Im james menendez. From here in the world newsroom, we send out correspondents to bring you the best stories from across the globe. In this weeks programme. As barack obama leaves the white house after eight years, jon sopel looks back at his legacy as the United States first African American president. I think his legacy to him is more important right now to paint a picture that he did a real good job. But, most black folks are disappointed because we feel he could have done more. The Culture Clash in the amazon. We report on brazils plans to build huge hydroelectric dams, which could change the worlds biggest rainforest for ever. The impact of so many of these structures on the worlds greatest river system, its environment and its people will be immense. Tell me what you are about to inject . Its good cocaine, a lot of heroin and some diazepam benzodiazephine, just to make the heroin stronger. Inside denmarks fix rooms. We get exclusive access to clinics where drug addicts can legally take heroin and Crack Cocaine under medical supervision. A visit to chinas most polluted city. We find the worst winter smog in recent years is poisoning its people. Its like living under a cloud. The smog is harming my childrens health. And the sounds of stonehenge. David sillito investigates how new technology is revealing more of the ancient stones secrets. What this new Vr Technology is offering is a chance to return back and see what this place used to look like in the past. Eight years ago, President Obama swept into power in an historic election which put the first African American in the white house. It marked a new era and the start of a period of hope for many. But now, as he says his final farewells and his successor donald trump prepares to take over, what will his legacy be . What has he done for race relations, gun laws, healthca re . And how united is america . Jon sopel looks back at the domestic issues which have defined the obama presidency. It wasnt just the hope when barack obama came to office, it was the wild expectation too, that the countrys problems would be solved at a stroke, that the first African American president would usher in a post racial era, no more black america or white america, just the United States of america. But the lingering vestiges of that dream disappeared in the summer of 2014 in clouds of tear gas, in a nondescript suburb of st louis, missouri called ferguson. An unarmed black man had been shot by a white Police Officer. It was a pattern that would become all too familiar. In charleston, south carolina, walter scott had been pulled over for a minor motoring offence. Footage captures the white Police Officer who stopped him, shooting him in the back several times before he dies. Gunshots. The policeman claimed self defence. At his trial, which ended last month, thejury was unable to reach a verdict. The court therefore must declare a mistrial. Another symbol for the black community another symbol for the black community that things havent changed. I think his legacy to him is more important right now to paint a picture that he did a real good job in america. But most black folks are very disappointed, because we feel he could have done more. The issue of race and another of americas great intractable social problems, gun violence, came together to horrific effect inside this famous African American church in charleston. A White Supremacist who, with his string of drug convictions, should never have been able to purchase a gun, walked inside a Bible Study Group and killed eight worshippers and the pastor in cold blood. Barack obama had always seemed reluctant to define himself as a Black President , preoccupied by racial issues. But after the shootings, that changed as he came to charleston and showed how he felt the communitys pain. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved. Obamas two terms in office were punctuated by the crack of gunshots. Youve dialled 911, whats the location of your emergency . Sandy hook school, i think theres Somebody Shooting in here. And then this series of random, mass killings that started with the slaying of 20 children and six of their teachers at sandy hook elementary school. The president s famously cool demeanour was gone after this. Every time i think about those kids it gets me mad. And by the way, it happens on the streets of chicago every day. I refuse to act as if this is the new normal. And this is not something i can do by myself. Such violence, such evil is senseless. Again and again, he wanted tougher legislation on gun control. Sirens. But he failed, to his evident consternation, when we sat down and spoke. If you ask me where has been the one area where i feel that i have been most frustrated and most stymied, it is the fact that the United States of america is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient common sense, gun safety laws. But there have been some legislative successes. Millions more americans now have Health Insurance than was previously the case, although obamaca re has created many losers too. And the economy, which was flat on its back eight years ago, is starting to boom, and people are spending their money again. We have notjust come back stronger from the great recession, we have actually built an economy thats the envy of the world. And that is an important part of President Obamas legacy. Happy new year. But it proved to be a Voterless Recovery where it mattered. There will be no