they invest in the education system, they are top for maths, science, of all of the developed countries in the world. they have always had a huge investment in the skills of their people. some people say we should ignore the singapore model and that would damage standards of living, if not the economy. there is jeremy huntand we not the economy. there is jeremy hunt and we have sajid javid attending to offence here. of course, there is a vacancy coming up. we know that not everyone has taken full advantage of the christmas holiday to relax. there will always be the sort of rumours

when people like sajid javid show up. both he and jeremy hunt are people who have been speculating a lot when it comes to the issue of who the next prime minister may be. jeremy hunt in particular has spent a lot of the christmas break talking about some of his big ideas for britain. this is another one today. but at this stage, it remains speculation because we are not at the stage where that is being properly is scrutinised by the party yet. the home secretary has questioned whether people using small boats are legitimate asylum seekers. speaking in dover, he questioned by those making the journey had not sought asylu m making the journey had not sought asylum in the first safe country

they encountered. good afternoon. the language that chav javad has been using —— that sajid javid... he came here to take a look into how the operation has been working in to see in action one of the boats that has been an option here and patrolling the channel. seen from above, these are the treacherous waters that many have travelled over the past few weeks to make to england from france. the home secretary has recently announced that to stem the flow of people making the journey, he that to stem the flow of people making thejourney, he has that to stem the flow of people making the journey, he has ordered two more bulbs to come back to patrol the channel. he had resisted calls to bring in the extra bulbs amid concerns that they had the possibility of attracting more people to cross the channel rather

than tearing them. he explained why he reversed the decision. we need to send a very clear message that people take their life into their own hands and we need to feel comfortable that we are doing everything that we can to protect human life. the cutters as well as protecting human life have an important role to play in protecting our borders. they question has to be asked, if you are a genuine asylum seeker, why have you not sought asylum in the first country that you arrived in. france is not a country where anyone would argue is not safe in only one whatsoever, if he were genuine, why not seek asylum in the first

country. some have questioned whether he has exaggerated the situation for political gain and of britain should be doing more to help the migrants. these latest comments have been criticised. those claims must be taken seriously and topped with properly. it helps nobody to speculate about the answer to those claims. although it is believed no boats were seen overnight, yesterday french police say they stopped 1a migrants from crossing the channel ona migrants from crossing the channel on a stolen fishing trial. just the latest chapter in a story that has become more urgent with each passing week. joining me now is the dover mp, let me just continue about those comments that sajid javid made

earlier today. they have been described by amnesty international as not helpful. what you make of it miss you should be seeking asylum in the first country you arrive in. by the first country you arrive in. by the time they are in france, they should be claiming asylum in france. to be making these treacherous journeys across the channel is extremely risky and i am deeply concerned could end in tragedy. extremely risky and i am deeply concerned could end in tragedym has been announced that two other cutters will be coming from the mediterranean to patrol the channel here. this has, after you have been calling for it for quite a while. here. this has, after you have been calling for it for quite a whilelj have been calling for the return of the cutters from the mediterranean for a long time. what we now need to see is more action on the french side of the border. we need to see more police in northern france and more police in northern france and more french patrol vessels. we need to see across channel contract where

we work together to stop people from crossing. if they are found in english waters i think there is a strong chance that they should be sent back to northern france. the home secretary has said that the cutters could be a magnet to more people that they could be rescued. they are incredibly important from the point of view that these small craft are often blocked off by traffickers in the middle of the channel, they could be arresting most traffickers and bringing them tojustice. it is notjust about the safety at the security of people trying to make those dangerous journeys, it is about catching the criminals behind it. we have had confirmation from the home office that the two vessels that will be coming here will be from the mediterranean. there is no confirmation as to when they will be arriving. but pitting recently, an

officer said because of the conditions at this time of year, it is likely to be a couple of weeks before we see them. a woman has died after falling around 500 feet from then on nevis on new year's day. the student who hasn't been named was claiming with three others when the accident happened. it is the second death on britain's highest peak in recent weeks. people have died after a commuter train crashed in denmark. it was forced to break sharply. this morning, during rush hour, this commuter train was hit by an object from another claim, causing and not a number of people to lose their lives. six people were killed and

six people were injured in the accident. we still don't know exactly what happened, but what we can say about the crash is that there was a freight train on something fell from it. it caused a serious accident. local reports say about the tarpaulin from this train hit a commuter train. the bridge was closed for local traffic during the night. all bridges here were closed, but then it was opened up and then the accident happened. the bridge links the country's two main islands, it was here that the train was struck at about eight o'clock local time. we are shocked. we were very lucky duty where we were seated. the passengers seated in the

next wagon were not that lucky. for us, it was a shock. the others, they weren't so us, it was a shock. the others, they we ren't so lucky. us, it was a shock. the others, they weren't so lucky. there were 131 passengers and three crew members on board at the time. of the 16 injured, police said none had life—threatening injuries. an emergency centre has been set up and as investigations continue to establish exactly what happened. white work the headlines here. rail passengers are facing an above inflation raised in fares. the foreign secretary says a post brexit britain could learn lessons from singapore. six people are injured and six others killed in a train crash in denmark. andy murray has

been knocked out of the second round of the brisbane international. chelsea have signed a new player for £58 million. chris broome will not defend his title at the end of this year. i will be back with more on those stories for you at 2:30pm. now, the average ten—year—old has already eaten more than the maximum sugar intake for a 18—year—old. data gathered from households throughout the uk has been used to suggest that people should swap to low sugar diet. we love sugary things! children are meeting a humongous amount of sugar, often in sweet drinks, cakes, biscuits and

brea kfast drinks, cakes, biscuits and breakfast cereals. too much rot teeth. it is estimated a trail has a tooth removed in hospital every ten minutes. and overly sweet diet also increases the risk of long—term problems, including diabetes, obesity and some cancers. what has taken your obesity and some cancers. what has ta ken your fancy obesity and some cancers. what has taken your fancy in this table of evil treats? the fizzy drinks? wide? they are just evil treats? the fizzy drinks? wide? they arejust nice. evil treats? the fizzy drinks? wide? they are just nice. they are tasty. i love them. would you rather have something that is either really high in sugaror something that is either really high in sugar or something that is not very sweet. i would rather have fruit because that has natural sugar in and some people get diabetes from eating lots of sugar and i don't wa nt eating lots of sugar and i don't want to have that. we are eating too much sugar as a society. we have to think about our children's future, their health is so much important, thatis their health is so much important, that is notjust irresponsibility for the government. on average,

children are eating the equivalent of 13 cubes of sugar a day. public old england says that as it keeps it too many. 0n old england says that as it keeps it too many. on average, 18 years worth of sugar. that is an entire childhood's with this being devoured before a child's tenth birthday. public old england's change for life campaign says small changes can make a big difference. your mac i am a pa rent a big difference. your mac i am a parent and i know how difficult that can be. my interest daughter is just a child and she wants to eat sugary things to. i think parents can lead by example. make sure they are bringing the healthiest of into the house and the first place. campaigners say that more needs to be done to make it easier.|j campaigners say that more needs to be done to make it easier. i think it is hard for parents to cut down on sugarfor their it is hard for parents to cut down on sugar for their children. we it is hard for parents to cut down on sugarfor their children. we do not have a good labelling system. sugary foods are promoted more in

supermarkets. we need to look at government regulating these areas morsel that it can be made easier for parents. public-health england says it is working with the food industries to cut the amount of sugar. donald trump has ordered a fast expansion of logging on us federal land to cut the amount of wildfires. the move has been criticised by environmentalists. in focusing on blogging, the trump administration made no mention of climate change, which its own scientists say is making the fire is worse. 0ur correspondent has returned to the town. this has got potential for a major incident. returned to the town. this has got

potentialfor a major incident. from the very first radio calljust before dawn, the danger was clear. the fire was burning in a canyon east of paradise. within hours, the entire town, home to 27,000 people would be ablaze. in paradise, they are still counting the cost. this is all that remains of this lady's workshop, the home that she shared with her husband has gone to. did you manage to get any precious things? the clothes on our backs. i grabbed my embroidery files, but all of my print files, all of my records, everything has gone. of my print files, all of my records, everything has gonem of my print files, all of my records, everything has gone. it is not as the personal loss of your

home, but it is rebuilding a business as well. yes. but we will do it. we will do it. this is not just a tragedy for paradise, it is a disaster for colourful mayor. in the past 20 years, this state has seen 16 of its 20 largest wildfires on record. turn of the 20 deadliest and 15 of the most destructive in terms of property destroyed. so what is going on? president trump blames california for failing to manage going on? president trump blames california forfailing to manage its forests. his administration suggests locking is the answer. at this sawmill, they agree. saying environmental laws and a century of suppressing wildfires have left a dangerous landscape which must be thinned. i think the president has a point that in some instances, the

forestry commission for california did not accomplish what it was meant to. we are reducing the rate that the fires can spread. you will see these pine seedlings and saplings growing in after the fire. but there's environmentalists disagrees. logging is not the answer. what logging does is create a lot of combustible material on the first floor. it basically reduces the canopy cover of the forest. you get these very hot, dry, windy conditions. as long as we start spending all of this money, we are not using to protect homes. this means a lot to everybody. california's fire chief is adamant that wildfires are getting more

dangerous. there will be more thank you chords for many reasons. firefighters are on the front line of climate change. we are seeing these changes in temperature, these changes in weather patterns, all of thatis changes in weather patterns, all of that is having a direct impact on fire conditions. for generations, california has been known as the golden state. for some, california has been known as the golden state. forsome, it california has been known as the golden state. for some, it remains have on earth. but for how much longer? yes, people. it is blowing this hot. don't forget — you can let us know what you think tweet us using the hashtag afternoonlive. . .. all the ways to contact us on screen right now. time for a look at the weather...

this is ankara. cold turkey expert i see what you are saying. that killed it dead. this is ankara, in turkey. the last few days they have had a storm systems that have brought through heavy snow. there is much more of this to come. disruptive weather that we see across turkey, but also across greece. maybe even onto the beaches, we might see some snow. this weather is also linked with what is going on in northern europe. this is northern germany where we have had significant flooding. here we have hard high tides combined with very strong winds. this is where the link is. what links the snow in turkey with

the flooding we are seeing in northern germany is actually a cold outbreak of arctic air. as that could add moves them to the coastline, combined with high tides, thatis coastline, combined with high tides, that is what has brought the flooding across northern europe. the cold air is heated very quickly and that area of low pressure still has all of that cold air on the north—west side of it. we will see snow. up in the mountains, there could easily be a0 centimetres of snow. it could cut off communities for a few days. lower down, because the precipitation will be falling from the sky four hours after hours, it will cool the atmosphere. we will get some of that snow coming down to low levels and we might get some pictures of snow on the beaches. looking close to home, there some suggestions that we could be looking

at similar pictures here in the not too distant future. is that nonsense? people are looking at something called sudden stratospheric warning. i don't think they know that is what they are looking at! that is where twitter is looking at! that is where twitter is looking at. this is what brought the beast from the east. in march last year. people putting two and two together. people saying that they have got that sudden warming going on, it might happen, but it might not. it depends of the wind in the stratosphere which have changed direction, it depends if they can work all the way down towards the earth's surface. better have the forecast. today we have got mixed fortu nes forecast. today we have got mixed fortunes across the uk. some of

seeing some sunshine, for others ready cloudy. the satellite picture shows the extent of the cloud. the best of the sunshine central and eastern scotland and across wales as well. 0therwise, eastern scotland and across wales as well. otherwise, it is pretty cloudy. some showers affecting norfolk. 0vernight, though showers could continue for a time. temperatures, no great shakes to day, in scotland there are still some places that have gotten above freezing. 0vernight tonight i think for money part of the uk they will keep cloudy skies. cloud will keep frost at bay. but whether rob raikes in the cloud, there will be some pretty low temperatures. the high—pressure keeping snow away from us. but those conditions working

into south east europe and the greek authorities have issued weather warnings. for us, we have the high—pressure. there may well be a few showers just getting an, but otherwise it is a tri— picture. temperatures between three and seven celsius. the amount of sunshine you will see will vary significantly. it will see will vary significantly. it will probably continue to be pretty cloudy into friday. the cloud is whether across the north—west. temperatures 9 degrees for storm away, but call down south. the area of high pressure stays over the uk over the weekend. it declines a little better. —— it declines a little better. —— it declines a little bit. there will be a friend that it will tend to get a bit

cloudier, but temperatures willjust nudge up by a few degrees. the weather is staying pretty calm and su btle weather is staying pretty calm and subtle for the time being. there is no immediate threat of snow here in the uk. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. post brexit britain could learn the economic model of singapore. it is a0 years since they first took to the stage and i will speak to one of the founders, asking what he has done with all those old synthesisers. sport now on afternoon live with will. there's been another twist on the come back

trailfor andy murray. huge disappointment for him today, he was knocked out of the second round of the brisbane international, he was playing his forced tournament since september. he was beaten in straight sets today by the russian, 7-5, straight sets today by the russian, 7—5, six up it finished, murray a former world number one and now amazingly ranked 21a the world. yesterday after his first—round victory in brisbane, he does not know how much longer he can continue playing at the top level. his next match is scheduled for the australian open, the first grand slam of the year, he could decide to ta ke slam of the year, he could decide to take a wild card the next week's syd ney take a wild card the next week's sydney international but huge question marks as to whether he can compete for another grand slam title. he has lost his mojo, simon, a bit like you! and not good news either for the other brits competing in brisbane?

