World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk

Turkey's huge interest rate hike calms markets - business live
Hong Kong lesbian to wealthy dad: stop trying to buy me a husband
Cameron and Miliband at PMQs: Politics live blog
UK agrees to take up to 500 of the most traumatised Syrian refugees
Time to leave Google Maps and head back to the A-Z? | Steven Poole
Nicaragua backs unlimited presidential terms
Thai police to deploy 10,000 officers in Bangkok for election
Fairfax to pay Kim Williams $95,000 plus legal costs after inaccurate article
Jobs at risk if Australia scraps renewable target, says solar lobby
Philippine offensive against Islamists kills 37, military says
Commission hears evidence on sexual abuse by Salvation Army officer
Star Wars desert set – in pictures
Cities debate: teenagers talk London, New York, Johannesburg and Rio
PNG leader apologises to Bougainville for sparking bloody 1990s civil war
Properties for less than $100,000
China jails another New Citizens activist
Wake-up call for drivers as scientists work on roadside test for tiredness
Prison system is almost full, and overflowing in some states, report says
Spotify: how a busy songwriter you've never heard of makes it work for him
Is Britain ripe for Gandhi's message?: from the archive, 29 January 1968
Inside the Animal Mind – TV review
Interactive: How many sports players end up as professional athletes?
Craig Thomson trial: use of credit card for escorts was not fraud, defence says
Henning Mankell, Wallander author, reveals he has cancer
Woman who was trapped under bus in Sydney's CBD taken to hospital

Turkey's huge interest rate hike calms markets - business live

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:28 AM PST

Shares rise in Europe and Asia after Turkish central bank props up ailing lira with dramatic rise in interest rates, but will it ease the fears over emerging markets for long?

Graeme Wearden

Hong Kong lesbian to wealthy dad: stop trying to buy me a husband

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:24 AM PST

Gigi Chao writes open letter to father, Cecil Chao, who has offered a dowry worth millions to any man who can woo her

Cameron and Miliband at PMQs: Politics live blog

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:19 AM PST

Andrew Sparrow's rolling coverage of all the day's political developments as they happen, including David Cameron and Ed Miliband at PMQs, Theresa May's statement on taking refugees from Syria and Mark Carney's speech on Scottish independence

Andrew Sparrow

UK agrees to take up to 500 of the most traumatised Syrian refugees

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:08 AM PST

Britain will not participate in 'quota' programme after government reaches compromise with UNHCR following weeks of resistance

The government has struck a deal with the United Nations that will allow Britain to take in hundreds of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees without having to host a UN-imposed quota.

The compromise ends weeks of resistance by the government to becoming involved in the UN refugee programme and comes before a Labour-tabled debate in the Commons on Wednesday designed to put pressure on the government to do more to take refugees from the battle-torn country.

In an agreement with the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), the government has decided to provide refuge for some of those most traumatised by the crisis, such as vulnerable women and children.

Coalition sources said no more than about 500 refugees would be permitted entry, including family members, but their precise citizenship status, determining the right of other family members to come to the UK, had yet to be agreed.

The Home Office has persistently resisted taking UN-supplied refugees, arguing that the British government is fulfilling its duties by leading the effort to supply aid to refugees in camps on the Syrian borders with Jordan and Turkey.

The home secretary, Theresa May, has been concerned that British involvement in the UN refugee programme would become an open-ended commitment that risked undermining the Tories' commitment to reducing net migration to the UK to tens of thousands by 2015.

David Cameron moved subtly to change that target this week, telling the BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that his government would get net migration down to "responsible levels" by the end of the parliament.

Cameron, representing in public the dominant view in the Home Office, has argued that it would let other countries off the hook over their failure to provide aid if the UK agreed to take a large number of refugees. The UK has already committed £600m in humanitarian aid.

The deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said: "I am pleased to be able to announce that the UK will be providing refuge to some of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees. The coalition government wants to play our part in helping to alleviate the immense suffering in Syria.

"The £600m we have provided makes us the second largest bilateral donor of humanitarian aid in the world. But as the conflict continues to force millions of Syrians from their homes, we need to make sure we are doing everything we can.

"We are one of the most open-hearted countries in the world and I believe we have a moral responsibility to help.

"The UNHCR – which backs our new resettlement programme – has said the highest priority should go to women and girls who have experienced or are at risk of sexual violence; the elderly; and survivors of torture and individuals with disabilities, so that's who we'll target. Sadly, we cannot provide safety for everyone who needs it, but we can reach out to some of those who need it most.

"On top of that, we'll continue to support the peace talks currently taking place in Geneva, because only a political resolution between the Assad regime and the Syrian opposition will provide a permanent end to the suffering.

"Britain has a long and proud tradition of provided refuge at times of crisis. This coalition government will ensure it lives on."

The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said on Tuesday that MPs from all parties backed UK financial support to Syria, but she argued it was wrong to say the government could not send aid and also resettle refugees.

A minority of refugees were "too vulnerable to come" to the UK to seek asylum, "or to survive, even, in the camps", she said. "That is why it's so important to provide that extra help – this is not an either/or." She in effect believes the coalition deal struck by Clegg is accepting the UN scheme without formally participating in it.

Roland Schilling, the UK representative of the UNHCR, said: "We welcome the announcement of the UK government to provide refuge to some of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees, in co-operation with UNHCR.

"This decision will help to provide much needed solutions for vulnerable Syrian refugees, many of whom have been deeply traumatised and face immense hardship.

"It is also a concrete and important gesture of solidarity and burden sharing with the countries neighbouring Syria as they continue to bear the brunt of the refugee crisis.

"Today's decision is an encouraging and important step, reaffirming the UK's commitment and contribution to international relief efforts in support of more than 2.3 million Syrian refugees and the countries hosting them.

"UNHCR also recognises the UK's generous contribution towards massive humanitarian needs in the region.

"While awaiting the details of the government's plan, UNHCR looks forward to working closely with the Home Office on the implementation of the UK resettlement programme."

Maurice Wren, the Refugee Council chief executive, said: "This news, quite simply, will transform people's lives. It also sends an important message to the rest of the world: Britain has a proud tradition of protecting and welcoming refugees and we will continue to lead the way in offering refuge to people in their greatest hour of need.

"We commend the government for upholding this reputation by going the extra mile and offering protection to some of the most vulnerable refugees who will now have chance to rebuild their lives in safety. We hope other countries now follow the UK's lead by providing resettlement places to those who so desperately need it."

