UN concerned about Homs detainees

11 February 2014 Last updated at 15:36

Syria conflict: UN concerned over Homs detentions

Some Homs evacuees have described surviving on grass and olives, as the BBC's Lyse Doucet reports from the city

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UN aid agencies have expressed concern about the safety of scores of men and boys detained by the Syrian authorities after being evacuated from Homs.

More than 300 male evacuees have been held for screening after leaving the Old City under an agreed ceasefire.

Talal Barazi, governor of Homs, says 111 men have been questioned and released, while 190 others are still being held.

More than 1,100 people have fled the city since Friday under a truce.

Aid organisations in Syria are hoping to evacuate more civilians on Tuesday after the ceasefire was extended by three days.

The UN human rights office says it is "deeply concerned" that boys and men were seized as they left the besieged area.

"It is essential that they do not come to any harm," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN commissioner for Human Rights.

"We will continue to press for their proper treatment according to the international humanitarian and human rights law."

Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said detainees were being held at an abandoned school.

"We are monitoring the situation. We are definitely taking account of the number there and who is there," she said.

Aid workers have been helping vulnerable people such as children, women and the elderly

More than 1,100 people have left Homs since a truce began on Friday

Meanwhile, face-to-face negotiations between Syrian government and opposition delegations in Geneva have been adjourned for the day.

A second round of peace talks was held on Monday with separate meetings between UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and the two sides.

"The beginning of this week is as laborious as it was in the first week. We are not making much progress," he told a news conference at the United Nations headquarters.

The first round ended last month with no firm agreements and both sides trading insults.

The opposition wants the government to commit in writing to the 2012 Geneva Communique, which called for the formation of a transitional administration with full executive authority.

President Bashar al-Assad's government has ruled out any transfer of power.

'Destitution'

On the ground, efforts are continuing to evacuate hundreds more women, children and elderly people from Homs, which has been under siege for 18 months.

More than 450 civilians left on Monday, amid mortar fire and shooting.

The BBC's Lyse Doucet, who is in Homs, said it was not expected that so many young men would try to leave.

So their fate is being scrutinised very closely, our correspondent adds.

She was at a press conference on Tuesday where the Homs governor gave the latest figures on how many detainees had been released.

He said he expected around 80% of those held would be let free.

The army's siege of rebel-held areas in Homs's Old City has lasted more than a year

Many people in Homs have endured many months of siege with little food or medical care

Matthew Hollingworth, Syria director for the UN's World Food Programme, told the BBC "the floodgates have opened" as many more people try to leave.

"The levels of destitution inside the Old City are like nothing I've ever seen before," he said.

"People are living in tunnels underground, moving between shells of buildings to find roots to eat - there has been little food for many, many months now."

Traumatised

UN aid chief Valerie Amos welcomed the extension of a three-day truce on Monday.

But she also confirmed that 11 people were killed after the relief operation was "deliberately targeted". It is unclear who was responsible for the attack.

She said that many of those who had left the city so far appeared traumatised and weak after enduring many months of siege.

Writing in the UK's Independent newspaper, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague warned that the Srebrenica massacre of 1995 - when more than 8,000 men and boys were killed in a Bosnian town - could be repeated in the Old City of Homs.

He said it was time to "turn up the heat" on the Syrian government.

However, Russia and China failed to attend a meeting in New York to discuss a new UN Security Council resolution calling for greater access for humanitarian aid on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed the draft resolution as one-sided and "detached from reality", according to Interfax news agency.

Syria's civil conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives since 2011 and has driven 9.5 million people from their homes.

'First UK suicide bomber' in Syria

11 February 2014 Last updated at 16:25

Syria crisis: 'First UK jihadist' in suicide attack

The prison in central Aleppo was the scene of heavy fighting between rebels and Syrian forces last week

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UK officials believe a British man may have carried out a suicide bombing in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo last week.

If confirmed, this would be the first known such attack by a Briton in Syria.

The al-Qaeda-linked rebel group in Syria, al-Nusra Front, named the man as Abu Suleiman al-Britani. He is thought to be from Sussex.

Hundreds of British nationals are reported to have gone to Syria to fight against government forces.

One in 10 foreign militants is believed to be from Europe, while most of the others are thought to have come from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Libya.

Prisoners 'escape'

The al-Nusra Front said Abu Suleiman al-Britani had driven a truck full of explosives at the walls of Aleppo prison on Thursday and detonated it.

The bombing was reportedly part of an attempted jailbreak by fighters from the hardline Islamist groups, Ahrar-al-Sham and the al-Nusra Front.

Heavy fighting broke out between the rebels and Syrian forces, causing dozens of casualties on both sides.

Activists said as many as 300 inmates managed to escape, but the Syrian government denied the report.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad regained control of most of the prison last Friday, after 24 hours of clashes.

Rebels have launched several attacks on the jail in recent months. Up to 3,000 inmates are believed to be held inside the prison.

Aleppo, in the country's north, has been the focus of bitter fighting between President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels.

Government helicopters have been dropping barrel bombs - crude weapons comprising cylinders packed with explosives and metal fragments - on rebel-held neighbourhoods.

