Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240714

Johnson would not like to go down in history as mr no deal. Brazils president has bowed to International Pressure and ordered the armed forces to tackle a Record Number of wildfires raging in the amazon forest. Tens of thousands of British Airways passengers could be affected as pilots are to strike next month, in a dispute over pay. Its not looking good for englands hopes of regaining the ashes in the third test at headingley. The women using facebook to name and shame the men who have abused them. Thats in the Victoria Derbyshire review in half an hour, here on bbc news. Good afternoon. Prince andrew has defended his formerfriendship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying at no stage did he see or suspect any criminal behaviour. Epstein took his own life in a jail cell this month while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In a statement, the duke of york said he wanted to clarify the facts around his former association or friendship with the us financier. A little earlier, i asked our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell about the background to this new statement. Pages and pages of stories in the popular press about Prince Andrews association with jeffrey popular press about Prince Andrews association withJeffrey Epstein, convicted paedophile, who was found deadin convicted paedophile, who was found dead in his prison cell a few days ago. A statement from buckingham palace, from the duke of york, Prince Andrew this afternoon, he is eager to clarify the facts to avoid further speculation. He says he met Jeffrey Epstein in 1999, and he says, i saw him infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year. He acknowledges that i have stayed in a number of his residences. Here is a key sentence, Prince Andrew says that at no stage during a limited time i spent with him didi during a limited time i spent with him did i see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction. He does acknowledge that it was, in his words, a mistake and an error, to seeJeffrey Epstein after his release, from the 13 months that he spent in prison, and he can only reiterate his regret that he was mistaken to think that what he thought he knew of him was evidently not the real person, given what we know now. He says he has tremendous sympathy for all those affected by his actions and his behaviour, and he says he is at a loss to be able to understand or explain mr epsteins lifestyle. It isa explain mr epsteins lifestyle. It is a robust attempt to rebut the innuendo which certainly is circling around him. Why has he released this statement now . He must feel that after days and days of speculation, which has continued in tabloid newspapers this morning, it reached its peak perhaps last sunday, with the footage of him peering out from epsteins house in new york, as young women were seen coming and going, that clearly was very damaging for him, and i think that this is a consequence of the build up of press exposure in the days since, and has he would see it, a need to get his story, his rebuttal, out in as forceful times as he can. Borisjohnson and the European Council president , donald tusk, have urged each other to compromise over brexit. At a News Conference before the g7 summit in france gets under way this evening, mr tusk warned the Prime Minister that he was in danger of going down in history as mr no deal. Mrjohnson responded by saying it would be mr tusk who would be given the title if he didnt listen to uk demands. Arriving for the summit this afternoon the Prime Minister outlined his priorities for the summit. The three priorities i have, obssessions i have for the uk and for the world at this g7 summit are clearly the state of global trade. I am very worried about the way it is going. The growth of protectionism tariffs that we are seeing, the uk thrives mightily on being an open, outward looking free trade nation, and that is what we will promote because it is good for the world. Number two biodiversity, habitat loss. Excruciating scenes we have seen from the amazon. This is being repeated around the world. A loss of species and habitats, it some places it is irreversible. We need to talk about and escalate that here at the g7, the tragedy of what humanity is inflicting on the natural world. The third thing, and this is something that we campaigned on for a long time female education. It is the Number One Solution to so many of the global problems. Get every girl in the world the same education as every boy. Get every girl in the world 12 years of quality education. That is what i am going to be calling for. You say you want to preserve biodiversity. Can there be any talk of agreeing trade deals with brazil until brazil is seemed to be taking steps to get these fires properly under control . We will do everything we can to support the brazilians. Trade deals at this juncture . I dont think we want to be doing anything. There are all sorts of people who will take any excuse at all to interfere with free trade and to frustrate trade deals, and i dont want to see that. Will you be saying to President Trump that he should not be escalating the trade war with china . I do want to see the tragedy in brazil tackled, and that is what the uk stands ready to support at a global level. But