this is bbc news. the headlines at 8: after worldwide protests the home secretary calls president trump's travel ban wrong, saying it could help so—called islamic state to recruit supporters. isil and daesh will use any opportunity they can to make difficulties to create the environment they want to radicalise people, to bring them over to their side. it is a propaganda opportunity for them, potentially. but after sacking america's top legal officer for disagreeing with the ban, donald trump is holding firm. mps are debating the bill that will begin the process of britain leaving the eu. also in the next hour, we'll have live coverage of the costa book awards. there are five in the running for the prestigious literary prize, for british and irish authors. and what's in a meteorite? scientists hope to find the answers in antarctica that could unlock the secrets of the universe.

good evening and welcome to bbc news. the home secretary amber rudd has gone a step further in the government's criticism of president trump's controversial ban on citizens of seven mainly muslim countries from travelling to the united states. she's told mps it's notjust a divisive and wrong policy, but it could also end up helping so—called islamic state recruit supporters. her comments came amid worldwide protests against the ban, and a petition here, signed by nearly 1.7 million people, calling for a state visit by mr trump to be cancelled. here's our diplomatic correspondent james robbins. hey—hey, oh—oh, donald trump has got to go! refugees are welcome here!

days of protest across britain focused first on president trump's travel bans, then on the early state visit offered to him by theresa may. the government calls the travel bans divisive and wrong, now the home secretary has gone further, suggesting the president's actions might play into the hands of the extremists, so—called islamic state or daesh. isil and daesh will use any opportunity they can to make difficulties to create the environment that they want to radicalise people, to bring them over to their side. so it is a propaganda opportunity for them, potentially. and the home secretary told a committee of mps that, seen from britain, the countries which are the subject of president trump's travel ban, are not the main problem. the difficulties to the uk over terrorism are not caused by people largely coming from the sort of countries that the us has named, but from people becoming radicalised here. ministers are hoping some of the friction with washington will have died down before the queen

welcomes president trump on his state visit later in the year. the government is standing firm behind its invitation, although a former head of the foreign office said it was issued far too quickly. it's the government's role to make sure that the queen isn't dragged into political controversy, and i think they have to watch that dimension, given the level of public concern about this state visit invitation. to issue the invitation in the first days of president trump's being in the white house, to happen in the next few months, felt to me, when i heard it, a bit premature, frankly. the speed of the invitation is startling. president bush had been in office over two—and—a—half years before he was invited. similarly, president obama was in his third year of office when he got his invitation, but president trump was given his by theresa may just seven days after his inauguration. a petition against the visit is steadily gaining support and has now triggered a parliamentary debate next month, but number ten dismisses the objections and prominent pro—brexit mps are right behind the invitation.

this is a very important state visit in the national interests and it represents the recognition in this country of the united states, in relation to the whole of our foreign policy, our alliances through two world wars and the whole of the brexit question as well. there's absolutely nothing new about a government using an invitation to a state visit as a political weapon to achieve specific ends. it's one of the most powerful in britain's diplomatic arsenal. in the special relationship, inevitably unequal, it's something that britain has, the pomp, the pageantry, the palace, the queen, and american decidedly does not. president obama, much more popular in britain, came in 2011 after a series of plainer talks based visits, but it's the full royal glitter which president trump has already been offered, as part of the government's strategy to woo him from the very start.

james robbins, bbc news. in the last hour, the trump administration has repeated its assertion that its travel ban was not aimed at muslims and was only a pause while the government assessed america's security situation. but the political fall—out over the ban continues. overnight, mr trump sacked the acting attorney general sally yates who was an obama appointment after she questioned the legality of the ban. here's our north america editorjon sopel. donald trump was today meeting leaders from the pharmaceutical industry after last night delivering a lethal injection to the country's most senior law officer, the acting attorney general. it's already being dubbed the monday night massacre. the offence of sally yates was to issue this memo to her staff at the department ofjustice. she said she wasn't convinced the executive order was lawful and went on, consequently for as long as i'm the acting attorney general, the department ofjustice will not present arguments in defence of the executive order.

this is what america looks like! this drama was unfolding as once again protesters had taken to the streets to oppose the ban on refugees coming to the us. that she was fired for defying the president was hardly surprising, but the language used by the white house was. "the acting attorney general sally yates has betrayed the department ofjustice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the united states." the word betrayal is more usually reserved for spies, for people who have committed acts of treachery. sally yates would say she was doing what she thought was right and upholding the law, but what this episode shows us is how the trump administration sees dissent and how it's going to deal with it. in essence, you're either with us or against us. but look at this from her confirmation hearing back in 2015. the man asking the question is none other than donald trump's choice as attorney general.

