Charges of involvement in a coup plot and died a week later is wife has called for a u.n. Investigation into his death lawyers say he had showed signs of severe beatings this is the world news from the b.b.c. . The Japanese high abou said 2 space probe has landed successfully for a 2nd time on the same asteroid to collect more samples at last visited where you go in February when it gathered material spewed from inside the surface of the asteroid about 300000000 kilometers from it's hoped that samples which have not been contaminated will give scientists small data on the origins of the solar system the probe is due to bring the samples back to earth next year. The commercial space company spas says one of its rockets was lost shortly after it blasted off from the European spaceport in French Guiana the Vega rocket was carrying a military satellite for the United Arab Emirates a study in France has found that people who drink sugary drinks including fruit juice have a higher risk of cancer researchers studied more than $100000.00 people over 5 years they found that the consumption of sweet drinks was associated with increased risk of overall cancer as well as breast prostate and bowel cancer was lower in Moss reports research has found that drinking an extra 2 cans a week increase the risk of cancer by 18 percent the study could not say for certain that sugary drinks coals However scientists say that sugar levels in the blood may play a role and that this is not just about obesity which is well known to raise cancer risk doctors a cautious about the findings and say more research should be carried out a detailed new survey by the National Center for Social Research has found that British people are increasingly non-religious with a dramatic decline in Christian identity over the past 35 years just under 40 percent of respondents describe themselves as Christian slightly more than half said they did not belong to any religion though those identifying as most liberals from one to 6 percent b.b.c. News. Thanks very much for listening to the newsroom from the b.b.c. World Service with all of a Conway a week after British marines seized an Iranian oil tanker suspected of sanctions busting it looks as though Iran has attempted to respond in kind u.s. Defense Department officials have told reporters that 5 Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats approached a tanker called the British heritage in the Strait of Hormuz but were scared off by a Royal Navy warship a few hours earlier the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani had warned the u.k. It would face consequences for detaining the Iranian tank at an age old or in the minutes rainy and last Thursday Peter Bowes in Los Angeles told us more what we're hearing is that the Iranians apparently ordered the tanker to change its course but it was being escorted by a frigate and the frigate the British frigate actually trained its gun decks on the Iranians gave them a verbal warning to back away which they did no shots were ever fired the British vessel was allowed to move on its way we have heard a statement a very short statement from the Pentagon saying that the Pentagon here in Washington is aware of the reports of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the u.k. Flag merchant vessel British heritage but offering no further details Mr waiting to get some information if it's available from the u.k. Ministry of defense no this incident happened on Wednesday the same day that the Iranian president had warned that the u.k. Quote will see the consequences are after the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker. Yes that's right an Iranian official saying that a British tanker should be seized if a detained Iranian ship is not released now this relates to the incident on the off the coast of Gibraltar an Iranian supertanker was suspected of carrying oil from Iran to Syria and that would have been in breach of the u. Sanctions it was seized with the help of British Royal Marines and Iran said that was a form of piracy and I guess this will just add to those calls from the u.s. That more needs to be done to protect vessels sailing in this area. Well yes just adding on to the Pentagon statement which I mentioned a moment ago they also said threats to international freedom of navigation require an international solution they go on the world economy depends on the free flow of commerce and it is incumbent on all nations to protect and preserve this linchpin of global prosperity Peter Bowes talk to me from Los Angeles there's been plenty of outrage in Europe at the amount of tax paid by tech giants like Google and Amazon France is planning to tackle the issue by introducing a 3 percent digital tax on around 30 of the biggest firms the French Senate is due to vote later today to approve the plan which will affect Chinese German Spanish and British companies however most of the firms will be caught up are American and the u.s. Is objecting to the plan saying they are being unfairly targeted President Trump has now ordered an investigation with a view to a possible retaliation I had the details from our technology correspondent David Lee Well this is a tax that France is looking to impose on online companies the companies that make their money through the Internet and the criteria here is that they have global revenues of more than $750000000.00 euros us around $850000000.00 Now 30 companies around 30 companies fall into that brackets according to France's finance minister but the u.s. They say while the majority of those firms are American companies companies like Google Amazon Facebook Apple and so forth and therefore because of that this is something that unfairly targets the bottom line of American companies and they say this is the kind of thing that could cost jobs back in the u.s. And so this is an investigation looking at whether that is indeed the case and what this could lead to this could be the 1st step in potentially the u.s. If it does decide that this is unfair to America they could perhaps add some new u.s. Tariffs on French goods. And bring the u.s. Into another trade dispute with yet another country so they could be big repercussions from this but it does appear that France is determined to go ahead with this tax plan you know this section 3 a one investigation has been used quite a lot by the trumpet ministration certainly in its trade war with China but the u.s. Does want to look at how technology companies attack yes this is something that you know the principle I guess is agreed by many countries around the world particularly in Europe and also in the u.s. Looking at the way technology companies pay Fair Tax because one of the frustrations that most of these countries have is that these companies will make huge amounts of of money in different markets but their profits are kept somewhere else which traditionally companies would be taxed on profits rather than revenue so we are seeing many different countries now looking at whether the revenues can be taxed instead of profit the u.s. Is one of them France of course is one of the u.k. Is one but the intricate details of that is something are still being discussed as part of their