Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC Newsroom Live 20171214

Your best, your heavenly friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end be still, my soul, when dearest friends depart and all is darkened in the vale of tears then you shall better know his love, his heart who comes to soothe your sorrow, calm your fears ellison be still, my soul, for jesus can repay from his own fullness all he takes away when we shall be for ever with the lord be still, my soul, when dearest friends depart and all is darkened in the vale of tears then you shall better know his love, his heart who comes to soothe your sorrow, calm your fears be still, my soul, when change and tears are past all safe and blessed we shall meet at last. Now the welcome from the dean of st pauls. On behalf of this cathedral in london, welcome, each one of you, to this National Memorial service of remembrance, community and hope. Among us are survivors of the fire in Grenfell Tower exactly six months ago. Those who have lost members of their families, or their friends. Those who live or work in North Kensington as neighbours and members of the local community. Those who served others as front line responders or volunteers, or who assisted with the immediate tasks of coping with the losses of lives, homes and livelihoods. And there are representatives of our national life. Because this is a nation that grieves at the unspeakable tragedy, loss and hurt of thatjune day. The welcome also includes all of you watching on national television, among whom are those painfully affected who could not face such a public event, those who would have liked to have been here in solidarity, those whose hearts go out to the many whose lives have been lost or changed forever. In this service, we come together as people of different faiths and none, as we remember with love before god those whose lives were lost, and pray for them to be at peace. As we are alongside brothers and sisters who have lost their homes and their community and those they love. As we commit ourselves to care for each other and to be united in the face of suffering and sorrow. As we seek each others help and resolve to build on our hopes for a future in which the tragedy that struck the peoples of Grenfell Tower will never happen again. So now, together, we remember and reflect. And now the choir of st pauls cathedral with the anthem the souls of the righteous are in the hands of god. The souls of the righteous are in the hand of god and there shall no torment no torment touch them in the sight of the unwise they seemed to die but they are in peace they are in peace in peace. Tricia hillas, canon pastor of st pauls, will now read from the beatitudes. Here begins the fifth chapter of the gospel according to matthew. When jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see god. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of god. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. and now the sound of the oud the instrument heard often in the music of the middle east and north africa. It will be played by a syrian musician as a prelude to a recording of voices encapsulating the experience of those affected by the fire at the time and since. Oud sounds hmaidat automatically realised i was wrong so hmaidat automatically realised i was wrong so he hmaidat automatically realised i was wrong so he ran up hmaidat automatically realised i was wrong so he ran up the stairs and told my mum to go down the stairs and ran up and called eve ryo ne stairs and ran up and called everyone on our floor my dad. Stairs and ran up and called everyone on ourfloor my dad. And woke me and my brother up. Everyone on ourfloor my dad. And woke me and my brother upi everyone on ourfloor my dad. And woke me and my brother up. I smelt smoke but i assumed it was the candle my mother had. I blew out the candle my mother had. I blew out the candle and it was a faint smoky smell. The windows broke, things we re smell. The windows broke, things were falling to the floor and in the space of six minutes the fire had already reached six floors above it. You could see the smoke and it felt as if it wasnt real. I was horrified by what i saw. Ijust wore practical stuff that you need for hopefully starting over again. cannot thank these people enough, they have provided their services, their clothes, their food and their money. They are probably going through hardships themselves. Never didi through hardships themselves. Never did i think that people could rally around the way that the Community Around the way that the Community Around here managed to rally themselves around, different religions, different walks of life, one of them coming together to help. The comfort isjust being together. The comfort isjust being together. The comfort isjust being together. The comfort isjust having each other. They need to come and look at it as other. They need to come and look at itasa other. They need to come and look at it as a tragedy, dont take selfies, dont stand there and take a picture. No, we want people to know what happened. We want them to feel what happened. We want them to feel what we felt. This borough has let us what we felt. This borough has let us down. There are so many questions and no answers. Heartwrenching, it is heartbreaking, you dont know, nobody is giving you answers. We we re nobody is giving you answers. We were lost for words. We didnt know what to do, how to react. Ive never known anything like it in my life. wrote up these signs come i went and photocopy them, i made this site and icame photocopy them, i made this site and i came back out and ive been here for a few hoursjust i came back out and ive been here for a few hours just making i came back out and ive been here for a few hoursjust making my i came back out and ive been here for a few hours just making my way basically, trying to do a square of this area and putting these posters everywhere. There is a picture right there, if you see the picture, she is missing and we are looking for herand she is is missing and we are looking for her and she is a friend of my little children so they are at home crying thinking they will not see her again. Ina thinking they will not see her again. In a situation like this there is still hope to find her. Quite a lot of children in the area, and sadly, quite a few lives i will never see again. You know, of course people are continually saying they wa nt people are continually saying they wantjustice. They people are continually saying they want justice. They want someone to p5y~ want justice. They want someone to pay. Most of these people are angry and theiranger is pay. Most of these people are angry and their anger is understandable. We have walked here in dignity, we have walked here in silence, we have made it clear to the government not violent or aggressive, we just want answers. You begin to feel survivors guilt and i think, maybe not now, but within the next couple of months we will start to question why was it them, why wasnt it us, why was it them, why wasnt it us, why did we survive and why didnt they . That will always be something eating away at our minds. They . That will always be something eating away at our mindslj they . That will always be something eating away at our minds. Ijust wa nt eating away at our minds. Ijust want a place where i canjust start over, and just relax for a bit. I just want a home again. Oud sounds the oud was played by the syrian musician rihab azar. And now the girls choir from an Islamic Faith School al sadiq and al zahra where pupilsjoined where pupils joined vigils at the grenfell. They will sing insha allah, meaning god willing in arabic. There are 30 girls aged between nine and ii. In the name of god the compassionate, the merciful. Every time you feel like you cannot go on so lost and that youre so alone all you see is night and darkness all around you feel so helpless you cant see which way to go dont despair and never lose hope cos allah is always by your side insha allah youll find your way every time you take one look around you then remember that theyre really gone youre so confused what is right and what is wrong how to choose and how to carry on but dont despair and never lose hope cos allah is always by your side. Insha allah youll find your way the choir the address by the bishop of kensington, the right reverend dr graham tomlin. The evening ofjune the 13th was an evening like any other in london. It had been a hot day and the son went down on a calm and gentle night. That evening people went out for a meal, went to bed, stayed up talking, do what people do in london ona talking, do what people do in london on a warm summers evening, and yet that night was to change the lives of so many here in this cathedral and beyond today. Since then it has been a long six months. Many here grieved for loved ones, precious people, who perished on that dreadful night. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, sons and daughters, cousins, today would have been the first birthday of one of the youngest victims of the fire. And many still struggle with their memories. There are still far too many living in hotels in the kind of limbo not sure of what the future holds. There are so many unresolved issues and questions, and its hard to live with uncertainty. And yet in the following days in the middle of that unimaginable tragedy we saw something extraordinary. People started coming from all over london, all over the country, and even beyond, bringing offers of help, water, toys, nappies, blankets, food. Churches, mosques, community centres, opened their doors as people came with suitcases of clothes they had collected from their homes and driven across the country to deliver. The Emergency Services worked tirelessly, ambulance crews, firefighters who entered the tower again and again, the police, often going far beyond what was required of them to rescue and to comfort. We saw acts of simple but remarkable generosity. On the sunday morning following the fire i was standing in one of the streets next to the tower when a man came up to me with his six year old son. He said that alfie had collected together all his pocket money, and rather than spending it on toys for himself, he wanted to give it to one of the families who had lost their home. Alfie handed me a ten, a dented, well loved Marvel Avengers tin with about £60 in it. It was all the money he had. The fire took place during ramadan and in the summer there are few hours of darkness, many muslim volunteers had to work long hours in the heat with no food because of the fast and they did so with great willingness and dedication. They worked alongside people of all faiths and none to do what they could to bring help and hope. I remember standing outside one of our churches the day after the fire, helping the Christian Community there to organise the help coming in. A crowd of people had turned up to help. What struck me was the variety. Every ethnicity, background, age. For a was the variety. Every ethnicity, background, age. Fora moment was the variety. Every ethnicity, background, age. For a moment we all lost our fear of each other. We lost oui lost our fear of each other. We lost our obsession with ourselves and we reached out across the city in love for our neighbour. It was a glimpse of what our society could be like. A place where we work for a brief moment more concerned about our neighbours well being than we were about our own. Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to love god and to love our neighbour. As we come to the end of this difficult year, as we celebrate christmas, as we move into a new year, nothing can remove the memory of that night, nor do we want to forget those dearly love to people who were lost. And, yet, my hope and prayer is that this new year can bring new hope of a future, a vision ofa bring new hope of a future, a vision of a city where we lose our self obsession and we listen and learn from places and people that we wouldnt normally think of reaching out to. There is something about a cathedral. It is a place where we are aware that we are in the presence of something, someone, bigger than ourselves. As we cross the threshold into this building, it doesnt matter who we are, politicians, religious leaders, volunteers, survivors, bereaved residents, we are all equal in the eyes of god. Love makes no distinction is. We are all neighbours to each other and we are called to love our neighbours. Today we remember with sorrow, with grief, with tears, and we pledge that those we have lost will not be forgotten. Today we ask why warnings were not heeded, why a community was left feeling neglected, unca red heeded, why a community was left feeling neglected, uncared for, not listened to. Today, we hold out hope that the Public Inquiry will get to the truth of all that led to the fire at Grenfell Tower, that it will listen to the hopes, fears and questions of those most directly affected by it. And we trust that the truth will bring justice. And that justice will enable true reconciliation. The eventual healing of the divides in our lives together that this tragedy has revealed. As we come to this special time of year, as we enter a new year, we also look forward. We long for a society where we have learned not just to tolerate our neighbours but to love them. Which means to listen to love them. Which means to listen to them, not just to love them. Which means to listen to them, notjust to our friends of those who are like us. But to our neighbours, those we do not choose, yet who are placed alongside us precisely so that we can learn to love them. And to do that we need to see our neighbours differently. Not as those to be feared, despised, or neglected. But as a gift to be cherished, valued and loved. The message of this season. The message that we celebrate this season, christmas, is found in that ancient word, emmanuel. God with us. God understands, lessons, and heres the cries of those who feel forgotten and abandoned. And we trust that this Service Today is the assurance of the families most deeply affected by this tragedy, are also not forgotten by this tragedy, are also not fo rg otte n by by this tragedy, are also not forgotten by our nation, by those here in the cathedral, and by those who watch and listen around the country today. My hope, my prayer is that today we will pledge ourselves to change, from a city where we didnt listen, where we didnt hear the cries of our neighbours, because we we re the cries of our neighbours, because we were too wrapped up in our own interest and prosperity, to create a new type of life together, where we are turned not inwards, to ourselves, but outwards towards each other. A society known for listening. For compassion, for a lot for love. In years to come, our hope is that the name of Grenfell Tower will not just be hope is that the name of Grenfell Tower will notjust be known as a symbol of sorrow or grief or injustice, but a symbol of the time that we learnt a new and better way to listen and to love. Our man. Amen. The bishop of kensington reflecting in his words about how the fire created such a loss of life. The congregation now stands for the hemp darbinyan him. And now the hymn for the healing of the nations. for the healing of the nations lord, we pray with one accord for a just and equal sharing of the things that earth affords to a life of love in action help us rise and pledge our word lead us forward into freedom from despair your world release that, redeemed from war and hatred all may come and go in peace show us how through care and goodness fear will die and hope increase all that kills abundant living let it from the earth be banned pride of status, race or schooling dogmas that obscure your plan in our common quest forjustice may we hallow life . S brief span may we hallow lifes brief span you, creator god, have written your great name on humankind for our growing in your likeness bring the life of christ to mind that by our response and