if the views the president wants to execute are unlawful, should the attorney general or deputy attorney general say no? i believe the attorney general or deputy attorney general has an obligation to follow the law and the constitution and to give their independent legal advice to the president. in the last few minutes, homeland security personnel have been holding a news conference to clarify what the order is and isn't. this is not, i repeat not, a ban on muslims. the homeland security mission is to safeguard the american people, our homeland, our values, and religious liberty is one of our most fundamental and treasured values. this evening the focus was switched to donald trump's pick for the vacant seat on the supreme court, likely to be the biggest decision of his presidency. it will be relief for him to talk about that after four days of damaging controversy over his travel ban. the president of the european council donald tusk

has strongly rebuked the new us administration — listing it alongside russian aggression and radical islam as one of the external threats facing the eu. in an open letter to european leaders, mr tusk refers to worrying declarations out of washington, statements which he said made the future of the bloc highly unpredictable. particularly the change in washington puts the european union in a difficult situation, with the new administration seeming to put into question the last 70 years of american foreign policy. in a world full of tension and confrontation, what is needed is courage, determination and political solidarity of europeans. and we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40

this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are journalist and broadcaster aasmah mir and matt mcallester, editor of newsweek international. mps have begun debating a bill to grant the government the authority to leave the eu. the brexit secretary, david davis, warned mps not to block the bill, saying they'd already passed the point of no return when the referendum was held. the snp and the liberal democrats say they'll vote against the legislation but with jeremy corbyn telling labour mps to support it, the government looks set to win comfortably. 0ur oolitical editor laura kuenssberg reports. the man who has to make the argument, one of the campaigners who made it happen. will mps trust the people on brexit? i hope so. the chief whip who has to get it through the house of commons. and the prime minister who will take us out of the eu, who didn't want mps to have their say like this.

but here it is, the first real step to the exit. the eyes of the nation are on this chamber as we consider this bill. for many years, there has been a creeping sense in the country, and notjust this country, that politicians say one thing and do another. we voted to give the people the chance to determine our future in referendum, now we must honour our side of the agreement. labour's official position is to back the beginning of the legal process, article 50, but with a heavy heart. for the labour party this is a very difficult bill. some of its mps will defy the leader and vote against. when i was imploring people up and down the country to vote in the referendum and vote to remain i told them their vote really mattered. that a decision was going to be made. i was not inviting them to express a view. and although we are fiercely internationalist and fiercely pro—european, we are in the labour party, above all, democrats. most mps wanted to stay in the eu,

but most will now give the process the green light, yet there will be dozens of attempts to shape the deal. this is a backward and damaging step and it is an act of constitutional and economic sabotage. the british people did not give this government the mandate to threaten to turn our country into some tawdry, low—regulation, low—tax cowboy economy. this is a process that needs to be triggered, we need to do it soon and the public of this country expect us to do it. in theory this is all mps are debating, just two lines of a government bill. but here are the ideas mps want to include, all of the amendments they want to have to tweak or maybe even to slow down the process. but it's very unlikely that this will be stopped in its tracks. it's not so much about the outcome, but the occasion. and just as today is the start of something, is it the end of something else?

events, events, dissolving decades of tory division on europe. the once and future sovereign parliament of the united kingdom vote to make it sovereign again, that is what the people challenge you to do. i, personally, shall be voting with my conscience content in this vote. when we see what unfolds hereafter as we leave the european union, i hope the consciences of other members of parliament will remain equally content. applauded, even though he and others have lost the argument. they'll talk till midnight, plenty more before the first votes here are cast. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of indecency offences that are no longer a crime have been posthumously pardoned. the legal change announced in october — known as turing's law

after the world war ii codebreaker alan turing — came into effect today in england and wales. similar legislation is expected to be introduced in scotland and northern ireland. the head of world athletics sebastian coe has denied he misled a parliamentary committee investigating doping in sport when he appeared before it last december. new emails have been released which appear to show that lord coe was aware of corruption allegations in athletics before they were made public. here's our sports editor dan roan. there's some flash photography in his report. as both athlete and administrator, lord coe has been at the very top of his sport for decades. but tonight, fresh concerns over whether he misled mps about what he knew and when over allegations of a russian doping scandal. when coe appeared in front of parliamentary select committee, in december 2015, he was asked if he knew about the corruption crisis before it became public the previous year. i was certainly not aware of the specific allegations that have been made around the corruption of anti—doping processes in russia. but since then, there's been

