:00:18. > :00:18.Welcome to Reporters, I'm Philippa Thomas.
:00:19. > :00:21.From here in the BBC News room, we send out correspondents to give
:00:22. > :00:26.you the best stories from across the globe.
:00:27. > :00:28.In this week's programme: Is America's mission
:00:29. > :00:38.Justin Rowlatt asks what the Trump administration should do
:00:39. > :00:45.According to the American government's own estimates,
:00:46. > :00:48.the Taliban still controls a third of the country, opium
:00:49. > :00:52.production is at record highs, and corruption is still rife here.
:00:53. > :00:54.Who are the happiest children in the world?
:00:55. > :01:01.Anna Holligan meets mums who have gone Dutch to try to find out.
:01:02. > :01:05.And the future of Formula 1, as its legendary leader,
:01:06. > :01:09.Dan Roan examines his legacy, and meets the man
:01:10. > :01:17.It's been running as a one-man dictator for a long, long time.
:01:18. > :01:19.I think the sport needs a fresh perspective.
:01:20. > :01:22.As Donald Trump settles into his new home in the White House,
:01:23. > :01:27.one of his most pressing issues in is in-tray is Afghanistan.
:01:28. > :01:30.In the past he's described America's involvement as a disaster but he's
:01:31. > :01:33.also told the Afghan leader, the US will not waiver
:01:34. > :01:41.The international combat mission there ended in 2014 but 13,000 Nato
:01:42. > :01:43.troops remain and most of them are American.
:01:44. > :01:45.With the Taliban and other militant groups gaining ground,
:01:46. > :01:47.Justin Rowlatt has been trying to find out if the US
:01:48. > :02:01.will cut its losses and bring America's longest war to an end.
:02:02. > :02:09.Another team of Afghan soldiers is flying in to Helmand province.
:02:10. > :02:12.The BBC got rare permission to join them.
:02:13. > :02:15.It has been hard going for the Afghan army since the US
:02:16. > :02:19.and its Nato allies pulled out most of their troops at the end of 2014.
:02:20. > :02:21.These days, the soldiers don't have far to travel
:02:22. > :02:27.It is right on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.
:02:28. > :02:30.The Taliban now control more than 80% of the province and,
:02:31. > :02:38.TRANSLATION: For a month we have been saying we are running out
:02:39. > :02:41.of ammunition but we don't get any new supplies.
:02:42. > :02:43.Our enemy is firing at us but we don't have enough
:02:44. > :02:56.His commander urges President Trump to continue to support
:02:57. > :03:05.TRANSLATION: As a soldier of Afghanistan, I ask his
:03:06. > :03:07.excellency, Donald Trump, to continue the fight here.
:03:08. > :03:15.If he can give us more support we can wipe the terrorists out.
:03:16. > :03:16.The West still has 13,000 troops in Afghanistan,
:03:17. > :03:21.This is their headquarters in Kabul but the truth is 15 years of war...
:03:22. > :03:31.The West has spent more in real terms on reconstruction
:03:32. > :03:33.here in Afghanistan than America spent on the reconstruction of
:03:34. > :03:41.Now despite that, according to the American government's
:03:42. > :03:43.own estimates, the Taliban still controls a third
:03:44. > :03:46.of the country, opium production is at a record high and corruption
:03:47. > :04:00.Nato commanders say America does have clear strategic
:04:01. > :04:06.interests in Afghanistan - Training and assisting
:04:07. > :04:14.the Afghan army and targeting terrorist organisations.
:04:15. > :04:19.So, specifically, Al-Qaeda, as well as the Islamic State,
:04:20. > :04:21.that is what really keeps direct pressure on the organisations
:04:22. > :04:24.that threaten the West and threaten our homeland.
:04:25. > :04:26.And other powers are flexing their muscles in Afghanistan.
:04:27. > :04:29.Last month Russia hosted a meeting in Moscow about the country's future
:04:30. > :04:32.with senior officials from China and Pakistan and it makes no secret
:04:33. > :04:35.of the fact it has been talking to the Taliban.
:04:36. > :04:37.But there is an even more pressing reason to remain,
:04:38. > :04:40.this is the aftermath of a Taliban bomb-blast in the heart
:04:41. > :04:43.At the Military Hospital, policeman Mr Rashidi is recovering
:04:44. > :05:00.Donald Trump and his advisors are unlikely to want to be
:05:01. > :05:02.responsible for America's longest war ending in what many people
:05:03. > :05:07.Are Dutch children the happiest in the world?
:05:08. > :05:09.Youngsters in the Netherlands consistently rank at the top
:05:10. > :05:14.Well, apparently parents go out of their way to please them
:05:15. > :05:24.Than some of their European counterparts.
:05:25. > :05:27.Anna Holligan has been to meet two British mums who have gone Dutch
:05:28. > :05:31.to see what happens when you place children at the centre of society.
:05:32. > :05:32.This doesn't take much, according to the Dutch,
:05:33. > :05:34.they've got the most contented babies, the happiest
:05:35. > :05:36.kids and as adults, the best work-life balance.
:05:37. > :05:40.They place a high value on family life and on communication
:05:41. > :05:44.So part of eating together is about talking together.
:05:45. > :05:47.And the Dutch scored the highest on children who ate breakfast before
:05:48. > :05:50.they went to school and that sets them up for the day so at the end
:05:51. > :05:53.of the day it doesn't matter that it is chocolate.
