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Ineos Automotive has named major automotive engineering firm Magna Steyr as its engineering partner for the development of its forthcoming Grenadier 4x4. The British firm, owned by chemical magnate Jim Ratcliffe, is developing the machine as a no-compromise off-roader in the mould of the original Land Rover Defender. The Grenadier is due to go into production in 2021, at a new facility in Bridgend, Wales. Ineos has already involved a number of partners in the £600 million project, and already works with Magna’s powertrain division on chassis and development work. It has now agreed a deal with Austrian-based Magna Steyr to lead the development project to turn the concept into a series production machine. Ineos Automotive boss Dirk Heilmann said that the “transition from concept to series development is a major landmark in the evolution of the Grenadier.” He added that Magna Steyr had been chosen due to its “long heritage and experience in 4x4 development.” The Grenadier will be powered by BMW’s latest 3.0-litre straight six petrol and diesel engines. The firm is also working with Stuttgart-based consultancy MBTech on engineering for the new car. Magna Steyr is the automobile production arm of Canadian engineering giant Magna International, and has developed cars, technology and parts for manufacturers including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. It also operated a number of contract manufacturing plants, producing models including the Jaguar E-Pace and I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Magna Steyr was formed in 2001 from the Steyr-Daimler-Puch manufacturing concern, which had a long history of developing rugged off-road and military 4x4 vehicles, including the Steyr-Daimler-Puch Pinzgauer.

