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Why do we over-eat? As concerns grow about the nation’s obesity problem, BBC science presenter Michael Mosley explains the science behind pleasure-seeking urges such as eating and having sex.
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British actor Colin Firth is expected to receive an Oscar nod later when the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards are announced.
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Up to 900 staff at Aberdeen City Council are facing compulsory redundancy, it has been confirmed.
It comes after unions rejected plans to ask workers earning more than £21,000 to take a voluntary 5% pay cut.
The council hoped the 5% pay cut would fund voluntary severance packages for hundreds of workers. Staff will be briefed on the redundancies next week.
Aberdeen City Council has approved plans to cut £120m from its budget over the next five years.
In a letter, staff representatives were told that after the proposed 5% pay cut was rejected by the unions the proposal would be withdrawn.
The council spokesman added: “In accordance with the decision at council this means that voluntary severance/early retirement in terms of the council’s discretionary scheme will not be applied and all redundancies will be compulsory.
“Where the option is a stop or closure all employed in an establishment/unit or defined service will be those selected for redundancy.
“The staff in the selection pools will be briefed on the process, as will be the managers.”
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Four young children have died in a house fire in Derbyshire.
Emergency crews were called to the semi-detached property in Highfield Road, Hulland Ward, near Ashbourne, at about 2330 GMT on Monday.
About 20 firefighters from Ashbourne, Wirksworth and Belper stations brought the blaze under control.
Two boys, aged nine and four, and two girls, aged six and two, died. An investigation is being carried out to find out the cause of the fire.
A woman, believed to be in her 40s, was taken to Royal Derby Hospital where she is currently being treated for effects of smoke inhalation, police said.
Fire crews remained at the scene overnight and will be returning on Tuesday to continue with their examination of the property.
Gavin Tomlinson, from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue, said: “We were met with a very well developed fire. We had to work hard to get access to the property.
“We knew there were people in the house. We didn’t ascertain who they were or what they were initially, and unfortunately that became clear as the accident progressed.
“We have no view on the investigation at the moment. We have to bear in mind the sensitivity of this.
“It’s a very tragic and very distressing time for anybody who’s concerned or connected to both the fire service and the family in particular.
“We started an investigation last night and investigations will be ongoing for several days at least.”
He said the blaze caused significant damage to the house but did not reveal where the fire started.
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Bad weather in December is expected to have affected pre-Christmas economic spending Figures for the UK’s economic growth over the last three months of 2010 are expected to remain weak, economists have warned.
The GDP figures, due to be released at 0930 GMT, are expected to show growth of between 0.2% and 0.6% in the three months up to December.
There was 0.7% growth in the previous three months and 1.1% in the second quarter of 2010.
The government says the figures show that Britain on the road to recovery.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said there was considerable uncertainty over how much December’s severe weather hit overall activity.
As a result, the range of forecasts is wide, from 0.2% to 0.6%.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research has projected that output grew 0.5% in the period under review, and the British Chambers of Commerce has forecast a figure of 0.6%.
The “consensus figure”, drawn from a range of forecasters, is that the Office of National Statistics (ONS) will announce a 0.4% increase in growth in Q4 of 2010.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said a “key driver” of government policy in the last year had been sorting out the public finances.
“We had to do that, and it’s been done. Confidence has been restored and we can now set in process the long-term policies that we need to get economic growth,” he added.
“And that is about focusing on building up manufacturing, supporting apprenticeships, supporting technological innovation – those are all things we are now doing.
“To bring the public finances back to full health, they will have to be accompanied by increased output and employment – which bring with them higher tax revenues”
Sir Richard Lambert Outgoing CBI head
“But it’s a long term project, you know the British economy’s been badly distorted for many years, with too much growth focused on the south-east, focused on property, not enough on manufacturing and not enough on exports, and getting that right is a big long-term project”.
The Office for Budget Responsibility – set up by the government to make independent forecasts – says the economy will grow by 2.1% this year, slightly more than in 2010.
The ONS will also release public borrowing figures for December, which are expected to reveal the nations fell further into debt by the sum of £21bn, meaning a total for the financial year to date of about £125bn of debt.
Sir Richard Lambert, the outgoing boss of the business body CBI, had earlier accused the coalition of failing to come up with policies that support economic growth.
“It’s failed to articulate in big picture terms its vision of what the UK economy might become under its stewardship,” he said in a speech.
Sir Richard said business supported the government’s spending cuts, but some politically motivated initiatives were damaging, he said.
The government has “taken a series of policy initiatives for political reasons, apparently careless of the damage they might do to business and to job creation”, Sir Richard said in his last major speech before his departure on Friday.
Spending cuts and initiatives such as this month’s VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% would help fix the UK’s structural deficit over time, Sir Richard said.