Patrick Wintour

Time to leave Google Maps and head back to the A-Z? | Steven Poole

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:07 AM PST

For people with no sense of direction, Google Maps is godsend – as long as you're relaxed about giving your data to digital marketers and GCHQ

I was born missing the bit of the brain that apparently furnishes other people with a magical thing called a "sense of direction". (My two sisters are the same way, so it seems to be a tragic genetic malformation.) I have got lost in ridiculously simple places. I could probably get lost in a lift.

The advent of Google Maps on smartphones, therefore, instantly became for me one of the wonders of the modern world. I depend on it everywhere. If I have no data signal, I revert to a blundering wreck, moving around in random directions and bumping into things like a fleshy dodgem. So the news that GCHQ and NSA can suck up the location data from people using Google Maps on a smartphone puts me in a quandary. If I don't want the government to know where I am at all times, then I won't ever know where I am myself.

In an internal document from 2008, British spooks enthused: "[I]t effectively means that anyone using Google Maps on a smartphone is working in support of a GCHQ system." The ascription here of helpful labour ("working in support of") to the smartphone-toting citizenry is an interesting nuance: it pictures the vast majority of people being snooped-on – not as suspicious targets in themselves but as unwitting contributors to a grand social project. We don't (or didn't) know it, but we are helping to build the total surveillance state, the perfect wireless panopticon. Perhaps this is what the Conservatives really meant when they claimed that "we're all in it together". (Even so, I must confess to feeling a glow of patriotic pride on learning that GCHQ's codename for this system was Tracker Smurf. Other countries' spies would never allow themselves such heartwarming frivolity.)

More familiar is the argument that in using Google Maps, as well as all kinds of other cloud-based products and social media such as Facebook, we are "working in support" not of official security agencies but of giant corporations. In return for these apparently "free" services, we obediently conduct our own self-surveillance and voluntarily upload the data to the companies who profit from it.

Some people argue, indeed, that we should be more worried about providing our data to commercial companies, and less worried about whatever the state snatches on the way. At least, so this argument runs, governments are democratically accountable. (In the thin sense that every four or five years we can vote in a different lot with a slightly varied roster of corporate interests.)

And while official agencies will use smartphone data to harass people they suspect of crimes, the tech corporations use it to harass everyone: to show us more adverts and sell our aggregated details to other marketing companies that will spam us incessantly till we die. Companies are eagerly working on improving the precision of location-tracking even inside shops, so your phone can tell which aisle you are walking down and blast a commercial in your face at exactly the right moment. (Apple is already doing this in some of its retail stores.)

Compared with this soon to be accomplished dystopia of omnipresent ambient advertising, then, the drawbacks of state location surveillance might seem small to the average individual. Certainly, if GCHQ has studied my collection of "starred" places in London that I have saved to Google Maps, it will know that I seem to be mostly fond of decent pubs, which is to say that I am a perfectly ordinary Englishman. But the point to civil libertarians, of course, is that the reassuring motto "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" constitutes blanket authorisation for any degree of totalitarian intrusion.

What, then, are the options for the Google Maps user who prefers not to send the equivalent of a text cheerily saying "I'm here!" to the government every time he or she moves from one pub to another? Apple's Maps has apparently improved since its first version directed unsuspecting Australian motorists into the middle of a national-park wilderness, but it would be naive to imagine that GCHQ and NSA don't have access, or won't soon, to this app's data too, as well as other digital options. So maybe these latest revelations will spark a resurgence of actual maps – you know, the ones printed on paper. Perhaps it's time to invest in an A-Z. No, not the smartphone version.

Steven Poole

Nicaragua backs unlimited presidential terms

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 01:04 AM PST

Critics say constitutional changes approved by national assembly could keep leader Daniel Ortega in power for life

Nicaraguan lawmakers have approved constitutional changes that would allow President Daniel Ortega to be re-elected indefinitely, a move that his critics say is designed to keep the Sandinista leader in power for life.

The largely Sandinista national assembly voted for the amendments for a second time on Tuesday as required for them to become law.

The changes eliminate presidential term limits and lower the bar for election by naming the candidate with the most votes as the winner. Until now, a candidate needed to garner at least 35% of the votes to win.

Sixty-three of the 92 deputies in the assembly belong to Ortega's party and the vote was 64-25 in favour of the changes.

Ortega is serving his third term under a supreme court decision that overrode the constitutional ban.

Thai police to deploy 10,000 officers in Bangkok for election

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:41 AM PST

Minister urges voters to turn out for 2 February election that protesters vow to disrupt in bid to topple Yingluck Shinawatra

Thailand's government will deploy 10,000 police in the capital for Sunday's election, which protesters have promised to disrupt as part of their attempt to topple the prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

The government decided on Tuesday to press ahead with the 2 February election, which the main opposition party plans to boycott and despite warnings that it could lead to more violence without resolving the country's increasingly bitter political divide.

"I ask Bangkok residents to come out and vote," the labour minister Chalerm Yoobamrung told reporters on Wednesday.

"The police will take care of security … Those who are thinking of going and shutting polling stations in the morning should think twice because the police will not allow them to."

Protesters prevented early voting at many polling stations in Bangkok last Sunday.

They took to the streets in November in the latest eruption of a political conflict that has gripped Thailand for eight years. It broadly pits Bangkok's middle class and royalist establishment against the mainly poor, rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in self-imposed exile.

The protesters accuse Yingluck of being a puppet of Thaksin, a man they say is a corrupt crony capitalist who used taxpayers' money to buy elections with costly populist giveaways.

Chalerm, who is in charge of a state of emergency imposed last week, told reporters about 10,000 police would be dispatched on Sunday to take care of security at the capital's polling stations.

Even though Yingluck's ruling party is certain to win, not enough candidates have been able to register to provide a quorum in the new parliament after the election.

Byelections will have to be held later to fill the vacant seats, which means the prospect of a caretaker, and fairly powerless, government under Yingluck for several more months.

The protests are taking their toll on the economy, with major foreign investors beginning to question the merits of ploughing any more money into their Thai operations.

Protesters took to the streets of Bangkok again on Wednesday but in a relatively small rally of about 500 people.

They were without their firebrand leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, who was apparently deterred by the previous day's violence in which a protester was shot and wounded.

