Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC Newsroom Live 20170215

Hour that Malaysian Police have arrested a woman in connection with the death of the estranged half brother of north koreas leader, kim jong un. Kim jong nam is thought to have been poisoned while waiting to fly out of Kuala Lumpur Airport. The woman who was carrying Vietnamese Travel Documents was detained at the same airport. Police say they are now seeking several other suspects as they continue their investigation. Sarah corker reports. Was kim jong nam poisoned by assassins as he prepared to board a flight in the Malaysian Capital on monday . Confusion and mystery surround the death of The Half Brother of the north korean dictator. Now south korean Officials Say they believe he was murdered. Translation the government is certainlyjudging that the murdered person is kim jong nam. Since this case is still being investigated we should wait for details until the malaysian government makes an announcement. Just before he died, Kimjong Nam Is reported to have told medical workers he was attacked with a chemical spray. Police are studying Security Camera footage from the airport. He had been long estranged from his half brother the north Korean Leader, kim jong un, falling out of favour with the secretive regime and living in exile after he was caught sneaking into japan on a fake passport. South koreas Acting President said if north korea was responsible it would show the brutality and inhumane nature of the regime. Translation the government is carefully watching north koreas movements, acknowledging the fact this situation is a very serious one. A postmortem is due to be carried in kuala lumpur later. With me is our asia pacific regional editor, michael bristow. Actual facts the tibetan but this seems widespread supports suspicion that this was poisoning. Actual fa cts that this was poisoning. Actual facts a re that this was poisoning. Actual facts are thin on the ground. We only have it from the south korean authorities that the body has been identified as kim jong nam. Authorities that the body has been identified as kimjong nam. Whilst kimjong nam identified as kimjong nam. Whilst kim jong nam with that Kuala Lumpur Airport on monday he complained to staff that someone had either sprayed something in his face are placed a cloth with liquid on his face and he subsequently died. There does seem to be the case and the south koreans have a vested interest in what was on north korea. They say he was poisoned and of course that this Suspicion Pointing towards north korea because he was The Half Brother of the north Korean Leader. North korea is such a secretive and a p pa re ntly north korea is such a secretive and apparently repressive place. This would be taking offence to a new level if in fact The Half Brother of the leader has been poisoned . Level if in fact The Half Brother of the leader has been poisoned7m the leader has been poisoned . It is a secretive and oppressive place and they have done things like this before and carried out tracks in south korea. Attacks. We also see the north koreans have tried to assassinate kim jong nam in 2012. That is some evidence to suggest this has happened before. Kim jong nam it has been strange from the leadership north korea and his half brother so that would lead you to suspect that there were there are reasons behind this. Theres no indication yet who did this and why they do that. Even if it is indeed kimjong nam. The latest Unemployment Figures show another drop in the number of people out of work. The statistics are taken from the three months up to december. Unemployment fell by 7,000 to 1. 6 million. Average earnings also increased by 2. 6 in the year to december but thats down by 0. 2 on the previous month. The employment rate, the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work, was 74. 6 , the highest since comparable records began in 1971. The work and pensions secretary was asked Weather Brexit was causing a number in the drop of skilled workers coming into the uk. There was no sign of that yet. Were not seeing a particular sector with skills to days yet but we did to make sure that we dontjust prepare them for the world of work at the start of the work life to keep doing that throughout their working lives so were spreading apprenticeships at the age group and secondly to make sure that the benefits of the jobs we are creating a felt around the country. That is why our industrial strategy lays great stress of making sure that the respective parts of the country that may not have benefited in recent yea rs. In a moment well talk to jonathan portes, professor of economics from Kings College london but first to David Freeman from the office of National Statistics to digest those figures. How do you interpret those figures out today . We may be moving towards full capacity so we have seen a slight fall in the number of people unemployed. It is is that a low of 11 to 12 years. We have also seen the number of people employed at 30 7000. Within that all increases are to women. They are up by 55,000 in the quarter. The empire rate for women has used the highest rate since records began in 1971. There we re since records began in 1971. There were 751,000 unfilled vacancies. That is down slightly from the record level we saw last year but is very high and historic towns. That is quite a bit of scope for the labour murky to expand. What about the arrival of Migrant Workers since the arrival of Migrant Workers since the brexit thought . Could you interpret those figures . Were looking at non uk workers and ten to looking at non uk workers and ten to look over the year rather than the quarter. 