notjust in brazil, this is a problem happening across the world. You are seeing loss of habitat, the loss of species, we need to escalate this up the global agenda, and on trade with china and free trade generally, you bet you. We are absolutely. Will you tell President Trump he should not escalate the trade war with china . You bet, you bet, thank you. This morning European Council president donald tusk who will meet borisjohnson on sunday said that the eu is willing to listen to the Prime Ministers ideas for brexit provided they are realistic. The one thing i will not cooperate on is no deal. And i still hope that Prime Ministerjohnson will not like to go down in history as mr no deal. We are willing to listen to ideas that are operational, realistic and acceptable to all member states, including ireland, if and when the uk government is ready to put them on the table. Leaders of most of the Worlds Largest economies make up the g7 the uk, canada, france, germany, ita and the us all take part in the summit. One by one, they have been arriving at biarritz airport ahead of this evenings welcome ceremony. The us President Donald Trump arrived aboard air force one, together with the first lady melania. Before leaving the us, he had repeated his threat to impose tariffs on french wine. However, the issue did not come up when President Trump and french president Emmanuel Macron spoke to journalists ahead of a lunch meeting. The pair reiterated that they get on well but have had their differences. Donald trump added he hoped the summit would accomplish a lot. Angela merkel has also arrived. The german chancellor has given her support to president macrons call for record wildfires in the amazon rainforest to be put on the agenda of the summit this weekend. Meanwhile, anti globalisation and climate activists have teamed up with yellow vest protesters and basque nationalists in what theyre calling a counter g7 summit. Theyve gathered in the cities of hendaye in france and irun in spain, on the french spanish border. Theyre protesting at economic and Climate Policies pursued by the worlds leading industrial countries and to promote alternatives. Lets get more now from ros atkins, whos in biarritz for us. This is supposed to be about coming together and finding solutions in a spirit of unity, but we have already seen spirit of unity, but we have already seen divisions. Yes, they are definitely going to come together, im not sure about the rest of us, i think there is a widely held a cce pta nce think there is a widely held acceptance that it will not be possible to get these seven power countries on the same page on some big issues, in fact, countries on the same page on some big issues, infact, Emmanuel Macron, the host of the things has accepted that by telling us there will be nojoint communique accepted that by telling us there will be no joint communique at the end of it, that is traditionally what you will get at the end of g7 and g20 summits, but he has already assessed the diplomatic landscape and decided it is too complicated. Instead, he hopes for a series of commitments of collaborations on some countries on certain issues. That will allow this group of seven to make important progress on issues like climate change, trade, education and Health Without letting the fact that all seven of them dont agree on some of these big issues getting in the way too much. Last time, donald trump attended one of these events, he left early. Yes, he has a track record of not really falling into line. I was at the g20 in hamburg a couple of years ago, and he refused to sign a statement that all 19 were signing on climate change. Last year at the g7, he left early, and while on the plane, he tweeted that the host, justin trudeau, was weak and dishonest. We know from a great deal of how he has carried on while he has been president that he prefers bilateral relationships, and america dealing with one other country or a leader, he seems much less comfortable in these multilateral settings, when groups of seven 01 these multilateral settings, when groups of seven or 20 come together. There are some reports in the us media that he was saying out loud, doi media that he was saying out loud, do i really need to go to the g7 . In the past, he has put question marks against the value that he sees in these get togethers. I should say for all of that, that he sat down in front of the press with Emmanuel Macron, made the right noises, said he was amongst friends and was looking forward to the discussions, but we will have to see how that co m pa res but we will have to see how that compares with where we are on monday afternoon. Antibrexit not on the formal agenda, but Boris Johnson will be wanting to get a hearing on that. Brexit not on the formal agenda. How receptive will people be . It is not on the agenda, and the agenda is long, but nonetheless, it is certain to come up. We know that donald tusk, president of the European Council, one of the most powerful people in the eu, will have a bilateral meeting with Boris Johnson, so brexit is certain to come up there. But really, brexit is the context to all of Boris Johnsons interactions with the other six, because think about it, italy, france and germany, they are keyed to the position of the eu on brexit. Japan, canada and the usa, they are three of the most important countries