Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240714 : vimarsana.com

BBCNEWS BBC News July 14, 2024

Hello and welcome to bbc news. World leaders have gathered at the g7 summit in france, and there have already been calls for donald trump not to intensify americas trade war with china. Trade isjust one issue where the leaders could find themselves more divided than united. Climate change and the Iran Nuclear Deal will also be discussed. The white house has shared these pictures of the leaders having an informal dinner together at the biarritz lighthouse ahead of talks on sunday. Ros atkins is in biarritz and sent this report. And here is donald trump. Not the first time they have met today. We saw them sitting at a very prettily decorated table in a hotel in biarritz a little bit earlier on. A slightly awkward affair. Emmanuel macron spoken english and in french. A whole range of issues yet the g7 will tackle across this three day summit. Trump said a little less. He said they had a great friendship having met each other a few times. Mr trump clearly enjoyed having dinner at the eiffel tower, he referenced that. But he did not get into any of the policy details which divide these two men in these two countries. Perhaps a more useful guide in regard to mr trumps mood was a statement he gave just before he got on the plane to fly to france where he said, look, im not happy with how europe is behaving in terms of trade and if need be we will put tariffs on french wine among other european goods. Already donald tusk of the European Union has said, look, if that happens we will retaliate. The backdrop to this is that donald trump is farfrom happy about the trading relationship between europe and the us, the trading relationship between china and the us, it will be one of the big issues to play out across the summit. All of the european leaders to a lesser or greater extent have said that trumps approach to this trade war with china and nascent trade war with europe is not helping the global economy. Translation tensions, particularly trade tensions are bad for everyone. We need to de escalate and stabilise things to avoid the trade war that is starting to set in. Data is going to bring a focus on africa among other things. Five African Leaders have been invited including the president s of south africa and egypt. It will be interesting to see whether below this grand Political Drama of these big hitters of the political world coming together we will also get some firm policy commitments on education, on health care and on gender equality in africa. Hundreds of new fires are raging in brazils amazon region, according to official figures. After coming under International Pressure, the president has deployed the army to help fight the fires in the Worlds Largest rainforest. These pictures are from boca, an area located in the state of amazonas where the fire has already reduced large swathes of forests to ashes. Protesters have ta ken to streets in many cities in south america demanding more action. Andy moore has this report. This is what remains after a fire has run its course. Large swathes of ra i nfo rest has run its course. Large swathes of rainforest cleared to the ground, its wildlife dead or flood. Parts of the worlds biggest Tropical Forest reduced to charred remains. And every day for the past few weeks new fires start and die. Across brazil, there have been more than 76,000 so far this year. The highest in nine yea rs. Far this year. The highest in nine years. Under pressure from International Leaders brazils president has said the army will help stop the blaze. He has sent in the military to help put out the fires after coming under pressure from the International Community, saying he wanted to protect the amazon. Military staff could be deployed to nine different states. They are already acting here. A day after he said he would send in army troops to help put out the amazon fires local government here in this state, one of the most affected by the bases, has launched a special operation combining special forces including army troops, firefighters and an elite group from the Environmental Protection agency. The chief of operations told us that the aim is to have a fire under control in the next few days. For some this is not enough. At the weekend, many hundreds turned out to demonstrate and outside brazilian embassies all over the world. They say the government was slow to act and that the president encourages farmers to burn down the forest to clear land for agriculture. Fires in the amazon ra i nfo rest for agriculture. Fires in the amazon rainforest are nothing new during summer rainforest are nothing new during summer but the scale and the speed with which they are spreading has alarmed brazil and the rest of the world. Alarmed brazil and the rest of the world. Joining me now from sao paulo is 0liver stoonkel professor of International Relations at the jetoolyoh vargas foundation. Thank you so much for your time. First of all, we are hearing about the concerns from the International Community about the amazon ra i nfo rest. Community about the amazon rainforest. What do you think the president is worried about in terms of what the eu or g7 could do about the situation . Well, that evening. I think the situation to the brazilian president is about much more than just finding change or deforestation. The president , he does not believe in Climate Change and has made it very clear that he considers the issue to be an internal issue, that the amazon belongs to