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Jurgen Klopp said snow on the Anfield pitch was a factor in Liverpool missing the opportunity to open a seven-point gap over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a third-minute lead but they were unable to beat Leicester, eventually drawing 1-1, with their passing game affected by the conditions. "You saw that the ball didn't roll really," Klopp said. "If you then have the ball pretty much for 70 to 80 percent of the time it makes life really uncomfortable. "The only problem is if it stays on the pitch and that was actually the case." Contrary to Klopp's comments, the Anfield groundstaff cleared only half the snow away from the pitch at the break -- at the end that Liverpool were attacking in the second period -- but the home side could not score. Klopp also complained that Liverpool were denied a penalty in the second half after Naby Keita was fouled in the penalty area by Ricardo Pereira, on...

Italy's economy tipped into recession at the end of last year, according to latest figures. In the final three months of 2018, the economy shrank by 0.2%, following a 0.1% decline in the third quarter, the Istat statistics office said. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the contraction was likely to continue into 2019. Meanwhile, figures from the EU showed economic growth in the 19-country eurozone still languishing. Growth in the euro area remained at 0.2% in the final quarter of 2018, the same as the previous quarter and in line with analysts' expectations. Italy's coalition government was forced to revise its expansionary 2019 budget last month after the European Commission raised concerns about the impact on Italy's debt levels.

E-cigarettes are almost twice as effective as nicotine replacements for helping smokers quit, a study suggests. A trial found 18% of smokers who used them to quit remained smoke-free after a year, compared with 9.9% of those using nicotine-replacement treatments. The study of 886 smokers is the first to test how effective modern e-cigarettes are for quitting. Researchers hope their findings will lead to vaping devices being routinely offered by stop-smoking services. Public Health England has already called for e-cigarettes to be made available on the NHS within five years, pointing to a body of research that suggests they are at least 95% less harmful than cigarettes. However, up until now there had been a shortage of evidence on how effective they were as stop-smoking tools. Lead researcher Prof Peter Hajek, from Queen Mary University of London, said: "Although a large number of smokers report that they have quit smoking successfully with the help of e-cigarettes,...

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's winning start as Manchester United's caretaker manager ended with a 2-2 draw at home to Burnley on Tuesday, but his side avoided defeat in spirited fashion with two late goals. Goals from Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood had given Burnley a 2-0 lead before a late rally from United with a penalty from Paul Pogba in the 87th minute and a stoppage-time goal from Victor Lindelof saved their blushes. Solskjaer had won his opening six Premier League games after replacing Jose Mourinho in December and the result means United missed out on a chance to go level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea. Burnley, who are now unbeaten in five and move up to 15th, went ahead in the 51st minute when Ashley Barnes blasted home after being put through by Jack Cork. Then came some intense pressure from the home side with Burnley's former United keeper Tom Heaton in inspired form to keep out a strike from distance by Pogba and a close range effort from Romelu Luka...

Notrh Korea's Kim Yong-chol (left) travelled to the US for talks in December North Korea is unlikely to fully give up its nuclear weapons, a US intelligence report says, despite the hopes of the Trump administration. The Worldwide Threat Assessment report also says Iran is not making nuclear weapons, but that cyber threats from China and Russia are a growing concern. Both countries may be seeking to influence the 2020 election, it says. National intelligence director Dan Coats and other intelligence chiefs presented it the Senate on Tuesday. North Korea remains "unlikely to give up" its weapon stockpiles and production abilities while it tries to negotiate "partial denuclearization steps to obtain key US and international concessions", the report says. Having nuclear weapons is seen as "critical to regime survival", it reads.  President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un met in Singapore...

Apple boss Tim Cook has hinted it could lower iPhone prices in some places in an attempt to boost falling sales. Revenue from the iPhone, responsible for most of the firm's profits, fell 15% in its latest financial quarter. Overall the firm's revenue was down 5% from a year ago to about $84.3bn (£64.5bn). The slowdown had been expected after the tech giant warned investors earlier this month that revenue would be about $84bn, lower than expected. The firm had blamed the issues partly on an economic slowdown in China. But chief executive Tim Cook said customers were also struggling with the firm's high prices. He said a strong dollar, which makes its products comparatively more expensive, had hurt its sales in emerging markets. Mr Cook said the tech giant had started this month to re-price its phones to shield customers from the impact of currency fluctuations. "What we have done in January in some locations and [for]...

