17/12/2015 BBC News at One


17/12/2015

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David Cameron is warned by the European Council President

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that some of his proposals for EU reform are "unacceptable."

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With a summit of EU leaders due in the next few hours to discuss

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Britain's membership, the Prime Minister is said to face

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With EU leaders also discussing the migrant crisis,

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we report from Athens which is coping with thousands

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And the other main stories this lunchtime.

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Are the majority of cancers caused by lifestyle or by factors

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More strong words from President Putin against Turkey

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for shooting down a Russian warplane last month.

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And creating a more active nation - sport not just for teenagers

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but for the very young, and the quite old.

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And in the sport, Sepp Blatter appears before the Fifa ethics

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committee. Swiss authorities announced they have pros and tens of

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of pounds relating to suspected corruption.

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Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

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The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk,

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has warned that some parts of Britain's demands for EU

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He was speaking before David Cameron's meeting this evening

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with EU leaders about his plans for a new deal, before a referendum

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on Britain's EU membership by the end of 2017.

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It will be the first time that the leaders discuss

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the Prime Minister's proposals in detail.

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Several countries are strongly opposed to his plans to limit

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Let's go to our correspondent Alex Forsyth who's in Brussels

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No doubt David Cameron is bracing himself for some tough talks today.

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There is no final agreement on any of his proposed reforms, but the one

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that is proving the most difficult are the changes he wants to make to

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the EU's welfare system. He will try to persuade his European

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counterparts to see things from his perspective, but they are focused on

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The issues that have dominated this year will command most attention as

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EU leaders gather in Brussels. The migration crisis, terrorism and

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security will be at the forefront of most minds, but David Cameron has

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his own agenda. He is trying to negotiate the UK's relationship with

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the EU before a vote on whether to remain orderly. This morning, the

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man who has to brokered the deal said some of his demands are out of

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the question. It does not change the fact that some parts of the British

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proposals seem unacceptable. However, if Prime Minister Cameron

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persuade leaders tonight that we can work together to find solutions

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regarding all issues, then we will have a chance to strike a deal in

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February. Away from the summit on the outskirts of Brussels there is a

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theme park which represent every country in the EU. The Prime

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Minister's demands will have to be agreed by everyone. He wants to

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protect the power of national parliaments, make the EU more

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competitive, protect countries that do not have the euro from decisions

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made by those that do, and to ban in work benefits for migrants for four

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years, which David Cameron argues will reduce immigration. Some

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countries like Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic

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worry that last measure will discriminate against their citizens

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who want to work in the UK. They are strongly opposed to the plan and it

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is proving to be a real sticking point. To avoid going round in

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circles on this intractable point there will need to be concessions

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when all 28 EU leaders are in the ring today for the first detailed

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discussion of these reforms. There will be no final deal, at best steps

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towards a possible solution. The Prime Minister's challenge will be

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satisfying his European counterparts and Eurosceptics in the UK. It looks

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likely now they will have to compromise. One EU official said

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yesterday if David Cameron is to win the support he needs, he needs to be

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open and honest about the political pressure he is facing in the UK.

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Downing Street is confident he will get the best deal possible. But

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whatever he is able to negotiate, will it make a difference to the

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outcome of the referendum when people in the UK decide whether to

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remain or leave the European Union? Today's EU summit is set to focus

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heavily on how to deal with the migrant crisis,

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something which has A group of eight countries,

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including Germany, met this morning to discuss ways

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to stem the flow of migrants Our Europe correspondent,

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Chris Morris, was at that meeting. What was said? These were leaders

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led by Angela Merkel who were meeting with the Turkish minister,

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looking at ways to potentially transfer Syrian refugees directly

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from camps in Turkey into the EU, in other words bypassing those

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dangerous journeys they take across the sea by paying smuggling gangs.

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But there are lots of ifs and buts before that can happen. The EU is

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saying they were only do that transfer if Turkey takes real steps

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to stem the illegal flow across the sea. A report will be given to the

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EU summit later today and it will say there is little evidence that

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Turkey has managed to reduce the number of arrivals. Turkey is saying

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we are not going to take concerted action against the smuggling gangs

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until we see the colour of your money. The EU has promised 3 billion

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euros to support Turkey. There is a lot of sequencing going on, but

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wherever you look along the migration trail at the moment, be

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Turkey, Greece or in the Balkans, every country is being overwhelmed

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by the numbers and that is creating splits and divides within the EU.

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This meeting this morning had nine or ten EU leaders, mostly from

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central Europe like Hungary and Poland were not there. They were

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saying they did not want refugees coming to their country and that is

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creating tensions with leaders like Angela Merkel.