In a sign of how the legal establishment has largely lined up against Yingluck's government, a criminal court on Tuesday rejected a government application for an arrest warrant against Suthep, saying there was not enough evidence to grant it.

Suthep is already wanted for insurrection and on charges of murder related to violence in 2010 when, as deputy prime minister, he sent in troops to crush protests by redshirt supporters of Thaksin. The death toll then was more than 90.

Thaksin, with his huge wealth and support, is deemed a threat to the Bangkok-based establishment, dominated by the military and the bureaucracy, and Suthep and his followers want to eradicate the influence of the former telecoms tycoon and his family by altering electoral arrangements.

The election commission, also widely seen as favouring the establishment-aligned opposition, had been arguing for a delay in the vote of up to four months, saying the country was too unstable to hold an election. There are widespread fears that violence could escalate.

So far, the military has stayed firmly on the sidelines, in contrast to the past: it has staged or attempted 18 coups in 80 years of on-off democracy.

Analysts say the army is nervous that this time intervention would trigger even more violence with Thaksin's redshirt supporters threatening to descend on the capital if Yingluck is overthrown.

Yingluck is Thailand's fifth prime minister since the populist Thaksin was toppled by the army in 2006 and went into exile two years later to escape a jail sentence that was handed down for abuse of power.

Fairfax to pay Kim Williams $95,000 plus legal costs after inaccurate article

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:19 AM PST

Story published in three papers wrongly claimed former News Corp chief stormed out of Sydney Opera House Trust meeting

Amanda Meade

Jobs at risk if Australia scraps renewable target, says solar lobby

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:15 AM PST

Industry says 7,000 people could be made unemployed if energy policy is changed by Abbott government

Philippine offensive against Islamists kills 37, military says

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:14 AM PST

Assault follows attacks by rebels who reject Malaysian-brokered peace deal between insurgents and Manila government

At least 37 Islamist fighters have been killed in the Philippines in a two-day offensive against insurgents opposed to a new peace deal between the government and the main Muslim rebel group, according to the military.

President Benigno Aquino III said the military had launched the assault to protect villages after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement fighters staged attacks in southern Maguindanao province. Troops were aiming "to seriously degrade their abilities to again act as spoilers", Aquino told reporters.

The rebels involved in the fighting have opposed peace talks between the government and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which were concluded over the weekend in Malaysia. They said because the Malaysian-brokered talks would not lead to a separate homeland for minority Muslims in the south they would continue their armed uprising.

The regional military spokesman, Colonel Dickson Hermoso, said 12 of the rebels killed had been identified, with the help of village leaders; others had been buried in graves discovered by troops in and near a village in Maguindanao.

One soldier died and four others had been wounded by rebel bombs hidden around a mosque late on Tuesday, Hermoso said.

A rebel spokesman, Abu Misry, disputed the military report, saying there had been no deaths and only seven insurgents had been wounded in army shelling and helicopter rocket fire.

Hundreds of villagers fled the fighting, illustrating the difficulty of ending violence in the country's south.

Aside from the main Moro rebel group, which concluded negotiations on Saturday with the government for a new Muslim autonomy deal in the south, at least four other smaller insurgent groups threaten the peace in the region.

Those groups include the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement and the smaller but more violent Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for bombings, kidnappings and beheadings.

Aquino said the new peace deal would bring the government and the 11,000-strong main Moro rebel group together to pursue outlaws.

Commission hears evidence on sexual abuse by Salvation Army officer

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:02 AM PST

Victim was locked in a cage then later raped by officer, to whom he had reported being molested by an older boy, inquiry hears

Star Wars desert set – in pictures

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:01 AM PST

Tunisia's desert dunes lure amateur astronomers and Star Wars aficionados alike. A source of coveted meteorites and the location of Darth Vader's home Tatooine, the Sahara draws many films fans

Cities debate: teenagers talk London, New York, Johannesburg and Rio

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST

'Children are a kind of indicator species. If we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for all people,' says Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, credited with transforming his city. The Guardian talks to young people around the world about how they rate their home cities

THE GUARDIAN CITIES PANEL

JOHANNESBURG
Monky Sekwala (16), Tladi, Soweto
Lebohang Mosiuoa (15), Pimville, Soweto
Both contribute to Johannesburg's Live magazine

LONDON
Yara Shaikh (19), Camberwell, south London
Jack Brennan (15) Gipsy Hill, south London
Aida Gugsa (18) Sydenham, south London
All contribute to south London's Live magazine, a publication for young people written by young people and run by Livity, a Brixton-based youth marketing agency.

NEW YORK
Amosh Neupane (17), Woodside, Queens
Makayla Comas (17), East Flatbush, Brooklyn
Kafila Muhammad (16), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
All are from New York City's Global Kids initiative, a Manhattan-based non-profit educational organisation

RIO DE JANEIRO
Michel Silva (19), Rocinha favela, southern zone of Rio
Raíssa Farias (18), Jacarepagua, in the western zone of Rio
Michel is the founder of two newspapers: Viva Rocinha and Speak Roça
Raissa is a web/graphic designer

Our home cities

Michel (Rio)
Rocinha has been called a neighbourhood by the city of Rio de Janeiro since 1993, but I still consider it a favela. It is a cluster of houses built vertically, and many are small. My house has three rooms and I live with my parents and two sisters. The houses do not have a safe structure. Many homes need improvements to increase the safety of residents.

Yara (London)
In Camberwell, everyone just clicks; there isn't really an issue with different ethnicities and cultures. I've lived around the same people for years and you are always bumping into someone you know or you know the person who owns this market stall – it kind of reminds me of EastEnders a bit so I like it. To me it's different to most areas because it has so much community spirit.

Monky (Jo'burg)
I've lived in Soweto since I was a baby. I don't really like this area, because there are no things for young people. There should be more entertainment and libraries; you have to walk a long distance to get to a library. I would like more parks too, for young people to go to. Also in my area you have to sit and wait a long time for services at the local clinic – I wish that wasn't the case. I prefer [central] Johannesburg because it has more entertainment, many lights – it's very busy, lots of businesses, more shops, more hotels, more tourists.

