0:00:07 > 0:00:08This is BBC World News.
0:00:08 > 0:00:09I'm Sharanjit Leyl.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Our top stories:
0:00:11 > 0:00:14In Syria, the first evacuations begin from a rebel-held
0:00:14 > 0:00:15suburb near Damascus.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18But there's no relief for the hundreds more trapped
0:00:18 > 0:00:20in Ghouta.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Record snow falls on the US city of Erie, burying homes and cars
0:00:24 > 0:00:31under deep drifts.
0:00:31 > 0:00:39You know, it is a little ridiculous but I keep pecking away at it.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Meanwhile in the UK, snow and ice cause widespread
0:00:41 > 0:00:44disruption to travel, on the roads and in the air.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Barack Obama urges the responsible use of social media,
0:00:47 > 0:00:48in his first interview since leaving office.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52He's been speaking to Prince Harry here on the BBC.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Hello and welcome to BBC World News.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Aid workers and Syrian volunteers have begun to evacuate dozens
0:01:11 > 0:01:15of critically-ill patients from a rebel-held suburb near Damascus.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Last week, international aid agencies made an appeal
0:01:18 > 0:01:21to President Assad to allow the evacuation of seven children
0:01:21 > 0:01:23with cancer.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26The first of the patients were taken out of Eastern Ghouta overnight
0:01:26 > 0:01:30by the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34More patients should be evacuated in the coming days as part of a deal
0:01:35 > 0:01:36between the government and rebels.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38But hundreds more are in need of treatment.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The medical situation for people living in eastern Ghouta
0:01:41 > 0:01:45is desperate after four years under siege.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50Martin Patience reports from Beirut.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Seven-year-old Imjy is preparing for a short journey,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58and it will almost certainly end up saving her life.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01She is suffering from haemophilia,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03but last night she was among four critically-ill patients
0:02:03 > 0:02:09to be evacuated to Damascus for life-saving treatment.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12This is what she's leaving behind.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Eastern Ghouta is one of the last remaining rebel strongholds,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It's been bombed and besieged for four years,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27with fighting intensifing in recent weeks.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30I think it's a combination of everybody's efforts,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34that at this really low time in Syria there is a ray of light,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37and it's the children.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It's the children who are missing growing up in Syria -
0:02:40 > 0:02:41we must sort them out,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44to give Syria a chance of a prosperous and peaceful future.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46But food is hard to come by.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Malnutrition is now widespread.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Human rights groups accuse the Syrian government
0:02:52 > 0:02:57of trying to starve the rebels into submission.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00This evacuation may have the appearances
0:03:00 > 0:03:03of a humanitarian gesture, but that's simply not the case.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05We've been told by two sources that the Syrian government
0:03:06 > 0:03:10only agreed to it as part of a prisoner exchange.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13The main rebel faction in Eastern Ghouta agreed to free
0:03:13 > 0:03:1529 Syrian government hostages,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19and in return the same number of critically ill patients
0:03:19 > 0:03:24are being allowed to receive urgent medical care.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29But the United Nations says hundreds of others need to be evacuated.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Among them, three-month-old Karim,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35who was injured by government shelling.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37He lost his left eye.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40His mother was killed.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Despite a prominent social media campaign, he is not being allowed
0:03:43 > 0:03:46to leave Eastern Ghouta.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51TRANSLATION:Karim is injured, he's going to lose his sight.
0:03:51 > 0:03:58Here in the Ghouta he can't get treated.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00The doctor wants to perform an operation,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04so that he doesn't lose the sight in his other eye.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05For some there is now hope,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08but for most, help is not coming any time soon.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13Martin Patience, BBC News, Beirut.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Anastasia Isyuk is the spokesperson of ICRC.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Earlier she explained the situation her colleagues
0:04:19 > 0:04:27are facing as they evacuate people from Ghouta.
0:04:27 > 0:04:34The situation is very difficult, as you can imagine. Already it was
0:04:34 > 0:04:40clear that the situation was deteriorating and people were angry.