announcement the u.s. Did say you know they would prefer that rather than France go it alone on this they would prefer that France engaged with the u.s. To find out a way to make a fairer tax program across the world and not just locally in France and indeed that's something that some other European countries have suggested as well that was one point not so long ago a suggestion that this 3 percent tax that France is doing on its own could actually be a Europe wide measure something that every e.u. Country did to technology companies Dave Lee and San Francisco forensic scientists at the Vatican appearing to dig up 2 graves in the city states Teutonic cemetery as part of an inquiry into the disappearance of an Italian schoolgirl more than 30 years ago this report from James Reynolds in Rome Investigators hope that this graveyards may hold. The key to a mystery which has gripped Italy for decades 15 year old school go Emmanuel Orlandi disappeared in June 1983 she was last seen at a bus stop in the center of Rome on her way home from a music lesson decades of speculation about her fate have followed attention has often focused on the fact that Emmanuel I was the daughter of a Vatican employee earlier this year her family received an anonymous letter appearing to suggest that her remains may be buried in one of 2 specific graves in the Teutonic cemetery forensic scientists will now open these tombs in the presence of Emmanuel as family the scientists will carry out tests but it may be several weeks before they're able to reach conclusive findings James Reynolds reporting from Rome the Us Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta has rejected calls for him to resign over a controversial 2008 plea deal with influential billionaire Jeffrey Epstein Epstein who had links with President Trump and Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew has now been charged with trafficking in under-age girls critics say he got off lightly in the earlier case thanks to a secret deal approved by Mr Costa then a federal prosecutor in Florida on Wednesday Mr Acosta defended his handling of that case saying he made sure that Jeffrey Epstein spent time in jail a grand jury convened by the district attorney of Palm Beach County had charged Epstein with a lesser offense at that time the Epstein legal team was elated he would have avoided prison altogether but then the United States Attorney's Office in Miami became involved Epstein got an ultimatum plead guilty to a charge that would require jail time and registration or face federal charges and that was the week more than 10 years ago that Epstein went to jail. Critics want Mr Costa to resign as Mr Trump's labor secretary but so far he has the backing off the president and more from Anthony in Washington it's a big story because it involves power involves sex it involves criminality of the worst kind of using under-age girls and the ties that Jeffrey Epstein has to people in power to people like Donald Trump of former President Bill Clinton Alex Acosta is involvement in this was he was the federal prosecutor in charge of this case back in 2008 and he decided to strike a plea deal with Epstein that involved admitting guilt in a lesser charge soliciting sex with a minor that involved 13 months in prison with a 6 day a week work release so he was able to get out of prison and go to his office during the normal business days 6 days out of the week and then just spend the night in jail and then he had to register as a sex offender and critics say that was essentially not commensurate with the allegations when the prosecution were talking to over 30 girls who are alleging a variety of sexual impropriety up to and including assault against this man so what Acosta was trying to do essentially today was explain his handling of the case and justify issuing this plea deal way back in 2008 you know the Democrats have been calling on him to resign did he do enough to resist that pressure well you know he offered his explanation he said standards were different there you he was afraid to bring the case as he could it would be a roll of the dice and he thought it was better to get Epstein in jail get him registered as a sex offender rather than to risk it he also in any good public relations you try to find someone else to blame he said that the Florida state prosecutors who originally investigating this they were going to give him any jail time that they were going to offer a much lighter deal so he was presenting himself as at least getting this man in jail whether that was. Enough to deflect the criticism I think the way he handled it he did not express any regret any 2nd guessing about how he handled the case at the time or apologized to the victims he really didn't explain why he took the deal then rather than continue investigation I think those are going to be open questions that linger over him I know Democrats are going to try to get him in for a hearing later this month and they're going to pepper him with questions so while I may have bottom some more time he is far from out of the woods yet and we'll see whether this satisfies Donald Trump and Donald Trump as a man who ultimately has to decide whether he stays on the job or not Anthony is Ok in Washington the American singer Taylor Swift has been named the highest paid entertainer in the world by the u.s. Business magazine Forbes she and the reality t.v. Star Kylie Jenner claim the number one and number 2 spots but as Daniel Mann reports only 16 women make the top 100. According to Forbes the celebrity $100.00 list the world's biggest paid entertainers made a combined $6300000000.00 in pretax earnings over the past 12 months. Taylor Swift earned $195000000.00 following her reputation torn album $15000000.00 more than in 2016 when she 1st topped the list celebrity news to earn at least $37.00 and a half 1000000 dollars to enter the 107 percent more than a year ago Taylor Swift and Carly Jenner whose cosmetics business empire made her $170000000.00 So the 1st and 2nd place is from Floyd Mayweather and George Clooney but male celebrities and far more than women of the 16 females on the list none is an athlete and just 2 out of 11 actors a women Carly generous brother and or the rapper Kanye West came 3rd. 3 footballers Lino messy Christian or an elder Neymar make the top 10 list as the British singer Ed Sheeran while a number 8 of the soft rockers who recently went back on the road. To . Forbes says an evening with the Eagles top grossed the group more than 3 and a half $1000000.00 per tour stop the Avengers film franchise has been especially lucrative for its actors according to the magazine 6 of those who star in the Marvel superhero movies are in the top $100.00 with Chris Hemsworth who plays Thor $76000000.00 The report by Daniel man just gone for 19 g.m.t. $519.00 in the u.k. On May news this hour armed Iranian vessels are reported to have tried to intercept a British oil tanker in the Gulf before being warned off by a British warship this is the news from from the b.b.c. World Service. The u.n. Secretary general until you could terror is to visit Mozambique today to assess the aid effort following cycling and Kenneth early this year he