evidence coe may have known more than he initially suggested. first, the bbc‘s panorama programme last summer reported allegations he'd been alerted to the scandal months before it became public. reporter: did you mislead parliament? lord coe? the programme revealed that former world champion distance runner david bedford had sent coe an email about the scandal. coe said he hadn't opened attachments detailing the allegations. today, a twist. in this email, sent by coe to the iaaf‘s ethics chief, in august 2104, he says, "the purpose of this note is of course to advise you that i have now been made aware of the allegations." certainly, in this case, it looks like lord coe knew more than he let on to the committee when he came in december 2015. i think he's put himself in a difficult position. coe denies there's any discrepancy between his evidence and what the email says he knew and that he was not asked specifically by mps about when he first heard

of the corruption. lord coe agreed to release this email after demands for him to be recalled to that parliamentary select committee to give more evidence, but the pressure on athletic‘s most powerful figure is intensifying. tonight, yet more controversy. his former right—hand man, kicked out of the iaaf in disgrace. nick davies, who served as lord coe‘s chief of staff, admitted accepting secret payments from the governing body's former president and then lying about it. he was cleared of corruption, but sacked with immediate effect. coe has vowed to salvage the credibility of the sport he now rules, but the past continues to blight his attempts to look to the future. dan roan, bbc news. the costa book of the year will be announced in a few minutes' time at a ceremony in london. the shortlist for the prize includes a first novel, a memoir, poetry, fiction and a children's book. rebecca jones is at

the award ceremony. rebecca. is everybody excited? it is almost upon us. almost upon us, as you say. welcome to central london where, in the next few minutes, we will find out who has won the costa book of the year. the award ceremony has already started behind me. the category winners are going up on stage to receive their prize. that is what is unique about this prize. there are separate categories for the novel, the first novel, the children's book, collection of poetry and biography. the winners of those categories have already been decided. what is at stake this evening is which one of the five books will be named overall book of the year. let's remind ourselves who is in the running. the winner of the first novel prize is francis

spufford for his book, golden hill. it is set in the early days of new york. when a stranger arrives, he finds a world of opportunity and trouble. the biography award went to dadland, by keggie carew. it follows her quest to find out more about her father's experiences in the second world war. she gets more than she bargained for us, one by one, his secrets are revealed. falling awake w011 secrets are revealed. falling awake won the poetry award for alice 0swald. the poems are designed to be read aloud and reflect on life, death and the power of nature as well as greek myths. the previous costa book of the year winner sebastian barry took the novel award for days without end. after signing up for days without end. after signing upfor for days without end. after signing up for the american army in the 18505, up for the american army in the 1850s, two young men fall in love while caught up in the chaos of war. and in the bombs that brought us together, the children's book award winner, written by brian conaghan, a

teenage adventure takes the spotlight. it is the tale of two friends faced with a terrible choice ina friends faced with a terrible choice in a dystopian world. each of the category winners wins £5,000 with the overall winner taking home a cheque for £30,000. there is a lot riding on this. for her thoughts and insights come i'm delighted to say i am joined by stephanie merritt. let's talk about the books in a little bit more detail and start with bays without end, sebastian barry's book. —— days without end. he is the best—known writer on the short list. he has won the prize before. what did you think of his book? it is a novel of extraordinary tenderness, set in a time of extraordinary brutality. it is about a lifelong love affair between two men during the indian wa i’s between two men during the indian wars in the 19th century in america and then the american civil war. the

sites that these two men endure are so sites that these two men endure are so horrific and appalling, but out of that they carve a family, they stay together and adopt a young indian girl that was left without a family. it is these little touches of domestic life in the midst of so much carnage and horror that makes this such an extraordinarily moving book. 0k. this such an extraordinarily moving book. ok. i get the impression you like that one. let's go onto the winner of the best biography category, dadland by keggie carew. a race against time book by a daughter to capture the memories of her father, who have heroic exploits during the second world war. he is slipping into dementia. my first question about this is, is it actually a biography in the strict sense of the world? is it more of a memoir? that is what has been so interesting about this category over the last few years. we have seen the

winner really veering between the traditional scholarly biography and very personal first person memoirs. this book manages to bridge both. it isa this book manages to bridge both. it is a very personal, family account ofa is a very personal, family account of a daughter's relationship with her father. but she of a daughter's relationship with herfather. but she has had to of a daughter's relationship with her father. but she has had to do an enormous amount of research into what went on in the second world war, what his part in it was. there is obviously a lot of detective work that has gone on. let's move on to the poetry, this has been won by alice 0swald for her collection, falling awake. it is sometimes a bit more difficult for the poetry to win this award, the overall award, because they are competing against more overtly popular books. she is very established, she has won all sorts of poetry prizes. there is no doubt they are beautifully written. idid doubt they are beautifully written. i did wonder at times how accessible they were. what did you think? what is interesting about alice 0swald is that she is principally a nature poet. but she is not writing in a co mforta ble, poet. but she is not writing in a comfortable, beautiful, pastoral

