the mayor believes that a no deal breaks it will be good for ramsgate. though he still doesn't know how britain will cope with the up people's he's sure that a town mock as no deal ramsgate is still better than one that attracts only pensioners and siegel's. did you know that pigs are the most intelligent of all domesticated animals that only do they learn quickly they're also known for their cleanliness pains are also love for their meat which is the most consumed in the world but this large scale production is a reason havoc on the environment while one man in the netherlands has found a way to make the industry more eco friendly that's remarrying is a self-titled pig whisperer who takes a holistic approach to animal care and who's using his expertise to clean up farms with his potty trained pigs. these fuel cells belonging to the farm the case in the netherlands have acquired a unique skill they're able to use the toilet. it's no way near where they wallow in the mud but inside the bone if you're full poop is full the park oval didn't do their busines

ramsgate has not operated a regular cross channel service since two thousand and thirteen the ferry to ostend was a loss making business now there are plans to revive it in the event of a no deal brags that it's slated as an alternative route to avert bottlenecks amid customs chaos in the air by dover but the plan by transport secretary chris grayling has been sharply criticized the harbor is too shallow to accommodate freight ships it is a five it is what's. called improve new port and the emperor in question is chris grayling he cannot see that this is completely naked of all the facilities you might need to be in international. the harbor is as ill prepared for the freight service as the company awarded the contract to run it not only has it never operated a ferry service it doesn't have ships steve coombs and his action group discovered that some time ago as the transport secretary insists that's not a problem the government is testing other no deal scenarios alive rehearsal last week this time at ramsgate defunct airport but only eighty nine trucks took part in the trial of an eme

to minimize potential disruption to trade at ports on the english channel one of those ports is ramsgate although it will need an upgrade if it is to handle the big ferries used for cross channel trade. its glory days are long gone a channel resort once frequented by queen victoria ramsgate today is sleepy and rundown only its mayor appears to be advancing energetically into the future. of bricks a tear like the majority in this harbor town. trevor shock points proudly to what he calls a working harbor that's ready for all the investment needed to turn it into a hub that can accommodate large vessels and commercial traffic. and. ramsgate has not operated a regular cross channel service since two thousand and thirteen the ferry to ostend was a loss making business now there are plans to revive it in the event of a no deal brags that it's slated as an alternative route to avert bottlenecks amid

ramsgate has not operated a regular cross channel service since 2013. now there are plans to revive it. in the event of a no deal brexit , it is slated as an alternative route to avert bottlenecks in nearby dover. but the plan by the transport secretary has been sharply criticized. the harbor is too shallow to accommodate freight ships. >> it is a fantasy. it is what i would call the emperors new port.

ramsgate has not operated a regular cross channel service since 2013. now there are plans to revive it. in the event of a no deal brexit , it is slated as an alternative route to avert bottlenecks in nearby dover. but the plan by the transport secretary has been sharply criticized. the harbor is too shallow to accommodate freight ships. >> it is a fantasy. it is what i would call the emperors new port. he cannot see that this port is completely naked of all the facilities you might need to be an international port. >> the harbor is as ill-prepared for the freight service as the company awarding -- awarded the contract to run. not only has it never operated a ferry service, it doesn't have ships. steve coombs and his action group discovered that some time ago. as the transport secretary insists it's not a problem, the government is testing other of deal scenarios. a live rehearsal last week, this time it ramsgate airport. only 89 trucks took part in a test. ramsgate is already the front of jokes, ridiculed as the town of failed preparations. >> i think w

he said there had been some problems in negotiations with the ramsgate ports and in getting it ready there had been, some teething problems. but he seemed confident that now it was full speed ahead between now and the end of march. he said, as we know, that dredging has already begun at ramsgate court and that seaborne as they told us yesterday, had been paying for that dredging. and separately in a belgian newspaper today, we have also learned that seaborne reportedly is paying for sniffer dogs and security fences over on the ostend side. so it seems to be that they are putting in preparation and that things are beginning to move. that was our business correspondent joe miller. ryanair has been voted the worst short—haul airline for the sixth year running, in a survey by the consumer group, which. the airline had to cancel scores of flights last summer — because of a series of strikes. ryanair has called the research ‘irrelevant‘, because it says it's carrying more passengers than ever. here's our transport correspondent, tom burridge. ryanair is by far europe's largest low—cost air