democrat succeeding him in the white house, and so one of his final acts was to make a lastjourney to capitol hill to urge his partys lawmakers to fight off republican attempts to dismantle obamacare and the rest of his domestic legacy. Look out for the american people. Jon sopel, bbc news, washington. To brazils amazon rainforest now, where a battle is under way between its Indigenous People and big business. The brazilian government is defending plans to build dozens of hydroelectric dams, which they say are vital to meet the countrys energy needs. But environmentalists say the plans are a disaster for the amazon and will result in more deforestation and global warming. Wyre davies has been to belo monte, the site of the first of the new so called mega dams to assess their impact. From the heart of the planets greatest ra i nforest, emerges one of the worlds biggest Civil Engineering projects. A monolithic monument to progress. The belo monte dam is brazils answer to its growing energy needs. Mired in controversy and allegations of corruption, the 18 billion dam partially blocks the xingu, a major Amazon Tributary and has flooded thousands of acres of rainforest. Theres a human cost too. The local fishing has been decimated and thousands of Riverside Dwellers or riberenos, have lost their land and their livelihoods, forced into a completely alien, urban environment. We get angry, says this man, showing us his now worthless fishing licence. We see these corporations making millions from what used to be ours, he says and we cant even use the river any more. Building the dam brought hundreds ofjobs to the riverside town of altamira, but it also led to increasing deforestation and the permanent loss of many low lying islands. Supporters of hydropower admit mistakes were made. But said the rivers and their energy are there to be harnessed for The Greater Good of brazil. I would definitely defend the presence of hydro s1 as one of the Key Technology in our portfolio of technologies. In the developed part of the world, almost 70 of the Hydro Potential has already been explored. In brazil, almost 70 of our Hydro Potential has not been explored yet. Brazil says it wants to build at least 50 hydroelectric dams across the amazon. The government is saying it is clean, sustainable energy. But the impact of so many of the structures on the worlds greatest river system, its environment and its people, it will be immense. Next in line for development, the tapajos. Described as the most beautiful river in the Amazon Region and home to the munduruku Indigenous People. A plan to build several dams along its length would transform this wide, shallow river into a navigable water highway. But it would flood forests and islands used by the munduruku for centuries. Tribal chiefs say they will resist any attempts to build dams on the river. Translation the government always comes here with its lies. Theres not one place where a dam has been built that has turned out good for locals and for our tribes. There is only misery and complaints. These tattooed warriors of the amazon are taking on powerful business and political interest that want to weaken environmental legislation and fast track the construction of hydroelectric dams. Clean energy and the promise ofjobs versus the rights of indigenous tribes. And whether to exploit or to protect this fragile ecosystem. Wyre davies, bbc news, in the amazon. Now, when it comes to stopping deaths from drug overdoses, are fix rooms or Consumption Rooms the answer . They are places where users can legally inject hard drugs like cocaine and heroin under medical supervision without fear of prosecution. There have been repeated calls for them to be introduced here in the uk. We went to denmark to spend a day inside a fix room and we need to warn you, this report shows illegal drug taking, including scenes with addicts injecting which some viewers may find uncomfortable to watch. This is copenhagens seedy red light district, a well known area to buy drugs. Its home to one of the citys so called fix rooms, a place where users can legally take class a drugs safely under supervision and without the fear of prosecution. Theres calls to introduce them back in the uk, so im spending the day here to see how they work. Its 8am and inside, users have already turned up. My name is elliott and i am 25, almost 26 years old. Tell me what you are about to inject . It is good cocaine, a lot of heroin and some diaz benzos just to make the heroin stronger. Elliott is originally from sweden, hes homeless and will beg, borrow and steal to buy hard drugs. He injects so often, its difficult to find a vein. I will find one. And there we go. Ahh. How are you feeling . Lets see, alert, euphoric and relaxed. This place opened three years ago, funded by the city with public money. Theres always a nurse here to supervise the users. When the users come, the only thing they have to bring themselves is the drug they are going to consume. Everything else we give to them for free. This isjust an example, we give to them the needles, what they need to cook. Of course, the main thing is to save lives and to prevent diseases from spreading. I think we prevent a lot. Elliott is one of about 500 users who will come here today. This feels like a second home. Its a safe place to take things and when i take something that is really strong, id turn to the nurse that is sitting by the computer and id tell them, listen up, im going