Syria's conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives since 2011 and has driven 9.5 million people from their homes.

11 February 2014 Last updated at 11:23

Who, What, Why: How easy is it to do the Heimlich manoeuvre?

Magazine Monitor A collection of cultural artefacts

Winston Marshall from St John Ambulance demonstrates how to deal with a choking person

Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood has been credited with saving the life of another man who was choking on a piece of cheese. But how easy is it to do?

The actor reportedly realised the fellow party guest couldn't breathe and performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on him. The technique requires a rescuer to carry out abdominal thrusts on a choke victim to dislodge the blockage.

A first aider will initially establish the person is choking. They may be holding their throat, turning red in the face, and attempting to cough.

Before any abdominal thrusts are attempted, the rescuer will first resort to back blows. The person choking will be bent forwards slightly, while the rescuer supports them by putting one arm across the patient's shoulders. The five blows are delivered with an open hand between the shoulder blades. While the rescuer delivers the blows, they will make sure to look at the patient's mouth and not their back. If the object is not dislodged, the rescuer will proceed to five abdominal thrusts.

The rescuer will place their arms under the arms of the victim and hold them around their chest. The rescuer is looking to place their hands at the centre of the abdomen in order to artificially manipulate the diaphragm into producing a cough that will dislodge the object.

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Litvinenko widow wins inquiry ruling

11 February 2014 Last updated at 14:58

Litvinenko widow wins inquiry ruling against ministers

By Dominic Casciani Home affairs correspondent, BBC News

Marina Litvinenko has been campaigning for a public inquiry

The widow of a former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko killed in London has come a step closer to a public inquiry into her husband's death.

The High Court said the Home Office had been wrong to rule out an inquiry before the outcome of an inquest.

Marina Litvinenko says that only a public inquiry will uncover the Russian state's alleged role in her husband's 2006 death from radiation poisoning.

A Home Office spokesperson said it would carefully consider the judgement.

Speaking outside court, Mrs Litvinenko said she was "very glad" and that Home Secretary Theresa May should accept the court's decision.

"It shows that there was not any reason to say I did not have the right for a public inquiry," she said.

Last year a coroner ruled that a public inquiry would be better placed to establish how Mr Litvinenko died - even taking into account restrictions on what material could be disclosed on national security grounds.

But ministers refused to launch an inquiry, which could have wider powers than an inquest, saying that they wanted to wait and see whether an inquest would be able to establish the facts.

Mrs Litvinenko challenged that decision saying that the home secretary's refusal to hold a public inquiry was irrational, given the serious allegations at the heart of the death.

In a ruling delivered by three senior judges, the High Court said that Mrs May's decision had been wrong and she should think again.

Lord Justice Richards said: "I am satisfied that the reasons given by the secretary of state do not provide a rational basis for the decision not to set up a statutory inquiry at this time but to adopt a 'wait and see' approach.

"The deficiencies in the reasons [given by the home secretary] are so substantial that the decision cannot stand. The case for setting up an immediate statutory inquiry as requested by the coroner is plainly a strong one.

"The existence of important factors in its favour is acknowledged, as I have said, in the secretary of state's own decision letter."

The three judges stopped short of saying that it would be irrational to refuse a public inquiry in all circumstances - but they said that the home secretary would have to come up with legally "better reasons" than those she had given to Mrs Litvinenko.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are carefully considering the judgement. The government continues to fully co-operate with the coroner's inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death."

During the judicial review, Ben Emmerson QC, for Mrs Litvinenko, argued that the Home Secretary had adopted a "bizarre" position by backing an inquest that would be so restricted by national security considerations it could not examine secret intelligence allegedly linking Moscow to the death.

He said that there was "a strong and overwhelming" need for a public inquiry to establish whether the former spy was killed for some private criminal reason or whether he was the victim of "state-sponsored assassination".

11 February 2014 Last updated at 15:59

Barclays to cut up to 12,000 jobs

Barclays chief executive Antony Jenkins: "We have to be competitive on pay"

Barclays plans to cut between 10,000 and 12,000 jobs this year, including 7,000 in the UK.

The bank, which has 140,000 staff in total, said it had already told about half of the staff affected.

The cuts came as Barclays said it had increased the total amount it paid on staff bonuses last year.

The bank's total bonus pool for 2013 rose by 10% to £2.38bn, from £2.17bn in 2012, with the investment bank's bonus pool increasing by 13%.

'We have to be competitive on pay and we have to pay for performance," chief executive Antony Jenkins - who has waived his own annual bonus - told the BBC.

"We operate in many countries around the world… we compete for talent in global markets."

Barclays said the job cuts would hit 820 senior manager roles, of which 220 were managing directors and 600 directors. About 400 of the senior job cuts are from the investment bank.

Barclays said it was hopeful it could achieve the majority of the cuts voluntarily.

The fresh job cuts come after the bank cut 7,650 roles last year.

Restructuring

Barclays released its full-year profit figures on Monday, a day earlier than scheduled. The bank said the early release was to "provide clarity" following a media report.

The bank's adjusted pre-tax profits for 2013 fell to £5.2bn, while its statutory pre-tax profits rose to £2.9bn.