of a no—deal brexit has insisted the company will be able to make four round—trips a day between ramsgatepping service. jean—michel copyans told a french newspaper that the company would have been launched without the 14 million pound award. more now with our business correspondentjoe miller (tx sot) seaborne freight had been awarded this £14 million government contract without having sailed a ferry or a vessel before. the compa ny‘s directors and their executives have provided very few details to us about their plans for ramsgate port and have refused on—camera interviews. but now as you say, jean—michel copyans, who is one of the ceos, has given this interview to a small french calle—based new site — and in that he gives some more details, although not too many, about the plans for the ramsgate to ostend in belgian route. and he says there will be four return sailings a day in time for the brexit on the 29th of march and they're going to employ 200 people by then. and given that the recruitment page of the website hasn't yet gone live, that is quite an uphill battle. but he's also sayin

also seaborne freight has been given a £13.8 million contract to run a freight service between ramsgate's no deal — this remember is a company with no ships. that's one concern. here's another. over the weekend a local councillor in ramsgate said the port can't handle it — "there is terrific concern that we can not possibly be ready. there isn't the width or the breadth of the berths that is needed to carry large ships. i don't see how, with the state of the harbour and the port and the number of repairs that are needed that it could be ready." the government though maintains this is a viable plan. the opposition leader doesn't. the government is fooling nobody. these shambolic preparations are too little too late. the reality is, mr speaker, there is no majority in this house to support no deal. why won't the government faced up to this truth and stop wasting our time and our money? ben wright, we should clear up at the beginning this was a preplanned event in downing street, it's not specifically to persuade people in brexit? that's right, the pre—christmas drinks were cancelled becau

secretary of presiding over a fiasco over the awarding of government contract to run varies between ramsgatewithout a deal. the £14 million agreement with seaborne freight is one of three similar deals. the others are with french and danish firms. mps have questioned whether seaborne will be ready to run services in time. the seaborne fiasco shows that only one of two things can be happening. either there is abject incompetence in the preparations for no deal, or he and his department are not really taking it seriously. which is it? what's disappointing, mr speaker, is as a scottish member, i would hope he would welcome the additional opportunities for scottish business that will be provided through expanded services from east coast ports through to northern europe with dfds, which is ever a substantial part of the contracts we have led. seaborne has negative equity ofjust over 374,000 while its director is currently being investigated by the government for a trail of debt to previous companies, yet due diligence didn't flag this up. can he confirm if this is because due diligence guidance w

mines and then there was the controversy about the let it go to contract to a company to operate a ramsgate who didn't seem to of any families. but the femina west fife m.p. douglas chapman has another idea another prospect the fact of bricks that might open that was charming welcome developed sam i'm sure oh yeah there was this idea you've got a bit restarting a fairly route to the continent from scotland well we've had a fair to goes from a site to super ego and that's been in the past and looking and over is they option of going in that ferry back into service would it be a completely new company on your preacher but we believe that given the potential of scotland given the fight we want a symbolic link with the horror europe scotland to the heart of europe i think that the team is as absolutely right to reintroduce this ferry service so obvious of a cipher as a first class a deep water port no problem there was also a majestic setting with the three bridges but it's had a bit of a checkered history of the ferry route as being a passenger ferry a passenger freight fairly on the freight f

200 miles long and this recent surge of migrants since november has seen landings everywhere from ramsgaten a0 miles. there haven't been any migrants spotted making the crossing in the past 48 hours. it's not clear why, but few expect the flow to stop. a limited but determined group of people trying to make britain their home. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in kent. right, that is just about it from me for the moment. do stick with us, and don't forget you can get in touch with me and some of the team on twitter, i'm @lvaughanjones. so, do get in touch. this is bbc news. now on bbc news, sport today. hello, i'm chetan pathak live from the bbc sport centre. coming up on the programme. four in a row. ole gunnar solskjaer‘s winning start at manchester united continues with victory at newcastle. christian pulisic becomes the most expensive american footballer in the world — after signing for chelsea. and with an eye on history. india's cricketers look to win a test series in australia for the first time. welcome to the programme, thanks forjoining us. ole gunnar solskjaer‘s winning streak as manche