Kafila (NY)
I've lived in Williamsburg all my life. At first it wasn't a really good neighbourhood, but as more people started to move in, it started to change, more organic stores appeared and more sustainable healthy food stores, which is good because I am a vegetarian. However, if I go to my friends' neighbourhood or I go to a predominately black/African-American neighbourhood, it's likely that I won't see any kind of health food store. Just walking around different neighbourhoods in New York you can automatically tell the change; if you walked from Brooklyn to Manhattan, or even if you walked from a prominent wealthy neighbourhood in Brooklyn and then you walked to a poor, disadvantaged neighbourhood in Brooklyn, you can automatically tell the difference when you cross the boundary, certain apartments, the way the houses look, the stores that are there – you can tell.

Raíssa (Rio)
Things have changed here a lot: it used to be calm and quiet, but now we are almost overcrowded. We have so many people living in the same place, and that's not really cool because there's more violence. People from poorer cities in Brazil come to Rio and São Paulo to get more opportunities. My neighbourhood used to be really calm and the cost of living is cheap; I guess this is what made it attractive to lots of people.

Lebohang (Jo'burg)
My neighbourhood is very clean, there is a local older man who always makes sure that it's very clean in the streets, he's not paid by anyone he just takes a lot of pride in keeping the area nice. My neighbourhood is very safe too. Plus the houses in our neighbourhood all have air conditioning and fans to keep cool.

Yara (London)
There are a lot of old blocks of flats around my area and there are so many areas that are renovating flats; there is a lot of construction. I feel like the area doesn't look pretty. More lights, more decoration would be nice. When I head to areas like Chelsea and Kensington and there is renovation happening to a building, they always have lovely illustrated or painted boxed covers to hid the scaffolding, but in my neighbourhood all you see is the grey structures and pipes. I feel that whoever comes up with the ideas for covering scaffolding in creative ways needs to spread the love everywhere, instead of just keeping it in Chelsea. If your area looks pretty, you feel happier and have more pride in looking after it, whereas if it looks all doom and gloom you couldn't care less.

Aida (London)
I've been living in Sydenham all my life and everyone is very friendly, I know all the neighbours, I feel safe. I had a small kitchen fire last year when I burned a pot and my neighbours came to help, called the fire brigade, got it all sorted. If someone loses their keys, one of us will have a spare key, it's very friendly. Brixton, too, looks a lot better now it's had some special attention, its really grown and adapted through the years. There is still a sense of community but it feels safer than it was before, and some will say it's lost its character but I think its gained more character. I think cutting the crime and cleaning up the area, it brightened up Brixton and more people come to the area and feel safe and get to experience the culture. Also Brixton market became Brixton Village, and you can go for lunch in there now or grab a coffee.

Community

Amosh (NY)
There are thousands of immigrants coming to New York every day; I myself moved here a year and a half ago. It does a great job of providing opportunities, but they are not as widespread as they should be. There is a huge gap between the natives and the immigrants and it's often the communities of colour and communities where immigrants live that are more disadvantaged, which is different to communities where white Anglo-Saxons predominately live. So that is one issue that we need to focus on, and alleviate the differences that have been plaguing communities in this city for years.

Michel (Rio)
Rocinha is a very good favela to live in. We don't need to go into another neighbourhood to buy a product. There are five public schools, community and private nurseries. There are thousands of shops selling fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition there are two large supermarkets and an appliance and electronics store. There is shopping in Rocinha. Residents use the malls in the neighborhoods around the favela, but feel discriminated against by their lack of material wealth. The locals are friendly and there is not much prejudice among Rocinha residents. The problem is the discrimination slumdwellers suffer from middle-class neighbourhoods looking down on us. Formerly there was a prejudice towards young people; all young children were thought to be drug dealers. The reality has changed a lot; young people are more interested in leisure activities and learning.

Raíssa (Rio)
The thing I like most about living in Rio is the people. I love cariocas (inhabitant of Rio de Janeiro), we are so kind and happy.

Lebohang (Jo'burg)
I like the sense of heritage here. I speak English, but in Soweto we also speak Zulu and Sesotho. I speak Sesotho in my house with my family, and I like that the language carries on from generation to generation. I like the diversity we have in Johannesburg, and I'm interested in the city's history. After the Mandela funeral, everyone came out into the streets to celebrate his life. I'd like to believe everyone has a photo of Mandela in their house.

Makayla (NY)
It's very evident in New York City that there is a division between people. You probably saw in the news about the 99% v the 1%, and divisions with race. I feel that class and race have something to do with people participating in the sustainability of the city. Everyone needs to be involved in the decision making, not just one part of the community.

Amosh (NY)
I also think that things often get lost in translation as we, the non-native speakers aren't as good at expressing ourselves with English, and so I think we need to provide more opportunities and more resources for immigrants and disadvantaged people. Like what Makayla said … 1% vs 99%. We belong in the 99% so we want good resources to be available for us to benefit from, too. Most people perceive New York as a place where people are arrogant and don't talk to each other. So in order to make NYC more amicable, I think community involvement is vital. I want to see community meetings, not just about city planning but disability, education, and prioritising things that the community think are most important in their day-to-day lives. The more people get involved in community talks and events, and think about the community, the better the place will be to live in.

Security

Kafila (NY)
How safe I feel depends on what neighbourhood I am in. Some are worse than others – it depends on the demographics: if the community is low-income or not, where it's located, how big the police presence is in the community. Sometimes if there is more police I feel safer, and sometimes I feel more threatened because there is also the chance of being racially profiled.

Yara (London)
Generally I feel safe here – but sometimes, especially in winter when it gets darker earlier, I do this thing where I keep my keys near my knuckles. It was a trick my mum taught me where you put the keys in between the spaces of your fingers and keep your hand in your pocket so if anyone tries to attack you out of nowhere when you punch them it will be harder.

Raíssa (Rio)
I've never been mugged, never seen any kind of violence, but I still feel insecure. I think the police should be an example of confidence, but we cannot trust them at all. The police are very corrupt. Sometimes people trust more in the bad guys than the police. And we have lots of cases of bribery regarding the police.

Yara (London)
Around here there are a lot of undercover police but you can see their belt and stuff. So that makes me feel like there is something bad going on, rather than making me feel safe. Also many of the community support officers, they just walk around pestering young people that don't need to be pestered and are just innocently going about their day.

