Hello, I'm Thomas Anders with the BBC News.
The BBC has learnt that the sportswear manufacturer Adidas plans to end its multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal with athletics world governing body in the wake of a doping scandal. Our sports editor Dan Roan has more.
“Last year,the World Anti-doping Agency in a damning report found systematic evidence of state-sponsored cheating in Russia. As a result of that, that country was banned from international competition in track and field. And then, just 10 days ago, now, Dick Pound, the Head of that WADA Commission, issued another report, this time focusing on wrongdoing of the governing body itself. The company's decision to pull out early, four years early, in fact, could, we understand, cost the IWAF tens of millions of dollars.”
The President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani has warned that if peace talks with the Taliban don't start by April, the conflict would intensify, and such eventuality would have consequences across the region. He spoke to Lyse Doucet who sent this report.
“President Ghani told me a new chapter would have to open in the next few months. If not, he said, the conflict would intensify.Afghanistan is urging neighboring Pakistan to take action against groups operating from its territory, who refused to join talks. His warning comes at a time when the Taliban has been gaining ground, but is still divided.Disaffected fighters have been lured into the ranks of the so called Islamic State, and carried out their first suicide bombings in the eastern city of Jalalabad this month. President Ghani declared that Afghans would fight back against the group, also known as Daesh.”
The leaders of all, but one, of Australia's states and territories have signed a declaration calling for the country to become a republic. The petition was organized by the Australian Republican Movement,which wants constitutional change to replace Queen Elizabeth as head of states.The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a former leader of the Republican camp, has said another referendum on the issue was not a priority at the moments.
Millions of people across the eastern United States are clearing up after one of the biggest winter storms in decades. Government offices in Washington and many schools will be closed on Monday. Laura Bicker reports.
“From West Virginia to southern Maine, millions of people have been digging out after one of the worst winter storms ever recorded. Over 70 centimeters of snow fell in Washington, officials hope to have the public transport system and the city's two main airports open again for the start of the working week. New York is also recovering from its second largest snowfall. Travel restrictions have been lifted, although the public has been warned to make only essential journeys to help emergency vehicles with the clear-up. Medical centers say they are getting ready to respond to heart attacks and broken bones as residents shovel snow away from their pathways.
You're listening to the latest world news from the BBC.
The British government and the philanthropist Bill Gates have announced a four-billion-dollar initiative to try to eradicate malaria. The program will focus on the developments of new drugs and insecticides to combat the mosquito-borne disease. Mr. Gates and the British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne say they're optimistic malaria can be wiped out intheir lifetime. They say the disease kills a child every minute, mostly in Africa.
Amnesty International says Egypt is suffering from a human rights crisis of huge proportions five years after mass protests toppled President Hosni Mubarak.The campaign group says that in recent days security services have raided about 5,000 homes in Cairo, whilst they looked for people who may be planning to take to the streets on Monday to mark the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.
The Centre-right politician and TV pundit Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is close to securing an outright victory in Portugal's presidential election. He looks set to win more than 50% needed to avoid a runoff. He'll take over in March just as a minority socialist government is starting to reverse four years of austerity.Mr. de Sousa said that he would work to unite the country.
“A country such as ours that is existing such a profound economic and social crisis, cannot waste energy and feed unnecessary counterproductive tension. As President, I'll do everything to unite what crisis have divided bringing all of Portuguese closer,building bridges and healing wounds.”
And the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said that he'll stick to his promise of overhauling the country's pension system in the teeth of fierce opposition. Mr. Tsipras was speaking at a rally on Sunday to mark a year in power. He said if the system wasn't reformed, it would collapse. Some membersof his left-wing SYRIZA Party oppose pension reform and bigger contributions it would entail.