nothing great to report from the british tennis point of view, kyle edmund was on the wrong end of the upset overnight, he lost in straight sets, and britain's women's number onejohanna sets, and britain's women's number one johanna konta also sets, and britain's women's number onejohanna konta also out. sloane stephens was beaten in straight sets. a tie—break, 6—2. chelsea have signed the international from sets. a tie—break, 6—2. chelsea have signed the internationalfrom £50 million. they will loan him back to the german club until the end of the

season. he started his youth career in brecon town, scored nine goals in 23 games for his country, linked with liverpool and arsenal, but opted for chelsea instead, he said it was a privilege to the church and legendary club and that £58 million is the biggest transfer fee paid for an american play. jos buttler hit another half—century fits sydney thunder to help them to victory in the latest batch league match. joe root only made five. jos buttler scored a quick 55 at the top of the order and reaching 1a0—6. thunder winning byjust a single run. another england player says being involved in these limited overs games in the run—up to this year's world cup will be valuable practice. any white ball cricket, going into a 50 over world cup is important. any exposure we can get to other tournaments around the world, whether it be the big bash, ipl, these tournaments, it is only good

for our guys to have that exposure and improve the game. you come up against good players. it can only benefit us as a side. chris froome's decision to focus his season on winning a fifth tour de france title mean he will tackle far—flung races. he plans to compete in the tour colombia and the uae tour as he builds up the big event in the summer. he has already had a taste of the enthusiasm for cycling in colombia. i went out to colombia in november this year. it is just incredible. an amazing atmosphere, amazing to see how passionate people are in colombia about their sport and how closely they follow professional cycling. i am really looking forward to going over there in february for the racing tour, and if the crowds are anything like they we re if the crowds are anything like they were last year, we will have a fantastic time. one more line to bring you, waiting for an injury update on the england flanker sam

underhill could be ruled out of the six nations after he damaged ankle ligaments. i can't wait to see you on 25 minutes' time! can you find my merger in the meantime chris mike now, it's a0 years since 0rchestral manoeuvres in the dark — mike hestral manoeuvres in the dark — or 0md to you and me — played their first gig. with their tape machines and synthesisers it marked the birth of a new sound here in the uk — heavily influenced by bands such as germany's kraftwerk. for the band's co—founders andy mccluskey and paul humphreys it led to millions of record sales and world tours. and if there was one song that marked their lift—off — particularly in europe — it's this one — enola gay. the band has published a new biography —

it's called pretending to see the future — and with me now is andy mccluskey — a founding member of 0md with fellow vocalist paul humphreys. you were looking at those pictures you were looking at those pictures you just under a0 years ago. what would those outfits all about?|j you just under a0 years ago. what would those outfits all about? i was wearing my father's sleeveless cardigan because we were trying to make an anti—fashion statement. we we re make an anti—fashion statement. we were trying to make the music the most important thing but in hindsight, faux pas! it all started in primary school, was a? and off he went. we were a primary school together. we both discovered we were kicked out of the recording class for mining because we did not learn

to play. quite a useful top of the pops performance a few years later. we went to different schools, paul knocked on my daughter ask if ijoin his friends band. knocked on my daughter ask if ijoin his friend's band. at the time, what we re his friend's band. at the time, what were you listening to? craftwork we re were you listening to? craftwork were hugely influential when they came to see you? we were terrified. we played a concert in germany. we had heard they had come... we saw these full black figure standing on stage. it was the most terrified i'd been on stage. i did finally meet them. i could not think of anything more interesting than to ask them, what speakers do you have in the studio? idiot! you mention speakers. the kit was crucial but, in the early days, you were scurrying around, just to rent a synthesiser. but explain. synthesisers all different. he did not necessarily know what they did? it was like a

car. we did not know how they worked, we just knew how to drive them, they were very primitive. the first one we had we bought from my mother's mail order catalogue. it frankly sounded horrible! but we managed somehow. i have had this tweet. do you still have the kit from the old days? we do in fact have the original synthesiser but we had to get it repaired. paul and i bid against each other on ebay to get one like it, which was ridiculous! the technology has changed so much in a0 years, most of the old equipment we do not have any more. there was one tape player that in 1983 you spent £2a,000. more. there was one tape player that in 1983 you spent £24,000m more. there was one tape player that in 1983 you spent £24,000. it was a computer. that was the first programmable computer. we did not have to play all by hand, it stayed

in time with itself. that was how much my parent's house was worth! now you can have technology that does now you can have technology that d oes exa ctly now you can have technology that does exactly the same? it is incredible. 0n does exactly the same? it is incredible. on your phone, something that costs £30,000 all those years ago. a lot of people are asking the name. why 0rchestral manoeuvres in the dark? i wish there was some really fabulous reason behind it. it means nothing. we were only going to do one concept. we wanted a name that set us aside, we were not a punk or disco band or anything you had seen before, just two of us with a tape recorder, playing songs that even our friends thought were rubbish! we wanted a name that was different and the most preposterous and pretentious thing we could come up and pretentious thing we could come up with, but it did not matter because it was only going to be for one gig. and that was 40 years ago.

i have already mentioned liverpool. you have been described as the mccartney of synth pop!|j you have been described as the mccartney of synth pop! i would take that. that's not bad at all. you had a break, the two of you. or was that about? we spent a lot of time in the 80s just intensely working. although we sold millions of records, we did not sign a very good deal. we were losing money all over the place. we just needed to get away from each other. a lot of people say, come on, in the 80s, there was loads of money around! we signed a poor deal. the reality was, for every record we sold, we were giving back the money, making videos or tools that lost money, i did not have a castle or a yacht, trust me, i didn't, and i still don't! but we didn't care. we we re still don't! but we didn't care. we were just enjoying the music. until it got too tiring. the break was good but we are glad to be back together. you're going to the states

this year, aren't you? we start in the states, then chile and peru, a big european british tour at the end of the year, so we are keeping busy. helen has tweeted, is there any group in particular that you would like to do a collaboration with and could you make it happen?” like to do a collaboration with and could you make it happen? i would hope that if we asked people they would work with us. we do have this mad idea about may be the next album we will do collaborations with people. there are a few people we would like to work with. people you would like to work with. people you would not expect as well. i would like to get the lead guitarist out of 22 top to play on an 0md track. people would listen to that! anybody watching the videos of you, there is a dance action you have that you started. stuart marconi says it is trainee teacher dancing! that's one

of the more polite descriptions, actually! as paul humphreys has been saying for a0 years, i have been overcompensating for his static performance. i was just trying to prove to people you could dance to it but i have an individual style, shall we say? a lot to people tweeting and saying, thank you very much for the music. lots of people have seen you in concert. they also talk about the original finals they still own. given that the nature of your sound, that difference between vinyl and cd, everybody talks about it. is there a massive difference for you? you it. is there a massive difference for you ? you released it. is there a massive difference for you? you released yourfull albums last year on vinyl? we have done. the mastering star now for vinyl, where they stow it right down and cut it deeper, the style is incredible, digital back in the 80s... incredible, digital back in the 80s. .. is incredible, digital back in the

80s... is that incredible, digital back in the 80s. .. is that what they do? they cut at half speed now, really slowly, they cut a deep groove. i am not sure of all the technology, but went digitalfirst not sure of all the technology, but went digital first came out it was great because you got rid of the tapes, you did not have the surface noise, but actually you look back now and it was rather tinny. it has taken a long time for digital to get skoda's final. i am wading into the debate now and i will have the final boss complaining! you have got a new book up people will not know about you, atomic kitten would not exist without you. how on earth did that happen? i retired. i continued this omd, i happen? i retired. i continued this 0md, iwas happen? i retired. i continued this 0md, i was on my own as little while in the 90s, stopped in the mid—90s. i was conceited enough to think i could still write songs and i needed a new vehicle, and to be honest i was right. we have never had a

number one single in the uk and my first number one was the one i wrote the atomic kitten. all i needed was three teenage girls singing and not me. the advice was, let them do something. strangely enough, craftwork invented atomic kitten because he said to me, do not give your songs to other people, creative vehicle. what is the best manufactured pop group? he said, a 3—piece girl band. as simple as that? yes, i decided the best pop groups were girl bands, and a 3—piece one. groups were girl bands, and a 3-piece one. do they know that? yes. i remember saying to them when they we re i remember saying to them when they were teenagers, you are going to ta ke were teenagers, you are going to take me back to top of the pops for the 30th time because i did it 29 iron, they did! the sound of guns,

the warfare, something that has been throughout your music, why?‘ combination of things. we are always looking for the fan sounds, concrete music, to make a bed truck or an idea that leads to make a bed truck oran idea that leads to make a bed truck or an idea that leads us in a new direction. i think we have a fascination with warfare because of the moral dilemma. you are encouraged to do things at a time of war that are illegal at the time of peace, and that fascinates me. we don't love or violence, but we are just fascinated by the moral dilemma. there is a i must pick to you. how much pleasure did you take and having big shiny pop hits while other electronic bands watched on? we walked a balancing act. we did all this pseudo— intellectual stuff, deep and dark stuff, but by accident, we did manage to wrap a lot of our songs in these bright

synth melodies and catchy lyrics. i am not complaining. it allows us to do concerts... esoteric material and it allows us to play to 50,000 people at a nostalgia festival. there is also a growing number of younger people in your audience. because a lot of other groups say they took their influence from you. if you stay around long enough, people call you nice words like iconic and influential. it would appear to be the case. there are younger bands who name us, and the days of the internet where you can google things or findings on youtube, a lot of younger people are coming to us. it is a post—modern world, nothing is out of fashion anymore, so young people can like or dislike us. that reveals itself in festivals. you are doing a few of those? we did more than 20 last year, some nostalgia festivals, some

rock festivals, we seem to play to a broad audience. how does it work? you do not sit at the piano and bash out a tune and work from that, do you? it come from? a lot of tracks start with sounds that you do not know where they are from, what they are about, and then it develops. the ethos of the band was always to try to challenge ourselves to do something new musically. whether that be starting with a piece of music or a found sound or noise we have not used before. i think the reality is, neither paul or i are good enough musicians, if the truth be told! a pinch of salt! we will play one of people's are a favourite tracks and just a moment, but what was yours? in nola gay was certainly

up was yours? in nola gay was certainly up there because it was our first international hit, but our first signal could electricity because that was the very first time we held in our hand, like the book now, a0 yea rs in our hand, like the book now, a0 years earlier, a record we wrote ourselves. we wrote that song when we we re ourselves. we wrote that song when we were 16 such a hole that seven inch single in our hands was incredible. it is really nice to meet you. this is not rehearsed but i will play out with a song called electricity. thank you very much. dad dancing is back! the foreign secretary says poz brexit britain could learn britons

from the economic models of singapore. six people are dead and 16 other injured after a commuter train crash in denmark. here are your business headlines on afternoon live: factories in the uk ramped up their stockpiling in december as they prepared for possible border delays when britain leaves the eu. the regular survey of purchasing managers is usually seen as a guide as to how active the economy is. this was the highest it's been for six months. but analysts warn that december‘s figure is distorted by stockpiling and the gains are likely to be short—lived. rail fares have risen by an average of 3.1% in england and wales and almost 3% in scotland. that's despite a series of delays, strikes and timetable chaos on the network last year. the rail industry says 98p of every pound spent on a ticket is invested back into the network. cathay pacific has said it will honour first—class and business—class tickets that it sold forjust a fraction of the normal price. the hong kong—based airline mistakenly sold business—class seats from vietnam to new york forjust over £500 return return.

it would normally cost almost £13,000. we talk about businesses making plans for a no—deal brexit, and we now have data that suggests they really are taking practical steps right now? yes, british factories ramped up their stockpiling in december of parts and finished goods. this is in case there's a no—deal brexit which could lead to border delays when britain leaves the european union in less than three months. to avoid delays in production or shortages of goods and important parts to make things, it seems many manufacturers are buying extra now and building up their stockpiles. what are you basing that on? well, it's a regular monthly survey called the purchasing managers' index. it basically monitors how much factories are buying. it's normally seen as a measure of how active — how strong — the economy is performing.

a figure above 50 means there's growth, below 50 means there was a decline. in november is was 53.6, in december it rose to 5a.2. don't worry about the specific numbers — itjust means that there was an increase in purchasing by factories. but analysts say that doesn't mean there's suddenly a more positive outlook for britain's economy. us markets have been volatile over the past week or so — what's going on? yes, if wall street was a fairground of rollercoasters then on christmas eve i would have been selling you tickets for the big dipper. shares fell sharply on the 2ath — their worst ever performance on a christmas eve. how long did it take you to come up with that one? seconds! but then on boxing day it was "roll up, roll up for the sky rocket". shares soared — with a record daily gain of1,000 points on the dowjones on boxing day — one of its best ever performances in a single day. lets go through all of this...

