this is bbc news. i'm duncan golestani. our top stories: aftermath of a scandal: the entire board of us gymnastics is to resign in the wake of the scandal surrounding the sexual abuse of young athletes by larry nassar. police in canada say a billionaire and his wife were murdered in a targeted killing. president trump stands by his america first policies for trade, but insists when america grows, so does the world. and paris braces itself for more flooding as water levels are set to peak this weekend. hello and welcome to the programme. the entire board of the us gymnastics authority is to resign in the wake of the scandal involving former team doctor, larry nassar. the us olympic committee threatened

to strip its status if directors didn't stand down. larry nassar was jailed for up to 175 years for sexually abusing young athletes. more now from the bbc‘s peter bowes. as larry nassar begins to what amounts to a life sentence, the fallout from the abuse scandal has been swift and decisive. the entire board of usa gymnastics has gone and there have been other resignations too. mark hollis was the athletic director at michigan state university when nassar worked there. he and another official have decided to quit. it's been an absolute honour to guide the athletic department for the last decade. that being said, today i'm announcing my retirement. i'm not running away from anything, i'm running towards something. comfort, compassion and understanding for the survivors

in our community. togetherness, time and love for my family. there's been reports that michigan state university and usa gymnastics knew all the abuse claims but failed to take action. though both denied there was a cover—up. with several investigations into abuse in us sports now under way, the recriminations are onlyjust beginning. peter bowes, bbc news. police in toronto have confirmed that the billionaire barry sherman and his wife, honey, were murdered in a targeted killing. the pair were found dead at their home in december. officers originally thought it could have been a murder—suicide. harvey biggs reports. their deaths shocked ca nada's political, business and philanthropic communities. one of the country's richest couples, billionaires barry and honey sherman, were found dead in their toronto home on december 15.

in the days following, local media reported their deaths were being treated as a possible murder—suicide. the family denied that, saying no one close to the couple believed this. they criticised the initial handling of the case by authorities, hired their own private investigator and conducted an independent autopsy and say they're not surprised that six weeks later authorities now say they're treating their deaths as murder. there are no signs of forced entry on all access points to the home. honey and barry sherman were found deceased in the lower—level pool area. we believe now, through the six weeks of work review, we have sufficient evidence to describe this as a double homicide investigation. and that both barry and honey sherman were, in fact, targeted. barry sherman founded pharmaceutical giant apotex, which sells generic medicines worldwide. he and his wife were both well—known for their donations to hospitals,

charities, and jewish organisations. detectives do not yet have any suspects, so the mystery of who killed the shermans and why continues. harvey biggs, bbc news. the latest on the police investigation, i spoke to a reporter for cbc news in toronto just a short time ago. this came after we had not heard anything for six weeks. there were lots of unofficial reports, but this is the first time we we re reports, but this is the first time we were hearing directly from police, and they did confirm that, yes, they believe that this was a double murder, and that it was targeted. they were found dead in their home on december 15. they said that barry and honey sherman had not

been seen since december 13, two days earlier. there are still a lot of questions that police could not answer. they said that they have spent thousands of hours in total investigating this. they have interviewed 137 witnesses, and, also, i mean, this is a pretty wealthy area that they lived in, and they have gathered security camera footage. they said it would amount to probably 2000 hours' worth of security camera video, try to work out who did this. they said that at this point they do not have any suspects, as these details we had heard, we heard an investigative unit spoke to a source, because also, the sherman family, they have four adult children, and they were not happy with what they wear hearing that police were initially investigating. there had been earlier media reports saying that this was being looked at as a

possible murder—suicide, and so they hired private investigators, who we re hired private investigators, who were also looking into the case, and now, with police making this announcement today, they also turned over the home to the sherman family, and right away, the private investigators will now be going into the house. let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news, 110w. the main syrian opposition group, the high negotiations committee, says it won't attend a peace conference hosted by russia in sochi next week. russia's meeting is backed by iran and turkey, but western powers are concerned it would undermine a un—backed solution to the conflict. the opposition‘s announcement came after two days of un—sponsored syrian peace talks in vienna. several of the richest and most influential men in saudi arabia have been released from detention in a luxury hotel after paying large sums of money to the authorities. they were being held in an anticorruption purge of november.

