a very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. our top stories: donald trump says he may rewrite his travel ban — to overcome the obstacles placed in its way by the courts. police in brazil have reached a deal to end a week—long strike that has we will then that battle, but we are other options, including just filing a brand—new order. police in brazil have reached a deal to end a week—long strike that has led to a wave of violence. a discredited government investigation into alleged abuses committed by british soldiers in iraq is being shut down. and a race against time — the battle to save over 400 whales that beached themselves on the coast of new zealand. donald trump has suggested he'll issue a new ruling to restrict

immigration next week. it's after an appeals court upheld a suspension of his ban on people entering the us from seven mainly muslim countries. it could mean that he won't have to go to the supreme court. his latest statement on the travel ban was made on board air force one. let's have a listen. we are going to keep our country safe, we are going to do whatever donald trump vowed he would see his opponents in court, but with the supreme court currently split along ideological lines pending the confirmation ofjudge corso, mr trump's need for the nine panel seat on the bench taking him to the highest court in the land would set in traina highest court in the land would set in train a protracted process that might ultimately proved u nsuccessful, might ultimately proved unsuccessful, although he continues to insist the law is on his side, mr trump is clearly growing impatient. speaking on air force one en route

to his weekend retreat in florida, the president revealed he was actively weighing up other alternatives. you spoke about how you are going to wind this court battle against the immigration and travel ban. you also talked about... the unfortunate part is that it takes time. we will win that battle, but we also have a lot of other options, including just filing a brand—new order on monday. options, including just filing a brand—new order on mondaym options, including just filing a brand-new order on monday. is that your plan? it could very well be, but i would like to surprise you. we need speed for reasons of security, so need speed for reasons of security, so it could very well be that we do. what are some of the changes you are looking at? very little. just in honour of the decision, we will perhaps do that. we will see. but monday or tuesday. he talked about new security measures. is that separate from potentially writing a new. . . we separate from potentially writing a new... we are going to have very, very strong betting. i call it extreme setting. we are going to have strong security for our country. we are going to have people

who come into our country who want to be of good reasons. protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the united states. unveiled at the end of a frantic first week in office the original order suspended america's refugee programme and banned travellers from several majority muslim nations from entering the united states. it caused chaos at airports and sparked protests across the country. we are sending a message of love and peace. quite how the white house might rewrite the order is not clear, although lawyers will almost certainly have to address the claim that in its existing form, the order is unconstitutional in that it blocks entry to the united states on the grounds of religion. mr trump has continued to insist that tough immigration measures are crucial to america's national security. earlier, donald trump list of the

japanese prime minister shinzo abe at the white house. —— hosted the japanese. from there they travelled together to mr trump's estate, mar—a—lago. president trump has said he is committed to the security of japan, and that their alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the asia—pacific region. mr abe said the two leaders would also discuss the trans—pacific trade deal. you can get more on all our stories by going to the bbc news website where there's in—depth coverage of the political battle over president trump's immigration ban. go to bbc.com/news. in other news, at least 17 people died after a crush at a football stadium in angola. an official from the local hospital is quoted as saying that 76 people were also injured after a crowd of people stormed the gates at the january 4th stadium in uige, where local teams were playing a match. local officials in the philippines say four people are dead and around 120 injured after a powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck the southern island of mindanao. the earthquake damaged buildings

and cut power in many areas, with the epicentre about 13km east of the city of surigao. people in india's most populous state, uttar pradesh, are going to the polls to elect a new assembly. with its population of 200 million, the vote is being seen as a referendum on the government of the prime minister, narendra modi. voting will be staggered over several weeks, with results released in march. british police are investigating how 360 kilos of cocaine were washed up on beaches in eastern england. the estimated street value of the drugs is more than $60 million. police said a member of the public had contacted officers in norfolk on thursday after seeing bags on a beach near the town of great yarmouth. police in brazil have reached a deal to end a week—long strike that has led to a wave of violence in the espirito santo region. officers had been demanding higher pay and their absence from the streets led to an increase in assaults, robberies and shootings.

greg dawson reports. this has become a familiar scene in brazil's espirito santo region: a community in silence as another body is carried away. translation: i want to move away from here, because i do not like this place. it is very difficult. every day there are killings, shootings, every day i am scared. more than 100 people have died in the violence is the police strike began a week ago. officers have been demanding higher salaries after four years of frozen wages. but their absence has created a lawless vacuum, with dozens of shops looted and many businesses closed because of eilers. outside the police medical centre in the region's capital, vitoria, this woman waits for the body of her husband, shot dead in a robbery. translation: nobody is protecting the city. it is horrible. every day there are people