0:04:40 > 0:04:47Mothers who had to look for food for their children on a daily basis and
0:04:47 > 0:04:53now as the weather gets worse, with the lack of fuel and medical supply,
0:04:53 > 0:04:58the situation is practically impossible the people. The current
0:04:58 > 0:05:03evacuation taking place, carried out by the searing Red Crescent and my
0:05:03 > 0:05:11colleagues, it is in its very early stages and we fully realise that it
0:05:11 > 0:05:19is not something that can resolve all the issues. We do hope it can
0:05:19 > 0:05:26continue but people in eastern Ghouta need regular at a and an
0:05:26 > 0:05:32unimpeded supply of basic items.How challenging is it to get the patient
0:05:32 > 0:05:38is out in terms of getting ambulances and convoys in Bass well,
0:05:38 > 0:05:45you know, last night we started this operation with colleagues from the
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Syrian Red Crescent and it has been a long process and an agreement has
0:05:49 > 0:05:55been reached.We do hope that in the coming hours and days, we are able
0:05:55 > 0:06:01to evacuate people according to the agreement that has been reached so
0:06:01 > 0:06:06far and we hope that in the coming weeks we can do more.The evacuation
0:06:06 > 0:06:14is in its early stages but you hopeful more patients will be
0:06:14 > 0:06:18allowed out and will that entail more negotiations with the start
0:06:18 > 0:06:22government and potentially the rebels. -- Bashar al-Assad
0:06:22 > 0:06:32government.These are very complex negotiations. To provide guarantees
0:06:32 > 0:06:39to ask, we provide only humanitarian intermediary and she and we help
0:06:39 > 0:06:44people in critical conditions to reach hospitals in the massacres. We
0:06:44 > 0:06:49hope that in the coming weeks that can be more of these and all people
0:06:49 > 0:06:55in need of medical aid can receive it and more people who stay and
0:06:55 > 0:06:59continue to live in eastern Ghouta could have access to humanitarian
0:06:59 > 0:07:05aid. This is certainly a positive step but more needs to be done in
0:07:05 > 0:07:06the coming weeks.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09An arctic cold snap is bringing sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow
0:07:09 > 0:07:11to large parts of north-east America and Canada.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Temperatures have been reported as low minus fifteen in Toronto.
0:07:14 > 0:07:23While the US lakeside city of Erie, in Pennsylvania, has had a record
0:07:23 > 0:07:261.5 metres of snow in 48 hours, with more on the way.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33DeMarco Morgan from CBS News has the story.
0:07:33 > 0:07:40A snow emergency in Erie after record 53 inches of snow in less
0:07:40 > 0:07:45than 36 hours.You cannot even tell how bad it is.So is bearing cars
0:07:45 > 0:07:52and bringing traffic to a halt.All I could do was a laugh. It is a
0:07:52 > 0:07:57little ridiculous but I keep pecking away at it.As people tried to pick
0:07:57 > 0:08:04out, Moris piling up across the lakes.It will not stop.Emergency
0:08:04 > 0:08:08management say plough drivers are working around the clock to clear
0:08:08 > 0:08:13the streets.They have been doing a fantastic job but with the elements
0:08:13 > 0:08:19out there, it is hard to keep up with this amount of snow. It is
0:08:19 > 0:08:23making for tough commute. I could only do 20 miles an hour.More than
0:08:23 > 0:08:2940 accidents in Missouri on Tuesday. Three people killed in three
0:08:29 > 0:08:36separate caches. -- crashes. It could reach 40 below zero in some
0:08:36 > 0:08:41parts of the region today. The wind is the hardest part. City officials
0:08:41 > 0:08:46are not sure when it they will be out of the state of emergency but
0:08:46 > 0:08:50are asking everyone to stay inside until Cruise clear the street. --
0:08:50 > 0:08:52streets.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Ben Rich from BBC Weather's here with me - and Ben you can tell
0:08:56 > 0:08:58us why the great Lakes are particularly badly affected.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03North America is used to cold winters but they rarely bite quite
0:09:03 > 0:09:10as hard as it is. Temperatures are well below average and, some places,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13particularly on the eastern shores of the Great Lakes, have seen the
0:09:13 > 0:09:18huge amounts of snow courtesy of Lake effect snow, when cold winds
0:09:18 > 0:09:24from the ARC pick blow across the slightly less cold water of the
0:09:24 > 0:09:29lakes. The moist air rises forming clouds which are then blowing into
0:09:29 > 0:09:32the eastern shores of the great Lakes and that moisture is released
0:09:32 > 0:09:38not as rain but as huge amount of snow. Over the next few days we can
0:09:38 > 0:09:43expect more of these because of the cold air sitting in place is not
0:09:43 > 0:09:47going anywhere fast and the winds will still be blowing down across
0:09:47 > 0:09:51the Great Lakes picking up that moist and slighter warmer air and
0:09:51 > 0:10:00delivering it in the form of snow across the eastern areas. Any
0:10:00 > 0:10:03further snow across this part of the world will not be welcomed.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news:
0:10:07 > 0:10:10An improvised explosive device has gone off in a supermarket
0:10:10 > 0:10:12in the Russian city of St Petersburg.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14The city governor's office says ten people are in hospital,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16one of whom is in a serious condition.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They say the incident is being investigated as attempted
0:10:19 > 0:10:22murder but that no theories have been ruled out.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25A court in Bosnia has sentenced a Croat woman,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28known to her victims as the "mistress of life and death",
0:10:28 > 0:10:30to fourteen years in prison for atrocities committed
0:10:30 > 0:10:34during the Bosnian war in the 1990s.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Azra Basic, a former member of the Bosnian-Croat forces,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41was found guilty of war crimes, including murder and the torture