Mikel Arteta has been appointed Arsenal's new manager and, while he may appear something of a novice to many, those who know him well say it is a moment he started preparing for more than 20 years ago. Even in his early playing days at Barcelona's academy, in 1997, he was showing the kind of leadership skills which made him a distinctive figure. He has left his mark everywhere he has been since then, not merely as a player but also as a major influence on the team, both on and off the pitch. Such is the regard in which he is held at Manchester City, there has long been an understanding that it was only ever going to be a matter of time before their assistant manager found himself being offered the top job at another major club. He has rejected the possibility of leading Newcastle and Lyon in recent months as they did not feel right at the time. In a recent interview City manager Pep Guardiola said: "Everyone has dreams and desires. Hopefully he's going to stay this season and the next for as long as possible at this club. That would be my dream." In fact Guardiola, who knows that most managers cannot choose when and where to move, told Arteta that if an offer of this stature arrived, he would kick him out of the club himself. When it did, Arteta could not refuse - and he kept Guardiola informed of Arsenal's interest as he had done when other clubs approached him. In that same interview, Guardiola added that "with his knowledge about the game and his work ethic, he's ready, absolutely", adding that it was not beyond the realms of possibility that Arteta might be his successor as City boss. Guardiola will inevitably be a major influence on Arteta. As will another of the leading Premier League managers of recent years: Mauricio Pochettino. When Arteta moved to Paris St-Germain on loan in 2001, he found there a kindred spirit in the Argentine, who was one of the first players he tried to emulate. Pochettino, sacked by Tottenham in November, helped teach Arteta about what was right and wrong when it came to dressing room behaviour, how to interact with players, how to win the respect of team-mates and, crucially, how to become a leader. In Arteta's first game for PSG it became clear to Pochettino that this was a player prepared to assume responsibility when the 17-year-old asserted his authority by taking charge of free-kicks and other set-pieces. "He was brilliant not only because of his talent but his maturity on the pitch," the former Tottenham manager told Sky Sports in February. "His knowledge about football surprised me. He was a young player who had a capacity to talk at the same level as a 30-year-old player. "For me, he's going to be one of the best coaches when he decides to be a coach. He has the capacity to be one of the greatest, for sure. He's a top personality and character." After PSG, Arteta moved to Scotland to join Rangers and, again, his enthusiasm for assuming responsibility became abundantly clear. He was just 19 years and 48 days old when his 94th-minute penalty earned Rangers the 2002-03 league title thanks to a goal difference advantage of just one over Celtic. In the event, because Rangers had scored more goals they would have won the title even if Arteta had missed his spot-kick, but nonetheless the pressure on even the most experienced and mature of players would have been almost unbearable. At Everton, a club where he spent six years between 2005 and 2011, he fought for more creative players to be brought in and helped to build a totally different style and playing ethos than the one that existed when he first joined. The Toffees' manager at the time, David Moyes, quickly realised Arteta could improve the team on the pitch but also help develop the philosophy the Scot wanted to impose. It was at Arsenal, though, that he had his greatest influence. When he joined the club it was a quiet, split, disparate group where an easy-going Arsene Wenger had created a world of non-confrontational complacency. He encountered a monastically quiet dressing room where no-one was willing to speak out or say anything controversial. A place where no-one was prepared to stick their head above the parapet, even when necessary to ensure problems could be addressed and solved. But it wouldn't be long before he began to try to get his points across to his team-mates. Ten days after signing he made his debut and found himself faced with a silent dressing room after a sterile 0-0 first-half performance against Swansea. Unable to contain himself, he said his piece before turning to his left, where he noticed manager Arsene Wenger taking it all in but saying nothing. The Frenchman - and the players who witnessed the moment - knew then that he had brought a genuine leader into the club. One issue Arteta addressed at Arsenal was the lack of a bonus system, either for the players or anyone else in the organisation. He could see there were no incentives to do anything other than the minimum. He pushed for that system to be put in place. Along with players like Per Mertesacker (now head of the academy) and Freddie Ljungberg (who has been in interim charge since Unai Emery's sacking), Arteta helped change the dynamic of the Arsenal dressing room, not because they wanted to start trouble but because it had to be done if things were to get better. He knew if he was prepared to go into battle wherever he felt it would benefit the club, others would join him because they would realise it was being done for the right motives. And the more players joined, the more a family atmosphere was created. Barriers were broken down. According to a club source, it was at Arteta's suggestion that a room was built for players' families, who would gather there for three hours or more at the end of a game. The 37-year-old's first official coaching role came at City, courtesy of Guardiola. It was not a surprise move - the pair had enjoyed long conversations before Guardiola committed to moving to England in 2016. Arteta was not initially given any specific responsibility but Guardiola never lost sight of the fact he was the City coach who knew the Premier League better than anyone else. Effectively he was recruited to bring in young blood, new energy, different ideas, and to help with communication. Initially he listened, took on board the club's methods and culture, then he looked at what needed to be changed without upsetting the applecart and sought to impose smooth adjustments to the routine. Gradually he found his feet, suggesting improvements, and steadily his influence within the club grew. One of his major roles has been to bring out the best in players by looking to highlight what is missing from their games. He has been important in the development of Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane, as both have admitted, through video analysis and long chats in the office, as well as making corrections in training. Highlighting weaknesses in the game of any top-flight player can be a sensitive issue. But it is also an essential one. Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko had to make the transition to full-backs and Fernandinho has had to reinvent himself as a central defender. All three have benefited from Arteta's forensic expertise. Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus has had his fair share of problems integrating into the City way but he, too, has been helped by Arteta's guidance. In a recent interview he said: "He's helped a lot of players. When I want to do finishing after training, I tell him and he comes and helps me. He is really fantastic for us. All the players know that - everyone knows that in the club. He is a fantastic guy and fantastic manager." Bit by bit he gained the trust of the players until Guardiola eventually told him - before a league match against Arsenal - "I only ever hear you in training. You give the team talk today. You know Arsenal better than me - explain to them what they need to do and how." Arteta had well and truly arrived. That knowledge of Arsenal is undoubtedly one of the factors which attracted the club's board to appoint him and he will need every bit of experience gained from his time with Guardiola because, in a nutshell, so much of the team needs changing. It will help Arteta that he is strong-minded, a man with a set of principles that are non-negotiable. One player who knows him better than most is his former team-mate at Arsenal, Santi Cazorla, who was helped and mentored by Arteta when he joined Arsenal from Malaga. I spoke to Cazorla last week and he had no doubts his great friend would be more than capable of taking any top-flight managerial job and making a success of it. "He has the personality to do so and those who think otherwise are very much mistaken," he said. "He is not the sort of person who will shy away from making the most difficult and drastic decisions he might have to." Could Cazorla, a former Arsenal captain, be brought in to supplement a staff already comprising Mertesacker and Ljungberg? "In the future, who knows?" said Cazorla, who is enjoying playing for Villarreal after a two-year injury nightmare that almost left him unable to walk. "I will certainly have to work out what I want to be doing and it is right to say that we have a great relationship and many times we have talked about what the future will bring us. "I will always be open to helping him because he is my friend and also because of all the things he did for me when I came to England." Ultimately, of course, Arteta will be judged on results, just as Emery was before him. Arsenal believe they have the right man to restore them to their former glories and those close to Arteta believe he has all the skills to do just that. One thing is clear: it will take not just a strong will but time too, and the club is willing to give it to him.