who die or get robbed. when you leave home, you do not know if you will come home again. the police force must come back to patrol. in the absence of police, soldiers have been patrolling the streets in tanks. translation: it will take time to recuperate the image of the police amongst the people, because this movement managed to throw the local society in the mud, and stabbed them in the back. with an agreement finally in place, it is hoped that officers will be back patrolling the streets this weekend, but security concerns remain. brazil is enduring its worst recession in decades, and with a 20—year cap on public spending in place, fighting crime has become an even bigger challenge. a controversial investigation costing millions of pounds into claims that british troops abused iraqi civilians

is to be shut down. it's after a scathing report described the iraq historic allegations team as an unmitigated failure. our diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley has the story. it's almost 14 years since british troops invaded iraq and the legacy of the war is still causing controversy. in the aftermath of the occupation, thousands of allegations of abuse were made against british soldiers. and a special team called ihat was set up to investigate them. the human rights lawyer phil shiner brought most of the claims but last week he was struck off after he'd been found to be dishonest and to have paid agents to drum up business. now the ministry of defence is wrapping up the investigation early. this will be a huge relief to hundreds of british troops who've had these quite unfair allegations hanging over them. they're now being freed of that and we will put in place new measures now to ensure this never happens again, that there are proper safeguards to prevent completely malicious and unfounded allegations being made against our brave

servicemen and women. the most serious allegations to be made were of murder and mutilation after this battle in 200a. the claims were false. a soldier who was there, decorated for his bravery, told us of the pain he'd been put through. you're under so much pressure on operations as it is. and when you hold your values and standards at the highest regard, to then come back and have that questioned for your actions you did on the ground, which you thought were right under extreme pressure, in extreme circumstances, to come home, it's damaging for individuals and also for the regiment and the british army as a whole. there's no doubt that some abuses did happen in iraq, these were detainees being beaten in basra in 2003. and over the past few years the ministry of defence has paid out millions in compensation.

but the iraq historic allegations team has been criticised for getting out of hand. it was set up seven years ago and it has had to examine more than 3,000 claims. it's cost over £34 million. but no soldiers have been prosecuted as a result. ihat and its work has always been controversial in the military but the downfall of phil shiner and mounting concern over the toll it was taking on former soldiers and their families has led the mod to act. i think this is something really important, it will make a big statement to the army and most importantly of all it shows that the government is foursquare behind supporting the army and providing it with the appropriate framework in which our soldiers can deal with those very difficult operational decisions that they have to deal with. of all the allegations made over the course of britain's long involvement in iraq, the ministry of defence now says that by the summer only about 20

will be left to be investigated. romania's political system is in deadlock as protesters call for the government to resign. it comes after the country's justice minister stepped down after a abandoning a decree that would have seen the release of people found guilty of corruption. triumphant, over the resignation of romania's justice minister. but these demonstrators are not taking to the streets entirely in celebration. for almost a fortnight, hundreds of thousands of romanians have been protesting across the country, fighting against a decree that would have effectively shielded government authorities of corruption if the amount of money involved was less than $47,000. it could have seen dozens of officials released from prison, and hundreds avoid trial. the protesters were heard, and last sunday the government rescinded the degree.

many are still not satisfied. they are liars, all liars. politicians that are lying to us every single day. we will continue, until they will resign. it is absolutely mind—boggling. but i don't know what to make of it. it is like a different day mentioned, different reality. but i am here, i will be here tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and we can only hope. although the government does have some support. the party advocates shouted for romania to wake up on friday, and accused the anticorruption protesters of being paid for by the president, who denounced the bill. with protests both for and against the government continuing, the country remains firmly divided. the foreign minister says the european union will be consulted, and a large—scale public debate will be held. it is not the end. they are doing some stuff

to distract us, but the fight is not over. we need better results. until a resolution is found it seems romanians will not let this issue be forgotten, and the protests will continue. stay with us on bbc news. still to come, security concerns in poland after prime minister beata szydlo was injured and taken to hospital after a car crash. there is nelson mandela. mr nelson mandela, a free man, taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader ayatollah khomeini has said he's passed a death sentence on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting of their former president, 'ba by doc' duvalier.

because of his considerable value as a stallion, shergar was kept in a special secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning. elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories. head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. the latest headlines... a new plan from president trump for his proposed travel ban. he's contemplating changing the executive order to avoid more defeats in the court. police in brazil have reached a deal to end a week long strike that has led to a wave of violence in the espirito santo region. let's talk more now

about president trump. because he and his chinese counterpart, xijinping, have held their first telephone conversation. during the call, described as "cordial", mr trump agreed to honour the so—called "one china" policy — which he'd previously threatened to re—examine. it relates to the status of the island of taiwan, which has its own government but which beijing sees as a breakaway province. the one china policy acknowledges there is only one chinese government, and that diplomatic relations must be with china, not taiwan. our china editor carrie gracie reports from the taiwanese capital taipei. people in taiwan have more freedom of expression than people in china. after 70 years of governing itself, this noisy democracy has a mind of its own. taiwan even has political satire. in this animation studio, they are notjust mocking their own president but mr xi and mr trump as well. we have 1800 missiles