0:10:41 > 0:10:44of ethnic Serb civilians.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47There's been another day of protests in the Moroccan city of Jerada
0:10:47 > 0:10:51following the deaths of two brothers in a disused coal mine.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The mine had been closed for years, but the protesters said many young
0:10:55 > 0:10:59people have no option but to carry on working below ground.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01They demanded action against unemployment and rising
0:11:01 > 0:11:06living costs.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Snow and ice are causing disruption in many parts of the UK,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12with thousands of homes without power and dangerous
0:11:12 > 0:11:13conditions on the roads.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17The runway at Stansted Airport was closed twice during the day
0:11:17 > 0:11:21with a number of flights cancelled.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Phil Mackie reports from Kenilworth, Warwickshire
0:11:23 > 0:11:24in the English Midlands.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26HORN BLASTS.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The motorway at a standstill.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30It's always busy here anyway,
0:11:30 > 0:11:35but throw in five centimetres of snow and you've got chaos.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37On the A14 things were even worse.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41This lorry span out of control, leaving drivers stranded.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Good morning.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45It's just gone past ten o'clock in the morning.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49As you can see, we're stationary here on the A14,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51not going anywhere.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53I've been here for five hours, and...
0:11:53 > 0:12:03..so have these!
0:12:03 > 0:12:06My name is Tara, I'm on the A14 trying to go
0:12:06 > 0:12:07eastbound to Northampton.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I set off from my house in Hinckley at 6am this morning,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12I've been on the A14 for three hours now.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15As you can see, there's nothing going in the other direction.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I'm a bit cross, I'm Canadian so I'm used to this kind of weather.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20I know you guys aren't.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23In the end, they were stuck for seven hours
0:12:23 > 0:12:32before the road was cleared.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Stansted Airport had to close twice to clear snow from the runway.
0:12:35 > 0:12:44Birmingham Airport had to do the same for a short while too.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46And the weather kept ground crews busy,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49as planes had to be constantly de-iced.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51A swathe of central and southern England was worst affected,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57from Gloucestershire, to Warwickshire, to the Chilterns.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00And it didn't just lead to hazardous driving conditions.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Thousands of homes lost power, too.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Obviously the snow came in, it settles on our overhead conductor.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Then, with the cold wind chill, that freezes into ice and therefore
0:13:10 > 0:13:13that takes the conductors down.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Likewise, it's the same with tree branches.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Normally they would not be near the line
0:13:19 > 0:13:21but they've taken our conductors down.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24As the snow started to melt, there was a new danger...
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Flood warnings followed the thaw as streams became swollen
0:13:27 > 0:13:28and rivers started to rise.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30That meant more hazards to negotiate,
0:13:30 > 0:13:40and not everyone made it...
0:13:40 > 0:13:45Another warning tonight as temperatures are falling.Snow and
0:13:45 > 0:13:48slush beginning to freeze.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Stay with us on BBC World News, still to come:
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Towering over Tel Aviv -
0:13:52 > 0:13:54residents of the city hope this Lego construction
0:13:54 > 0:14:08will set a new world record.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11The most ambitious financial and political change ever attempted has
0:14:11 > 0:14:14gotten under way with the introduction of the euro.Tomorrow
0:14:14 > 0:14:18will in Holland we will use muggy we picked up in Belgium today and we
0:14:18 > 0:14:25will use the same muggy in France. It has got to be the way to go.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34George Harrison, the former Beatle is recovering in hospital after
0:14:34 > 0:14:38being stabbed at his Oxfordshire home. As 33-year-old man from
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Liverpool is being interviewed by police on suspicion of murder.I
0:14:42 > 0:14:54think it was good.Just good?No, fantastic!That's better.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07This is BBC World News.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10The latest headlines:
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Syrian volunteers have evacuated the first group of critically-ill
0:15:12 > 0:15:17children from a rebel-held suburb near Damascus.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Record snow has fallen on the US city of Erie,
0:15:20 > 0:15:28burying homes and cars under deep drifts.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30How do you stop poachers from devastating wildlife in remote
0:15:30 > 0:15:31parts of Africa?