also plans to raise awareness about climate change and its impact on countries like Mozambique before setting out he spoke to our Africa Security Correspondent Tommy a lot of pro about conflict and tension in Sudan and the Saheli area to the south of the Sahara in Africa we have today a serious problem if one looks at the site that is probably the most sensitive region you see terrorism spreading and you see that both the security mechanism that is in place is not sufficiently strong and I would advocate for African forces with a strong amended from the Security Council and with assessed contributions predictable funding 2nd you see that climate change is the route is evolving in the sale you see that development there's enormous enormous gaps in the sale so there is a lot to be done to be more effective in cracking down against terrorists and more effective in the prevention on that note talking about the Saheli the u.n. In particular the Security Council has come under a lot of criticism for its lack of urgency in addressing that problem what can the u.n. The international community do in particular for the hell to be more impactful I think it. Was not a question of urgency it was a question of the decision that was taken to have a g 5 say of the g 5 the 5 countries of the region. The 5 sales force based on voluntary contributions and without amended and the Chapter 7 that is the core of the piece in forcing mandates of the un and so the response is weaker then the terrorists threats and that decision decisiveness rather from the United Nations Security Council has been criticized as well when it comes to for example to help but also looking at Sudan we see that on the 3rd of June there was this brutal crackdown day. Crackdown of civilian protesters and it took a long time before the Security Council could even condemn this and not to mention even taking action we decided and I think we did well to support the medication of the African Union I am a very strong supporter of African solutions for African problems at this point the civilian Alliance opposition alliance and the military in Sudan signing this deal you trust the military to keep its word after what we've seen. It's not a bit of trust that it's a matter of creating the conditions in which both sides really understand that they both need this agreement for me it is clear that without the military there would be a build risk of these integration inside so then it is clear that with the military alone 1st they would not be able to control the country and 2nd that would not be acceptable for the international community wouldn't allow for the country to be mobilized to solve its own problems so we have to have a c.v. An authority with a strong military presence and this I think was understood by both the u.n. Chief Antonio good terrorist talking to Tommy and that and now there is back with a look at some of these other stories the u.k. Entrepreneur answer Richard Branson has warned that his companies will spend a lot less money in Britain of the country leaves the European Union without a deal the founder of the Virgin Group believes the pound would fall significantly against the dollar in the event of a known deal breaks it is organizations would lose millions a couple from France have resigned from their jobs as managers at a supermarket nearly all of the photographs emerged of them trophy hunting on safari in Africa they're seen carrying guns and posing beside dead animals in $250.00 These include a line Leopard and desire. And in tennis it's women's semifinals day at Wimbledon it's the 1st time 2 of the players have reached this stage at a Grand Slam event Barbara streets of our will face the 7 times Wimbledon champion Serena Williams while Lena's with Lena plays the former world number one Simona Halep scientists say they have unlocked the mystery of how some fish changed their sex a study that by a target University in New Zealand says it may tell us more about how sex is determined honey and fish but investment animals generally as Terry Egan reports around $500.00 species of fish routinely change their sex as a natural part of their life cycle one of them is the Caribbean blue headdress most . Such dresses begin life as females but they can become Mills later in life in a process that takes no more than 3 weeks in fact when a dominant male is lost from a social group the largest female transforms into a fertile male in 10 days changing color before the ovaries start to regress and fully functional testes grow in their place how this stunning transformation works at a genetic level though has long been a mystery now scientists have been able to see how and when specific genes are turned on and off to allow the change this study published in the journal Science advances suggests that with the blue headdress it involves a complete genetic rewiring of the gonad that's the mixed gland that produces the sex cells and sex hormones of an organism after the genes needed to maintain the ovary are turned off a new genetic pathway is steadily turned on to promote testis formation and although what triggers the reaction is still not known for certain the researches say that the stress of losing the existing dominant male may well be an important factor Terry. As we've been reporting recently on the b.b.c. The rate of deforestation in the Amazon has suddenly increased under Brazil's new president Jabal so narrow an area of forest the size of a football pitch is being cleared every minute it releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the air a gas that's warming the planet and scientists warn that what's happening to the Amazon has implications for the global climate our science editor David Shipman has this report. I'm following a research team right into the forest under a tree trunk. Over another one deeper into the forest. I mean is there any point. There are they going to pick up the trees got to pick up their reading point. I'm with Erica Baringo a Brazilian scientist based at Oxford University who's been working in the Amazon for the past 10 years. Erika has set a self the task of working out how much carbon the trees absorb from the atmosphere she uses a tape measure to record their diameters and then marks the point with spray paint so there is on for example. 