tradition. she is very conscious of the nature poet that have gone before her. she writes in a way that makes nature actually quite frightening and quite alien. i think there is sometimes, with these poems, you have to take a step back. she makes you look at things in a very new and not altogether co mforta ble very new and not altogether comfortable way. there was no doubt they are extraordinarily insightful poems. absolutely. the first novel was won by francis spufford for golden hill. a very established writer, he has won prizes for his nonfiction, but this is his first attempt at fiction. how did you think he got wrong? it is almost impossible to believe this is a first novel, it is so accomplished in sucha first novel, it is so accomplished in such a glorious riot of a book. i read it in almost one sitting. there is something new happening on every page, never a dull moment. he has ca ptu red page, never a dull moment. he has captured that sense of the 18th—century novel without ever tipping into pastiche. it is a very

affectionate homage. it is a period thatis affectionate homage. it is a period that is not very in american history, and he captures it so wonderfully. he wears his research very likely in it. the children's book, which has been won by brian conaghan, for the bombs that brought us together. it was won by a children's book by francis harding last year, and brian conaghan has an interesting story behind him. he is a former painter and decorator. he was rejected more than 200 times before he finally found a publisher. this is his third novel. what did you make of this? it's a really interesting book. its themes feel so timely. it is a book about war and occupation, it is about refugees, it is about prejudice and different cultures clashing. i think it is perhaps not necessarily the most

in—depth exploration of those themes we have seen in children's literature before, but he does it with a lightness of touch that i think will make those themes very accessible to teenage readers. the 14—year—old boy at the heart of the book is a very engaging character to go on book is a very engaging character to goona book is a very engaging character to go on a journey with. his voice feels very familiar and easy to get along with. partly, what is interesting about the story is that it feels quite universal. 0ld country and little town, the places where it is set, could be anywhere at the moment. how strong do you think the short list is?|j at the moment. how strong do you think the short list is? i think it is incredibly strong. in each category, chose not very strong short lists. this really is going to bea short lists. this really is going to be a difficult one for the judges to decide. i don't them. it is always said it is comparing apples to oranges, but there are such good books, such different types of writing in each of the categories.

to put them against each other, i think it is good to be a very difficult task. i agree with you, it is the apples and oranges argument. i wonder if the job is a little bit easier this year. so many of these books are concerned with the theme of war? yes, it is very noticeable as you look through them, they are shared themes, war and in particular race, in the novel categories. there isa race, in the novel categories. there is a lot about race and perceptions of race. the way we look at people, the kind of prejudices that we carry with us. i think there is a lot of overla p with us. i think there is a lot of overlap with some of the ideas in the books. they all feel quite timely, yes. i will put you on the spot. which one would you like to win and which one did you think will win? i think dadland has been enormously popular, it has been the bookies' favourite. it is an incredibly engaging book. i wouldn't mind if their predictions proved true. but i have a special fondness

for golden hill. why's that? because i write historical fiction. for golden hill. why's that? because i write historicalfiction. when for golden hill. why's that? because i write historical fiction. when you see somebody doing the thing that you do so well come i can't help but admire the skill he has brought to this recreation of this world. stay with us and we will see. we will head over to the awards ceremony and hear from the chairman of the judges, the writer and historian professor kate williams. let's see what she has to say and who is going to win. professor kate williams, accompanied by the managing director of good evening. it is so exciting to be on the stage, seeing you here celebrating books. it's been such a

privilege to be chair of the judges. the costa book award ‘s have celebrated for an amazing 45 years not only authors, but also readers, editors, publishing teams, book—sellers and libraries and everybody in the book community. i think that any book is an achievement for an author. but to have written books like these that speak so universally, so magnificently, it is truly invaluable. we salute the five award winners and all of the category short listed authors, and we also express our gratitude to costa for sponsoring this wonderful prize and reminding us of the importance of books and reading. thank you, dominic, and your colleagues at costa coffee. we live in uncertain times, times that historians will look back on, discuss endlessly, dissect. in such times, we turn to reading. 1984 is

now again at the top of the bestseller list, strikingly relevant ina time bestseller list, strikingly relevant in a time when alternative facts are entering the lexicon and george 0swald's satire of the ministry of truth seems ever more important. but books are important because they tell us the deepest truths about who we are and the perils we face both outside and within ourselves. all five of the short listed books are, as you see, so very different and subject matter. but they explore to dazzling and superb effect the great questions that we are currently asking ourselves. what is power? what is it within us that craves dominion over others customer can we gain power, but retain our humanity? in the words of shakespeare, those that have the power to hurt and will do none? it is important that we