Scientists say they have discovered a possible underlying cause of the neurological disorder, motor neurone disease (MND). The University of Exeter team says it has found evidence that MND is linked to an imbalance of cholesterol and other fats in cells. It says the research could lead to more accurate diagnosis and new treatments. MND affects around 5,000 people in the UK and causes more than 2,000 deaths a year. What is MND? Motor neurone disease is a group of diseases that affect the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that tell your muscles what to do. Also known as ALS, it causes muscle weakness and stiffness. Eventually people with the disease are unable to move, talk, swallow and finally, breathe. There is no cure and the exact causes are unclear - it's been variously linked to genes, exposure to heavy metals and agricultural pollution. What did the researchers find? Scientists at the University of Exeter say they had a "eureka moment" when they realised that 13 genes - which, if altered, can cause the condition - were directly involved in processing cholesterol. They say their theory could help predict the course and severity of the disease in patients and monitor the effect of potential new drugs. The theory is outlined in a paper, published in Brain: A Journal of Neurology. Lead author Prof Andrew Crosby said: "For years, we have known that a large number of genes are involved in motor neurone disease, but so far it hasn't been clear if there's a common underlying pathway that connects them." The finding particularly relates to what is known as the "spastic paraplegias", where the malfunction is in the upper part of the spinal cord. Dr Emma Baple, also from the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "Currently, there are no treatments available that can reverse or prevent progression of this group of disorders. Patients who are at high risk of motor neurone disease really want to know how their disease may progress and the age at which symptoms may develop, but that's very difficult to predict." Dr Brian Dickie, director of research at the MND Association, said the work raises some interesting ideas. "At the moment, it is unclear whether the imbalance observed is a cause of MND or a consequence of the disease. We look forward to seeing the outcome of further research in this area."

A pool installation company owner in Florida has paid off the bills of 36 families who were in danger of losing power during the holiday season. After receiving his own utility bill, Michael Esmond got the idea to "take a little bit of stress out" of the season for his neighbours. He contacted the city of Gulf Breeze, where he lives, to ask about helping out everyone whose payment was overdue. He says he was motivated by his own unheated holiday season years ago. While paying his gas and water bill earlier this month, Mr Esmond, 73, said that he noticed that it read that the due date was 26 December and that supplies may be cut if not paid by then. "This actually happened to me back in the 80s," he told BBC News, saying that he was having trouble juggling the costs of bills and Christmas gifts back then. "We actually had the gas shut off the whole entire winter," he said, adding that it happened to be one of the coldest ever recorded winters in Pensacola. Joanne Oliver, Gulf Breeze's utility billing supervisor, told WEAR-TV that she cried when he first approached her with the idea. "For someone like him, a veteran to come in and do some grand gesture. It was heartfelt for me," she said. In total, Mr Esmond paid $4,600 (£3,500) to help 36 families in his community of 6,000 residents. But what he didn't know until later was that the city sent out holiday cards to the recipients of his generosity saying: "It is our honour and privilege to inform you that your past due utility bill has been paid by Gulf Breeze pools & Spas. "You can rest easier this holiday season knowing you have one less bill to pay." "I think I really struck a nerve with a lot of people. People don't realise that there are people right now that don't have heat and electricity and everything in their house and their going to go through Christmas without that." "My phone hasn't stopped ringing with text messages and emails for days now," he says, with many people promising him they will "pay it forward" and do charitable acts that he helped to inspire. "It's just mind boggling to me," he added. Mr Esmond says he's already thinking of what he can do next year, but says it definitely will not be the same act of kindness. "People say 'are you going to do this again next year', and my reply to them is, if people knew I was going to do this nobody would pay their bill. "They'd all wait for me to pay it," he chuckled. "I'll have to think up something."