that the uk wants to strike new trade deals with after brexit, so we can be certain that borisjohnson will be seeking conversations with his six counterparts. I would, conversations with his six counterparts. Iwould, though, look at what has been said already today, to emphasise that i wouldnt expect a breakthrough in the next three days. Borisjohnson wants rid of the irish backstop, which is in the current withdrawal deal and the eu is saying, 0k in principle, but you have to give us Something Else which gives us the definite assurances that we are looking for around the border between Northern Ireland and the republic of ireland, and unless he has managed to keep it quiet and he has managed to keep it quiet and he is about to announce it tomorrow when he meets donald tusk, we dont think borisjohnson when he meets donald tusk, we dont think Boris Johnson is when he meets donald tusk, we dont think borisjohnson is in a position to give the kind of detail which may reassure the europeans in the next 48 hours. It hasnt even formally started yet, but already, lots to go through. Thank you forjoining us. Well, as james was saying, the fate of the amazon rainforest is high on the g7s agenda. Late last night in the face of growing International Pressure the president of brazil, jair bolsonaro, ordered the countrys armed forces to help tackle them. The fires are scattered widely across the amazon, most notably in the north of brazil. Andy moore has the story. There have been angry protests outside brazilian embassies across south america. In mexico city. In santiago in chile. And in colombia, where Indigenous People were among the demonstrators. Translation i feel very sad, because the earth is our mother and what is happening in brazil. The president of brazil needs to stop the fires. We live from the earth because she is the one who gives us food. At the g7 summit, there was an offer of european financial help to fight the fires. The burning amazon rainforest has become another depressing sign of our times. And mr tusk warned a trade treaty with south american countries was at risk. It is hard to imagine a harmonious process of ratification by the European Countries as long as the brazilian government allows for the destruction of the green lungs of planet earth. The pressure from europe and the protesters has persuaded the brazilian president to change course. In a televised address last night, he said he would send in the troops to help fight the fires and crack down on illegal deforestation. Translation all the countries have expressed solidarity with brazil. They have offered to help tackle the wildfires and have also offered to take brazils position to the g7 meeting. Wildfires can happen anywhere and they should not be used as a pretext for international sanctions. More than 700 new fires have started in brazil this week alone. Has mr bolsonaro done enough to persuade the International Community he is taking the problem seriously . Andy moore, bbc news. British airways has apologised after thousands of people had their flights cancelled and have been unable to get in touch with the company. The flights were cancnelled due to strike action, planned for the 9th, 10th and 27th of september, but its thought five consecutive days from the eighth will also be affected by the cancellations. Passengers were told last night, but many have complained theyve been unable to get in touch to rearrange the flights. I spoke to our Business Correspondent katy austin earlier. Two strike dates on the 9th and 10th of september, well, passengers travelling then appear to have been contacted saying their flights will be cancelled and they will be rebooked, or they can get a refund. But we have also heard from people who have had their plans on the 8th, the 11th and the 12th of september affected as well. British airways has explained that by saying their operations are very complex and therefore there are knock on effects to the services. So it is notjust people travelling on strike days who will be affected. There is also a fair amount of confusion for passengers who have been struggling to get through on the phones and struggling to rebook online. Some people are now saying they dont know if the flight is cancelled after all, despite having an e mail saying that it was. So difficulties with communications to say the least. What is the strike all about . This is over pay and conditions. Balpa have been unhappy with the offer that British Airways made. Which British Airways said it would be 11 over three years. Balpa said it presented a number of options but they were all rejected. So the union says it is out of frustration and as a last resort that strike action will go ahead. British airways have said that is unacceptable and will cause disruption for tens of thousands of passengers. It appears that disruption is already beginning. Emma bennett said shes been unable to get hold of the Company Since they cancelled her honeymoon flight to dubai last night. So we received an e mail last night at 9pm, saying the flight has been cancelled. We have been trying to get hold of them since and no reply, been trying to get hold of them through social media, their website, their phone lines, and nothing. And im guessing that is not adding to the experience here, the frustration of not being able to go, and any frustration