brazil, in that this is seen by him as an attempt to wea ken this is seen by him as an attempt to weaken brazils sovereignty, to question brazils control over the amazon and while some hope that International Pressure may moderate the president s stands it also does create a rally round the flag effect and the president , who is a populist, who likes to engage in controversy, in confrontation, also enjoys this moment where the International Pressure seeks to support his views at the International Community seeks to wea ken International Community seeks to weaken brazil, seeks to keep brazil from developing. So i think it remains uncertain to what extent threats by the eu, for example, the threats by the eu, for example, the threat to not ratify the recently signed trade agreement between brazil and the eu will actually help the situation because so far the president has been very clear that he does not seek to moderate his stands, does not plan to moderate his stands in response to International Pressure. We talk about the president of being very supportive of brazilian farmers and agriculture and he wants to expand in that area, if the International Community brings in sanctions or pulls out of that huge trade deal you are talking about will it actually hurt farmers, effectively his base in that country . Absolutely. We see now the creation of two blocks emerging to explain the internal political dynamic. The ideologues who reject Climate Change, together with the military, which is very concerned about International Engagement in the amazon. The president , also questions the role of International Ngos and is very critical of ngos receiving foreign money. This is the one side. The other is interestingly enough business aligned with civil society, indigenous populations were now starting to be concerned. Concerned about Different Things but agribusiness of course would be badly hurt if we ended up having a boycott. This may be perhaps the only thing, as you rightly point out, that is part of his base, many of the fires are suspected to have been started by smaller farmers who are been started by smaller farmers who a re less been started by smaller farmers who are less concerned about International Consequences whereas the big Farming Company is of course are concerned about brazilreputation that does not apply to those for small scale farmers who are seen as the people responsible for having started the fires. Where do you see this going . As i said, ithink where do you see this going . As i said, i think it is unclear to what extent the International Community can exert pressure on brazil. Some people have actually said that he does not even want the trade deal with the eu. He has done it, you know, to win the election. He has adopted a more liberalising rhetoric, but in fact he is an economic nationalist. He is not in favour of international trade. So to some extent some may say that he enjoys this moment of confrontation. Everything will now depend on the capacity of agricultural businesses, agribusiness, to pressure the president to take a more moderate stand. It is important to point out that at the tip of the iceberg. We have seen over the past eight months a systematic weakening of environmental watchdogs, the president has adopted a strategy which had led to the suspension of the amazon fund. It is a large scale scheme financed by norway and germany to help brazil preserve the amazon. This is not something which has just amazon. This is not something which hasjust come amazon. This is not something which has just come up. This amazon. This is not something which hasjust come up. This is part of an integral part of the president s policy, environmental policy, farming policy, he does regard the arms are not something to be protected but something to be economically exploited. So i am very sceptical, unfortunately, at stewa rts sceptical, unfortunately, at stewarts the extent the International Community to moderate the stance of the brazilian president. The stance of the brazilian president. tx astons Queen Elizabeths second son, Prince Andrew, has released a statement about his friendship with the disgraced financierjeffrey epstein. Its the first time he has spoken directly about his links since epstein took his own life in a new york prison cell earlier this month. Prince andrew said at no stage did he see or suspect any criminal behaviour. Epstein had been awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he killed himself. Heres our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. What was Prince Andrew doing at the home of a convicted paedophile in new york in 2010, peering out through the door as young women came and went . The questions about andrews friendship withjeffrey epstein have shown no sign of abating and so, from the prince today, a statement in which he says he is eager to clarify the facts. He states. I met mr epstein in 1999. During the time i knew him, i saw him infrequently and probably no more than only once or twice a year. I have stayed in a number of his residences. The prince goes on. At no stage during the limited time i spent with him did i see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction. Andrew does acknowledge that it was, in his words, a mistake and an error to see epstein after his release from prison. This photograph of them together was taken in 2010. Andrew expresses regret that what he knew of epstein was not, as he puts it, the real person. And yet epsteins behaviour was a matter of public record. Two years