joining us now is our north america business correspondent, michelle fleury. lots of factors causing those moves on wall street, any sign of them settling in 2019? did you ever ride the mary rose, the ship that went up and down? you have got the down, all three major indexes opening sharply lower, all down more than 1%. over my right shoulder, a sea of red right now. the only thing that is showing green is actually gold which is often seen as a safe haven for investors. the hangover from is often seen as a safe haven for investors. the hangoverfrom 2018 carrying over into this year. there was disappointing data from chinese factories. presumably, that is linked to the ongoing trade war between beijing and washington?“

you have these concerns about slowing chinese growth, and manufacturing confirmed what some investors suspected, that you are seeing manufacturing slowing in china, the trade dispute is bite, that feeds into this broader concern that feeds into this broader concern that people have that globally growth is slowing. that then ties into the commodities pictures. we have seen the price of oil falling because people assumed in part that demand for oil would be less safe growth slowdown. we also had a report from the us on manufacturing with a 15 month low. but reading about 50 shows it is still expanding. but that pace of expansion is decelerating and his all into these fears that people have going into 2019 the growth is slowing. and of course us begins trading with the federal government because of a lack of agreement on the budget. we are waiting for a

meeting at the white house this afternoon between donald trump and professional leaders. the thing that has been missing those compromised, it is not clear at this point whether one will be forthcoming this afternoon but you have to remember that the house which was previously controlled by the republicans will come under the control of the democrats starting from tomorrow, so whether that means compromise is more or less likely, we will have to see. uk shares were lower on wednesday as investors returned from new year celebrations to more disappointing data from china. that has deepened concerns about the health of the global economy and sparked a global sell—off. mining companies among the biggest fallers on the ftse 100. gold prices are at their highest levels in six months, boosted by investors seeking a safe haven and turning their back on riskier investments. a slight glitch. a lottery player has

come forward to claim the £115 million jackpot won in the new year's day euromillions draw. the national lottery said the win is the fourth biggest in uk history and follows a series of big british lottery successes in recent years. another ten british players won a million pounds each in the draw. time for a look at the weather. we have seen some sunshine today across central and eastern scotland, western england and wales, but for many of us, a pretty cloudy day in the cloud is thick enough to bring a few passing showers to eastern parts over the country as well. as we look at the weather picture through this evening and overnight, it will stay fairly cloudy for most areas of the uk and the cloud will keep the frost at bay. but we will see clearer spells at times, particularly across wales and northern counties of england, and it is here we will see lowest temperatures. probably turning claudia with time in

scotland. the thursday, another pretty cloudy day. it is not wall—to—wall cloud, there will be brea ks wall—to—wall cloud, there will be breaks in the cloud, the best of these across the south of england and into southern parts of wales. even where sunshine does come out, it will be a cool day with temperatures between 3—7dc. hello, you're watching afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy. today at 3. a kick in the wallet — rail passengers are left steaming — as fares go up — despite all the problems on the network in 2018. they never run on time, if it is summer, the lines are too hot, if it is winter they are frozen. the service is appalling. the stuff or lovely. what will a post—brexit britain's role be on the world stage?

on a trip to singapore the foreign secretary says we can learn lessons from them. as we start a new chapter in our economic history when we leave the eu, we can look at the long—term approach that countries like singapore have and yes there are things that we can learn from those. six people are dead — and 16 others injured — after a commuter train crash in denmark coming up on afternoon live all the sport news of a really disappointing defeat for andy murray at the brisbane international as his comeback takes another blow. chelsea have made a 58 million pound signing, we'll tell you all about that and hear from chris froome and his determination to get his tour de france crown back right now we will hear from chris who has the weather. high pressure will continue to bring a lot of fine and dry weather to the uk.” will continue to bring a lot of fine and dry weather to the uk. i will be taking a closer look at that later

on. also coming up. # enola gay, you should have stayed at home yesterday #. i will be talking to one of the founders of 0md. hello everyone — this is afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy. as if going back to work after the christmas break wasn't bad enough— commuters travelling by rail kicked off 2019 by paying above—inflation price rises for their tickets. fares have increased by an average of 3.1% in england and wales — and almost 3% in scotland. passenger groups have accused the government of ‘kicking them in the wallet‘ — for not freezing some fares and ignoring the impact of the chaos and disruption on many lines last year. 0ur transport correspondent

tom burridge reports. passengers in the north of england suffered the most in 2018. but across britain delays and cancellations have risen to their highest level in 17 years. with fares up again, some passengers in hull say they're not getting value for money. at the end of the day its public transport and if the public can't afford it, then what good is public transport that's unaffordable? the prices are quite steep i think, really, for the short distance that i travel. but it's easier than taking the car. i spend a long time behind the wheel, so generally speaking its ok for me. your trains are getting delayed regularly... they are late. you can't rely on them. you can't rely on them and then you end up everyone cramming into two carriages. you can't even get a seat. it's frustrating. we don't seem to see the advantage to them investing at all. it's much easier to swallow a price increase if you think you're getting value, and at the moment, too many trains are still too late. too many people are late getting

to work and getting home again, cancellations, and i think it's really hard to talk about a fare increase when you're not getting what you're paying for. from today, tickets increased by roughly 3% in england and wales. in scotland, the rise is slightly smaller. northern ireland's rail system is different and there is no increase today. it means an annual season ticket from bradford to leeds will cost £32 more. someone commuting from reading into london will pay an extra £1a0. the government says its happy for fares to rise in line with a lower index of inflation if unions agree that rail workers' wages should go up at a lower rate. i don't want to see fares go up any more than they have to. the reality is that costs in the industry are rising fast. the biggest factor is wage increases. i'd like to see the unions and the indeed frankly the labour party accept that wage rises in the rail industry should be lower and as a result fare rises should be lower. but this morning, the labour leader

was out supporting protesters. 0ur fares are already the highest in europe. it's a tax on all commuters and people that actually have to use the railway because there is no other way of them getting around. in the long term it actually drives some people away from public transport, that's not good. the rail industry says that 98p of every pound spent on a ticket is invested back into the railways. today it has launched a new rail card for those aged 26—30. and the government says 16 and 17—year—olds will be able to 50% off with another rail card from september. train companies say record levels of investment will bring improvement in the longer term. but the rmt union described the railways as a grossly mismanaged rip—off. tom burridge, bbc news. 0ur correspondentjon donnison has been speaking to passengers at manchester victoria station in this part of the world, commuters

had a pretty bad 2018. the north—west had some of the worst affected routes in terms of timetable introductions back in may. big problems on the northern network. many people heading back to work after the christmas break and 2019 getting off to a bad start. if you look at a journey from liverpool to manchester, a season ticket for the year has gone up about £100, it will set you back more than £3000. i got the train up from london this morning, a standard open return £350. i was speaking to commuters whojoined £350. i was speaking to commuters who joined the £350. i was speaking to commuters whojoined the train £350. i was speaking to commuters who joined the train at macclesfield, and most of them, not all of them, not very happy. they we re all of them, not very happy. they were saying that if prices keep going up some of them will have to think about driving to work, car sharing and possibly even stopping

working in manchester. the foreign secretary says a post—brexit britain could learn lessons from the economic model of singapore. speaking at the start of a three—day tour of asia jeremy hunt praised the country's ‘long—term' approach to economic development. 0ur political correspondent nick erdley has been telling me more. jeremy hunt is a there today saying that we still have a role to play. he is talking about areas where he thinks the uk can lead, like defending democracy, something he thinks is becoming increasingly important, as he argues, it receives in some parts of the world. his choice of singapore has attracted quite a lot of attention. the run many in the conservative party who look to singapore and say, the uk could do that after brexit. cut taxes and, they hope, attract investment and stimulate the economy. jeremy hunt is not going quite that far, he is not saying

let's do that after brexit. he is saying that there are economic lessons that can be learned from singapore. i would never argue that the uk should, or would ever want, to follow the social and political structure of a country like singapore. i think we can learn from their economy and the way they invest in their education system. they are top of maths, science and reading of all of the developed countries. there are some on the other side of the argument to say we should be ignoring the singapore model and that will lead to a race to the bottom and would damage standards of living. there is jeremy hunt as foreign secretary, we have sajid javid he was in the news here and, of course, there is a vacancy humming up as number ten. yes, we

know that the prime minister will not fight the next election. there will always be the sort of rumours where people likejeremy hunt and sajid javid show up. they are both prominent figures within the government. the above people who have been speculating a lot as to theissue have been speculating a lot as to the issue of who the next prime minister might be. jeremy hunt spent a lot of the christmas break talking about his big ideas for britain. this is another one today. at this stage, it remains speculation because we are not at the stage where that is even being properly scrutinised by the party. well, the home secretary sajid javid has questioned whether people using small boats to make journeys across the english channel are genuine asylum seekers. mrjavid has declared a "major incident" after hundreds of people attempted the crossing in recent months. speaking in dover, he questioned why those making the journey had not sought asylum in the first safe country they entered. 0ur correspondent, nav—teonhal,

has been in doverfor us. the language has been getting further over the past few days. he declared this a major incident. he has come to take a look into how the operation has been working in to see one of the cutters that has been patrolling the channel. seen from above, these are the treacherous waters that many have tackled in small boats over the past few weeks to make it to england from france. the home secretary recently announced that to stem the flow of people making that journey, he has ordered two more border force cutters, currently in the mediterranean, to come back to patrol the channel. he had previously resisted calls to bring in the extra boats amid concerns they could attract more people to attempt crossing the channel rather than deter them. but during a visit to dover today to meet borderforce officers, and to see one

of the cutters already in action, he explained why he had revised that decision. we need to send a very clear message to people that if they take this journey, they take their life into their own hands. but i think we also need to feel comfortable that we are doing everything we can to protect human life. the cutters, as well as protecting life, also have an important role to play in protect our borders and i think they will be able to help by having those extra cutters here. sajid javid also questioned the motives of some of those who have been trying to enter britain from the channel. the question has to be asked, if you are a genuine asylum seeker, then why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in? because france is not a country where anyone would argue it is not safe in any way whatsoever and if you are genuine, then why not seek asylum in your first safe country? the home secretary has described the number of migrants crossing as a major incident.

but some have questioned whether he has exaggerated the seriousness of the situation for political gain. and if britain should be doing more to help the migrants. and these latest comments have now also been criticised. when people make asylum claims, the uk has a system to deal with those claims. those claims must be taken seriously and dealt with properly. it helps nobody to speculate about the answer to those claims before addressing them, particularly given the countries from which these people have fled. although it is believed no boats were seen overnight, yesterday french police say they stopped 1a migrants from crossing the channel on a stolen fishing trawler after they were found in the port of boulogne. just the latest chapter in the story which has become more urgent with each passing week. joining me now is the dover mp. let mejust come to joining me now is the dover mp. let me just come to you about the comments that sajid javid bed

earlier today. they have been described by amnesty international arsenal topple. what you make of it? international law is clear. it should be seeking asylum in the first safe country you arrive in. by the time you are in france, you should be seeking asylum in france. it is extremely risky i am concerned it could end in tragedy. to other cutters could be coming from the mediterranean to patrol the channel here. this is after you have been calling for writ for quite a while. what do you make of this decision?” have been calling for the return of the cutters from the mediterranean for some time. i welcome the fact that they are coming home to defend our borders. what we now need to see is more action on the french side of the border. we need to see more police in northern france and a cross channel compact where both

sides work together to stop anyone making these dangerous crossings. if they are found in english waters, i think the resistor in case it should be returned. how confident are you that these cutters will act as a deterrent? the home secretary previously said that they could act asa previously said that they could act as a magnet. they are a powerful deterrent, a powerful signal that we are taking control of our borders. incredibly important from the point of view that often these people are dropped off by traffickers in the middle of the channel, the cutters can be arresting those traffickers. it is not just can be arresting those traffickers. it is notjust about can be arresting those traffickers. it is not just about the can be arresting those traffickers. it is notjust about the safety can be arresting those traffickers. it is not just about the safety and security, it is about catching the criminals behind this whole problem. we have had confirmation from the home office in the last hour or so will be to cutters from the mediterranean. there has been no confirmation as to when they will arrive, but speaking to a border

force officer recently, he said that because of the conditions at this time of year that it will be a couple of weeks before we see them. a woman has died after falling around 500 feet from ben nevis on new year's day. the student, who hasn't been named, was climbing with three others when the accident happened at around 10.30 in the morning. it is the second death on britain's highest peak in recent weeks. six people have died and 16 others injured after a commuter train crashed on a bridge in denmark. it's believed the passenger train was forced to brake sharply after being hit by an item blown from a freight train during a heavy storm. ashleyjohn baptiste reports. this morning, during rush hour, this commuter train running on denmark's great belt bridge was hit by an object from another train, causing a number of people to lose their lives. danish police say six people have been killed and 16 were injured in the accident, but investigations are still at an early stage. translation: we still don't know exactly what happened

but what we can say about the reason for the crash is that there was a freight train and something fell from it. there was another train coming in the opposite direction and it collided with the freight, causing a serious accident. local media reports suggest that a tarpaulin from this freight train carrying beer hit the commuter train during a heavy storm, forcing it to brake suddenly. there was a strong wind here. actually, the bridge was also closed for local traffic during the night. all bridges here in denmark were closed, but then it was opened up at 10:30am, 9:30am uk time, and then the accident happened. the bridge links the country's two main islands. it was here that the passenger trains running from 0dense to the capital, copenhagen, was struck at about 8am local time. translation: we are shocked. we were very lucky due to where we were seated. the passengers sitting in the next wagon weren't that lucky. so for us it was a shock with broken glasses and blood.