service earth its destiny may find. Let us remember those who died in the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire. Let us remember and not forget. Let us remember, united in grief and hope and love. Let us keep silence. The souls of the righteous are in the hand of god and there shall no torment touch them. They are at peace. The st pauls cathedral choir will sing and i saw a new heaven, conducted by andrew carwood. And i saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and first earth had passed away and there was no more sea and i, john saw the holy city newjerusalem coming down from god out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and i heard a great voice out of heaven, saying. Behold, the tabernacle of god is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and god himself shall be with them and be their god and god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away. And now the prayers, involving representatives from several churches and organisations in the grenfell area. United in grief and hope and love, let us pray for each other, and for the world in which we live. Choir sings kyrie, eleison we pray for the families and friends of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire, for all who mourn the loss of a loved one. May we be comforted in our time of grief. Lord, hear our prayer. Choir sings kyrie, eleison we pray for those who survived this tragedy, for all who are scarred by the horrors of that fateful night. May all our memories be healed. Lord, hear our prayer. Choir sings kyrie, eleison we pray for those who rushed to rescue, for the members of our Emergency Services. May we be saved from all that threatens us. Lord, hear our prayer. Choir sings kyrie, eleison we pray for those who have offered their support, for all who sustain us with their care and friendship. May we grow through the love of others. Lord, hear our prayer. Choir sings kyrie, eleison we pray for those in authority, for all who will learn from this disaster. May we live to see a better world. Lord, hear our prayer. Choir sings kyrie, eleison we pray for the communities of which we are part, for those alongside whom we live. May our shared sorrows bring us closer together. Lord, hear our prayer. Choir sings kyrie, eleison god our maker, you know our hearts and share our sorrows. We are wounded by the tragedy that has befallen us and by our parting from those we loved. When we are angry at the loss we have sustained, when we long for words of comfort, yet find them hard to hear, turn our grief to truer living, our affliction to firmer hope and our sorrow to deeperjoy. Amen. Rejoicing in the presence of god here among us, let us pray in faith and trust. Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The Ebony Steel Band will now play hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen many of the musicians live close to the Grenfell Tower. When you hear my soft voice,. On the strange and awful night, you would hear a familiar voice, who would hear a familiar voice, who would rescue us from the state. And the sting of the scorpion, the euphoria of love. Close your lips in the shrine. Shine like a close your lips in the shrine. Shine likea son, close your lips in the shrine. Shine like a son, rising in the east. Shine like the stars of the victory. A reading from one of the bereaved relatives, the daughter of a man who died in the fire, alijeff relatives, the daughter of a man who died in the fire, ali jeff aria. Relatives, the daughter of a man who died in the fire, alijeff aria. All we resolve to continue working together to make our local community a place where everyone is valued, where everyone has the opportunity to live free from fear to become what they can be and to live peacefully with all. May we be given vision, compassion and patience as we resolve to work together. So be it. We will work with you as we stand together in the quest forjustice and peace, remembering those who have died, and committing ourselves to the future good of our community in hope and love and peace. The st pauls cathedral choir will sing somewhere from the musical west side story. Chosen because of the words. As they do so, School Children from the grenfell area will scatter green hearts they have made in memory of those who died in the tower. Theres a place for us somewhere a place for us peace and quiet and open air wait for us somewhere theres a time for us some day a time for us time together with time to spare time to learn, time to care some day somewhere well find a new way of living well find a way of forgiving somewhere theres a place for us a time and place for us peace and quiet and open air wait for us somewhere theres a time for us some day a time for us time together with time to spare time to learn, time to care some day somewhere well find a new way of living well find a way of forgiving somewhere theres a place for us somewhere a place for us hold my hand and were halfway there ill take you there somehow some day somewhere and now the blessing, given by the most reverend and right honourablejustin welby, the archbishop of canterbury. The lord bless you and keep you. The lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace, now and for ever, as the final hymn is sung, the members of the royal family will move from the dome towards the western end of the cathedral, where they will be meeting some of those who lost family members in the fire. And some of the survivors too. O god, our help in ages past our hope for years to come our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home under the shadow of thy throne thy saints have dwelt secure sufficient is thine arm alone and our defence is sure before the hills in order stood or earth received herframe from everlasting thou art god to endless years the same a thousand ages in thy sight are like an evening gone short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun time, like an ever rolling stream bears all its sons away they fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day o god, our help in ages past our hope for years to come be thou our guard while troubles last and our eternal home. Youre watching bbc news and we are here outside st pauls cathedral where a commemorative service for the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy has just finished. You can see members of the royalfamily tragedy has just finished. You can see members of the royal family who attended that service speaking now to survivors and relatives of people who died in that terrible tragedy. Its been a very moving service this morning, as you would expect. Emotions are still very strong and very raw over what happened. But there was a tremendous dignity and a great deal of controlled emotion, i would say, inside the cathedral, as people watched and remembered those who lost their lives. You can see the banner of Grenfell Tower, the g re nfell the banner of Grenfell Tower, the grenfell heart, as its called, being taken down the aisle and that will be taken as part of a silent vigil that happens on every month on the 14th to mark the day of the tragedy, that will be taken to west london and paraded down as it always is. This was a Multi Faith Service to reflect the fact that that part of london is a very diverse multicultural area. Although the service took place in st pauls cathedral, it was, i think, service took place in st pauls cathedral, it was, ithink, marked by the fact that it was a commemoration for people of all faiths, and indeed of no faith. We heard readings from people of different religions. Prince harry there of course speaking now to people who were there. Members of the royal family were very ms visibly moved and other members of the congregation were openly in tea rs the congregation were openly in tears at what they were hearing. Prince charles accompanied by his wife camilla speaking to people as they come out of the cathedral. Just to recap on some of the terrible details of this tragedy, 71 people are known to have