18 DEC 2015
December weather: Why is it so mild?
Unseasonably warm weather across the UK has seen daffodils blooming as far north as Ayr. Temperatures are expected to continue in the double figures for the next week - possibly reaching as high as 16C in London on Saturday.
What will Christmas Day be like?
The chances of a white Christmas look like nil in most parts of the UK, with mild temperatures expected to continue right into the new year.
In London, Christmas Day is forecast to have temperatures of 12C with some light showers, but temperatures could reach as high as 15C.
Edinburgh is forecast to have temperatures of about 7C, and possible spells of sunshine, while in Wales temperatures can expect to be about 11C. Belfast is expected to be a little cooler with a likely high of about 6C, with light cloud.
Bookmakers Coral have slashed the odds on this Christmas being the warmest in history from 5/1 to 2/1, saying it looks likely "we will be sweating" on Christmas Day.
What about nature?
With the prolonged warm weather, there have been reports from all over the UK of spring flowers and blossom, even as far north as Ayr in Scotland.
The National Trust says this may actually be good news for animals which would typically go into hibernation because it gives them more time to prepare for the upcoming winter.
The higher-than-normal temperatures have also led to a bumper crop of sprouts and has made them much larger than normal.
But it's not good news for all crops. Herefordshire blackcurrant farmer Jo Hilditch, who sells to Ribena, says her fruit is missing out on vital time it needs to chill.
The crop has only had 192 hours of chill time - but one variety needs 1,400 hours and another 2,200.
Is it to do with climate change?
We can't say for certain that this spell of warm weather is directly linked to global warming, although it could well be a factor, BBC Weather's Steve Cleaton says.
"Although we have seen a particularly mild spell of weather, the UK spring and summer of 2015 were relatively cool, meaning that for the UK in isolation 2015 is likely to end up being a fairly average year in terms of temperature, rainfall and sunshine statistics."
However, on a global scale, 2015 is set to be the warmest year on record, consistent with current thinking on climate change, he says.
source : http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35119311
19 DEC 2015
Parts of UK have mildest December night for decades, experts say.
It was the mildest December night for several decades in western parts of the UK, weather experts say.
But the record for the warmest December day was narrowly missed by 0.6C at Gravesend, Kent, where the temperature was recorded at 17.1C at 14:00 GMT.
Overnight temperatures fell no lower than 11C in many areas and conditions typically became warmer throughout the night, BBC Weather said.
Meanwhile, heavy rain is forecast for Wales and parts of north-west England.
A Wales-wide "be aware" alert is in force for Saturday and Sunday, with up to 3ins (80mm) of rain in places over 24 hours and flooding possible.
Flood warnings
However, in other parts of the UK temperatures look set to continue to be mild.
From Friday night into Saturday morning mild temperatures were recorded in western Scotland and England and Northern Ireland, BBC Weather said.
The mildest 24-hour period currently on record for December in England was measured at Whitby in North Yorkshire in 1994 - with a low of 13.7C.
Across the UK as a whole the highest 24-hour minimum for a December night happened at Hawarden, Flintshire, in north-east Wales on 12 December also in 1994, when temperatures stayed up at 15C.
Meanwhile, In north-west England - where around 5,200 homes suffered flood damage following Storm Desmond earlier this month - more rain is expected to fall onto already saturated ground, the Met Office says.
The Environment Agency has two flood warnings in place - which means a deluge is expected and "immediate action" may be required.
They are at Keswick campsite in Cumbria and at Pontargothi and Pontynyswen in Carmarthenshire, in west Wales.
source : http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35141591
20 DEC 2015
Gigi Hadid Just Won Model of the Year.
She stunned at Victoria's Secret, she killed it on the runways at Fashion Week (despite detractors). She was characteristically flawless for her Maybelline ads and inked a design deal with Tommy Hilfiger. She appeared at major awards shows and in one of the most popular music videos of the year. Perhaps that's why it should come as no surprise that our very own March covergirl Gigi Hadid has been named Models.com Reader's Choice Female Model of the Year in their annualModel of the Year Awards.
Each year, Models.com surveys industry pros including stylists, designers, editors, and photographers to find out their picks for the most successful, bookable and bankable models of the year, and then allows readers to choose their own winners, too.
Gigi also won the industry pros' votes for Social Media Star of the year, while her bestie Kendall Jenner got the top nod from readers. They also chose little sister Bella Hadid as their Breakout Star of the year for female models—and again, we can't say we're surprised! Bella proved she's much more than Gigi's little sister in this style spread from our February 2015 issue.
Other Teen Vogue cover vets include Binx Walton, who received runner up honors from both readers and industry voters for her impeccable street style, and Lineisy Montero, who earned the industry vote for "Breakout Star."
21 DEC 2015
Tom Holland's Spider-Man Will 'Steal' From Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield!
Tobey Maguire shares a laugh with a friend as he takes care of some holiday shopping at James Perse Apparel on Saturday (December 19) in West Hollywood.
The 40-year-old actor was also joined by his wife Jennifer Meyer and their two kids during the afternoon outing where they also grabbed a few drinks at Verve Coffee.
Tom Holland, who landed the role of Spider-Man in Marvel’s reboot of the franchise, recently teased that his version of the role will be special compared to the other adaptations.