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One country that has been at the forefront of the migrant

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The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras believes his country

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is becoming a vast holding pen for migrants and he'll use

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the summit to ask for more money and help.

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Despite thousands arriving every day, only those fleeing wars

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and violence in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan are being allowed

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Our correspondent, Nick Thorpe, is in Athens for us now.

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Here in central Athens I am standing in a square with several hundred

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migrants. These are people not from those three privileged countries,

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but from other countries like Iran, Morocco and Algeria.

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The first foothold on the European mainland.

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Most days, over 3,000 migrants arrive here at the port of Athens.

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They have come from the Greek Aegean islands on their way

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Greece has been much-criticised for not defending

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TRANSLATION: According to international law,

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it's our obligation to save the lives of those at sea.

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The sea border is different to a land border, so we won't sink

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the migrant boats, and we will not push them back into Turkish waters.

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But the relief many migrants feel at reaching Greece is short-lived.

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Instead, they're moved from one temporary facility to another.

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More than a thousand people slept in this stadium last night.

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They've now been asked to leave and the government's plan is to move

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them to another stadium not far away in another part of Athens.

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People tell me they're not happy with that idea but they don't

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We have to find the best way, we have to be very careful

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We have to know the best way and to follow that.

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The city authorities are not happy either.

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But they've reluctantly struck a deal.

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The migrants can stay in their district for three months

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TRANSLATION: Greece believes in relocating refugees

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More time is needed to persuade them that this is in their interests.

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They should not be transferred from one camp to another.

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At the European Summit, Greece will try to persuade more

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It will ask for more technical help to register them

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when they arrive and to deport those it decides are economic migrants.

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Nick Thorpe, BBC News, Athens.

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A new study suggests that between 70% and 90% of cancers

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are caused by lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking

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Our medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, is here.

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First of all, what does the report suggest? Cancer is a massive health

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issue. Every family in the UK has been touched by it. 2.5 million

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people in the UK are living with cancer and 338,000 new diagnosis

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happen every year. They are big figures. This research found that

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70-90% of cancers, this team in New York reckoned they were down to

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external factors and only 10-30% due to random cell mutations which

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happens every time a cell divides. There is a chance it will pick up a

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mutated and become cancerous. There was a report earlier this year that

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suggested cancer was bound to random bad luck. What do we believe? I am

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sure people will be scratching their heads. That research said only one

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third of cancers were down to lifestyle and two thirds were down

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to bad luck. I think it is somewhere between the two of them. I am most

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comfortable with the figures of Cancer Research UK. They suggest

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more than 40% of cancers can be prevented through lifestyle. What

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can you do? Diet, exercise, healthy weight, alcohol consumption, being

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the son were, and the biggest single risk factor, smoking. We all know

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smokers who do not get cancer and very fit people who do, so there is

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an element of chance. It is a bit like Russian roulette. There is a

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cancer bullet in there, but you can add more in if you smoke and have an

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unhealthy lifestyle. You can reduce your chance of getting cancer if you

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The Prime Minister is preparing to curb the powers of the House

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of Lords after it blocked the Government's plans

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A review will say peers should lose their absolute veto over laws

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Labour says the reform is a "massive over-reaction"

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Our deputy political editor, James Landale, is in Westminster.

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Where will this leave the Lords and the influence they have?

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This is all about power and a power struggle between the House of Lords

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and the House of commons, particularly over the powers of the

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House of Lords to scrutinise minor, technical regulations known as

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secondary legislation, stuff that affect a lot of our lives. At the

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moment the House of Lords as an absolute veto over this. It does not

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use it very often, but it does occasionally. The review says the

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Lords should lose that absolute veto and get a new mechanism to allow

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peers to reject the statutory instruments, send them back to the

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House of Commons, force MPs to think again, but they will only be able to

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do this once. Do some people that sounds like sensible, practical

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reform. To others it is a direct assault on the power of the House of

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Lords to scrutinise detailed government policy. We will find out

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what the government thinks about it in the New Year, but I do not think

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they will recommend different proposals. Then there will be a

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battle royal between these houses, essentially changing the rules of

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engagement that will capture a lot of the debate in Parliament for the

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next five years. Public investment in community sport

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is being extended to children as young as five as part

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of the Government's Sport England is to share its ?1

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billion budget more widely than before - in what's been

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described as the biggest shake-up Our sports correspondent,

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Katie Gornall, reports. A few miles from London's Olympic

