And andy murray heads home after pulling out of the Australian Open with an ongoing hip injury. And coming up in the sport on bbc news england let slip their advantage over australia in the final ashes test, as they lose late wickets in sydney. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. A Record Number of people called the nhs 111 number during the festive period, according to figures published this morning. There were nearly half a million calls to the advice line in the last week of december in england. There was also a sharp increase in the number of ambulances being held outside hospitals. Heres our health correspondent, Catherine Burns the Prime Minister today in Frimley Park Hospital in surrey, thanking staff personally for their hard work over christmas, and now we know just how hard it was. The National Health service continues to do a fantasticjob for people. Yes, it has pressures overwinter. Yes, it has particular pressures in the christmas and new year period. The st
Hundred, many hundreds of businesses, those cumulatively employing well over two million workers have announced bonus, wage increases, expanded benefits, increased contributions to pension accounts. And they have cited the tax reform as the mechanism that has enabled them to do this for their workers. Whats so exciting about this, mr. President , is this is happening before the wave of new investment has even been able to begin. This is happening because Companies Know that with lower tax rates, theyre going to have more free cash flow, and theyre going to use some of that to invest in growing their business, but they have already announced that theyre using some of that to enhance the compensation for their employees. Let me just give you a few examples. These are just pennsylvaniarelated companies, just a handful of the ones that im aware of, and its really typical of Companies Across the country. Comcast, big employer based in philadelphia. They announced specifically as a result of
And also the free man. First iraq where Kurdish Forces say they are in full control of the northern town of sinjar around 7 1 2 thousand kurdish fighters involved in the operation and have been backed by a u. S. Led air campaign and its a symbolic victory for the kurds and the u. S. , sinjar was captured by i. S. I. L. Last year where the group killed and enslaved thousands of meanty yazitis and huge strategic and its a major supply route between mosul and the capitol in raqqa in syria and we are in Northern Iraq along one of the main supply roots for the sinjar fences. Reporter without facing stiff opposition the Kurdish Peshmerga forces have gone in the town of sinjar and declare that hold the town and came through the north and the north was controlled by them north of the mountain and took back the operation in december where they opened up the corridor and allowing them in the mountain to flee and have mounted some attacks on the town of sinjar but the push seemingly quite easy fo
Welcome to your world this morning im stephanie sy. And im dell walters and a drone strike targeting i. S. I. L. s most recognizable figures the man known as jihad john sgln it was his covered face that appeared in multiple videos showing the killings of american and other western hostages, in august 2014 he was shown in a video be heading journalists james foley and seen later killing journalist sotlof and peter kasik and promised to track him down. Born in kuwait and grew up in london where Officials Say he was radicalized and moved in 2012 and 2014 he began making headlines. Otherwise this knife will become your nightmare. Reporter his british accent named him the nickname jihad john and he is shown be heading hostages and blaming them for their deaths and they promised to hunt him down. Making mistake of harming americans we will not forget and our reach is long and justice will be served. And he later apologized to his family for the attention those videos generated but he showed
President obama lays out today how the u. S. Will respond to the crisis in iraq. The president says u. S. Troops will not return to combat. But he did not rule out air strikes. Going forward we will be prepared to take targeted and precise action, if and when we determine the situation on the ground requires it. If we do, i will consult with congress, and leaders in iraq, and in the region. Mike, the president says he tends to support forces but he drew a very clear line today, didnt he . The key phrase is if and when, and the when seems to be down the road. To try to turn back those advances. Time and time again over the course of the last six days since the president first appears. And talks about it, but first he is not going to take that step until the government, the Prime Minister brings in a more inclusive government until the political situation, and there are the prospects for the irocky government to stand back and fight these rebels. Then the air strikes would go forward, bu