• The Truth About Animals

Is your toddler really smarter than a chimpanzee?

It sounds like a no-brainer, but it's not clear that young children are any more intelligent than chimpanzees

• Presented by
  Justin Gregg

I've spent the last four years teaching my daughter to be human. There's a lot to learn, from walking, talking and the (strangely challenging) task of not soiling yourself, to how to make choux pastry, Chinese history and the basics of quadratic equations.
Although we still have some way to go, it already feels like a hefty parental investment, especially when compared with species like the blue wildebeest, whose newborns can stand, walk, and even outrun predators just a few hours after leaving the womb. But humans aren't the only species genetically predisposed to spend years rearing their offspring. Our closest relatives, chimpanzees, also enjoy a prolonged childhood. As a socially complex species, their infants stick close to their mothers for the first five years of life, picking up a laundry list of essential skills by observing and imitating their elders.

Telling a Picasso from a Monet, for example, should be easy for a chimpanzee

Many skills that we consider complex are in fact the result of relatively simple - and often universal - cognitive abilities shared by a great many species
Of course, the life skills a chimpanzee eventually acquires are nowhere near as complex as those I'm teaching my daughter. Don't get me wrong – learning how to make a termite-fishing stick is cognitively complex, but it's hardly up there with learning to read, or being able to differentiate between a Picasso and a Monet. After four years of dedicated training from her parents, my daughter should be able to beat a chimpanzee in a battle of wits, right?
Wrong. Or at least, it depends on the battle. In fact telling a Picasso from a Monet, for example, should be easy for a chimpanzee – both honeybees and pigeons have been trained to do it. Scientists taught these small-brained species that chambers next to pictures by one or other of these artists contained food. When later presented with new Picassos and Monets, they were more likely to opt for the artist whose work had previously led them to a reward - meaning they had picked up on underlying stylistic differences. Many skills that we consider complex are in fact the result of relatively simple - and often universal - cognitive abilities shared by a great many species.

There is little distance between toddlers and chimps (Credit: Boaz Rottem / Alamy)

In reality, when it comes to cognitive development, the divide between infant chimpanzees and infant humans is often startlingly small. So small in fact that psychologists once wondered if the key difference between the two species was not our underlying mental machinery, but the cultural traditions and recorded knowledge that humans had accumulated through the ages. Perhaps if an infant chimpanzee was raised in an exclusively human environment, it would acquire human abilities, complete with language competency and table manners.

Previous experiments showed chimpanzees lacked the vocal structures to produce the sounds of human language

In order to test this hypothesis, Allen and Beatrix Gardner, psychologists at the University of Nevada, Reno, acquired a 10-month-old chimpanzee named Washoe. She had been born in the wild in West Africa in 1965, where she was "recruited" by the US Air Force for use in biomedical testing as part of the space programme. The Gardeners brought Washoe into their home in 1966. She was dressed in human clothes, and joined the Gardeners at the dinner table each evening. Every effort was made to replicate the childhood of a typical human infant with the hope that she would not just learn human language, but learn to be human.
Aware from previous experiments that showed chimpanzees lacked the vocal structures to produce the sounds of human language, Washoe was taught to communicate using a form of American Sign Language. By the time she left the Gardeners in 1970, she could communicate using a few hundred signed symbols. For some, the fact that she could combine symbols to form new words such as "water bird" when shown a swan for the first time was evidence of at least rudimentary language capacity. Many scientists, however, remained skeptical, suggesting Washoe and other apes were simply responding to unintentional cues from the researchers working with them.

Chimpanzees can be quite similar to toddlers at times (Credit: Arco Images GmbH / Alamy)

It was obvious from the Gardeners' experiment that being raised in a human environment could not give a chimpanzee a human mind. Although she was one of the first non-human apes to communicate with humans in the form of signed symbols, she did not ever truly acquire language. The question scientists still wrestle with today is what exactly is going on in the minds of toddlers that allows them to acquire and use language where chimpanzees fail? And how does this relate to the skills that define human intelligence, allowing us to create moon landers and chai lattes?