Pre-tax profits in its investment banking division slumped 37% to £2.5bn over the year.

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Barclays

Last Updated at 11 Feb 2014, 16:17 *Chart shows local time

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Barclays said its profits were hit by the costs of restructuring the bank last year, including its withdrawal from certain lines of business, as well as legal costs.

Overall, the bank's pay-to-income ratio rose to 43.2% from 40% in 2012, well above the bank's mid-30s target.

The bank said the bonus increase was in the long-term interests of shareholders, but said it was still aiming for a mid-30s ratio over "the medium term".

Canaccord Adams analyst Gareth Hunt said the decision meant that Barclays pay-to-income ratio was above the industry average, currently 40.2% for 2013.

And Roger Barker, director of corporate governance at business lobby group the Institute of Directors, noted the executive bonus pool was nearly three times bigger than the total dividend payout to shareholders.

"In 2013, the bank paid out £859m in dividends compared to a staff bonus pool of £2.38bn. The question must be asked - for whom is this institution being run?" he added.

William Wright, investment banking columnist at Financial News, also criticised Barclays' decision to increase its bonus payouts.

"Barclays can talk until it's blue in the face about it being in the longer-term interest of shareholders, but from the outside, it simply looks wrong," he said.

Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie also waded into the debate over Barclays' decision to increase its bonus pool.

"Shareholders need to make up their minds whether aggregate remuneration is justified by the return on equity," he said.

'Long way to go'

Shares in Barclays fell after the results were released, dropping almost 7% at one point, before recovering to stand down 5% in afternoon trade.

Ian Gordon, an analyst at Investec, said Barclays had failed to explain how it would continue to grow revenues.

"It's what they didn't say... they didn't paint a clear picture of what will drive growth."

Mr Jenkins is trying to revamp the image of Britain's third-largest bank, after the aggressive culture of former Barclays boss Bob Diamond culminated in a £290m fine for rigging Libor rates.

Mr Jenkins told BBC Radio 4 that Barclays had made "substantial progress" in his aim of transforming the bank into a so-called "go-to" bank which would be attractive to customers.

But he said further work was needed.

"We do have a long way to go and I acknowledge that," he added.

Do you work at Barclays? Will you be affected by the issues in this story? Send us your comments using the form below.

Baby killed in bed by 'pit bull'

11 February 2014 Last updated at 14:21

Blackburn baby girl killed by 'American pit bull-type' pet dog

Ava-Jayne Corless was mauled while her mother Chloe King was downstairs

An 11-month-old baby girl was killed by an "American pit bull-type" dog while asleep upstairs in bed, police said.

Ava-Jayne Marie Corless was taken to hospital from Emily Street, Blackburn, at 23:00 GMT on Monday where she died.

The baby's mother Chloe King, 20, and her boyfriend have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. They were downstairs when she was attacked.

Ava-Jayne was not at her home address but lived nearby. The pet, classed as a dangerous dog, has been destroyed.

Tributes have been left for baby Ava-Jayne in Emily Street, Blackburn which has been cordoned off

Ms King and her 26-year-old boyfriend Lee Wright, who is not the child's father, are also being questioned on suspicion of child neglect.

'Horrific incident'

A post-mortem examination will take place to find out the exact cause of Ava's death.

During a press conference, Ch Supt Chris Bithell said the dog was an "American pit bull-type" which came under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Mr Bithell said: "This is an absolutely horrific incident in which a baby girl has lost her life."

Police were first alerted by the ambulance service who were called to reports of the girl being mauled by a pet dog.

Tests will now be carried out to establish the exact breed.

"I'm told it's quite a large pit bull-type dog," Mr Bithell said.

"As part of the investigation we are making inquiries to see whether there have been previous issues with this particular dog," he added.

Forensic officers are examining the house in Emily Street, Blackburn, where 11-month-old Ava-Jayne Marie Corless was killed by the dog

No-one else was injured during the attack.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "She was a lovely little girl, always smiling, always happy, just like her mum.

"It's sickened me to my stomach."

Unions suspend planned Tube strike

11 February 2014 Last updated at 15:55

Tube strike: Unions suspend strike after reaching deal

Last week's Tube strike caused widespread disruption

A second planned 48-hour strike by Tube workers has been suspended after unions reached a deal with London Underground.

The TSSA and RMT unions have agreed to pause the industrial action, which was due to start at 21:00 GMT, so that further talks can take place with LU.

A 48-hour strike last week caused major disruption across the capital.

Talks to resolve the dispute, which centres on the closure of all 260 Tube ticket offices and 960 job cuts, have been held at conciliation service Acas.

LU said it had proposed two months of intensive talks with the unions, starting on Wednesday.

A station-by-station review will also take place, which Tube bosses said could result in some ticket offices remaining open.

'Unnecessary disruption'

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the union had received proposals to halt the implementation of the job cuts, which gave the union the opportunity to discuss the changes "away from the pressure cooker".

"We now have a golden opportunity to look again in detail at all of the concerns we have raised about the impact of the cuts on our members and the services that they provide to Londoners.

"That is exactly what we have been calling for throughout this dispute."