those now free include waleed al—ibrahim, the owner of mbc, the first privately owned arabian satellite network. formal coalition talks have begun in germany to break four months of political stalemate following september's inconclusive elections. angela merkel‘s conservatives are seeking to form a government with the country's second biggest party, the social democrats. residents of cape town have been warned that their water will be shut off by april, unless they do more to conserve supplies. a severe drought has seen consumption limited to 50 litres per person per day. now officials are urging people to switch off their toilet cisterns and limit flushing to conserve water. president trump has told business

and political leaders that his policy of putting america first does not mean the united states will reject free trade agreements with other countries. but speaking at the world economic forum in switzerland, he attacked what he described as unfair global trading practices. here's our north america editor, jon sopel. wherever donald trump has gone in davos, the crowds have gone with him. and wherever the cameras have been, the president has been pleased to oblige. i hope we're going to bring back many billions of dollars into the us. i think that'll happen. it's already happening. but billions of dollars is coming back into the us, and i think that willjust continue. how much today? how much? probably a lot. and that was the theme of his speech. america first, yes, but an america welcoming the world. i will always put america first, just like the leaders of other countries should put

their country first also. but america first does not mean america alone. when the united states grows, so does the world. but at the end of a week in which the us imposed extra charges on some imported goods from china, he played down talk of a trade war. nevertheless, there was a warning. we cannot have free and open trade if some countries exploit the system at the expense of others. we support free trade, but it needs to be fair, and it needs to be reciprocal. because in the end, unfair trade undermines us all. some stood to applaud, but it wasn't the ovation given to president xi of china last year. this hasn't been a complete meeting of minds, but then again it was never going to be.

that said, donald trump has been more conciliatory than many would have expected, and the audience have reacted more warmly. it may be that davos 2018 turns out to be a win—win. and the president was in conciliatory, almost repentant mood over those britain first anti—muslim retweets from last year that brought him to blows with the prime minister. here's what's fair. if you're telling me those are horrible people, horrible, racist people, i would certainly apologise, if you'd like me to do that. i know nothing about them. so, yes, he would apologise, he just didn't actually say sorry. the president has now left the swiss alps, and if not yet a fully paid—up member of the davos set, he will probably be invited back. there's a lot they liked about what donald trump said, and who would disagree with his central message, that a booming us economy is good for the global economy? jon sopel, bbc news, davos. hundreds of homes have

been evacuated in paris as the city braces itself for more flooding. the river seine, which burst its banks on tuesday, has swollen again due to ongoing torrential downpours. stefan levy reports. days of heavy rain in the french capital have left the city on high alert. roads, usually filled with paris traffic, are now devoid of cars and submerged in water. forecasters say the river seine's water levels could rise further over the weekend, to six metres, just shy of the 6.2 metre peak injune 2016, which led to two deaths and injured dozens more. authorities insist that they are prepared. translation: what could be a problem would be the boats stationed near the seine's river banks. the boats will experience some trouble so there are operations put in place by our brigade, the paris firemen, which consists

of installing wooden boards between the sides of the boats and the river banks to prevent them getting stranded on the banks. the city usually bustling with tourists admiring all paris has to offer, the rising river levels themselves now the attraction. this statue of a crimean soldier zouave has been used to alert locals to rising water levels for more than 150 years. by midday friday, the water was up to his thighs. in the southern suburb of villeneuve—le—roi, river police have been helping families flee their homes. translation: in the four years i've lived here, twice it has flooded. it's a big deal. i have two children. it's traumatising. experts say the river could stay high throughout next week, especially if more rain falls. and with increasingly unpredictable weather comes a sense of uncertainty for people in paris as to when the waters will return. stefan levy, bbc news. do stay with us on bbc news.

there is plenty more still to come, including paying tribute to the pope of french cooking. thousands pay farewell to the french chef paul bocuse. the shuttle challenger exploded soon after lift—off. there were seven astronauts on board, one of them a woman school teacher. all of them are believed to have been killed. by the evening, tahrir square, the heart of official cairo, was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word "revolution". the earthquake singled out buildings and brought them down in seconds. tonight, the search for any survivors has an increasing desperation about it as the hours pass. the new government is firmly in control of the entire republic of uganda. moscow got its first taste

of western fast food as mcdonald's opened their biggest restaurant in pushkin square. but the hundreds of muscovites queued up today will not find it cheap, with a big mac costing half a day's wages for the average russian. walk back. —— welcome back. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the entire board of the usa gymnastics authority is to resign in the wake of the scandal involving the sexual abuse of 150 female athletes by the former team doctor larry nassar. and president trump has defended his policy of america first and says he accepts open trade as long as it is reciprocal. police in toronto have confirmed that the billionaire and his wife we re that the billionaire and his wife were murdered. they were found dead in their home in december. among world leaders attending

the summit was the irish prime minister. last year he became the first openly gay person to hold the post and in march he will be in washington to celebrate st patrick's day at the white house. what will his discussions be like with vice president mike pence, whose views have come under criticism from lgbt communities? that's the question we asked him. yeah, well, you know, i am there representing my country, it's not all about me and the role that i hold as taoiseach prime minister is to represent my country. but my view on all these matters, when it comes to engagement overseas is that the best policy is actually to engage with people and to co—operate with them and to raise concerns to their face. so i'm absolutely sure that one of the things that i will be speaking to vice president pence about is about equality for everyone but also for the lgbtq community. what will you say? i do not know yet, ‘cause i have not met him. but i imagine, if it comes up in conversation as part of our meeting, i will be

