Real World News

Sexually transmitted case of Zika in Texas 2 February 2016 From the section US & Canada Image copyright AP Image caption The disease is suspected of being especially dangerous for pregnant women The first known case of the Zika virus being sexually transmitted in the US has been reported in Texas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed …

US elections 2016: Candidates in final pitch before Iowa vote 1 February 2016 From the section US Election 2016 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Iowa caucuses mark the start of the election year US presidential candidates are making a final pitch to people in the state of Iowa, where the first votes for party nominations will take place on Monda…

US 'to quadruple defence budget for Europe' 2 February 2016 From the section US & Canada Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Pentagon plans to carry out more training with European allies The Pentagon is to propose quadrupling its budget for European defence in 2017 in the light of "Russian aggression", US Defence Secretary Ash Carter says. He…

BT working to fix nationwide broadband issues 2 February 2016 From the section Technology Image copyright BT BT's broadband network appears to be coming back online after suffering nationwide problems in the UK. Down detector, a website that monitors internet failures, reported thousands of cases including parts of Scotland, London, Birmingham and Sheffield. It began trending on social media with customers reporting issues. …

China snow strands 'nearly 100,000' at Guangzhou station 2 February 2016 From the section China Image copyright Reuters Heavy snow has disrupted public transport in southern China, stranding tens of thousands of people outside a rail station, police say. The crowd outside Guangzhou station swelled to nearly 100,000 at its peak on Monday night, police said. Central China has experienced some of its coldest weather in years. T…

Syria conflict: Jordanians 'at boiling point' over refugees 2 February 2016 From the section Middle East Media captionKing Abdullah: "I think it's gotten to a boiling point"King Abdullah of Jordan says his country is at "boiling point" because of an influx of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Ahead of a donor conference on Syria, the king told the BBC that there was enormous pressure on Jordan's social services, infrastructure and economy. "Sooner or later, I think, the dam is going to burst," he wa…

EU law 'veto powers' to be unveiled 2 February 2016 From the section EU Referendum Image copyright Reuters National parliaments will get new powers to block "unwanted" EU law as part of the UK's renegotiations with Brussels, Downing Street sources say. To trigger the so-called "red card", at least 55% of the EU's national parliaments would have to join forces. The measure is expected to be included in the draft deal being pre…

Alphabet - owner of Google - takes top spot from Apple 1 February 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Getty Images Alphabet- Google's parent company- has surpassed Apple as the world's most valuable company after its latest earnings report. The company made a profit of $4.9bn (£3.4bn) for the fourth quarter, an increase from $4.7bn a year ago. The announcement sent its share price up as much as 9% in after-hours tr…

Zika-linked condition: WHO declares global emergency By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online 1 February 2016 From the section Health Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The virus is linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly in Brazil A disease linked to the Zika virus in Latin America poses a global public he…

Migrant crisis: Finland PM Sipila halts plan to host refugees 1 February 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Sipila rarely visits his home in Kempele and hopes a family can still move in once the security situation improves Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila has put on hold a plan to open his country home to a family of …

Donald Tusk to publish UK-EU 'settlement' 1 February 2016 From the section EU Referendum Image copyright EPA The president of the European Council says "good progress" has been made in talks with David Cameron, as he prepares to publish a "new settlement" on the UK's EU membership. Donald Tusk said he would put forward the draft text on Tuesday but warned "outstanding issues" remained. Mr Tusk has been been holding talks with…

Afghanistan attack: Kabul suicide bomber kills 20 1 February 2016 From the section Asia Image copyright AFP Image caption Afghan security forces rushed to the scene of the blast A suicide bomber has killed 20 people at a police headquarters in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials say. At least 29 others were wounded in the blast in the west of the city, the i…

Chechnya's Kadyrov puts Putin critic Kasyanov in gunsights 1 February 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright Instagram - screenshot Image caption A still from the Kadyrov video showing Mikhail Kasyanov as a target Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov has posted an Instagram video showing Russian opposition politician Mikhail Kasyanov in a sniper's crosshair…

'World's best chef' Benoit Violier dies aged 44 1 February 2016 From the section Europe Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Chef Benoit Violier, whose Swiss restaurant was named the best in the world in December, has been found dead at his home. Mr Violier, 44, ran the Restaurant de l'Hotel de Ville in Crissier, near the city of Lausanne. It earned three Michelin stars and came top in France's La Liste ranking of the world's 1,0…

Scientists get 'gene editing' go-ahead By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website 1 February 2016 From the section Health comments Image copyright SPL UK scientists have been given the go-ahead by the fertility regulator to genetically modify human embryos. The research will take place at the Francis Crick Institute in London and aims to provide a deeper understanding of the earlie…