28/12/2016 BBC News

Good evening.

Britain's most decorated Olympian

and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins

has announced his retirement from cycling.

In a statement this afternoon he said he had been lucky enough

to live a dream and make a career out of a sport

he fell in love with when he was 12.

It ends a stunning run of success which also

brought him World Championships and many other honours.

But it follows questions about medical treatments

he received in training.

This report from our Sports News Correspondent Richard Conway.

On the road and on the track, Sir Bradley Wiggins dominated his

sport like few others.

COMMENTATOR: Gold medallist and Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins.

He's the UK's most decorated Olympian,

winning eight medals over 16 years.

In 2012, he became the first Briton to claim the Tour de France title.

Achievements which took him on a path to the Palace.

But, after so much that sets over the years,

Sir Bradley Wiggins' remarkable career has finally rolled to a halt.

In a statement, he said:

"I have been lucky enough to live a dream

and fulfil my childhood aspirations.

"Kids from Kilburn don't win Olympic golds and Tour de Frances.

"They do now."

Wiggins kindled his love of cycling at his local club in south London.

At the age of 12, he knew what he wanted to achieve,

telling his teachers he'd one day be an Olympic champion.

He delivered on that promise winning his first gold

at the 2004 Athens games.

All at a time when British cycling success was far from the norm.

Wiggins has been at the heart of British cycling's

transformation into world beaters.

Leading to unprecedented success in Rio this year.

His personality, intertwined with a love of mod culture,

helped him to transcend and popularise his sport

with cycling officials tonight praising his impact on encouraging

the public to get on their bikes.

His retirement comes at a time of heightened scrutiny

into his career, though.

Earlier this year, Russian hackers revealed Wiggins

had been given powerful steroids

injections before three key races, including his 2012

Tour de France win.

The substance involved is banned under normal circumstances,

as it can be performance enhancing but Wiggins legally and legitimately

applied for a medical exemption, he says to treat hay fever.

This wasn't about trying to find a way to gain an unfair advantage.

This was about putting myself back on a level playing field, in order

to compete at the highest level.

One of Britain's's brightest sports careers is now at an end

but it was one that was coloured throughout by gold and yellow.

Richard Conway, BBC News.

A woman has died after up to 20 vehicles were involved in

a massive pile up on the A40 near Witney in Oxfordshire.

The crashes stretched for more than half a mile and happened

in thick fog this morning.

Sangita Myska sent this report from the scene.

Photographs taken minutes after this morning's crash

showing chilling detail, the mangled wreckage

of at least 20 vehicles.

Eyewitnesses described seeing cars skidding

across the road through thick fog, smashing into one another, spilling

debris across two lanes of the A40.

I was just joining the A40 when I'd seen the brake

lights and hazard lights, so I came to a stop and then

obviously I got out of the vehicle and saw the carnage ahead

and the carnage behind.

Emotions were very high.

People were obviously scared.

It was a bit like a movie scene, really.

A lot of havoc, people injured.

A lot of destruction.

This afternoon, recovery vehicles continued to clear wreckage

in an attempt to reopen a road that links London to Wales.

It is several hours since the accident

this morning and you can see there are about a dozen

vehicles yet to be cleared from this part of the A40.

There is still a thick fog over this area of road.

Visibility now is probably about 200 metres.

Police officers here tell me that this morning,

when the crashes happened, drivers could see no further

than about 15 metres ahead

and that there was black ice on this road.

One woman in her 50s died at the scene of the crash.

Two other people remain in a serious condition in hospital.

As families continue to crisscross Britain this holiday,

the police are urging travellers to check weather conditions

and to drive with caution.

President-elect Donald Trump has gone head-to-head

with the outgoing US government over its treatment of Israel.

Mr Trump tweeted that Israel was being treated

with total disdain and disrespect.

And the Israeli Prime Minister has reacted with anger

to a speech by the US secretary of State John Kerry warning that

settlement building by Israelis in the West Bank threatens

hopes for peace.