award of a $17.6 million contract to seaborne freight for a service between the british port of ramsgatet was impossible that ostend would be ready. shares in boeing took off on wall street after the planemaker reported record plane deliveries in 2018 for a second consecutive year. the us aerospace giant delivered 806 planes, just beating its rival airbus. the european manufacturer said it delivered 800 commercial aircraft last year, also a record for the company. both have capitalised on rising global demand for air travel. world's biggest tech show, all conceivable devices are on display. chris fox is there and is picked out a few highlights for us. welcome to las vegas, the show floor is finally open and thousands of companies here showing off their gadgets. this is a little companion robot called kiki, much like those other plastic robots. this one has a deep learning personality so it's meant to be more friendly. it's already raised $2 million. it's a device that is going to advise. i'm going to take a deep breath. what is it doing? we are inhaling a specific amount of air. you're h

he said that dredging has already begun at ramsgate work and that seaborn as they told us yesterday have for that dredging. separately in a belgian newspaper today, we have also learned that seaborn reportedly is paying for sniffer dogs and your defences over on the other side. it seems to be there for putting in preparations and things are beginning to move. thank you very much. donald trump says that the partial us government shutdown, now entering its third week, could last months or even years. democrats are refusing to fund mr trump's wall along the border with mexico. officials from the white house and congress are meeting again now. mr trump says he is considering declaring a national emergency in order to build the wall — without congressional approval. our correspondent david willis is in washington. today, a day 15 of the partial government shutdown here. president trump has nominated his son—in—law jared kushner, the vice president mike prince and the only security officer to negotiate on his behalf. a few hours ago the president we did saying "great support coming from all si

award of a $17.6 million contract to seaborne freight for a service between the british port of ramsgatesaid it was "impossible" that 0stend would be ready. shares in boeing took off on wall street after the planemaker reported record plane deliveries in 2018 for a second consecutive year. the us aerospace giant delivered 806 planes, just beating its rival airbus. the european manufacturer said it delivered 800 commercial aircraft last year, also a record for the company. both have capitalised on rising global demand for air travel. apple gave its chief executive tim cook a hefty 22% pay rise in 2018. a filing submitted to the securities and exchange commission shows he received a total of almost $15.7 million, consisting largely of a $3 million base salary and $12 million bonus. apple's compensation committee cited the tech giant's strong sales performance over the year in justifying the bonus. rather nice, a £12 million bonus. let's have a look at some of the other stories happening in terms of news around the world. the business life page is updated all the time with lots of analysis,

200 miles long and this recent surge of migrants since november has seen landings everywhere from ramsgate of more than 40 miles. there haven't been any migrants spotted making the crossing in the past 48 hours. it's not clear why, but few expect the flow to stop. a limited but determined group of people trying to make britain go home. to make britain their home. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in kent. our top story this evening. a public health warning that children are consuming the equivalent of around 13 cubes a day — almost twice the recommended limit. and the 10 year old maths genius in south africa who's become something of an internet sensation. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... andy murray's latest comeback tournament is over as the former world number1 crashes out of the second round of the brisbane international. charities are calling on the government to do more to help cancer patients who are in financial crisis. research by macmillan cancer support suggests the majority of people living with cancer are on average £570 a month worse off as a result of their diagnosis. many peop

200 miles long, and this recent surge of migrants since november has seen landings everywhere from ramsgatea shoreline distance of more than a0 miles. there haven't been any migrants spotted making the crossing in the past 48 hours. it's not clear why, but few expect the flow to stop. a limited but determined group of people trying to make britain their home. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in kent. the migrant crossings were described as a major incident by the home secretary last week, as he cut short his family holiday. so how much of a problem is it? our home editor mark easton is here to give his assessment. while there are real concerns at the risks these migrants are running and the criminal gangs who are exploiting desperate people, in terms of a threat to the uk, a major incident, as the home secretary has described it, the numbers are really quite small. in the whole of 2018, 312 people in small boats were intercepted by the uk border force trying to enter britain. the national crime agency makes the point that many more than that are intercepted trying to get into the uk illegally at c