Two elderly women in Malaysia have died in a crush caused by a crowd jostling to get free food coupons. Only 200 coupons were available but more than 1,000 people showed up at an indoor market in the Pudu district in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday. A security guard told local media he had heard "screams" and saw people "pushing each other". Law Ion Nang, 78, and Ah Poh, 85, are believed to have suffered difficulty breathing while waiting their turn. A management official of the Pudu Integrated Commercial Complex, where the event took place, told news outlet The Star that the event was to mark Lunar New Year, which occurs next week. The coupons were being given out to elderly people. She said a total of four people collapsed during the event. A 62-year-old security guard also told The Star that only four people were allowed to go into the office at a time to register for the coupons. "However, those who were queuing ignored the directiv...

Apple placed this billboard at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Apple has acknowledged a flaw in its FaceTime software that allowed for brief eavesdropping - even if the recipient did not pick up. In some cases the target iPhone would send video, probably without the receiver's knowledge. The company said it had developed a fix and an update would be rolled out this week. In the meantime, Apple appears to have disabled the ability for users to make group calls on FaceTime. The flaw, first revealed by the 9to5Mac blog, appears to occur when both users are running version 12.1 of Apple's mobile operating system, or newer. The technique involves using the software's group chat function, apparently confusing the software into activating the target's microphone, even if the call had not been accepted. The eavesdropping ends when the call is cut after too many rings. 'National Privacy Day' In...

Huawei is the world's second biggest smartphone maker by volume Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has denied any wrongdoing after US prosecutors filed a host of criminal charges against the firm. Huawei has also rejected criminal claims against its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Canada last month. The charges filed against Huawei in the US include bank fraud, obstruction of justice and theft of technology. The case could escalate tensions between China and the US. In a statement, Huawei said it was "disappointed to learn of the charges brought against the company today". It said it didn't commit "any of the asserted violations" and that it "is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms Meng". The statement said the allegations of stealing trade secrets were the subject of a settled civil suit, in which a jury found "neither damages nor wilful and malicious conduct". What...

Confidential data about more than 14,000 people diagnosed with HIV, including foreign visitors, has been stolen in Singapore and leaked online. Authorities revealed details about the 2016 health data breach on Monday. They believe an HIV-positive American whose partner was a senior Singaporean doctor is behind the leak. The hack comes just months after the records of 1.5m Singaporeans, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, were stolen last year. Confidential information including names, addresses, HIV status and other medical information is reportedly included in the latest breach. Officials say the details of 5,400 Singaporeans and 8,800 foreigners dating up to January 2013 have been compromised.   Until 2015, foreigners with HIV were not allowed to visit the city state, even as tourists. Now, anyone who wants to stay beyond 90 days, including for work, is subject to mandatory medical screening to make sure they do not have HIV. Who was behind the breach...

A woman has been rescued after spending an entire weekend trapped in her billionaire employer's lift, authorities said. The woman, reported to be 53-year-old Marites Fortaliza, entered the elevator at the Manhattan townhouse owned by investment banker Warren Stephens on Friday evening. Firefighters responded to an emergency call at 10:00 local time (15:00 GMT) on Monday and forced the lift open. Ms Fortaliza is recovering in hospital. According to a family statement reported by the Associated Press Ms Fortaliza was dehydrated but in a stable condition at Weill Cornell Medical Center. She has been "a valued member of the Stephens extended family for 18 years" and a family member accompanied her to the hospital, they are quoted as saying. Mr Stephens is the head of Stephens Inc, an investment bank based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Authorities said Ms Fortaliza was trapped between the second and third floors of the house, on the Upper East Side of the city nea...

Chelsea have rejected Callum Hudson-Odoi's transfer request and will not be selling him to Bayern Munich in January, sources have told ESPN FC. Hudson-Odoi formally notified Chelsea of his desire to join Bayern on Saturday, but was nevertheless picked to start by Maurizio Sarri against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fourth round less than 24 hours later and scored an impressive goal in a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have insisted from the moment that Bayern's interest became widely known that they want to keep Hudson-Odoi, who enters the final year of his contract at the end of the season and has no intention of committing to a long-term extension. Hudson-Odoi refused to be drawn in on whether he had played his final game for Chelsea in a post-match interview, but did acknowledge the supporters who chanted for him to stay at the club at the final whistle. Bayern made four official bids for Hudson-Odoi in January -- the latest worth around £35 mill...