pointed our way but at the same time in taiwan we have absolute freedom to do anything we want, so satire is one of the good things we need to push because it helps taiwan to get its name out there. beijing doesn't do satire. it's threatened to retake taiwan by force, and it sailed its aircraft carrier past the island last month to show that it means business. for beijing this, the island of taiwan, is the last piece in a jigsaw. it's the piece they say will finally reunite a nation broken up and humiliated by colonial powers two centuries ago. to let taiwan float off towards independence, or even worse, to let it become part of an american—led alliance against china in these waters, well, that, to beijing,

would be unthinkable. the taiwanese navy is no match for china's. it's the american fleet which protects taiwan. back in december, it looked as if donald trump would go further. he took a call from the taiwanese president and hinted at recognition for taiwan. now, president trump has backed down. in his phone call with president xi, he returned to the so—called one china policy that beijing insists on. and many taiwanese reluctantly accept the status quo. translation: ideally, i would choose independence but in the real world independence is impossible. it would mean war with china. messages of peace for the year ahead at taipei's lantern festival.

but their future is fragile — caught between an unpredictable america and an implacable china. their hopes and fears are low priority to both. the polish prime minister beata szydlo, has been injured and taken to hospital after her official car hit a tree in the southern polish town of oswiecim. police say it was an accident but, as bill hayton reports, it's raised concerns about security. on the right, a tree, on the left, a fiat cinquecento, and in the middle, the official limousine of the polish prime minister. she was travelling through her home town of oswiecim in southern poland on friday evening with a police escort. translation: the fiat suddenly turned left while being overtaken with the car with the prime minister on board. the prime minister herself as well as the driver and security

guard were injured due to the crash. the prime minister was wearing a seatbelt and suffered just minor injuries. she was treated in a local hospital, but flown to warsaw for further checks. police said the fiat driver was a local young man who was sober. the crash has raised concerns about government security. just two weeks ago, the polish defence minister was involved in an eight—car pileup. and last march the president's car slewed off a motorway when its tyre burst at high speed. neither man was injured. the latest crash has prompted the interior minister to call an emergency meeting with the government protection service. menawhile, state prosecutors have opened an investigation into what happened. bill hayton, bbc news. volunteers in new zealand have managed to refloat about 100 of the 400 pilot whales that swam aground on a remote beach on friday. many of the whales died overnight

at farewell spit at the top of the south island, but those that survived are now swimming in the bay off the beach. simon clemison reports. as they went for high tide, volu nteers as they went for high tide, volunteers do everything they can to call them. pouring water is and covering the wells and cloth helps regulate body temperature. temporary majors until the wells can be released into the ocean. some hope singing will prove soothing. —— temporary measures. and then the sound of success, but it is early days. we had a group of volunteers camped out over night. we had a little bit of time where the wells we re little bit of time where the wells were on the dry sand. but very quickly, this tide has come racing in and we are all up to our knees, some up to their waists in water,

and we are seeing some floating happening. we are assisting them with their breathing until the water gets deep enough. it is a devastating image, one of the worst whale strandings in the country's history. it is unclear what brings them en masse into farewell spit. one theory is that when a whale is to stress, it sends out a signal that attracts the race. once they are up, it is hard to get them both into the ocean. —— all back into. they try to use the rising waters to guide into the sea, but some have straight back to the beach, stranded again. today, volunteers are hopeful that the wells will make it out into deeper water. —— wales. —— whales. we've heard about fake news — how about false publicity? well that's exactly what the the head of lithuania's tourism department has done. —— tourism department has done,

using these pictures as part of a publicity campaign to promote the country. however if you look closely none of the pictures are actually of lithuania — they're actually of finland and slovakia. she's had to resign — here's what the prime minister had to say. translation: it is very strange. we pay huge amounts of money for these kinds of projects, and they think that in essence, it discredits the whole idea. however the prime minster showed he had a sense of humour, by posting this picture on his facebook page — and captioned it as the new lithuanian government headquarters. of course, if you look closely, you'll see the picture is of the eu building in brussels. now, if you have been wondering who