15.6 centimeters and once we do it the thing for the tree. So when you come again you're going to measure and at the same place. That Amazon store so much carbon that is helping us fight climate change this key thing carbon on the ground on the forests and it's not in the atmosphere so what carbon is locked up yeah are there carbon is locked up in trunks like this and the bigger trunk the more carbon the tree has and then we measure the tree Lakers us did. Thank you. Then you're going to come back and check it again and check it again and then I can see how much of the trees actually growing through the years how much how much carbon staking out on your neck that is but yeah you're not for those. Is there a message. Behind her laughter Erika is worried about the attitude of the new Brazilian government previous administrations managed to reduce deforestation this one is openly talking of encouraging more development here it's really frightening because the government is ace putting out a lot of proposals to reduce protected areas which is going to increase as far as the last one angle of her research is the threat of forest fires which are becoming more frequent in the Amazon probably because of human activity for someone who started and got to know the same trees for years it was heartbreaking when some of them burned so fallen 15 or was an El Nino year the super super super dry had 8 months in the region of drought and armies that have 4 so the fires could spread and then I saw my set of pots my air is just burning underneath my feet there was nothing I could do and I'm still seeing my trees dying so trees that I knew from I have lunch on the street like their tree because once there was a beautiful butterfly now it's going. For hour after hour Erica drives us down twisting tracks there's so much she wants to show us and all the time there's a nagging question about the future of the great forest I was there we're here and there because every day here there's something new and I really hope that I'm as and as they were here Erica baring it talking to David Shipman a news armed Iranian vessels are reported to have tried to intercept a British oil tanker in the Gulf before being warned off by a British warship a month sit for now from the newsroom. Here on the b.b.c. World Service we're finding out it's a bite in American art form which started in an unlikely place the marching band which half their American flag and they would have it right for scored and that's where it stands from you would never see any dance or anything like that it was all straight lines Winter Guard is an indoor pageants involving the throwing of prop rifles sabers and other objects somebody said can is to if I were you I would spread out a big bunch credit some big stuff and I want to know get drunk and dance choreographer started coming into our city to bring dance into Sajan tree and we're going to learn how to put a little bit of expression behind it through this whole level of creativity has taken something like marching in a militarist fashion and it's turned it into light I mean you can call it dancing marching to the coolest beat on the b.b.c. World Service as b.b.c. World Service dot com. And I'll be here in a moment with health check where we take the very latest medical research and dissect it for you today huge study on whether using medical induction earlier than usual to bring on labor in childbirth could lower the risk of a baby being stillborn might one day become routine to offer pregnant women the option for induction on their due date and holidays are good right but could the long summer holidays in some parts of the world have a negative impact on children's mental health and well being to join me for health check. B.b.c. News with Neil Nunez 5 the Iranian boats are reported to have tried to intercept a British on the tanker near the Strait of Hormuz but it's dispersed after a royal navy frigate trained its guns on them and on a most u.s. Officials are quoted as saying that vessels thoughts to belong to Iran's revolutionary guard asked the tanker to stop in Iranian waters nearby but withdrew after a warning no shots were fired Iran's been threatening to retaliate for the seizure of one of its tankers near Gibraltar last week the United States has launched an investigation into France's plan to tax technology johns like Google and Facebook saying it may unfairly target American companies the digital services tax is expected to pass the French Senate on Thursday the u.s. Says it may amount to a restriction on Comus Brazil's lower house of Congress has voted in favor of a bill to overhaul the pension system proposed changes include raising the retirement age and increasing workers' contributions a study of $100000.00 people in France has found that those who consume sugary drinks including fruit juice more likely to get cancer researchers found that the consumption of sweet drinks was associated with increased risk of overall cancer but they did not establish a causal link the commercial space company Audi on the spot says one of its rockets was lost shortly after it blasted off from the European spaceport in French Guiana the Vega rocket was carrying a military satellite for the United Arab Emirates thousands of higher education institutions worldwide have declared a climate emergency in a joint letter to the United Nations more than 7000 universities Community and Technical Colleges pledged to become carbon neutral by 2030 or mid century at the latest b.b.c. News. Hello and welcome to health check from the b.b.c. I'm Claudia Hammond here with the latest health stories from around the world the skin of an adult weighs 9 kilograms and covers 2 square meters but until the 18th century it wasn't even recognized as an organ later on we'll hear from a doctor determined to get us to appreciate our skin and he'll have the evidence about whether face creams really can keep you looking young and in some parts of the world school children are counting down the days until the holidays start but could long school holidays in fact be detrimental to children's health and well being I out my mom if she's got any I get is just. So I I sometimes when I am lonely I start to feel very sad and sometimes I cry when around anybody and b.b.c. Health and science correspondent James Gallagher is back with me in the health today what you have foreseen something very cool a completely new branch of medicine that's finally reaching patients and very exciting things really fascinating but also reversing paralysis in some patients and Hans another amazing story 2 very impressive ones are now when women are pregnant batch to date tends to be at the forefront of their minds but of course many babies particularly 1st babies arrive late and if women get to $41.00 weeks without going into labor they're considered to be a week late and often offer to medical induction of labor to get them started but the results of new research might lead to a day when women are routinely offered induction when they reach their due date in order to reduce the risk of having a stillborn baby Professor shitty life and get rotten am from Queen Mary University of London who's also an obstetrician analyze the results of the best studies conducted in Denmark the u.s. And the u.k. And found that more babies are still born at 41 weeks than at 40 weeks so I asked her for women about to give birth what does that mean in practice what we really would like to do is actually have a dialogue the parents saying you're not for to eat. Richard you date if you wait for one more week then your risk of having a stillborn baby is one for every 1449 mothers and if you wait for a week beyond that then how much your risk increases so you want to provide the discussed amounts so the parents can then decide what is the best time for them to be induced or they might want to continue the pregnancy taking into account yes that is a risk but it's a very small risk and they're happy to continue he says quite hard to quantify that risk isn't it in a way because as you say it's it's it's one stillborn baby will be saved for 1448 