to aretha franklin at an invitation—only funeral ceremony in detroit. famous faces attending included jesse jackson and former president bill clinton. he described aretha as the voice of a generation, if not the century. the trump administration has confirmed that it's stopping all funding for the un agency that supports palestinian refugees. washington had already drastically cut its support for the agency, which helps more than 5 million palestinians. a spokesman for the palestinian prime minister described the move as a "flagra nt assault" on the palestinian people and a defiance of un resolution. a bbc investigation has found evidence that china has imprisoned up to a million muslim uighurs in so—called "re—education camps." the investigation uncovered allegations of torture. the un says it's alarmed by the reports and called for the detainees‘ release. china has denied the camps even exist. those are the main headlines.

now on bbc news, it's winning it big. with prizes now bigger than ever, who hasn't dreams of winning the lottery, and the world on what you would do with all that money? but would do with all that money? but would winning it need really make us happier? —— winning it big. i'm mike thompson, and i'm on a trip to meet jackpot winners around the world in search of an answer, from a once penniless gun a man who is now becoming a movie mogul. a transgender ex— taxi driver who has transformed her life. to a former canadian beauty queen who is giving it all away. i've come to hull, britain's city of

culture last year, to meet one of the country's most colourful and controversial lottery winners. my first task is going to be to get a taxi into town. this looks possible. hi there, as it might thompson from the bbc? yes, it is. is that multimillionaire lot three winner va nessa multimillionaire lot three winner vanessa reed ? multimillionaire lot three winner vanessa reed? it certainly is. tell you what, mike, jump in. i'm assuming that you being a bit of a local celebrity now, you could well be spotted in the open top? not many blonde haired people driving around in an open top car on a day like this. once i'd scratched its,

once i'd realised, i had to check it and keep checking it. in december last year, melissa ede bought a scratchcard and last year, melissa ede bought a scratchca rd and got last year, melissa ede bought a scratchcard and got the best christmas present of her life. within three days, my bank balance went from about £1 to £4 million. melissa, a 57—year—old transgender woman, had struggled to make ends meet working night shifts as a taxi driver. life was hard, wasn't it? life was very, very difficult, yeah. just to live day by day. some days, couldn't even afford to eat. it was a bowl of cereal, just to get by about day. could we perhaps go to where you used to get —— used to work? definitely, let's go and have a look and let's go see some of my old friends. where from? and where are you going

to? 0k, where from? and where are you going to? ok, no problem, then. thank you. so this is it. so here it is. carmen was one of melissa's closest collea g u es was one of melissa's closest colleagues at work. how are you doing? really good. what have you been doing? all sorts. i haven't seen you for a bit. i've been lying low. how come? just have, so much to do. you've got lots to tell me, then. shall we go in there? it went crazy. it did, yeah. everyone... it was everywhere. yeah, i know. have you spent the lot, then? no. haven't you? ' you spent the lot, then? no. haven't you ? i've invested you spent the lot, then? no. haven't you? i've invested £3 million. i've invested £3 million, i'm paying the

house off cash, and then i'm treating some of my close friends as well. and family. and we've still got enough to have some good holidays and that as well. so i'm not as crazy as people thought i was. you know what you're doing, then. i've proved that it can happen to anybody. because if i was ten minutes later somebody else might have had that scratchcard. after her win, melissa thought she'd reached the end of her struggles. she'd been living in a rundown rented bedroom. when the house of her dreams came up for sale, melissa made a cash offer, and it was accepted. then the sale fell through. i'm out there, i'm in the public eye. a lot of people don't agree with what i do. i don't know, i really, really don't know. everybody thinks that having money solves everything. i'm living proof, it doesn't. even though you've got

the money, you can't have everything you want. when the light falls and the darkness draws in, melissa can be found in search of the supernatural. bad spirits, can you please show your presence? can you make one of the lights flash. you see any spirits in this room that would like to speak to anybody in this room? please, can you give us a sign. melissa met her fiance please, can you give us a sign. melissa met herfiance rachel and please, can you give us a sign. melissa met her fiance rachel and a ghost hunting session. it is one of her more unconventional hobbies. make a noise. boo! melissa, i knew you were going to do that. move the ball on the table. top somebody on the shoulder. for some, alyssa's belief in ghosts might make her appear gullible, but she says she is well aware there are some downsides to winning a fortune. —— melissa's belief. one of the problems with

winning such a vast amount of money is, who do you trust in your life any more? who is there? because they wa nt to any more? who is there? because they want to be? or who is there because you are now a millionaire? it wasn't me who popped the question, it was rachel, rachel popped the question, and it was just before, luckily for her, just before the lottery win. it was only a matter of a few is. after 15 years working nights as a taxi driver, melissa is used to getting by on very little sleep. even though she spent all night ghost hunting, that won't stop melissa going clubbing later. and as you can see... merit is. —— there it is. -- there it is. hello, what have you got to wear my big night out