“But to bring the public finances back to full health, they will have to be accompanied by increased output and employment – which bring with them higher tax revenues,” he stressed.
“Public spending cuts and private sector growth are two sides of the same coin.”
Sir Richard Lambert: “We have to have growth in employment”
Hence, without initiatives supporting private sector growth, the spending cuts would not only be futile; they would be actively detrimental, he reasoned.
Ed Balls, Labour’s shadow chancellor, urged the government to heed the warning from Sir Richard.
“These are damning criticisms from such a respected figure in the business world,” he said.
Len McCluskey, Unite general secretary-elect, also agreed with Sir Richard’s assessment.
“It’s not often that Unite and the CBI find common ground in criticising the government,” he said.
“Sir Richard’s views are a major wake-up call for David Cameron and George Osborne; the medicine they’re feeding the patient will kill, not cure.”
Bank of England governor Mervyn King is expected to mention his concerns over inflation in a speech in Newcastle on Tuesday evening.
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Fresh protests are reported in the Lebanese city of Tripoli on a “day of rage” declared against Hezbollah’s attempts to form a new government.
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CCTV footage shows the blast as passengers walked through the airport
The managers of the Moscow airport hit by an apparent suicide bomb attack must be held responsible for “clear security breaches”, Russia’s president has said.
Russian media say the bomber detonated some 7kg (15lb) of TNT explosives at Domodedovo airport, killing 35 people and injuring more than 100.
“Someone had to try very hard to carry or bring through such a vast amount of explosives,” Dmitry Medvedev said.
Many in Russia suspect militants from the North Caucasus of the bombing.
Militants from the unsettled region are frequently blamed for terror attacks in Russia, including a double suicide bombing in March 2010 that killed 40 people on Moscow’s underground system.
That attack was blamed on female suicide bombers from Dagestan.
Unnamed officials said three suspects were being sought over Monday’s attack.
In addition, an unconfirmed report from Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency quoted one unnamed security source as saying that warnings of an attack were received a week ago.
Analysts say militant groups fighting in the Caucasus aim to undermine the idea that Russia’s president and prime minister preside over a safe and secure society.
Speaking on Russian TV, President Medvedev was clear that he believed airport managers were responsible for allowing the explosives into Domodedovo on Monday.
“Judging from the location and other indirect signs, this was a well-prepared terrorist attack [that] aimed to kill as many people as possible.
“The airport is good, and this is recognised by all. It is new and modern. However, what happened shows that, clearly, there were violations in providing security.
Austrian traveller Dr Johann Hammerer: “Injured people were lying on trolleys”
“Those who take decisions there, and the management of the airport itself, must answer for this,” he said.
According to RIA Novosti, Russian authorities were warned a week ago that an “act of terror” would be carried out near one of Moscow’s airport’s, adding that police were seeking three suspects.
Monday’s explosion hit the airport’s busy international arrivals hall in a public area where friends and drivers meet passengers who have passed through customs.
Eyewitnesses told Russian TV that before a bomber detonated the charge, he had shouted: “I’ll kill you all!”
Scenes of panic ensued as the area filled with smoke, with bodies strewn across the floor.
One Briton was among the dead as well as one German.
Thick drops of blood and pieces of shrapnel were scattered across the snow-covered tarmac outside the hall, and emergency workers used luggage trolleys to ferry the dead and injured from the scene to hospitals in Moscow, 40km (25 miles) to the north-west.
Many of those injured are now in a serious condition in hospital.
Mr Medvedev has ordered Russia’s prosecutor general to lead an investigation into the attack.
• Oct 2010 – Six people killed as militants storm parliament in Chechnya, North Caucasus
• Mar 2010 – Suicide bombings at two Moscow metro stations kill 40 people; attack blamed on North Caucasus militants
• Nov 2009 – Bomb blast hits Moscow-St Petersburg luxury express train, killing 26; North Caucasus Islamist group claims responsibility
• Sept 2004 – Chechen rebels seize school in Beslan; 334 hostages, including many children, killed in ensuing battle
• Aug 2004 – Suicide bomber blows herself up at a Moscow metro station, killing 10
• Aug 2004 – Two Tupolev airliners that took off from Domodedovo blown up in mid-air by suicide bombers, killing 89 passengers and crew
“After previous similar events, we passed appropriate legislation, and we have to check how it has been applied,” he said. “Because obviously there have been lapses, and we have to get to the bottom of this.”
He has admitted that poverty, corruption and conflict in the North Caucasus is Russia’s biggest internal problem.
He ordered increased security across Russia’s capital, its airports and other transport hubs.
But like Vladimir Putin before him, Mr Medvedev appears unable to find a solution that would bring stability to that region and peace to Russia, says the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.