0ver look over the year rather than the quarter. Over the year we have seen an increase of employment of nearly 300000 and that is from uk workers and 30,000 from outside the uk and most of that is from the eu. Since last year we have not seen much difference in the trent as a result of this referendum. The number of people coming in from the eu is increasing at roughly the same rate. We are seeing increases from romania and bulgaria who recentlyjoined the Free Movement area and also from the rest of the eu. Are you surprised that has been no apparent change and no apparent reaction to the brexit thought . But does not seem to be much reaction to the results coming out and employment has continued to rise and we have not seen any impact on the number of eu people employed in the country. Brexit thought. Vote. Next week will see the number of people registered for National Insurance which will give us National Insurance which will give usa National Insurance which will give us a bigger indication. Youre talking about the proportion of women in work. One of the thing that has been driving an increased number of woman in work is an increase in the State Pension Age for women. In 2010 the age was 60 which is moving up 2010 the age was 60 which is moving up to 65. Also recently in the last 12 months we have seen the rate of increase in the State Pension Age accelerate. It is generally older women who are retiring not as early as they used to. Jonathan portes is in our studio. What do you make those figures . I broadly agree with what david said that i think that the latest figures to show a distinct Brexit Effect. We did see in the last quarter fall in the numberof eu in the last quarter fall in the number of eu nationals in employment and although as david says you have to look in the year in change the la st to look in the year in change the last couple of figures do suggest that the number of people coming here from other eu countries may be falling and the number of people leaving may be increasing. We have seen that in other sectors. It was re ce ntly seen that in other sectors. It was recently reported that the number of eu citizens registered nurses Registrant Practising fell sharply. Ido Registrant Practising fell sharply. I do think were seeing the Brexit Effect on the labour murky. That was one of the key aims of the brexit campaigns, to bring migration down. Indeed it was. If your priorities simply reducing the number of people who come here from elsewhere in europe then this does suggest that the brexit vote will be beginning to achieve that. I would caution that there will be significant Economic Impacts and it will lead to fewer nurses in hospitals and will have some negative impact on the economy of the months and years to come. What can be done about that . How does one protect certain sections of the economy whilst accepting another various migration has to go down in order to fulfil the terms of brexit . When we voted for brexit we voted to leave the European Union and did not thought for any particular post brexit Immigration System which is very much up to the government. It is very difficult. If we accept that brexit will mean an end to Free Movement that does mean a very significant increase in costs and bureaucracy and so on for imports who wish to hire new workers. Employers. That is from the financial sectors through to farming and the National Health service. I would say that they priority is to reassure eu citizens already living here that the government has said that politically wants to give them the right to remain but it is actually not doing very much about putting that into practice. That is a lot of uncertainty for lots of individuals and our families and employers and that may be doing some damage already. And their families. The Bank Of England say that they will keep the new plastic in circulation and issue a new plastic £10 note as planned. There had been concerns from vegans £10 note as planned. There had been concerns from vegans and vegetarians and hindu leaders because it contains some small traces of tallow that contains animal waste products. There are growing calls from senior democrats and some republicans for a formal probe into ties between the white house and russia. The New York Times has reported that President Trumps team were in contact with russian Intelligence Officers during his election campaign. But russia has denied the allegations, with the kremlin spokesman telling reporters not to believe anonymous information. Yesterday white house Spokesman Sean Spicer insisted that Donald Trumps National Security adviser Michael Flynn had resigned because he misled officials over his talks with the russian ambassador. He said President Trump maintains that Michael Flynn hadnt done anything illegal but that trust had been eroded. We have been reviewing and evaluating this issue with respect to general plan on a daily basis for a few weeks trying to ascertain the truth. We got a point not based on a legal issue but based on a trust issue with the level of trust between the president and general fun eroded to the point where we felt he had to make a change. The president was very concerned that the general flynn had misled the Vice President and others. With me isjoseph sternberg. He is the Editorial Page Editor of the wall street journals european edition. What do you make of what is going on in the United States . I think we have a lot of Overlapping Questions we need to be asking as we get into this process. One is the exact nature of Michael Flynn s contacts with russian officials before the inauguration and bumblebee you the question of what point the white house became aware that might be a problem. There might be suggestions that officials had known some weeks ago there were questions about those phone calls. I think the other important question here is what is going on with this large number of lea ks going on with this large number of leaks that suddenly seemed to be emerging which i think played such a big role in pushing mr flynn out at this particular moment in time. I think there are a lot of questions to ask both about what actually happened with the underlying phone call a year but also the circumstances that led to his departure. There was some effort within various elements in the intelligence 20 in america to try to undermine the new leader over the past week. Your last point about where the leaks are coming from. Do you suspect that this is the Intelligence Committee fighting back . They have come under attack by the president. I hope we will find out over time. I think it is important to remember that this is a really remarkable set of circumstances we are dealing with. That she would have this degree of information circulating about phone calls between americans and foreign officials. I think that it is important that we understand exactly how this information has come out. I think that is a very important question for people on capitol hill to ask because there are also issues of constitutional protections for americans and extent to which their applications might be surveilled by the authorities. Communications. This is in the context of President Trump being apparently warm towards russia. He is apparently 0k to pick a fight with other World Leaders but when it comes to president Vladimir Putin he has been very circumspect. I think there are some very justifiable unease about the new administration s attitude towards russia. When americans voted for him for better or worse