tonight, then? a nice prom dress in the window. i don't think i can go ina prom the window. i don't think i can go in a prom dress, do you? pink to make the boys wink. let's have a look. yes, let's see. what do you think? it is surprising what you can find. andi think? it is surprising what you can find. and i do know, from past experiences, even people who are into designer labels, you can find them in charity shops as well. why pay full whack for something? no, you can get it for cut—price, and you can get it for cut—price, and you are also helping out a charity. iam being you are also helping out a charity. i am being very, very careful with my money because i think in life, when you haven't had something, you learn to value things in life. after she won the lottery, melissa decided she won the lottery, melissa decided she needed a makeover. years of

taking hormones and a violent attack when she worked in the taxi business have caused serious damage to her teeth. now she can finally afford to fix them. i'm going to have that hollywood smile. so, that's something i really, really can't wait for. before winning the lottery, melissa would drive customers around hull on a saturday night. now she's the customer. money doesn't bring happiness, but it can certainly make you enjoy life more. lottery fever has been transforming lives in africa, too. here, in the stea my lives in africa, too. here, in the steamy bush, around an hour's drive

from ghana's steamy bush, around an hour's drive from gha na's second steamy bush, around an hour's drive from ghana's second city, it has turned once penniless movie writer into a veritable movie mogul. action! last year, 25-year-old kwame took a gamble on his football knowledge. he placed a bet on the scores of 15 matches being played around the world. get them all right, and he would be in the money. kwame sat back and waited for news of the scores to come in. action! kwame had won nearly a million gun and dollars, the equivalent of more than 2000 us dollars. —— ghanaian dollars. kwame soon began putting his

winnings to good use, ploughing it into music and films. action! he's yet to finish making his action movie but has already made a trailer for it. kwame's life for winning the lottery was very far away from the hollywood dream. ghana's economy is growing, but much of this wealth goes to a minority of the population, and inequality between the rich and the poor is greater than ever. for many

people in ghana, winning the lottery is their only hope of making it out of poverty. we have turned off the road and we are now in a slum area where you can smell the open sewers. there are enormous holes in the road. i'm getting the impression that this must be close to where kwame spent most of his life. in this impoverished slum, few would risk spending the little they have on lottery tickets. only a true optimist would take that gamble. rap music. how times have changed. back in his

slum days, kwame lived in a makeshift home with no windows. not bad, is it? kwame, you have gone up in the world, haven't you? kwame's terence —— parents advise him about how to spend his new—found wealth. kwame realised that he needed help

from his parents so he asked them to authorise any large cheques he might wa nt to authorise any large cheques he might want to write. kwame's big win came on his sister, lybia's, birthday. but since kwame's win, the family has been pestered for money,

particularly by some relatives. kwame's parents say they want their son to use his money to secure his own future, and kwame has some very big ambitions. my my investigation into money and happiness takes me now to the french—speaking province of quebec in canada. this is the ticket i win with, and this is the photo. it's proof i'm the winner.

57—year—old lottery winner rachel la pierre lives in the town of saint jerome near montreal. rachael won it big in 2013 but chose payments for life instead. every week, she gets 1000 canadian dollars. that's around 800 us dollars. that's around 800 us dollars. rachel, a former miss quebec, has tasted riches before. but having one of four children, most people can only dream of, she is now giving it all away. —— won a fortune. you know what, money is money. when you get blind you don't have anything. you arrive in life. and when you go, you're going with nothing —— born. you know? so you're going with your memories. you're

going with your memories. you're going with your memories. you're going with what you did here in life. i give that to her last week. rachel uses her lottery win to fund her own charity. running this has left her with less money than she had before. but rachel believes that by living her dream, she's richer than ever. everybody who brings something here to give it back to somebody. they sign it hear their names so you can see all of them. bears a children who brought a bike for another child. yeah. we have a lot of refugee families, you know, from the

war. they arrive and they don't have any war. they arrive and they don't have a ny toys, war. they arrive and they don't have any toys, they don't have bikes. we just tried to promote good deeds. so a good deed can be so many things. it can be a bike today, it can be food,it it can be a bike today, it can be food, it can be transport to go to the hospital. it can bejust too listening to somebody on the phone because they're so lonely, it can be so many things. you're welcome, you're welcome. let's go. bonjour. i really need help right now. what kind of help? i'm alone with my four kids and i've just lost myjob. with my four kids and i've just lost my job. what we're going to do, if you agree, we're going to bring new groceries today. thank you so much. thank you! you've made my day. thank you very, you very, very, very much! this pleasant looking neighbourhood

seems an unlikely place to find anyone needing help from rachel's charity. but just around the charity. butjust around the corner, a man is living in what used to be his garage before his house burnt down. hello, miley! hello, miley! so how you feel today? not bad. a little bit... con c, consular. con c, consular. a little better than most days. harvey was a successful businessman but then everything changed. soon after his company went bust, he became seriously ill and a fire destroyed his home. it's diabetes,

bad circulation. i lost in the kidney and my kidneys shut down. before rachel found harvey, he was struggling to survive the freezing canadian winter in this makeshift cabin, and hadn't had a hot shower for months. and i have a good news today? what? this week to persons are going to come to do the tiles in the bathroom. i appreciate it a lot, rachel. i'm happy. thank you. merci. my rachel. i'm happy. thank you. merci. my pleasure, my pleasure. you lose faith in people quite a lot often, you don't believe any more. all of a sudden rachel shows up at my door andl sudden rachel shows up at my door and i still didn't believe because i'd never asked anyone for anything ever. i never had to. i was blown away, i got to tell you. i really was. i didn't show it because i'm not that type of person, but i