lost their lives, as well as one unborn child. Many of the people, the survivors of that tragedy, remain without a permanent home. Only about a quarter of the people have been permanently rehoused since, and they are having to face this christmas in temporary accommodation. This is a theme that has re occurred time and again, as people have spoken about whats happened to them this morning. But it has been hoped, of course, that this service will provide a measure of healing for people. People will never forget what has happened but it may help them to come to terms with what has happened this year. The royal family now leaving st pauls cathedral. A little earlier we heard from the very reverend dr david ison, the dean of st pauls cathedral and he made this welcome address at the start of the service. On behalf of this cathedral in london, welcome, each one of you, to this National Memorial service of remembrance, community and hope. Among us are survivors of the fire in Grenfell Tower exactly six months ago. Those who have lost members of their families, or their friends. Those who live or work in North Kensington as neighbours and members of the local community. Those who served others as front line responders or volunteers, or who assisted with the immediate tasks of coping with the losses of lives, homes and livelihoods. And there are representatives of our national life. Because this is a nation that grieves at the unspeakable tragedy, loss and hurt of thatjune day. That was dr david ison, the dean of st pauls cathedral in his address a little earlier. This is the scene behind me on the steps of st pauls right now, as families and survivors come out from the Service Holding up that banner, the greenheart of grenfell. And many people there are also carrying photographs, as you can see, of loved ones, of people they have lost, and everyone carrying a white rose, again in remembrance. A moment of tremendous sadness and poignancy. And a moment to reflect together on what this community has lost. Time and again during the service, we heard of how the terrible tragedy and the grief had given rise to a new spirit, a spirit of community of togetherness. The bishop of kensington spoke during the service, graham tomlin, spoke of how out of the horror of the fire of grenfell had come a new spirit of togetherness, where people put aside their differences, their differences of community, income, religion, and helped each other through the terrible grief and horror of that time. The young girl holding up photos of several members of her family. Young children looking bewildered there. And a young man there who lost his life in that tragedy being remembered by his family. While we are looking at these images, im going to bring in astley jean ba ptiste, images, im going to bring in astley jean baptiste, a reporter from images, im going to bring in astley jean baptiste, a reporterfrom the Victoria Derbyshire programme, and hes been following this programme. You have been talking to the families who were in that service. What is todays service mean for them . I should say that since the fire survivors and grieved families have had so much to do, so many issues to sort out. Many have not had the chance to pause and reflect and mourn, todays Service Marking the six month anniversary of the g re nfell tower the six month anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. Its an opportunity to do that, to pause and to mourn and to reflect and recount that devastating tragedy. Im in touch with a lady who lived on the first floor of Grenfell Tower, she is an elderly lady, 69, and one of the key thing underpinning the Service Today was hope. Speaking to her earlier she said that in her current predicament of still being ina current predicament of still being in a hotel and still being homeless and dealing with trauma, she has no hope, she has no hope for christmas, but also no hope for the year ahead and this is a common theme that im hearing from many survivors, that actually they dont have hope at the moment. So, hopefully this service will have brought some solace, and who knows some hope for the year ahead. That sense of hopelessness, why is that . There is a range of reasons. First of all, lets look at housing, the figures from grenfell united, the official group for survivors, almost half of all g re nfell survivors, almost half of all grenfell families, 103 households, they are still living in hotels and serviced flats, they are homeless technically. 39 of those families have children and one survivor, young man who lived on the second floor of the tower, has not been offered a permanent property yet. And then you have the issue of trauma. Doctor ericjohn, the nhs lead, saying that the Mental Health response following the fire is the biggest of its kind in europe. Someone who lived on the 14th floor of the tower with his partner and four year old daughter, i filmed with him back injune and he said he couldnt sleep, he used these words, he kept seeing their people. Six months on from the fire he still has those flashbacks, he still struggles to sleep at night, so trauma and the issue of housing. And then, many survivors still have a distrust of local authority, many feel that the council underformer local authority, many feel that the council under former leader Nicholas Paget round and current leader Elizabeth Brown are not meeting the needs of survivors. Six months on survivors are struggling to move on and many are not looking forward to christmas at the moment. Ashley, thank you very much command we will come back to you at a later stage. Those are the thoughts of Ashley John Baptiste those are the thoughts of ashley john ba ptiste who has those are the thoughts of Ashley John Baptiste who has been following this story for the past six months, who has been speaking to the survivors. Clearly a great deal of grief and trauma that continues and a real practical problems as well. The hope is that the Service Today will have done something to help people come to terms with what has happened. But it can only be one staging post in whats going to be a very long journey. For the time being, its back to you. Studio reeta chakra barti at being, its back to you. Studio Reeta Chakrabarti at st pauls cathedral, thank you. Just to bring you some breaking news atjust after 12 15pm, this relates to Walt Disney Company who have agreed to by the film and television and International Businesses from Rupert Murdochs 21st century fox. The figure given, 52. 4 billion, around £40 billion, and that sale will include the 20th century fox film studio and Sky Satellite broadcasters in the uk, europe and asia. Wiccan talk more about this with our media correspondent David Sillito who has just sat down alongside me. What does it mean for both enterprises . If you are going to talk about a wow moment in world media, this is it. It has been trailed but seeing it there in front of you, what a change. The history of you, what a change. The history of Rupert Murdoch has been one of getting bigger and bigger, of Rupert Murdoch has been one of getting biggerand bigger, more and more global, and in one fell swoop 52 billion, he has sold off sky. The almost bankru pted 52 billion, he has sold off sky. The almost bankrupted himself setting up sky in the early 1990s. He has thought to have 100 control of it and he has sold it. Star, in india, serving hundreds of millions of people, sold. You have 350 channels, they have gone as well. It is quite a staggering deal and also the 20th century fox movie studio, he is out of hollywood. All of these things are quite stunning things on their own. Together it is quite a major deal that has just happened. If you want to predict where we go after this i have no idea what to say and if you have said five years ago at the height of the hacking scandal, what with the murdoch empire looked like, almost every a nalyst empire looked like, almost every analyst said he will get out of newspapers, newspapers are dying thing, no body wants to read