there were people who were not inclined to vote for him because of concerns towards s attitude towards russia. For better or worse he is the president now that there has to be some sort of scope for him to push forward with his own policies. And be accountable for those. And the accountable for those. And the accountable for those. And the accountable for the facts without co nsta ntly accountable for the facts without constantly being undermined by bureaucracy that may feel otherwise. Thanks very much indeed. In another unexpected move from the Trump Administration, a white house official has said that peace between israel and the palestinians might not come through a two State Solution in a break with longstanding us policy. These remarks have been made hours before President Trump is holding talks with the israeli prime minister, binyamin netanyahu, at the white house our correspondent injerusalem, jonny dymond, has more. It is very difficult to see at this meeting will go at the moment and difficult to see what the big headline will be when the meeting finishes. That will be the Israeli Palestinian conflict or about other issues such as iran and the nuclear deal that was struck by the nuclear deal that was struck by the 0bama administration amongst others and around. Around. This apparent shift will cause i think Deep Consternation for people initial and they add up territories and some in the nationalist and right in israel. Iran. 0n the west ba n k right in israel. Iran. 0n the west bank there would be a Palestinian State right next to the state of israel. For the national and religious right the west bank is pa rt and religious right the west bank is part of Greater Israel and they would be delighted if americans change their policy. For others know shell, for the palestinians and the arab world and International Treaty a two State Solution has been the co re a two State Solution has been the core of the Peace Process, the end point of the Peace Process for more than two decades. I think it is unlikely he will see realistic negotiations between israel and the palestinians let alone other arab states that the Trump Administration wa nts states that the Trump Administration wants one and let two state is on the table. Once on site. Once. Wants. Malaysian authorities arrest a woman after The Half Brother of north Korean Leader kimjong un was poisoned at Kuala Lumpur Airport. The rate of unemployment remains at an 11 year low after new figures show the number out of work fell by 7,000 in the three months to december. After the resignation of Trumps National security adviser, Michael Flynn pressure grows on the the white house to explain its links with russia. Barcelona have thrashed in the Champions League by paris st germain. Arsenal play away tonight to bayern munich. Floyd mayweather junior denies reports he has cold about with mcgregor. Cold off a boxing bout. Tv star rolf harris is to face a retrial over three alleged Sexual Assaults. Rolf harris is to face a retrial on three sex offence charges following the failure by a jury at Southwark Crown court to reach a verdict on them. The 86 year old former Tv Personality will also face one new charge of indecent assault. Last week, he was found not guilty on three counts, with the jury unable to reach a verdict on four other charges. 0ur reporter dan johnson is at Southwark Crown court. It was a very short hearing and rolf harris was not here. He will appeared by video link. The trial that finished last week lasted for five weeks but the jury were unable to reach a verdict on for the charges that he faced so the Crown Prosecution Service has spent the last week considering what wanted to do next. With edward leigh things there are put in for a retrial. This morning the prosecutor told the judge year that he thought a retrial was appropriate and three of the four trials. 0ne charge has been split because of two elements that alleged offence. There are four new charges that rolf harris will face in this retrial. He pleaded not guilty to the extra charge that was added to the sheet and his retrial is expected to begin here on may the 15th. It is his third trial that hes been through the last three yea rs hes been through the last three years and that is when it is due to start. He had been expected to be released from Prison Thisjuly start. He had been expected to be released from prison this july after serving that original sentence. It looks like the retrial is scheduled to ta ke looks like the retrial is scheduled to take place before that. His defence is warning raised the possibility of a fresh appeal against the original convictions. That is something we have tried in the past but have not been allowed to proceed with. His defence barrister hinted to the judge that something we will look out at the next few days. Whether they can try again to appeal those convictions from 2014. Whatever happens rolf harris will have two face a retrial those convictions. The Church Of England faces new divisions over gay marriage when its ruling body the General Synod debates the issue later today. Members will vote on a report by bishops, which says marriage in church should only be between a man and a woman. Gay rights campaigners are planning a protest outside todays meeting, as our religious Affairs Correspondent Martin Bashir reports. A picture before the protest as members of General Synod prepare to debate the bishops report on same sex marriage. Published last month, the report has angered members of the Lgbt Community because it concludes that marriage in church should remain a life long union between a man and a woman. Were talking here about the National Church being massively out of step with people and this isnt just about saying that we have to follow what society is doing and what society is saying, this is about saying actually where people perceive love in relationships between one another, can the Church Of England simply not recognise that god is present in those things . After three years of private discussions, a Process The Church has called shared conversations, the bishops chose not to change a single aspect of Church Policy or practise. Believing that any adjustments to the Marriage Ceremony would not be supported by sufficient majorities. 