200 miles long and this recent surge of migrants since november has seen landings everywhere from ramsgatelympne, a shoreline distance of more than a0 miles. there haven't been any migrants spotted making the crossing in the past 48 hours. it's not clear why, but few expect the flow to stop. a limited but determined group of people trying to make britain their home. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in kent. now, at the start of the year, it's time for a very special edition of click, filmed live before an audience who were treated to the very latest in technology, including augmented reality, drones and dancing robots. shhh! why, hello there, little bedbugs. you're so sweet. i can change my face completely to match what i'm supposed to do. for example, i can be a woman like this. it's a bit creepy. we have got an informal queueing system going on here, modelled on a pub. ah, hello! 0h,17 minutes to go until the show begins. and we're just writing the script. we should start with "welcome." then busk it. spencer kelly is really funny. ha—ha—ha! better than some actors, anyway! technology's moved o

trading history, told a french website it would be ready to make four round trips daily between ramsgateving the eu, at the end of march. the un childrens agency unicef, says the central african republic, already one of the most dangerous countrys on earth, is also the worst place in the world to be a child. after six years of civil war, rival armed groups control most of the country, and the conditions for children are desperate. 1 in 2a newborns doesn't survive beyond their first 28 days, and just three in five of children, complete their primary school education. 0ur correspondent anna foster reports from kaga bandooro, a remote area around 250 miles from the capital bangui. in the heart of africa, a ribbon of water winds its way from north to south. 400 kilometres from the nearest proper road, kaga bandoro is a difficult place to reach. but no matter how far the journey, how long it takes you to arrive, nothing can prepare you for this. no incubators — babies wrapped in kitchen foil to survive. translation: we have nothing. my daughter, that's all i've got. we were attacked by rebels

trading history, told a french website it would be ready to make four round trips daily between ramsgatewo stabbings have taken place in east london this afternoon. police were called to church road in leyton just after 3:30pm, where a woman was found with stab injuries and two men had suffered slash wounds. the woman, who is in her 30s, is in a critical condition in hospital. and, in what is believed to be a separate incident, a couple of miles away, a 26—year—old man was found with stab wounds on field road in forest gate. the victim remains in a critical condition in hospital and a man has been arrested on suspicion of grevious bodily harm. three men have been killed and four others wounded in a shooting at a bowling alley in southern california. witnesses say shots were fired after a fight broke out at the gable house bowl complex, in the coastal city of torrance on friday night. police say no suspects have yet been identified. the un children's agency, unicef, says the central african republic, already one of the most dangerous country's on earth, is also the worst place in the worl

and then there was the controversy about the lead to go to a contract to a company to operate a ramsgate who didn't seem to of any families but the firm in the west b douglas chapman has another idea another prospect that the threat of break might open that this chart when welcome to the examined show oh yeah there was this idea you've got a bit restarting a fairly route to the continent from scotland well we've had a failure to goes from a site to supergirl and that's been in the past and we're looking and though is they option of going in that ferry back into service we need to be a completely new company and your preacher but we believe that given the potential of scotland given the fights we want a symbolic link with the horror europe part of scotland to the heart of europe i think that says the team is as absolutely right.

trading history, told a french website it would be ready to make four round trips daily between ramsgate have taken place in east london this afternoon. police were called to church road in leytonjust after 3:30 where a woman was found with stab injuries and two men had suffered slash wounds. the woman, who is in her 30s, is in a critical condition in hospital. and in what is believed to be a separate incident a couple of miles away, a 26—year—old man was found with stab wounds on field road in forest gate. the victim remains in a critical condition in hospital and a man has been arrested on suspicion of grevious bodily harm. a crime wave against banks and shops in the brazilian resort city of fortaleza has continued for a third day as hundreds of troops arrive to restore order. president jair bolsonaro deployed 300 soldiers to the area that has been rocked by violent attacks by criminal gangs. it's being seen as the first test facing the new president who took up office on tuesday. with me is bbc world service americas editor leonardo rocha. thank you very much the joining us. can you e

trading history, told a french website it would be ready to make four round trips daily between ramsgate, at the end of march. an independent investigation has begun into the fatal shooting of a 31—year—old man by police, during a raid on a house in coventry. sean fitzgerald died at the scene on friday night and two other men are being questioned on suspicion, of being involved in the production of cannabis. sarah campbell reports. this is the man shot dead by police, 31—year—old sean fitzgerald, who a friend today said was the kind of person who went out of his way to help people. no matter how nice a guy is, or how bad a guy is, nobody deserves to get killed. that's number one. and especially from the police, that's the people who are supposed to protect us and keep us safe. few details have been confirmed by the police about last night's raid other than it was part of a long—running, intelligence—led operation. two men, both aged 26, were arrested and are being questioned about involvement in cannabis production. investigators from the independent office for police conduct have spent