women who are in juiced earlier who are and used to rounds that their due date but in a way you don't know which of those people are going to be hard to make a decision yes we don't have specific information for every individual who's going to sit in front of me whom I see as a consultant obstetrician are I'm not able to say your risk of having a baby that's not going to make it is x. Percent age but we can't say the level of increased risk that happens week on week so it allows moms to have a lot threshold to come into the hospital if they think things are not going as they would expect so the baby is not moving well to have a lot threshold as they progress along beyond the due date so that's the sort of awareness that we are keen to bring with this study and do you know why it is that the risk of us job increases between 40 and 41 weeks most of them over 2 thirds of babies who are still born at this distinction we don't really know the cause that has no known cause we can't put a finger on say this is what caused it that is a small percentage which could be because of an infection or or could be a pleasanter problem like separation of the placenta prematurely but it is thought that as you who be. On the due date and as your pregnancy continues further and further then the placental function slows down we currently don't have a particular test or a marker for us to actually predict who is the one who is going to have a stillborn baby but it is thought that it is related to the present or function and you looked at pregnancies and births in the u.s. The u.k. And Denmark is it possible that it was the pregnant says that had a high risk of stillbirth that tend to last longer could it be caused that way around instead in which case it wouldn't make any difference would it if people had induction earlier so the pregnancies that we looked at were considered to be apparently normal pregnancies because these but Menzies were continued beyond the due date if you suspect that is going to be an increased risk of stillbirth clinicians would induce the pregnancies before the due date so it's Ok to assume that these are reflective of what you would see in your everyday clinical practice of these are not high risk pregnancies when we looked at specifically that strict criteria are looking at purely Lotus pregnancies where the babies do not have any known March missions again we noticed a similar week by week increase in that it's do you find that there are some women who are quite worried about having an induction because it might mean a longer more painful labor and that they say they just want to let the baby come out in its own time absolutely different patents prefer different things that are some parents who prefer an induction because their risk threshold is quite low so they're saying Ok that's any risk I actually want to go for the next off label but that also parents who think induction of labor is a medical process as it is different from going into labor on your own you're coming to a hospital you do have an intervention that's provided to you and of course it could take a longer time to actually get into labor because it also depends on the largest tickle issues we have in the hospitals the induction can be a prolonged process so as. Moms may want to go for it and some may not and also to be aware of any potential risks to the baby which we have shown that is sent to the Neonatal Death itself is not increased by inducing before 41 we are delivering before 41 weeks and we know that induction does reduce the risk of having is it in section we used to think that induction increases the risk of is it in section but it's been shown quite comprehensively that the risk of the sit in section is lowered and you think if further data in the future confirms everything you've found here do you think we might see a day where it's completely routine for women to be in juiced if they reach their due date absolutely and I think even now if mom is coming to us with a concern we should be in a position to actually offer them an induction of labor and the 2nd one is that we currently have got an international team of our own 60 teams around the world who's looking at providing individual risk for the mother putting in see what we call prediction models so we can put it on that mother's body mass index her age whoa parity the number of children she's had and other factors and say for that particular Mom what is the risk of having a stillbirth and I think once we have a model that's been proved to be a kid and can be replicated that's the way to move forward Professor. Now James I want to ask you about a small trial of some really remarkable surgery for process where the nerves have been rewired and this was done by doctors in Australia what are they doing Ok so if you think about when you have a spinal cord injury say a few you have a really severe infection or if you're in a traffic accident you damage your spinal cord the thing that can actually brain to the rest of your body then that stops those messages reaching the rest of your body so in these patients they were paralyzed basically from the arms down had a little bit of movement in their shoulders but I can open and close their hands anymore they were completely paralyzed in terms of their legs so. What surgeons did was they found the nerves that were leading to their shoulder muscles those muscles that they could still move and they cut those nerves and then rewind them they connected them to the nerves the nerves that were leading to the elbow in the hand the muscles that control the elbow and hand so after the surgery these 14 patients could bend their arm the elbow to them and they could reach for things and they could open and close their hands and they could now pick something up now if you think this is a group of patients that were almost completely paralyzed before the surgery they're now able to do some of the things we take for granted every day I can see a mug with a drink you know on the table and see your table where you could pick that up and drink it I've got my phone I can pick that up again so allows patients to interact with the world again I spoke to one person in the study who's been able to move out of his parents' house and live independently he still needs carers come in occasionally but he's living on his own now it's been completely life changing for some patients and it painful having these nerves moved around the person I spoke to others and he said he described is the single most painful experience of his life having having the surgery because if you think about it those nerves or how you feel and having them rewired cause them an immense amount of pain the drugs that he was given after the surgery couldn't hate that pain away for him but after a time it went away and after a time he managed to learn how to control his arm and hands again so he had to do some quite different things so the nerves and the thinking that would normally turn his palm to face up was now the thinking of the brain process that was opening and closing his hand so you have to really learn to rewire your brain in a way as well we think because what we used to think about doing one thing in now to