0ur role is to hold the Church Together and to say we can only go as far as the whole church can agree. Campaigners are wanting us to go further more hurriedly than we necessarily can. Speaking at the opening of synod on monday the archbishop of canterbury acknowledged that todays debate is likely to be painful. After 90 minutes of discussion, members will vote to affirm or reject the bishops report. If they choose the latter then questions about the ongoing unity of the Church Of England will arise once again. The Bishop Of Norwich is addressing the General Synod. The question of homosexuality would take seriously the teaching of scripture and the results of scientific and medical research. Im not sure we have yet been a tentative enough yet to scientific and medical research. The possibility even by then of a dispassionate study of same sex relationships was a vain hope. And within the Church Of England things became more complicated in the 19805. Became more complicated in the 1980s. The bishops continue to be content with con discussion but there was a discernible shift of opinion in the public mind. Despite her repetition for moral certainties Margaret Thatcher was not at all morally censorious in sexual matters. But there was a spirit of reaction around. Fed not least by the popular media of the time which was hostile to homosexual relationships. This eventually led to the passage of clause 20 eight. Clause 28. To the passage of clause 20 eight. Clause 28. The General Synod meeting is due to debate the question of gay marriage later today. Ukip has rejected an offer of resignation after the leader of paul nuttall s staff. It wrongly claimed hed lost close personal friends in the hillsborough disaster. Mr nuttall said he hadnt written or seen the article before it was posted. Appearing on liverpools Radio City Talk he was forced to acknowledge that his website gave a misleading impression. I havent lost anyone who was a close personal friend. There was people who i knew through football and things like that. I basically went to your website last night and searched for hillsborough and its paul nuttall mep. Com. Thats your website. Yes. Im sorry about that. But i havent put that out and that is wrong. The stoke on Trent Central by election takes place on the 23rd of february, heres a list of the all the candidates standing. You can find more information on the bbc news website. The European Commission has sent a final warning to the uk for failing to address repeated breaches of legal Air Pollution in 16 areas which include london, birmingham, leeds and glasgow. There had been worries of the last two weeks given the cold and very still whether we have experienced a high pollution in cities. The European Commission has sent ourfinal warning to cities. The European Commission has sent our final warning to the uk about those levels of possession in 16 areas. American media reports say Harrison Ford has been involved in a near miss while flying his plane in california. The 74 year old actor mistakenly landed on a taxiway where an American Airlines plane was waiting to take off with more than 100 passengers onboard. Peter bowes reports from los angeles. It happened as Harrison Ford was coming in to land at Thejohn Wayne Airport in orange county. The federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the pilot of a single engine plane had been cleared to land and that he correctly read back the clearance. But instead of landing on the designated runway, he touched down on a taxiway nearby. Just before landing, ford is reported to have asked the air traffic controllers, was that airliner meant to be underneath me . The boeing 737 had 110 passengers on board, and took off safely a few minutes later. An faa investigation into the incident is under way. It could result in a suspension of fords pilots licence. Having already sent his fans into a frenzy on new years eve, tom hardy has once again sent hearts a fluttering by reading another bed time story on cbeebies the actor returned to the childrens channel accompanied by his faithful Dog Woodstock for a valentines day special. He has promised his fans another Bedtime Reading soon. Good morning. For the bedtime stories, they will not be cold over the coming days. Where the sunshine is out, we have got averages into the teens. A lot of cloud on the satellite big desert the moment. There is rain spreading through wales and southern parts of england. It will work north and east throughout the day. Sunniest today will be in scotland, 13 degrees here. After a cloudy and web start in wales and the south west, just one or two isolated showers this afternoon. Temperatures about where they should be for the time of year. Stronger locally Gale Force Winds in the final. Some showers into Northern Ireland as well. A milder start to thursday compared to this morning. Cool about the south, some mist and fog patches using. Much of england and wales will be dry. Another pleasant afternoon in the sunshine. Good afternoon. This is bbc newsroom live. The headlines a female suspect has been arrested in malaysia in connection with the death of north Korean Leader kim jong uns half brother. Local police said the woman was arrested at the airport in the capital kuala lumpur where kim jong nam was targeted in an apparent poisoning on monday. Politicians in the us are calling for a probe into ties between the white house and russia following claims Donald Trumps team were in contact with russian Intelligence Officers during his election campaign. Former National Security adviser Michael Flynn quit yesterday over claims he discussed us sanctions with russia before donald trump took office. The rate of unemployment remains at an 11 year low after new figures show the number out of work fell by 7,000 in the three months to december. Average earnings, both including and excluding bonuses, rose 2. 6 compared with a year ago, outpacing the current rate of inflation. Former tv star rolf harris is to face retrial over three alleged Sexual Assaults which the jury could not reach a verdict on last week. Mr harris has pleaded not guilty to the new charge. Now over to the bbc sports centre. The barcelona manager described their 4 0 thrashing in the last 16 last night as they disastrous night. It leaves the european giants in danger of failing to reach the quarterfinals in the first time in a decade. The january signing for the french ambience smashed in a second. It got worse for barcelona as well. It became 3 0. Then it was a famous win with a powerful fourth. In the other game, benfica beat Borussia Dortmund 1 0 in lisbon. Arsenal are in chevys League Action tonight. They play their first leg of their last 16 tie away at bayern munich. Arsene wengers side have been knocked out at this stage in each of the last six years its the fourth time theyve met bayern in the last 16 since 2005. Despite their poor record, Arsene Wenger says there is