The human need for deeply cooperative group living brought with it the ability to get into each other's heads

Michael Tomasello, a psychologist and co-director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, has spent the last 30 years studying primate cognition in an effort to answer questions like these. In his recently published book A Natural History of Human Thinking, he develops the "shared intentionality" hypothesis to explain the basic difference between human and chimpanzee cognition. He defines this as the ability "to participate with others in collaborative activities with shared goals and intentions".
"Although humans' great ape ancestors were social beings, they lived mostly individualistic and competitive lives," suggests Tomasello, "but early humans were at some point forced by ecological circumstances into more cooperative lifeways, and so their thinking became more directed toward figuring out ways to coordinate with others to achieve joint goals or even collective goals. And this changed everything."
This human need for deeply cooperative group living brought with it the ability to get into each other's heads. Being able to share intentions and goals in this way is extremely rare in the animal kingdom, and many experiments suggest that it's a skill that my daughter has, but that chimpanzees - like Washoe - lack.

"I still don't understand what you're pointing at" (Credit: Mode Images / Alamy)

Consider the enigma of human pointing – a strangely difficult signal for chimpanzees to wrap their heads around. They do not typically point in the wild, although individuals working with humans in the lab will often gesture towards food or objects they want, and sometimes they do so with a pointed finger. What scientists want to know however is whether or not a pointing chimpanzee is trying to connect with the person watching them by establishing collaborative, two-way communication. It is obviously a communicative act, but the question is whether it is the result of the chimpanzee trying to get inside the head of the observer to convey the message: "Excuse me, I would really like you to fetch that banana for me."

Whereas the babies sat politely and pointed toward the object in an attempt to get their caregiver's attention, the chimpanzees moved towards the object while making pointing and reaching gestures

For humans, these collaborative messages are commonplace, even without the use of language. Imagine for a moment that I had lost my voice. I could ask my wife to pass the salt simply by pointing to the salt shaker sitting on the table. Via this signal, I could share with my wife the knowledge that I want the salt, and she would immediately realize that I am asking for her help in achieving what I hope is now a shared goal. I don't need to fling myself across the table while making exaggerated grabbing motions.
Chimpanzees, on the other hand, do. In a recent experiment, chimpanzees were pitted against one-year-old children to see how their behaviour differed when something they wanted was just out of reach. Whereas the babies sat politely and pointed toward the object in an attempt to get their caregiver's attention, the chimpanzees moved towards the object while making pointing and reaching gestures. The key difference, the researchers concluded, was that the human infants realized the pointing gesture alone was enough to tell their caregiver what they wanted.
Humans, it seems, are born ready to share their thoughts with others.

"What happened to my thinking cap?" (Credit: Cultura RM / Alamy)

Once we set aside the cognitive traits that encompass Tomasello's idea of shared intentionality, however, the list of skills that my daughter possesses that surpass those of chimpanzees is nearly exhausted. In fact, there are cognitive skills at which chimpanzees can easily outshine my daughter. Or you and me for that matter.
In another recent study, chimps went head-to-head with humans in a test of their strategic thinking. Participants played a simple two player computer game in which they had to choose one of two squares displayed on a screen. Player one won if both players chose the same square, and player two won if both of them chose the opposite squares. After each game, the two players could see which one their opponent had chosen, allowing them to learn about their opponent's behaviour and make educated guesses about their future choices. Players were pitted against others of their own species, and human winners were rewarded with cash prizes while chimps that came out on top got pieces of apple.
If the players make the best possible moves, the game should develop a specific pattern predicted by game theory. It turned out that after playing the game for a while, chimpanzees made moves that closely resembled the optimal strategy predicted by mathematical models. Humans, on the other hand, didn't.