they weren't so lucky. there were 131 passengers and three crew members onboard at the time. of the 16 injured, police said non—had life—threatening injuries. an emergency centre has been set up at the western end of the bridge, in the town of nyborg, as investigations continue to establish exactly what happened. you're watching afternoon live, these are our headlines rail passengers are facing an above inflation hike in fares of at least 3%, despite a raft of issues on the network in 2018. the foreign secretary says a post—brexit britain could learn lessons from the economic model of singapore. six people are dead — and 16 others injured — after a commuter train crash in denmark and a warning that children are exceeding the maximum recommended sugar intake for an adult by the time they arejust 10 in sport, another big setback for

andy murray who has been knocked out of the second round of the brisbane international. chelsea have signed a usa national £a58 million, but they have loaned him straight back to a german club for the end of the season. sheffield wednesday's new manager hasjust season. sheffield wednesday's new manager has just been season. sheffield wednesday's new manager hasjust been named. he will ta ke manager hasjust been named. he will take charge from the 1st of february. health officials say children are eating an entire childhood's worth of sugar by the time they are ten years old — often in drinks, cakes, biscuits and breakfast cereals. according to public health england, children on average, consume the equivalent of around 13 sugar cubes a day — often in drinks, cakes, biscuits and breakfast cereals. our health correspondent james gallagher has more. we love sugary things. children are eating a humungous amount of sugar, often in sweet drinks, cakes, biscuits, and breakfast cereals.

but too much rots teeth. it's estimated a child has a tooth removed in hospital every ten minutes. and an overly sweet diet also increases the risk of long—term problems, including type—2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and some cancers. what is taking your fancy? the fizzy drinks? why is that? they are just nice and tasty and i love them. would you rather have something high in sugar or something not very sweet? i would rather have something like fruit as it has natural sugar. you can get diabetes from eating loads of sugar. and i don't want to have that. we are eating too much sugar as a society, how responsible should parents be for that? we have to think about the future of our children and their health is so important. that is notjust

the responsibility of government. on average, children are eating the equivalent of 13 cubes of sugar a day. but public health england says that is eight cubes a day too many. on average, 18 years' worth of sugar — that's an entire childhood's worth — is being devoured before a child's 10th birthday. however, public health england's change for life campaign says small changes can make a dramatic difference. i am a parent and i know how difficult that can be. my youngest daughter is nine and she wants to eat sugary things. but parents can lead by example so the type of food and drink they are having, their children are noticing that. and they need to bring in healthier stuff into the house in the first place. but campaigners say more needs to be done to make it easier for us to shop more healthily. i think it's really hard for parents to cut down on sugar for their children. we don't have a good labelling system and often sugary products are advertised

during family television time, they are promoted more in supermarkets, and we need to look at government regulating these areas more so it can be made easierfor parents. public health england said it was working with the food industry to cut the amount of sugar in children's favourites by next year. james gallagher, bbc news. preparations for a no—deal brexit boosted british manufacturers in december, according to a monthly survey of the sector. activity grew at its fastest rate in 6 months, as companies ramped up their efforts to stockpile goods and prevent any potential disruption to their supply chains. a suspect arrested over a "frenzied" knife attack on three people in manchester on new year's eve has been detained under mental health laws. the 25—year—old is being held on suspicion of attempted murder as part of a ‘counter—terror investigation' after the stabbings at the city's victoria railway station. police said there was nothing to suggest others were involved. the victims were left with ‘serious' but not life—threatening injuries. in the last few minutes the family of the detained man —

who has not yet been named — have issued a statement saying their thoughts and prayers are with those injured. donald trump has ordered a vast expansion of commercial logging on us federal land to try to reduce the risk of wildfires. the decision — which has been criticised by environmentalists — comes after a year when california recorded its deadliest and most destructive ever wildfire, a blaze which ravaged the town of paradise, leaving 86 people dead and three still missing. in focusing on logging, the trump administration made no mention of climate change, which its own scientists say is making fires worse. 0ur correspondent james cook, who was in paradise while the fire was raging, has returned to the town. this has got potential for a major incident. request 15 additional engines. from the very first radio call just before dawn, the danger was clear. go down into the community and evacuate it. the fire was burning

in a canyon east of paradise. fanned by ferocious winds. within hours, the entire town, home to 27,000 people, would be ablaze. this is what goes up and down... in paradise, they are still counting the cost. this is all that remains of laurie crowder‘s workshop. the home she shared with her husband has gone, too. did you manage to get any precious things from your home, orfrom here? the clothes on our back. i grabbed my embroidery files, but all my print files, all my records, everything has gone. so it's notjust the personal loss of your home, but it's rebuilding a business as well? that's a big financial burden. mm—hmm. but we'll do it. we will do it.

this is not just a tragedy for paradise. it's a disaster for california. in the past 20 years this state has seen 16 of its 20 largest wildfires on record. ten of the 20 deadliest, and 15 of the most destructive in terms of property destroyed. so what's going on? president trump blames california forfailing to manage its forests. his administration suggests logging is the answer. at this sawmill, they agree. saying environmental laws and a century of suppressing wildfires have left a dangerous landscape which must be thinned. i think the president has a point, that in some instances the forest management california didn't accomplish what it was supposed to accomplish. we are reducing the density and we are reducing the rate that fire can spread from crown to crown up high. because that is when they get dangerous and that is when they cover a lot of ground. you see here these pine seedlings and saplings

growing in after the fire. but this environmentalist disagrees. logging, he says, is not the answer. what logging does is itjust creates a lot of combustible debris, branches and limbs on the forest floor. it spreads very combustible invasive grasses like cheatgrass. and basicallyjust reduces the canopy cover of the forest and so instead of that cooling shade of the forest canopy, you get these very hot, dry, windy conditions. and that just makes fire spread fast. as long as we keep spending billions of dollars every year on back country fire suppression and logging, we're not using those resources to protect homes. people's appreciation for what firefighters do, for what the public safety folks do, this means a lot to everybody. california's fire chief is adamant wildfires are getting bigger and more dangerous and there will be many more thank you cards, for one obvious reason. it is climate change. literally firefighters are on the front lines of climate change. in california and really in other

parts of the west, we are seeing it, these changes in temperatures, these changes in weather patterns, all of that is having a direct impact on fire conditions. tyres popping, cars are burning... for generations, california has been known as the golden state. for some, it remains heaven on earth. but for how much longer? yes, people, it is blowing, it is hot. james cook, bbc news, paradise. now it's time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello. the weather will stay dry for much of the rest of today. the amount of cloud you see from place to place will vary significantly. nevertheless, where the sunshine is out, we have almost got a clear blue skies. it is not for everyone. western areas of england, scotland and wales have been quite cloudy

elsewhere. the clouds across the east of england have been producing some showers. inland, it is mostly dry, but pretty grey. looking at the picture for overnight, for most of us it will stay pretty cloudy. it will keep the frost away and where the cloud is broken, we will see some of the coldest weather overnight. temperatures could get down to around —5, minus six celsius. high pressure continues to affect the uk. in eastern europe we have a cold plunge of arctic air coming in. we could see snow, potentially at low level in greece and turkey. no such fun and games for us. we're still stuck underneath the same area of high pressure. another cloudy day. if you breaks in

the cloud, south of wales, southern counties of england. in the sunshine we will have the coolest weather. things will be milder in western scotland. across the north west of scotla nd scotland. across the north west of scotland we will see some of the mildest air on friday. the cloud will continue to thicken, we could see the odd spot of drizzle coming or going. still quite cloudy and chilly. the milder air there in the north—west. temperatures in stornoway up towards 9 degrees. for the weekend, the high pressure is declining and moving southwards. that allows weak weather fronts to move on. 0therwise, that allows weak weather fronts to move on. otherwise, the air is set fairand move on. otherwise, the air is set fair and likely to stay cloudy. this is bbc news — our latest headlines.

rail passengers are facing an above inflation hike in fares of at least 3%, despite a raft of issues on the network in 2018. the foreign secretary says a post—brexit britain could learn lessons from the economic model of singapore. six people have died and 16 others injured — after a commuter train crash in denmark. a woman has died after falling around 500 feet from ben nevis on new year's day. the student, who hasn't been named, was climbing with three others when the accident happened at around 10.30 in the morning. # enola gay, you should have stayed at home yesterday the ups and downs of a musical career spanning a0 years — i've been talking to one of the founders of 0rchestral music in the dark, andy mccluskey. sport now on afternoon live. a huge game tomorrow, liverpool and manchester city, jurgen klopp has been talking about it? we talk about six pointers, but it

is the epitome of that, if manchester city lose they will be ten points behind liverpool, if they win it, it is back down to four. both managers have been speaking ahead of that huge match, we'll hear from pep guardiola later this afternoon. despite beeing labelled the best team in the world by guardiola, jurgen klopp has turned that compliment around and knows what his side will face at the ethihad. it isa it is a really strong football team, with an outstanding manager. that is how it is. when you play them, you never know. we have to be prepared as good as possible. we have to be brave. we have to be full of desire, angry, all of that stuff, like in the other games, we have to be that. but with the knowledge the opponent is, for me, still the best team in the world. that's how it is. is it too early to say the result will define where the title goes? we will define where the title goes? we will find out tomorrow night. pep guardiola has not got a great record

againstjurgan klopp in england. seven games coming to db champions league, a—1 to jurgen seven games coming to db champions league, a—1tojurgen klopp. just the one victory, when sadio mane was sent off. we are not allowed to express sent off. we are not allowed to ex press a ny sent off. we are not allowed to express any preference. go, liverpool! but i am not allowed to express an interest. the chelsea have their cheque—book out? chelsea have signed the usa international christian pulisic from borussia dortmund for £58 million, but they'll loan him back to the german club until the end of the season. pulisic is 20, and started his youth career at brackley town. he's scored nine goals in 23 games for his country. he was linked with liverpool and arsenal in this transfer window but he opted for chelsea, saying "it's a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club." that 58 million is the biggest transfer fee paid for an american player. steve bruce has been named as the new manager of championship side sheffield wednesday.

iam sure i am sure that will upset some sheffield united fans. he'll take charge from the first of february, with assistants steve agnew and stephen clemence taking control until then. he replaces dutchmanjos luhukay, who was dismissed by wednesday on 21 december after less than a year in charge. bruce previously managed local rivals sheffield united but in his favour with the wednesday fans will be his record at getting teams promoted — no manager in history has won more promotions to the english top—flight. there was a big disappointment for andy murray, another setback on his comeback from hip surgery after he was knocked out in the 2nd round of the brisbane international. murray was playing in his first tournament since september. but he lost in straight sets to russia's daniil medvedev, 7—5, 6—2. murray, a former world number 1, is now ranked 2a0th, and said yesterday that he doesn't know how much longer he can continue playing at the top level. his next scheduled tournament is the australian open — the first grand slam of the year — which starts on the 1ath of january. there was also bad news for britain's

number one kyle edmund, who was on the wrong end of an upset overnight — he lost to the japanese qualifier yasutaka uchiyama in straight sets. and britain's number one johanna konta is also out in brisbane. after that impressive win yesterday over the world number six sloane stephens, she was beaten in straight sets by ajla tomjanovic of australia, who's ranked five places below her. konta did take the second set to a tie—break but she'd lost the opener 6—2, and never fully recovered from that. that's all the sport for now. it's a0 years since 0rchestral manoeuvres in the dark — or 0md to you and me — played their first gig. with their tape machines and synthesisers it marked the birth of a new sound here in the uk — heavily influenced by bands such as germany's kraftwerk. it led to millions of record sales and world tours. and if there was one song that marked their lift—off — particularly in europe —

it's this one enola gay. # enola gay, you should have stayed at home yesterday # 0ho it can't describe the feeling and the way you lied the band has published a new biography — it's called "pretending to see the future". a little earlier, i spoke to andy mccluskey — a founding member of 0md — with fellow vocalist paul humphreys. i started by asking him how it all started. we went to different schools, paul knocked on my door to ask if i'd join his friends band. that's when we started doing music together. at the time, what were you listening to? kraftwerk were hugely influential. 0ne one of the thrills was when they came to see you? terrifying, rather

than thrilling. we could see these four black figures on the balcony. the most terrified i have ever been. i kept thinking, i wonder what they think. ifinally met i kept thinking, i wonder what they think. i finally met them and i i kept thinking, i wonder what they think. ifinally met them and i can think. ifinally met them and i can think of anything more interesting to ask than what kind of speakers they had in a studio. idiot! you mention speakers. the kit was crucial but, in the early days, you were scurrying around, just to rent a synthesiser. but explain. synthesisers all different. you did not necessarily know what they did? it was like a car. we did not know how they worked, we just knew how to drive them, they were very primitive. the first one we had we bought from my mother's mail order catalogue. it was the only way we could afford it. it frankly sounded horrible! but we managed somehow. i have had this tweet. do you still have the kit from the old days? does it still work? we do in fact have the original synthesiser but we had to get it repaired. paul and i bid against each other

on ebay to get one like it, which was ridiculous! you didn't know you were bidding against each other? the technology has changed so much in a0 years, most of the old equipment we do not have any more. we had to go and find it again. there was one tape player that in 1983 you spent £2a,000. fairlight was to it was a computer. that was the first programmable computer. we did not have to play all by hand, it stayed in time with itself. that was how much my parent's house was worth! now you can have technology that does exactly the same? it is incredible. on your phone, something that cost £30,000 all those years ago. a lot of people are asking the name. why 0rchestral manoeuvres in the dark? i wish there was some really fabulous reason behind it. it means nothing.

