Trump signs order to dismantle education department

Hello. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. We explain the challenges his plan faces. In Colombia, BBC Eye's Owen Pinnell visits sites affected by pollution that have been listed in an oil giant's leaked database. And finally, take a look at the new UK stamps collection celebrating the country's folklore.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Long-cherished goal of some Republicans

Trump praised his DoE pick Linda McMahon and expressed his hope she would be the last secretary of education. Credit: Reuters

President Trump has accused the Department of Education (DoE) of "breath-taking failures" and signed an executive order to begin dismantling the agency. The order, writes our reporter in Washington Ana Faguy, fulfils a campaign pledge and a long-cherished goal of some conservatives. On its own, it's not enough - closing the agency outright would require an act of Congress. It would need 60 votes to close a federal department, and the Republicans only hold a 53-47 majority. But even if the department is not formally shut, the Trump administration could still decimate its funding and staff.

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BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Oil giant's leaked data reveals spills sites

The BBC saw a black, oily-looking substance and containment barriers at a site listed as "only known to Ecopetrol". Credit: BBC

Data leaked by a former employee of Colombia's oil giant Ecopetrol has revealed more than 800 records of polluted sites from 1989 to 2018, including water sources and biodiverse wetlands. It also indicates that the company failed to report about a fifth of them. Ecopetrol says it complies fully with Colombian law and has industry-leading practices on sustainability.

And finally...

A stamp collection is celebrating the UK's mythological heritage and fabled figures. Each of the eight stamps represent folk stories from different regions, including Cornish piskies, Blodeuwedd of Welsh mythology, Irish heroic figure Fionn mac Cumhaill, and, of course, the Loch Ness Monster. Take a look.