200 miles long and this recent surge of migrants since november has seen landings everywhere from ramsgateeline distance of more than a0 miles. there haven't been any migrants spotted making the crossing in the past 48 hours. it's not clear why, but few expect the flow to stop. a limited but determined group of people trying to make britain their home. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in kent. the migrant crossings were described asa the migrant crossings were described as a major incident by the home secretary last week as he cut short his holiday. how much of a problem is it? there are real risks in terms ofa is it? there are real risks in terms of a threat to the uk, a major incident as the home secretary described it. the numbers are small. in the whole of 2018, 312 people in small boats were intercepted. many more intercepted trying to get into the uk in conventional ports, hidden in and vans, by criminal gangs and people traffickers. to give you some idea, in 2016, officials stopped 56,000 people trying to cross the channel clandestine leave. we know in the year to last september, 28,000 pe

mines and then there was the controversy about the let it go to a contract to a company to operate a ramsgate who didn't seem to of any families. but the firm in the west famed be douglas chapman has another idea another prospect the sort of breaks that might open this charm and welcome to the examine show oh yeah there was this idea you've got a bit restarting a ferry route to the continent from scotland well we've. goes from resized to supergirl and that's been in the past and forward looking and though is there a option of going in that.

push through dover or ramsgate or wherever we need our own ferry service from from before i was a minute fraction of scotland at the present moment i wouldn't have to go to the door for a round of all the possible difficulties or could go to newcastle surely which is pretty close to scotland bill is it really sustainable to have another us when those already one in newcastle where we think that is and you know that no one person or along the whole process of discussions has suggested that it's not a good idea that we shouldn't actually go for less. you know i think if we can make the numbers help african find new users of ferry service and maintain over a longer term then the national and the reason why we can't have that ferry service running from the. national level of support. seems to be the chosen destination of why is that enough you made contacts if you've been on a visit to drum up support already well however. the reports have met with me here in westminster as well so as have the flanders government of the scottish government well the scottish government you know everybody sayi

brexit will be tested today. 150 hgvs will travel the 20—mile route from manston airfield, near ramsgatemorning in an attempt to prevent a repeat of scenes like these. hauliers fear a no—deal brexit will create additional border checks, leading to queues of up to 29 miles. the government says it has to prepare for all eventualities. looks like very nice weather.m must have been in summer. it probably was. it is monday morning. sally, a bit of a christmas cold. i'm over it, it is gone. i am telling you to do one. you have a blind date voice. have i? you know what i mean? someone with a low voice... will it be number three? i will explain it later. it is going to ta ke will explain it later. it is going to take too long. i am sorry. when someone. . . to take too long. i am sorry. when someone... if you have a cold, you get picked because you sound sexy. 0k. get picked because you sound sexy. ok. you have explained it. ok. that's it for me this weekend. i will be appearing on the very famous. i wish i never mentioned it. what is happening in the fa cup? i killed it, didn't i? it was another

the firm, seaborne freight, won a £13.8 million contract to run a freight service between ramsgate ando more disappointing data from china. two indicators show that chinese manufacturing activity shrank in december but of course, as deep concerns of the health of the global economy mining companies were amongst the biggest followers on the ftse 100 amongst the biggest followers on the ftse100 and the oil price has fallen as well. converse lee, gold prices are at their highest level in six months boosted by investors, seeking summer sale —— seeking somewhere safe and turning their backs on riskier investments. that's all the business news. now it's time for a look at the weather. some of us will have spares like this with plenty of sunshine as we saw earlier today in parts of cumbria. others are keeping a lots of cloud like this weather watcher picture sent from us from the steve na g e picture sent from us from the stevenage area. satellite pictures show extensive cloud across united kingdom at the moment. cloud across eastern areas is thick enough to bring showers across coastal areas