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Park, the fight for our sporting future is taking shape. Today the

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sports minister announced the first major shake-up of community sport in

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over a decade and a planned the government hopes will benefit every

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part of society. There are lots of groups out there who deliver sport

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and physical activity to deprive communities, to communities where

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there are physical or learning disabilities, to older people, and

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we want to definitely encouraged that in order to make show we get

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more people physically active. Under the plan, money will be diverted

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from national governing bodies with more made available to charities and

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community groups like this boxing club in North London. I do not

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really enjoy sport, but I like boxing. You can stay at home and

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watch TV and be on your phone, but you do not get to socialise. If they

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find a sport they enjoy, that will cut down the staying at home and

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start to get them into exercise. This is what prompted the government

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to act. Since 2012, the number of adults playing sport has fallen by

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over 400,000. Few are 5-10 -year-olds are exercising and this

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group will receive more support. Nearly four years on from the London

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Olympics the battle to secure its legacy remains as tough as ever.

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Many will welcome today's announcement as a chance for the

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country to strengthen its relationship with sport, while

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others suggest the problems are partly the government's own making.

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I decline in school sport has also been blamed for disappointing

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participation figures in the wake of 2012. We all need to do something,

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whether it is scientists, doctors, teachers, it is not just down to

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sports clubs and leisure centres to get people fit. We all have a role

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to play and the individual has as well. The London Olympics was sold

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on a promise to inspire a generation. As those memories fade,

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now comes an attempt to provide its sporting legacy.

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David Cameron is warned by the European Council president

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that some of his proposals for EU reform are "unacceptable."

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And still to come: It's beginning to look a lot

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The mild temperatures are producing some unseasonal sights.

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England's cricketers lose seven wickets on the third and final

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morning of their warm up match against a South African Invitational

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11. The Russian president Vladimir Putin

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has again bitterly criticised Turkey for shooting down a Russian

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warplane last month, saying relations between their

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countries wouldn't be resolved under Turkey said the plane had crossed

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into Turkish airspace from Syria. But Mr Putin, speaking at his annual

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news conference in Moscow, was more upbeat about a possible

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peaceful resolution hours of carefully vetted questions.

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And the president, who has ruled Russia for 15 years, often uses it

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to speak out about international disputes. There is no more pressing

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issue than this, the crisis sparked by the shooting down of a Russian

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fighter bomber last month by Turkey, a member of Nato. Today Mr Putin

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made it clear the crisis would not end until there were new leaders in

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Turkey. TRANSLATION: I think the actions of the Turkish government

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against our aeroplanes is not a friendly, but an enemy act. Our

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people have died and we are enraged. The president went on to use crude

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language to criticise Turkey's close relationship with the United States,

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and yet relations between Mr Putin and the United States seem to be

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better at the moment, at least over the attempted to push forward with a

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peace process for Syria. I spoke to John Kerry about it and our position

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is unchanged and our position is a principled position. The Syrian

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people must decide who will rule them, by which standards, and we

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support the initiative of the United States to increase the efforts of

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the United Nations. By the end of this marathon news conference, Mr

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Putin has stressed how Russia and the United States agreed on the need

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for a new constitution for Syria and need to find ways to oversee future

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elections there. Tomorrow Russia will support a draft UN resolution

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The Bank of England is to get new powers to limit how much

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The sector - where investors buy homes to rent out -

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is growing faster than any other part of the housing market.

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The new powers could also allow the Bank to place a limit

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on the amount of rent which would be required to cover

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Our personal finance correspondent, Simon Gompertz, is here.

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Why are they doing this and how will it work? The worry about the rise of

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buy to let is they hit first-time buyers, but also there could be a

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boom and bust, which would mean buy to let people would default and that

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would have an effect on the banking system. The Chancellor has taken

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away some of the tax perks of buy to let and they will have to pay higher

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stamp duty from next April, and now these extra powers from the Bank of

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England which means they could limit the amount you could borrow, say 75%

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of the value of the property. Or they could say you have to have a

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certain amount of rent to cover the mortgage interest, that could be

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125% to make sure that you could afford it. By squeezing their, they

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can take away defiance that a lot of buy to let people need. What effect

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will this happen? People say there will be a boom and people are going

2:33:032:33:02

to buy before April, before the increase in stamp duty, pushing up

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prices. Then lenders are predicting a drop in buy to let next year and

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then even further the year after. These powers might not even come in

2:33:032:33:02

until the end of next year. Modern Britain is still suffering

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from "deep divides" in society, according to a major

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report out today. The Social Mobility

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and Poverty Commission says there's a growing split by income and by