Mr Crow added that the strike action would be back on if there was "any further attempt to impose change from above".

Speaking to BBC London, Mr Crow said he did not regret last week's strike.

"They weren't taking us seriously until we called the strike action and we got more done over that period of time when the strike action took place," he said.

"I think having a two-day strike was absolutely crucial."

A TSSA spokesman said: "We have now agreed a process where all our serious concerns over safety and job losses will be seriously addressed through the normal channels.

Millions of commuters were hit as Tube staff walked out for 48 hours last week

"We are obviously pleased that we have agreed this process, which will allow us to suspend our strike immediately, and cancel it later when the agreement reaches us in a formal document."

TfL has claimed its proposals - which do not involve compulsory redundancies - would save £50m a year.

LU managing director Mike Brown said he welcomed the suspension.

"We have always said that we want the unions to engage fully with us, to help shape our proposals for the future of the Tube.

"The hard work of both the LU and union negotiating teams and the progress we have made at Acas over the last few days means we can do that without further unnecessary disruption to Londoners."

11 February 2014 Last updated at 11:30

Article written by Nick Triggle Health correspondent

• More from Nick

Is a complete ban on smoking next?

 

It is often said if smoking was invented today it would never be legalised.

But with MPs voting in favour of banning smoking in cars with children present - and Downing Street confirming it will now act - it raises the question: what next?

In recent years governments of all colours have been getting increasingly confident about taking tough measures.

Since the ban on smoking in public places, which was introduced in Scotland in 2006 and the rest of the UK in 2007, there has been a series of steps taken from increasing the age at which tobacco products can be bought to stopping shops from having them on display.

So is an outright ban or, at the very least, a ban in homes likely?

Simon Clark, from the tobacco lobby group Forest, thinks so. Reacting to the vote by MPs, he warned a rubicon had been crossed as private spaces were now fair game.

But this has been dismissed by Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health, which has been at the forefront of the fight against smoking.

"A ban in homes is not feasible or right. But what this does, and indeed the ban in public places did, was send an important message and as a result the numbers smoking in homes has fallen."

Tough measures

She suggests a complete ban would actually be counter-productive.

"If you ban it a lot of the levers you use to stop uptake you lose. You can't tax it, you can't stop under-age sales. What we want to do is to do everything to discourage it."

Indeed, this is the mantra of much of the medical establishment and health campaign groups.

They now want to see more spent on mass media campaigns - funding has been squeezed by this government - and the introduction of plain packaging.

Ministers are currently reviewing the latter with the help of paediatrician Sir Cyril Chantler, who will be visiting Australia this year to see what impact plain packaging has had since it became the first country to introduce it back in 2012.

What is more, politicians believe they have the public on their side.

In fact, even smokers seem willing to accept the tough measures.

A YouGov poll last year suggested 85% of smokers were already refusing to smoke in cars with children present.

It is perhaps this climate that has given politicians the confidence to be bold.

Even London Mayor Boris Johnson - a staunch defender of libertarian values and freedoms (he has campaigned against mandatory health warnings on wine bottles and ski helmets and booster seats for children under a certain height) - has said he was in favour of banning smoking in cars.

And when he was health secretary, Andrew Lansley talked about making it "socially unacceptable".

In fact, if the tactics of the past few years could be captured in one phrase, that would probably be it.

11 February 2014 Last updated at 02:16

A photographic history of freedom

By Lucy Townsend BBC News Magazine

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The BBC's freedom season asks what the word means in the modern world. From getting out of jail to freedom of expression, here are 10 images of key moments, starting with Nelson Mandela on the 24th anniversary of his release.

1. Mandela leaves prison. Fist in the air and holding hands with his wife Winnie, Nelson Mandela hadn't been photographed for 27 years, until he emerged from Victor Verster prison near Cape Town. Associated Press photographer Greg English, who took the image above, recalls the scrum for the perfect picture.

"It turned into a complete nightmare for us photographers, because we were corralled into standing in a particular place while crowds were running everywhere, blocking our shots. Suddenly, I had a clear view and I shot around six frames," he told Amateur Photographer magazine.

"Initially, the picture was wired with the hands cropped out, but I felt that showing them holding hands was a big part of the story." It was sent out again with the hands visible.

2. The Arab Spring. Decades of autocracy came to an end in Tunisia when President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country after 23 years in power.

This picture shows crowds gathering in front of the interior ministry in Tunis after the president's address to the nation on 14 January 2011. Ben Ali ordered police to stop firing on protesters and said he would not seek another term in office. He flew out of the country with his wife and children later that day.

Thousands took to the streets to celebrate. Nine months later, the country held its first democratic parliamentary elections.

3. Concentration camps freed. Dachau, near Munich, was the first camp to be built by the Nazis. An estimated 30,000 people died there in the 12 years before it was liberated by US soldiers on 29 April 1945.

This photograph taken by Horace "Tubby" Abrahams, who had been travelling with the US Army throughout the war, shows some of the younger prisoners cheering their liberators.

4. Freedom to study. On 9 October 2012, gunmen shot and wounded Malala Yousafzai. She had spoken up for the right of girls to be educated, her punishment was a bullet to the head.

