News Daily: Rail fares rise and children's sugar worry
By Justin Parkinson
BBC News
- Published
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Image source, EPARail fare rises kick in
Feeling the pinch after the festive season? Well, there's some extra expenditure to factor in if you're one of Britain's rail users. From today fares will increase by an average of 3.1% in England and Wales and almost 3% in Scotland.
Campaigners are calling the rise, which means an extra cost of more than £100 a year for some commuters, a "kick in the wallet". But the rail industry says 98p of every pound spent by passengers is invested back in the network.
There's better news for users of Transport for London services, whose fares will stay the same. Meanwhile, a discount railcard for 26 to 30-year-olds goes on sale from midday. And a railcard extending child fares to 16 and 17-year-olds will be available from September.
Here's a guide on how to save money while travelling by train. And the BBC's Reality Check asks where your ticket money goes.
Parents urged to cut children's sugar intake
Children are eating too much sugar, causing bad teeth, obesity and other problems. Public Health England says it's getting so bad that they're exceeding the maximum level recommended for 18-year-olds by the time they reach 10. It's asking parents to do more to limit sugar intake.
Xi Jinping: Taiwan must reunite with China
Chinese President Xi Jinping has toughened up his rhetoric on Taiwan, saying it "must and will be" reunited with China. Beijing considers Taiwan, which is self-governed and de-facto independent, to be a breakaway province. Mr Xi said China reserved the right to use force. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said Beijing should accept the existence of Taiwan. Here's a profile of Taiwan.
How do trans people choose their name?
By Louise Wilson, BBC Scotland News
Tech journalist Carrie Marshall came out as a trans woman at 44. "Being called my old name when I was being me started to become excruciatingly embarrassing," she says. "You don't meet many women called Gary."
But choosing another name was not easy and it took over a year before she landed on Carrie. "I tried to find a name that would fit me and that's a lot harder than you think it would be. I've got two kids and we came up with names for them and that was quite easy compared to this."
What the papers say
Image source, Sun, TimesSeveral newspapers react to the stabbing at Manchester's Victoria station, the Sun's headline describing the situation as "Panic on the platform". A man has been detained under mental health laws after three people were attacked, and Metro says police showed "incredible bravery". Meanwhile, the i says rail fare rises will mean journeys of £1-a-mile. But the Daily Telegraph focuses instead on the planned extension of children's discounts to 16 and 17-year-olds. And the Daily Express leads on figures showing that 15 million people failed to turn up for NHS GP appointments in 2018.
Daily digest
Forced marriage Victims asked to pay rescue costs
Patriot Act Netflix removes comedy episode following Saudi complaint
Decent start to year UK ticket-holder wins £115m EuroMillions jackpot
Darts treble Michael van Gerwen wins third PDC world championship title
If you see one thing today
If you listen to one thing today
If you read one thing today
Image source, Getty Images
Lookahead
Today London Zoo undertakes its annual stock take, counting every invertebrate, bird, fish, mammal, reptile and amphibian.
Today Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is in Singapore, as he begins his three-day trip to Asia.
On this day
1969 Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch beats off a rival bid to win control of the News of the World newspaper group.