boring old print newspapers anymore and there he is still owning the times, there he is still owning the times, the sun, wall street journal, there he is still owning the times, the sun, wall streetjournal, hes staying in news and sport. What eve ryo ne staying in news and sport. What everyone thought was the future, tv and movies, going big, creating a big legacy for his children, and what they feel more comfortable in, com pletely what they feel more comfortable in, completely the opposite direction. Talking to the other analysts earlier this week, they said, i wouldnt bet entirely that this is the end of the game. He has always wa nted the end of the game. He has always wanted to buy time warner. May be at the end of the day there is a possibility the at t bid doesnt make it because of opposition from the white house, there may be a chance he could swim it around and make another bid for time warner. It mightjust be make another bid for time warner. It might just be halfway make another bid for time warner. It mightjust be halfway in between something major happening. If you are going to make a prediction you are going to make a prediction you area are going to make a prediction you are a fool at the moment. 0k, are a fool at the moment. Ok, iwont are a fool at the moment. Ok, i wont invite you to do that at the moment but he now has the money to make a potential bid elsewhere if he chooses to. What is in this for disney, do you think . Disney, do you think . Disney, well, they are called the fang, and if disney are going to compete they have to compete on global terms, facebook, compete they have to compete on globalterms, facebook, amazon, netflix, google. We talk about them being childrens entertainment but they are just as much a sports company, espn, now they can do deals and sell sport around the world, they can sell it to india, across europe, germany, austria and italy, suddenly they have a global footprint they didnt have before. It also means they get 60 of their rival to netflix, hulu, and terms of streaming, and everyone anticipates disney will create its own version of netflix in the years to come, so they are looking at buying lots and lots of content that they can compete against the big boys on the netflix, and whatever. And in basic terms of super heroes, superhero films absolutely drive the box office at the moment, and it is disney that owns marvel. The only 2 megabits they didnt own where the fantastic four and the x men and theyve got them now because they have bought them from fox. Theyve got them now because they have bought them from foxm theyve got them now because they have bought them from fox. It is a lwa ys have bought them from fox. It is always good to have a wow moment on the news so thank you for bringing it. Theresa may heads for brussels today for a summit of European Union leaders. This after a revolt in the commons resulted in her first significant defeat over brexit. 11 conservatives sided with labour in demanding mps are given a vote on any final deal before it comes into effect. Our assistant Political Editor norman smith is there for us at westminster. How is everybody digesting this this morning, norman . The view from the government is, yes, mrs may has taken a political hit, the momentum they hoped she had built up after last weeks deal in brussels has now been pretty much lost, but in terms of brexit, they say no change, nothing has changed, they will stick to the same timetable, the same strategy, the acrimony and the arguments, though, on the tory side, are still rumbling around with this morning the conservative mp nigel evans getting stuck in to the tory rebels. Dont do it again. They gave an early Christmas Gift to Jeremy Corbyn last night. Cheers and applause from the labour mps are still ringing in my ears. Anything that brings a smile toJeremy Corbyns face, or that of geva hofstadter, or michel barnier, is not in the best interests of our negotiating team guy verhofstadt. Sending to may to brussels today with that defeat is not the cleve re st with that defeat is not the cleverest thing they have done. Do you think they have weakened her hand in the negotiations . In the eyes of brussels they will see there isa eyes of brussels they will see there is a weakness there they will try and exploit during the negotiations. So, what is the impact of last nights vote on brexit . Im joined by shadow brexit secretary sir keir starmer. What do you say is the fundamental impact of last night on brexit . Well, the Immediate Impact is that this is a real embarrassment for the Prime Minister as she goes to brussels to finalise phase one of the talks. And it was avoidable, it was very badly managed. I think the sort of insults flying around today are testament to that. Thats the Immediate Impact. In the longer term it means parliament will now have a say on the terms of the brexit deal. Thats important when it comes up, probably in the autumn of next year. Equally it hopefully plants a thought in the Prime Ministers mind that she needs to think about what the majority of parliament want when she is negotiating through phase 2. Do you think it makes, whats called a soft brexit, maybe one closer to the Single Market, more likely . think it does make it more likely that we will have a brexit that keeps us more closely aligned to the eu. , keeps us more closely aligned to the eu. ,a keeps us more closely aligned to the eu. , a brexit that delivers the benefits of the Single Market and Customs Union, because thats where the majority is in parliament. We have to wait and see but the fact that parliament took back control and said that we want a vote on the terms of article 50 and its got to be in legislation is a really important. There is another scenario, eu leaders looking at mrs may may take the view that she is so weakened that she cannot now deliver a deal, and that might snarl up and snag up any process in the negotiation. I think the opposite. The Prime Minister has made a fundamental mistake in these negotiations with her approach, which is to push parliament to one side. Shes never been able to go to brussels having involved parliament in the process. If she had done that she would have had more authority to. By pushing it away she has caused this problem for herself. What she should now do is embrace what happened last night and said yes, i will involve parliament, and thenit yes, i will involve parliament, and then it will be obvious in the negotiations i have the support of parliament in what im doing. There is talk of a second potential defeat next week over setting a fixed date over 29th of march 2019. Inevitable or not likely . Fixing the date on the face of the bill which is what the face of the bill which is what the government is attempting to do is an absurd gimmick. It ties the Prime Ministers hands in the negotiations. If you need evidence of that, look at last monday. Last monday the Prime Minister thought she had sealed the deal on phase one. If that date was written into the statute she would have been in problems because she made progress four days later, so its a thoroughly bad idea. The government needs to learn the lesson of last night and prepare now to back down on that amendment. Sir keir starmer, thank you. We have a critical vote next wednesday when tory rebels against are threatening to vote against mrs may, and also an important day on tuesday when the cabinet will sit down and decide what sort of brexit they want. How close they want the uk to remain to be eu once we leave the European Union. Norman smith at westminster, thank you. Lets head to wear theresa may is heading, namely brussels command Christian Fraser is there. What lies ahead for the primers to in the light of that vote where. Ahead for the primers to in the light of that vote where. There are other things going on today besides brexit, they will talk about the Common Defence pact that the 25 of the 27 eu countries are signing up of the 27 eu countries are signing up to, and also the deeply contentious