US election: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clash in first one-on-one debate

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• From the sectionUS Election 2016

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Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have clashed over Wall Street and foreign policy, in the Democratic presidential candidates' first one-on-one debate.

Mrs Clinton cast him as an idealist who will not get things done and Mr Sanders accused her of being too tied to the establishment to achieve real change.

The TV debate in New Hampshire was their first since the Democratic race was whittled down to two this week.

Without a third person on stage, the policy differences were laid bare.

The former secretary of state said Bernie Sanders' proposals such as universal healthcare were too costly and unachievable.

And she went after her rival aggressively over his attempts to portray her as being in the pocket of Wall Street because of the campaign donations and the fees she had received for after-dinner speeches.

"It's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out," she said.

Mr Sanders, a senator of Vermont, used a favourite attack line against her, that she backed the Iraq War, but she questioned his foreign policy expertise.

The debate comes five days before the second state-by-state contest in the battle for the presidential nominee, in New Hampshire on Tuesday.

Democratic debate - as it happened

Other highlights include:

• She represents the establishment, I represent ordinary Americans, said Mr Sanders
• By standing up to big money interests and campaign contributors, we transform America, he said
• Mrs Clinton was asked to release the transcripts of all her paid speeches - she said she would look at it
• He demanded the break-up of the big banks but she said her regulatory policies would be tougher on Wall Street
• Asked what she stood for, she named clean energy, the affordable care act and getting paid family leave
• He said he was stronger because "Democrats win when there is large turnout" and he could enthuse young people

Despite the tensions over policies, the debate ended on a warm note, when Mrs Clinton said the first person she would call would be Mr Sanders, if she won the nomination.

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Analysis - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, New Hampshire

When in doubt, say you're with Barack Obama. It was telling in this last debate before the New Hampshire primary that both candidates, when forced to defend themselves on grounds where they felt vulnerable, turned to Barack Obama for protection.

Early in the debate, when pressed by the Vermont senator on her ties to Wall Street, Mrs Clinton noted that Mr Obama had taken donations from the financial industry and still passed comprehensive reform. He did it because he was a "responsible president," she said.

Later in the evening, Mr Sanders was pressed on his foreign policy views and willingness to normalise relations with Iran. He noted that he agreed with Mr Obama on the issue, despite Mrs Clinton criticising the then-senator in 2008 for being "naive".

The Democratic president is still overwhelmingly popular among Democrats - and he proved to be a reassuring refuge.

But if this, in fact, revealed where the candidates were weakest, that can only be good news for Mr Sanders. Polls overwhelmingly show Democrats are much more concerned about the economy than they are about international affairs.

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Image copyrightReuters

Image captionThere were handshakes and smiles at the start and the finish

The debate was their first without the presence of the former governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, who quit the race on Monday night.

He was a distant third in the first state to vote, Iowa, where Mrs Clinton narrowly beat Mr Sanders after a prolonged count.

Mr Sanders holds a big lead in polls in New Hampshire, which borders the state where he is a senator, Vermont.

Both Republican and Democratic parties will formally name their presidential candidates at conventions in July.

Americans will finally go to the polls to choose the new occupant of the White House in November.

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More on the Democratic race

• No jubilation in Hillary camp The mood the morning after a narrow win in Iowa
• The socialist candidate for president How the Vermont senator set the race alight
• The Hillary story From first lady to senator to presidential hopeful
• Why are Americans so angry? The underlying forces that explain rise of Trump, Cruz and Sanders
• How a US election works The difference between a primary and caucus, and other questions answered

EU referendum: Leaders 'not happy' with UK reform proposals

• 1 hour ago
 
• From the sectionEU Referendum

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Image captionDavid Cameron is meeting EU leaders at a summit on Syria

None of David Cameron's fellow EU leaders are happy with his reform proposals as they stand, a source close to the negotiations has told the BBC.

Mr Cameron is holding talks with EC President Donald Tusk over the deal aimed at keeping Britain in the EU.

He faces two weeks of "difficult" negotiations to get all member states to back the deal, the source added.

"In a sense, this is a good sign: it means there is some kind of balance in the proposal," they said.

"There is a lot of frustration and concerns. It's clear the negotiations are going to be difficult," they added.

• Follow the latest updates with BBC Politics Live
• Will Cameron's EU changes work in practice?

Among the potential sticking points were Mr Cameron's proposals on changing the EU rules to make it easier for member states to band together to block EU laws - and plans to protect non-eurozone countries.

'Unacceptable'

These two demands will need work to incorporate them into future EU treaties.

Image copyrightGetty Images

The EU source said some member states indicated to Mr Tusk that they found that "unacceptable".

Other issues include Mr Cameron's "emergency brake" on in-work benefits and his desire to exempt to the UK from a commitment to "ever closer union".