Mr Putin has built much of his reputation on a tough security stance to crack down on such violence.
More generally, security authorities internationally have been concerned that – while there is been a huge effort focused on airline passenger and airliner security – keeping airports and airport terminals themselves secure remains a major challenge.
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News Corp currently holds a 39% stake in BSkyB The Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said that he intends to refer News Corporation’s bid for BSkyB to the Competition Commission.
But he has given News Corp extra time to address concerns he has regarding “potential threats to media plurality”.
These concerns were identified in a report by the media watchdog Ofcom, which also recommended referring the merger to the Competition Commission.
News Corp already has a 39% stake in BSkyB and is trying to buy the rest.
It also owns UK newspapers the Sun, News of the World, the Times and Sunday Times.
The media group made an approach in June to take full control of BSkyB, but Business Secretary Vince Cable stepped in to refer the deal to Ofcom on public interest grounds.
However, the responsibility for a final ruling on the proposed merger has since passed to Mr Hunt, after Mr Cable was recorded by undercover journalists saying he had “declared war” on News Corp’s owner, Rupert Murdoch.
Mr Hunt has now published Ofcom’s report on News Corp’s bid, which had been issued to the Department for Culture Media and Sport on the last day of 2010.
He also published communications between his department, News Corporation and BSkyB, and said that he had met News Corp and Ofcom in the first two weeks of January.
“As a result of these meetings and my consideration of the Ofcom report and subsequent submissions from the parties involved I still intend to refer the merger to the Competition Commission,” Mr Hunt said in a statement.
“On the evidence available, I consider that it may be the case that the merger may operate against the public interest in media plurality.”
However, he went on to say that it was right that he should consider any actions taken to remedy the competition concerns raised by Ofcom.
“News Corporation says that it wishes me to consider undertakings in lieu which it contends could sufficiently alleviate the concerns I have such that I should accept the undertakings instead of making a reference. It is appropriate for me to consider such undertakings,” he said.
His statement did not say what these undertakings might be.
However, Steve Hewlett from BBC Radio 4’s Media Show said things News Corp might be considering could include selling some of its newspapers, selling Sky News, or perhaps more likely finding some kind of legal framework to isolate Sky News from direct editorial influence from News Corp.
He added: “I think the process is reasonably advanced because the first letter that Jeremy Hunt sent to News Corp saying that he was thinking he was going to refer it [to the Competition Commission] was on 7 January, so the meetings they’ve had since have been about trying to thrash out some undertakings to remedy Ofcom’s issues.”
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The report found the boat was only spotted shortly before it went down Australia has charged three Indonesian men with people smuggling offences, following the death of nearly 50 people in a shipwreck off Christmas Island.
The three men were among up to 100 people on board the flimsy boat when it smashed into rocks on 15 December.
The passengers were mostly Iranian, Iraqi and Kurdish asylum seekers making their way to Australia via Indonesia.
Coastguards rescued 42 survivors but the bodies of at least 18 people have not been found.
The three men – aged 22, 60 and 32 – were charged with “facilitating the bringing to Australia of a group of five or more persons,” police said.
They have appeared in court in Perth and face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, and a fine of up to A$220,000 (£138,000: $219,500) fine.
The three were not required to enter a plea, and the case was adjourned for three weeks.
The lawyer for one of the men said the trio were “unhappy”.
“It’s a total tragedy and they are very upset,” David McKenzie said, according to the West Australian newspaper.
Witnesses said the boat was smashed to pieces on the rocks around Christmas Island last month – witnesses said it went down within and house, leaving survivors struggling to hold on to pieces of wreckage.
It is believed the engine on the vessel failed, while island residents said the seas were the heaviest they had seen in months.
The charges come a day after an official report into the sinking found that the boat – known as SIEV 221 – had only been detected by the authorities shortly before it went down.
The report said the Customs and navy had acted appropriately in carrying out the rescue but recommended that the safety and rescue equipment be increased in the area.
Christmas Island lies in the Indian Ocean about 2,600km (1,600 miles) from the Australian mainland, but only 300km south of Indonesia.
The island is home to a detention centre housing nearly 3,000 asylum seekers who are waiting for their claims to be processed.
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BJP says it will go ahead with the flag-hoisting ceremony Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir have stopped senior leaders of main opposition BJP from entering the state for a flag-raising ceremony.
Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar were stopped at Jammu airport and later sent by road to the neighbouring state of Punjab.
BJP plans to hoist the flag in Srinagar city on Republic Day on Wednesday.
The plan has triggered off fears of violence in the restive Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley.
Indian PM Manmohan Singh has appealed to the BJP to call off the rally, saying that the Republic Day should not be used to promote “divisive agendas”.