remind ourselves and our children that technology is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't always encourage the reflection and self exploration that books like these can bring. social media, an excellent way of spreading the word. but there can be fake news, bubbles of fa cts, but there can be fake news, bubbles of facts, the immediacy of the click, the glow of the screen, all hugely addictive. books are different. they give us a great, long journey whether present, past future, into what it really is to be human. in the days ahead of us, our shared humanity is, i think, human. in the days ahead of us, our shared humanity is, ithink, the most important thing to remember. so, you see us fresh from exciting debate, although we did it in inflata ble debate, although we did it in inflatable suits, with inflatable rods, like it's a knockout. i don't know what the saint james hotel thought we were doing. after a few hours of inflatable bloodshed, the

judges reached our conclusion. mind you, maybe we have the easyjob, compared to the superb category judges who produced a list, reduced from hundreds of books. i think they must have very weary postmen. all five of the brilliant short listed books embody fantastic storytelling, each one showing in its different way about the truths of the human heart in all its complex and intricate ways. if you haven't read them, i urge you all to read them now, this minute, with an out and start reading them! of course, there can only be one winner. thank you again to thejudges can only be one winner. thank you again to the judges for working so hard, the authors and everyone, publishers, book—sellers and literary journalists who publishers, book—sellers and literaryjournalists who make the world of books such a rewarding place to be. thank you most of all to readers who gave us life, and to reveal the winner, the moment we have all been waiting for, to reveal

the winner, i now handover to dominic paul. thank you, dominic. so, the costa book of the year winner is... days without end by sebastian barry. applause. you nearly have the first instance ofa you nearly have the first instance of a posthumous winner, i got such a fright. it is often said about the

short lists of prizes that any of them could have won and i think the judges would agree that on this occasion any of these amazing books could have won, leaving aside my own. i do want to thank the judges. you have made me crazy happy from the top of my head to my toes in a way that is a little bit improper at 61. iwant way that is a little bit improper at 61. i want to thank my extraordinary editor faber & faber, my angel, and my ex—agent, still the most eligible bachelor in london, and my new agent, natasha fairweather. i want to thank my wife who knows me better than i know myself, which is barely at all, and my three babies now grown, making their way in the

world, and toby, to whom this book is dedicated. i don't know if you heard the little film but that prayer holds good and this book is dedicated to to be eternally, and thank you very much. applause. so, sebastian barry wind speed costa book of the year for his novel, days without end and it is the first time an author has won this twice, he

also won back in 2008. days without end is a gay love story set in america in the 1950s during the american civil war. it up the judges an hourand a american civil war. it up the judges an hour and a half to reach their decision, which was unanimous, and they said they were blown away by this book, which they said was a searing, magnificent and incredibly moving description of how the west was won. i am stilljoined by stefanie, and your reaction first of all? i'm not wholly surprised because it is a superb novel. i suppose perhaps if there was any doubt about whether he would win it's only because he had already won and that hadn't happened before so now it's been proved that can happen. as i said, it is an extraordinary accomplished novel. i

think what he does here that is so unusual is to create the voice of a man who is so uneducated and make it so lyrical and so very moving and articulate. for me, ifelt so lyrical and so very moving and articulate. for me, i felt what stood out about the novel was the pros. he's the most brilliant stylist, isn't he? it is beautifully written. it is, but it's also written. it is, but it's also written in a way that doesn't feel incongruous with the character and thatis incongruous with the character and that is quite a hard act to achieve when your character is essentially a more educated young man from sligo who has run away from the famine and become a soldier, and yet he speaks in this beautifully poetic way in beautifully clear sentences. every sentence is a little gem. nonetheless it is a tough book, it

is brutal and savage in its depiction of war, isn't it? it is, andi depiction of war, isn't it? it is, and i felt for me the passages describing the battles are actually less interesting than the periods when they are living between their fighting days, when they set up home together and they are trying to create this strange little version of family. we have thomas mcnulty, the narrator, described as a feminine young man, and he's a female impersonator or at least they doa female impersonator or at least they do a stage act together, him and his partner, in which he dresses up as the woman, but at home he is the woman as well, he wears dresses and they adopt a girl. part of the idea is that because everything is so new and different in this world, the old rules don't apply so they are quite accepted, it seems, by those around them, but those are the most moving

parts of the book i found. them, but those are the most moving parts of the book i foundlj them, but those are the most moving parts of the book i found. i agree, andi parts of the book i found. i agree, and i found that central love story very tender, and you get caught up with them. he actually writes about it in quite a spare way, doesn't he? yes, he conveys all of the moral ambiguities of these wars that are going on. nobody is clear—cut good or bad. there is the major, who is a very noble character early on, but has his flaws, we discover later on. there are his fellow soldiers, some of whom arejust there are his fellow soldiers, some of whom are just mercenaries fighting to put food on the table, they have no idea what principle they have no idea what principle they are fighting for in the civil war. there is such a difference in the way that people's allegiances shift, and the way loyalty is tested through these different fights that he and john go through, but their loyalty to each other remains