0:15:31 > 0:15:40One solution is military-style training and tactics.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43It's being used in the vulnerable state of Chad, where
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Zakouma National Park has lost 90% of it elephants over the past 40
0:15:46 > 0:15:46years.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Alastair Leithead travelled to the remote park where
0:15:49 > 0:15:52the population is finally recovering and tourists are now helping fund
0:15:52 > 0:15:54the conservation work.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56They were the herd heading for extinction.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59But the elephants of Zakouma National Park have made
0:15:59 > 0:16:04a dramatic recovery.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06TRANSLATION:Before, there used to be elephant
0:16:06 > 0:16:08carcasses everywhere.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11So what has been the difference, since African Parks took over?
0:16:11 > 0:16:15TRANSLATION:Since African Parks arrived here, we no longer see
0:16:15 > 0:16:20carcasses of elephants in the park.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Across the continent, a private, not-for-profit conservation group
0:16:24 > 0:16:28called African Parks believes it has the answer to saving Africa's
0:16:28 > 0:16:30disappearing wildlife.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33And it's controversial.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35They are arming rangers and giving them military-style training.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38In some places, it's become a war against poachers.
0:16:39 > 0:16:46Adoum Allam is a sniper with fast response unit Mamba Number Two.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50His father was killed by poachers in this park.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55He jumped at the chance to join.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57"It's a very dangerous job but I love doing
0:16:57 > 0:16:59it", he said.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00It's a good income.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04But it's also personal.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06This was Zakouma, ten years ago.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Decades of poaching killed 90% of the park's elephants
0:17:10 > 0:17:15and many rangers as well.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17But, today, it's a much healthier picture.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22They haven't lost an elephant in two years or a ranger since 2012.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24And last year, the population started to grow again.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29There were more than 20,000 elephants in this park just
0:17:29 > 0:17:3240 years ago, but now there are just over 500.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37What's encouraging, though, is that they've now got babies,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39they're reproducing, their numbers are starting to go up.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And if the poachers can be kept at bay, the population
0:17:42 > 0:17:46is going to recover.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50This is the best way to counter raids from the heavily
0:17:50 > 0:17:52armed Sudanese horsemen.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55The main perpetrators who've been poaching ivory here for centuries.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00But now, both sides have automatic weapons.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04And local communities are a key to success.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Schools are being built, kids are learning about conservation.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Villagers now often tip off the rangers,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13if poachers are seen nearby.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16African Parks take on delegated management
0:18:16 > 0:18:20of protected areas in Africa.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Normally where public sector has failed, African Parks will step
0:18:23 > 0:18:28in and, with donor funding, will then manage protected areas.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32But eventually it should pay for itself.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Zakouma is now attracting high-end adventure tourists who cover one
0:18:35 > 0:18:39third of the park's budget.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Other, marginal reserves in Africa will never make money.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Animals have to be worth more alive than dead,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48not just to rich Westerners, but to local people as well.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54Alastair Leithead, BBC News, Zakouma National Park, in Chad.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57The former US president Barack Obama has issued a warning
0:18:57 > 0:18:59about the irresponsible use of social media.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02In an interview with the BBC by Britain's Prince Harry,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Mr Obama said such actions were distorting people's
0:19:06 > 0:19:07understanding of complex issues.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13He did not mention Donald Trump, his successor, by name.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16But he emphasised that people in positions of leadership should
0:19:16 > 0:19:18exercise care when posting messages.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Our Royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell has the story.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Prince Harry, first of all.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24You are very welcome to our studio.
0:19:24 > 0:19:24Good morning.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Joining the Today programme for the day had been
0:19:27 > 0:19:29a big learning curve, Harry said, but he had enjoyed
0:19:29 > 0:19:31being the interviewer rather than the interviewed.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33It was quite fun, especially interviewing President Obama.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36His principal scoop had been to persuade Barack Obama
0:19:36 > 0:19:40to give his first interview since standing down as US president.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44The word "Trump" was never mentioned but may have been in Mr Obama's mind
0:19:44 > 0:19:46when he warned about the use of social media.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51All of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate
0:19:51 > 0:19:57a common space on the Internet.
0:19:57 > 0:20:03One of the dangers of the Internet is that people can have entirely
0:20:03 > 0:20:07different realities.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12They can be just cocooned in the information that
0:20:12 > 0:20:16reinforces their current biases.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21Harry had also interviewed his father -
0:20:21 > 0:20:24the main focus had been on climate change.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29The issue Prince Charles has championed for decades
0:20:29 > 0:20:33and for which he was sometimes derided.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Maybe now, some years later, they are beginning to realise
0:20:36 > 0:20:38that what I was trying to say may not
0:20:38 > 0:20:40have been quite as dotty as they thought.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44I mean, the issue really that has to go on being focused on,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46big time, I think, is this one around
0:20:46 > 0:20:49the whole issue of climate change which now, whether we like it
0:20:49 > 0:20:51or not, is the biggest threat multiplier we face.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54And then, at the end of the programme,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56it was time to face questions rather than ask them.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58First about his fiancee, Meghan Markle,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and her first Christmas at Sandringham.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01She really enjoyed it.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02The family loved having her there.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03And yeah, it's...