Our Middle East Correspondent Yolande Knell reports

from Jerusalem.

Tonight, another angry intervention by President-elect Trump,

this time over Middle East peace.

On Twitter, he complained that the US was treating Israel

with total disdain and disrespect, but told it to stay strong

until 20th January, when he takes office.

A speech by US Secretary of State John Kerry brought on the row.

He criticised Israel, accusing its government

of undermining the chances of a peace agreement

with the Palestinians.

We have to be clear about what is happening in the West Bank.

The Israeli minister publicly supports a two-state solution,

but his current coalition

is the most right-wing in Israeli history,

with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements.

This was after last week's UN Security Council resolution,

calling for Israel to stop building Jewish homes on occupied

Palestinian land.

The US didn't use its veto power to protect Israel,

as it usually does.

And here in Israel, they're worried that in the last days

of the Obama administration, it could take another

diplomatic stand, laying out the framework for a peace deal

at an international conference.

The Palestinians might welcome that, but Israeli leaders would see it

as another attempt to tie the hands of Donald Trump, who's promising

them strong support.

The Israeli Prime Minister hit back at Mr Kerry

for his stance on settlements.

What he did was to spend most of his speech blaming Israel

for the lack of peace, by passionately condemning a policy

of enabling Jews to live in their historic homeland

and in their eternal capital, Jerusalem.

The Obama administration oversaw two rounds of peace talks between Israel

and the Palestinians.

Both broke down acrimoniously.

Now they are trying to use their final three weeks in office

to set a new path, but it could be too little, too late.

Yolande Knell, BBC News, Jerusalem.

A search has been called off

for the night for the final crew member missing at sea

after a fishing boat capsized off the Kent coast.

One person has died and another was found clinging

to the upturned hull - early this morning -

and was airlifted to hospital.

The boat was found 17 miles off the coast of Ramsgate.

More than 80 per cent of people in England,

aged between 40 and 60, are either overweight,

inactive, or drink too much.

That's according to Public Health England which says their lifestyles

are greatly increasing their risk of diseases such as diabetes.

Our Health Correspondent Sophie Hutchinson has more.

This is the trim new look of Lee Parker since exercising

and changing his diet.

A few months ago he weighed 22 stone but now he can fit

into one of those old trouser legs and a wake-up call came

when his seven-year-old son told that he loved him,

even though he was fat.

It was a case of "just order a pizza tonight",

we have food in but could not be bothered cooking it.

You just become a bit lazy and drawn out with

the daily grind of routine.

Figures show worrying trends, almost 80% of

women aged 40 to 60 are either overweight, obese, physically

inactive or drinking more than official guidelines

and almost 90% of men fall into the same category.

Amongst the health risks is diabetes,

it has doubled in this age group in the past 20 years and

treatment costs the NHS in England an estimated ?14 billion per year.

The reason why we're seeing these increases in chronic

diseases like cancer, stroke and heart disease,

is in a large part because of behaviour is adopted

during the 40 to 60 age period, so still smoking,

not taking enough physical activity, or drinking too much alcohol.

And Public Health England is offering some help.

This is the online health quiz that government officials

want 40 to 60-year-olds to take part in.

It is on the government website and asks

question about whether you are a man or woman

and why you might want to become more healthy.

It looks pretty straightforward, but the question is,

will it help to tackle the health crisis

for middle-aged people?

It is extremely hard, I have no willpower

whatsoever and life is too good and we have

too much choice.

I lead a very unhealthy lifestyle.

Fatty food, smoking and drinking, no exercise.

There is too much temptation, it is too easy to

go to the supermarket and buy a ready meal and put it in the

microwave.

It is not that difficult to be healthy if you put your mind

to it.

The government is hoping to nudge people into following the

example of Lee with attacks on sugary

drinks which comes in in 2018, also expected to help.

But many health professionals and campaigners are concerned that

measures still do not go far enough.

You can see more on all of today's stories on the BBC News Channel,

here on BBC One we can now join the BBC's news teams where you are.