we were only going to do one concert. we wanted a name that set us aside, we were not a punk or disco band or anything you had seen before, just two of us with a tape recorder, playing songs that even our friends thought were rubbish! we wanted a name that was different and the most preposterous and pretentious thing we could come up with, but it did not matter because it was only going to be for one gig. and that was a0 years ago. i have already mentioned liverpool. you have been described as the mccartney of synth pop! i would take that. that's not bad at all. you had a break, the two of you. what was that about? we spent a lot of time in the 80s just intensely working. although we sold millions of records, we did not sign a very good deal. we were losing money all over the place. we just needed to get away from each other. a lot of people say, come on, in the 80s, there was loads of money around!

we signed a poor deal. the reality was, for every record we sold, we were giving back the money, making videos or tools that lost money, i did not have a castle or a yacht, trust me, i didn't, and i still don't! but we didn't care. we were just enjoying the music. until it got too tiring. the break was good but we are glad to be back together. you're going to the states this year, aren't you? we start in the states, then chile and peru, a big european british tour at the end of the year, so we are keeping busy. the island of taiwan ‘must and will be' reunited with china' — the words of the chinese president xi jinping in a speech that will increase pressure on the island state's pro self—rule government. the taiwanese people, he said, have to accept reunification with china as inevitable.

mr xi said taiwan's separation from mainland china was a wound that must be healed. earlier this week taiwan's president urged beijing to respect the island's freedom and democracy. john sudworth reports from beijing. they clapped along as xijinping arrived. his message on taiwan may be an old one, but from the most powerful chinese leader in decades, it's a striking one. translation: we make no promise to give up the use of military force and reserve the option of taking all necessary means. china has recently been flexing its military muscles. but sending an invading army across the well—defended borders of the taiwan strait would be a huge gamble. taiwan's president, reacting to the speech, called on china to tone down the threats. translation: the majority of the taiwanese public

resolutely oppose one country, two systems. this is a taiwan consensus. in reality, despite the sometimes strident tone, there was little in xi jinping's speech to signal a real change in policy. if there is going to be warfare, well, for now, it's likely to be of the cyber kind, with reports that beijing is upping its efforts to influence taiwan's elections towards more pro—china parties. mr xi also held out the prospect of more trade links. china has long hoped that its growing economic might, not military force, will eventually pull taiwan into its embrace. police in southern india have used tear—gas and water cannon to disperse protesters, angry that two women have worshipped at a high—profile shrine. the two were helped by indian police to enter the sabarimala temple in kerala, which is at the centre of a bitter dispute

between conservatives and activists. a court ruling last year ended the temple's long—standing ban on all women of menstruating age from worshipping there. but for months, protesters had continued to prevent women from visiting the shrine. devina gupta reports from delhi these women are moments away from breaking a centuries—old tradition at this hindu temple. in the cover of the dark, these two women in their a0s are seen going inside the sabarimal shrine in the south indian state of kerala, an act that has broken gender barriers. this temple is home to the hindu lord ayyappa, who is believed by devotees to be a celibate. so women of menstruating ages, defined as between ten and 50 by the temple, were not allowed here. although india's top court lifted the ban on women entering sabarimala temple last year, there were protests by conservative hindu groups, preventing women of menstruating age from entering the shrine.

activists bindu and and kanakadurga have finally entered the temple. but they were escorted by two policeman. the issue has divided women across the country. just yesterday, thousands of women gathered to make a human chain to protest against conservative groups. today, they hailed this act as a symbolic victory. translation: the entry of women in sabarimala is a historic win for us. it's a victory of the movement for equality and it's a victory of women power. but another group of women have protested against what they call desecration of their faith. even the temple will shut down for a purification ritual and violent clashes were reported across the state. a sign that the fight for their right to pray is far

from overfor women here. a murder investigation is under way in kirton, near boston in lincolnshire following a house fire that took place in the early hours of new year's day. three bodies have now been found inside the property that was gutted by the blaze. natasha turney reports from the scene. this charred building is all that remains of what was once a family home here in the village of kirton, where three people are now confirmed to have died. it started in the early hours of yesterday morning, on new year's day, when at around 3am, neighbours reported seeing smoke and fire billowing from the windows and the roof of this building, which they say very quickly engulfed the whole house. the east midlands specialist operations unit are now working with lincolnshire police to help identify the cause. they say they have now opened what they

describe as a domestic related murder investigation. police are still appealing for witnesses and asking anyone who was at the scene at the time, or anyone who might have caught something on a dash cam, to come forward with information. more than 300,000 people are now homeless in britain, according to the charity shelter. in liverpool, a unique project has been launched with the aim of helping the city's rough sleepers. as tim muffett has been finding out, it has the support of a local sporting legend. it is sad to see really how it has become such a big issue. jamie carragher was rare amongst footballers. he only played for one club. commentator: carragher! he's surely won it for liverpool. how bad is homelessness in liverpool? it is bad. it is a big problem, certainly when you're in the city centre, as i am most days. more than 5,000 people in the north—west of england are homeless, according to government figures. as in many cities across britain, the homeless charity shelter says rough sleeping in liverpool is getting worse. lawrence, how are you, la?

this former factory in liverpool opened its doors in october. this centre is about homeless people having their own home, their own lockable door, their own bed, their own belongings behind those doors, and a community in the centre where they can meet and congregate. the centre costs around £7,000 a week to run. jamie carragher has been helping to raise funds. how's it going? exercising? i didn't think i would get another bite of the apple like this. businessman lawrence kenwright provides most of the money. the cabins are probably the main thing we've done here, which i think is a big difference to them, about them feeling like they own something again. what's it like to live here? every night, i was sleeping on the doorway, police waking me up, and if it was raining, i'm going to be wet through. but here, i don't have to worry. my life has changed. now, i can apply for a job. because, when you apply for a job normally, if you have no address, if you're sleeping in a doorway,

they can't give you a job. yeah, that's the thing, now i can apply for a job. at the moment, there are 12 cabins. each resident has an actual address. there's also an opportunity to learn new skills. what impact does this place have on people's lives? if you see the difference in people when they first come in and then a few weeks later, it's unbelievable, the difference. the best thing that's happened to the homeless for a long time. it's not like it's happened before. how important is it to do things like this, normal things? it's brilliant. i've not played this for years. it brings a wee bit of normality back in your life. is there a risk that it is so good that you would want to stay here, rather than getting a place of your own? no, i don't want to be living somewhere like this for the rest of your life. i want to get back to work, you know what i mean? you can't do that when you live on the street. this is a community where they haven't got to fight for their survival, like they have on the streets. and that's because the system isn't

in place in order to deal with the issue that is out there. some have dismissed the cotton street project as a gimmick. the facilities have been compared to the big brother house. 0ne local councillor described it as a joke. it certainly marks a different way of tackling a growing problem. tim muffett, bbc news. ben bland is here, to bring us the business news. first, the headlines. rail passengers are facing an above inflation hike in fares of at least 3%, despite a raft of issues on the network in 2018. the foreign secretary says a post—brexit britain could learn lessons from the economic model of singapore. six people are dead — and 16 others injured — after a commuter train crash in denmark here's your business headlines on afternoon live. factories in the uk ramped up their stockpiling in december as they prepared for possible border delays when britain leaves the eu.

the regular survey of purchasing managers is usually seen as a guide as to how active the economy is. this was the highest it's been for six months. but analysts warn that december‘s figure is distorted by stockpiling and the gains are likely to be short—lived. railfares have risen by an average of 3.1% in england and wales — and almost 3% in scotland. that's despite a series of delays, strikes and timetable chaos on the network last year. the rail industry says 98p of every pound spent on a ticket is invested back into the network. cathay pacific has said it will honour first—class and business—class tickets that it sold forjust a fraction of the normal price. the hong kong—based airline mistakenly sold business—class seats from vietnam to new york forjust over £500 return return. it would normally cost almost £13,000. how do you get into work? not on an

airline. a broomstick? rail fares are up, people are not happy? when i say people, passengers aren't? indeed, 3.1% increase in england and wales, almost 3% in scotland. rail future, the campaign group, says it is another kick in the wallet. the transport secretary chris grayling has said that the government has made a record investment in rail. the labour leader condemned it as a disgrace, saying that it drives people away from public transport. good news for young people? the government announced there will be any rail card, allowing 16 and 17—year—olds in full—time education to travel on child fares, and that will be available by september. there will also be a new discount ra ilca rd there will also be a new discount railcard for those aged between 26-30, railcard for those aged between 26—30, which has gone on sale

already. it's like the 16—25 railca rd. already. it's like the 16—25 railcard. is that condition that they stand and give up their seat for anybody older? are you asking for anybody older? are you asking for anybody older? are you asking for a friend? just a thought. go on. apm! those who travel in the capital, they will benefit from a freeze in fa res. they will benefit from a freeze in fares. this is a decision by the mayor of london to freeze fares within the transport for london area. we asked tony miles from modern railways magazine what he makes all the rail fare modern railways magazine what he makes all the railfare increase. ican i can understand why passengers are really unhappy. the only good news is that is also the beginning of a year when a lot of them will see a lot of genuine improvements, with a lot of genuine improvements, with a lot of genuine improvements, with a lot of trains coming along which are bigger, more capacity, timetable improvements, more services, particularly on sundays, which is what people have called for, and genuine investment coming through. i

can see both sides of the argument. i understand people being very unhappy after the years some of them have had. we have been speaking of the troubles on the high street, the biggest gauge is what happens at christmas. when will we know?“ biggest gauge is what happens at christmas. when will we know? it is too early to say definitively, but we have figures of weekly sales from john lewis, a major department store. it seems that shoppers hunting for last—minute gifts on christmas eve helped givejohn lewis sales a boost. the department store said that sales were up a.5% in the week ending december the 29th, compared with the same week last year. they said there was a confident start to post christmas clea ra nce, confident start to post christmas clearance, both online and in shops. it wasn't helped by everybody? hmv went into administration over christmas, the second time in six yea rs. christmas, the second time in six years. it has blamed changing customer habits and a move to digital and streaming services. it will continue to accept gift vouchers. if you got a gift voucher

over christmas, they will be honouring that as long as the straw continues trading. just before christmas, we heard from a online fashion retailer, asos, saying that they had a profit warning. joining us now isjo causon, ceo of the institute of customer service. 0ptimism from john lewis? optimism from john lewis? yes, great to see that, because 2018 was a difficult for retailers. as we look forward in terms of the next 12 months, any optimism, but a real focus on the customer is absolutely critical. we were talking about the tough year that it has been in the last few months, the last few days, weeks and months, hmv, asos, among others, they are running into off

well, asos not running into difficulties, but warning that the picture is not as rosy as they might have hoped? yes, to me, it is about how you differentiate yourself. it is notjust how you differentiate yourself. it is not just about discounting how you differentiate yourself. it is notjust about discounting or the battle between online and breaks and mortar. it is about how you really differentiate. that has to be through the actual customer experience that you create. interestingly, the institute undertakes something called the uk customer satisfaction index, and we measure across all industry sectors, satisfaction levels. the top 20, ten of those retailers. it is really important that the whole customer experience is there at an end—to—end experience. when you say customer experience, what do you mean? the whole journey you are going through. it might be when you are going into the shop, howl it might be when you are going into the shop, how i am greeted, the actual stock choice, how that actually feels. if it is online, how

easy the organisation is to do business with. it is notjust about that meeting and greeting, it is the whole end—to—end experience. at this time of year, often you have returns. how does that feel? do i trust this brand? we look at five key areas. our professional people are, how easy the business is to do business with, is the product experience, if there is a problem, how easy is it to resolve? all of those things increasingly matter as an overall experience. as well as if i have got that trust, do i believe in this brand and this experience i am having? if 2019 is to be the year where retail makes a come back, what specifically do retailers need to do? i think they really need to focus on what they are here to do and to serve the customer. that isn'tjust about and to serve the customer. that isn't just about providing the and to serve the customer. that isn'tjust about providing the best price, that is about being value for money, building relationships, you andl money, building relationships, you and i want a much more personalised

service. creating a destination, not just a transaction. jo, thanks very much indeed, jo coulson of the institute of customer services. apologies for the trouble with the microphone, i think it might have been knocking against the necklace. the markets, the ftse 100 been knocking against the necklace. the markets, the ftse100 is down. not as bad as earlier in the day. downward pull coming from mining companies. the oil prize has somewhat recovered from where it was. hopes of a cut in output that is due to come from producers in january to deal with a supply glut. the pound is down against the dollar after stockpiling figures that we saw a little earlier. talk to you later. i look forward to it. the weather is good to stay dry for much of the rest of the day. the amount of cloud that you see from

place to place will vary significantly. nevertheless, for many were the sunshine is out, you have almost got clear blue skies. not for everyone. the sunniest weather has been across central and eastern scotland. western areas of england and wales. it has been quite cloudy elsewhere. indeed, the cloud is working across eastern england, that has been producing one two light showers, just to the north sea coast. inland it is mainly dry, but pretty great. looking at the weather picture as we go through this evening and overnight, for most of us it will stay pretty cloudy. where it stays cloudy it will keep the frost away. however, the cloud will stay broken in places, particularly for northern england and wales, and it is here where we will see some of the coldest weather overnight. temperatures could get down to —5 or minus six celsius. we may see some cloud coming into scotland. high pressure continues to affect the uk. 0ver pressure continues to affect the uk. over in eastern europe we have a cold plunge of arctic air working m, cold plunge of arctic air working in, bringing some snowfall. we could

