Hello, I'm Neil Nunes with the BBC news.Tributes have been streaming in for the American singer Prince who died unexpectedly on Thursday at the age of 57. President Obama described him as 'a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader and an electrifying performer'. David Sillito now looks back at his life. The singer released his first album in the late 70s and by the 80s he was one of the biggest stars in pop music, one of a few back artists to appear regularly in the early days of MTV. His musical output was extraordinary. He repeats the Bangles, Sinead O’Connor as well as a run of multi-million selling alums of his own. His last releases was late last yeas.Fans of Prince have gathered in the rain opposite his home and studios at Paisley Park in Minneapolis. Andrew Swanson from Minnesota Public Radio says Prince left a great legacy for the state. He is by far the most famous musician that we have that continued to live here and support the scene here. The fact that he is still throwing parties up until the last weekend tells you everything you need to know about what he was trying to get back to the community. Obviously he's gonna have a very longlasting influence on the community here.
At the start of a visit to Britain, president Obama has repeated his support for the country remaining in the European Union ahead of a referendum in June. In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Mr Obama said membership of the EU magnifies Britain's influence. He also implies that if Britain left the EU, it would be less able to tackle terrorism, the migration crisis and economic problems. Mr Obama has defended his right to comment on the issue despite criticism from some senior British figures campaigning to leave the EU.
The World Anti-doping Agency WADA has suspended accreditation of China's anti-doping laboratory for up to 4 months after it fails to meet with international standards. More details from Nicolas Russia. WADA had been investigating recent claims that China's sporting authorities had covered up positive drug tests of five swimmers to avoid a scandal ahead of this month's Olympic trials. Two of the tests are believed to have been failed in October and the other three this year. Earlier this month, WADA stripped a Moscow laboratory of its right to test athletes samples after it too allegedly failed to meet international standards. Russian athletes are currently suspended from international track and field events because of the failures in the country's anti-doping program.
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The Chadian president Idriss Déby has secured a 5th term in office after winning more than 60 percent of the vote in the first round of presidential polls. He's been in power since 1990 when he orchestrated a military coup.
The UN special envoy for Syria says he's certain that peace negotiations will continue next week. Staffan de Mistura dismissed it as 'diplomatic posturing' the decision by Syria's main opposition representatives to leave the talks early. Imogen Foulkes has this report. Opposition leaders have now left Geneva and say they won't return until there is a significant improvement on the ground. They want an end to area bombardment, the release of political detainees and more aid deliveries for Syrian civilians. Their hope is that the big powers, Russian, chief among them, will pressure Syrian government to do at least some of these. Meanwhile, president al-Assad's negotiators remain at the UN in Geneva insisting they're still ready to talk peace.
The director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has suggested the agency paid more than 1 million dollars to hack into the cellphone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers. The FBI director James Comey said he could not reveal the precise amount paid to an unidentified third party for the software used to unlock the iPhone. Before it cracked the code itself, the FBI had launched a legal claim against the iPhone maker Apple to gain access to the device. Syed Farook and his wife shot and killed 14 people in San Bernardino in December.
The Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto has said he's sending a bill to the congress, proposing the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes and increasing the amount allowed for personal use. Mr Peña Nieto said marijuana users should not be considered criminals.