However, the Taliban's attempt to silence her had the opposite effect. Malala has given a live address from UN headquarters, chatted with prime ministers and presidents, and has written a book about her experiences.

Pictured here at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she received treatment, she continues her campaign for a girl's right to go to school.

5. Climbing the Wall. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall was breached after nearly three decades dividing East and West Berliners.

Taken by Getty photographer Steven Eason in East Berlin, this image shows people exercising their freedom to climb the wall - and to jump down on the other side if they felt like it.

"I chose the East side simply because so many photographers were on the West side, flashguns blazing," says Eason. "It was a more interesting point of view."

Eason says he didn't want to stand out as a press photographer, so he used a small Olympus 35RD.

"The people on the East seemed politely excited and at the same time apprehensive. The border guards were helping fellow East Germans on to the wall for a view of the mass of Western press photographers. I think the feeling was - it was good to see the old bureaucracy made useless, but what would replace them?"

He adds: "I finished snapping away at the wall and turned round to see two small boys jumping on top of a police car. The East German officers inside looked really put out. I didn't take a picture - a grown-up may get arrested, I thought - and I headed back to the hotel for schnapps."

6. The Chilean miners. Trapped more than half a mile underground for 69 days, the rescue of the 33 miners was watched on television by more than a billion people.

Thanks to raw emotions, strong characters and a happy ending, their journeys up to the surface in the Fenix 2 capsule became symbolic of hope, freedom and family.

7. The Birmingham Six. Paddy Hill, Hugh Callaghan, Richard McIlkenny, Gerry Hunter, Billy Power and Johnny Walker served more than 96 years between them for a crime they did not commit.

They were wrongly accused of planting two IRA bombs that killed 21 people at two Birmingham pubs, The Mulberry Bush and the Tavern, in 1974.

They celebrated their first taste of freedom outside the Old Bailey on 14 March 1991, alongside Labour MP Chris Mullin, who had led the long campaign to prove their innocence.

McIlkenny was first to speak. "It's good to see you all," he said. "We've waited a long time for this - 16 years because of hypocrisy and brutality. But every dog has its day and we're going to have ours."

8. Jobs and freedom. An estimated 250,000 people turned out for the march on Washington, in August 1963. Organised by a number of civil rights groups, the crowds walked from Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King delivered his historic "I have a dream" speech.

They marched in the name of jobs and freedom, and against the inequalities suffered by black Americans.

Violence had been feared, and the police presence was heavy, but the march passed peacefully.

9. A new country. In the grip of violent conflict and with an estimated 3.7 million people in need of food, South Sudan's freedom has turned sour, three years after it voted for independence from Sudan.

After Africa's longest-running civil war, it became the continent's first new country since Eritrea split from Ethiopia in 1993.

"There was a general feeling of hope for freedom and a better life," says AFP photographer Khaled Desouki, who took this image. "It was a quiet day and voters came to the polling stations to vote easily. They were very excited and full of hope for the future. As for the woman, I didn't talk to her, but happiness was obvious on her face."

10. Lady Chatterley's Lover. In November 1960, Lady Chatterley's Lover sold out. Penguin had printed 200,000 copies, and bookshops reported selling out within minutes, Considered sexually explicit, D H Lawrence's novel had already been published in Italy and in France, but it had been banned in the UK.

Penguin won the right to publish the book in its entirety after a six-day trial at the Old Bailey.

In an article in The Guardian, Geoffrey Robertson QC said the verdict was "a crucial step towards the freedom of the written word".

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Welcome to the role model club

11 February 2014 Last updated at 03:30

Viewpoint: Welcome to the role model club

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Society needs to stop looking at role models as superhuman and instead embrace their mistakes as well as their successes, argues Anne Marie Imafidon.

In 2000, I hit the headlines. I was in all the newspapers - part of the usual coverage on GCSE results. But I was 10 years old, and I'd passed two GCSEs - one in maths and one in ICT (technology). The following year, I passed an A-level in computing.

The headlines were all about "genius", "prodigy", "brain box" and "record-breaking" - describing the most unlikely schoolgirl from an unassuming, unprivileged background.

In the 13 years since, I've got used to being called something different - an "inspiration", "person to watch" and "role model". With over a decade of "role model" status behind me, I have a few thoughts on the way we view and treat role models, and I'd like to lift the lid on the monopoly of inspiration.

You see, I believe that inspiration can come from anywhere and that everyone can be a role model.

It pains me to see the way we treat certain role models - who might be branded young and foolish - the young pop stars and young footballers - who we idolise, build up and put on pedestals as they rise in our estimations, in fortune and in accomplishments. We hail them nearly incessantly, celebrate their success and effectively encourage them to eat their own hype. We follow their every move and watch others emulate them and all that they do - even things not related to their success or accomplishments.

Like anyone else their age, they're enjoying what they have - unlike anyone else, they're constantly being told of their "role model" status and regularly reminded that young impressionable people are copying them. Then, when they do something we don't like, we tut, get surprised, get angry and even upset.