Perhaps humans just don't have the level of fighting spirit (or desire for infidelity) that gives chimpanzees the edge in some battles of wits

With our infamous critical thinking skills, how could humans wind up being soundly beaten by chimpanzees? We know from previous research that chimpanzees can have stunning visual memory, and this might be the key to their success. Ayumu, a young chimpanzee involved in cognitive research at the Primate Institute of Kyoto University, in Japan, is famously able to memorize the position of the numbers one to nine in random positions on a screen in as little as 0.67 seconds. No human even came close to Ayumu's performance. The scientists studying Ayumu suggest that chimpanzees simply have a better working memory for visual information than humans - which might explain why they can beat us in strategy games involving visual tasks.
The researchers who ran the computer game experiment suggest that it might also be the ultra-competitive mindset of the chimpanzee that makes them better at developing strategies. Chimpanzees live in a social world where they are often trying to outwit other members of their inner circle. Lower ranking males, for example, try to outwit the alpha males by having secret trysts with females behind their backs. Plotting and scheming might be second nature to chimpanzees.
Perhaps humans just don't have the level of fighting spirit (or desire for infidelity) that gives chimpanzees the edge in some battles of wits. Maybe in some cognitive realms our bias towards co-operating lets us down.

Chimpanzee parents help their offspring learn much like we do (Credit: FLPA / Alamy)

All of which leaves me wondering whether it's really fair to consider my young daughter to be any smarter than a chimpanzee. Chimpanzees lead lives that are not all that dissimilar from our own recent ancestors in the days before we invented, and were able to share our knowledge of, medicine, mathematics and physics. And much of the social behaviour, problem solving, and reasoning displayed by chimpanzees frolicking in the bush is still indistinguishable from children playing in the schoolyard. And, as we've seen, they even outperform humans at some skills.
In the end, though, it's not about who’s smarter. Both chimpanzees and humans have cognitive skills that help them survive in their own worlds. Over the next few years, my daughter's mind will blossom in uniquely human ways. She'll tap into her shared intentionality skillset, and join the ranks of schoolchildren learning their ABCs and capital cities. Thanks to her human mind, this knowledge will be transferred straight from her teacher's mind to hers through the medium of language. These skills don't make my daughter any smarter than a chimpanzee because smartness is a concept that is in the eye of the beholder.
From my very human perspective, experiencing my daughter wanting to share her thoughts with me is about the best thing in the whole wide world. I suspect chimpanzee mothers love their young just as deeply though, even if they can't – or don't want to – tell anyone about it.

Turkey 'to let US use bases' against Islamic State

Turkey shares a border with both Syria and Iraq

Turkey has agreed to let the US use its military bases in the campaign against Islamic State militants, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice says.

Ms Rice said the US welcomed the new agreement, which included use of the Incirlik air base in Turkey's south.
The US is leading air strikes against IS, which has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in recent months.
Turkey shares a border with both countries, but has so far ruled out any ground operation of its own.
Speaking to US broadcaster NBC, Ms Rice said Turkey had recently agreed to let the US use Turkish bases and territory "to train moderate Syrian opposition forces" and "engage in activities inside of Iraq and Syria".
"That's the new commitment, and one that we very much welcome," she added.

 

 The IS offensive has forced up to 200,000 Syrians to flee into Turkey

In recent days, IS fighters have advanced against the Syrian town of Kobane, which has a border crossing point with Turkey.
The US has been leading a coalition providing air support to Kurds battling IS fighters around Kobane.
Turkey has ranged its military forces on the border but has so far ruled out any ground operation on its own, and has refused to allow Kurds in Turkey to cross the border to fight.
Since the IS offensive against Kobane began in mid-September, some 500 people have been killed and up to 200,000 have fled across the border into Turkey.

Turkish soldiers are positioned along the Turkey-Syria border but have not entered Syria

Only God knows! A woman with disability speaks to unidentified person with her child at the back of the tricycle

A woman with disability speaks to unidentified person with her child at the back of the tricycle as captured along Agrey Street at Kariakoo in Dar es Salaam Tanzania . (Photo by Mohamed Mambo) This is how our mothers cared us no matter what you have to love your mother and your fellows mother.