see some snow, potentially even to low levels, in greece and turkey as we head through thursday. no such fun and games for us. still stuck under this area of high pressure and for most of us it is going to be another cloudy day. a few breaks in the cloud, some sunshine, favoured spots for that would be across the south of wales, southern counties of england. in the sunshine, that is where we have the coolest weather. things will be turning milder across western scotland, with temperatures in stornoway climbing to 9 degrees. it is across the north west of scotla nd it is across the north west of scotland where we will continue to see some of the mildest air on friday. the cloud will continue to thicken and we could see a spot of drizzle coming or going. for most of the uk it is quite cloudy and chilly, with milder weather in the northwest. up to 9 degrees in stornoway by the end of the week. the weekend weather prospects, here is the high pressure. it is slowly declining and moving a little bit further southwards. that allows these weak weather fronts to move

into more northern portions of the uk and it could threaten a little bit of rain at times across the far north. 0therwise, bit of rain at times across the far north. otherwise, the weather is set fair. for many of us it is likely to stay pretty cloudy. that is your latest weather. goodbye for now. hello, you're watching afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy. today at a. a kick in the wallet — rail passengers are left steaming, as fares go up despite all the problems on the network in 2018. they never run on time, if it is summer, the lines are too hot, if it is winter they are frozen. the service is appalling. the staff are lovely, but the service is terrible. home secretary sajid javid warns migrants crossing the channel that they will be stopped , and questions whether they are genuine asylum seekers at all. a question has to be asked, if you area genuine a question has to be asked, if you are a genuine asylum seeker than by how few not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrive six people are dead —

and 16 others injured — after a commuter train crash in denmark coming up on afternoon live all the sport. we'll hear from both managers ahead of tomorrow night's huge game between manchester city and liverpool, jurgen klopp says city are still the best team in the world despite sitting 3rd in the premier league and we'll bring you news on a new £58 million signing for chelsea. thanks. what is going on weather—wise? here in the uk, not a lot. we have got high pressure that is with us throughout the rest of this week. a lot of dry weather. for many of us it is pretty cloudy. we will be looking further afield and looking at waterspouts along with some heavy snow and flooding in north europe. hello everyone — this is afternoon live — i'm simon mccoy.

as if going back to work after the christmas break wasn't bad enough — commuters travelling by rail kicked off 2019 by paying above—inflation price rises for their tickets. fares have increased by an average of 3.1% in england and wales — and almost 3% in scotland. passenger groups have accused the government of ‘kicking them in the wallet‘ — for not freezing some fares and ignoring the impact of the chaos and disruption on many lines last year. 0ur transport correspondent tom burridge reports. passengers in the north of england suffered the most in 2018. but across britain delays and cancellations have risen to their highest level in 17 years. with fares up again, some passengers in hull say they‘re not getting value for money. at the end of the day it‘s public transport and if the public can‘t afford it, then what good is public transport that‘s unaffordable? the prices are quite steep i think, really, for the short distance that i travel. but it's easier than taking the car. i spend a long time behind the wheel, so generally

speaking it's ok for me. your trains are getting delayed regularly... they are late. you can‘t rely on them. you can't rely on them and then you end up everyone cramming into two carriages. you can't even get a seat. it‘s frustrating. we don‘t seem to see the advantage to them investing at all. it's much easier to swallow a price increase if you think you're getting value, and at the moment, too many trains are still too late. too many people are late getting to work and getting home again, cancellations, and i think it's really hard to talk about a fare increase when you're not getting what you're paying for. from today, tickets increased by roughly 3% in england and wales. in scotland, the rise is slightly smaller. northern ireland‘s rail system is different and there is no increase today. it means an annual season ticket from bradford to leeds will cost £32 more. someone commuting from reading into london will pay an extra £1a0. the government says its happy for fares to rise in line with a lower index of inflation if unions agree that rail workers‘

wages should go up at a lower rate. i don‘t want to see fares go up any more than they have to. the reality is that costs in the industry are rising fast. the biggest factor is wage increases. i‘d like to see the unions and the indeed frankly the labour party accept that wage rises in the rail industry should be lower and as a result fare rises should be lower. but this morning, the labour leader was out supporting protesters. 0ur fares are already the highest in europe. it's a tax on all commuters and people that actually have to use the railway because there is no other way of them getting around. in the long term it actually drives some people away from public transport, that's not good. the rail industry says that 98p of every pound spent on a ticket is invested back into the railways. today it has launched a new rail card for those aged 26—30. and the government says 16

and 17—year—olds will be able to 50% off with another rail card from september. train companies say record levels of investment will bring improvement in the longer term. but the rmt union described the railways as a grossly mismanaged rip—off. tom burridge, bbc news. 0ur correspondentjon donnison is at manchester victoria station. 0n the face of it, some jaw—dropping figures when you are talking about some railfares figures when you are talking about some rail fares there? figures when you are talking about some railfares there? that is right. my jaw some railfares there? that is right. myjaw dropped when i got the train upfrom right. myjaw dropped when i got the train up from london to manchester, standard open return, £350. here in the north—west, 2018 was already a pretty bad year for rail users. they have real problems with the introduction of that new timetable

in may, particularly on the northern network. now how they have got those fa re network. now how they have got those fare increases. if you take a look ata fare increases. if you take a look at a yearly season ticket from liverpool to manchester that has gone up about £100 to over £3000. 0n this train coming into manchester this train coming into manchester this morning, a lot of commuters got on at macclesfield, and fair to say, most of them pretty unhappy, complaining about the service, some of the issues we heard in tom‘s report there. some people saying that they might have two lark at driving into manchester, possibly giving car shares, or, driving into manchester, possibly giving carshares, or, in driving into manchester, possibly giving car shares, or, in some cases, one young woman told me she was thinking about getting a job closer to home, even if it meant taking a pay cut because the rail fa res taking a pay cut because the rail fares were getting too expensive. the home secretary sajid javid has questioned whether people using small boats to make risky journeys across the english channel are genuine asylum seekers.

speaking on a visit to dover — after he declared a "major incident" in response to a number of people attempting to cross to britain — mrjavid questioned why those making the journey had not sought asylum in the first safe country they entered. 0ur correspondent, navteonhal, is in doverfor us. javid‘s language has been getting further over the past few days. as you say, not long ago, he declared the situation of channel crossings to be a major incident. today, called into question whether some of those attempting to cross the channel were indeed genuine asylu m the channel were indeed genuine asylum seekers. he had come to dover this morning to see for himself the borderforce operation. he this morning to see for himself the border force operation. he spoke to officers and went on to the cutter, to see for himself the situation and how it has been patrolling the

channel over the last couple of weeks. seen from above, these are the treacherous waters that many have tackled in small boats over the past few weeks to make it to england from france. the home secretary recently announced that to stem the flow of people making that journey, he has ordered two more border force cutters, currently in the mediterranean, to come back to patrol the channel. he had previously resisted calls to bring in the extra boats amid concerns they could attract more people to attempt crossing the channel rather than deter them. but during a visit to dover today to meet borderforce officers, and to see one of the cutters already in action, he explained why he had revised that decision. we need to send a very clear message to people that if they take this journey, they take their life into their own hands. but i think we also need to feel comfortable that we are doing everything we can to protect human life. the cutters, as well as protecting life, also have an important role to play in protect our borders and i think they will be able to help by having those extra cutters here. sajid javid also questioned the motives of some of

those who have been trying to enter britain from the channel. the question has to be asked, if you are a genuine asylum seeker, then why have you not sought asylum in the first safe country that you arrived in? because france is not a country where anyone would argue it is not safe in any way whatsoever and if you are genuine, then why not seek asylum in your first safe country? the home secretary has described the number of migrants crossing as a major incident. but some have questioned whether he has exaggerated the seriousness of the situation for political gain. and if britain should be doing more to help the migrants. and these latest comments have now also been criticised. when people make asylum claims, the uk has a system to deal with those claims. those claims must be taken seriously and dealt with properly. it helps nobody to speculate about the answer to those claims before addressing them, particularly given the countries from which these people have fled.

although it is believed no boats were seen overnight, yesterday french police say they stopped 1a migrants from crossing the channel on a stolen fishing trawler after they were found in the port of boulogne. just the latest chapter in the story which has become more urgent with each passing week. so, sajid javid here earlier. the home office has confirmed from earlier today about the seeker and protector will be coming from the mediterranean. it is part of the operation that the border force have been conducting. i spoke to the mp for dover who said that he had been calling for the home secretary to do this over the last couple of months. he was happy to see that this news

has been confirmed. in terms of when they will arrive. that is the big question. currently, we have no confirmation as to when the two cutters will arrive. i spoke to a borderforce officer cutters will arrive. i spoke to a border force officer earlier and he said that because of the time of year, the waters are very choppy and he would be surprised if they arrived before a couple of weeks. breaking news, we are discouraging from manchester police but the stabbing on new year‘s eve, the police say they have concluded a search of an address following the attack and a 25—year—old man was arrested and detained last night under the mental health act he is

now ina under the mental health act he is now in a secure mental facility. the investigators are confident he acted alone. they will continue to investigate whether anyone encouraged or assisted the man to commit that attack. the investigation will carry on, searching for evidence, and the investigators will be consulting medical specialists. specialist detectives continue to support the couple who were injured in the incident. the man has made some good progress and is expected to be released in the next day or so. his partner is also making progress but is expected to be in hospitalfor longer. that coming injust now. well, one of those hurt in the attack was a british transport police officer, sergeant lee valentine. this afternoon, the btp chief constable, paul crowther said he‘d visited him and gave us an update on his condition. lee and his team are in good

spirits. i was able to talk through with them the detail of the events, which actually took place almost where we are standing. they heard the commotion and the shouts and they responded really quickly. within a matter of seconds they had the individual under control. they we re very the individual under control. they were very modest about what they did. i don‘t think they saw it as anything out of the ordinary. i think they are heroes and they did incredible things. they are in good spirits, but we need to take care of them now and make sure that we have them now and make sure that we have the right support mechanisms in place. chief constable of british transport police. the foreign secretary says a post—brexit britain could learn lessons from the economic model of singapore. speaking at the start of a three—day tour of asia jeremy hunt praised the country‘s ‘long—term‘ approach to economic development. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley has been telling me more. jeremy hunt is there today saying that we still have a role to play. he is talking about areas where

he thinks the uk can lead, like defending democracy, something he thinks is becoming increasingly important, as he argues it recedes in some parts of the world. his choice of singapore has attracted quite a lot of attention. there are many in the conservative party who look to singapore and say, the uk could do that after brexit. cut taxes and, they hope, attract investment and stimulate the economy. jeremy hunt is not going quite that far, he is not saying let‘s do that after brexit. he is saying that there are economic lessons that can be learned from singapore. i would never argue that the uk should, or would ever want, to follow the social and political structure of a country like singapore. i think we can learn from their economy and the way they invest in their education system.

they are top of maths, science and reading of all of the developed countries. they have always had a huge emphasis on investing in the skills of their people. there are some on the other side of the argument to say we should be ignoring the singapore model and that will lead to a race to the bottom and would damage standards of living. there is jeremy hunt as foreign secretary, we have sajid javid he was in the news here and, of course, there is a vacancy coming up at number ten. yes, we know that the prime minister will not fight the next election. there will always be these sorts of rumours where people likejeremy hunt and sajid javid show up. they are both prominent figures within the government. they are both people who have been speculated a lot as to

the issue of who the next prime minister might be. jeremy hunt spent a lot of the christmas break talking about his big ideas for britain. this is another one today. at this stage, it remains speculation because we are not at the stage where that is even being properly scrutinised by the party. you‘re watching afternoon live, these are our headlines rail passengers are facing an above inflation hike in fares of at least 3%, despite a raft of issues on the network in 2018. home secretary sajid javid warns migrants crossing the channel that they will be stopped, and questions whether they are genuine asylum seekers at all. six people are dead — and 16 others injured — after a commuter train crash in denmark in sport, the managers have had their say ahead of two moral‘s huge game. jurgen klopp says manchester city are still the best team in the world. chelsea have signed a nuclear

for £58 million. but they have loaned him back to his german club until the end of the season. another big setback on the comeback for andy murray who has been knocked out in the second round of the brisbane international. his future is in doubt. donald trump has shrugged off a stinging personal attack on his presidency from seniorfellow republican mitt romney. mr romney, who stood and lost for the republicans against barack 0bama in 2012, suggested in an article that mr trump was not fit to be president. mr trump hit back by tweeting, "i won big and he didn‘t." let‘s talk to our washington correspondent gary o donoghue (0s) mitt romney, there is one sentence, on balance his conduct is evidence

that the president has not risen to the challenge of the office. quite scathing. yes. don't forget mitt romney has form when it comes to donald trump. he called him a fake and a fraud and a phoney back in 2016. he has been very critical on other occasions. he has also been very praiseworthy of donald trump at times. in 2012 when he was running against barack 0bama, he sought and got donald trump‘s endorsement at the time. even as late as the general election this time around, there was talk that he might be brought in as secretary of state and there were discussions around that. the relationship has blown hot and cold, the key thing is whether or not he sees himself or whether he will be seen as a new focus for the internal opposition for the donald

trump. will people be looking to him to speak out on issues that others have not spoken out about, and will he be looking to do that. he says he will not respond to everything but he will take issue to things related to immigration and racism and other areas in terms of national security. he is planning to be something of a critical voice going forward.“ he is planning to be something of a critical voice going forward. it is not a happy new year for those employed by the federal government, this walk—out is now 12 days. employed by the federal government, this walk-out is now 12 days. yes. there is no immediate sign of it ending. there are a couple of proposals floating around that donald trump has said do not go far enoughin donald trump has said do not go far enough in terms of defending his border wall. the democrats say they will not agree to the money. there isa will not agree to the money. there is a meeting later on this afternoon at the white house, where the president is taking congressional leaders into the situation room, believe it or not, to do a briefing

on border security. trying to shape the budget discussion that will be more tricky for them to deal with politically. some federal employees are at home not getting paid, but some are at work not getting paid. we‘re starting to see some other effects, the smithsonian museums are all closing down. there are people who are having to get payday loans, low interest or free loans from credit unions and there is some sense in which people are feeling the alt tightening and the longer it goes on the more problematic knock—on that has on finances. goes on the more problematic knock-on that has on finances. new congress convenient to moral, democrats taking control of the house of representatives. will change things dramatically?”

