danny savage has the story. he's been on a grand tour of the uk.r, the wandering walrus, first appeared in hampshire in the middle of last month. on new year's eve, he hauled himself up a slipway in scarborough before surfacing again in blyth in northumberland. in north yorkshire, they cancelled scarborough's fireworks display so he wasn't disturbed, but thor didn't really care. he vanished into the north sea before the festivities were due to start. he didn't disappear for long, though. this isn't the sort of thing you usually spot through the rigging of the vessels of the royal northumberland yacht club. a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point. they travel like thousands of miles over time because they are solitary animals, so they don't need to be anywhere in general, theyjust prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up a

danny savage, bbc news, chester.ourt charged with murdering the beautician ellie edwards in merseyside. the 26 year old was shot in the head at a pub in wallasey, on christmas eve. connor chapman, who's 22, has been remanded in custody. police say a woman who died after being attacked by a dog in surrey yesterday was walking a number of dogs at the time. paramedics were unable to save the 28—year—old after she was attacked at gravelly hill in caterham. a second woman who received treatment for dog bites has since been discharged from hospital. no arrests have been made. the economy unexpectedly grew in november, according to new figures. the office for national statistics said it rose 0.1% overall, with pubs and restaurants boosting growth, as people went out to watch the world cup. our economics editor faisal islam reports. at g—tech in worcester, their cordless vacuum cleaners sold well during the black friday discounts in november, but founder nick gray says british consumers are far from cleaning up in current ci

danny savage, bbc news.g 75 years of independence from britain with a military parade. large parts of myanmar have been engulfed by conflict since the army seized power almost two years ago. days before the anniversary, the deposed civilian leader aung san suu kyi was given another long prison sentence. herfather, aung san, was the leader of the independence struggle in the 1940s, but was assassinated months before his dream was realised. early at the leader of the ruling junto was greeted with a 21 gun salute as the army of armed might. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ anjanagadgil. this is bbc news. hope to see you shortly. hello there. wednesday morning will be getting off to an exceptionally mild start given we are in earlyjanuary. mild is a feature of the weather through the rest of this week. it will also be windy, and there will be spells of rain because on the satellite picture we can see various weather systems heading in our direction, various areas of cloud moving our way to bring further rain

danny savage has the story he's been on a grand tour of the uk.ew year's eve, he hauled himself up a slipway in scarborough before surfacing again in blyth in northumberland. in north yorkshire, they cancelled scarborough's fireworks display so he wasn't disturbed, but thor didn't really care. he vanished into the north sea before the festivities were due to start. he didn't disappear for long, though. this isn't the sort of thing you usually spot through the rigging of the vessels of the royal northumberland yacht club. a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point. they travel like thousands of miles over time because they are solitary animals, so they don't need to be anywhere in general, theyjust prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. we wish him the best of luck from

danny savage, bbc news, north yorkshire.check their officers against national databases to help root out corrupt individuals who may have slipped through the vetting process. it comes after a serving officer, david carrick, was found to be a serial rapist. the government has promised reforms that will leave offenders with "no place to hide". our home editor mark easton reports. chanting: no justice! no peace! no rapist police! the reverberations from the carrick scandal scandal continue with police chiefs and politicians expressing their determination to root out misogyny and predatory behaviour from the ranks. sexist police have got to go! every police officer and staff member in england and wales will be checked against national police databases for any convictions or intelligence that might identify those like carrick who have slipped through the net. on monday, he admitted to 49 offences including 2a rapes against 12 women. the abuse of power is truly sickening. the prime minister spoke of his outrage in the commons this

danny savage has the story. he's been on a grand tour of the uk. in scarborough before surfacing again in blyth in northumberland. in north yorkshire, they cancelled scarborough�*s fireworks display so he wasn't disturbed, but thor didn't really care. he vanished into the north sea before the festivities were due to start. he didn't disappear for long, though. this isn't the sort of thing you usually spot through the rigging of the vessels of the royal northumberland yacht club. a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point. they travel like thousands of miles over time because they are solitary animals, so they don't need to be anywhere in general, theyjust prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ sally bundock bbc hello there. wednesday m

danny savage, bbc news, north yorkshire.heck any corrupt staff after a serving officer, david carrick, was found to be a serial rapist. the government has promised reforms that will leave offenders with "no place to hide". our home editor mark easton reports. chanting: no justice! no peace! no rapist police. the reverberations from the carrick scandal continue, with police chiefs and politicians expressing their determination to root out misogyny and predatory behaviour from the ranks. sexist police have got to go! every police officer and staff member in england and wales will be checked against national police databases for any convictions or intelligence that might identify those like carrick, who have slipped through the net. on monday, he admitted to 49 offences, including 24 rapes against 12 women. the prime minister met the commissioner of scotland yard at a police station in south london. the national police database contains a variety of information out people against which those individuals can be rechecked. it is