Aga Khan hospital hosts free breast cancer screening in Dar

By Henry Mwangonde ,The Citizen Correspondent

In Summary

According to World Health Organization, there are about 1.3 million new cancer cases and 458,000 deaths from breast cancer each year.

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inSDar es Salaam. As part of events to commemorate the World’s Breast Cancer Awareness Week, The Aga Khan Hospital yesterday organised a free breast cancer screening and checkup for city residents.

The camp saw more than 200 individuals get screened for breast cancer as well as receive counseling and it is part of the of the hospital’s ‘don’t wait for October’ campaign aimed at encouraging the public to act on their health now rather wait for a specific time of the year.

Dr Amyn Alidina a breast cancer specialist at the hospital reiterated the importance of regular health checkups for good health.

“Most Tanzanians wait too long to care for their health when it is either too late or when to regain functionality costly treatment are needed” he said.

He said early detection of cancer can go a long way in curbing the spread and effects of breast cancer.

“It is very important to seek immediate treatment, as soon as you see any symptoms of breast cancer, do not wait until you are in a critical condition to go to the hospital because one you are diagnosed early it can be treated effectively” he said.

According to World Health Organization, there are about 1.3 million new cancer cases and 458,000 deaths from breast cancer each year.

The majority of deaths 269,000 occur in low-and middle-income countries where most women with breast cancer are diagnosed in the late stages due mainly to lack of awareness on early detection and barriers to health services.

Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide both in the developed and developing countries and the incidences has been increasing steadily in the last years due to increase in life expectancy, increase urbanization and adoption of western lifestyles.

World cancer awareness month is held in the countries across the world every October attention and support for the campaign.

Students to march for rhinos, elephants

By Patty Magubira,The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

“We have to educate these grassroots decision makers on the human-wildlife conflict which is equally a major threat to the natural resource treasure trove,” he said.

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Arusha. Over 200 students from at least 10 learning institutions surrounding the ecosystem of Tarangire and Manyara national parks will march to condemn elephant and rhino poaching in the country.

Organisers of the annual demonstrations believe the event would have impact as it coincides with Nyerere Day observed every October 14.

Arusha regional commissioner Magessa Mulongo will grace the march which is globally observed on October 4, to bring to light the impending extinction of jumbos and rhinos.

“The demonstration is aimed at instilling conservation culture among our students,” Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato) chairman Willy Chambullo said.

He said the future conservationists need to know the value and threats facing wild animals and help conserve the legacy of Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

“Mwalimu Nyerere said the survival of our wildlife is a matter of great concern to all of us,” recalled the Tato chairman, explaining that about 50 traditional elders from the ecosystem in question would also take part in the march.

“We have to educate these grassroots decision makers on the human-wildlife conflict which is equally a major threat to the natural resource treasure trove,” he said.

The match is held on October 14, instead of October 4, in honour of Father of the Nation’s immense contribution to conservation in the country.

Addressing a symposium on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources just before independence in Arusha, Mwalimu Nyerere said wild creatures amid the wild places they inhabited were not only a source of wonder and inspiration, but also determined the future livelihood and well-being of the people.

Arusha hosted a number of activities last month to, among other things, take stock of the contribution of the emerging tourism industry to communities and chart out way forward in line with the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day observed globally on September 27.

Cyclone Hudhud pounds India's Andhra Pradesh and Orissa

The BBC's Sameer Hashmi reports from Mumbai

Cyclone Hudhud is pounding the eastern Indian coast, causing extensive damage and prompting the evacuation of some 350,000 people.