0:21:03 > 0:21:07There's always that family part of Christmas.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10There's always that work element as well and I think,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12you know, together we have an amazing time.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Great fun, staying with my brother and sister in law.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Harry's commitment to issues he cares about like the Armed Forces
0:21:18 > 0:21:19and mental health had come through strongly.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21So how does he see his future?
0:21:21 > 0:21:26Part of my role and part of my job is to shine a spotlight on issues
0:21:26 > 0:21:28that need that spotlight, whether it's people,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30whether its causes, whether its issues, whatever it is.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34So I will continue to play my part in society and do my job
0:21:34 > 0:21:38to the best of my ability, so I can wake up in the morning
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and feel energised, and go to bed hopefully knowing I've done the best
0:21:41 > 0:21:42that I can.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Not so long ago, Harry admitted to having doubts about a royal role.
0:21:46 > 0:21:46Clearly no longer.
0:21:46 > 0:21:53Nicholas Witchell, BBC News.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56We heard a bit from Prince Harry's interview with former US president
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Barack Obama earlier in the programme.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00They discussed the dangers of social media and the spread
0:22:00 > 0:22:01of misinformation.
0:22:01 > 0:22:08They also took time to tackle some of the big questions.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Clips from the interview are proving popular.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14Clips from the interview are proving popular. You can watch them
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Clips from the interview are proving popular. You can watch them and read
0:23:15 > 0:23:19more at BBC .com slash news.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22A tower made from Lego bricks has been built in Israel's coastal city
0:23:22 > 0:23:23of Tel Aviv.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26The 36 metre construction in Rabin Square is designed to set
0:23:26 > 0:23:29a new world record - the previous record was set in 2015
0:23:29 > 0:23:32when the Italian subsidiary of Lego built a 35 metre tower
0:23:32 > 0:23:33for the Milan World Expo.
0:23:34 > 0:23:42Faith Orr reports.
0:23:42 > 0:23:49Brick by brick this huge Lego tower is painstakingly assembled. It
0:23:49 > 0:23:57stands at 36 metres tall and has been constructed from over 500,000
0:23:57 > 0:24:03plastic bricks donated by residents of Tel Aviv. Idiots in memory of an
0:24:03 > 0:24:08eight-year-old lawyer who died of cancer in 2014. He had enjoyed
0:24:08 > 0:24:12building Lego towers during his illness. TRANSLATION:We saw how
0:24:12 > 0:24:16much Lego was in his house and decided that we need to do something
0:24:16 > 0:24:20in order to remember him. For his family and friends who suddenly had
0:24:20 > 0:24:25a big hole in their lives. So we decided to construct a tower. First
0:24:25 > 0:24:32we constructed a ten metre high Lego tower in the kindergarten.The tower
0:24:32 > 0:24:35was put together in over 20 community centres around Tel Aviv.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40Everyone from children to senior citizens took part. TRANSLATION:The
0:24:40 > 0:24:46most important message from the tower is unity of all. Arabs, Jews,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50gay, straight, religious, secular, all are part of this tower and have
0:24:50 > 0:24:53put a small piece of this tower. Together we did something people
0:24:53 > 0:24:57thought was impossible.The project has taken one year to complete.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02Proving Tel Aviv is not toying around with this world record
0:25:02 > 0:25:05attempt.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Many of the staff working in a Belgian zoo spend Christmas Day away
0:25:09 > 0:25:13from their families. It was worth the wait after one of the zoo's
0:25:13 > 0:25:18Asian elephant gave birth in full view of everyone. The zoo estimates
0:25:18 > 0:25:22that the baby elephant, yet to be named, weighed between 85 and 100
0:25:22 > 0:25:27kilograms at birth and there may be more good news to come for the zoo
0:25:27 > 0:25:30with two more pregnant elephants.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35A reminder now about top story before we go. Syrian volunteers have
0:25:35 > 0:25:41evacuated the first critically ill patients from a rebel held suburb
0:25:41 > 0:25:50near Damascus. Aid groups had urged the Syrian President to allow help
0:25:50 > 0:25:59for the desperate emergency medical cases. Be a role in an area that has
0:25:59 > 0:26:02been under government siege for years. -- they