danny savage, bbc news, chester.ter has warned that russia's invasion of ukraine has opened up a new era in the world. fumio kishida said russian aggression could cause similar acts, around asia especially, with president biden forcing strong support forjapan�*s recent announcement for japan's recent announcement that forjapan�*s recent announcement that would double defence spending over the next five years. the anti—apartheid activist frene ginwala, who became the founding speaker of south africa's first democratically elected parliament, has died at the age of 90. during the 1960s and �*70s she lived in exile in mozambique from where she helped many prominent members of the banned african national congress escape abroad. president cyril ramaphosa said the country was mourning the passing of a formidable patriot. milton nkosi a senior research fellow at africa asia dialogues a think tank based in johannesburg, looks back at her legacy. freni ginwala was a struggle stalwart. she was born on the 25th of april in 1932

thank you, danny savage. now the other main story this lunchtime.nexpectedly in november — boosted by the football world cup. the latest official figures were better than expected, with increased spending in pubs and bars. let's take a look at the numbers in more detail. gross domestic product — that's the measure of all activity by businesses, government and people in the uk — rose by 0.1%, better than anticipated, despite households being squeezed by the rising cost of living. but today's figures marked a slowdown since october — which showed an increase of 0.5%. and there are concerns that soaring costs could still tip the uk into recession — the figures show uk economic output as a whole shrank by 0.3% betweenjuly and september. our business correspondent ben king has this report. a world cup full of surprises has produced another unexpected result. football fans spend more money in november celebrating in pubs or at home, helping the economy to grow by no .1% and not shrink as many economists expected. but there was not much to celebrate for ma

danny savage has the story. he's been on a grand tour of the uk.erland. in north yorkshire, they cancelled scarborough's fireworks display so he wasn't disturbed, but thor didn't really care. he vanished into the north sea before the festivities were due to start. he didn't disappear for long, though. this isn't the sort of thing you usually spot through the rigging of the vessels of the royal northumberland yacht club. a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point. they travel like thousands of miles over time because they are solitary animals, so they don't need to be anywhere in general, theyjust prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich i wet one today. it certainly has, and more to come. many of us have seen heavy and persis

danny savage reporting there.ce during the early hours of thursday morning, and later charged with driving whilst above the prescribed limit for alcohol. he'll appear before magistrates in the city later this month. i'm going to have to reflect and analyse on that and i'll make a decision closer to the game. in consultation with him, and yeah, i'm not 100% sure. i think he knows the seriousness of the situation. i can't go into too much detail out of respect for the case, but i think he understands his responsibilities and we're now in a position where we're supporting him, and we also understand as a club the seriousness of the situation. let's have a quick look at some of the other stories making the headlines today. british number one cameron norrie is through to the final of the atp event in auckland. he beat the usa'sjenson brooksby 6—3, 6—4, and now faces richard gasquet in tonight's final as he bids for his first title of the season, just days before the start of the australian open. jos buttler hit the win

danny savage reports. >> he was the millionaire foballer who had the at his feet.now for benjamin mendy? the majority of charges against him, facing a retrial on two others the jury could not decide upon. >> come to the darkness. >> he lived here, a mention in a prosperous village. the court heard he ignored lockdown rules and had parties. his trial heard, he told one woman be privileged -- arguably charmed them with his strong french accent and bring them back here. a country house where the prosecution claims some women felt vulnerable, scared, and isolated. but the jury concluded he wasn't guilty of six alleged rapes set to have happened here. this is him giving a guided tour of his gilded life. in court, he gave evidence of his defense insisting he had a forced anyone to do anything. he was a member of a world cup winning squad and won the premier league with manchester city. despite being cleared of charges, it is hard to see him resurrecting his career anytime soon. >> his own defense lawyer said fectively his career in football iover. a recognition that in t

our north of england correspondent, danny savage, reports.ho had the world at his feet. but what now for benjamin mendy? cleared of the majority of charges against him, but facing a retrial on two others a jury couldn't decide upon. so, come to the darkness. mendy lived here, a mansion in a prosperous cheshire village — where the court heard he ignored lockdown rules and had parties. his trial heard he told one woman it would be her privilege to sleep with him. he would meet them in restaurants and nightclubs, arguably charmed them with his strong french accent and bring them back here. a country house, where the prosecution claimed some women felt vulnerable, scared and isolated. but a jury concluded that he wasn't guilty of six alleged rapes said to have happened here. and here is like the cinema place. this is mendy giving a guided tour of his gilded life. in court he gave evidence in his defence, insisting he hadn't forced anyone to do anything. mendy was a member of a world cup winning squad and won the premier league with manchester cit