no reason they cannot but that right. We have the experience, every year the same target is to win the Champions League. When you look at their record, they are always basically in the last four. It is a massive challenge, but i think we are capable of dealing with it. The group of players is really good, because most of them are young, with a lot of quality and they have a good mix of experience, youth and their most important players have a lot of quality. In front, they are a really dangerous team. A former sunderland striker is in a group of more than 40 deep to have unethical hairunder more than 40 deep to have unethical hair under United Arab Emirates rulings. It bans mohawk style cuts and The Players Club were sent a warning, with appointments is great into a fine and then a suspension if the player does not comply. And Floyd Mayweatherjr denies reports hes agreed a bout with conor mcgregor, but has called on the ufc champion to get the fight done. Mayweather dived for a second time in september 2015, but mcgregor has never fought a professional boxing match and has asked for £80 million for the fight. There was double british success at the sports awards last night. Leicester on the spirit of sport award. Their manager was on hand to accept that last night. Simone boyles on the sportswoman of the year award. Thats all the sport for now. We will have more throughout the day. Lets get more now on our main story. Malaysian Authorities Say they have detained a woman from myanmar in connection with the death of kimjong nam, The Half Brother of north Korean Leader kimjong un. Kim jong nam died after an apparent Poison Attack in the airport in kuala lumpur, on monday. South korea says they believe he was killed by north korean agents. North korea has not commented on the death but officials from the countrys Malaysian Embassy have been visiting the hospital in kuala lumpur where mr kims body has been taken. The us Defence Secretary, james mattis, is in brussels for his first nato summit. Hes expected to repeat President Trumps message that european nations spend more of their own money to support the military alliance. They, though, will be looking for reassurances on russia which continues to flex its Military Muscle, notjust in eastern europe, but also to the north. 0ur defence correspondent, jonathan beale, has sent this report from the Arctic Circle. Winter in the Arctic Circle and the days are at last getting longer. But the climate is still unforgiving. The norwegian Border Guards have to go out in all kinds of weather, keeping an eye on their neighbour, russia. This is the Nato Alliances most northerly border. It is pretty inhospitable. Every day, all year round, the Norwegian Army is patrolling this border. I dont think we can say that there are a lot of increased activities. They have had high activity here in the north all along. They are training and preparing themselves. Russias flexing its Military Muscle in the high north, staking claim on a region thought to have more oil and gas reserves than saudi arabia. The new us Defence Secretary has called russias moves in the arctic aggressive. It has not reached the levels of the cold war, but the temperature is dropping. To the south, us marines are being trained by the british. Learning how to survive and fight in the arctic. For many, it is their first time on skis. I am going through another method of moving. This training is serious and has become a regular rotation, a persistent presence of us forces in norway, a key nato ally. It is important to have a Military Presence and a cooperative agreement with our nato allies. When russia says it is unhelpful, what do you say . I say that we continue to support the Nato Alliance and we will allow politicians to work through what they have to work through. Tensions and competition between the east and west are nothing new for the people of norway, but they are getting mixed messages from a new us administration. James mattis is talking tough on russia, but the president appears to want closer ties. I am more afraid of donald trump than president putin. I am afraid of both, how could you pickjust one . I am more afraid of trump than putin. Putin is a control maniac, but trump is an uncontrollable maniac. It is business as usual for these Border Guards, but these are Uncertain Times when nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. Lets get more now on our main story. Well, joining me now is professor hazel smith, who is the director of the International Institute of korean studies at the university of central lancaster. Thank you forjoining us. How plausible is this theory that he was assassinated . We will soon find out because the Malaysian Police are conducting a postmortem today. Malaysia has no axe to grind in the various conflicts and the Korean Peninsular and will publish the findings. We will find out today if he died from natural causes, heart attack for example, or weather from foul play. We will know that later today. In terms of plausibility, if it is that he was poisoned, all rows will probably lead back to the north korean state because he is not a political figure outside of the country, he is not involved in any of the refugee movements, he is not involved in the Defector Communities abroad. He has never been somebody who would be seen seriously as a political alternative in terms of the leadership of north korea. He has never had political ambitions to be the leader of north korea. It looks like there art internal reasons where some body has decided to do this. Very unusual because although there have been targeted executions in north korea of family members, a few years ago, the uncle of the currently do was executed, these have always been politically powerful people, politically dangerous people for the leadership. This is not the case here. We have seen something similar in the past, in terms of relations of the leader that worked abroad that have been harassed. We saw one alleged his appearance. This was some years ago, so this is something which would be new for the north korean state and would show and instability within the leadership rather than stability within the state. How long had kim jong nam been outside of north korea, and what are his relationships with kim jong un like . He had been outside of north korea most of his adult life. He has occasionally been back, key is not incomplete excite. He went back to pay respects after his father died in 2012. He grew up outside of the country, went to school in moscow and switzerland. He is not close to his half brother, they grew up