:05:54. > :05:55.Chocolate sprinkles clearly contradicts the healthy eating
:05:56. > :05:57.advice, and yet Dutch kids have some of the lowest obesity rates,
:05:58. > :06:01.which may be linked to the fact that so many cycle to school but,
:06:02. > :06:04.as you can see bikes and cars have separate lanes so parents don't
:06:05. > :06:07.have the same worries about sending kids out on two wheels.
:06:08. > :06:10.And when they get to school, Dutch pupils don't face academic pressure.
:06:11. > :06:22.Things like tests and homework until later.
:06:23. > :06:25.When there is not so much pressure, children start school by a positive
:06:26. > :06:27.way, by enjoying it, by feeling this is something nice
:06:28. > :06:30.to do, and I think that lasts your whole life.
:06:31. > :06:32.That's backed up by Unicef statistics which suggests these
:06:33. > :06:34.children are more likely to go on to further education
:06:35. > :06:39.You'll see lots of fathers at the school gates.
:06:40. > :06:41.The Dutch government legislates for unpaid "daddy days",
:06:42. > :06:43.which encourage families to share the childcare.
:06:44. > :06:51.And plus we always read in all of these book, right,
:06:52. > :06:56.So I'm really happy that it is part of a culture where they are just
:06:57. > :07:03.And the by-product of giving kids greater independence?
:07:04. > :07:06.At least when they're a little older.
:07:07. > :07:08.Head due west from here and you'll reach Essex.
:07:09. > :07:11.The UK may be geographically close but there are of course fundamental
:07:12. > :07:13.differences between our societies and not all the lessons
:07:14. > :07:15.from here can be exported to over there, but they
:07:16. > :07:24.Anna Holligan, BBC News in the Hague.
:07:25. > :07:27.Now, anxious times at Formula 1 after the man who transformed
:07:28. > :07:29.the sport into a billion dollar global business stood
:07:30. > :07:43.Bernie Ecclestone ruled F1 for nearly 40 years with an iron
:07:44. > :07:45.grip and an astuteness that's been arguable unmatched across business
:07:46. > :07:54.But he's been accused by his successor, Chase Cary,
:07:55. > :07:56.of running the sport like a one-man dictator.
:07:57. > :07:58.The new man at the top of Formula One has been talking
:07:59. > :08:01.to Dan Roan about the future of the sport.
:08:02. > :08:03.There's Bernie Ecclestone, the Tsar of Formula One.
:08:04. > :08:08.He's been a driving force like no other.
:08:09. > :08:11.Having ruled Formula 1 with an iron grip for decades,
:08:12. > :08:13.Bernie Ecclestone transformed it into a global commercial phenomenom.
:08:14. > :08:22.At times it seemed he would go on forever, but with a multi-billion
:08:23. > :08:24.pound American takeover came a sudden change in direction.
:08:25. > :08:27.F1's new boss told me why it was the end of the road
:08:28. > :08:30.I would expect this is difficult for Bernie.
:08:31. > :08:37.I mean he's run the sport as a one-man, he calls
:08:38. > :08:39.himself a dictator - he's run it as a one-man
:08:40. > :08:48.I think the sport needs a fresh perspective.
:08:49. > :08:51.From second hand car salesman, to team owner and then
:08:52. > :08:52.commercial rights holder, Ecclestone's rise was remarkable.
:08:53. > :08:54.The 86-year-old's deal-making skills brought him famous friends,
:08:55. > :08:56.powerful contact and billions in the bank.
:08:57. > :09:07.Some comments caused offence and he was forced to settle
:09:08. > :09:10.a bribery case in 2014 but this diminutive figure will be remembered
:09:11. > :09:18.You can't have a Bernie - it will never exist,
:09:19. > :09:22.The circumstances will never exist and he'll go down in history
:09:23. > :09:29.But recently F1 has struggled to match the thrills of the past,
:09:30. > :09:31.and amidst a dramatically declining TV audiences,
:09:32. > :09:34.one team boss told me the sport now needs a revamp.
:09:35. > :09:36.I think the most important thing is getting back
:09:37. > :09:47.to the basics of outright racing, engaging with the fans,
:09:48. > :09:50.engaging with the public, and perhaps de-complicating
:09:51. > :09:53.the cars a little and going back to man and machine
:09:54. > :09:57.For a long type now, Formula One has been able to depend
:09:58. > :09:59.on its unique mix of speed, glamour and technology
:10:00. > :10:05.But there's a sense from within the sport that
:10:06. > :10:07.from an ultra competitive and shifting sports market that now
:10:08. > :10:11.We need to use all the platforms, the traditional platforms available,
:10:12. > :10:13.and the marketing available to tell the stories of the
:10:14. > :10:16.We've got to make our events larger than ever.
:10:17. > :10:20.Week-long events, cities at the tracks.
:10:21. > :10:23.With music and entertainment, with sport at the centre of it.
:10:24. > :10:25.But I've talked to about 21 Super Bowls and that's
:10:26. > :10:32.This is a seismic moment for F1 - Ecclestone's been offered
:10:33. > :10:36.an advisory role but a man so used to being the puppet master is no
:10:37. > :10:40.The world of sport will surely never see his like again.
:10:41. > :10:42.And that's all from Reporters this week.
:10:43. > :10:54.From me, Philippa Thomas, goodbye for now.
:10:55. > :11:02.And on and on. It will eventually get milder everywhere across the UK,
:11:03. > :11:06.but not just yet. -- well, the weather is turning. Overall tomorrow
:11:07. > :11:07.the weather is looking split, we have rain