A Japanese court has ordered a high-profile TV reporter to pay 3.3 million yen ($30,000; £22,917) in damages to a journalist who accused him of rape. Shiori Ito alleged that Noriyuki Yamaguchi raped her in 2015 while she was unconscious. Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence for a criminal case, so Ms Ito brought a civil case. Ms Ito has become a symbol of the #MeToo movement in a country where people rarely report sexual assault. "I'm so happy," said 30-year-old Ms Ito, who held up a sign which read "victory" after the verdict was announced. But in a news conference hours later, Mr Yamaguchi said he planned to appeal - and he again denied the rape allegations. According to Ms Ito, 53-year-old Mr Yamaguchi - who is said to have close ties to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - invited her to dinner to discuss a possible job opportunity in 2015. She suspects she may have been drugged, saying that when she regained consciousness, she was "in a hotel room and he was on top of me". Ms Ito was an intern at news agency Reuters when the alleged rape occurred. Mr Yamaguchi was then Washington bureau chief for the Tokyo Broadcasting System, a major media firm in Japan. When Japan's women broke their silence Investigations were opened but then dropped by police, citing insufficient evidence. Ms Ito said police forced her to re-enact the alleged rape with a life-sized doll while male officers looked on. A 2017 government survey found that only 4% of rape victims reported the crime to the police. Shiori Ito: In her own words As part of the investigation into my allegations, I was asked to come to the police station adjacent to the hotel I was taken to that night. When I arrived, accompanied by my best friend, for moral support, I was taken to a gymnasium on an upper floor of the station. I had heard about what was about to happen, and asked for my friend to be able to come with me. The police refused. I was taken into the gym and told to lie on a mattress, and life-size mannequin was then produced and three male officers moved the doll on top of me, asking me intimate questions about exactly what happened and taking photographs. I was told this was essential to the investigation. It was at this time, that I had to make the shift in my head from complainant to journalist. The only way I have been able to continue has been to completely compartmentalise my feelings - I had to treat this as a story I was following: I was seeking the truth as a journalist, detached and dispassionate. That is still the way I try to frame it in my mind. Ms Ito filed a civil lawsuit against Mr Yamaguchi seeking 11 million yen ($100,517 ; £76,758) in compensation. Mr Yamaguchi, who denies any wrongdoing and claims the sex was consensual, filed a counter-suit seeking 130 million yen ($1,187,941; £907,135) in compensation. He will now have to pay Ms Ito $30,000 in damages, but there remains no criminal case against him. Under Japan's rape law, prosecutors must prove violence or intimidation was involved, or that the victim was "incapable of resistance".