issue in europe of migration and how to tackle migration and how to tackle migration flows. Tonight the early pa rt migration flows. Tonight the early part of the dinner theresa may will getan part of the dinner theresa may will get an opportunity to speak to the other 27 leaders, and really i think there are two things they will want to hear from her. There are two things they will want to hearfrom her. First of all, that the agreement they came to on friday is going to legally binding. The meps in strasbourg yesterday voted in favour of a motion that there was sufficient progress on the Withdrawal Agreement but they also supported a motion which said david davis, brexit secretary, had undermined the trust that had been engendered on friday, so they will wa nt engendered on friday, so they will want assurances from the Prime Minister on that score. They will also talking about what norman was just hinting at, the conversation thatis just hinting at, the conversation that is about to take place in the cabinet on tuesday, they will also wa nt to cabinet on tuesday, they will also want to know what kind of a future the Prime Minister wants. Of course, over the next year or so they will talk about the framework of a trade deal. They cant talk about trade really until britain leaves the eu in march 2019 but they can set up the framework. They want to know which way she is going. And also they will probably talk about the transition, the fermentation intimidation period. It seems there isa intimidation period. It seems there is a contradiction at the moment. Theresa may says in march 2019 the uk will leave the Customs Union and Single Market and the European Union is saying no, you will remain part of the Single Market and Customs Union and all of the rules therein and remain subject to the authority of the ecj and all the rules that come from the European Union will apply to the uk through the two year transition period, and of course, at home that is very contentious when it comes to the brexiteers. It may be too early to say this, but do you sense any difference in the way people arguing theresa mays arrival in the light of what happened at westminster yesterday . I think the sound may have ended proceedings. Sorry, chris, iasked the most profound of questions and sadly it didnt reach new. Let me try again. I wondered if there had been any sense that it may be too early to gauge this and whether or not the attitude to theresa mays arrival and what she may deliver at some point has changed in any way because of what happened at Parliament Last night. I think there will be concerned. There have always been concerns that theresa may is weak, largely because of the divisions in her cabinet and on her back benches. The concern right from the get go has been, can she deliver the deal that she wants . Can she get it past the Uk Parliament . But dont forget these are the leaders. They also face rebellions from time to time in their parliament. You may also see support. We saw last week that the European Union did want to find an agreement on the withdrawal part of the process, and they did push the timetable back and they did try and support theresa may as much as they could, so that when she came here on friday it was all smiles and theresa may was up after being down and now shes down again so they will perhaps put an arm around her despite the concerns. In fact, ive just seen some of the comments from the luxembourg mp who hasjust come into the building, who said westminster shouldnt start even before we are having these negotiations trying to intervene. Theresa may will do her best for the uk and there should be some trust. Trust is really the operative word. There needs to be trust between the eu and uk and also there will have to be an awful lot of trust between the government and backbenchers. Christian fraser for the moment, thank you. Now lets check on the weather prospects with darren bett. It is pretty chilly out there today but some areas in the south east and east anglia, more showers elsewhere, coming down from southern scotland into northern england, we will also see some more hill snow and a mixture of rain, sleet and hill snow in bands pushing southwards across the uk, and as it moves away from the uk, and as it moves away from the wales area, midlands and further north we are looking at icy stretches with temperatures close to freezing. Tomorrow we have some sunshine and also some showers. Probably in different places, a rather northerly wind meaning more showers in the eastern side of england. Fewer showers out to the west, much more sunshine, more wintry showers across northern scotland, but large part of the uk inland will be dry with some spells of sunshine, temperatures similar to today, feeling chilly in the northerly wind. As the northerly wind eases down tomorrow night and showers fade away so we will see temperatures dropping sharply, a sharp frost among many northern part of the uk in particular. This is bbc newsroom live, our latest headlines a Memorial Service for the victims and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire has taken place at st pauls cathedral marking six months since the blaze that killed 71 people injune. Rupert murdoch has sold the majority of his company 21st century fox to disney in one of the biggest media deals in years. The Prime Minister travels to brussels for a summit of eu leaders following a defeat for her government on brexit legislation in the commons last night. Rates are to stay the same. The bank of england decided to keep the rate at 0. 5 . A third person has appeared in court charged with the murder of four children in a house fire in Greater Manchester on monday. The hollywood actress, salman hayek has become the latest celebrity to accuse Harvey Weinstein of harassment. The actress has claimed that mr weinstein threatened to kill her and pressurised her into a gratuitous sex scene in herfilm. He denies the allegations. A break through in the treatment of haemophilia a. A group of british doctors have used gene therapy to correct the rare defect that stops blood from clotting properly. A third person has been charged with the murder of four children who died in a fire at a house in salford, in Greater Manchester, on monday. The 25 year old man whos from the area has also been charged with attempted murder and arson. The Scottish Government is expected to announce its first major changes to tax bands later today since power was given to holyrood last year. The move could see some in scotland pay more tax than those earning the same salary elsewhere in the uk. Catriona renton reports. Free University Tuition fees, free prescriptions, free personal care for the elderly, and more free childcare. Just some of the services on offer to people in scotland. But, it now seems that some scottish taxpayers are going to pay more than others in the uk. There is a shortfall in the day to day budget of hundreds of millions of pounds. The government has already pledged to increase spending on the nhs, and has promised to lift the cap on Public Sector pay. Local councils in scotla nd Public Sector pay. Local councils in scotland say that they need more money to promote tamoaieta provide services. This is widely expected to increase income tax revenue. Perhaps those earning more than £30,000 will pay more. Most will pay no more, because the median salary is £24,000. There is a warning that any increase in scotland, could make scotla nd increase in scotland, could make scotland and competitive. The first minister says that her government needs to invest in the future they are facing difficult choices. We also need to invest in infrastructure, the idea, the capacity for innovation that the economy needs in the future. That is the balance that we are seeking to strike. The snp as a minority government, so well need a support of another party to get the budget through. People in scotland will find out later how much more somewhere and up paying. Thousands of former prisoners and offenders who