The prime minister is aiming to get a final deal on his reform package, hammered out with Donald Tusk, at a summit on 18-19 February.

Such objections are not unusual at this stage of difficult EU negotiations.

Mr Cameron is also under pressure at home from some members of his own cabinet, who have been prevented from speaking out in favour of a British exit.

A cabinet source has told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg that the prime minister has promised to stop speaking publicly about the benefits of his EU deal until the renegotiations are complete.

"There is agreement that the rules should be the same for both sides, and that no member of the cabinet should speak out until the PM has returned from Brussels with his deal. Downing St have given a renewed guarantee that everyone will be held to those rules equally," the source said.

Mr Cameron has been meeting key players from the EU in London, holding talks with Mr Tusk, Slovak PM Robert Fico, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, Swedish PM Stefan Lofven and Belgian PM Charles Michel, in the margins of the Syria donors' conference in London.

'Washed-out lottery ticket'

He will also meet European Parliament president Martin Schulz amid continued speculation about the role MEPs could play in deciding the fate of any deal.

Mr Cameron spent two hours attempting to convince MPs to back the deal on Wednesday, urging them to vote "with their hearts" in the referendum and talking up his "emergency brake" on in-work benefits which he claims will help curb immigration.

But some of his backbenchers say he has missed the point and should be focusing instead on the issue of sovereignty, which they say lies at the heart of the UK's relationship with EU.

In a Commons debate, Tory MP John Baron mocked the "red card" which would allow measures from Brussels to be blocked, but only if 55% of EU national parliaments agree.

He told MPs: "The so-called 'red card' system is nothing more than a washed-out lottery ticket.

"It would be like a football referee getting out his 'fraction' of a red card, only then having to consult with 14 other officials before deciding what to do - by which time the game is over.

"The government's 'emergency brake' proposal is flawed and feeds a negative narrative about immigrants.

"It ignores the fact that almost all EU immigrants come to Britain to work hard, and that large-scale EU immigration can not be stopped whilst we adhere to the EU's 'freedom of movement' principle."

Angelique Kerber stuns Serena Williams to win Australian Open

• From the sectionTennis

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Angelique Kerber wins Australian Open title

Australian Open
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 18-31 January
Coverage: Live radio and text commentary on all Andy Murray matches, plus highlights on BBC TV and BBC Sport website. Listen to Tennis Breakfast on Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website from 07:00 GMT.

Germany's Angelique Kerber stunned world number one Serena Williams in three sets to win her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Kerber, seeded seventh, won a thrilling final 6-4 3-6 6-4 at Melbourne Park.

The 28-year-old is the first German to win a major singles title since Steffi Graf at the 1999 French Open.

Williams, 34, was beaten for just the fifth time in 26 Grand Slam finals, and the American missed the chance to tie Graf's open-era record of 22 titles.

Kerber, who saved a match point in her first-round win over Misaki Doi, will move up to number two in the world rankings.

Kerber blunts Williams' power game

Kerber had won just one of six previous matches against Williams and was making her Grand Slam final debut, but she was the better player over two hours and eight minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

She led Williams in the ace count until the latter stages, limiting her to just seven overall, while the American racked up 46 errors to just 13 by Kerber.

Williams made 23 mistakes in the first set alone - sparking memories of her desperately nervous display in losing to Roberta Vinci at the US Open last September - and Kerber took full advantage to claim it after 39 minutes.

However, the defending champion cut her error count to just five in the second set and claimed it thanks to a single break in game four.

Kerber twice moved ahead in the decider and a stunning sixth game saw the German produce two fine drop shots and win a breathtaking 19-stroke rally to cling on to her serve and edge closer to victory.

Nerves took hold and she was broken while serving for the match, but she launched into the Williams serve once again and clinched the title when the world number one sent a volley long.

Kerber becomes the first German since Steffi Graf in 1999 to win a Grand Slam title

'A dream come true'

Kerber said afterwards that being able to say she was a Grand Slam champion "sounds crazy".

"It's my dream come. I worked for this my whole life," said the German.

"It's been such an up and down two weeks, I was match point down in the first round and had one foot in the plane to Germany.

"Now I have beaten Serena and won the championship. I have so many emotions, so many thoughts, but all of them good ones."

Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic, who will play Andy Murray in Sunday's men's final, tweeted his congratulations to Kerber

Williams was gracious in defeat, telling Kerber: "Angie, congratulations. You deserve this and I'm so happy for you. I really hope you enjoy this moment."

The runner-up added: "Would I give my performance an A? No, but this is all I could produce.

"I'm not a robot. I do the best that I can. I try to win every point but realistically I can't. Maybe someone else can."

Match analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Kerber had to save a match point just to avoid losing in the first round, and she proved her mental toughness again when the title was on the line.