“The only difference I’m going to tell you is that I’m way younger, and at the moment, there’s going to be both things from Tobey [Maguire] and Andrew‘s [Garfield] character that I’m going to steal,” Tom expressed (via Variety). “But there’s one very specific path that [director] Jon [Watts] and I agree on and we’d like to take the character down and explore his background.”
22 DEC 2015
Donald Trump mocks 'disgusting' Clinton toilet break.
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has mocked Hillary Clinton for apparently taking a toilet break during a televised Democratic debate.
"I know where she went. It's disgusting," he said to supporters at a rally in Michigan.
The former secretary of state returned to the stage late after an advert break during Saturday's debate with her party rivals for the presidential nomination.
Mr Trump also said Mrs Clinton had been "schlonged" by Barack Obama in 2008.
Using a vulgar Yiddish term that means a penis, he was referring to Mrs Clinton's defeat to the then senator in the primary contests that year.
"Even her race to Obama. She was going to beat Obama. I don't know who'd be worse. I don't know. How does it get worse?
"She was favoured to win and she got schlonged, she lost."
Mrs Clinton's spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, tweeted: "We are not responding to Trump but everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should. #imwithher"
It is not the first time Mr Trump has referred to women in a controversial way.
In August, he implied that he received tough questions from Fox News debate host Megyn Kelly because she was menstruating.
And he has previously described comedian Rosie O'Donnell as a "fat pig".
Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump have been feuding in recent days over claims she made that Islamic State militants were using Mr Trump as a recruiting tool.
He has called for Muslims to be banned from entering the US, in light of a deadly terror attack in California carried out by a radicalised Muslim couple.
Mr Trump, a billionaire property tycoon with no political experience, leads the polls nationally among Republican voters, and is also ahead in some key states.
The primary contests begin at the start of February and the presidential election is in November.
23 DEC 2015
Nike profits up 20% in November quarter.
Nike, the world's leading maker of sporting goods, reported a 20% year-on-year rise in net profit for the three months ending November.
Income for the period came to $785m (£530m).
Future orders for deliveries from December to April 2016 - which is a key measure for Nike - also beat expectations, boosted by strong demand from China, Japan and North America.
Revenue was up 4% to $7.7bn.
The firm said by the end of November its future worldwide orders for footwear and clothing were up 20%, excluding currency changes.
Greater China made up 34% of that growth, while Japan made up 32% and North America 14%.
"Our powerful global portfolio of businesses, combined with strong financial discipline, continue to drive significant shareholder value," said chief executive Mark Parker.
"We see tremendous opportunity ahead as we enter an Olympic and European Championships year with a full pipeline of inspiring innovation for athletes everywhere."
Earlier this month, Nike signed a lifetime deal with American basketball star LeBron James.
Mr James has been with Nike since 2003 when he signed a $90m (£59.7m) contract with the firm.
The sports star's latest deal is believed to be the first lifetime contract ever signed by Nike.
24 DEC 2015
Afghanistan: 'Dozens of Taliban killed' in battle for Sangin
A local Taliban commander and 50 fighters have been killed in overnight fighting in Sangin in Helmand province, the Afghan interior ministry says.
Government forces have been trying to recapture the area from the Taliban, who say they control the district.
Afghan officials say they have retaken key buildings in a counter-attack, and the US has carried out air strikes.
The ministry named the dead commander as Mullah Nasir, a confidant of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
Strategically located, and a centre for opium production, Sangin would be a significant gain for the Taliban.
Fighting around the town escalated this week and by Wednesday the militants said they had captured all of Sangin, pinning down government troops in an army barracks.
This was denied by the Afghan defence ministry, who said fighting was continuing and that reinforcements had been sent.
The interior ministry said the Afghan army and police commandos launched an operation late on Wednesday, leading to the deaths of the Taliban commander and his fighters.
Several local officials said the district governor's office and police headquarters in Sangin's centre had been retaken.
"Last night fresh forces arrived, they provided ammunitions and food to forces at the battalion and launched a counterattack," Helmand senator Hashim Alokozai said.
"They recaptured the district and police HQ and the wounded were evacuated. We hope they will make further progress today."
It remains unclear whether the Taliban are fully in control of Sangin, with Afghan officials giving conflicting information about the state of their advance.
US planes launched two air strikes on Taliban positions shortly before midnight on Wednesday, a Nato spokesman said.
Siddiq Siddiqi, a spokesman for the Afghan interior ministry, denied to the BBC that officials were slow to send reinforcements to Sangin.
A district police commander told the BBC on Monday his officers in Sangin were surrounded, but reinforcements did not arrive until late on Wednesday.
Why Sangin matters
- Sangin is a rich production centre for opium in Helmand province
- Helmand is a major centre of the Taliban insurgency and borders Pakistan
- Of the 456 UK military deaths in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2015, almost a quarter were killed in and around Sangin
- US and British troops have been sent to Helmand in the last few days, but in an advisory role only
Despite the reports of Afghan government gains, the Taliban remain in control of large parts of Helmand.
Sangin residents have been fleeing as the fighting worsens.
A small contingent of British troops has been sent to Helmand "in an advisory role",the British government said on Tuesday.
Sangin saw almost a quarter of British military fatalities during the UK's combat mission in Afghanistan.
In September, the Taliban briefly overran the northern Afghan city of Kunduzin one of their biggest victories since 2001.
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