At least three people have been killed in Andhra Pradesh and three in Orissa.
The cyclone, classed "very severe", brought winds of 205km/h (127mph), as it passed over the coast near the city of Visakhapatnam.
The winds and heavy rains have brought down trees and power lines, and damaged crops and buildings in both states.
It is feared a storm surge of up to two metres could inundate low-lying areas and hundreds of relief centres have been opened in the two states. Disaster relief teams have also been sent.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababa Naidu said it was too early to assess the damage fully.
"We are unable to ascertain the situation; 70% of communication has totally collapsed," he said.
"We are asking people not to come out of their houses. We are mobilising men and materiel immediately."
Flooding fears The three deaths in Andhra Pradesh occurred in separate incidents in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts, Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao said.

Two were killed by falling trees and one by a collapsing wall.
Anil Shekhawat, from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), told the BBC: "The cyclone has landed... The NDRF is there - we have sent around 42 teams, comprising more than 2,000 rescuers."
The streets of Visakhapatnam, one of the largest cities in south-east India and home to a major naval base, remain largely deserted.
N Yuvaraj, a senior district official in Visakhapatnam, told the BBC: "We had this cyclone hitting us at around 10:25 Indian Standard Time (04:55 GMT). And at that point we had a wind speed of more than 205km/h."

A view from the Park Hotel in Visakhapatnam as the cyclone passed over

K Hymavathi, the special commissioner for disaster management for Andhra Pradesh state, said: "Hundreds of trees have been uprooted and power lines knocked down."
He added: "The situation is very severe. The national highway in the region has been shut."
Local journalist Hridayesh Joshi told the BBC from Visakhapatnam: "The situation is becoming increasingly bad. There is very strong wind and rain right now - objects are flying and smashing things.
"We are relatively safe in the centre of town, but the danger is for those in open areas. We are hoping it won't get much worse."

An elderly woman is carried to a relief camp in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, amid warnings over Hudhud

The effects of the strong winds are felt on Sunday on a beach in Gopalpur in Orissa

In its latest report, the India Meteorological Department said sea conditions would become "phenomenal" off the north Andhra Pradesh and south Orissa coasts.
It also warned that a storm surge of up to two metres would "inundate low-lying areas of Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam".

Peter Gibbs has the latest on this powerful storm as it hits India

The director of the Bhubaneswar centre of the IMD, Sarat Sahu, told the BBC that Hudhud was "likely to trigger heavy rains in most parts of south Orissa and the neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Telengana", raising fears of heavy flooding.
India's eastern coast and Bangladesh are routinely hit by cyclonic storms between April and November which cause deaths and widespread damage to property.
A super-cyclone in 1999 killed more than 10,000 people in Orissa.
Last October as many as 500,000 people in India were evacuated when a severe cyclone called Phailin swept through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states.
Do you live in areas expected to be hit by Cyclone Hudhud? Send us your experiences by emailing to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Church donates special bed for women in labour

By Saumu Mwalimu ,The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

“We are seeing an increase number of people in our wards that do not correspond to the level of the centre, the bed is now giving us a breath from that nightmare we were facing many times especially when we have more than two mothers in labour,” said Dr Mbao whose dispensary is in charge with serves more than 40000 in and outpatients every year.

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Dar es Salaam. Expectant mothers in Majohe Kichangani have finally get what for a long time forced them to deliver babies in condition that are not health friendly after their sole Majohe Dispensary received a delivery bed donation.

The bed which will be an additional to one that was available at the centre will serve 4 expectant mothers in labour who were earlier forced to deliver on the normal beds.

Speaking after receiving a donation from Calvary Assemblies of God (CAG) of Majohe Kichangani, the doctor in charge Dr Elias Mbao said that the bed will solve a challenge that was facing the hospital for the past 38 years.

“We are seeing an increase number of people in our wards that do not correspond to the level of the centre, the bed is now giving us a breath from that nightmare we were facing many times especially when we have more than two mothers in labour,” said Dr Mbao whose dispensary is in charge with serves more than 40000 in and outpatients every year.

On his side, the CAG Pastor Amos Lilai said that the church has been touched by the government efforts in reducing the maternal death and urges other institutions to continue with that effort.