Manchester United will travel to London for their FA Cup fifth-round tie after being drawn against holders Chelsea. With Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool already out of the competition, Monday's draw means that, at most, only two of the top six in the Premier League will progress to the quarterfinals. United, who beat Arsenal 3-1 in the fourth round to advance, will look to continue their remarkable form in the league and cup under new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when the ties play out from Feb. 15-18. Chelsea, who saw off United 1-0 in the 2018 final, beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 on Sunday night at Stamford Bridge to advance. A number of teams are still awaiting replays to determine their opponents including Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, who will face Middlesbrough or Newport County, while Crystal Palace will play away at League One Doncaster Rovers -- in the fifth round for the first time in 63 years League One AFC Wimbledon, who knocked out top-flight W...

WhatsApp is limiting all its members to forwarding any single message up to five times in an effort to tackle the spread of false information on the platform. The Facebook-owned business had already introduced the policy in India six months ago. The move followed a number of mob lynchings that were blamed on fake reports spread via the service. Until now, users elsewhere could forward messages up to 20 times. The update to the app's rules was announced at an event in Jakarta, Indonesia. The country is holding its general election in April. The firm told the BBC it had made its decision after "carefully" evaluating the results of its half-year-long test in the country. "The forward limit significantly reduced forwarded messages around the world," a spokeswoman added. "[This] will help keep WhatsApp focused on private messaging with close contacts. We'll continue to listen to user feedback about their experience, and over time, look for...

Ja Rule claims he was scammed and lost money through his involvement with 2017's Fyre Festival. The rapper has spoken out after two documentaries shed light on what happened at the flop Bahamas event. Ticket holders were promised a weekend partying with influencers on a private island but instead got rain-soaked mattresses in disaster tents and their luggage dumped in an unlit car-park. Ja denied he was involved in defrauding party-goers and locals on the island. Tickets for the festival were available for up to $75,000 (£58,000). Billy McFarland, founder of Fyre, is serving a six-year jail term but Ja Rule was not arrested or charged in connection with the fraud. He shared his views on the festival, the documentaries and questions on why his involvement wasn't being investigated by US authorities on Twitter I too was hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hood winked, lead astray!!! — Ja Rule (@Ruleyork) January 20, 2019 I too was hustled, scammed, bamboozled...

During the event the Moon turns a striking shade of red. It was the last chance for people to see a total lunar eclipse in its entirety until 2029.

Rihanna claims her father is exploiting her name Singer Rihanna has taken her father to court in the US, accusing him of exploiting her name to further his entertainment business. She claims her father, Ronald Fenty, and his business partner have falsely suggested that she is connected to their firm, Fenty Entertainment. Their conduct has misled the public and hurt her Fenty brand, the name of her beauty business, the lawsuit says. Fenty Entertainment did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rihanna has asked the court to bar the firm from using the Fenty name for business. The lawsuit says Rihanna owns trademarks in the US for the Fenty name and has sent formal "cease and desist" requests. "Defendants continue to this date to use their misrepresentations for their commercial advantage and to mislead the public," it says. "This fraudulent conduct harms not only plaintiffs but the public at lar...

A planned sculpture of Satan in the Spanish city of Segovia has been criticised for being too jolly. The bronze statue was created as a tribute to a local legend, which says that the devil was tricked into building the city's famous aqueduct. But residents say that the devil - who is smiling and taking a selfie with a smartphone - looks too friendly. The artist told BBC News he was surprised by the level of criticism directed at his artwork. A judge has now ordered the artwork to be put on hold while he looks into whether it is offensive to Christians.  More than 5,400 people - just over 10% of the city's population - have signed a petition calling for the sculpture to be cancelled. The petition says that because the devil is shown in a "jovial" way, with a phone in his hand, it "exalts evil" and is therefore "offensive to Catholics". It adds that Satan is supposed to be "repulsive and despicable - not kind and seductive, li...