steadfast. it is warm and uplifting despite the horror that goes on around them. one of the criticisms against the book is that at times it does stretch credulity, is that a fair criticism? i think what people mean by that perhaps is that the central love story might feel a little anachronistic. he's a novelist who will certainly have done his research, and in these early days of the settlers in the 19th—century, when there was such a lack of women, i think there was, my understanding is there was a great deal more freedom and perhaps tacit a cce pta nce deal more freedom and perhaps tacit acceptance of gay relationships than we might imagine. perhaps there is a sense that the idea that these two men would be allowed to get on with their relationship, on bothered by their relationship, on bothered by the people around them, it feels as if we might be testing the bounds of

credulity, but it is... we are join now i'm delighted to say, stefanie, thank you very much, but we are joined by the winner of the costa book of the year, sebastian barry. you are live on bbc television, i must warn you that. congratulations, how surprised are you?” must warn you that. congratulations, how surprised are you? i was com pletely how surprised are you? i was completely gobsmacked, if we are familiar with that irish word. it's a word i tried to get back into usage in the book. it was the bees knees! your book, days without end, isa knees! your book, days without end, is a gay love story set against the battlefields of america in the midwest in the 1850s, what was the inspiration? my beautiful and incredible sum toby, who came out when he was 16 in auroral part of ireland and has given me university

training in what it is to be gay and opened my eyes to this wondrous condition of being. i thought if i can go back to a time in america despite the maelstrom of the nation being born, ifi despite the maelstrom of the nation being born, if i could find this place where a man could love another man and not be bothered by other people and just have their lives and progress in their lives, i was making a little secret prayer that my boy would never have to be bothered by prejudice. i did conclude it was a magnificent state to be so in the book i'm trying to describe their love in an unremarkable way because it is a normal and natural part of being a human creature. you dedicated the book to toby, what did he think of it when he read it? it took ages to read it, my children want to read my books, they just want read it, my children want to read my books, theyjust want me to be stupid old dad, riding them round in

a taxi, but he did read it and said quietly to me a couple of months ago — two things, you are not gay but you are an ally, and secondly i like your book and those words were precious to me. you have won this prize before, what is it like second time round? unprecedented, i cannot describe it to you because i was perfectly content to stand back and applaud any of the other people on this short list. i may never get over it. we are so delighted for you. i know you said it was dedicated to and inspired by toby but did your grandfather play a part in this book? a discredited man in this book, but when he was older he stopped drinking and became my beautiful friend and kind

stopped drinking and became my beautifulfriend and kind of stopped drinking and became my beautiful friend and kind of rescued me as beautiful friend and kind of rescued measa beautiful friend and kind of rescued me as a little boy. we shared a room, and one night in the bed together he was telling stories about the hindu culture, whatever, because he was a major in the british army, and said in passing your great, great uncle was in the indian wars. it has taken me 15 more yea rs indian wars. it has taken me 15 more years to understand what that would be foran years to understand what that would be for an irish person in america, ina be for an irish person in america, in a sense this possessing and destroying people in the native america is not unlike the irish themselves really. sebastian barry, congratulations, thank you for talking to us on bbc news. there you have it, the winner of the costa book of the year is days without end by sebastian barry. rebecca, thank you. the headlines on bbc news: after worldwide protests, the home secretary has callled president trump's travel ban wrong, saying it could help so—called islamic state recruit supporters.

but after sacking america's top legal officer for disagreeing with the ban, donald trump is holding firm. mps are debating the bill that will begin the process, of britain leaving the eu. a woman has been found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to a toddler, who was shot in the head with an air—rifle leaving him seriously injured. emma horseman had denied telling her partnerjordan walters to shoot the child, to frighten him. walters had pleaded guilty to the same offence. charlotte callen reports. ina in a second, little harry's life was changed for ever. just 18 months old, he was shot in the head by jordan walters and critically injured. harry's mother, amy allen, broke down in tears in court. she said she and her boys had been

visiting emma horseman and jordan walters at their flat. they were neighbours and good friends. the court heard that walters had been cleaning his air rifle that he used for hunting in his kitchen whilst the children played in the living room. when harry started crying, the court heard walters picked up the gun and aimed it straight at harry's head and pulled the trigger. during the trial the jury were told that neither he nor his partner had realised the gun was loaded. walters had already pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm but amy, harry's mother, told the court she had heard emma horseman urging walters to shoot him in the head just a fight in him. emma said she couldn't remember saying that. today emma horseman, seen here with her head covered leaving court, was found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm by a jury in half an

hour. harry's family say he still suffers with head problems since he was shot and the pellet is lodged in his brain. they say although he is making great steps forward, it could be many years before we know the full extent of his injuries. a legal battle over the rights of parents to take their children on holidays in term time has reached the supreme court. fivejudges are hearing an appeal by a council which fined a father, jon platt, for taking his daughter to florida without her school's permission. mr platt challenged his fine in the high court and won. 0ur education correspondent gillian hargreaves reports. jon platt, a dad from the isle of wight fighting his case in the highest court in the united kingdom, over a £120 fine for taking his daughter on holiday to florida. it's a shocking situation that if i lose today, that any unauthorised absence of any child in any school in england, that a criminal offence will have been committed.