“We are almost reaching the 2015 Millenium Development Goal that among other things aims at reducing birth related deaths, so by giving the small we have in the government effort we not only help the government but saving many lives of our mothers and children,” he said whose church has donated also donated some hospital bed sheets, the brob-babies weighing scale among other things.

Rebuilding Gaza: Donors pledge $5.4bn at Cairo summit

The war in Gaza destroyed an estimated 18,000 homes and more than 100 schools

International donors have pledged $5.4bn (£3.4bn) to help rebuild Gaza at a conference in Cairo.

The total, announced by the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Boerge Brende, exceeded the $4bn (£2.5bn) the Palestinian Authority had asked for.
Qatar alone promised $1bn (£622m).
At least 100,000 Gazans lost their homes in the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, and much of the territory's infrastructure was damaged.
Earlier the Palestinian and Egyptian presidents called on Israel to commit to a long-term peace initiative.
Mahmoud Abbas and Abdul Fattah al-Sisi urged Israel to give up land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and accept a fair solution for Palestinian refugees in exchange for full recognition.
The seven-week Gaza conflict, which ended in a truce on 26 August, killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the UN says, along with 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel.
'Major breakthrough' Speaking at a news conference, Mr Brende said half of the $5.4bn promised would be dedicated to reconstruction, and the assistance would be distributed in response to the daily needs of Palestinians.
"This is a major breakthrough, a very important signal of solidarity to the Palestinian people in general and not at least to the people that are suffering so badly in Gaza," he said.
Envoys from dozens of countries attended the Cairo conference, which was hosted by Egypt's President Sisi.
The US pledged $212m (£132m) in new aid, while the United Arab Emirates and Turkey both committed $200m (£124m).

The Palestinian Authority says it needs $4bn for reconstruction efforts in Gaza

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said donations from member states would reach $568m (£353m).
Cycle of conflict Earlier US Secretary of State John Kerry said that with winter approaching, the thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes needed urgent help.
"The people of Gaza do need our help desperately, not tomorrow, not next week, but they need it now" he said at the conference.
He added that anything other than a long-term commitment to peace would be a "band-aid fix".

Rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel during the recent conflict. The two sides have fought three wars in six years

At the opening of the conference, President Sisi urged "the Israelis, both the people and the government" to put an end to the conflict.
"We should turn this moment into a real starting point to achieve a peace that secures stability and flourishing and renders the dream of coexistence a reality," he said.
Correspondents say some neighbourhoods in Gaza resembled earthquake zones following intense bombardment from Israel during the war. The Israeli air strikes had sought to halt rocket-fire from Gaza.
The two sides have fought three wars in six years.
Contentious issue Israel was not invited to the conference but Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman earlier said any rebuilding efforts would need his government's consent.
"You can't reconstruct Gaza without Israeli participation and without Israeli co-operation," he told news website Ynet ahead of the meeting on Sunday.
"In any case, we will try to be positive about the civil infrastructure and the rehabilitation of civilians."

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Middle East envoy Tony Blair: Gaza needs "prospect of stability for the future"

Rebuilding depends on Israel allowing in enough construction materials, the BBC's Orla Guerin in Cairo reports.
This is a contentious issue because Hamas has used cement to build tunnels into Israeli territory in the past, our correspondent adds.
Hour of need Announcing the UK's $32m donation in Cairo, International Development Minister Desmond Swayne said the international community could not continue to pick up the pieces of the conflict indefinitely.
"It is critical that reconstruction efforts now form part of a process of meaningful political change," he said.
The Gaza Strip, sandwiched between Israel and Egypt, has been a recurring flashpoint in the Israel-Palestinian conflict for years.
Israel occupied Gaza in the 1967 Middle East war and pulled its troops and settlers out in 2005.
Israel considered this the end of the occupation, though the UN continues to regard Gaza as part of Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel exercises control over most of Gaza's borders, waters and airspace, while Egypt controls Gaza's southern border.

