22/02/2018 Beyond 100 Days

You're watching Beyond One

Hundred Days on PBS.

The politics of grief.

Donald Trump proposes some

restrictions on guns

but defends America's gun lobby

as great patriots.

The President's

proposals include things

the powerful National Rifle

Association is unlikely to accept.

In Washington, the head of the NRA

says the Democratic Party

doesn't believe in freedom

and dismisses calls for gun control.

To stop a bad guy with a gun,

it takes a good guy with a gun.

At an hour-long meeting

at the White House,

the President reiterated his desire

to see trained teachers

carry guns in schools.

Also on the programme:

A vote in the UN

security council to spare more

bloodshed in the Syrian enclave

of Eastern Ghoutta is

delayed by the Russians.

The UN is calling for

a 30-day ceasefire.

The demands on the waters

of the Nile are increasing.

We report from Sudan, where further

efforts to dam the river

are creating regional tensions.

Get in touch with us

using the hashtag...

Hello and welcome -

I'm Katty Kay in New York,

and Christian Fraser is in London.

A week after the school

shooting in Florida,

America's gun lobby has finally

spoken up - and it

is not compromising.

As grieving parents and traumatized

children confront lawmakers

and the President, asking

for something be done to stop

the country's mass killings,

the NRA chief is blaming Democrats.

Wayne LaPierre is defiant.

As head of the organisation that

lobbies and funds politicians

on behalf of the gun industry

he is determined to prevent any

further restrictions

on gun sales in the US.

But many of the teenagers,

and their parents, who've spoken up

since the Florida attack,

say the NRA is out of

with the country, and is making

schools less safe.

As usual, the opportunists wasted

not one second to exploit tragedy

for political gain.

The breakback speed of calls

for more gun control

laws and the breathless national

media, eager to smear the NRA.

We're yet

to learn the finer detail

of the President's gun reforms,

but under consideration,

a proposal to arm some teachers,

raising the minimum age to buy

certain types of firearms,

and enhanced background checks.

Just a short time ago,

President Trump met with state

and local officials and had

this to say.

And I think we are making a lot

of progress, and I can tell

you there there is a tremendous

feeling that we

want get something done.

And we're leading that

feeling, I hope, but it

is a great feeling,

including at the NRA,

including with Republican senators

and hopefully Democrat

senators in Congress.

Let's get reaction

to the day's events

from Mica Mobascher.

She's a political commentator

and a member of the 2020

Trump Campaign National Advisory

Board.

Let me put a proposition to do.

Because President Trump is trusted

by Dan on us, and you are a member

of the NRA, is he actually the

president who might be able to shift

something when it comes to garner

laws, particularly around the age

which people can buy guns in the

country?

Absolutely. The art of the

deal president is all action

orientated, and a very compelling

session he had both students and

parents, many who were grieving,

especially one man who played the

last of his daughter. This signal is

that he is open to bipartisan

decisions, and the raising of the

minimum wage for AR-15 weapons is

something that the NRA is pushing

back against, and it is something

that the White House has signalled

that the president would be open to

supporting. Additionally, I feel

that he is looking into closing

those loopholes and efficiencies in

the national instant criminal tax

system that is used when you buy it

gun, and there is a bipartisan bill,

and the president is fully behind

this. Additionally, I would be

remiss if I did not bring up the

blistering attacks, well deserved,

on the FBI, his command centre,

which is a central call centre in

West Virginia deal to pass on

details, two text they received that

Nikolas Cruz had been identified as

a clear and present danger to

himself and potentially to those

around him. The BIA has an $8.9

billion budget, it is a bloated

bureaucracy with 35,000 employees,

56 field offices, and there have

been other deficiencies in the FBI

pointed out in the past, including

the former supervisor of the

management division make make man,

who in 2009 reported to his

supervisors and two assistant at the

idyllic that they were deficiencies

and failures are political that are

interfering with national security.

We need to hold agencies like the

FBI are accountable, Donal President

Trump will do so.

There is no

question there is a different tone

coming from the president. I want to

take you back to April 20 17th at

the candidate convention. This is

what he said.

I will never ever infringe on it the

right of the people to keep and bear

arms.

Never ever.

He has talked about Nix, but he has

also talked about banning public

stocks, maybe automatic weapons.

LaPeirre did not letting any of

that. Addy headed for a

confrontation?