warm seas, soft sand, trying to book a family break without incurring the big increase in price that tour companies charge during the school holidays is a big challenge for most families. they shouldn't take weeks and weeks out of school but i don't think one family holiday per year is going to affect a child's education. it's a little bit too inflexible a system, i guess, because there can be lots of mitigating family circumstances. if it is during the school term and the rest of your class is coming into school and gaining their education, i don't think it is really fair that you get to take this time off. and the government agrees, saying even a few days away from school can have a big impact on exam results. but teaching unions think fining parents isn't the answer. it is important that children attend school, it is important heads are given the professional responsibility to make discretion and it's important schools don't get into conflict with parents over the issue of fining. better to engage and educate parents than have conflict with them. this morning, judges

were told the case rests on whether it is right to fine a parent for taking their child out of school, if that pupil usually attends school regularly. who doesn't dream of a warm summer holiday on a dank, miserable january day? the great challenge for the judges at the supreme court is to decide whether parents have the right to take that holiday at a time of their choosing. 35 schools have told the bbc they've revised their guidance since mr platt‘s case went to court. gillian hargreaves, bbc news. yesterday a bbc investigation revealed the alarming trade in baby chimpanzees captured in the wild in west africa and sold on as pets to buyers in the gulf states and china. the trafficking threatens the chimps with extinction. they can fetch thousands of pounds on the black market. 0ur science editor david shukman has been to abidjan in ivory coast,

where one chimp, rescued from captivity, is being looked after. a baby chimpanzee, hungry but safe, he's just been liberated from wildlife traffickers. poachers had killed his family, now he's at a zoo in ivory coast and the keepers have named him nembleyjunior. baby chimps are on sale on the black market, rhey‘re wanted as pets until they become too big and strong, when they're killed or dumped. our investigation led us to a dealer ibrahima traore, who was secretly filmed spelling out his prices in dollars. 0ur undercover reporter went to the dealer's house and saw him holding the baby chimp. we were in a street nearby.

we briefed interpol and the ivory coast police, and they moved in. police! the dealer was arrested and the baby chimp was freed, but he's been through a series of traumatic experiences and may take time to recover. he may have seen his family wiped out in front of his eyes and we know that the statistics suggest that for every one chimp that makes it, up to ten chimps don't if the family is killed. i don't know, physically, he doesn't look too bad, from what i've seen on the footage, but mentally these things can be very profound. after the police operation, the baby chimp was taken first to the interpol office in abidjan. he clambered towards the only people he knew — the men who'd been holding him captive. ibrahima traore faces charges related to wildlife trafficking, so does his uncle, mohammed.

their mobile phones are a goldmine of information about links between the poachers and the jungles, corrupt officials and buyers in asia and the gulf. but when it comes to wildlife crime, the international police effort is focused on saving elephants and rhinos, not chimpanzees. without the funding, we can't do anything. but what we're trying to become is more intelligence—led, so we start looking at what the threats are and what law enforcement needs to address in orderto maintain a level of security. so primates, unfortunately, our information holdings is not as strong as it could be. back in west africa, nembleyjunior clings to a keeper. baby chimps need contact, he's given a first look at other chimpanzees, maybe he'll live with them or be found a home in a sanctuary. he's doing well after everything he's been through, many others aren't so lucky. david shukman, bbc

news, in ivory coast. it's a mystery that's puzzled scientists for years. most of the world's meteorites have been found in antarctica and while many are made of rock, very few of those discovered are made of iron. scientists are convinced there are many more iron meteorites out there and now a team from manchester university is off to antarctica to try to find them. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. lighting up the sky, a space rock hurtles towards the earth. it exploded over central russia in 2013... explosion ..causing widespread damage. the huge meteorite was later recovered, thousands strike each year around the world. the great wilderness of antarctica is a prime space rock hunting ground, but despite extensive searches, one kind of meteorite, made from iron, is surprisingly scarce. now, though, a new hunt