are serving Community Sentences in england and wales are being supervised by probation staff over the telephone rather than face to face. In response to the report from the chief inspector of probation, the ministry ofjustice says telephone supervision applies only to some lower risk offenders after theyve been assessed in prison, but accepts improvements are needed. They are financially strapped, so these are not particularly attractive. They have had real problems trying to implement new it. They have had a very ambitious model, if you like, for delivering services in the community they found difficult to bring to fruition. The health secretaryjeremy hunt says the nhs in england will become the First Health Care system in the world to publish the numbers of deaths of patients caused by problems with their care. Most nhs trusts in england will publish the data on avoidable deaths by the end of this year with the rest to follow soon after. Its estimated up to 9,000 people die each year because of problems orfailings in nhs care. The high court has ruled that a home Office Policy of removing eu citizens sleeping rough in the uk is unlawful and must be stopped. Mrsjustice lang said the measure, introduced last year, was discriminatory and contrary to eu law. The case was brought on behalf of three men facing removal from the uk. Thejudge ordered the removal order be dropped against one man, whilst the home office had already withdrawn the order against another. The third man is expected to appeal. Campaigners say the decision, which applies to those from the eu and four other european countries, will affect hundreds of rough sleepers whove been subject to, orfacing, removal. Lets return to st pauls cathedral in london my colleague Reeta Chakrabarti is there. Good afternoon and welcome back to st pauls cathedral here in Central London, where families of the victims and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have been attending a Memorial Service. Its six months since the disaster, which tore through the tower block in Central London killing 71 people and injuring many more. Of the 21 resident of the tower block. Thank you so much forjoining us. You were in that service this morning, what was it like . Inside the st pauls cathedral, the service was amazing. Meeting different people, different cultures, different everything. It was amazing, very nice inside. Wejust shared our emotion, and our sadness, with everybody. And it was emotional, wasnt it . Very much, yes. Indeed, it was. What have these six months been like for you . Very hard. Very tough. We are still struggling. We are still struggling, at least when we came here, we have heard something from the st paul wrap that if this government is not doing their best, they are not listening, there is someone who is listening, there is someone who is listening to us, which is god. Have you found permanent housing . Not at the moment. This is something that people keep saying. People keep talking, talking, talking. If you wa nt to talking, talking, talking. If you want to know the real truth you have to ask the survivors. This is it. We are still struggling. I am still living in the hotel. Of course. When i get my permanent house, i will be moving straightaway, and get back to my normal life. We are just waiting and Everyone Wants to get on with their normal lives. And, what did you think about the service, today . It was amazing. Very, very nice. We came and thats different people. It was amazing. Very nice. Thank you so much forjoining us here on bbc news and telling us about your feelings about the service. Well, you can see there, the scene inside the cathedral. Just a little while ago, with the banner of grenfell, the heart of grenfell being possessed down the processed down the aisle. People were clearly visibly moved, if you were weeping as they listened to the addresses. Well, amongst those who are in the service, you ugly cousin of merry men. What has this meant to you are the cousin of mary. We have worked together. We had other meetings, with ourselves and the bishop. I know, it has changed slightly today. There was something for everybody. A lot of people from different backgrounds were affected. Some beautiful strong words of healing. Words of hope. Ijust hope that people will be more conscious and the government was it in now, and the government was it in now, andi and the government was it in now, and i hope the words, theresa may herd will give everyone a moral consciousness, to make the panel selection. I also liked her to adopt the charter as recommended by the bishop, after the hillsborough disaster. A charter for bereaved families affected by public tragedy, and it is something that i think nationwide needs to be adopted, as today, as yesterday. To prevent the atrocities happen. This is something that we will have delivered until the day ofjustice. We had of yesterday, Cressida Dick talking about how long it is going to take. I would rather that they do it thoroughly. We want to make sure that every evidence is there, and make sure that we dont miss a grain of sand in this enquiry. Very touching, very emotional, but words are words. We need to see action. I would like to see more people come out and support. I started my own organisation called humanity for grenfell, this is what i see is missing. In the days following the fire, we saw humanity at work. No colour, no creed, just people. That is the first time in my life that i have seen humanity in such a large scale. That was love, and lets keep it up. That was very much the message, from the bishop of kensington. Something has come out of this terrible tragedy. Thank you so much forjoining us. Amongst those who were members of the congregation were members of the royal family. The younger royals, the duke and duchess of cambridge, and hence harry. They spoke yamac spends time speaking to members of the congregation. Blaszykowski is bent time. They spend time talking to members of the congregation. They appeared very moved by what they saw. A very solemn occasion. But, of course, members of the royal family, certainly, Prince William and the queen went to Grenfell Tower very shortly after the tragedy. What has the service meant for you today . Very emotional. Very emotional, and i dont think it is going to wipe away what happened. It is still there. We just have to live with it. Because there is nothing that we can do to bring them back. Only to continue to remember them, and pray for them, wherever they are, so that. That is all that we can do. The Memorial Service was very emotional. I am lucky to see prince harry, the royalfamily. That is it. Especially when they played the tape thing, and it was echoing what was going on there. How have you coped in the month that senses as happened . It has been very stressful since. I am still in school, and this has to do exams. It has been really weird. You have had to do exams and as happened . Yes. How did you cope . Since i did not know then that well, i thought they werent really there. I had a lot of stories about when they were happy, andl stories about when they were happy, and i preferred to member those happy moments, rather than remember anything sad. I think the point has been made that people have been so busy coping or trying to cope in these six months, that they have not been having time to reflect. Do you think today provided a moment to reflect . A little bit. There is a moment to reflect, but, like i said. There is nothing one can do, just live with it. I am going to live with it until you meet them, because their memories or whatever is going on now. Their memories or whatever is going on now. It wont bring them back. Only the survivors that are going to live with this until we meet them again. Thank you so much forjoining us again. Thank you so much forjoining us here on bbc news and sharing your thoughts on todays service with us. You are looking at pictures from just a few moments ago, when they and many others in that service came out and stood