to take this strong dose, so they know what to expect if anything goes south. The fixing room. Will stay open through the night. Some people would say that having a facility like this is encouraging people to use drugs . It doesnt encourage people. Its a very hard life to be a drug addict in this environment. Its a very busy life, people are working to get drugs 24 hours a day. We dont make peoples lives more easy, but it gives people a place where they can be safe. But the fix room is clearly not a Treatment Facility to get addicts off drugs. And many people like the users ive met here to day will come in and out of the fix room and go back to the difficult and sometimes dangerous lifestyles. China is in the midst of its worst winter smog in recent years. More than half of all of its cities are experiencing high levels of air pollution. Visibility in beijing was reduced to less than 200 metres this week, increasing use of coal and current Weather Conditions have left a cloud of pollution over 3000 kilometres long across northern and central regions. John sudworth has travelled to the worst polluted city in china and sent us this report. Somewhere, underneath this murky gloom is a city of 10 million people. And, for the unfortunate residents of this city, this is normal. For the past 30 days the average air quality in this city has measured as hazardous on the official scale. You can smell, even taste the coal dust in the air, the grim, tangible reality of this countrys model of economic growth. And people have no choice but to live, eat and sleep in this toxic smog, 2a hours a day. Its like living under a cloud, this Noodle Seller tells me. The smog is harming my childrens health. Of course i want to leave, this man says, but i cant afford to and anyway, the whole country is polluted. Its not much of an exaggeration. 200 miles away, the pollution literally rolled into beijing earlier this week. And stayed. A toxic mix of coal dust from Power Stations and car exhaust, the smog now regularly blankets a huge swathe of northern china. And its believed to cause more than a million premature deaths a year. Translation as a lung cancer doctor, i have seen an increase in patients in recent years, especially from heavily polluted areas. And when the smog gets worse, we see more kids with asthma. Public concern has forced the Chinese Government to begin investing heavily in renewable energy. Those working in the sector believe china can clean up its air, just as wealthier, more developed economies at once had to. I am pretty positive for chinas future. Actually, they dont need that much time for the science research. They dont need that much time to develop relevant technologies. So i think a lot of things are more ripe for us to make faster solutions. Those solutions cant come fast enough for this city. Fossil fuels may have lifted chinas economy to ever greater heights, but they are poisoning its people. John sudworth, bbc news, china. The former war correspondence, Claire Hollingworth, who reported the outbreak of the Second World War died this week at the age of 105. She was the first journalist to report on the build up of german troops on the Polish Border in 1939. She went on to witness some of the most significant events of the 20th century. Our World Affairs Editorjohn Simpson knew Claire Hollingworth and hes been looking back at her life and achievements. File voiceover this is a National Programme from london. Germany has invaded poland and has bombed many towns. It was Claire Hollingworths first story. Three days earlier, she had spotted the build up of german armour, ready for the invasion. I rode along a valley and there was a tarpaulin up to prevent you looking down into the valley. And suddenly a gust of wind blew the tarpaulin away from the moorings. I looked down into the valley and there were scores, if not hundreds of tanks lined up. That set the pattern for her long career, scoop after scoop. It was Claire Hollingworth who broke the news of kim philbys defection to russia, though her newspaper, the guardian, fearing a libel suit, wouldnt use it at first. In vietnam, it she was a fearless war correspondence. Im really passionately interested in war and if one is passionately interested in war, one cant help like being in it. Despite her bad eyesight and slight build, she was remarkably tough and used her aunty ish appearance to great effect. Once in east berlin, she spotted a brand new soviet tank. The crew had wandered off, so she clambered onto it and got a look at the speedometer and the petrol gauge. The russian soldiers came running back, furious. She said innocently, she was just trying to work out how to get back to the west. The next day, her paper led on the new tanks speed and range. She was enormously admired. She was a pioneer, she led the way for all the Tens Of Thousands of Women Journalists who are now working all over the world, and especially in wars. And i think she was almost fearless and absolutely dedicated to the business. Happy birthday dear claire she remained a journalist into her 90s and last year in hong kong, where she lived, her friends celebrated her 105th birthday. Claire hollingworth had been a remarkable witness to the entire modern world. Finally, there are many questions surrounding the ancient stones circle of stonehenge. But might sound help in the search for answers . New technology is helping to recreate some of the strange acoustics of the mystical