I am concerned that

you can buy an AR-15 weapon when you

are not old enough to buy a beer. DN

Ali is pushing background as a

raising of the 80s to purchase

firearms as an infringement on

second Amendment is, but I don't see

product complements -- brother

compromise interferes with the right

to buy a gun. I think that President

Trump has the strength of leadership

to confront this and other tough

issues, especially from the very

powerful can lobby, with 500 million

members.

Thank you very much for

joining us.

Last night, the survivors

of the school shooting took part

in a nationally televised

town hall event.

One of the stand out moments

involved 17-year old Cameron Kasky,

one of the founders

of the #NeverAgain movement,

who put this question

to Senator Marco Rubio.

Senator Rubio, can you

tell me right now that

you will not accept a single

donation from the NRA in the future?

Well, number one,

the positions I hold on

this issue of the Second Amendment,

I've held since the day I entered

office in the city of Western Miami

as an elected official.

Number two...

No, the answer to the questions

is that people buy into my

agenda, and I do support

the second Amendment,

and I also support

the

right of you and everyone here to be

able to go to school and be safe.

Senator reviewer took to $20 million

from the NRA.

Well, let's get more reaction

from Republican Florida

State Representative Randy Fine -

he's in Tallahassee.

-- 2.3 million. Just talk to us

about Marco Rubio there. He is

talking about maybe being able to

ban high-capacity magazines. There's

anything that you would accept in

terms of restrictions on gun sales?

I would like to clear one thing up.

Everyone talks about the legislator

being bought and paid for by the

NRA. As far as I know, the NRA has

not given a single dollar to a

candid running for Florida in at

least 16 years. Those of us to be

lead in the right to keep and bear

arms, we believe it because we

believe it, not because anybody is

paying us too.

But do they put the

money in Congress, where the big

bullet scars that are taken?

I am

just a small representative in

Florida. I think we are going to

have a comprehensive package of

reforms. It will come out in the

next few hours. It is really going

to tackle all of the issues, because

the fact remains we had all the laws

in place to catch this file killer

before it happened, yet the

Government failed in its

responsibility to do so, so why do

we keep giving this same Government

more power to solve the problem, I'm

not sure.

One change to the lot that

the president has again talked about

in Washington is raising the age

that you can buy an assault weapon

from 18 to 21. That would have

changed the situation here. Nikolas

Cruz was 19. Would you support that

change to the legislation?

Nikolas

Cruz seems to have been sufficiently

convinced that I believe he would

have barred and find another weapon.

Just answer the question, which you

support raising the age?

I am open

to discussing it, but the question

is not an accurate one. And Florida,

it is already illegal to buy some

semiautomatic weapons until 21.

There are other magazines where it

is not. It is a simple matter of

looking at consistencies in our laws

and Father Almighty 's us transit

should be rather than some of them.

Would you also support looking at

high-capacity magazine clips, which

allows tutors to fire something like

30 bullets, are even more before the

half to pass?

I think we need to be

very careful before the infringe on

people's second Amendment rights.

And this country, we don't leave you

punish the matches because of the

mistakes of the few. They are 5

million AR-15 is in the United

States, only five had been used in

mass casualties shootings. We have

to keep in mind that the

overwhelming majority of gun owners

handle them any responsible way, and

they scared of restricting their

legs because of the actions of a few

people.

We had from Mr LaPierre that

freedoms are being taken away. What

freedom is therefore students are

too frightened to go to school are

being protected by teachers who are

arms or who are locked up behind

gates?

The fact of the matter is

that we have to protect our kids,

and whether it is from an AR-15

someone who wants to run people of

use a pressure cooker filled with

ball bearings as happened in Boston,

we need to protect our kids. There

are things we are going to be doing.

But more important than protecting

our kids, we need to figure out what

is going on with their kids that

makes them think this is a good

idea. The high school that I would

do, we had guns hanging on the racks

of pick-up trucks 25 years ago, yet

it never occurred to anyone to use

those to shoot people. We need to

focus on the symptoms. Don't get me

wrong, but we need to focus on the

underlying issues with what is going

wrong with their children that is

making some of them believe this is

acceptable.

Really good of you to

spare us back some time. Thank you

very much indeed. That speech from

Mr Lucky, it was quite a job link --

that speech from Mr LaPierre, it was

quite a jaw-dropping. Time and

again, he kept referring back to

this second Amendment. We have had

an awful lot about it. It is

interesting, because this second

Amendment is what is used by people

who support gun rights and the

country to say that there should be

no restrictions on guns, but

actually four tent in the past

decade federal appeals court in the

United States have ruled that

banning assault weapons is legal

under this second Amendment, so they

have also said that the Supreme

Court has said that gun rights are

not unlimited, i:e., gone rights are

limited in the country. So, there is

a debate about these weapons of war,

one of the file in the definition of

self defence or not, because that is

what the second Amendment protects,

but that they are just used to cause

harm, and should not be in people's

hands. It seems like the courts and

the Supreme Court do think that some

restrictions on assault weapons act

constitutional, but that is not an

argument duty from the gun lobby.