When the young pop star wears a too-skimpy outfit or the young footballer makes a mistake on the pitch - when, in other words, they make a mistake, as we all do, they are humans after all - we turn on them in a huge way. How dare they do something bad, given all the eyes on them? How dare they betray all of their fans by making the same mistakes millions of others are making at the same time, or would make if in their shoes?

There's a lot of pressure in being a role model. I once met a woman who kept a press cutting of my childhood feats under her daughter's pillow - presumably in the hope that my story would feature in her dreams and maybe even rub off on her daughter's hopes and achievements in life. Other role models will tell you of similar stories.

For some, there might be discomfort in knowing the scale of the pedestal you've been put on. In addition to the pressure of those watching you and watching to see what you do next, there is sometimes the expectation that you'll use your powers for good - to solve society's problems. And when you don't, there is huge condemnation for pursuing other interests. It's an awful feeling when everyone turns on you, especially when you've not courted the attention in the first place.

Role model Justin Bieber leaves a correctional centre in Miami Beach

If you listen to public debates around everything from under-performance in school, to body image and women in business, we seem to be relying heavily on role models to provide inspiration.

People spend time and effort bemoaning the lack of black, female or LGBT role models, amongst others. The trouble is, you can't always tell where inspiration might come from. One's sense of identity is extremely complex. Yes, I'm a woman, but that doesn't mean that I bond with every female I meet. In fact, in most social situations I bond with fellow East Londoners a lot quicker than I do with girls who attended the same university as me.

I often get on better with what some might call computer geeks a lot quicker than I do people with the same heritage as me - I'm of West African descent. Also, I'm a huge Nando's fan - another part of my identity which seems to be quite an important one.

Granted, role models are a piece of the puzzle, but it's an excuse that "no-one like me" has done something, so I don't know if it's possible. Growing up I didn't know any management consultants, but a careers service questionnaire and some proper research was enough for me. I didn't need a Nando's-loving East Londoner to help me verify my choice. And I'm not unique in wanting to become the first, or at least not minding being the first.

So you don't need to see someone who looks like you. It's good enough to see someone like you. That means we should all see ourselves as role models. We're all human and we all have strengths. We all have parts of our identity that are like someone else's. It's not an exclusive club and we shouldn't treat it as one.

Rather than bemoan a lack of role models, particularly female ones in science, technology, engineering and maths (known as STEM), earlier this year I took it upon myself to begin exposing girls to those we already have.

At one recent role model event I spoke to a lady who had brought her daughter along. In the course of speaking with her I learnt that she herself held a PhD in astrophysics, sits on an important industry board and holds a CEng [chartered engineer qualification]. So I invited her to sit on the panel at our next event. Her response? "But I'm not qualified enough to sit on one of your panels." I told her off. Of course she was exactly what I was looking for and despite having been in the audience at the event, her membership of the "role model club" hadn't quite hit her.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. And there is no monopoly on role modelling. Instead we need to put proper emphasis on all the components of a role model. We're all human. We all have strengths and weaknesses. So let's celebrate achievements and strengths while embracing, and expecting weaknesses and mistakes.

Think how effective former - or current - prisoners, gang leaders and drug addicts can be at helping young people avoid the same mistakes. Dealing with failure - of yourself and of others - is extremely important.

But this need to humanise role models - for ourselves and future generations - goes beyond just accepting that people can turn their lives around.

In interviews, the media often point to my achievements and so called "genius" status. A colleague recently read some glowing coverage of me and commented that the journalist clearly hadn't seen my desk. It's a mess. I also hate washing the dishes, don't know how to deal with social situations when people are crying, can't walk in heels and to this day have no idea how to look after my hair. I don't know how cricket works, can't read or write anything longer than 500 words and, despite my heritage, have never set foot in Africa.

So can we agree there's no monopoly? We're all members of the role model club. Club activities involve seeking out ways to improve others with your stories and actions and adding yourself to a rich diversity of available role models for others - in particular the next generation. Share your experiences doing what you do, achieving what you've achieved, overcoming what you've overcome.

In return, you can look to fellow club members that you see enough of yourself in. Anyone who you can identify and then realistically aim to achieve what they've achieved. And if there's no-one you can see, then concentrate on being that first someone for others to aim at.

Assume your place in the role model club.

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11 February 2014 Last updated at 01:21

The urban explorers of the ex-USSR

By Vitaly Shevchenko BBC Monitoring

Exploring the grandiose buildings and industrial infrastructure left over from the USSR is a popular pastime for some young people - but not the faint-hearted.

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Known as urban exploration, the hobby involves climbing high-rise buildings, towers and bridges, or going deep underground. Russia's vast territory is dotted with industrial sites, some of which are unused and empty. But Vadim Makhorov sought permission from the owners of this functioning power plant in the east of the country before he took these pictures inside a water pipe.

Many urban explorers are skilled photographers who take striking images. "Who needs words when you've got stars in the sky?" asks Vitaly Raskalov, who took this picture of Kirill Vselensky clinging to a Soviet-era red star which adorns a building in Moscow. But the dangers are obvious. It's not a hobby that should be encouraged. Many of the explorers do not even take the precaution of wearing a helmet. At least one is reported to have died.