Rooney scores 43rd international goal and every thing about this match are avairable here.

By Phil McNulty Chief football writer in Tallinn

• Rooney scores 43rd international goal
• England top Group E with three wins from three
• England face Slovenia in next match in November

England laboured to victory over Estonia in Tallinn as Wayne Rooney's late free-kick made it three wins out of three in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

Rooney curled his shot in from just outside the area 17 minutes from the end of a mediocre encounter to give England's captain his 43rd goal for his country - six behind all-time record holder Sir Bobby Charlton.
It rescued England as they struggled to break down the stubborn Estonians, who stood firm even after captain Ragnar Klavan had been sent off for a second yellow card three minutes into the second half.
And it spared manager Roy Hodgson some awkward questions over the omission of Raheem Sterling after Liverpool's teenager admitted he was tired following the 5-0 win against San Marino at Wembley.
England monopolised possession but the lack of end product was alarming against opponents who were dogged but hardly an upgrade into the European elite after the stroll against San Marino on Thursday.
Rooney's winner, a rare touch of class, also lifted his own performance after the 28-year-old struggled to apply his usual high standards. Indeed he was in danger of being replaced by Rickie Lambert just before his decisive contribution.

Hodgson was buoyant after his side maintained their 100% record against San Marino on Thursday

The Manchester United captain had opportunities before and after his goal to move closer to history but his display was in keeping with England's night - largely frustrating and salvaged only by a single moment.
Hodgson used the diamond formation, as he had in the opening 2-0 win against Switzerland in Basel, but whereas there - with Sterling at its point - it looked effective, here it left England lacking in pace, creation and width. It was only when Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the Liverpool youngster were introduced that England looked like getting behind the hosts.
They can justifiably point to a job done, and nine points out of nine, but this largely uninspired fare did little to warm fans who turned out in plummeting temperatures in Tallinn.
There should be few obstacles in England's way on the route to Euro 2016  - the possibility of 10 wins remains a strong one - but it is to be hoped the level of excitement is greater than that witnessed here in a group not exactly sprinkled with stardust.
After a minor scare in the opening seconds, England dominated the first period to such an extent that one point they enjoyed an 82% share of possession - the more telling statistic was that they did not muster a shot on target until the dying moments of the half.
This had much to do with Rooney's failure to accept chances, volleying over from Jack Wilshere's pass and showing an uncharacteristic lack of control and sharpness in the area when given other opportunities.
The visitors were looking for any advantage they could get and one arrived three minutes into the second half when Klavan departed after a cynical barge on Fabian Delph.
Hodgson made two changes in quick succession just after the hour as Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sterling replaced Delph and Jordan Henderson.
And Sterling was involved as England finally broke Estonia down after 73 minutes. He was fouled on the angle of the penalty area and Rooney weighed his options up carefully before curling in a low, right-foot effort from the set-piece.

England fans congregate at Tallinn's A Le Coq Arena

England and Estonia line up for the national anthems

Wayne Rooney goes close for England in the first half with a volley

Estonia are reduced to 10 men when full-back Ragnar Klavan (centre) is shown a second yellow card

Wayne Rooney grabs the winner with 17 minutes remaining and should have scored a second in stoppage time

Lineup, Bookings (5) & Substitutions (6)

Estonia

• 01 Pareiko
• 17 Jääger
• 04 Morozov
• 15 Klavan Dismissed after an earlier booking
• 19 Pikk
• 18 Mets
• 16 Antonov
• 14 Vassiljev (Lindpere - 45' )
• 13 Vunk (Kruglov - 83' )
• 10 Zenjov (Ojamaa - 80' )
• 08 Anier

Substitutes

• 02 Lindpere
• 03 Bärengrub
• 05 Kruglov
• 06 Dmitrijev
• 07 Saag
• 09 Hunt
• 11 Ojamaa
• 12 Aksalu
• 20 Kams
• 21 Artjunin
• 22 Londak
• 23 Teniste