the firm, seaborne freight, won a £13.8 million contract to run a freight service between ramsgate and over the christmas period. all of that is leaving the ftse 100 fare over the christmas period. all of that is leaving the ftse100 on its first day of the new term down nearly 1%. they give very much, see you later. —— thank you very much. a single uk ticket—holder has scooped a jackpot of nearly 115 million pounds in the new year's day euromillions draw. the national lottery said the win is the fourth biggest in uk history. another ten british players won a million pounds each in the draw. now it's time for a look at the weather with simon king. good morning. we have had a rather chilly started the day but across many northern and western areas we have a fairly decent start wed lots of sunshine. this was the scene in shropshire. temperatures really quite low bursting this morning there. at the moment it is quite low up there. at the moment it is quite low up into north—west england and into scotland, minus six or minus two celsius. we have some sunshine and the moment, more cloud the

brexit are being tested today. 150 hgvs are travelling the 20—mile route from manston airfield, near ramsgatewill create additional border checks, leading to queues of up to 29 miles. the government says it has to prepare for all eventualities. 0ur correspondent simonjones is at manston airport. well, this is all about testing how the road network might cope in the event of a no deal brexit. and one of the scenarios they're looking at is whether this former airport site would be suitable as a giant lorry park. what they've also done, because it is empty at the moment, is, just after quarter past eight, they sent out almost 100 lorries from this site to make the journey onwards to the port of dover, to see the effect it would have on local roads. because, of course, at that time it was rush—hour, if people we re time it was rush—hour, if people were heading to school and work, they want to see how robust this plan is. it's all because of this fear that if there is no deal brexit, there could be extra checks on lorries which could lead to tailbacks of up to 30 miles, according to some experts.

200 miles long and this recent surge of migrants since november has seen landings everywhere from ramsgatence of more than a0 miles. there haven't been any migrants spotted making the crossing in the past 48 hours. it's not clear why, but few expect the flow to stop. a limited but determined group of people trying to make britain their home. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in kent. they're watching bbc news our top stories tonight. rail passengers see a hike of more than 3% delight a year of delays on the network. health experts are warning that children are exceeding the minimum sugar intake for an adult, by the time they reached the age of ten yea rs time they reached the age of ten years old. the home secretary who questions whether people trying to cross the channel illegally are genuine asylum seekers. now let's get all the sports news. there has the details. thanks by their six games under way in the premier league this with manager. . . in the premier league this with manager... they are going for their fourth win in a row. they are at newcastle, it's currently 50 minutes gone. chelsey lo

can cope with possible lorry congestion. 150 hgvs are driving 20 miles from manston airfield, near ramsgaterom eight o'clock this morning in an attempt to prevent a repeat of scenes like these. a man charged with murdering a fellow passenger on a train in surrey is due to appear before magistrates today. darren shane pencille, who's 35 and from farnham, is accused of stabbing 51—year—old lee pomeroy last friday afternoon. mr pomeroy was travelling with his 14—year—old son to london for a day out. a saudi woman who is fleeing her family is reported to have barricaded herself in her room in a thai airport hotel to prevent her own deportation. rahaf mohammed al-ounun is trapped in transit in bangkok and says her passport has been taken from her. human rights activists have urged thailand to allow rahaf to continue her journey to australia. she says she has renounced islam, and fears that if she's forced to go home, that her life will be in danger. uk car sales last year saw the biggest annual fall since the financial crisis, according to the industry trade body. the society of motor manufactur

the firm, seaborne freight, won a £13.8 milion contract to run a freight service between ramsgate andfor 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, th

seaborne freight, the firm with the government contract to run ferries between ramsgate and ostend has reported a drop in overall sales. like—for—like retail sales, which exclude sales from new stores, fell by 1.1% across the christmas period. general merchandise sales, including at argos, fell by 2.3% and overall clothing sales by 0.2%. grocery sales were up 0.a%, amid tough competition from discount stores, of course. but it was a very merry christmas for bakery chain greggs, which has reported a 7.2% rise in total sales for 2018. greggs saw growth in hot drinks and breakfasts, and strong sales in freshly—baked mince pies, and it also mentioned the huge social media impact of its vegan sausage roll launch in early january. let‘s get the financial markets perspective on these figures, with jeremy stretch from cibc capital markets first. hello. let‘s talk about sainsbury‘s. it shows how tough the non—food sector is at the moment, doesn‘t it? indeed it does. i think you need to differentiate between those important parts of their business. the grocery part was ok, not as bad as the head