inspired donald trump to presidency, we might have the answer. a little—known carpenter in new hampshire claims that he was the first to plant the seed in mr trump's mind to run for the office. rajini vaidyanathan went to meet the man behind mr trump's first foray into presidential politics. mike dunbar‘s collection of donald trump memorabilia is more personal than most. front-page coverage in the local media. he was active in the local media. he was active in the local media. he was active in the local republican party in the late 1980s when he had an idea. the local republican party in the late 19805 when he had an ideal was looking for someone who was capable of transforming the political landscape. a carpenter by trade, mike decided to craft his ideal republican candidate to succeed ronald reagan. ideal republican candidate to succeed ronald reaganl ideal republican candidate to succeed ronald reagan. i thought it should be a businessman. i was aware of donald trump. i read about him frequently in the wall street journal and the things he managed to do in the byzantine political culture of new york city. he bent to

his will. he was the guy that attracted my attention. this stationery, i had printed for the d raft stationery, i had printed for the draft donald trump movement in 1987, when i was first tried to get his attention. mike's strategy worked, and after a visit to trump tower, he convinced the then 41—year—old to deliver a speech in new hampshire. but mr trump's message disappointed his host and surprise the crowd. but mr trump's message disappointed hi5 host and surprise the crowdl am not looking to be a candidate. i am not looking to be a candidate. i am not looking to be a candidate. i am not running for office. you are very unique and i will not forget you... mike received a thank you letter and a copy of his book, the art of the deal. i really appreciate your friendship. art of the deal. i really appreciate yourfriendship. you have crated art of the deal. i really appreciate your friendship. you have crated an exciting time of my life. he declined an invite to donald trump's home, believing he won't fit in. and so home, believing he won't fit in. and so they never met again. yet later, he is delighted that his pick is now president. that is one of the things

that most calls me. that you can be just an average joe, that most calls me. that you can be just an averagejoe, an average guy, in this country, and you can literally pivot history. and that is what i did in 1987. parts of the north—eastern united states are braced for more blizzards over the weekend. forecasters predict the new england region will be blanketed without to 18 inches of snow. it comes without to 18 inches of snow. it co m es after without to 18 inches of snow. it comes after a storm on thursday left many air is without power. some major highways were closed, and thousands of flights were cancelled. there will be a full weather cast — a full weather forecast for use shortly. —— foryou. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @benmbland. this is bbc news. thank you for watching. hi there.

we have seen a few snow showers over the last few hours, but it has been pretty dull and cloudy. one place that saw some sunshine, some snow on the ground at aberdeen and some sun poking through the clouds. that's coming in from the north sea, showers working westwards. that will continue overnight. could be covering some places, icy temperatures dipping below freezing. and lows as low as —10 in the highlands of scotland. a freezing cold start but will be greeted with some sunny skies across the highlands and western isles. cloudy elsewhere in scotland with some showers still working in. also working across eastern towns of england, some significant snow across the tops of the pennines is possible. could get anywhere across north—east england. some places will miss out on heavy snow showers. further south, quite a bit of cloud. some flurries, now and then, perhaps some brightness towards the south—west england.

and around western wales, probably hanging onto a of sunshine. some snow flurries in the forecast. northern ireland starting on a cold note. a fairly widespread frost, should see some sunshine to start the day. now, through the morning, there will be a tendency for snow to transition back to rain at low levels. continuing to fall over the pennines. here over the next 24 hours, we could see as much as ten centimetres or more building up over the higher parts, above 300 metres elevation or so. to the north, a transition of snow turning back to rain on saturday. for the six nations rugby union, wales take on england. the cloud will be cold, and the chance of an odd shower. perhaps a bit wintry, but not causing any issues. now, going through saturday nighttime, again, snow showers continuing to feed in across the pennines. we may see some snow getting down to the lower levels as well through the night. temperatures in the towns and cities hovering close to freezing.

where we have those clearer skies, we will see a frost and could be quite sharp in northern scotland. another day of cold winds on sunday. again, plenty of showers coming in from the north sea. again, for most, dull and cloudy. quite a tendency for the snow showers to turn back to rain at lower elevations. the air getting slightly less cold, but still chilly under these grey skies. looking at the forecast for the next few days, temperatures rising. slowly, turning milder, but that will take a long time and it will be awhile before we see an end the cold easterly winds. temperatures will be rising over the next two days, so it will be milder. the latest headlines from bbc world news. i'm ben bland. president donald trump has suggested he'll issue a new ruling to restrict immigration next week. it's after an appeals court upheld a suspension of his ban on people entering the us from seven mainly muslim countries. he made the comments to reporters aboard air force one. police in brazil have reached a deal to end a week—long strike that has

led to a wave of violence in the espirito santo region. officers had been demanding higher pay. the stoppage led to an increase in assaults, robberies and shootings that have left more than 120 people dead. a controversial investigation costing tens of millions of pounds into claims that british troops abused iraqi civilians is to be shut down. it follows a report by mps into the iraq historic allegations team which it described as an unmitigated failure. the health secretary, jeremy hunt, says it's "completely unacceptable" that some patients in england are waiting up to 13 hours in a&e.