And the chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir Omar Abdullah said he would stop the flag hoisting ceremony. He said it would provoke the separatists.
Top BJP leaders, Ms Swaraj, Mr Jaitley and Mr Kumar, flew into Jammu on Monday afternoon on a chartered plane.
The three were detained at the airport for several hours after which they were sent to Punjab.
The move has angered BJP leaders.
Senior party leader LK Advani spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to register his “protest” at the state government’s decision to not let party leaders enter Jammu.
BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad called it “a repressive action by the government of India”.
“We condemn it. We will go ahead with the yatra [march],” he said.
Meanwhile, former BJP president Rajnath Singh began a protest hunger strike on Monday night at the Gandhi memorial in Delhi.
On Sunday night, a train carrying 2,000 BJP workers on their way to Kashmir to participate in the flag-raising ceremony were sent back midway.
The protesters boarded a train in Karnataka state, but some distance into their journey, railway staff at a Maharashtra station attached the engine to the rear of the train and sent it back to Karnataka.
Most of the party workers were fast asleep when railway staff at the station detached the train’s engine from the first coach and attached it to the last coach, reports said.
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A dangerous hunt for food, under the sea ice at low tide in northern Canada
The Inuit of Arctic Canada take huge risks to gather mussels in winter. During extreme low tides, they climb beneath the shifting sea ice, but have less than an hour before the water returns.
Working fast before the tide returns The 500 people of Kangiqsujuaq, near the Hudson Strait, go to great lengths to add variety to their diet of seal meat, seal meat and yet more seal meat.
This settlement and a neighbouring community on Wakeham Bay are thought to be the only places where people harvest mussels from under the thick blanket of ice that coats the Arctic sea throughout the winter.
The locals can only do this during extreme low tides, when sea ice drops by up to 12m (about 40 feet), opening fissures through which the exposed seabed – and its edible riches – can be glimpsed. The best time to go is when the moon is either full or brand new, as this is when the tide stays out the longest.
Filmed for the BBC’s Human Planet, they lower themselves into these temporary caverns to gather as many fat and juicy mussels as they can before the tide rushes back in.
It is a risky operation. The ice above is no longer supported by water, and it shifts and groans ominously during the harvest.
Often, says photographer Patrice Halley, who has documented this risky practice for years, a group of mussel-gatherers will have no more than a single lantern or flashlight among them.
Mussels grow plentifully on coastline rocks and stones, and are cultivated in coastal areasOnly collect shellfish from unpolluted watersMussels at their best in colder monthsMussel tips and recipes on BBC Food
A look-out keeps watch for the returning tide, but warning shouts cannot be too loud in case the echoes bring down the ice.
Then it’s a scramble to get out before the shifting ice closes the escape hole and seawater refills the caverns.
“We all know stories of mussel hunters who didn’t make it out in time. If you can’t get out, you die,” Mary Qumaaluk told the Human Planet team. She subsequently died in a quad bike accident.
Mussel gathering is a tradition that goes back generations in Kangiqsujuaq, on Quebec’s Ungava Peninsula. But the locals say it is getting harder to find places safe enough to venture beneath the ice, which freezes later and melts earlier than it did even a few decades ago.
Human Planet will be broadcast on Thursday 27 January at 2000 GMT on BBC One, and will also be available on the BBC iPlayer.
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Happiness Movement volunteers first challenge involves writing thank you letters to friends and family.
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The blast happened as the bus travelled through the main business district in Manila Two people have been killed and several others injured in an explosion on a bus in the Philippine capital, Manila.
Police said the blast was believed to have been caused by a bomb placed under a passenger seat in the middle of the bus.
One official said the blast was so powerful it blew a hole in a nearby concrete fence.
The blast happened in the Makati business district of the Philippine capital at 1400 (0600GMT).
“Initially, we have two confirmed deaths and 15 others are injured and are being attended to in hospitals,” Nicanor Bartolome, head of the Metropolitan Manila district police office, told local television.
He said that from the damage to the bus it appeared that a bomb had exploded.
A presidential spokesman said police were working to identify what kind of device had been used.
“We were informed… that the cause of the explosion is that it was some sort of explosive device placed in the vicinity of the middle of the bus, but the exact type has yet to be determined,” Edwin Lacierda said.
He had said earlier the explosion appeared to have been caused by a mechanical or electrical fault.
The incident comes three months after the US and some Western governments amended travel advisories to warn that attacks in areas including Manila were likely.
Both communist and Islamist rebel groups are fighting security forces in parts of the southern Philippines but attacks in the capital are rare.
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A female polar bear swam continuously for 232 hours, covering 687km, a new study has revealed.
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A medical team at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol is pioneering a new form of surgery to treat long term depression.
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