General Kosmosa's picture shows an urban explorer taking a break on top of Kiev's South Bridge over the River Dnieper, which is the tallest in Ukraine at 135m (443ft).

Taking this picture was dangerous in more ways than one. The clock that Kirill Vselensky's face is emerging from is located across the street from the main KGB building in Minsk, Belarus.

Under Russian law, trespassing on private property is punishable by a small fine, but entering abandoned and unguarded buildings is usually legal.

"What appeals to me the most is the ambience of lost places," says Sam Namos, who took the picture below of an explorer known as Vanh1to, atop a huge satellite dish. "The process of looking for them is breathtaking, too. If you're serious about it, there is so much you can learn about your own country, so many mysteries you can discover."

"Some say if you see one power station, you've seen them all, but I disagree," says Vadim Makhorov. "I've done photo-shoots at many power plants, and I manage to find something new and interesting every time."

"Urban exploration photography shows our cities from the inside," says Olena Zinchenko, who helped to organise an exhibition in Kiev last year. "These pictures are alive because they reveal the city from a completely different perspective which few have the privilege of seeing." They're important, she says, because they tell the story of industrial decline in the the former Soviet Union.

"This is probably my best find, a gypsum mine in eastern Ukraine. An inconspicuous door led to an underground city with its own traffic, street signs and 20-metre-tall caves," says Yaroslav Segeda.

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10 February 2014 Last updated at 17:23

Where is it illegal to be gay?

Millions of people continue to live in places that outlaw same-sex relationships and prosecute people for being gay. In five countries and in parts of two others, homosexuality is still punishable with the death penalty, while a further 70 imprison citizens because of their sexual orientation.

Even where homosexuality is legal, many countries treat those in same-sex relationships differently, such as having an unequal age of consent or a ban on marriage. In Russia, host of the Sochi Winter Olympics, a law banning the promotion of "non-traditional" sexuality to under-18s was introduced last year.

So, where is it illegal to be gay? Which countries allow same-sex marriages? Explore the map of UN member states below to find out. Countries are coloured and categorised by their most anti-gay or pro-equality laws.

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iFrame

Notes on the data: The map shows an overview of the legal status of gay people living in UN member states. They are coloured by their most anti-gay or pro-equality laws on a scale of red to blue. Where a country falls into two contradictory categories this is reflected in the key. Where countries have varied laws, this is noted in the rollover text when available on your device. The map and key show legal status only and do not reflect day-to-day experiences. In many places where anti-discrimination laws exist, gay people continue to be persecuted by state authorities and wider society. Read the full notes.

Source: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association

Decriminalising being gay

During the last 200 years, an increasing number of countries have decriminalised same-sex relationships. After a period of criminalisation before the French Revolution in 1789, the trend towards decriminalisation gathered pace - particularly in the 1960s and 1970s.

However, some countries are moving in the opposite direction, introducing punitive new laws and strengthening existing penalties. Last year, India reinstated a 153-year-old colonial-era law criminalising gay sex. Nigeria, which already bans gay relationships, also recently outlawed same-sex marriages, gay groups and shows of same-sex public affection.

Olympic host Russia also introduced controversial legislation in June that prescribes fines for anyone giving information about homosexuality to people under 18.

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Legal status of homosexuality: 1789-2014

In 1789, the timeline's starting point, homosexuality was illegal in 126 countries.

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iFrame

*with the exception of the Chechen Republic.

Note: Where possible, former colonies have been referenced by their current name.

Source: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association

For more information on the data behind the map and timeline, see our full notes on the data. For more information on gay rights, visit the UN's Free and Equal campaign website.

Produced by Lucy Rodgers, Pablo Gutierrez Martin, Martyn Rees and Steven Connor

11 February 2014 Last updated at 12:58

Obituary: Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple later rued aspects of her childhood

Shirley Temple, who has died aged 85, was that rare example of a Hollywood child star who, when the cameras stopped rolling, carved out a new career.

With her ringlets, dimples and precocious talent, America's "Little Princess", charmed audiences during the 1930s Depression.

For four years, she was Hollywood's biggest box-office star, representing the kind of sweet, innocent girl everyone wanted as their daughter.

And, after a period of domesticity, she re-emerged as a successful businesswoman and politician.

Merchandising

Shirley Temple was born in Santa Monica, California on 23 April 1928.

Encouraged by her mother Gertrude, she learned to dance while she was still a toddler and was enrolled in a Los Angeles dance school at the age of three.

This led to her being signed up by a talent spotter for Educational Pictures, which promptly featured her in a series of one-reelers entitled Baby Burlesques.

Temple later described them as "a cynical exploitation of our childish innocence that occasionally were racist or sexist".

When Educational went bust in 1933, she signed up with Fox Film Corporation, appearing in a number of bit parts.

Wee Willie Winkie was her favourite film

In 1934, Stand Up and Cheer became her first feature film and she stole the show with her rendition of Baby Take a Bow.

Her box-office potential was obvious and by the age of six she was earning $1,250 (£760) a week; more than $21,000 (£12,750) at today's values.

The income from her films was doubled by sales of merchandise, including Shirley Temple dolls and a host of girls' clothes and accessories.