telling him a little bit about our story, about how ireland has gone from being a very conservative country to one that now has enshrined in our constitution the right to marriage equality. maybe tell him a little bit about my personal story, but i'll have to see how that meeting goes. but you will be hoping to change his mind? i'll be hoping to influence him. i'm not so hubristic to believe that i'm going to turn up in washington, dc and change the mind of the vice president but i would hope he would look to america and america is in so many ways a beacon for freedom in the world and the gay rights movement started in america, starting in stonewall, in new york, and spread from there around the world and i think what makes america great is actually those kind of liberal values. i think the vast majority of american people have not given up on that just yet. african migrants living in tel aviv

and jerusalem have been protesting against and israeli government programme designed to remove people who have entered the country illegally. they have been offered $3500 cash chouly before march or face arrest. —— dileep before march. african migrants are protesting. israel has a controversial plan to force out thousands of illegal african migrants. it will pay $3500 and fs to anyone who voluntarily volunteered that volunteers to go to a third country, uganda or rwanda. those who stay after much face arrest. about 40,000 african migrants live here. most are young men from sudan and eritrea.|j migrants live here. most are young men from sudan and eritrea. i left my country because there is no right

for human beings. i had no rights, i was imprisoned, i was forcibly drafted to the army. he made a dangerous journey, drafted to the army. he made a dangerousjourney, paying drafted to the army. he made a dangerous journey, paying people smugglers to cross from egypt to israel. israel has since built a high fence on the long desert border. i prefer to go back to my home when mayhem is for me and my community. i don't want to stay here. israel is for israelis. i am asking the asylum. nearly all the migrants moved to run and areas of south tel aviv. a lot of immigrants, a loss of older people used to live here, they were frightened to go out —— a lot of. here, they were frightened to go out -- a lot of. lusty's israel's prime minister came to see it. —— last year. previously, he has said at the migrants threaten israel's social fabric and jewish character. he

calls them illegal infiltrators, not refugees. it is hard. my grandparents were immigrants also, we came from europe. 200 people, 500 people, if they live among us, it is not a problem at all, but to put thousands of people here, it is a huge problem. already some migrants have begun receiving official documents, meaning they are likely to receive difficult choices sooner rather than later. the latest indian premier league option is likely to be the biggest ever, with some of the top players from around the world up for grabs. more than 500 cricketers are on the auction list this weekend. joining me now from mumbai is our correspondence. what is the latest with the auction? it started just 45

minutes back. ben stokes, the england all—rounder who has been in the news of late for that case that is going on in england has fetched the highest amount so far. it has been bought for $2 million for a clu b been bought for $2 million for a club based in rajasthan. mitchell sta rc, club based in rajasthan. mitchell starc, the australian famous fast bowler is the second highest so far, he has fetched $1.4 million. it is just the first round only 7—8 players have come up. we have seen intense eating. —— bidding. chris gayle has gone unsold. many expected him to fetch a high price. the options will go on for the whole day, more than 500 players will come. this isjust a one. there is also day two. the players unsold today will be forbidding again tomorrow. the teams will have a second by those players who went or remained unsold today. thank you very much. a funeral has been held for the veteran chef,

paul bocuse, who was known as the pope of french gastronomy. as richard forrest reports, the ceremony at lyon cathedral brought mourners from around the world. they came in their hundreds, the great and the good of the gastronomic world, dressed in their chef's whites, to pay tribute to the man credited with changing the taste of french cooking. as his coffin was brought into lyon cathedral, the chefs stood in the aisles. they had flown in from across the world, to say goodbye to a man who had been their inspiration and, in many cases, their teacher. paul bocuse came from a family of cooks, going back to the 18th century. he was an architect of the "nouvelle cuisine" revolution, sweeping away rich, heavy sauces in favour of super—fresh ingredients and innovation. he was known for his flair in the kitchen as well as his showmanship, and helped usher in an era of celebrity chefs. he was so popular in france, people stood outside the cathedral in the rain to watch the service on video screens. applause

paul bocuse will be buried in his family's vault, in a village just north of lyon, not farfrom his restaurant, he turned from a modest inn into a world—famous temple of french cuisine. richard forrest, bbc news. three billboards outside ebbing, missouri is a story about a grieving mother's fight forjustice. it's been nominated for seven academy awards and, after her best actress win at the golden globes, its star, frances mcdormand, is getting plenty of oscar attention. the bbc‘s will gompertz has been speaking to the film's writer and director, martin mcdonagh. my daughter angela was murdered seven months ago... francis mcdormand as mildred hayes, the uncompromising, unflinching and very angry grieving mother... you drilled a hole in the dentist? no i didn't. who rents three billboards outside ebbing, missouri, a fictional town created by martin mcdonagh, the film's london—born irish writer and director.