YouTube clips that depict dangerous or emotionally distressing “pranks” have been banned from the platform. The move comes in response to so-called "challenges" that have sometimes resulted in death or injury. The Google-owned video sharing site said such material had “no place on YouTube”. However, the firm appears to be failing to enforce its existing rules on harmful content. A Buzzfeed report detailed how images depicting, or alluding to, bestiality were still appearing on the site - despite a pledge last April to remove the material. Some of the videos had attracted many millions of views. YouTube said it “worked to aggressively enforce our monetisation policies to eliminate the incentive for this abuse”. Crossing the line But enforcing its new rules on pranks may prove even more difficult, given ambiguity over what may or may not be considered harmful. “YouTube is home to many beloved viral challenges and pranks,” a message added to the site’s FAQ sect...

Former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto accepted a $100m (£77m) bribe from drug cartel kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, a witness has testified. Alex Cifuentes, who says he was a close associate of Guzmán for years, told a New York City courtroom that he had told authorities of the bribe in 2016. Guzmán is accused of being behind the Sinaloa drug cartel, which prosecutors say was the largest US drug supplier. Mr Peña Nieto served as the president of Mexico from 2012 to 2018. Guzmán, 61, has been on trial in Brooklyn since November after he was extradited from Mexico to face charges of trafficking cocaine, heroin and other drugs as leader of what the US has called the world's largest drug cartel. According to reporters in the Brooklyn courthouse, Mr Peña Nieto had requested $250m before settling on $100m. "El Chapo" (right) is the highest-ranking alleged drug lord to face trial in the US so far Cif...

Rescuers in southern Spain are trying to find a two-year-old boy who fell down a borehole more than 100m (328ft) deep and just 25cm (10in) wide. The search began on Sunday afternoon and continued at night near Totalán, a village in hills north-east of Málaga. They do not know if the boy is still alive. A camera lowered into the well found his bag of sweets and a plastic cup 78m down, Spanish media report. Firefighters and police inserted tubing to shore up the well, dug to get water. They are still trying to work out how best to get the two-year-old, named by media only as Yulen, out. Nobody can squeeze down the narrow shaft, so the plan is to drill a parallel tunnel, but rescuers must avoid knocking the borehole's earthen sides. The boy's father rang police at 14:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Sunday to tell them Yulen had fallen into the well. Guardia Civil police joined dozens of firefighters with equipment designed for such tight spaces

A court in China has sentenced a Canadian to death for drug smuggling in a ruling which will worsen a diplomatic row between the two countries. Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was originally given a 15-year jail term in 2018 but after an appeal the court said the sentence was too lenient. Monday's ruling comes weeks after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, a top official at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, on a request from the US. Canada condemned the latest ruling. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: "It is of extreme concern to us as a government, as it should be to all our international friends and allies, that China has chosen to begin to arbitrarily apply the death penalty, as in this case facing a Canadian." China was angered by the arrest of Ms Meng, 46, the daughter of Huawei's founder, and the case has soured its relations with both Canada and the US. She was granted bail in December. China has since detained two Canadian nationals, accusing them of...

"We've got our Arsenal back." Funny how we are not hearing that chant too much these days. It was ringing round the Emirates in the early weeks of the season. But after the extra energy and fight in those days, a different kind of reality is crowding in. It's too early to say that the new regime of manager Unai Emery has run out of steam. But since that 22-game unbeaten run, Arsenal have lost four of their last eight matches in all competitions. Recent defensive displays, dare we say it, have been reminiscent of the kind of performances which brought so much scorn for Arsene Wenger. The 5-1 defeat at Liverpool was an especially painful reminder of how far Emery's team are behind the title contenders. To be fair, injuries have not helped the Gunners with first choice full backs Hector Bellerin and Nacho Monreal notable absentees, while Laurent Koscielny is working his way back to full match sharpness after his long-term Achilles injury. And, let...

US President Donald Trump has denied that he worked for Russia, following a report that the FBI investigated whether he was working for the Kremlin. Addressing reporters at the White House as he left for Louisiana, he said: "I never worked for Russia." He added: "I think it's a disgrace that you even ask that question because it's a whole big fat hoax." Mr Trump was asked the same question by a Fox News host in an interview aired on Saturday, and called it "insulting". It was also reported at the weekend that Mr Trump had confiscated the notes of his own interpreter after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the Washington Post newspaper, he ordered the translator not to discuss the details of what was said. ABC News reports that Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives are considering issuing subpoenas to interpreters who attended Mr Trump's meetings with Mr Putin.