Makayla (NY)
Getting certain communities and the police to like each other is a very tough goal. I believe that a more attainable goal would be understanding on both sides and that begins with communication. There are shootings of young black males from police officers in these communities and usually the community is left wondering why the person was shot, it wasn't necessary – often the justification is that they were threatening or wore threatening clothes, but that's not enough justification. So I believe that the mentality of the officers is a big component of the path to understanding. I don't think that there is anything physical that you could do with some communities. I come from those kind of communities that aren't that safe – and if you put in more police officers we feel threatened; if you put more lights, we're like why are there so many lights? What police and council people can do is become more in touch with the community they serve, put more amenities in the community that can get teenagers and children involved.

Aida (London)
I've been mugged a couple of times, so I'm always aware of my surroundings and I prefer to keep my stuff close to me no matter the area. I don't think it makes a difference if the police are around on not. I just prefer not to attract attention to myself.

Yara (London)
I don't feel that threatened in my area; there's always someone drunk in the park or someone dealing drugs at the end of my street, but they wont bother you if you don't bother them, so no eye contact and just keep walking and you'll be fine.

Lebohang (Jo'burg)
There are boys on the street corners in my area getting into trouble, they don't have anything to do so they just choose to commit crime. I think maybe they have problems at home and they don't like to be at home. Also my neighbourhood is exclusively black African, there is not a lot of diversity, unlike the city as a whole – I would like it to be more multicultural. My neighbourhood is very safe, though. There is a soccer area and a netball field for young people. The houses are nice and big, with big yards – they are spread out, not bunched close together.

Michel (Rio)
I feel safe in some areas of the city, but in the northern zone of Rio, the situation is critical. If I were political, I would invest in public security policies. I was recently robbed in Rio and the thieves took my phone. The Rio de Janeiro transformations are suffering because of the new security policy. The UPPs (pacifying police unit) are expelling traffickers from the slums but they are taking refuge in other slums. So, drug trafficking is reduced but robberies have increased because of the decrease in trafficking. There is only one park near Tijuca Forest but residents do not use it; that is where Amarildo de Souza disappeared. Amarildo was a resident of Rocinha who everyone thinks was murdered by officers of the UPP. For fear, locals avoid the place.

Amosh (NY)
I think the culture of carrying weapons should be addressed. In the US you can own them, whereas you can't in other countries in the world – and so you feel less safe because you don't know who might have something in their back pocket to harm you. Just this morning I read about two people being shot in Indiana … This culture of carrying weapons is a big issue in our country that needs to be addressed.

Technology

Lebohang (Jo'burg)
Most young people in my area have mobile phones – mostly a Nokia or Blackberry. My parents are really strict so they believe you have to be a certain age before you get a mobile phone; I got a Nokia phone when I was 13. I'd love to have a computer myself one day, because I would like to study computer engineering. A lot of houses in my area have computers; the area is becoming more interested in technology now because most houses have kids my age, and we love technology. For apps, I like Facebook and What'sApp, which connects me to my friends and the rest of the world, so I can socialise a lot easier. Arranging events via Facebook and What'sApp is cheaper than calling on our phones.

Yara (London)
I am cautious of technology knowing too much about you. When they launched the iPhone 5s and 5c with fingerprint sensor recognition – at the time I had a free upgrade to get from my phone provider and could have got that one, but I didn't want a phone that encodes my fingerprint. I feel like it's too much, too invasive. And even with the Xbox One – apparently, because the internet signal is always on, the camera that's part of it is on too. So I would never get that; I don't want a camera peering into my living room.

Jack (London)
No internet equals boredom. I would be lost without technology in general; I wouldn't be able to find the local Argos or when the next bus is approaching.

Amosh (NY)
I don't have a phone but my favourite app which I use on my mum's tablet is called Duolingo for learning words. I joined Twitter four months ago– it's packed with information. I like Facebook too. The government in NYC has a lot of great apps too: to renew your medical insurance etc, it's just one click as opposed to sending a long letter in the post which takes five or six days. I also like the Goodreads app. The book I am reading right now – Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin – I stumbled on a review by a person recommending this book, so I started reading it and it's a brilliant page-turner.

Raíssa (Rio)
Technology is easily accessible here. Everyone can get a good phone, a good notebook computer, a good TV. I got my first mobile phone when I was 16 years old. Today I think Google Maps is essential for any part of the world. I use Twitter too, to know things about the traffic.

Michel (Rio)
I work with alternative journalism; I had a news project via SMS for the residents of Rocinha. It worked very well. It would be interesting to create an app on transport and how to convert public-private spaces for recreation and cultural events.

Yara (London)
Whenever I'm based somewhere and the internet goes down, everyone starts twiddling their thumbs – it's like nothing happens without technology any more. I was on the street recently and someone asked me for directions and immediately I went to type it into Google Maps. Now that everything is so accessible at the end of your finger, I feel like it gives young people another reason to be lazy. I always make sure that when I am with someone, I turn my phone face down because I think it's rude otherwise.

Transport

Raíssa (Rio)
We use buses more, I have never used a train – they are too expensive. Some buses are broken and old, and in summer we suffer with the heat inside them. It's almost a torture – I'm not joking! Sometimes, not that frequently, we have cases of assaults and even rapes in the buses, so I don't think they're really secure. The buses costs 2.95 reals [74p]. This price increased a lot in the last few years, but the salaries haven't increased at the same time. There are people who need two or three buses just to get to their job. At the end of the month, a big chunk of your pay cheque has gone on transport

Monky (Jo'burg)
I use the taxi more because it's safer than the train, but it costs more. The train is very busy, overcrowded, you get more accidents – adults just use it for work, and it's not safe for people my age. There are lots of pickpockets on the trains. A taxi to most places I need to go is less than 40 rand [£2.17]

Lebohang (Jo'burg)
The train is not safe, so I ride in the white taxis. When I get older I will probably still use a taxi because I have grown up with them and I feel safer in them. My parents are happier when I take the taxi; when I go anywhere, I have to text my family and let them know that I have arrived because my dad is very worried about my safety.

Amosh (NY)
There were problems with the transportation here after hurricane Sandy. The transportation was down for 10 days and some train stations are still suffering, they are still being renovated. So I guess since the transportation system and subways were established over 100 years ago, we need to update what we have and build more climate-resilient infrastructure in our city.

Kafila (NY)
I think that transportation in NYC is amazing because we don't have to have a car; you can get anywhere on a bike or the subway or buses, or even walking because of the bridges. In my neighbourhood we have more bike lanes now, and the new CitiBikes are great too. I use so many apps daily to navigate the city – Hopstop [a transit directions app] is amazing if you want to get anywhere in NYC and you need a shortcut.