The residents of Eastern

Ghouta are living

without food, water and electricity.

In one area, 80% of the population

is now living underground.

Those grim figures come from the UN,

where the Security Council

is meeting in New York and is right

now debating a draft resolution

to end the bombing of

civilians in the enclave.

The resolution calls

for a month-long truce to get

emergency supplies into the area.

But of course Russia has

the power to veto this plan,

and their ambassador has already

signalled there is no agreement.

It will not be easy.

Our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen

has this report which does contain

some very distressing images.

What air strikes, more bombs and

more casualties. It is not letting

up. Armed rebels in eastern good has

have shelled Damascus, but enormous

damage is being done by the Syrian

Armed Forces and the Russian Alice,

deploying much more firepower in

places where civilians live and die.

Two sisters were in their home...

Warplanes bombed out building.

Now, look at home.

Getting on for 400,000

people terrified by

the sight and sound of aircraft,

are thought to be in eastern Ghouta,

which is the size of Manchester.

The Syrians insist they are

targeting terrorists but it's clear

many children are among

the wounded and the dead.

Improvised hospitals have been

set up in cellars and

basements during the years of war.

Now, though, the medics

are at full stretch.

This doctor wanted to send a message

to the people of Britain.

TRANSLATION:

We never wanted the war

and we don't want to live under it.

For the sake of our

children who have been

blown to pieces, for

the

sake of our children

who have died of hunger,

what we have seen every day has

caused us to collapse and

affected psychologically.

We don't have anything

more to offer, we are

being bled out.

She was treating 12-year-old

Mohammed who was dying.

His mother had been cooking

breakfast for her family when three

air strikes came in.

TRANSLATION:

I am here

waiting for my son to die.

At least he will be free

of pain, I prayed to God

to end his suffering.

Do we have to appeal to Azure? When

my boy dies, key will go to heaven,

but at least he will be able to eat.

I would like to die with him so that

I can look after him.

So many Syrians have

died in the war.

The killing is escalating.

And once again the world is watching

from a safe distance.

The situation clearly really

desperate Iniesta and get it at the

moment.

We can speak

now to David Ignatius,

a journalist for

The Washington Post.

He has just returned

from reporting in Syria.

Just looking at what is happening in

the conclave, if the Russians agreed

to this draft resolution for a 30

day truce, what happens to the

people?

That was a grand airport.

This early in regime, with Russian

backing, is trying to eradicate the

rebel opposition in eastern Ghouta,

just to the east of Damascus. This

has been a stronghold of the

opposition, this is an area where

CIA backed rebels where strong. My

fear is that we are watching a

replay of Aleppo, where again, US

CIA backed forces that were active

were finally destroyed by ruthless

bombing, barrel bombing, vicious

five inbound civilian areas. That is

happening in Eastern Ghouta. The

Russian bass blackbelt want to push

as far as it can. There may be a

ceasefire, as there was often in

Aleppo, but I think they will want

to keep the momentum going.

I want

to talk a little bad about the

carotid seen elsewhere in Syria,

because that is what you have been

looking at. You talked about the

craziness that is unfolding on the

battlefield, and I just want to give

our viewers a favourite of that

editorial. You wrote...

As you say, what we know have is

converging forces with diverging

interests. What is the policy of the

United States amid all that?

The

honest answer is that the policy of

the United States is confused. This

has become even more than before, a

shooting gallery. The Syrian Civil

War was catastrophic in terms of

loss of life and refugee flow, now

it is becoming a place where there

is little international proxy

warfare going on. The US with its

allies currently occupies about one

third of the country. The US has not

really decided what it wants to do

with that. This Secretary of State

Rex Tillerson has said the US forces

will remain the Ansaldi process

leads towards some kind of

transition, but that is a matter of

years away. What is the US strategy

for stabilising the situation?

Increasingly, I hear people in

Washington talking about the

importance of some kind of dialogue

involving the US, Israel, Russia and

inevitably Syrian regime. I think

the level of budget, the inability

to make any other approach to

transitional works comes means that

at some stage, the new stage will be

a change of policy.

Thank you very

much for joining us.

Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt

have set a deadline

of the end of the month

to try to resolve a long-running

dispute over the Blue Nile,

which is threatening relations

between the three countries.

Ethiopia has almost

finished building one

of the biggest dams in Africa,

to produce hydro-electric power,

but Egypt is worried it

will reduce its water supply.

Our Africa Correspondent

Alastair Leithead sent this

special report from Sudan.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

is almost finished.

Africa's biggest hydro-electric

power station has already bridged

the Nile.

And Sudan is waiting expectantly

for the cheap power that

will soon fizz across its border.

But that is not all.

The waters of the Nile transform

the Sudanese desert into a

land of plenty.

First it grew cotton,

a century ago, for British

textile mills, and now

there are vast circles of high

quality cattle feed,

mostly for export to the Gulf.

For Sudan, the great

advantage of this

new dam is to regulate

the flow of the Blue Nile.

This, at the moment,

is a dry season.

They're having to dredge just

so the pumping station

can receive water to

take to the fields.

In the wet season, the level

is as high as that platform - eight

metres higher.

That's what the dam

is going to change.

These are turbulent times.

Sudan's had a decade-long

deal with Egypt, but is

now at odds with its northern

neighbour over how much water the

country can use.

This is Sudan's richest man.

He owns a golf course

as well as the cattle feed farms.

For Sudan, it's wonderful.

I mean, it's really

the best thing that has

happened for a long time.

And I think the combination

of energy and

regular water levels

is a great blessing.

Cheap power to keep his cows

cool and to bring faster

development to eight Sudan emerging

from decades of crippling

US sanctions.

But Egypt is firmly against the dam.

The regional rivalries go back

as far as the pyramids...

..the Sudanese pyramids.

Egypt was once ruled

from here, 2000 years ago.

Powers on the Nile rise

and fall, and Ethiopia's

influence is growing.

Water in general is becoming highly

politicised, not only in this

region but elsewhere,

but I think if there is always,

as in our case, between

the three countries,

if the political will is around

involving the high-up authorities

in three

countries, I think it will work out.

But the diplomatic row

is far from settled.

Where the river's two great

tributaries meet in Khartoum, the

blue Nile from Ethiopia

supplies 85% of the water.

And so the dam, and its ability

to control the flow, is

making downstream Egypt nervous.

It is one of the top three places on

the planet most vulnerable to live

in sea level, and the problem is

that two thirds of the Egyptian

population live north of Cairo. If

you don't have water washing down

the river, then you get sallow

nation of that Delta area. So it is

not just about food, water, it is

about livelihoods. It has become a

national security issue for Egypt,

and as we have seems to these

reports, the tension is rising,

because Egypt fears that it is going

to be made more unstable by the

water that is taking upstream. OK,

Begu is some good news from Egypt.

Extraordinary footage has emerged

of the moment a policeman,

caught a little boy who was dangling

from the third floor of a building

in the city of Asyut.

You will see the panic

on the part of the officers,

as they first tried to position

a rug beneath the five-year-old,

but it all happened so quick

that he ended up falling into one

of the policemans arms.

What a catch.

Let's just take a look

again at that in slow mo.

Take a bow, that man.

The little boy, by all

accounts, was uninjured.

Here he is afterwards,

safe and sound, with some

very relieved parents.

This is Beyond

100 Days from the BBC.

Coming up for viewers

on the BBC News Channel

and BBC World News:

bonding in Buckinghamshire

senior ministers meet at the prime

minister's country residence

to try to reconcile their

differences over Brexit.

That's still to come.

It looks as though we will seek more

sunshine as we head towards the

weekend. This was the story today.

As you can see by the pictures sent

in from the Scottish Borders.

As you can see by the pictures sent

in from the Scottish Borders. After

a dreary start, the clouds broke up

from that caused, and they will have

spells of sunshine, and will

continue to take clear skies through

the evening, with the exception

being the father was. Under clear

skies and this time of year, that

only leads to one thing- a

widespread frost. Temperatures in

Northern Ireland perhaps holding up

slightly above freezing. It will be

a cloudy, grey start to Northern

Ireland and parts of Scotland. We

will also see a little bit of cloud

coming and all the deep north sea.

You can see below the cloud will

turn to linger, and also to the

Western Isles and into Northern

Ireland. For much of Wales, Central

and southern England, just a little

bit of cloud and they will seek murk

sunshine coming through. Still not a

particularly one day, but it is

going to get even colder, at this

high pressure across Scandinavia

really in the driving seat at the

moment. As we move into Saturday,

there will be more of a breeze,

particularly on the exposed coast,

that will make it feel quite fresh

out there. Hopefully, some sunshine

to compensate. And again, perhaps

Northern Ireland will have more

cloud. It'll be chilly on Saturday.