something completely different so this is a bit of a long process some intensive physio after the surgery but he describes as life changing and is this something that you think could ever become widespread we hear about these various groundbreaking treatments for process and sometimes they're just done experimentally and not something that then many people around the world get to have what you think with this one. I think this is one that you definitely need especially center there where you got someone who skilled enough to do the delicate nerve surgery in the 1st place however this is a type of paralysis that's incredibly common because the back of the neck the top of the neck is really vulnerable to injuries Who is when people have a spinal cord injury a lot of them have it there so it could be political to quite a lot of people but a lot of experts I've been chatting to in the past few months or years really feel like we're coming to a moment in spinal cord injury where there are so many different approaches that it's actually started to begin to be transformative for patients lives never restoring completely normal function but those things that stimulate the spinal cord they're getting people walking again those cellular transplants from the nose to the spinal cord the healing the wound itself these nerve rewiring approaches that all of this is coming together that's going to mean that paralysis may not have to be permanent in the future and it is I've said it so many times already before but when you've got nothing gaining a small match from again is life changing yet is amazing thank you very much James now in the u.s. The long summer holidays have already begun and in some other parts of the world like England school children are counting down the days until the holiday starts in some countries they're off a 6 weeks in others it's 8 and during this time families who are already struggling need to find a way of filling the days maybe pay for childcare and find the money for extra meals the cost to the physical health of a child whose parents are unable to cope with this added burden has been well documented but a new paper has explored how the long summer holidays can also affect the mental health and well being of children during this time you go Goodrich ripples. On the so holidays I am mainly stay at home in a week or so ago were my friends and have a couple. We found that children from poor backgrounds did report poor mental Well health undertone to school Dr Kelly Morgan is a public health research base that Cardiff University and. Author of a new paper Liz explored how schoolchildren experience the summer holidays and the effect that they can have on their mental health however our main finding was that actually experiences over the summer holidays had the big. Link with mental health reports and actually this explained over 2 thirds of reasons why children reporting poor mental health I lack a positive experiences during the summer holidays is a point of concern for me Richards had to report school in London not every parent is able to take their children out to interact with the children and from experience that many thought vulnerable children spend their time in the house Time is a let's go over the counsellor reports school I've definitely worried about some of our children and thinking about them of the summer holidays it can be such a long break for the children the time he speaks with Upon their return a common theme arises so most often will be I didn't do anything. I didn't going where I didn't go to the park I didn't go out of my house so that would be a worry for me that they spend the summer holidays inside yet no I got my laptop for my birthday I know only kill me now so probably 60 am only be on my laptop Dr Morgan study were light on the soft reporting of over 100000 children across almost 200 schools the study showed that there was a significant statistical link between a family's affluence and the availability of experiences or lack thereof during the summer holidays just under a 3rd of children reported feelings of loneliness at least some of the time which can frequently occur when children are left alone for long periods loneliness actually had the biggest association with poor mental Well health and actually one in 5 children from poor backgrounds experienced loneliness and that was nearly double that of children from more affluent families research has. Linked loneliness to increasing risks of developing depression and other poor mental health outcomes is sometimes just makes me feel so normally I would just go in my room and try and get it off my mind but I just can't so I asked my mom if she's got any ideas for me and it's just. So I I sometimes when I'm lonely I start to feel very sad sometimes I cry when I'm not around anybody. When the children return to school if the long break has had it's clear for the staff to see school counselor Tommy zealots go over again on the whole I would say there's a general bass when they come back from school to school for after the holidays and that is a strong kind of indicator how much to Mr each other how must've missed school does he secure base and the provider of everything that ever present at teacher will be Richard's self-esteem plummets does it feel confident about themselves and that affects interactions with other children and they can very easily become disengaged well have got things to do it like. We have got nothing to do I feel frustrated I. Was like thank. You children in the u.k. They've given 6 weeks holiday and those children who have limited social interaction I'm most vulnerable to health issues arising from loneliness really were if this had teachable me Richards tells me how Park School has started a residential program provide assistance to the parents an opportunity to the children we have become involved in a project with a school trust a house school whereby our most vulnerable children have the opportunity to visit just a house and spend a week there free of charge an experience merely acted. Otherwise experience and they've lived it and 3 years. Really after over the week children can escape city living take part in physical activities such as camping mountaineering and team games and spend time and gauging socially with one another these social interactions and activities can help vulnerable children form lasting positive experiences which can serve as a foundation the good mental health counselor tell me this experience is very touch them so they've reported that they just seem different and the experience has enriched them really and. They feel more secure themselves more happier happier I suppose Dr Morgan is well aware of the need for programs such as the one run by Shelf reports but also understands the need for deep reforms as does Council autonomy they are a short term fix. Are they available over all school holidays I'm not sure where and b. What does happen when children go back to school is that enough to kind of combat the social inequalities often social inequalities come from structural inequalities so therefore the government needs to be looking at structural solutions going a way to try to house his grace and you