Real World News

Call for 'unilateral' Brexit guarantee for EU citizens 14 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Image copyright PA Image caption The fate of EU nationals in the UK is wrapped up with wider questions over free movement The UK has a "moral" duty to guarantee the status of EU nationals living in the country ahead of negotiations over its exit, a group of peers has said. A Lords EU committee has called for an immediate "unilatera…

Bridget Jones on Woman's Hour Power List 14 December 2016 From the section Entertainment & Arts Image copyright AP Image caption Renee Zellweger portrayed Bridget Jones in the film adaptations of Helen Fielding's books Bridget Jones has been named on a list of the women who have had the biggest impact on women's lives over the past 70 years by BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour. The fictional character was one of just seven people picke…

Media playback is unsupported on your device The Brit taking on Aussie Rules 14 December 2016 Last updated at 01:27 GMT Sam Draper has just signed for a major Aussie Rules team. View the full article

Media playback is unsupported on your device Using my voice after two years of silence 14 December 2016 Last updated at 01:17 GMT Graham hasn’t said a word for two years. Since his stroke in 2014, the 55-year-old has only been able to communicate by slowly tapping out words on a tablet. The BBC introduced him to two designers who, with the help of technology and some old video recordings, have made it possible for him to use his voice again. Watch more stories from the The Big Life Fix on BBC Two at 21:00 on Wednesday 14 and 21 Dec and online. Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Tw…

London criminal check delays a 'great concern' as jobs lost By Josephine McDermott BBC News 14 December 2016 From the section London Image caption Nurse Julie Stennett said she was left angry and upset as delays affected her career The speed at which mandatory criminal checks are being completed by the Metropolitan Police is of "great concern", a government department said. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is needed to work with chil…

Southern rail strike enters second day as Acas talks start 14 December 2016 From the section England Image copyright PA Image caption Passengers have been advised not to travel on the dates affected by the drivers' strike Southern rail passengers are facing a second day of strike travel chaos amid hopes of a resolution to the dispute over who should operate train doors. Talks will be held between the rail firm and the RMT and Asle…

Schools face cuts of £3bn, says watchdog By Sean Coughlan Education correspondent 14 December 2016 From the section Education & Family Image copyright iStock State schools in England will have to find £3bn in savings by 2019-20, says the public spending watchdog. Schools face 8% budget cuts and about 60% of secondary schools already have deficits, warns a funding analysis from the National Audit Office (NAO). The Department for Education is about to launch a new fu…

Schools face cuts of £3bn, says watchdog By Sean Coughlan Education correspondent 14 December 2016 From the section Education & Family Image copyright iStock State schools in England will have to find £3bn in savings by 2019-20, says the public spending watchdog. Schools face 8% budget cuts and about 60% of secondary schools already have deficits, warns a funding analysis from the National Audit Office (NAO). The Department for Education is about to launch a new fu…

Why do people buy old telephone boxes? By Dan Macadam Business reporter 14 December 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Steve Spill Image caption Michelle Spill supported her husband's dream of owning a red phone box As soon as the red phone box arrived at Steve and Michelle Spill's house, it had captured people's attention. "There's only love for it. From the moment it was in our drive, th…

Buckfast monks make record £8.8m By Jonathan Morris BBC News Online 14 December 2016 From the section Devon Image caption A Scottish sheriff said there was was a "very definite association between Buckfast and violence" Monks who make Buckfast tonic wine linked to violent crime in Scotland raked in a record £8.8m in a year. Sales of the caffeine-fuelled wine made at Buckfast Abbey in Devon make up most of the income to its charitable trust. A Sc…

UK government 'must take action' on 5G 14 December 2016 From the section Technology Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption More communications masts will be needed to facilitate 5G The rollout of the UK's future 5G mobile network must be handled better than 4G was, according to a new report. The current 4G network ranks only 54th in the world in terms of coverage, a panel of government-appointed experts has said. The National …

Alex Salmond due to meet Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels 14 December 2016 From the section Scotland politics Image caption Mr Juncker and Mr Salmond will meet ahead of the former first minister collecting an award in Brussels Alex Salmond is expected to meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels later. The former Scottish first minister will be in the Belgian capital to collect the first Coppieters Award. A spokesman for Mr Salmond said last week tha…

HSBC closes a quarter of branches, as 1,000 banks shut for good By Brian Milligan Personal Finance reporter 14 December 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Getty Images HSBC has closed more than a quarter of its UK branches over the last two years, as part of 1,000 bank closures in total, research by Which? has found. The consumer organisation says that HSBC closed 321 branches since January 2015, or 27% of its network. The much smaller Co-operative Bank h…

Newspaper headlines: Aleppo's 'darkest day' and rail strike 'chaos' By UK staff BBC News 13 December 2016 Image caption Wednesday's i leads on the "terrified families" of Aleppo and their farewell messages to the world on social media. The paper says that Britain and the West are blamed for a lack of leadership as civilians are made to line up in the street to be executed b…

Tory MP Nicky Morgan pulls out of Have I Got News For You 13 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Image copyright PA Image caption Ms Morgan was sacked by the incoming prime minister in June Tory MP Nicky Morgan has pulled out of a planned appearance on Have I Got News For You, days after a row over her criticism of Theresa May's wardrobe. The satirical TV show said the former education secretary had pulled out of Friday's …