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class, with privately-educated pupils still dominating the top

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professions and earners. Here's our education

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correspondent, Robert Pigott. Pupils at Trafalgar School in

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Portsmouth expanding their horizons with the city's sailing trust. Less

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than a quarter of children from low income families nationally are

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achieving the minimum standard of five good GCSEs and even fewer get

2:33:032:33:02

two A-levels. Last year not a single poor pupil from Portsmouth started

2:33:032:33:02

at an elite university. A lot of students come in assuming they will

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not get well-paid jobs and they will not go to university because that is

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not how it happens for them. Our school is an example of challenging

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that right from the start and to explode people's horizons so there

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are many more options available for them. Half the pupils at Trafalgar

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School are from low income families, many are white boys whose poor

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performance has been hard to improve. The commission says if the

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government wants to achieve its ambition of a more equal society it

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must close the achievement gap between poor children and the rest.

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It is calling for a zero tolerance of failing schools, better pay for

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teachers, and many more high-grade apprenticeships. There is a very big

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gap between the divided Britain of today and the one nation Britain the

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Prime Minister would like to see. On current progress it will take 30

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years before the attainment gap in schools between the poorest children

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and their better of classmates even have to. Trafalgar School has

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focused on raising the aspirations of its pupils as the key to

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realising their potential. My name is lazy and I want to be a midwife

2:33:032:33:02

because my mum did not achieve it when she was growing up. If I do

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achieve it, I will have to go to college. I want to be a forensic

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scientist and we have to study science and maths and I am planning

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on going to university so I can get my job. I want to get good GCSEs and

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go on to university and get a degree in maths and English since my mum or

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my dad did not go to university. The government says it is committed to

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building a one nation Britain when no one is defined by the

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circumstances of their birth and its reforms to schools are designed to

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bring this about. Seven former paratroopers

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have won a legal battle against being arrested and sent

2:33:032:33:02

to Northern Ireland to be questioned The High Court ruled

2:33:032:33:02

the men can be interviewed Police are investigating

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whether criminal offences may have been committed when soldiers

2:33:032:33:02

who opened fire during a civil A group of schoolchildren

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in Blackpool has been challenged to give up fizzy drinks for 21 days

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in order to cut down on calories For most people over the age of 11,

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the recommended daily amount of sugar is 30 grams,

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but some of the most popular soft drinks contain at least

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that amount per can, Our health correspondent,

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Dominic Hughes, reports. One of these drinks particularly has

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20 teaspoons of sugar hiding These school pupils

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love fizzy drinks. Do you think any of these drinks

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actually contain this Not many of them know just how much

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sugar those drinks contain. Last month these Year 8 pupils

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at St George's School in Blackpool were challenged to see

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if they could kick the fizzy pop habit for 21 days, to cut down

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on calories and prevent tooth decay. Sugar in fizzy drinks

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is empty calories, you know. It just adds calories,