separately, they are not personally close and have no political relationships. He has been left, kim jong nam, to lead a relatively modest life. He is known to the chinese authorities. He has not had much protection. He has been seen at airports and in public on his own, he has not been seen as a major target because he hasnt been politically involved in opposition to the currently the ship. In which case, if it is found that he was assassinated, what would that say about what is going on in north korea . We have had since this new leader came to power in 200011, 2012, increasing signs of political instability within the political elite within north korea. Contrary to what is often said about north korea, it is notjust run by one person, even though he is the figurehead, and certainly not today. Even in the days when the leadership was more secure, in the times of the previous two leaders, they managed the factions within the state. There are 25 Million People, the same as the population of australia, so even and odd even an authoritarian state has to be managed. You have seen an increased turn towards brutality rather than paying different groups of and managing them one against the other. Why this would be significant for the rest of the world is that it is not a strategically important target. If it is an assassination, which is against international law, and a heinous act, but neither is it strategic. The Nuclear Programme is strategic. The Nuclear Programme is strategic because it provides a deterrent, whether the rest of the world agrees not, but this is not strategic, this is not political. That is also indicate that there is a level of both instability, we dont know who did it, it could be a Rogue Element in a rogue state, a secret Service People trying to curry favour with the leader. 0r secret Service People trying to curry favour with the leader. Or it could be immense paranoia of a leader, maybe kim jong un, could be immense paranoia of a leader, maybe kimjong un, maybe someone else who is powerful in the elite, who has decided either through personal malice or historic grievance to issue a command which has resulted in the death of kim jong nam. We have received the results of the postmortem before we speculate further. Before we can really say that this was an assassination, or speculate as to any particular reasons behind it. We have to leave it there. Good to talk to you. Thank you. In a moment a summary of the Business News this hour. But first the headlines on bbc newsroom live. Malaysia and Authorities Say they have arrested a woman in connection with the alleged poisoning of kim jong nam, The Half Brother of north koreas leader. Republican Party Members have called for an investigation into the trap administrations ties with russia after the resignation of Michael Flynn. The former tv star rolf harris is to face a retrial over three alleged Sexual Assaults after ajury three alleged Sexual Assaults after a jury failed to reach a verdict last week. In the Business News uk unemployment fell in the three months to december. Its down by 7,000 so it stands at 1. 6 million. That means the jobless rate held steady at its lowest level for more than a decade at 4. 8 . This is according to the office for National Statistics. Almost three quarters of people are in employment, as the rate edged a record high. Wages also rose, but not as fast as some economists expected. However, nearly a third of the population of britain is living on an inadequate income, according to research by thejoseph rowntree foundation. In 2014 15, the foundation said that 19 Million People were living on less than the minimum income standard. It said the problem was that Household Costs have been rising, while incomes have stagnated. The Bank Of England has said that it will keep the £5 polymer note in circulation and issue a new £10 polymer note as planned, despite concerns from activists over traces of animal fats. The bank said it was appropriate to keep the plans going ahead. The polymer is derived from tallow, which contains animal products. Lets start with those figures on employment and wages. They give us an idea of what shape the markets are in. The rate of people in employment hit an all time high. The proportion of women in work reached 70 , the highest it has ever been. Joining me now is gerwyn davies, Labour Market analyst from the chartered institute of personnel and development. Good to see you. Unemployment maintaining at that record low. The news, right . Yes, it offers further good news for employment in the uk. Employment is growing, albeit at a slower pace. This is no mean feat given that we have seen very sharp increases over the past couple of yea rs. If increases over the past couple of years. If rouble are watching throughout the day, they might hear the comparison made between the rate at which wages grow compared to inflation, and that is important. That is significant, isnt it . This is the worrying aspect of the figures. We have seen wage growth come down from recent rates of growth, which are consistent about predictions and out evidence suggests that the same thing is happening among our members. The worry is that against a backdrop of rising inflation, which is rising sharply at the moment, that will erode peoples Living Standards and could see not just erode peoples Living Standards and could see notjust a stagnation of Living Standards but even a fall. For clarity, wages are increasing, but not as quickly as inflation and prices . Wages are increasing at a stronger rate than inflation. The worry is that inflation is rising sharply and we could reach a point at some point later in the year or early next year where it overtakes, and then were back to a scenario in 2008, 2009, where Living Standards start to fall and that is a worry for policymakers, not least the Bank Of England. An anticipated problem rather than on right now. The other interesting thing was the number of non uk nationals coming to the uk to work. What you make of those figures . It offers further evidence that brexit is having an impact on the attraction of the uk as a place to work for eu nationals. They tend to work for eu nationals. They tend to be dead fortunately employed in sectors such as retail and hospitality. They showed that vacancies are highly concentrated in those sectors, so what we could see in future and what we are starting to see evidence of, Labour Shortage developing and employees need to ta ke developing and employees need to take action to address any tension issues that lie ahead because we expect this trend to continue. Thank you. In other news were following today the result of a ballot of thousands of tata Steel Workers is expected later. Members have been asked whether they accept moving from a final salary pension to a less generous scheme, with the Ballot Closing at midday. Tatas offer includes a £1 billion Investment Commitment at port talbot and no compulsoryjob losses. Dutch Brewer Heineken reported a slump in 2016 profits due to volatile economic conditions, currency swings, and the gain on the sale of a business in 2015 which was not repeated. The Second Biggest Brewer in the world said net profit dropped 18. 