Aida (London)
I love my app to tell me when then bus is coming – it's called Bus Countdown. It's so helpful, so I don't have to stand in the cold for too long. Buses are my main form of transport from outside my house, so I use this app a lot. I wish there was an underground service, though, I really do. I live on a hill and it's really inconvenient. Also I wish they would extend the Boris Bikes scheme to the whole of London; it would give everyone opportunities to cycle more – what about the rest of us? Better bike lanes would be good too.

Yara (London)
I use Transport for London's journey planner website to track if the trains are working. For travel, I use the map that's embedded in my phone – I type in the postcode or name and just follow the line. It's really convenient because I get lost a lot, my sense of direction is disgusting.

Leisure

Jack (London)
The council could do a lot more around my area because there are not a lot of big spaces; there's one big park but nothing happens there because it's a dog park. There is a youth club that does art activities for ages 7 up to 15, so it's limited for my age group. I want more places to hang out; if I do hang out it's on the street, there's no indoor shelter other than each other's houses, there is not a lot that the council is providing. There are no cafes around my area really, and it's limited for shops, bakeries and restaurants.

Michel (Rio)
The Rocinha slum is rich in art and exhibitions. There are many dance and music shows in people's houses over holidays; most are funk music, sometimes it's samba or forró [from north-eastern Brazil]. But funk is the favourite musical rhythm of both young people and adults. The locals aren't interested in opera. Recently, the government built a large library, which has space for theatre and other activities. Many residents do not use the space because they think they need to pay to enter.

Amosh (NY)
Extracurricular activities are in short supply here. We don't have enough funding for field trips and we don't get to do internships, which is sad because they help students get hands-on experience in their preferred careers. We need more community-based initiatives like Global Kids to empower young people.

Makayla (NY)
The extracurricular activities which students get access to all depend on what school you go to, resources and funding, and the student's economic background. It's very limiting, and can mean little access to activities that can advance you and get you interested in more than what's around in your neighbourhood.

Aida (London)
There used to be more youth clubs but they got shut down after the Tory government got in. I'd like to see more spaces for young people that include a range of ages, as they have different needs. You've got teenagers who are hyper and excited, and 21-year-olds trying to figure out what they want to do with their life. You could have one building and one place for everyone to hang around in, but it could be versatile for all ages, with different floors and activities.

Lebohang (Jo'burg)
In my area, there's a sports complex and a dance academy. I'd like a nearer swimming pool – the one we have is far away, but it's cheap and accessible for young people to use, which is great. We have lots of parks here so we don't get bored; we buy snacks and just hang out in the park.

Yara (London)
In my area there isn't a lot going on, from art to music to community events. Every Saturday, there's an NHS van which comes and tests blood pressure levels for free. It's cool but that applies to the older generation more. There are farmers' markets too, but they are for older people. So we just head to the cinema or the 02 Arena; culturally, my area doesn't offer a lot.

Raíssa (Rio)
We have lots of cultural events – that's something I can't complain about. There's always events to do with art, music, dance, sports, and sometimes it comes free or really cheap.

Monky (Jo'burg)

There are no libraries nearby and no centres for career guidance and support for those kids who have dropped out of the education system. The kids who stay in the street don't have guidance – but they need it the most. Even though they quit school, it doesn't mean they don't need support or education.

What's missing?

Monky (Jo'burg)
I would build a library, because right now we have to walk a long way for the library and some entertainment. I would also build parks for kids to play so they don't play on the street.

Raíssa (Rio)
If I was mayor of my city, I would solve some questions about education. Recently, Rio went through a period of change, when the population tried to solve some things with our government. But the education is still in trouble. We had lots of riots about the price of the buses, about the public education. For the first time in a long period, the teachers went on a strike that lasted for months. The government made some agreements to calm the citizens, but I think nothing is really solved. The thing I like least [about Rio] is the public education. It's a part of my city which is getting more and more forgotten. The public education is free, but it's horrible. Many schools don't have enough teachers and the classes are too crowded. If you want your children to have a good education, you have to pay.

Michel (Rio)
I want a city with fewer cars and better public transport services. Less trash on the floor, better sanitation in the slums, the demilitarisation of culture in the slums, more leisure options, less pollution on beaches and less dishonesty among top politicians. I do not like the lack of sanitation in Rocinha. Sanitation in hundreds of slums in Rio de Janeiro has been a big problem since the 50s. In Rocinha, the federal government plans to build a cable car to equal the Complexo do Alemão cable car. But the residents of Rocinha are mobilised against the chairlift. They would prefer sanitation.

Lebohang (Jo'burg)
Some of the parts of South Africa are not safe – like when you walk into an area where the houses are close to each other, and there are taller buildings with poorer people in, you can tell the difference. When I'm in those areas I don't feel very safe. The difference between those areas and my area is very visible, those areas are dirty, with rubbish on the floor, papers everywhere and plastic bottles. I think it will only change if the people in those areas take care of it more but the local government could help. Some of the people who live there think the government doesn't care about them any more, because when they look at their habitat, they see all the dirtiness and they feel like they have been left with no care.

Aida (London)
All areas should be treated the same by councils and given the same attention and resources. You can't just spruce up one area and not the other. One example of that is street cleaning; when it's snowing, my area is just left covered in snow, but when I go to other area like Chelsea, it's cleaner. It feels like more affluent areas get special treatment. Don't get me wrong, the streets do get cleaned, the rubbish is collected. But we still have potholes that need to be sorted and buildings that need to be rebuilt or refurbished. To me, Brixton is a good example of vast improvement. Back in the day, people didn't feel safe or comfortable there; now look at it, all cleaned up and taken care of, and it's like a hipsters' hotspot. If we could do that to most of London, that would be fantastic. London is a beautiful city. Ideally, I would prefer to see less homelessness, more places to inspire young people to grow and find paths for their futures, a better education system that helped everyone and gave equal opportunities and resources to school in different boroughs. I'd like better work experience opportunities, centres which can teach people how to use money wisely, and more outdoor activities for all ages.

Yara (London)
I would like the area to be cleaned up and more maintained, with less people on street corners doing bad stuff. I came back from Oxford Street earlier today into my area, and it's so different. The difference in buildings tells you exactly where you are – in my area the drains are busted, the paintwork is peeling, but in west London everything is clean, the buildings are white marble. My area is dirty. Then you stop and think, well, obviously drug dealers are going to be dealing here because people aren't about and there is no maintenance so they think it's OK for them to do that here. There's grey brickwork in my area, not white marble; the bricks have damp and mould around them because the drains are busted. There's bins everywhere, overflowing.