Into Sunday, almost a repeat

performance. A stronger breeze down

into East Anglia and the south-east,

making it feel much colder than the

temperatures suggest. Temperatures

around five to 7 degrees. You have

probably had that it is going to get

even colder still, with the air

originating all the way from

Siberia. Over the next few days, it

really looks as though the

temperatures and set to fall. You

can see that in the outlook.

Temperatures really struggling to

climb. You have been warned.

This is Beyond One

Hundred Days, with me

Katty Kay in New York -

Christian Fraser's in London.

Our top stories.

America's all-powerful

National Rifle Association backs

the president's call for armed

security at schools

across the United States.

The UN struggles to agree

on a ceasefire in Syria -

as government forces

continue their intense bombardment

of Eastern Ghouta for a 5th day.

Coming up in the next half hour.

Theresa May holds a war

cabinet at the prime

minister's country residence,

Chequers - to try to agree

the government's goals -

in the Brexit process.

And the secrets of success,

why no one can touch Norway

at the Winter Olympics.

Let us know your thoughts

by using the hashtag...

'Beyond-One-Hundred-Days'

Crucial, decisive,

momentous, urgent -

pick any of those words

and they would probably

apply to what's going

on the Prime Minister's country

retreat right now.

Theresa May is surrounded

by her closest ministers

at a meeting at Chequers.

She wants unity - and a common

approach to Britain's

negotiating position with the EU.

But THOSE words - unity,

conservative, and Europe very rarely

appear in the same sentence.

Theresa May has a long

day ahead of her -

and already we're being told

the meeting could go

well into tonight.

Our political correspondent

Alex Forsyth is at Chequers

and we can speak to her now.

The consequences of not finding an

agreement has been spilled out to

everyone in the Conservative Party.

Yes there has been a growing call

for clarity, not just from MPs in

Westminster or people in the UK but

crucially also from the other 27 EU

countries. What we want and what

Theresa May's top team is here for

is to work out the more detail about

what the UK believes is a long-term

relationship with the European

Union. Joined any chance -ish in

period, the tricky part is the

trading relationship. The question

is what will replace the customs

union and single market. How closely

will the EU -- the UK be aligned to

the EU beyond Brexit and what will

some people see as what we are

prepared to trade off regarding

sovereignty to get access to these

markets. These are the kind of thing

is the senior ministers will be

discussing and continue discussing

for the next few hours, to try and

provide the clarity so many people

are calling forth.

It sounds like

they are holed up in a confined area

and have to come out with an

agreement. Given that no secret

about divisions between ministers on

these issues, if you had to stake

your fortune on some of them coming

out with something after this

meeting, we would you point it?

My

fortune is not that sizeable but

what we can expect from to date is

not fine detail. Firstly, the

British Prime Minister has to be

clear she does not want to conduct

these negotiations in public. She

thinks it would be damaging to give

too much away in terms of public

discourse. I think what we will

too much away in terms of public

discourse. I think what we will get

is some broad statements, perhaps

not to date but in the next week or

so when we expect Theresa

not to date but in the next week or

so when we expect Theresa May to

give more detail, fleshing out the

endgame. This is the senior level

ministers trying to work out what

they want for Brexit long term. That

is just a starting position. It then

has to be negotiated with Brussels.

Once again we hear from the EU there

can be no cherry picking. The UK

cannot have all the benefits without

the rights and obligations of the

EU. The balancing act the Prime

Minister is conducting right now,

will continue for some time.

Thank

you very much indeed. Not many

lights on inside checkers. Indeed.

Maybe it is one of those episodes of

Cluedo. Anyway....

Over the past few years there is no

doubt that institutions

in America and around the globe have

taken a beating.

Government, banks,

charities and corporations -

all don't hold the same trust

they used to.

According to former US

Labor Secretary Robert Reich its led

to America losing its national

identity and sense of Common Good.

So can it be regained?

That's the topic of Mr Reich's

new book and he joins us

now from Washington.

Thank you for joining us. One of the

things Europeans have admired about

the United States is that people

feel American first. American

Muslims, American Christians,

American Swedes, Americans first and

foremost. Are you suggesting that

model is disappearing?