in silence in a moment of solidarity and commemoration for those who lost their lives. We will have much more from st pauls cathedral for you, later on. Have much more from st pauls cathedralfor you, later on. Now, have much more from st pauls cathedralforyou, later on. Now, it is back you, julian. British doctors say they have achieved a significant break through in the treatment of the most common type of haemophilia. The genetic defect means blood cannot clot so small cuts could lead to heavy bleeding. The Research Team at barts health nhs trust and Queen Mary University of london used gene therapy to correct the defect in a small safety trial. Heres our health and science correspondent james gallagher. Walking two miles to work used to be unthinkable to jake omar. He was born with haemophilia a, a genetic defect that means his blood did not clot. The slightest injury used to mean severe bleeding. Even a long stroll would cause bleeding in hisjoints. But no more. I think the gene therapy has hopefully given me a new lease on life. It will allow me to be a lot more active with my boys as they grow up. Kick footballs, run around in the park, climb trees, and not be someone who has to worry about what i am doing. Jake was one of 13 patients given pioneering gene therapy last year. A virus was used to give his body new genetic instructions for clotting blood. All of the trial patients are off their haemophilia medication, and 11 now have roughly normal levels of blood clotting proteins. This is huge. Its groundbreaking. Thats because the option to think about normalising levels in patients with severe haemophilia is absolutely mind blowing. So, to offer people the potential of a normal life, they have had to inject themselves every other day to prevent bleeding is transformational. Studies will now take place to see if gene therapy can replace regular injections and truly transform the lives of patients. James gallagher, bbc news. The medical charity, msf, says it believes more than six and a half thousand Rohingya Muslims were killed in the violence that began in myanmar in late august. The estimate is based on interviews with some of the 600,000 rohingyas whove fled to neighbouring bangladesh. The Burmese Armed forces have stated that about 400 people died, describing most of them as muslim terrorists. President putin of russia has been quick to defend us President Trump and his own government when asked about alleged collusion between russia and the united states, to swing the result of last years election in trumps favour. President putin made the comments during his annual question and answer session. Its one of the great set pieces of russian political theatre, and it also tends to last for quite some time. Mr putin got events under way a few hours ago. Today is expected to be one of the busiest days of the year for our National Postal service the royal mail. Theyre aiming to deliver ten million parcels and 10s of millions of letters today as customers rush to complete their deliveries before christmas. Ben thompson is at a sorting office in manchester. Welcome to the sorting office, hear oral mail in manchester. It is the busiest day of the year, and more than 3 million of these things, parcels and letters in the run up to christmas. Ordinarily, on a day like this, they deal with about 2 million. They will deal with about 3 million. They will deal with about 3 million over the cause of 20 grams. Good morning. Really busy time for you . Yes. We plan last business. We have had a huge amount of recruitment, we have recruited 20,000 people just to help us through christmas. Here, in manchester will bring in about 6000 people, to make sure that we bring ina great people, to make sure that we bring in a great business for up customers. How do you make sure that you get everything that is posted to the people who should receive it . Side we bring in about 6000 vehicles. Extra flights, extra road services. Big trucks, and really plan all year. We deliver a Great Service for christmas. And, a quick word on dates, when do people need to get up in the post . All of it is on the website. For domestic, uk, the 20th next week, and 21st for first class. Best of luck, for now. Come with me, because as this place gets busier and busier,. Come with me, because as this place gets busier and busier,. Good morning, really busy time right now. We are sending fewer letters, but more cards every year . Definitely sending more cards. As a nation, we love them. At this time of year, more than one in ten of the cards are aptly christmas cards and they are aptly christmas cards and they are really busy and important. What you find out about doing yourjob, that what we are sending . We are a bit more personal when we send them these days. Yes, the market is moving. The types of cards that we are moving is very much more personal. Even to the pets. Close friends and family. Answer this for me once and for oral. What is your etiquette on whether you send the ca rd to etiquette on whether you send the card to someone he didnt send one last year . It is very individual. The me, personally, if you did not send me one last, youre off the list. Thank you so much. This place is getting busier and busier over the course of the morning. The busiest day of the year for them. Just processed all the letters. The parcels on the other side of the facility. Really busy time, and they have got a lot more staff. They promised to get everything to everybody on time. Now for a look at the weather. Hello, it has been a cold day today. It has also been a day of all all or nothing. Many in at least dry with some sunshine. Still quite windy out there. The rest of the uk, that is where we are seeing the wet weather. As we head into the evening, some rain, sleet and hills close minded down the west of scotland. Perhaps the conditions easing a bit in northern ireland, but more wet weather pushing over the irish sea into the west of england. And, still discuss the winds, and some dap likely across wales and the south west of england. Had further east across england, it is still largely dry at this stage. We may get some rain later on. What we find, overnight, is we still have this mixture of rain, sleet and hills no, with hands of wet weather pushing down. Sky is clearfrom wales, midlands arnold was, and temperatures gets close to freezing. It could be close to freezing. The wind direction on friday a slightly different. More of a northerly wind, more of a wintry showers down the eastern side. Fewer showers at the west, much more sunshine around. More wintry showers across northern scotla nd more wintry showers across northern scotland which will make it feel quite cold. Temperatures similar to today. Likely to be dry on friday with some spells of sunshine in many areas. The wind should start to ease. Temperatures will fall quite quickly. As we head into the weekend, we need to replace air with this milder air. The wind direction changes, you get Atlantic Winds coming in and blowing more clouds and rain. This will not change overnight. Further west, we are seeing temperatures slowly lifting, but with much more cloud and more rain. Through the day, we get this milderair rain. Through the day, we get this milder air right the way across the country. Some rain in the north west, a lot of cloud, but temperatures could be in double figures. Goodbye. A Memorial Service at st pauls cathedral to remember the 71 people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire. Members of the royal familyjoined survivors and relatives of those who died in the fire six months ago today. Inshallah youll find your way more than 1,500 people attended the Multi Faith Service. We come together as people of different faiths, and none, as we remember before god those whose lives were lost. Well hear from survivors and relatives who attended the service. Also this lunchtime a major turning point for a media mogul Rupert Murdoch is shrinking his empire by selling the majority of his company fox to disney