The plane crashed into a wall separating the airport from a residential area and then hit a house A cargo plane crash near the Iranian capital, Tehran, has killed 15 people, Iran's army says. The Boeing 707 came off the runway and hit a residential area while trying to land at Fath airport in Karaj, 40km (25 miles) west of Tehran, in poor weather. Only a flight engineer of the 16 people on board was found alive, with no-one reportedly killed on the ground. The plane's "black box" voice recorder has been found at the crash site, local media reported. Only the plane's flight engineer is known to have survived An army spokesman confirmed to state TV that the plane belonged to Iran, and that all those on board were Iranian citizens. Fath airport belongs to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, and is located in the central Iranian province of Alborz. The cargo aircraft w...

Sandra Oh won best actress in a drama series for Killing Eve The Critics' Choice winners are among the key indicators for who might triumph at the Academy Awards on 24 February. Christian Bale won both best actor and best actor in a comedy for Vice. Roma, Alfonso Cuaron's black-and-white portrait of the life of a maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s, was named best film. The ceremony also honours TV shows, and the other British winners included Matthew Rhys, Ben Whishaw and Thandie Newton. Elsie Fisher was named best young actor/actress All the Critics' Choice winners: Best picture - Roma Best actress - Glenn Close (The Wife) and Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born) Best actor - Christian Bale (Vice) Best actress in a comedy - Olivia Colman (The Favourite) Best actor in a comedy - Christian Bale (Vice) Best supporting actor in a film - Mahershala Ali (Green Book) Best supporting actress in a film - Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) Best young ...

Lady Gaga had an emotional night on Sunday - first giving a tearful speech at a film award ceremony, but then rushing to be with her beloved horse after discovering it was dying. The night started with the star sharing the best actress prize with Glenn Close at the Critics' Choice Awards. But she wrote on Twitter: "Just after the show I learned that my dear angel of a horse, Arabella, is dying. "I am rushing to her now to say goodbye." The singer and actress added: "She is and was a beautiful horse. Our souls and spirits were one. "When she was in pain, so was I. I will never forget the moments we shared. Long hikes together, galloping through the canyons. Feeding her cookies. "She will forever be a part of me. I am very sad. But I wish for your pain to end, and the gates of heaven to open for you. I love you. Girl, where do you think you're goin?" Goodbye, my angel 💔 pic.twitter.com/KnWlt2ryuC — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) ...

Officials in Indonesia say they have found the "black box" voice recorder from a Lion Air flight which crashed off the coast of Jakarta in October. All 189 people on board died when Flight JT610 fell into the sea shortly after taking off for the short journey to Pangkal Pinang. The pilot had asked air traffic control for permission to turn back to the airport but then contact was lost.  Investigators say the plane had encountered technical problems. The main body of the aircraft has never been found. Haryo Satmiko, deputy chief of Indonesia's transport safety committee (KNKT), was quoted by Reuters as saying that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) had been found "but we have not received information of the location yet".  Mr Satmiko told AFP that the voice recorder was found at around 09:00 local time (02:00 GMT)  Indonesia's Navy spokesman Agung Nugroho told Reuters that the recorder was found 8m deep (26ft) under mud on the sea floor. Mr Nugroho ...

Police in the US state of Utah have taken the unusual step of urging residents not to drive blindfolded after an online challenge inspired by a horror film led to a crash. A teenager with her hat over her eyes drove into oncoming traffic in the city of Layton while taking part in the so-called "Bird Box Challenge". The craze has come from the Netflix film Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock. Last week Netflix warned fans not to attempt the challenge. This week the same advice came from Layton police department. "It's just inexcusable to do something as dangerous as this, not only to yourself but everyone else on the road," said police Lt Travis Lyman, quoted by KSL.com. He said it was a warning he never thought he would have to give - don't drive while blindfolded. Bird Box Challenge while driving...predictable result. This happened on Monday as a result of the driver covering her eyes while driving on Layton Parkway. Luckily no injuries. p...