The environment

Makayla (NY)
Make it popular. News about Brad Pitt and other celebrities is perpetuated in the media every day, but you don't see an article on climate change or the sea level rising every day, so maybe if it was more popular and in your face, there would be more community involvement. We're a very creative generation and we find different ways to interact with people through social media, music and TV, so if the eco message was channelled through these forms, people would take note.

Michel (Rio)
The Rocinha slum is surrounded by forest of Tijuca – the largest urban forest in the world. The environment is very important; in Rio, the temperatures are unbearable, far too hot. I would like to create awareness programmes about how to safely recycle or dispose of plastic bottles, cooking oil, tyres and others. The gathering trash in Rocinha has huge negative effects and takes away from the greatness of the area.

Raíssa (Rio)
My neighbourhood is one of the places that still has lots of trees. But nobody cares about recycling, people are not really educated for that. Some people use bikes, but there are a lot of cars. I really care about the environment – but everything about the environment and the danger of not taking care of it doesn't feel like a necessity, so nobody cares at all. Not only the children disregard it, but the adults too.

Amosh (NY)
In our society, people tend to forget if something has not been talked about for a long time. Climate resilient infrastructure, global warming and the endless effect on our city is something we need to talk about – we need to hold symposiums and conferences, get more community involvement. For example, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, but I would have never been interested in magic and Hogwarts had I not read the books. So I think we need to incorporate environmental issues into books, pop songs and movies to get more youth involved, because those are the things we are into.

Jack (London)
Yeah, I feel a responsibility. I know what my family before saw and experienced is different to me; if I saw a movie about the damaging effects of what we are doing to the Earth and how that will eventually affect us, I would be more aware. It would affect me to create changes.

Kafila (NY)
I think it starts with just talking to one person, then it spreads. I remember over the summer, there was a competition for global awareness through the internet. People were encouraged to be more sustainable and there were different competitions and prizes; once you completed the challenges, you got a ticket to a concert with John Mayer, Alicia Keys and other great artists . So I think that if there is a reward for changing your lifestyle, people would get involved and things could change. Also, one of my favourite shows is Sherlock, so if Benedict Cumberbatch made a public announcement about environmental issues, people who love the show would be interested in that.

Makayla (NY)
In New York, there's a lack of communication between the people who have connections to industry, information, career opportunities, etc, and the people who don't have them. Those who don't have those connections, they have to desperately search for the information they need. When I was trying to get involved in the environmental movement, I didn't have any connections to it, so I had to search and struggle to find something. Then finally Global Kids came to my school and said they had a programme for environmentalism. Without that, I would have been at a loss – there was nothing in my local area.

Yara (London)
It depends what you grow up around. When I was in school, in science class we always talked about global warming and it was always something that was brought to my attention. But I guess in everyday life you don't really stop and think, is what I am doing benefiting the planet? I would like to see it implemented into law, so in your day-to-day endeavours it's something that you have to do – made part of your daily habits. In supermarkets at the moment you are encouraged to bring your own bags, but there's no law about it, so it's hard to create change – all bags should be recyclable and we should charge for plastic bags. Social media campaigns only help temporarily; we need to enforce it more so it becomes force of habit.

Aida (London)
I think the council should do more to force good habits and not just give people the option to recycle. It should be mandatory.

Kafila (NY)
If you look at the demographics of different neighbourhoods here, you'll see the resources they have are different – the community gardens, the kinds of stores, the carbon emissions that are put out. If you go to a store in a less affluent neighbourhood, generally with more people of colour, it's hard to find food that is organic, or any kind of healthy, sustainable food – and if it is stocked at all, the produce is often overgrown, full of pesticides, and doesn't look healthy. Instead you will see mostly liquor stores, fast-food restaurants and things that don't contribute positively to the environment. So sometimes different communities are disadvantaged not only because of the racial boundaries but also because of their financial boundaries. If there was equality, or at least some kind of balance, more people would be able to get involved with environmentalism and make more healthy, sustainable life choices.

Amosh (NY)
I would love to see more green roofs and parks in the city, like the High Line. I would love to see the river and the water sources around the city kept clean. I would love to see more bike lanes, more public transport utilised rather than vehicles, and more green buildings.

Makayla (NY)
There are opportunities for solar panels, and hydroelectricity too. NYC is a vulnerable place with climate change and the sea levels rising. I feel there could be more initiatives to protect the island. But there's still a big fear around alternative energies here; oil is what America has stuck to since forever, and going into something so unfamiliar as alternative energy – it confuses people. Also, you have to take into account the amount of money that oil companies make. Money and unfamiliarity have caused the taboo and bad stigma associated with alternative energy. As young people, we are very interested in environmentalism, but it's hard to connect others who are not so interested, or not so aware. It's hard to get people to see.

Carlene Thomas-Bailey

PNG leader apologises to Bougainville for sparking bloody 1990s civil war

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:57 PM PST

Peter O'Neill and president of autonomous region break arrow in peace gesture but tensions remain over its future

Properties for less than $100,000

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:35 PM PST

Houses in Australia are among the world's most expensive, but for first-time buyers these 10 might keep hopes alive – or not

Nick Evershed

China jails another New Citizens activist

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:26 PM PST

Convictions for unfurling protest banner in Beijing follow sentencing of Xu Zhiyong, who founded official accountability movement

Wake-up call for drivers as scientists work on roadside test for tiredness

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:24 PM PST

Monash researchers on $14.5m project to examine weays of improving alertness, safety and productivity

Prison system is almost full, and overflowing in some states, report says

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:07 PM PST

Productivity Commission report also details the cost of corrective services and the high Indigenous incarceration rate

Helen Davidson

Spotify: how a busy songwriter you've never heard of makes it work for him

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:06 PM PST

Fred McConnell: Matt Farley writes 20 songs a day and has digitally distributed more than 14,000 in six years. We need creative outliers like him and a neutral internet to support them

Fred McConnell

Is Britain ripe for Gandhi's message?: from the archive, 29 January 1968

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST

Could Britain really be ready for Gandhi's philosophy of the simple life - asceticism, absolute social equality, service to others and non-violence?