was. . . not that type of person, but i was... yeah. yeah. you never crossed someone's path for nothing. was... yeah. yeah. you never crossed someone's path for nothinglj believe someone's path for nothing.” believe that. i believe that too. did you regularly enter the lottery? no, never. that day something... i had that feeling i have to buy a ticket because i was already helping people a little bit, but i was working, i had my kids. isaid ifi win this means it's going to be for me likea win this means it's going to be for me like a salary. honestly i was not surprised to win. in my mind i was thinking, i have to

do it, i was sure about that. so i was just do it, i was sure about that. so i wasjust coming to do it, i was sure about that. so i was just coming to confirm, you win, you were right. rachel grew up in a poor neighbourhood of montreal, but she was soon to leave that behind. what's all this? some of these mementos, these incredible photographs you've got, presumably all to do with your win as miss quebec? yeah. i win in 1982 and i was sure i couldn't be a miss quebec. it made me realise everything is possible. after being crowned miss quebec, rachel didn't rest on her laurels. she went on to start a successful modelling agency and her wealth began to grow. long before rachel won the lottery, she discovered that money alone would not bring her happiness, so she swapped her luxury lifestyle for

the dedicated down—to—earth world of an emergency nurse. i think happiness coming from the heart, ok? so it's nice to have a new car, a new home, a new everything. it can be really fun. but with the time i just everything. it can be really fun. but with the time ijust realise maybe human need to give to be balanced. i'd imagine that a do gooding lottery winner like rachel might be a little too saccharine and provan to patronise those she helps. yet they seem to generally adore her and iadmit to they seem to generally adore her and i admit to being a bit of a fan myself. i always assumed that happiness for jackpot winners lies in suddenly

having mountains of money to do what you like, when you like, where you like. action. freedom from the financial constraints that bind eve ryo ne financial constraints that bind everyone else. but having met all these people around the world who've won it big, i'm no longer so sure. the thrill of new—found riches seems to fade fairly quickly. international research appears to back this up. academics have found absolutely no evidence that a year after winning, those who hit the jackpot are any happier than the rest of us. the secret it seems to me is to share what you have and help others to live their dreams too. that way everyone's a winner. well, the weekend's upon us, and the weather is actually looking pretty good across much of the country over the next couple of days. some warmth, summerlike warmth. in fact, temperatures could get up into the mid—20s. the nights are drawing in, the days are getting shorter and any warmth that we do get, we really should make the most of it. so let's see what's happening

then into the weekend, high pressure's very close to the uk, so that means settled weather conditions, but there are weather fronts very close to our neighbourhood. they will be nudging in later in the weekend, possibly bringing some rain to north—western areas. but before that happens, we've got that warmth being drawn in from the south, from spain, portugal, france as well and, as i say, temperatures will be well into the twenties. this is what it looks like through the rest of the night into the early hours of saturday morning, clear skies across many eastern and central areas so here there will be a nip in the air very early in the morning. temperatures dipping down to single figures. not as cold as last night. across western areas, more cloud here, more of a breeze and a little bit warmer. that means in the west of the country, temperatures first thing will be around about 15 degrees but there's quite a lot of cloud you can see here from cornwall, devon, throughout wales, the irish sea and into south—western scotland, and if you squint you'll notice there's even a little bit of rain here, so perhaps for some of us, a grey start to the day

across western parts of the country. the clouds here will be breaking up here, it's not one layer of grey, there will be some sunshine out for sure, and even if you get a grey morning, by late morning, lunch time, you will probably see some sunshine by then. best of the weather by far will be across eastern and southern areas and here, temperatures could reach around the mid—20s, but certainly around 20 degrees on the cards for northern ireland, and not far off that in the lowlands of scotland. that was saturday, this is sunday now. again the best of the weather will be across eastern and southern areas but this weather front is edging closer and closer. the winds are strengthening, really quite blustery around the western isles, in the north and west coast of northern ireland. but the real warmth develops in central and eastern areas, that's that plume of warmth coming out of france, so temperatures will get into the mid—20s in london, possibly even the mid—20s as far north as yorkshire, but in the north—west, a little bit of rain on the way for belfast later in the afternoon on sunday or early evening. the outlook into next week isn't looking bad at all,

variable amounts of cloud. looks like the temperatures will drop a little bit, but essentially speaking it's looking fine, into the 20s or high teens for most of us. bye— bye. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is nkem ifejika. our top stories: america is to halt all funding of a un agency which supports palestinian refugees, saying it's irredeemably flawed. the state department said washington will hold talks with the un and others to consider new approaches to the conflict between israel and the palestinians. i asked our washington correspondent chris buckler what prompted this move. well, i think there are several different things here. first of all, america feels it's been funding this programme, has been leading certainly in terms of funding this programme, for a number of years and it doesn't want to carry that financial burden any more. but that's only part of it, because it also makes clear