martin mcdonagh has got an oscar nomination for his writing but not for his directing. i wonder if he's a little bit disappointed. no, not really, particularly because the mates got nominated in the other categories. it would have been nice, but seven‘s good. you get over here. no, you get over here. all right. one of the criticisms that three billboards has is that the sam rockwell character, dixon the policeman, who is a racist, is treated sympathetically by you. well, he's definitely a racist and a bully. i wouldn't say he's treated sympathetically. i was trying to see, i think, the hope in all of these people. so if you say that's treating characters sympathetically, to a degree it is. but the point of the film, and i think the thing that i hope people come away with, is the possibility of changing people. if it was me, i'd start a database.

every male baby that's born, stick them on it and, as soon as he'd done something wrong, cross—reference it, make 100% certain it was a correct match, then kill him. we've heard many speeches from many people in the movie industry saying it is time for a change. do you think that's just lip service, or do you think something actually quite fundamental is happening? it feels like something really new and really great is happening. like, i've been in the rooms at the last couple of awards things, and it is palpable, and it does feel angry, and it does feel like it's not going to go away, and i think that's great. it feels like a change is properly happening. i'd do anything to catch your daughter's killer. the oscars ceremony at the beginning of march might well point towards that change, with some surprising winners, and quite possibly a forthright acceptance speech from this lady. will gompertz, bbc news. finally, you may know that the

british love their tea, but not as much as some others. this is officially the world's biggest ever hot cup of tea. the cup matches over 3.5 metres high and holds more than 5000 litres of steaming brew —— measures. it used 155 pilgrims of tea leaves, 270 kilograms of milk powder, and 360 kilograms of sugar "155 powder, and 360 kilograms of sugar —— 155 kilograms. a reminder of our top story. the entire board of the us gymnastics authorities to resign over its handling of the sex abuse scandal involving the former team doctor. that is the way it is looking. you're watching bbc news. goodbye for now. well, the weekend is not looking too great for most of us. it's not going to be that bad,

but there will be a lot of cloud around. it is going to be mild, though. this is what is heading our way. it looks like a lot of cloud streaming in our direction. we'll be stuck under this during the course of saturday. it's already coming in, bringing some rainfall to western parts of the country. ahead of it, you can see it's still dry even through early saturday morning. so here we would have had a touch of frost around. i think by around 6am, the temperatures are above freezing already. but touching freezing early in the night. this is what happens through the course of the morning. so the weather front moves to the east, west to east, so you can see the back edge and rain getting into the western isles and northern ireland. so through the morning, in belfast, for example, the weather will actually be improving, after a damp end to the night. it is raining at this stage, so nine o'clock across the north—west in england, lancashire, wales, into the south—west, but across the heart, the east midlands, east anglia, down to the south—east, it is actually bright. i wouldn't be surprised even by some

blue sky for a time. but not for very long, because by the latter part of the morning, that weather front moves in and it's overcast across many parts of the country, at least in central and southern areas. in scotland, bright and windy, very windy in the western isles and the far north of scotland. gale force winds, and at 70 miles an hour. compared to the rest of europe on saturday, london will be about 10 degrees, paris at eight. madrid nine degrees. pretty much the same across many parts of western and south—western parts of europe. rome will be about 15. back home, here's the low pressure late on saturday into sunday. that will bring severe gales to scotland. blustery conditions throughout the pennines as well. but the isobars are coming from the south—west, meaning that the south—westerly winds will continue into sunday. in this sort of weather situation, we have a lot of cloud. it is mild. temperatures might even touch about 14 or 15 degrees, which is mild for this time of year.

with that, rain around, particularly across northern and north—western areas of the uk. but double figures, i think, for most of us. still staying mild in the south—westerly winds. a bit of rain around in this on monday. that will move southwards, but a shift in the wind direction here in the north means that it will turn a little bit colder. so i think single figures, even about five degrees, there. no more than that in aberdeen. have a good weekend. the entire board of the us gymnastics authority is to resign in the wake of the scandal involving the sexual abuse of 150 female athletes by the former team doctor, larry nassar. a spokesman said all 18 directors would comply with an instruction by the us olympic committee to stand down. police in toronto say the billionaire barry sherman and his wife honey were murdered. the pair were found dead near the pool in their home in mid—december. now on bbc news, our world. —— donald trump has

told told business and political leaders that his policy of putting america first does not mean america alone. speaking at the world economic forum in switzerland, he rejected