An Indian visitor who came to see me the other day announced that he thought Britain might be ready for the message of Gandhi. Very rudely, I'm afraid, I could not disguise my utter incredulity. Britain ready for Gandhi? Britain, putting a higher proportion of what it produces into personal consumption than any other country in Europe? Britain, where two out of three people, if you believe your opinion polls, put foreign aid at the top of the list of things to be cut.

Gandhi, you will remember, believed in the simple life, in asceticism, in absolute social equality, in service to others, in non-violence. For Britain? You see what I mean?

My visitor was Satish Kumar. His business was the Gandhi centenary year which marks the hundredth anniversary of Gandhi's birth on October 2, 1869. He is spending a couple of months in Britain, and at present is out on a tour of a dozen cities in England and Scotland.

His theme: to determine the relevance of Gandhi in the Western world. His purpose: to set up local communities and seminar study groups in the main centres of Britain. This is how it is proposed to celebrate the Gandhi centenary - not with a single day's junketing but with a programme of work spanning the year. The main effort will be in India, where a national committee for the centenary year has been at work since 1965, but it will be a worldwide programme too.

His case is that the Gandhi philosophy offers a way of decentralising our industrial society. It would be some Westernised form of the "Gramdan" programme in India where landowners have been persuaded to hand over their land to the peasants and village industries have been established.

What it has achieved in India is impressive: 40,000 villages brought into the programme in the past three years. It has sometimes run into trouble simply because the authorities object to the degree of self-government and local decision-taking in the Gramdan communities.

How would this sort of thing fit into the Western way of doing things? One thing makes the Gandhi philosophy still relevant. It may be high-minded but it is not starry-eyed. His followers believe, as Gandhi did, in practical programmes, in action rather than theorising, in a centenary year of deeds rather than speeches.

The largest section of the Indian programme comes under amenities for human living. Its object is to make every village in India self-sufficient in food and clean drinking water by 1969-70. That is basic enough, but would be an immense achievement. It is unlikely that India can manage to do it alone. Let a village or a town here adopt an Indian village and set about finding the wherewithal for the plumbing. If many people in a small way would tackle a down-to-earth programme, that would be in the true Gandhi spirit.

Inside the Animal Mind – TV review

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST

Chris Packham, Sir David Attenborough's heir apparent, puts the cool in cagoule in this fascinating blend of science and spectacle

I knew dogs were good with their noses. I didn't know they were that good. Fern here – a cutely life-jacketed sprocker (half springer, half cocker) spaniel hanging eagerly over the front of a rubber dinghy – can sniff out a tin of pork under 7m of water and a further metre of silt at the bottom of lake on a howling windy wet day in Northern Ireland. As Chris Packham says, it kind of makes a mockery of those fugitives running down creeks to escape baying bloodhounds in the movies. Movie fugitives, don't bother; you might as well keep your boots dry.

He – Chris Packham – is trying to do something he's always wanted to: get Inside the Animal Mind (BBC2). Via their senses, in this one (the first of three). It's not just about Fern's amazing nose, then: it's about what animals use their noses, and their other senses, to do.

So wolves and dogs are equally good at sniffing out a cheese treat hidden under a cup. But they prioritise their senses differently. If the dog's owner points at the cup without any cheese underneath, the dog will still go to that one, even though there are no nice cheesy smells coming from it. Dogs put visual stimulus first; they have been domesticated, turned into obedient idiots by us. Not so the wolf, which follows its nose, literally. Wolves also like Chanel No 5, interestingly. Aaaaeeerrorooo.

There's very little wolf left in Chris's own dogs, a pair of poodles called Itchy and Scratchy. And in their case, very little going on Inside the Animal Mind at all I'd say, judging by the vacant looks on their faces. You could probably point to a cliff-edge and they would obediently bound over.

Maybe Jazz, a handsome brown Hungarian Vizsla, has more grey matter? He seems to know when his owner, Johnny, is coming home. Twenty minutes or so before the happy event is due to occur, Jazz starts pacing up and down excitedly, standing on the sofa, looking out of the window. (Is that a hint of down-there excitement too, Jazz – a cheeky little Hungarian semi-on?) It's something many dog owners claim – not that their dogs become aroused, but that they know when something is about to happen. A kind of doggy sixth sense, perhaps? (Possibly they see dead people too.)

Or could Jazz possibly have some kind of understanding of the concept of time? And know that this is the time Johnny usually comes home. Maybe he even glances up at the kitchen clock occasionally. One day Johnny's wife, Christine, brings some of Johnny's smelly sports clothes home before her husband's return and wafts them around the house. And that changes everything – Jazz no longer gets excited at Johnny-come-home time. In fact, Johnny's arrival comes as a complete surprise to Jazz; Jazz thinks he's already there.

So what's happening most days, then, for Jazz to know when Johnny is due? Well, as Packham says, it's not scientific proof, but one plausible explanation is that Jazz is using the fading smell of Johnny, who normally gets back when his own aroma gets down to a certain level, to mark the passage of time. A smell clock.

The show isn't just about dogs. A dolphin called Wade knows what you're doing, even when he's blindfolded. Wade can hear what you're doing. Never play blind man's buff with a dolphin, I think that's the lesson to take from that one. I wouldn't want to, anyway – never liked dolphins, creepy clicky sex-pests. And now we know they can hear-see you in the dark [shudders].

A bunch of unnamed sharks can't get at a nice fish-supper because of a ring of magnets. (Australian swimmers, take note: wear magnets at all times – not so many that you sink, mind.) And a bird-brained bird flies down a corridor bombarded by sensory stimuli, filtering out what is unnecessary so as not to overclutter its tiny bird brain. The bird-man is called Martin. The bird – not a martin but a starling – is called Arnie. "I'll be back," cheeps Arnie each time he flies from Martin's hand.

It's fascinating, all of it – just the right blend of science and spectacle. And Packham is an excellent guide, serious without being boring or schoolteacherly. A rare sight on these shores – a wildlife person with a bit of an edge – he puts the cool in cagoule … no, let's maybe not get carried away. But the heir apparent to Sir David A's crown? Go on then, though maybe lose Itchy and Scratchy. Arise, Chris.

Sam Wollaston

Interactive: How many sports players end up as professional athletes?

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST

They are the gloomiest of numbers that the bravest of players aren't phased by: the chances of going pro. Using US scholarship statistics, one data journalist has attempted to calculate the numbers in this interactive

Mona Chalabi