our north of england correspondent, danny savage, reports. and it came to mendy!e was the millionaire footballer who had the world at his feet. but what now for benjamin mendy? it's a brilliant strike from mendy. cleared of the majority of charges against him, but facing a retrial on two others a jury couldn't decide upon. so, come to the darkness. mendy lived here, a mansion in a prosperous cheshire village — where the court heard he ignored lockdown rules and had parties. his trial heard he told one woman it would be her privilege to sleep with him. he would meet them in restaurants and nightclubs, arguably charmed them with his strong french accent and bring them back here. a country house, where the prosecution claimed some women felt vulnerable, scared and isolated. but a jury concluded that he wasn't guilty of six alleged rapes said to have happened here. and here is like the cinema place. this is mendy giving a guided tour of his gilded life. in court he gave evidence in his defence, insisting he hadn't forced anyone to do anything. mendy was a member of a

danny, thank you for nova — danny savage has been following the trial.nt through from benjamin's's solicitor. jenny wiltshire, who says that her client would like to thank the members of the jury for their dedication and commitment and says he thanks everyone who supported him. she goes on to mention that mr mendy is delighted that he's been unanimously acquitted of eight of the 10 charges he faced and that he looks forward to clearing his name in relation to the other two charges. our other main straight here tonight, the uk's economy grew unexpectedly in november — boosted by the football world cup. the latest official figures were better than expected, with increased spending in pubs and bars. let's take a look at the numbers in more detail. gross domestic product — that's the measure of all activity by businesses, government and people in the uk — rose by 0.1%, better than anticipated, despite households being squeezed by the rising cost of living. but today's figures marked a slowdown since october — which showed an increase of 0.5%. and there are c

phone was found on a bench near the river bank, still connected to a work call. 0ur correspondent danny savageiver bankjust friday morning, mother of two young girls who she had just dropped off at school and was taking her dog for its regular walk. this school and was taking her dog for its regular walk.— its regular walk. this is a beautiful _ its regular walk. this is a beautiful rural _ its regular walk. this is a beautiful rural area - its regular walk. this is a beautiful rural area lots i its regular walk. this is a l beautiful rural area lots of its regular walk. this is a - beautiful rural area lots of wooded areas and a river, clearly, so there's a lot of complex terrain to search and that's why we relied so heavily on our partners, but the public as well have come out in droves to try and help find nicola because it is a close—knit community. because it is a close-knit community-— because it is a close-knit communi . ., community. last friday morning, nicola's mobile _ community. last friday morning, nicola's mobile phone _ community. last friday morning, nicola's mobile phone was -

danny savage, bbc news.hat�*s been bringing the rain from time to time. still got some heavier rain for a while across the hills of wales and also in scotland. that wetter weather around this evening and into the first part of the night. the worst of the rain pushed away by those stronger winds by the end of the night with more broken cloud following on behind. very mild, mind you. temperatures remaining in double figures for large parts of the country. a bit colder in northern scotland where we�*ve still got some rain to clear away from the north east of scotland. the rain soon moves away from the south east of england and then we get to see some sunshine. there will be a few showers around — most of the showers streaming into northern ireland, pushing into southern scotland and affecting northern parts of england. and in the southwest in the afternoon, the cloud could thicken to give a little rain here. quite windy once again for england and wales. very gusty winds actually over and to the east of the penn

our north of england correspondent, danny savage is there.e trial have now been discharged and this case is finished for now, but for benjamin mendy, although he has been acquitted and cleared of the majority of the charges, because the jury couldn't decide on the other two, he will have to go through the whole process again later this year on those two remaining charges. would you give us the broader background to this case? the charges he faced spanned a three—year period from october 2018 to august 2021. the broad umbrella of these charges is that benjamin mendy would invite women back to his mansion in cheshire, not farfrom here, a large house in country grounds, and he would invite them back to parties, some of them held illegally during lockdown, and they would have parties at his house and women came forward thereafter to say that he sexually assaulted or raped them during those gatherings. a number of them came forward, seven in total which made initial allegations. they were coming back to the house and the prosecution said that when

and he guarded a hotel room door, as an undercover alpha sir savagely beat a woman. dannyhe stage kidnappings, the fake blood packs. truly phenomenal. >> danny bonded with his crime buddies over meals at fancy restaurants, evenings and struck. loves the pay was good to. 12 grand in a little bit more than three months. more than he had earned in years. he told his sister. without divulging too much. >> he says i'm earning some money. i'm not eating at the kitchen anymore. and i just thought, he got a job, and he has people he's working with he really likes. and they really like him. >> during one of his delivery trips to vancouver. he stopped to see his son gabriel, now 26, a college student once more. gabriel noted that the old, self insured man was back. >> i saw the glint in his eye where he found himself proud again. and he had not felt that since he had been injured. >> then three months into the operation, the sting was primed. the real police showed up in his life. told him they investigation was reopened, he was the prime suspect. and he failed that lie detector tes