Having pressured Williams into a string of unforced errors in the first set by chasing down virtually every ball, she mixed true grit with sheer class as she broke for a 4-2 lead in the deciding set. Two glorious drop shots were the highlight of a ten minute plus game of five deuces, in which Williams saved 4, but not 5, break points.

Nerves can be harder to deal with as the years tick by, especially when your opponent makes just 13 unforced errors over 2 hours and 8 minutes, and the pressure told when Williams served to stay in the match for a second time.

Kerber will rise to world number 2 and is as well placed as anyone, on the evidence of today, to further frustrate Williams' bid for a record equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.

Proton beam cancer therapy 'effective with fewer side effects'

 
• From the sectionHealth

Image copyrightAP

Image captionAshya King left the UK to have proton beam therapy in the Czech Republic

A cancer treatment at the centre of an NHS controversy in 2014 causes fewer side effects in children than conventional radiotherapy, according to new research.

The study, published in The Lancet Oncology, suggests proton beam therapy is as effective as other treatments.

Researchers looked at 59 patients aged between three and 21 from 2003 to 2009.

In 2014 the parents of Ashya King took him out of hospital in Hampshire to get the treatment abroad.

Their actions led to a police operation to find them.

Ashya, who was five at the time of his treatment, is now cancer free, his family said last year.

'Acceptable toxicity'

All the patients who took part in the study, led by Dr Torunn Yock from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the US, had the most common kind of malignant brain tumour in children, known as medulloblastoma.

After five years, their survival rate was similar to that of patients treated with conventional X-ray radiotherapy, but there were fewer side effects to the heart and lungs, the study found.

Dr Yock told BBC Radio 5 live: "The major finding is that proton therapy is as effective as photon therapy [conventional X-ray radiotherapy] in curing these patients and what is also very exciting is that it is maintaining these high rates of cure but doing so with less late toxicity, which has dramatic quality of life improvements."

The paper said: "Proton radiotherapy resulted in acceptable toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those noted with conventional radiotherapy, suggesting that the use of the treatment may be an alternative to photon-based treatments."

What is proton beam therapy?

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Media captionAnimated graphic comparing traditional radiation treatment with proton beam therapy.

It uses charged particles instead of X-rays to deliver radiotherapy for cancer patients.

The treatment allows high-energy protons to be targeted directly at a tumour, reducing the dose to surrounding tissues and organs.

In general, it gives fewer side effects compared with high-energy X-ray treatments.

It can be used to treat spinal cord tumours, sarcomas near the spine or brain, prostate cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer and some children's cancers.

Sources: NHS England, Cancer Research UK

Independent expert Prof Gillies McKenna, who is the head of the department of oncology at the University of Oxford, said the research suggested that the "side effects are indeed dramatically reduced" with proton beam therapy.

"There were no side effects seen in the heart and lungs and gastrointestinal tract, which are almost always seen with X-rays, and no secondary cancers were seen at a time when we would have expected to see them in X-ray treated patients," he added.

But Dr Kieran Breen, from Brain Tumour Research, said there was still more research needed into the treatment.

"In the longer term, we need to try and understand what effects it will have on people and there are many other forms of tumour both in the brain and in other parts of the body," he said.

Proton beam therapy is currently only available in the UK to treat eye cancers, but patients with other forms of cancer can apply for NHS funding for the therapy abroad.

The first proton beam facility in the UK is due to be made available in Newport by the end of 2016, as a "result of direct investment by the Welsh government," according to a Welsh Assembly spokesman.

The Department of Health has said that from April 2018 the treatment will be offered to up to 1,500 cancer patients at hospitals in London and Manchester, following investment worth £250m.

Image copyrightScience Photo Library

Two years ago a dispute about the use of the treatment prompted Brett and Naghemeh King, of Southsea, Hampshire, to remove their son Ashya from a hospital in Southampton against his doctors' advice.

The parents wanted their five-year-old to undergo proton beam therapy in Prague, which had not been recommended by his care team in Southampton.

Their actions sparked an international police manhunt, and the couple were later arrested and held in a prison in Madrid.

They were eventually released and Ashya's therapy took place, with the NHS later agreeing to pay for it.

A spokesman for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said that medulloblastoma was not currently on the list of tumours approved for this treatment on the NHS.

"However, we welcome any update to the existing clinical evidence on cancer treatments and will follow any expansion of the current national criteria," a spokesman added.

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Key events for Ashya's treatment

• Ashya had surgery for a medulloblastoma brain tumour at Southampton General Hospital in July 2014
• His parents, Brett and Naghemeh, removed him from the hospital on 28 August and sparked a manhunt when they travelled to Spain
• They were arrested but later released and Ashya was flown to Prague, Czech Republic, for proton beam treatment
• He had six weeks of proton beam therapy, which cost between £60,000 and £65,000, according to the treatment centre, and which was paid for by the NHS
• Ashya returned to hospital in Spain
• In March 2015, Brett King announced his son was free of cancer