know it hopefully to be put down with things like you know being more independent making friends you know for their self-esteem and just generally being one it would nature but I think what will be even better is having local clubs here. And you know around the area where they live so they can actually go and access if. You go Goodrich reporting this is health check on Claudia Hammond b.b.c. Health and science correspondent James Gallagher is my guest today now James as a new type of treatment I want to ask you about cold Gene silencing it was licensed in the u.s. Last year for people with a very serious genetic disease and this week it's been announced it will be made available in England too and this is ease it's called amyloidosis What is that if there are different forms and the one this is specifically treats is one that's passed down through families and it leads to a buildup of toxic proteins inside the body and those proteins attack the nerves and the heart and other organs so you know it's deadly when that within 3 to 15 years and it is horrific because it devastates families so I spoke to a couple of brothers one of the other brothers have died from it their mother died from all of their mothers brothers and sisters of which they were 5 died from this disease so it is horrific So how does this new treatment work the gene silencing Ok so your d.n.a. Is the blueprint for your body and it contains genes in there the different instructions for different part of the body and the Normally that's all healthy instructions it's how we how body functions but in this family's case they have a rogue Gene a dodgy instruction that least of the these are the creation of this toxic protein gene silencing is basically a way of turning that gene off it doesn't fundamentally change the d.n.a. It just intercepts as part of the way it's doing its job and then by silencing that gene then these toxic proteins eventually drain out of the patient's body and effectively you're either halting or completely reversing the disease in these patients so you know you've got an untreatable disease you can treat it now it's quite credible So these kind of treatments are amazing but only was going to be really expensive only available for a few people well every treatment starts off like this anything new and innovative is really expensive to start off with and then gets cheaper through time but it's worth noting that new the U.K.'s National Health Service. It's very careful about how it spends its money but already thinks this is a treatment worth paying for so it is taking those cost effectiveness boxes already is this is sort of thing that could become widespread this is certainly the hope this is the we're seeing the very beginning of this field here but there are other diseases other genetic diseases things like really high cholesterol runs in families they think is a really promising in terms of Gene silencing there are other rarer diseases but Huntington's disease you know it's a it's a major disease completely untreatable you know again runs through families leads to you know the progressive loss of brain function is ultimately fatal they're hoping that it could work in genes I think could work for that disease too and I remember we talked about that about 18 months ago when you reported on a family there what's happened since with Huntington's Ok so that trial showed that you could lower the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease the next stage and what's currently being worked on is following patients for a long period of time because it is one thing to show you can lower the toxic protein it's another thing to then show that lowering that actually changes the course of the c.c. Need to follow people for long enough that you can see they're actually they've either stabilized or they've not deteriorated as much as you thought they might had that's where that fuel is at thanks very much James Now here's a question for you what is the largest organ in the body and adding all the muscles together doesn't count I gave you a clue by weights the intestines come 2nd the liver comes 3rd in the brain comes forth so what's top it's all skin and Dr Monte Lyman from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in the u.k. Feels it's neglected in medicine so much so that he's written a book on it published tomorrow called the remarkable life of the skin he came to visit us in the health checks and I asked him why he thinks the skin is so special skin is our most visible and largest organ but it's massively overlooked it's a window into science a lot of modern science from immunology to Gene editing is playing out on the skin over the last couple of years but it's also a window into the human soul and psychology from. The psychological effects of blushing through to skin diseases such as albinism that change the melon in someone's skin but in certain parts the world can completely change the course of their lives so it's I see the skin as a lens through which we can see science history psychology sociology and it gets a bad rep in the medical profession as being boring at best but I think it's partly our most interesting organ and it's interesting that you say it's an organ so I think a lot of people if you are going to list the organs in the body they'll know about the heart and the liver and things like that and not even put skin on that because it seems like all it is is what comes out but as much water in that So actually it wasn't even seen as an organ or ricin as an organ until the late 19th century and precisely I've got a surgeon friend who calls in the wrapping paper that covers the presence there are a huge number of different roles the skin plays we understand it's Beriah function is incredible it's our largest organ but our skin replicates itself from place itself once every month but it also calls us down it's off her misstepped it's a way of communicating with others that new research is showing that it can also detect low oxygen levels and change our blood pressure so our skin looks in our body as well as looking out and protecting us and when we think about skin a lot of people will just think of it as something that sometimes problematic that it's dry or you've got spot saw or serious skin conditions like psoriasis and x. Men and so on and think of it as something that's a problem rather than than a good thing and rather than a solution how much progress has there been in serious conditions over the past few years while I think a marker of the progress in conditions such as severe excellent psoriasis which are relatively relatively common is that they used to be loads of Dermatology wards across the country almost exclusively for people with severe debilitating psoriasis and new medications have almost eliminated. Almost every single dermatology ward in the country so there are these new medications called biologics which target specific immunology ules and we now know which immune molecules cause eczema and which of course psoriasis and they're both a skewing of the immune system to a different site see very very rarely see people with both X.