house of representatives. will change things dramatically? i think as well. there will be a certain amount more compromise when it comes to legislation. if the president wa nts to to legislation. if the president wants to get things done, legislatively speaking. the democrats will control these key high—profile committees inside the house of representatives. the intelligence committee, judiciary. they can launch investigations and enquiries into the operation of the white house, the president‘s actions, his policies, his views. they can control that element. it is a way of building pressure on a government that is already facing pressure. a woman has died after falling around 500 feet from ben nevis on new year‘s day. the student, who hasn‘t been named, was climbing with three others when the accident happened at around 10.30 in the morning.

it is the second death on britain‘s highest peak in recent weeks. in the last hour, a spokeswoman for bristol university said in a statement: "our hearts go out to the family and friends of this student. this tragic accident will be deeply felt across our university community." six people have died and 16 others injured after a commuter train crashed on a bridge in denmark. it‘s believed the passenger train was forced to brake sharply after being hit by an item blown from a freight train during a heavy storm. ashleyjohn baptiste reports. this morning, during rush hour, this commuter train running on denmark‘s great belt bridge was hit by an object from another train, causing a number of people to lose their lives. danish police say six people have been killed and 16 were injured in the accident, but investigations are still at an early stage. translation: we still don't know exactly what happened but what we can say about the reason for the crash is that there was a freight train and something fell from it. there was another train coming in the opposite direction and it collided with the freight,

causing a serious accident. local media reports suggest that a tarpaulin from this freight train carrying beer hit the commuter train during a heavy storm, forcing it to brake suddenly. there was a strong wind here. actually, the bridge was also closed for local traffic during the night. all bridges here in denmark were closed, but then it was opened up at 10:30am, 9:30am uk time, and then the accident happened. the bridge links the country‘s two main islands. it was here that the passenger trains running from 0dense to the capital, copenhagen, was struck at about 8am local time. translation: we are shocked. we were very lucky due to where we were seated. the passengers sitting in the next wagon weren't that lucky. so for us it was a shock with broken glasses and blood. but for others, unfortunately they weren't so lucky. there were 131 passengers and three crew members onboard at the time.

of the 16 injured, police said none had life—threatening injuries. an emergency centre has been set up at the western end of the bridge, in the town of nyborg, as investigations continue to establish exactly what happened. a murder investigation has begun in kirton, near boston in lincolnshire, after a house fire in the early hours of new year‘s day. three bodies have now been found inside the property that was destroyed by the blaze. natasha turney reports from the scene. this charred building is all that remains of what was once a family home here in the village of kirton, where three people are now confirmed to have died. it started in the early hours of yesterday morning, on new year‘s day, when at around 3am neighbours reported seeing smoke and fire billowing from the windows and the roof of this building, which they say very quickly engulfed the whole house. the east midlands specialist

operations unit are now working with lincolnshire police to help identify the cause. they say they have now opened what they describe as a domestic—related murder investigation. police are still appealing for witnesses and asking anyone who was at the scene at the time, or anyone who might have caught something on a dash cam, to come forward with information. missed gp appointments are costing the health service in england more than £200 million every year. nhs england says about one in 20 slots are wasted and that cancelling appointments in advance would free up doctors, nurses and other professionals to see other people who need care and attention. the british medical association urged patients to "play their part" to help the nhs cope with rising demand. someone here in the uk is starting the new year a multi—multi millionaire after scooping nearly £115 million in the new year‘s day euromillions lottery.

the lottery operators camelot have confirmed that the ticket—holder has claimed the prize this afternoon. the win is the fourth biggest in uk history and follows a series of big british lottery successes in recent years. another ten british players won a million pounds each in the draw. i‘m still here! lets get a look at the weather. we were looking at the wild weather we have had in europe over the past few days. we can‘t get enough cold turkey! this is a water spout that hurt cyprus, the north of cyprus. these waterspouts are associated with thunderstorms moving across the area at the time. also strong winds in that area. that was one part of the severe weather we

have seen across europe, but the other cold turkey. the weather has been unusually cold here. this kind of weather is linked with what has been going on across the north of europe where we have severe flooding in northern germany caused by high tides and strong winds. all linked together. we have got this big area of high pressure over us. also, as the pressure moves into europe bringing those stormy conditions. in the mountains, there could be a0 centimetres of snow. that much snow is unusual. that is going to cut off some communities. greece is a mountainous country so it will be affecting a number of places. we have already got amber weather

warnings in force for this. because the precipitation will be falling over a long time it will cool the atmosphere of and we will probably get some snow coming down to sea level. that may be something that we see, more heavy snow and disruption. lots of concern about what is happening here. we are stuck under because area of high pressure. 0ur weather is pretty settled at the moment. the area of high pressure responsible for skies like this is going nowhere fast. some of us have seen sunshine today but for the vast majority it has been a cloudy day. this is what the skies have been looking like over in north yorkshire. there is the extent of the cloud, it has been filling in over recent hours and i think over the next few days we will have a lot of cloud over the country. but have a look at this evening‘s forecast. showers into east lincolnshire.

where it stays cloudy will be a cross quite a large part of the uk. where we have lengthy breaks, there is the possibility of getting a sharp frost. we have talked about that heavy snow going into greece and turkey, and that is what is on the cards as we go into the next 2a hours. for us, we have the same high pressure and the weather will be very similar to today. for most of us, it will be a cloudy day. the cells of wales not faring too badly. maybe the eastern side of scotland. foremost, is cloudy. after a frosty start to the day, those temperatures will struggle. the winds will bring some of the mildest air in the country to the north and west of scotland. a lot of cloud and an increasing threat of frost. the high

pressure still with us into the weekend and it is declining and weakening a little bit to allow those weather fronts into the north of the country. as we go onto the next few days, there will be a tendency to have a a lot of cloud. temperatures will push up a little bit. we will see some mist and fog patches around as we had through the weekend. no significant change in the weather patterns. across the north of the country we will see some weather systems which will bring the threat of some rain, but for most of us the weather is settled well into next week. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. rail passengers are facing an above inflation hike in fares of at least 3%, despite a raft of issues on the network in 2018. home secretary sajid javid warns migrants crossing the channel that they will be stopped, and questions whether they are genuine asylum seekers at all. the foreign secretary says a post—brexit britain could learn

lessons from the economic model of singapore. six people have died and 16 others injured after a commuter train crash in denmark. sport now on afternoon live with will perry. huge game tomorrow. liverpool and manchester city? it is set up as an absolute cracker, it has a bit of a cup final atmosphere. city have lost two of their last three league games and are third, a point behind second—placed totte n ha m. they only lost 2 games over the whole of last season when they went on to win the title with 100 points, they‘ve already lost 3 games this campaign and we‘re only 20 matches in and pep guardiola is adamant that his side are coming up against the best around right now. for me, right now, the best team in

europe, the way they play, the consistency, and how they control the details in their game. that is a good challenge for us. so, we are focusing on what we have to do to win the game. everybody is asking, what happens if we lose? what happens if we win? we have to try, it isa happens if we win? we have to try, it is a football game, you do what you have to do. it is the definition of a six pointer. if city lose, they are ten points behind liverpool, and they are in the box seat to win their first title in the premier league, or ever, theirfirst first title in the premier league, or ever, their first league title first title in the premier league, or ever, theirfirst league title in the top—flight since 1990. if manchester city when, it is back to four points. we have seen the gamesmanship, pep guardiola saying that liverpool are the best in europe, and jurgen klopp is praising manchester city? they have been very complementary about each other, don‘t think anybody wants that crown of being the best team in the world

ahead of this. liverpool have never won the premier league title, but they have championship winning experience, they have been to the champions league final. jurgen klopp is looking for his first title as liverpool manager, despite being labelled the best team in the world by pep guardiola, he has turned a condiment around and knows what his side will face. it is a really strong football team, with an outstanding manager. that is how it is. when you play them, you never know. we have to be prepared as good as possible. we have to be brave. we have to be full of desire, angry, all of that stuff, like in the other games, we have to be that. but with the knowledge the opponent is, for me, still the best team in the world. that's how it is. chelsea have signed the usa international christian pulisic from borussia dortmund for £58 million, but they‘ll loan him back to the german club until the end of the season. pulisic is 20, and started his youth career at brackley town. he‘s scored nine goals in 23 games for his country. he was linked with liverpool and arsenal in this transfer window

but he opted for chelsea, saying "it‘s a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club." that 58 million is the biggest transfer fee paid for an american player. steve bruce has been named as the new manager of championship side sheffield wednesday. he‘ll take charge from the first of february, with assistants steve agnew and stephen clemence taking control until then. he replaces dutchmanjos luhukay, who was dismissed by wednesday on 21st of december after less than a year in charge. bruce previously managed local rivals sheffield united but in his favour with the wednesday fans will be his record at taking teams up — no manager in history has won more promotions to the english top—flight. there was a big disappointment for andy murray, another set back on his comeback from hip surgery after he was knocked out in the 2nd round of the brisbane international. murray was playing in his first tournament since september. but he lost in straight sets to russia‘s daniil medvedev, 7—5, 6—2. murray, a former world number 1, is now ranked 2a0th, and said yesterday that he doesn‘t

know how much longer he can continue playing at the top level. his next scheduled tournament is the australian open — the first grand slam of the year — which starts on the 1ath of january. and britain‘s number one johanna konta is also out in brisbane. after that impressive win yesterday over the world number six sloane stephens, she was beaten in straight sets by ajla tomjanovic of australia, who‘s ranked five places below her. konta did take the second set to a tie—break but she‘d lost the opener 6—2, and never fully recovered from that. that‘s all the sport from me for now. sarah mulkerrins will more for you in the next hour. now on afternoon live, let‘s go nationwide — and see what‘s happening around the country in our daily visit to the bbc newsrooms around the uk. peter levy is in hull where from today rail passengers have started paying more for their journeys. quite a lot more. we will have more

from peter in a moment. janine machin is in cambridge to tell us more about a northamptonshire pharmacist who says he and others in the county are having to "beg and borrow" medicines to supply customers as stocks of lots of popular medicines are running low.? first to peter. across the country it is happening, but in the north in particular people are getting upset about the rising prices? plenty of coverage today on the on average 3.1% increase on train fares. 2018 was not a great year for train travel in the north of england. hull trains operating to london, and virgin trains, they have carriages damaged by snow. hull trains operate between leeds and london and london and hull, and they have had a bad few months, with severe problems with their trains breaking. it‘s been very frustrating for travellers. they are getting new trains by

december of this year. they are increasing their fares by 3.1%. lner, operating on these first mainline, are introducing new trains sometime this year, they are increasing their fares by an average of 3.a%, which is slightly above the industry average of 3.1%. it‘s a popular route for business people and commuters, the hull to leeds line, a journey of about an hour. the season ticket is going to cost £a176. it is going up to £a308, an increase of £132. a season ticket from lincoln to ground them would cost £8a more. finally, a yougov survey was out this afternoon, saying that 39% of us never set foot ona train. saying that 39% of us never set foot on a train. when it comes to train travel, why does the north feel particularly aggrieved? good question. there is a feeling by many that the north is the cinderella of the country when it comes to train travel. you can still travel here by

the much hated pacer trains. . it is basically a bus body on wheels, built in the 1980s. people don‘t like them. those watching in the south of england have probably never seen one. let alone been on one. despite being told they were going to scrap them, northern says it is yet to start the process of retiring them. but they do say they will be retired by the end of 2019. northern are bringing in new modern trains to replace them, and the average fare increases going to be 3.2%. talking to commuters, many feel when it comes to trains that there is very much a north—south divide. the transport secretary says there is record investment in rail. the good news is that new trains between london king‘s cross and hull at the end of the year, they are fit for a top celebrity. well, that is not you. we are hoping maureen lipman will cover from you. we are hoping maureen lipman