of just not of not being able to go, and any frustration ofjust not knowing. Exactly, it is very poor customer service, it has up all of our time. We are constantly on the phone, checking e mails, doing anything we can. We have booked hotels separately which have been paid for, so we are separately which have been paid for, so we are trying to sort that out, very stressful. Do you have any indication whether you will get a honeymoon at all . Probably not. We are due to leave in two weeks, so i cant see it happening, no. Honeyman, just like weddings, are not exactly cheap. Honeymoons. No, we have been saving for 18 months, we were looking forward to it, but time off work, we are devastated. What would be a message to British Airways . To reply to their customers, to give us an indication as to what we can do, just anything, just help us, do not leave us stranded. Ba said in a statement it was extremely sorry some of its customers were having difficulties trying to rearrange flights. They have described the circumstances 3s they have described the circumstances as unprecedented circumstances, they are talking about their team is working tirelessly to provide their customers with as many options as possible, as quickly as possible, including, British Airways assay, a full refund or rebooking to a different date of travel. That is a statement from British Airways. A 17 Year Old Girl has died at Leeds Festival in what is a suspected drug overdose. West Yorkshire Police were called to the bramham park site following a report that the girl, who is from the oldham area of greater manchester, died shortly after 3. 40am this morning. The force have been told she took a combination of drugs. A 17 year old boy who is also from the oldham area has been arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs. The headlines on bbc news. Prince andrew has said he did not see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to the arrest and conviction of disgraced financierJeffrey Epstein. The Prime Minister has said he will urge President Trump at the g7 summit not to escalate a trade war with china. Ahead of the summit the Prime Minister has been warned against forever being known as mr no deal over brexit. Donald tusk also said the eu will not co operate with leaving europe without an agreement. Chief constables in england, wales and scotland will hold an emergency meeting next month after an alarming rise in violence against the police. In an unprecedented move, the National Police Chiefs Council has called the crisis summit after pc Andrew Harper was killed during a spate of attacks on officers. Richard lister reports. Blows whistle. A policemans whistle marked the start of a minutes silence for pc Andrew Harper, murdered in the line of duty. Around the country, Police Forces paused to reflect on a colleague lost. Pc harper was the first policeman attacked and killed in the uk since 2017, but assaults on officers are on the rise. The latest figures show that in the year to march, there were almost 31,000 attacks on Police Officers thats up almost a fifth on the year before, with at least 28 attacks on officers every day. Martin hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, says hell convene a meeting of chief constables next month, to see if there is anything more they can do to improve police safety. Writing in the daily express, he said. In pc harpers home town of wallingford, these ribbons acknowledge the thin blue line working to keep us safe, but his death underlined the urgency to ensure Police Officers are kept safe, too. Richard lister, bbc news. Police have used tear gas to try and disperse Anti Government protesters in hong kong. Officers are also said to have charged at demonstrators with batons outside a police station. Despite authorities closing four subway stations around kwun tong, thousands of people have gathered there, calling for democratic change. A worker at britains consulate in hong kong who was detained by the chinese authorities has been released. Simon cheng went missing on the 8th of august while on his way back to hong kong from mainland china. Police there say he confessed to carrying out illegal activity but did not say what he had been accused of. Medical leaders have called for an urgent meeting with the government to discuss continued shortages of hormone replacement therapy. Hundreds of thousands of women going through the menopause in the uk, are struggling to access hrt tablets, patches or gels. Many have suffered side effects because they cant obtain hrt products at pharmacies. Our Health Editor hugh pym reports. Thanks to hrt, karen, who lives in somerset, felt able to cope with the symptoms of the menopause. But when she couldnt get her usual treatment on prescription, she felt low and tired. And increasingly unwell, as she struggled to get an alternative. The symptoms got worse and worse but by that stage i was literally feeling hot and feverish. You get a generalfeeling of being unwell at that point. Like many others, karen feels frustrated at the lack of information about the supply shortages. Given the impact they are having on patients and their families. And thats what leaders in the medical profession want to find out. As they call on the government to do more to get answers from drug companies. What we have to do is try and Work Together as