english site from thousands of years ago. Much of the stone circle has been lost over the years, but as David Sillitoe reports, the technology can even help us experience what the original prehistoric site might have looked like. Eerie sounds people have been coming here for at least 5000 years. So we are walking in the feet of history. When the wind blows, some people say they hear a strange hum. Thomas hardy wrote about it in tess of the durbevilles. And dr rupert till is convinced the sound of stonehenge is part of its magic. Wind blows eerily you here between each beat, and little echo as the sound leaves you, hits the stone and comes back to you here. Bang. Banging the problem, this isjust a fragment of the sound people would have heard 4000 years ago. I met the sites historian. So this is the front door of stonehenge we are going through right now. Thats right, yes. We are coming into the central space. It does change a bit as he walked through, doesnt it . It does, you get the feeling of being enclosed within a space. And thats with most of the stones, well many of the stones, having gone . Thats right, so what were looking at today is the ruin of stonehenge. Many of the stones have been taken away from the site, many have fallen down, lots have been eroded and they are covered in lichen. So it would have been a completely different, complete wouldnt it . Yes it would. However, rupert till has an answer. Horn blowing however, rupert till has an answer. What this new Vr Technology is offering is a possibility, a chance to return back and see and also here what this place used to look like in the past. Weve kind of reconstructed it by Rebuilding Stonehenge Digitally and then using Architectural Software to reconstruct the acoustics of the space, as it would have been when all the stones were here. So how different is the old sound to the sound we have today . If i tap this drum now, you hear a little bit of an echo. When all the stones are put in place, a much more powerful sense of enclosure, a slight reverberation, more echo and it changes more as you walk around. Banging and the reason he is convinced ancient people who are interested in sound, is because of his work in caves in spain. Hundreds of metres underground, they found ancient instruments and human marks on certain stalactites will stop stalactites that are musical. I9, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. So today, its just ruin beside a busy road. This, a chance to say goodbye to the 21st century and experience the last sound of stonehenge. David sillitoe, bbc news. Intriguing stuff. Thats all from reporters for this week. Rrom me, james menendez, goodbye for now. We are turning things milder from the west overnight and into tomorrow. Before the milder air comes to us, there is still snow. At least a time in the eastern side of scotland and north east of england. But it is a wet night for most others. Wind coming in from the west, temperatures will get up to 10 degrees in western part. Still pretty 10 degrees in western part. Still pretty chilly in western part. It will drift down to lincolnshire and into east anglia. Just be aware they will be some slippery conditions and ice on the roads first thing in the morning. It is wet in london and cold, four or five degrees. It could creep up. Eight or nine in cornwall, devon, much of wales but with lots of cloud and rain. A grey look to things. Into northern ireland, 9 10 degrees to start the day. A relatively mild but cloudy with outbreaks of freight. Rain. A lot of low cloud and outbreaks of rain in scotland. Relatively mild out west, eight or nine degrees but chilly further east in particular the north east, 45 degrees. 4 degrees. North east of england, five degrees in the whole a rare. In east anglia, sunshine will be in short supply. A bit of cloud and rain to be had as well. Quite a dull and damp day. 10 degrees in Western Areas but some eastern areas still quite chilly, maybe only two degrees in norwich. Quite a raw filter things. Feel to things. As we go through the evening, we keep the line of rain into wales and northern england, scotland as well. The line of rain is still with us in monday. Chile to the east of that. Chilly. Relatively mild towards the west. Monday afternoon, again out west, temperatures into double figures. The south western area will see mild to riches. High pressure is in charge. Temperatures. Patchy rain out west and most of any rain will be in the north where it will be relatively mild in comparison to what we will see in the south east. Tuesday and wednesday will stay pretty chilly. Risk of frost and morning fog in the south east. Further north and west, milder but with cloud and rain at times. Welcome to bbc news, im ben bland. Our top stories donald trump hits back at a prominent civil rights politician who refuses to recognise the result of the president ial election. Struggling through freezing temperatures, aid agencies say thousands of migrants in europe need more help. Also coming up spacex resumes operations. After taking ten Communication Satellites into orbit, it makes a safe return. Ahead of his inauguration next week, donald trump has provoked outrage in the United States by Criticising A Veteran Civil Rights campaigner. Mr trump took to twitter after john lewis, who is a democratic member of congress, questioned the legitimacy of the president elects victory in a tv interview
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