I think it is

unfortunately. The kind of

xenophobia we have seen, especially

under this administration, is the

culmination of years of decline in

the sense of we, the people. I am

not trying to exclude the rest of

the world. America was always

defined by ideals, not by the colour

of our skin or creed. America was a

set of principles and protection of

laws, freedom of the press but also

rule of law. Preciousness of

democracy. The notion that the type

-- truth was a public good. We have

seen increasingly the decline of

those norms over the years. We are

talking about public morality year.

We have to get back. The book is

about re-establishing those

fundamental norms.

As those norms

have declined, we have also seen a

rise in income inequality in this

country, stagnation for many people,

either two related?

They are

intimately related. As more and more

of the nation's wealth and income go

to the top, most people begin

believing the game is rigged against

them. Partly because it is. People

are great wealth, large corporations

have power to get deals and

regulations which helped them but

not the average person so wages have

stagnated in the United States for

many years. 35 years in fact, even

though the economy has grown, most

of has gone to the very top. That

sense that the game is rigged, we

see it all so in Europe, it was

behind Brexit and some of the for

Brexit. In the United States it took

the form of a 2016 election which

was anti establishment which put

Donald Trump in the White House and

cause the Democratic nomination to

go to Bernie Sanders almost.

There

is a phenomenon to both our

countries, when it comes to trump

and Brexit, people do not shift from

whatever position needs it. If you

believed in President Trump, you

will not see eye to eye with the

other side. This is bringing

something new to politics?

It has

become used to politics, we have now

a kind of tribal politics. It used

to be left versus right. Most people

were in the middle. Republicans

versus Democrats. Now you have

people who are very anti

establishment, anti-ruling class

that are both on the left and right.

You also have, and again Donald

Trump has brought this to the fore,

a deep anger between, from the

middle part of the country, many of

them white voters, not college

educated, not all of them but not

college educated tends to describe

most of them, anger what they call

the elites. People who are more

educated and more diverse in many

respects. That anger has seeped into

almost everything. People do not

change their positions, they are

digging in.

Thank you very much for

joining us. He joined -- he worked

in the Clinton administration. There

was probably more of homogeneity in

the country. It is really from 1990

onwards we see this rising distrust,

along with the rise in income

inequality. As he said, it is

impossible not to believe they are

related. The debate is whether the

institutions in this country are

strong enough to keep the country

together.

That was the question

around their trump election. He has

criticised the law agencies, courts

and the press but most people would

say those agencies are resilient.

The investigating are probably doing

their job as well. The institutions

are holding up. The long-term trend

of fragmentation on the side of the

Atlantic and your side, it is hard

to see how that ends. Talking of

fragmentation dot-mac

Here in the US, the legacy

of the Black Panther

movement of the 1960s and 70s is one

of racial injustice, black

empowerment, and armed struggle.

These were mostly young,

African-American men who made

headlines with their calls for black

liberation, and their violent

clashes with police.

Now, a new exhibit in New York

focuses on 20 former

Black Panther members -

many who remain incarcerated.

The BBC's Nada Tawfik

went for a look.

It's been half a century

since the Black Panthers marched

through the streets,

with upraised fists,

crying out power to

the people in their black

berets and jackets.

Many of the black

nationalist movement's most

controversial figures

remain in prison today.

They are the subjects of this

new exhibition by Sophia Dawson.

I think it is really powerful

to have somebody whose

story was supposed to be forgotten

or buried under a rug, to have them

on the outside larger-than-life

in front of the people

who may be encountering

their story for the first time.

Sophia says this is a project

of both passion and protest.

For the last eight years

she has written and visited

former Black Panthers

still incarcerated.

Those letters feature

in many of the portraits.

Even the technique is a nod

to black empowerment.

I start off all in black.

It is actually an act

of protest, a political

statement and solidarity

with the Panther

and embracing that

the

colour black is beautiful.

I thnk it's really fun to have these

colours on a black surface.

Power to the people.

They were black revolutionaries

who openly carried weapons.

They said it was for armed self

defence against police brutality.

To the FBI the Panthers

were armed militants.

To others they were

freedom fighters.

I did not know that

free health clinics in

this country did not exist before

the Panther movement.

I did not know of the free

breakfast clubs did not

exist before the Panther movement.

Under constant pressure from law

enforcement, the movement faded.

This exhibition weaves very personal

stories with the larger societal

issues the Panthers were fighting.

Since Sophia started

painting her subjects, a number have

actually been released.

They say that the same

injustices they saw so many

years ago remain.

Sekou Odinga was a leader

of the Black Panthers in New York.

He served his time for charges

of attempted murder.

He maintains he was given a heftier

sentence for his ativism

and political beliefs.