professionals with the dhsc and get these companies to be accountable. First of all, give us an explanastion can give us first of all, give us an explanation can give us of what the problem is and most importantly of the timelines before they will be resolved. The manufacturer of one product range says supply problems with continue until the middle of next year. Alternative treatments are available, but demand for these has increased, because of shortages elsewhere. The department of health said it is working with all suppliers to maintain the overall flow of medicines to patients. Karen has now been put on a new form of hrt, but is not yet convinced that it is as effective, and is frustrated that a problem affecting so many women is far from resolved. The govenrment has announced that a british warship will be sent to the middle east. Hms defender willjoin the royal navys efforts to ensure the safe passage of shipping through the straight of hormuz. Defence secretary ben wallace said the uk stands by to protect freedom of navigation whenever is it tested. The English Football League has agreed to work with Bury Football Club and a potential new buyer over the Bank Holiday Weekend to secure the clubs future in league one. The efl has extended its deadline about the viability of the club to next tuesday. Lots of anxious fans here this afternoon, they have decided to meet on what would have been their match against tranmere this afternoon, but of course, they havent played a game in the season, due to being stopped by the efl. The efl gave them until midnight last night to prove their finances. Two hours before that, they announced they were selling the club to c n sporting risk, and this afternoon, the efl have told them they have until tuesday at five oclock to finalise that deal. Just to tell you more about the buyers, they are head by henry newman and rory campbell. Rory campbell is the son of the former labour spin doctor, alastair campbell. They specialise in football and data analysis, and say they are looking at the clubs finances very closely. The efl have said, though, this afternoon, that because of the integrity of the game, they cant afford to postpone any more matches, and that no one wants to see a club lose its place in the league. It is unclear, though, that if the sale can go ahead in four days, whether the club would be ready to play again, which potentially, could be next saturday. I have been speaking to bury forever, the supporters group, they say there is uncertainty over the players, the staff havent been paid, the ground isnt ready, i dont needs cleaning. So todays gathering, they were unsure what it would be, whether it would be a party, a wake, at the moment, it is a show of support that they will give them all the help they can to get players back on the pitch, ready for next saturday. Now, lets have a look at the Raf Display Team flying over we are going to take you to the g7 summit live in france, as the leaders gather. We have watched them fly in and arrive all morning, Boris Johnson there with Emmanuel Macron, just behind that huddle. This is the event starting to get under way now, there are, we can see leaders from italy, the eu, along with heads of state from britain, of course, and france, and angela merkel. Lots to discuss, they will be talking about theissues discuss, they will be talking about the issues of trade, of fires in the amazon, inequality, long and extensive agenda, brexit not formally on it, but that will be Boris Johnsons focus at times, to try and make some headway. Lets see if we can listen and get a sense of what they are talking about. Inaudible Emmanuel Macron is the host, a little difficult to hear, there are, and even more difficult to see now, because the cameras have gone, you can geta because the cameras have gone, you can get a sense of what they are doing, sitting down for those complicated talks, a range of issues, the last g7 summit did not and constructively and they will be hoping that this one is a little more productive. Now, lets have a look at the Raf Display Team flying over new york city. Amazing pictures, these. The red arrows have joined their us counterparts in a historic flight down new yorks hudson river and around the statue of liberty. It was the first time the combination ofjets had been brought together in such a way. The team, based at raf scampton, near lincoln, are on a tour of north america to showcase the the strength of the relationship between the two countries and their armed forces. Now its time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. Hello, it has been a very warm and sunny day with a bit of high cloud around in the skies. A photo from earlier in the day from lancashire shows the extent of sunshine here and that scene is repeated across much of the uk. Tonight cloud in coastal parts of the South West England and perhaps south wales nato. And the scope for showers in the Scottish Highlands but otherwise, temperatures are slow to fall overnight. Looking at temperatures around 11pm between 18 and 21 in a number of places so a warm night. Temperatures will drop and into sunday more of the same weather. They could be some low cloud on coastal areas in the south west but otherwise, plenty of sunshine for most and if anything even hotter. The top temperature, up to 32 towards london and south east england