is soon to begin. scientists at the university of manchester are developing high—tech metal detectors, based on landmine technology, to track down the meteorites. if the weather's going well, the technology's going well, it may be say once a day we find these, if we're lucky. so it's going to be an extremely exciting experience when we first find this. it's like the ultimate fishing trip, if you like. antarctica's missing iron meteorites have been a mystery for years, but now scientists think they've cracked it. the idea is that there are lots there, but they're buried in the ice, and as the ice sheet flows, so does the meteorites, but when they hit this mountain range, they're forced upwards. meteorites made of rock, the most common kind, do come all the way to the surface. but a meteorite made of iron, like this, conducts heat from the sun, so it melts the ice below and sinks back down. scientists think these missing meteorites are sitting

only 30 centimetres, so a foot, below the surface, just waiting to be dug up. it has some rocky bits and some metal bits, but this beautiful large iron meteorite here is really what we're after. iron meteorites are particular valuable to find. the iron meteorites provide us with this snapshot into the earliest part of when planets were first forming. they tell us about how early planets were formed and the number of early planets, and that's really exciting, because it can provide us with an indication about what our early solar system looked like back then. the scientists will start testing the technology by the end of the year. the mission to antarctica will be a gamble, but the team hopes it's one that will pay off. the secrets of our solar system could lie just beneath the ice. rebecca morelle, bbc news. children at some primary schools in england are being allowed to wear slippers in class after research suggested they may help students get better grades.

the study from bournemouth university found that children who attended lessons without shoes work harder and behave better. here's frankie mccamley. not what you'd expect to see in a typical classroom but gone are the days here of shining shoes and tying those laces — slippers and socks are in. this school in croydon is one of a handful in the country taking this different approach, allowing children to come into the classroom wearing just slippers or socks, but the real question is what do the pupils think? i feel more comfortable and ifind a new experience of learning a different way. without wearing your shoes it feels more comfy and like you are in a house and you don't always have to wear footwear and it doesn't really feel like you are in a classroom, it feels wide and feels like you are home. without shoes it makes you feel like you are much more at home instead of being restricted. i don't know why, but ijust like to have my toes being able to... i don't know, be free.

the science behind it all comes from a 10—year study covering 25 countries which found leaving shoes at the door created a calmer and quieter environment with children spending even longer in the classroom and teachers here believe it's working. going to work is about more than being able to tie your shoelace for a start. the skills children learn by being in these flexible learning zones are actually the skills that employers really cry out for. there has been criticism, though — some worry children are missing out on formal skills, but after four years of no shoes here this school believes others should be following in their footsteps. frankie mccamley, bbc news. time now for a look at the weather. have you got your shoes on, darren?

i have my wellies on actually, probably more appropriate given what is happening out there at the moment. we've seen a lot of rain developing over england and wales, and later this week potentially some stormy conditions on friday. we keep the wetter thing going, and throughout it looks like it will stay mild. all of our weather will be coming in from the atlantic. it is queueing up, this is angry looking cloud on thursday, and all the way over to the us we have this developing cloud which could turn into a storm later in the week. nothing particularly stormy overnight, the winds are easing off but we have this rain around, pretty miserable out there. particularly across england and wales. some rain for scotland, becoming drier for western areas. tomorrow starts cloudy, starts dull and there will

be missed and held for ground as well. this eventually clears away from eastern england, but away from here it should brighten up with some sunshine, a welcome change. my older than recently in eastern scotland and england, later some than recently in eastern scotland and england, latersome rain than recently in eastern scotland and england, later some rain on this week weather front though. this next area of low pressure comes in, a pretty big one for thursday. the centre of it stays to the west of ireland and the biggest impact will be in ireland. in the uk possibly severe gales around the southern and west coast. it will be a windy day everywhere, and rain around too. that wet and windy weather moves away, and this is the troublemaker for friday. some uncertainty about what will happen with that area of low pressure. some computer models run it very quickly to the south of the uk, the less likely scenario,

but some computer models tend to develop it into something much deeper, steering it northwards, that is the more likely scenario and with that there will be more impact. it will be wet and windy in many areas but the worst of the weather looks to be towards the south—west, possibly gusts of wind up to 80 mph. if you want to see the warning is issued, you can find them online. things not so bad heading into the weekend, some sunshine, rain not far away but not as windy and a little bit colder. hello, i'm ros atkins, this is outside source. the pace in washington is unrelenting. democrats are holding up the process of approving two president donald trump's cabinet picks. in a few hours, donald trump will name his pick for the supreme court. we'll look at the significance of that decision. throughout this tumultuous 10 days,

the president has repeatedly insisted that he's just doing what he promised to his supporters. we've been talking to some of them. he really is coming through on his promises. he hasn't changed his stance, then he's doing fantastic. he's not a politician. this is a live feed from westminster. mps are debating brexit. specifically, they are debating whether to approve the beginning of the process