The media always projected us

as being some kind of terrorists,

some kind of wild, violent bunch.

Unprovoked attacks on police.

They never talked

about how many black

men, women and children were dying

at the hands of the police every day

and still do.

The fight against racism

and inequality is once again

demanding public attention.

The upraised fists,

athletes taking the knee,

the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sophia believes understanding of how

past activists fought will help

today's activists pave

the way forward.

Anti-depressants do

work and more people

could benefit from taking them -

that's the verdict of a major

study led by Oxford

University here in the UK.

Scientists analysed data from more

than 500 trials and looked

at more than 20 drugs -

and found they all helped patients

manage their condition.

Our correspondent

Sima Kotecha reports.

There were times, you know, I felt

really low, to the point I didn't

want to be around anyone or anybody

or have any interaction

with family or friends.

There were times when I didn't

understand my position in life.

Jon needed help.

He was struggling to cope.

His doctor prescribed

antidepressants.

I still think there's a lot

of stigma around it, as to,

you know, are you weak

because you take them?

Are you are a nut-nut

because you take them.

I had an image of Jack Nicholson

in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

at the end when he's a complete

and utter zombie and you lose

something about yourself,

something that makes you you.

And that's what I was concerned

about, you'd turn into zombie

without any feeling.

But the only way I can describe

it is that it gives you a kind

of buffer around some

of the negative thoughts

and your mind racing.

Today's report found that 21 of some

of the most common antidepressants

were more effective at treating

anxiety and depression

than dummy pills.

Those behind the report

as well as other GPs say the results

show that these tablets could help

more people cope with low moods.

For too long, healthcare

professionals have been denigrated

and slated for prescribing drugs

that they know will work.

So many patients tell us they work.

We only want to do this

for the best of our patients.

It is not about fobbing people off,

it is genuinely trying to help them.

In 2016, 65 million prescriptions

for antidepressants were issued

and the numbers are rising.

But some critics say

depression can be solved

through positive mental attitude.

You say you've been

on them for five years...

The research also outlines

which pills work best.

However, the authors are urging

people not to switch medication

before getting advice.

This is Beyond

One Hundred Days.

Still to come - A leap

into the future for the world's

oldest commercial satellite station

- as the English County of Cornwall

turns its attention to Mars.

More than a million university

students face massive

disruption for the next month

after lecturers walked out

over a pensions dispute.

They say proposed changes

could leave them £10,000

worse off every year in retirement.

But thousands of students -

who pay more than £9,000

in fees a year - say

they'll demand compensation

if their studies are disrupted.

Our Education Correspondent

Elaine Dunkley reports.

at Leeds University, lecturers out

on the picket line. Thousands of

lectures have been cancelled across

the UK, the message, give us the

pension be paid into or there will

be massive disruption.

We are likely

to lose about £10,000 a year. Vice

chancellors are earning £250,000 a

year so I have questions about why

the money should not be coming out

of their salaries and not out of her

pension.

The University say a £6

billion deficit in the scheme means

it is unsustainable and could only

be maintained by making cuts to jobs

and research. University say they

have offered a good deal but

lecturers are not convinced. The

student support the lecturers but

also worried about their future.

More than 80,000 students have

signed petitions calling for a fees

to be reimbursed.

When we signed up

to university, it was specified in

the cubicle and we would have a

certain number of hours of contact

time with our lecturers. Anything

short of that is a breach of the

contract and a breach of the £9,000.

We should be compensated for that.

I

think out of our £1150 loss of

contact time.

This dispute is being

fought on campuses across the UK.

How it is resolved will have a

significant impact on the retirement

of thousands of lecturers and the

future of millions of students.

You're watching Beyond

One Hundred Days...

It's a nation of only 5 million

people but right now Norway

is flexing its muscle

at the Winter Games in Pyongchang.

Look at that ex-mac

With 35 medals it is leading

the pack - besting both

Germany and Canada.

So what is the secret

to their success?

The long winters, plentiful snow

or the folk saying that in Norway

people are just born with skis

on their feet?

A brief time ago I spoke

with Norway's Ambassador

to the US to find out.

ambassador, congratulations, Norway

is doing fantastically at the

Olympics. How is it that a country

of little more than 5 million people

is sweeping South Korea at the

moment?

First of all, thank you for

the congratulations. It is very nice

these days to be a Norwegian. I

think also the reason we're doing so

well has to do with the

preparations. Prior to the Olympics.

Also that skiing in Norway,

cross-country or downhill is really

popular and part of the Norwegian

culture and history and traditions.