2:33:032:33:02

unnecessary calories to our diet. In Blackpool, there is a particular

2:33:032:33:02

issue in that more than a third of 10 and 11-year-olds

2:33:032:33:02

are overweight. These young people are also amongst

2:33:032:33:02

the biggest consumers of fizzy drinks, so let's see how

2:33:032:33:02

they all get on giving up fizzy pop If each pupil gave up just one can

2:33:032:33:02

of fizzy drink a day, over 21 days, they would

2:33:032:33:02

reduce their sugar intake Shay volunteered to help us out,

2:33:032:33:02

recording a video diary It is day six giving up loving pop

2:33:032:33:02

and I'm doing pretty I'm finding it in the middle

2:33:032:33:02

at the moment, but I'm still staying strong and I'm still determined

2:33:032:33:02

to do this challenge. So it's the last day of giving up

2:33:032:33:02

loving pop and I've finally completed the challenge

2:33:032:33:02

and I have succeeded. How many of you actually gave up

2:33:032:33:02

loving pop for 21 days? Most but not all of Shay's group did

2:33:032:33:02

manage the challenge, but their teachers know

2:33:032:33:02

more needs to be done. It's a hard nut to crack and we have

2:33:032:33:02

to also talk to parents about what they think

2:33:032:33:02

because they've been brought up a similar way to what the children

2:33:032:33:02

have in using sugar as a reward. It's a simple experiment that

2:33:032:33:02

exposes just how much hidden For some parts of the UK,

2:33:032:33:02

it's been the mildest start Temperatures have been as much as 5

2:33:032:33:02

or 6 degrees Celsius above average across central and southern parts

2:33:032:33:02

of the UK and it's set to continue The unseasonal temperatures have

2:33:032:33:02

produced some unusual sights Our correspondent, Sophie Long,

2:33:032:33:02

is at Kew Gardens in West London Welcome to Kew Gardens. There are

2:33:032:33:02

signs of Christmas here with Christmas trees and even a sign

2:33:032:33:02

saying Christmas at Kew Gardens, but it is exceptionally mild. It is

2:33:032:33:02

great news if you like Christmas, but you do not like the cold, but a

2:33:032:33:02

bit confusing for the Flora here in the gardens. Even holly bushes are

2:33:032:33:02

flowering months ahead of schedule. I am joined by Ray Townsend and you

2:33:032:33:02

have worked here for 40 years. Have you ever experienced such a mild

2:33:032:33:02

December? No, I have not. It is 16 degrees today and it is incredible.

2:33:032:33:02

I have never seen daffodils in flower. We have got holly in full

2:33:032:33:02

flower which would normally not do that until the spring. I do not

2:33:032:33:02

remember seeing this before at Kew Gardens. Talk us through some of the

2:33:032:33:02

most extraordinary things you are witnessing. We have got daffodils

2:33:032:33:02

coming through and some of the s Camelliahave come into flower. The

2:33:032:33:02

biggest surprise for me is the holly and I have never seen that before.

2:33:032:33:02

It is worth seeing. That is the real icon of Christmas, the holly with

2:33:032:33:02

its red berries. It has still got red berries? Yes, your associate

2:33:032:33:02

holly and Christmas with red berries, and we do still have that,

2:33:032:33:02

but to see it with flowers is something else. Later today the

2:33:032:33:02

iconic palm house will be lit up and there will be fountains in front

2:33:032:33:02

dancing to Yuletide tunes, a sign that Christmas continues here at Kew

2:33:032:33:02

Gardens whatever the weather. The flowers may be confused, let's see

2:33:032:33:02

what the weather holds in store for the weekend.

2:33:032:33:02

It has been exceptionally dull and there has been an enormous variation

2:33:032:33:02

in rainfall amounts across the UK. It has been exceptionally mild and

2:33:032:33:02

the weather watchers have been out in force capturing the confusion in

2:33:032:33:02

nature. We even have had pictures of daffodils up in Ayrshire. This could

2:33:032:33:02

have confused you this morning, the temperatures you step out into.

2:33:032:33:02

There is a flight in the ointment with this moderate weather front. In

2:33:032:33:02

the afternoon it will go a bit further eastwards and some heavy

2:33:032:33:02

rain in Central and southern England and the Midlands. These are the sort

2:33:032:33:02

of temperatures you might expect to see this afternoon, but this is what

2:33:032:33:02

you were actually see, several degrees above normal. There will be

2:33:032:33:02

heavy bursts on that front as it clears the East Anglia and the south

2:33:032:33:02

east overnight. Then the sky is clear, but the temperatures do not

2:33:032:33:02

dip. Many of us stay in double figures and that is the way we start

2:33:032:33:02

the new day on Friday. It is bright enough in eastern parts. But we have

2:33:032:33:02

got a new weather system coming in of the Atlantic and this will be

2:33:032:33:02

quite heavy rain. If you are thinking about the M8 and the M 74,

2:33:032:33:02

there will be heavy bursts, maybe 80 millimetres of rain in the highest

2:33:032:33:02

ground. Less in the way of rainfall as you come a bit further south. A

2:33:032:33:02

dry afternoon in prospect with the last of the day's sunshine still

2:33:032:33:02

hanging on in East Anglia. It could well be that we set new night-time

2:33:032:33:02

minimum records on Saturday. If we see 14 in England, that will be

2:33:032:33:02

enough for a new December record. But it comes at a price. We have

2:33:032:33:02

another weather front coming in from the Atlantic, so there will be a

2:33:032:33:02

spell of quite significant rain again in the middle of the

2:33:032:33:02

afternoon. Not bother for the South East until later on and then on

2:33:032:33:02

Sunday there will be blustery showers, but there will be some

2:33:032:33:02

sunshine as well. A slightly fresher feel. Watch out for those records

2:33:032:33:02

tumbling over the next couple knights.

2:33:032:33:02

Now a reminder of our top story this lunchtime:

2:33:032:33:02

David Cameron is warned by the European Council president that some

2:33:032:33:02

of his proposals for EU reform are unacceptable, but the Prime Minister

2:33:032:33:02

says he was to see real progress after tonight's

2:33:032:33:03

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