6 to £1. 31 billion. Facebook is to roll out an app that lets users watch the platforms Video Content on television. The move could allow it to eventually better compete with the likes of youtube and Traditional Television channels for advertising revenue. And the days of the three hour, five bottle city lunch appear to be well and truly over after lloyds of london introduced a booze ban. The Insurance Market has told its 800 employees that they are not permitted to consume alcohol from 9am to 5pm. A lloyds spokesman said it had been considering the move for some time to bring it into line with industry norms. Lets take a look at the markets. The ftse100 is higher. Its Banking Stocks that are among the top gainers rbs, standard chartered, barclays, and lloyds were all higher. Investors were reacting to the head of the us central bank, the federal reserve. She made comments yesterday suggesting us Interest Rates could rise soon ish. Banks benefit from a higher Interest Rate it boosts their profit margins. That is where we will leave the business for now, more throughout the afternoon. Hundreds of people in the new zealand City Of Christchurch have been evacuated as wildfires threatened houses in its suburbs. A State Of Emergency has been declared and the military called in to help battle the blaze in the citys southern port hills district. It is thought the fire has destroyed at least seven houses and forced around 300 people to flee. It was supposed to herald a revolution in personal transport but the sinclair c5 quickly became a by word for failure and the perceived demise of british engineering. Part tricycle and part electric car, it was the brainchild of the computer designer, sir clive sinclair. Now his nephew has designed his own version which he believes can flourish where the c5 flopped. 0ur transport correspondent, richard westcott, went along to take a look. This is how they did glitzy launches in the midnight in 80s. After revolutionising home computers, people could not wait for the next invention from the genius sir clive sinclair. But the see five never lived up to the hype. Who better to test the new trike than Stirling Moss . Sales were slow. Along with safety fears, there were other fundamental problems. Along with safety fears, there were other fundamental problemsm along with safety fears, there were other fundamental problems. It was at this point that the battery gave out. I have waited about 30 years to have a go in one of these ask anyone under 30 and they have no idea what this is. The people of a certain age, it was the defining cool invention. Clearly testing this vehicle planted a seed with sir clive sinclairs nephew. Grant sinclair helped his uncle trial the c five. Sinclair helped his uncle trial the cfive. He sinclair helped his uncle trial the c five. He even sinclair helped his uncle trial the cfive. He even had one at sinclair helped his uncle trial the c five. He even had one at school. Yet now designed his own, the iris. It combines pedals with an electric motor. You can drive it without a license from 14 years old, but it is weatherproof, streamlined and made from the same material as skiing safety helmets. It didnt get the mass sales, the millions that were hoped for at the time, why do you think this is going to work this time. My product is a different concept altogether. It was a clever idea, the original item. I always wa nted idea, the original item. I always wanted to do a fast bike, and a much safer one. 30 days after its disappeared, the Sinclair Name is returning to britain was macro road. The same idea, a new design. A good job, really. My battery went a group of kayakers in the Firth Of Forth got more than they bargained for yesterday when a passing seal decided to hitch a ride. The cheeky mammal had followed the Paddling Group for a mile before deciding to hop aboard. The kayakers said it was an amazing experience. Lets cross over to matt with the weather. Thank you. Good morning. If you are not enjoying the cold weather, this forecast might get your seal of approval, because the temperatures are on the up. We should be at about 8 degrees, but the Temperature Trend ta kes 8 degrees, but the Temperature Trend takes us through this week and into the next, we are above that. Temperatures are above average, strengthening some overhead, there are hints of spring in the air. For some, that will be the case today. The best of the clear skies to the north and east. We will show you what happened overnight into this morning, this Cloud Push North and west. It does produce some wet weather in wales and the south west of england. It is due to move through london and the south east this lunchtime. It does mean much brighter day for wales and the south west compare to what you have had so far. Temperatures in the sunshine could reach 13 celsius. Fairly cloudy across the south east and east anglia this afternoon. Damp in southern scotland. Showers pushing back into Northern Ireland through this afternoon. Sunshine in between, a strengthening wind here. Driest and sunnis followed it is in the north east of scotland, with highs of around 30 degrees. The rain will clear off later this evening. A blustery night. Highs of around 13 degrees. With clear skies, mist and fog will form and unlike last night, a cold night across the south and demand a night across the south and demand a night in the north. For tomorrow, Scotla Nd Night in the north. For tomorrow, scotland has frequent showers, some on the heavy side. Blustery winds. Much of england and wales, few showers. Sunny spells into the afternoon. Again in the sunshine, it will feel very pleasant, if cooler in scotland than today. We will see some mist and fog patches here and there across thursday. Way you do see the fog form, it mayjust end up for a time during the morning. 