Temple's mother always accompanied her during filming. Years later, Temple recalled how her mother had been furious when a director sent her on an errand and then made Temple cry by frightening her.

"She never again left me alone on a set," Temple said.

Her mother was also said to have done her hair for each movie, with every hairstyle having exactly 56 curls.

Across the world, audiences flocked to see her in films such as Little Miss Marker and The Little Colonel and The The Littlest Rebel.

The success of her films, such as Curly Top, was credited with helping save 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy.

Career peak

Everyone sang along to her songs, especially On the Good Ship Lollipop, which appeared in the film Bright Eyes.

In 1935 she was awarded a special juvenile Oscar and her foot and handprints were added to those of stars such as Jean Harlow and Mary Pickford outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

On her ninth birthday, Temple received more than 135,000 presents from around the world, according to The Films of Shirley Temple, a 1978 book by Robert Windeler.

The gifts included a baby kangaroo from Australia and a prize Jersey calf from schoolchildren in Oregon.

The late Roddy McDowall, a fellow child star and friend of Temple, once said: "She's indelible in the history of America because she appeared at a time of great social need, and people took her to their hearts."

By the age of 10, Temple was the country's top box-office draw. President Roosevelt even credited her with helping to raise American morale during the trials of the Great Depression.

Her own assessment of this period is somewhat different. "I class myself with Rin Tin Tin," she once said, referring to the canine star. "They fell in love with a dog and a little girl."

Goodness always triumphed over evil in her plots, which were often based on traditional fairy stories.

As she got older her character was altered slightly as the fresh-faced little six-year-old turned into a pre-adolescent.

The Little Princess marked the peak of her career

The studio, aware that time was not on their side, began to invest more money in her films which, certainly in the early days, had been made on a tight budget.

Directors of the stature of John Ford were hired and his collaboration with her, Wee Willie Winkie, remained Temple's favourite.

The peak of her film career came in 1939 when The Little Princess, her first outing in Technicolor, became a critical and box-office success. It was loosely based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, about a girl who is left in a boarding school while her father goes off to fight in the Boer War.

Not everyone was enamoured. The author Graham Greene said she was just too nubile for a nine-year-old.

In a magazine article he accused "middle-aged men and clergymen" of finding it acceptable to respond to her "desirable little body" because "the safety curtain of story and dialogue drops between their intelligence and desire".

The studio and Temple successfully sued for libel.

By the 1950s she had retired to a domestic life

Fox turned down a huge offer from MGM for her to play Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, the role went to Judy Garland, and instead cast her in Susannah of the Mounties.

The film did not go down well with audiences and neither did her two follow-ups in 1940.

At the age of 12, Temple's star had finally burnt out: Her parents bought out the remainder of her contract and sent her to an exclusive girls' school.

An attempted comeback with MGM in 1941 came to nothing. She made two films for David O Selznick during World War Two but he was not interested in seeing her develop.

She had become typecast as the sweet six-year-old and Selznick suggested she move abroad, change her name and develop her acting skills.

In 1945 she married John Agar, an army physical training instructor, and had a daughter, but the union lasted only four years.

Although Temple appeared from time to time on television, she retired from films in 1950.

Charles Black, a wealthy San Francisco businessman, became her second husband, and she disappeared from the limelight for nearly 20 years.

When she returned to the public eye in 1967, it was as Shirley Temple Black, Republican candidate for Congress.

Ambassador

Following her defeat in this election, Temple Black continued to work for the party, even travelling to Europe the following year to rally support for Richard Nixon.

In 1972 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and became one of the first high profile women to talk openly about the disease.

She emerged on the political stage as a supporter of Richard Nixon

When he became president, Nixon rewarded her with an appointment to the American delegation to the United Nations. Then, in 1974, President Ford appointed her the United States ambassador to Ghana.

She fell out of favour with Ronald Reagan, with whom she had once appeared in a film called That Hagen Girl, but his successor, George HW Bush, appointed her ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

An outspoken opponent of racial discrimination, she quickly gained popularity and a reputation for hard work, charm and an unorthodox way of working.

In July 1976, she became the first woman Chief of Protocol at the White House with the rank of Ambassador, but left office six months later, when Jimmy Carter became president.

'My life is now'

The veteran of some 43 films later rued some lost aspects of her childhood.

"I stopped believing in Santa Claus at the age of six when my mother took me to see him in a store and he asked for my autograph."

And she drew a line between her childhood stardom and her later political career.

"Some people are stuck on this image of the little girl," she once said. "She is not me. We shouldn't live in the past; my life is now."

Nevertheless, for many across the world, the name Shirley Temple always called to mind a superstar cherub, banging out a tune, bouncing her curls, toe-tapping her tiny feet and representing all that was happiest about childhood.

In 1999, the American Film Institute included Temple in its list of top 50 screen legends.

"I have one piece of advice for those of you who want to receive the lifetime achievement award," she said in 2006 as she was honoured by the Screen Actors Guild. "Start early."

She is survived by her children Susan, Charlie Jr and Lori, granddaughter Teresa and great-granddaughters Lily and Emma.