The government is to add a new clause to the Brexit bill to rule out any extension to the transition period beyond the end of next year. The post-Brexit transition period - due to conclude in December 2020 - can currently be extended by mutual agreement for up to two years. But an amended Withdrawal Agreement Bill the Commons is set to vote on this week would rule out any extension. Critics say this raises the chance of leaving the EU without a trade deal. But senior Cabinet Minister Michael Gove insisted both the UK and the EU had "committed themselves to making sure that we have a deal" by the end of 2020. He also promised Parliament would be able to scrutinise the Withdrawal Agreement Bill "in depth". Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the move was "reckless and irresponsible" and he argued that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was "prepared to put people's jobs at risk". Downing Street has said the government plans to ask the new Parliament to have its first debate and vote on the withdrawal agreement - the legislation needed to ratify Brexit - on Friday. With a majority of 80 following Thursday's general election, Mr Johnson is expected to get the bill into law with few changes in time for the UK to end its EU membership on 31 January. The government will then have until the end of the transition period on 31 December to negotiate a free trade agreement with Brussels before the trade relationship defaults to World Trade Organization (WTO) terms. Senior EU figures, including the bloc's chief negotiator Michel Barnier, are sceptical that a deal can be agreed within that time. As well as ruling out an extension, the Independent reports that the amended withdrawal agreement may omit previous "provisions to ensure that workers' rights were not weakened after Brexit". Mr Gove said workers' rights would be "safeguarded" in separate legislation adding that the government wanted to make sure the Withdrawal Agreement Bill passes through Parliament "cleanly and clearly".

Clashes between riot police and anti-government protesters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, have left dozens of people wounded, witnesses say. The violence began as demonstrators, who had been attacked during a sit-in by masked counter-protesters, tried to move into a square near parliament. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, while protesters threw stones. At least 20 officers were also wounded. Protests over economic mismanagement by the ruling elite began in October. Saturday's events are some of the worst violence since the largely peaceful protests started. They triggered the resignation of the Prime Minister, Saad al-Hariri, but talks to form a new government are deadlocked. "It was a very peaceful protest. Everyone was singing chants that we're one people, that we're all peaceful and then some of the young guys pushed one of the fences that separated us," Mona Fawaz, who was at the protest, told the BBC. "We saw an enormous amount of police come out and really disperse us, push us and then they started [firing] tear gas on us. There was really no reason for all this demonstration of force." Riot police and security forces had been deployed in large numbers in Beirut, chasing demonstrators, beating and detaining some of them, Reuters news agency reports. Some protesters tried to push through steel barriers blocking the way to the parliament and government buildings. Clashes continued late into Saturday night. The Lebanese Civil Defence said it had treated 54 people for injuries, taking more than half to hospital. It was not clear whether they were all civilians. The protests have been the largest seen in Lebanon in more than a decade. They have cut across sectarian lines - a rare phenomenon since the devastating 1975-1990 civil war ended - and involved people from all sectors of society. Demonstrators are angry at their leaders' failure to deal with a stagnant economy, rising prices, high unemployment, dire public services and corruption. Their demands include an end to government corruption and the overhaul of the political system and the formation of an independent, non-sectarian cabinet. Talks between President Michel Aoun and parliamentary blocs to name a new prime minister were expected to be held on Monday.

Bun Venit!

Wellcome!

Wellcome!

Australia could experience its hottest day on record next week as a severe heatwave in the country's west is set to make its way east, forecasters say. Temperatures are likely to exceed 40C in many areas from Wednesday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) says. The current record of 50.7C was set on 2 January 1960 in the outback town of Oodnadatta in South Australia. Fire weather warnings have been issued for parts of Western Australia and Queensland. In Perth, in Western Australia, temperatures are forecast to remain high on the weekend, reaching 40C on Saturday and 41C on Sunday. Next week, the extreme heat is likely to continue in parts of Western Australia and also affect much of South Australia, where Adelaide should see highs of 40C on Tuesday and Wednesday, 41C on Thursday and 42C on Friday. Why Australia is expecting a long and dangerous summer Australia's deadly relationship with heat In Melbourne, in Victoria state, the temperature is forecast to hit 41C on Friday. The heatwave is also expected to affect areas of New South Wales and southern parts of the Northern Territory.