will coverfrom london to you. we are hoping maureen lipman will cover from london to see us in hull. i have got a bus body on legs. hgppy hull. i have got a bus body on legs. happy new year. jenin, some of the pharmacies in your region are running out of drugs, there is a suggestion it is about brexit?“ running out of drugs, there is a suggestion it is about brexit? it is a prickly issue. essentially, we have been talking to pharmacies and gps in northamptonshire who say they are struggling to get hold of dozens of different drugs at the moment. the drug supply chain has quite regular blips, but we are told it is usually only a couple of drugs at any one time and it seems to be on a much bigger scale. some are calling it unprecedented. the way the system works is that the drug manufacturers make the medicine, they supply the wholesalers and the pharmacies then order their supplies from the wholesalers. the pharmacist in kettering, he has been doing thejob for 30 years or more, and he says his staff are spending two hours a day calling suppliers trying to get medicines. probably the worst we have experienced, occasionally get an odd product that goes out of stock, may be due to a manufacturing

recall or whatever. but this seems to be a lot of products occurring on a regular basis, so there are a list of drugs, maybe 30 or 40 that we have, which we can't obtain easily, at the right prices. is it isita is it a brexit issue? it depends who you ask. the pharmacists say it could be, but they don‘t have the evidence to prove it. one person who thinks that these issues are to blame is the person who runs the commissioning group in corby. they look after local health care budgets. if gps have to prescribe more costly drugs, as alternatives to those they cannot get hold of, they do feel it in their pocket. she told a meeting that she felt the brexit effect is being felt with supply. and, quote, it is causing patients and pharmacists immense inconvenience. we asked to speak to them today to qualify the remarks. they said they couldn‘t. i guess what is clear is that it is a very politically sensitive issue. for

sure, but could there be any other explanations? well, there are some ideas knocking around the industry. we have not been able to establish whether these things are happening. you have to take them with a pinch of salt. some are questioning whether it is the manufacturers. we do know that the government has told drug manufacturers to make sure the uk has an extra six weeks supply by the time we get to march, in case there is a no—deal brexit. if maybe there is a no—deal brexit. if maybe the manufacturers cannot increase their production, are they holding back some supply now to release later? another concern is that wholesalers might be hanging onto stock, thinking that in a month or two the price of drugs might have gone up, and therefore they would make more money by selling them later. the only thing that is certain is that the government has said quite clearly that there is absolutely no need to stockpile drugs locally, and if they get wind of pharmacies or wholesalers doing that, they are promising to investigate it. they also say that doctors should not prescribe more of

the drugs than really necessary. i guess the thing is, just mentioning this kind of thing can encourage people to stockpile, even when there is no need. that itself causes shortages. yes, it is definitely a problem for some patients right now, but we should not lose sight of the fa ct but we should not lose sight of the fact that more than 2 billion prescription items are being dispensed every day in the uk, with very little problem indeed. plenty more at 6:30pm on bbc one. i‘m not to ask you if you have made a new yea rs to ask you if you have made a new years resolution. because you are perfect already. he, on the other hand... as long as you getting your medication, i am hand... as long as you getting your medication, lam happy.” hand... as long as you getting your medication, i am happy. i have stockpiled at for some time. if you would like to see more on those stories you can access them on the bbc iplayer. a reminder, we go nationwide every weekday afternoon

at a.30. health officials say children are eating an entire childhood‘s worth of sugar by the time they are ten years old. according to public health england, children on average, consume the equivalent of around thirteen sugar cubes a day. our health correspondent james gallagher has more. we love sugary things. children are eating a humungous amount of sugar, often in sweet drinks, cakes, biscuits, and breakfast cereals. but too much rots teeth. it‘s estimated a child has a tooth removed in hospital every ten minutes. and an overly sweet diet also increases the risk of long—term problems, including type—2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and some cancers. what is taking your fancy? the fizzy drinks? why is that? they are just tasty and i love them. would you rather have something high in sugar or something not very sweet? something not very sweet.

i would rather have something like fruit as it has natural sugar. you can get diabetes from eating loads of sugar. we are eating too much sugar as a society, how responsible should parents be ? we have to think about the future of our children and their health is so important. that is notjust the responsibility of government. on average, children are eating the equivalent of 13 cubes of sugar a day. but public health england says that is eight cubes a day too many. on average, 18 years‘ worth of sugar — that‘s an entire childhood‘s worth — is being devoured before a child‘s 10th birthday. however, public health england‘s change for life campaign says small changes can make a dramatic difference. i am a parent and i know how difficult that can be. my youngest daughter is nine and she wants to

eat sugary things. but parents can lead by example so the type of food and drink they are having, their children are noticing that. and they need to bring in healthier stuff into the house in the first place. but campaigners says it needs to be easier for parents. it is really hard for parents to shut down the amount of sugar. we didn‘t have a good labelling system and normally these products are advertised during family television time and we need to look at government regulating these areas more so it can be made easierfor parents. public health england said it was working with the food industry to cut sugar in children‘s favourites by next year. indian police have helped two women defy a historic ban on worshipping at a renowned hindu temple in the southern state of kerala. the sa barimala temple was historically closed to women of "menstruating age" — defined as between 10 and 50. the women‘s act of devotion follows months of protests against women being allowed in and has sparked outrage among

right—wing politicians. ben is here, to bring the business news with a smile. at first, the headlines. rail passengers are facing an above inflation hike in fares of at least 3%, despite a raft of issues on the network in 2018. home secretary sajid javid warns migrants crossing the channel that they will be stopped — and questions whether they are genuine asylum seekers at all. six people are dead and 16 others injured after a commuter train crash in denmark. here‘s your business headlines on afternoon live. transport secretary chris grayling has defended the government‘s choice of a uk company with no ships as one of the providers of extra ferry services in the event of a no—deal brexit. he said he will make no apologies for "supporting a new british business". the firm, seaborne freight, won a £13.8 milion contract to run a freight service between ramsgate and 0stend.

gold prices are at their highest levels in six months, boosted by investors seeking a safe haven. last year, stock markets had their worst year since the financial crisis. the gold price has reached $1,288.86 — the highest price since 15 june — this morning. cathay pacific has said it will honour first—class and business—class tickets that it sold forjust a fraction of the normal price. the hong kong—based airline mistakenly sold business—class seats from vietnam to new york forjust over £500 return return. it would normally cost almost £13,000. we call that a result. well, depends what side of the equation you are

on. not if you the airline. let's talk about the high street. trouble for the last 12 months, as we have been reporting, and a lot of hopes we re been reporting, and a lot of hopes were pinned on christmas. we don‘t know yet? a little bit too soon to say. we don‘t have the full updates from major retailers. we have weekly sales figures from john lewis. the major department store on a high street. shoppers hunting for last—minute gifts on christmas eve helped give sales a boost. the department store said sales were up a.5% up to december 29, compared with the same week last year. they said there was a confident start to post christmas clearance online and in shops. what would have marginally help them increase sales is if you had bothered to buy me something. i am still waiting. let's move on... we call that dead air in the business. let‘s talk about businesses preparing for a no—deal brexit. we now have data suggesting that they really are? it is an indicator that the steps being taken

are happening now. in fact, they we re are happening now. in fact, they were happening in december. british factories, ramping up the stockpiling of both parts and finished goods. this is in case there is a no—deal brexit, which could lead to border delays when britain leaves the eu in less than three months from now. to avoid delays in production, or shortages of certain key components or goods, it seems that many manufacturers are now buying extra and building up their stockpiles. based on what? this is based on the regular monthly survey, called the purchasing managers index. it basically monitors how much factories are buying. normally it is seen as a measure of how active, how strong the economy is performing. a figure above 50 means there is growth, below 50 means there is decline. november was 53.6, december, 5a.2. don‘t worry about the exact figures, it tells us there was an increase, month on month. well, not much. but

it isa month on month. well, not much. but it is a move in the right direction. given the factors and the headwinds, any gain is normally seen as positive. analysts are saying it doesn‘t mean that there is a suddenly rosier outlook for the economy. rather the december figure indicates the stockpiling and any of the gains are likely to be short lived. i am going to water use rose tinted spectacles right now. that is your christmas sorted. —— order you some rose tinted spectacles. richard, let‘s start on the retail figures first, some optimism?‘ slight glimmer of hope. we are going to get a much better picture out of the next seven days, kicking us off with a trading statement. there are a fuel next week from other retailers and, indeed, the supermarkets, we will get a much better idea of notjust how the last week leading up to christmas has gone, but rather the christmas

trading period as a whole. even with black friday, cyber monday and the rest of it, retailers are in a fairly tough place at the moment. i guess the other thing to keep an eye on is whether any increased sales from john lewis or anyone else is simply because of discounting, or if it is because there is increased demand. we saw one retailer in particular suffering, hmv, demand. we saw one retailer in particularsuffering, hmv, over demand. we saw one retailer in particular suffering, hmv, over the christmas period? yes, from the john lewis numbers, retailers will take any sign of any sort of positive reaction that they can at the moment. clearly, the high street remains under extreme pressure. particularly the business models, arguably like hmv, where the entire sector and way of doing business is changing. until recently, of course, it was pretty much accepted that the online retailers were fairly immune from the high street. of course, asos put the cat amongst the pigeons

with a profit warning last month. it's with a profit warning last month. it‘s fair to say that the retail landscape is generally remaining a very challenging place. we will have a rather better idea probably by this time next week. i wanted to get your thoughts on the stockpiling story. we are being told it is brexit related, inevitably, the pound is often seen as a barometer of sentiment regarding the whole brexit story. so, we have seen the pound falling, and analysts are linking it to the stockpiling data. how much do you think it is attributable? inevitably, as we get nearer and nearer to march, there is going to be, in the absence of any clarity, and let‘s face it we are looking for clarity for the last two or two and looking for clarity for the last two ortwo and a looking for clarity for the last two or two and a half years, they have got to have contingency plans in place. perhaps in certain key elements, certain key goods, there is inevitably going to be a kind of plan b. if those figures are

slightly inflated from where we might have expected them, perhaps it is not too surprising. when a question lasts more than five minutes, does it give you the impression that the questioner does not know what they are talking about? you don't have to answer that! that is not fair on you or me. we have become used to that sort of thing on this programme. richard knows what i‘m talking about. thing on this programme. richard knows what i'm talking about. thank you very much. happy new year. you mustn‘t put our guests on the spot. i was glazing over and i am sitting next to you. pay attention to this, it is important. your computer is not working. how do you know? the cat —— cac must be moving. not working. how do you know? the cat -- cac must be moving. it is interesting to watch the ftse because one analyst says where it ends on the first day tends to reflect the movement over the course

of the year, that has been the case for16 of the year, that has been the case for 16 out of the 19 previous years. it is not a guarantee, it is not a cast—iron prediction. it is not a guarantee, it is not a cast-iron prediction. it is a gamble? that is the partner tends to follow. it has not recovered much from the losses. mining companies have been dragging it down. despite the retail woes we have been talking about, some of the big gainers have been the retailers 0cado and next, we get more details on next tomorrow. mining companies going down. who knew? you have made that comment before. it was funny then... recycle where you can. it worked for morecambe and wise, it can work here. that is it from us, we off for a lie down. the weather is going to stay dry for much of the rest of the day, but the cloud you see from place to place will vary significantly. nevertheless, for many, where the

sunshine is out, we almost have clear skies. western areas of england and wales, it has been quite cloudy elsewhere, and indeed the cloudy elsewhere, and indeed the cloud is working across eastern england. that has been producing one or two light showers, just near to the north sea coasts. inland it is mainly dry, but grey. 0vernight, it will stay pretty cloudy. where it stays cloudy, it will keep the frost away. however, the cloud will stay broken in places, particularly for northern england and wales. it is here where we will probably see some of the coldest weather overnight. temperatures could get down to —sa minus six celsius. we may see some cloud moving across scotland. high pressure continues to affect the uk. 0ver pressure continues to affect the uk. over in eastern europe we have a cold plunge of arctic air working m, cold plunge of arctic air working in, bringing some snowfall. we could see a little bit of snow, potentially even some low levels in greece and turkey, as we head

through thursday. no such fun and games for us. still underneath the same area of high pressure. for most of us it will be another cloudy day. a few breaks in the cloud, some sunshine, favoured spots would be across the south of wales, southern counties of england. in the sunshine, some of the coolest weather. things will be turning a bit milder across western scotland, with temperatures in stornoway climbing to 9 degrees. across the north west of scotland, we will continue to see some of the mildest airon continue to see some of the mildest air on friday. cloud will continue to thicken, we could see the spot for drizzle coming or going. for most of the uk, quite cloudy, and still quite chilly as well. the milder weather in the west, temperatures in stornoway town to 9 degrees or so at the end of the week. the weekend weather prospects, here is the high pressure. it is slowly declining and moving a little bit further southwards. that allows these weak weather fronts to move into more northern portions of the uk and could threaten a little bit of rain at times across the far

north. 0therwise, of rain at times across the far north. otherwise, the weather is set fair. for many of us, it is likely to stay pretty cloudy. that is your latest weather. today at five: a new year, a new kick in the wallet for rail passangers as fare hikes come into force. the government is criticised for not freezing prices after a terrible 12 months across the network. passengers say there‘s little value for money. they never run on time, if it is summer, the lines are too hot, if it is winter they are frozen. the service is appalling. so where does all the money go? how can the fare rises be justified, after the worst period of delays and cancellations for almost two decades? the other main stories on bbc news at 5: the home secretary questions whether migrants trying to cross the channel are genuine asylum seekers. six people are dead after a commuter train crashes on a bridge in denmark. 0ld before their time. a warning that children are consuming the minimum intake of sugar for an adult by the age of ten.