0nce the sunshine breaks through, it will feel pleasant in the sunshine. That is how the weather is looking, more details throughout the day. S e the top stories this is bbc news and these ar are the top stories developing at midday. After the resignation of Trumps National security adviser, Michael Flynn pressure grows on the the white house to explain its links with russia as israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet President Trump a white house official suggests a two State Solution. Malaysian authorities arrest a woman after The Half Brother of north Korean Leader kimjong un was apparently poisoned at Kuala Lumpur Airport. The rate of unemployment remains at an 11 year low after new figures show the number out of work fell by 7,000 in the three months to december. Former tv star rolf harris is to face a retrial over three alleged Sexual Assaults. Also. Fresh divisions over gay marriage in the church the General Synod will vote on the issue later today after a report by bishops stated marriage in church should only be between a man and a woman. And a near miss for star wars actor Harrison Ford when he tried to land his plane on the wrong runway at an airport in california. Good afternoon. Its 15th february. The secretary general of nato is speaking in brussels. Next to james mattis. We have to increase Defence Spending across the uk and canada. We will assess what more nato can do in the fight against terrorism. This is important for people on both sides of the atlantic and nato must play a full part. We have been helping to fight terrorism in afghanistan for almost 15 years. We are training iraqi officers and supporting the coalition. Today we will decide to set the new harbour for the South Atjoint force command in naples. This will help us assess and address threats from the region at and it will complement with the work of a new Intelligence Division here that the nato headquarters. This will be an important meeting. We have a lot of work ahead and i really look forward to working with you and once again welcome back to natal. To natal. Nato. You and once again welcome back to natal. To natal. Nato. It is an important meeting and were here to chart the lines of the future. The events of 2014 were sobering and we must continue to adapt what is being revealed to us in terms of our security challenges. The Alliance Remainsa security challenges. The Alliance Remains a fundamental bedrock for the United States and for all the transatlantic community, bonded as we are together. President trumper stated he has strong support for nato. Trumper. Trump. Perhaps the pace of change has picked up a bit that this is something we can deal with. As the european Minister Of Defence said last week it is a fairdemand of defence said last week it is a fair demand that all those who benefit from the best defence in the world carried their proportionate share of the nash said it cost to defend freedom. Necessary cost. We should remember it is freedom that we defend here. We can prove that we defend here. We can prove that we defend here. We can prove that we can react again to changing circumstances. We have done so in the past and there is every reason to think we can move on together once again. Im here to listen to my fellow ministers and having an open conversation amongst friends and allies about where were going in our shared level of commitment. 0pening remark from the secretary of nato and the American Defence secretary. Quite consumer choose remarks and was saying that will be an important meeting and general mattis saying that donald trump has stated his repeated support for nato. The latest Unemployment Figures show another drop in the number of people out of work. The statistics are taken from the three months up to december. Unemployment fell by 7,000 to 1. 6 million. Average earnings also increased by 2. 6 in the year to december but thats down by 0. 2 on the previous month. The employment rate, the proportion of people aged from 16 to 64 who were in work, was 74. 6 , the highest since comparable records began in 1971. The work and pensions secretary damian green was asked whether brexit was causing a drop in the number of skilled workers coming into the uk. There is no sign of that yet. Were not seeing a particular Sector Skills sausages yet. But we need to do two things in this country. One is to make sure that we dontjust prepare people for the world of work at the start of the working life but to keep doing that throughout their working lives so were spreading apprenticeships up the age. And secondly to make sure that the benefits of the jobs we are creating a felt around the country. Thats why our industrial strategy laid great stress on making sure that wealth benefits can be spread to those parts of the country that may not have benefited enough in recent yea rs. With me now is our business correspondentjonty bloom. 0verall fairly encouraging. We are seeing a large increase of the number of people in works are not only falling unemployment but more people staying in work and coming into the workforce. There are about 300,000 more people working more people working in the british economy than the wear a year ago. Lots of people probably putting off retirement are coming off long term sick benefits and potential even someone coming into the workforce. What are the slightly more worrying things . Slightly more worrying is that considering that we are very close to full employment and were very close to a situation where companies will run out of people they can recruit average earnings are only increasing by 2. 6 a year which is not particularly fast. Inflation is increasing. That means that disposable income, whether people money than last year is getting squeezed and that it would be bad news for the economy. A lot of what weve been seeing is based in to meet Summer Spending and peoples wages have been squeezed by higher prices that could worrying. Consumer spending. Malaysian police have arrested a woman in connection with the death of the estranged half brother of north koreas leader, kim jong un. Kim jong nam is thought to have been poisoned while waiting to fly out of Kuala Lumpur Airport. The woman who was carrying Vietnamese Travel Documents was detained at the same airport. Police say they are now seeking several other suspects as they continue their investigation. Sarah corker reports. As this one of the female assassins who carried out an audacious attack. Militia Officials Say of the burmese woman has been detained as part of the investigation into the alleged assassination of the estranged half brother of the north Korean Leader. At one Point Mrjong Nam was being groomed as the next leader of north korea to succeed his father but he fell out of favour. He went into exile. How