-Men psoriasis but over the last 234 years these new medications almost completely eliminated severe psoriasis next month this is brand new medications with him pronounced one names like a skit in a map and things like that and it's completely changing the face of Dermatology through starting time and one of the things that you must get asked a lot when you tell people that you have this particular interest in expertise in skin is whether any of those expensive face creams work will they make us look young and stop those wrinkles forming or is there nothing you can do well there's good and there's bad news the good news for those who haven't been spending a huge amount on expensive moisturisers is that studies show that relatively cheap moisturizes are effective but once you start paying anything more doesn't have any extra effect there are a couple of creams that can reduce and slow down the effects of aging on the skin by far the most effective is sunscreen and sunlight is the greatest cause of skin aging some dermatologist say that even more than time itself even though that would be impossible to study sunlight is incredibly is a huge skin ages is sun cream is really important to wear and also rest and acid as well that's something that annoyed Russian aircraft that are. A molecules that have been shown to improve college in the skin and they have some some evidence behind them. Aside from that some people swear by antioxidants there's not a huge amount of evidence for them but I don't there's any harm in wearing them more stress regularly and one thing that doesn't me is people experience need feeling the need to expand it too much because our skin works really hard it creating an effect of Beriah so experiencing the skin maybe a couple of times a week is absolutely fine very busy lads are up to much weight you want to take Yeah take off the berry that are tiny skin cells been working out for every month of the life a skin cell it's been working towards creating a really thick heart out a barrier and if we peel it away we expose yourself to more sun damage and also have more infections and things like Montel I'm an author of the remarkable life of this and thanks to the producer Helena Selby and to my guest today James Galahad I'm on Twitter at Claudia Hammond Now if you've ever struggled with motivation your light next week's program will have an audience and a panel and we'll be asking what the latest psychological research can tell us about avoiding procrastination Now I just have to get around to listening by for now now I will in the b.b.c. World Service on the 20th of June $1069.00 follow another one and I would show you in the. Last that I. Didn't want. This most daring animation and one of the most momentous day of the race for the Rock told by the people who took my to the. 13 minutes to the moon listened to the whole series now it's b.b.c. World Service dot com ever get your podcasts. And it b.b.c. World Service Don't call me in part 2 of the history of hate with the little I'll tell the story of how a radio station in Rwanda pumped messages of hate into people's homes and hearts priming them into believing that genocidal murder was a civic duty next it's a nice day here on the b.b.c. World Service the world's radio station 2. It's 6 o'clock here in London Hello and welcome to News Day on the b.b.c. World Service with. Madonna. The top story is in the Strait of Hormuz were. Reported to have tried to intercept a British oil tanker but then driven off by a Royal Navy ship remember Iran has been threatening to retaliate for the seizure of one of its tankers the last week this as the u.s. Has declared it seeking a coalition to secure this waterway We'll get reaction from Washington we'll also hear from the new Greek prime minister he lays out his plan for raising the country out of a decade of financial strategy you need to lower taxes and you need to drastically impact the regulatory environment Greece is still a very confusing and complicated place to do business this has to change and it has to change very quickly sports in business also coming your way this half hour 1st the latest world news. As with the b.b.c. News the United States have reported that 5 armed Iranian boats tried to intercept a British oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz but were driven off by a British warship media report said the Iranian vessels withdrew after a warning more now from Peter pose the British heritage tanker was moving out of the Gulf when it was approached by the Iranian boats guns on a British frigate escorting the tanker were trained on the Iranian boats as they were ordered to back off they heeded the warning and no shots were fired last week an Iranian super tanker was seized by British Royal Marines off Gibraltar when it was suspected of carrying oil from Iran to Syria in breach of e.u. Sanctions the United States has opened an investigation into French plans to tax internet and technology Johns such as Google and Facebook the u.s. Trade representative Robert like Tiger so he's concerned that they may be discriminatory towards American companies Dave Lee has more than had been talks of a Europe wide digital tax like this but that fell through because of opposition from countries like Ireland that have some of these tech companies basing their European operations there Francis pledged to go ahead alone implement this 3 percent tax on the revenues that tech companies make in France and the criteria for being part of this tax is that it's a tech company that owns more than $750000000.00 euros every year globally so the American complain is that many of those companies that fit that criteria are American companies. The Brazilian lower house of Congress voted by a large majority to overhaul the country's prime shouldnt system a 2nd vote is due next week on the reforms was printed enjoyable Xanadu has made a cornerstone of his economic agenda Daniel got as installed by the government says pension reforms can produce savings of up to $270000000000.00 in the next 10 years which would be crucial to restore confidence in the economy markets closed before voting took place but there was optimism amongst businesses but in parts of Brazil there were demonstrations from trade unions in some of the protestors close down one of the city's main avenues trade unions and opposition politicians say the pension reforms will see poor Brazilians working more years and retiring later. Venezuelan Navy officer who died in custody has been buried by the or far it is against the wishes of his family Captain Rafael Acosta was detained last month and charges of involvement in a coup plot and died a week later his wife has called for a u.n. Investigation and his death lawyers say he showed signs of severe beatings this is the world news from the b.b.c. . The Japanese high a booster to space probe has landed successfully for a 2nd time on the same asteroid to connect more samples a live stream of the Mission Control's room showed scientists break into applause as data on the touchdown came in sight. They called it. Because Stanton was a success. I think it was significant I'm so happy. Thank you very much for. The probe gathered material spewed from inside the surface of the asteroid about 300000000 kilometers from it's a.