England

• 01 Hart
• 02 Chambers
• 05 Cahill
• 06 Jagielka
• 03 Baines Booked
• 07 Wilshere Booked
• 04 Henderson Booked (Sterling - 64' )
• 08 Delph (Oxlade-Chamberlain - 61' )
• 11 Lallana
• 09 Welbeck (Lambert - 80' )
• 10 Rooney

Substitutes

• 12 Clyne
• 13 Foster
• 14 Gibbs
• 15 Shelvey
• 16 Milner
• 17 Oxlade-Chamberlain
• 18 Townsend
• 19 Sterling
• 20 Lambert
• 21 Forster

Ref: Marijo Strahonja

Match Stats

Shots

7 25

On target

1 6

Corners

1 5

Fouls

15 9

Live Text Commentary

Full time

Full Time Match ends, Estonia 0, England 1.

90:00 +4:02 Full time

Full Time Second Half ends, Estonia 0, England 1.

90:00 +3:39 Attempt missed. Wayne Rooney (England) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
90:00 +2:43 Jack Wilshere (England) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90:00 +2:43 Foul by Igor Morozov (Estonia).
90:00 +2:07 Attempt saved. Wayne Rooney (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jack Wilshere with a through ball.
89:18 Attempt blocked. Raheem Sterling (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
88:57 Attempt missed. Wayne Rooney (England) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with a cross.
87:56 Attempt saved. Raheem Sterling (England) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Calum Chambers.
86:50 Attempt saved. Dmitri Kruglov (Estonia) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
86:03 Booking

Booking Jack Wilshere (England) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

85:59 Foul by Jack Wilshere (England).
85:59 Ilja Antonov (Estonia) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
82:58 Raheem Sterling (England) wins a free kick on the right wing.
82:58 Foul by Dmitri Kruglov (Estonia).
82:44 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, Estonia. Dmitri Kruglov replaces Martin Vunk.

80:54 Foul by Rickie Lambert (England).
80:54 Karol Mets (Estonia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
79:47 Hand ball by Henri Anier (Estonia).
79:27 Substitution

Substitution Substitution, England. Rickie Lambert replaces Danny Welbeck.

Reese Witherspoon Celebrates Her 'Role Model' Malala Yousafzai

Reese Witherspoon. Inset: Malala Yousafzai

Joe Scarnici/Getty; Sipa USA

By Melody Chiu

@chiumelo

On the day Malala Yousafzai made history by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Reese Witherspoon celebrated the activist's work while accepting an award for her own philanthropic efforts with the Malala Fund.

Noting that it was her own daughter, Ava, 15, who first brought Yousafzai to her attention, the Oscar winner shared with the audience – which included fellow honorees Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez and Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley – about her experience meeting her "role model."

"This summer, we got to meet Malala … Ava and I," she said Friday at Variety's Power of Women event, which was sponsored by Moroccanoil. "We got to have dinner with her at a friend's house, which was incredible. She sat next to Ava at dinner and they talked about schoolwork and homework and what their life goals were, and Ava was just in awe of this 17-year-old woman."

According to Witherspoon, 38, her daughter's interest in helping other women was first piqued at a young age, when like any other child, she had a day when she didn't want to go to school.

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"Instead of saying my usual, 'Mommy's not awake yet. We can talk about it after coffee,' I actually took the opportunity to explain to her that there are a lot of girls all over the world who don't even get the opportunity to even go to school," Witherspoon recalled about her conversation with Ava, then in the third grade.

RELATED: Malala Yousafzai Becomes Youngest-Ever Nobel Peace Prize Winner

"My daughter found that astounding, and from that point on, Ava became determined to help others understand the plight of women around the world."

Calling Yousafzai "amazing," the actress marveled at the teen's courage and strength.

"When I was 14, I was worried about learning my lines and impressing casting directors," she said. "When Malala Yousafzai was 14, she was speaking out against an oppressive regime and fighting for the rights for girls to be educated around the world."