That is also infrastructure in

Norway. This has had an important

impact on the results were seeing.

You have long winters and a lot of

snow but it has not always indicate

you have done so well. In the 2006

Olympics you were beaten by Sweden

in terms of medals. Did that cause a

moment of national introspection?

No, I don't think so. This year

Norway is doing very well and we

have been doing well also in the

past. There have also been Olympic

tournaments where we have not done

so well but this year we have won so

many medals, which really is

fantastic. That can change in the

future but now we have to be pleased

with the results so far.

Is there a

sport you have been particularly

pleased with?

I think the skating

was something which we hoped would

happen, the 500 metres. And it did.

I mention that because we have not

one that competition in 70 years so

that was very very nice that he was

able to win the gold medal. But in

general, I would say their Norwegian

athletes are doing fantastic. We

have to recognise what they are

doing but also to recognise the

support team around them. But

skiers, the waxing experts are also

vital in the success.

I have seen

the wonderful stories about waxing

experts, who knew the research are

critically important national

profession? You of course are

ambassador to the United States, the

US has not done so well in these

Olympics as many Americans might

have anticipated, does this put you

in a not quite position?

No, it is

not. We are friends and allies. It

is a healthy competition. Being the

Norwegian ambassador is great. My

colleague is having a harder time

than I am having for the time being.

Do you wish you were back home, what

is the atmosphere like?

People are

very satisfied with the results but

it is also important to say that,

this is a friendly competition. It

is about sports activities. One of

the team leaders of the Norwegian

team said that, we are going to

quote here to have fun and to make

friendship and relations with other

nations. That is also an important

part of why they are competing and

an important part of the Olympic

spirit.

Norway has also gone to the

Olympics to win, you did not have to

see it but thank you very much.

Thank you. Christian, you're very

smart, and instant maths. 5 million

people, they have won 35 medals, how

many medals as that per person.

I am

clearly not very smart at all.

Hold

on a second, that is one that medal

for every 140,000 Norwegians. That

is phenomenal. Even we could get a

medal at that rate.

Yes, I could get

a medal in cross-country. I was

doing that in Andorra last week

without skis.

I would like to see

you speed skating.

No, the best

performance since 1994. The UK is

currently 17th so maybe the Norway

model is the one to fall.

They have

a population much smaller than us.

We're used to hearing

about rocket launches controlled

by NASA from Houston,

but what about missions into space

directed from in south-west England?

Well, multi-million dollar plans

have been announced to upgrade

a huge satellite dish

on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall

to direct missions into deep space.

It coincides with a bid

by Newquay Airport

to become an official "space hub"

for satellite launches -

putting the region firmly

on the space map, as Jon Kay has

been finding out.

NEWSREEL: Upon the fantastic dish

aerial of Cornwall's

Goonhilly Downs...

Since the 1960s, Goonhilly has

been making history,

like receiving the first pictures

from the Telstar satellite.

..Goonhilly marks an

impressive step forward in

international communication.

And now this Earth Station will be

the first place in Britain

which can direct missions

into deep space.

This is Goonhilly dish number six.

This antenna is 32

metres in diameter...

Also known as Merlin.

It rotates 360 degrees...

This one was built in the 1980s.

It beamed Live Aid around the world,

but now an £8 million upgrade means

it will be able to do

much, much more.

We will be able to send commands

to spacecraft around the moon

and around Mars, and also receive

data coming back from

the moon and Mars.

So in 2020 when a Mars

rover is on the surface

of Mars and detects life,

we could send that data back and be

received by this antenna here.

Direct to Cornwall?

Direct to Cornwall.

And Cornwall's ambitions to join

the space race don't end here.

Newquay airport.

Today passengers were flying to

Dublin and Manchester, but soon it

could be much further.

Because this county, which relies

on tourism, wants to take

things to the next level.

The airport is bidding

to turn its two-mile runway

into a commercial spaceport,

hoping for a share of

a multi-billion pound industry.

The millions for Goonhilly

are coming from the local enterprise

partnership, and some ask

if it's the best use

of public money right now.

One local baker delivering

space-themed pasties

today believes this poor county

needs to aim for the stars.

The perception of Cornwall

from a lot of people

is that it's a beautiful

place, which it undoubtedly

is, but we also need

a thriving future for people.

It would be great to see better

high-tech jobs being created

in a very much a long-term project.

More customers for you.

That would be nice.

Pasties and a giant dish.

The new Cornwall.

John Kay, BBC News, Goonhilly.

Coming up next on BBC World News -