earlier, in 2008, he had been prosecuted for procuring an underage girl for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. But andrew was one of his friends, emerged, when this photo was published. It had been taken at one of epsteins parties in 2001. It showed andrew with a then 17 Year Old Girl virginia roberts. Andrew has always emphatically denied any impropriety. In todays statement, the queens second son expresses tremendous sympathy for all those affected by the actions and behaviour of his former friend, jeffrey epstein. An employee at the british consulate in hong kong who was detained in Mainland China has been released. China says simon cheng was detained for visiting a prostitute. But his supporters have dismissed that claim and suggested his case was linked to the political crisis in hong kong which erupted again today, with the worst violence in more than a week. 0ur china correspondent John Sudworth is there. Hong kongs protesters have become battle hardened. Gunshots. With the crisis well into its third month. What began as opposition to a proposed extradition law is now a full scale, pro democracy movement, fuelled by fears that the citys freedoms are being eroded under chinese rule. Just before the barricades went up, news came that a staff member at the uk consulate in hong kong had been released from custody in Mainland China. But the claim that simon cheng was detained for playing a prostitute has been met with disbelief. They got him and faked the picture. They photoshopped the picture which he was with a so called prostitute just to detain him for 15 days. Some suspect a political motive, the protests are the biggest challenge to communist party rule in decades and china has been accusing the uk of meddling. Hong kongs political stand off descends once again into violence. The Police Firing tear gas and rubber bullets as they chase the protesters away down the main street. It continued late into the night, with the protesters already planning further battles in the days ahead. John sudworth, bbc news, hong kong. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come a passport on a phone. How new technology could make travel documents a thing of the past. He is the first African American to win the president ial nomination of a major party and he accepts exactly 45 years ago to the day that Martin Luther king declared i have a dream. As darkness fell tonight an unfamiliar light will appear in the south eastern sky, an orange glowing disc that is brighter than anything save the moon, our neighbouring planet mars. There is no doubt that the selection is an important milestone in the birth of east timor as the worlds newest nation. It will take months and billions of dollars to repair what katrina achieved injust hours. Three dollars to repair what katrina achieved in just hours. Three weeks is the longest break the clock has been on duty in hundred and 17 years so been on duty in hundred and 17 years so it was with great satisfaction the clockmaker swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. The clockmaker swung the pendulum to set the clock going again. This is bbc news, the latest headlines. Emmanuel macron has called for a de escalation of trade tensions at an informal dinner ahead of tomorrows g7 talks. Hundreds of new fires continue to burn in the amazon as International Pressure mounts on brazils president over his environmental policies. Lets have more on the g7 summit in biarritz. For Boris Johnson its his First International gathering as Prime Minister. High on the agenda for him is brexit. The European Council president donald tusk said he was willing to listen to his ideas for brexit as long as they were realistic. But the two men clashed over who would be to blame in the case of a no deal brexit. 0ur chief Political Correspondent vicki young is in biarritz. Landing for his first summit, and it could be a tense one. Borisjohnson is determined to leave the eu but says britain wont be walking off the world stage. The Prime Minister wants to show hes got an Important Role to play and has strong views on global trade. Im very worried about the way its going, the growth of protections, of tariffs that we are seeing. The uk thrives mightily on being an open, outward looking, free trading nation. Thats what were going to be promoting because i think its good for the world. There is a lot on the g7 agenda here in biarritz, but right now for borisjohnson nothing is more important than brexit. Can he persuade eu leaders to give him a new brexit deal . Thats something brussels has said it wont do, even though parliament rejected the Withdrawal Agreement that theresa may negotiated. So is this man likely to help the Prime Minister . Donald tusk famously said there was a special place in hell for those who promoted brexit without a plan. Most saw that as an attack on mrjohnson. He will be the third british conservative Prime Minister with whom i will discuss brexit. The one thing i will not co operate on is no deal. And i still hope that Prime Ministerjohnson will not like to go down in history as mr no deal. Mrjohnson is optimistic it will be the eu who changes the direction the end. Downing street is playing down the chances of a breakthrough here biarritz but thinks leaders like Emmanuel Macron are ready for some meaningful conversations about the so called backstop to avoid checks at the irish border. The Prime Minister insisted again today that it has to go and said donald tusk said remember that if he does want to go down as mr no deal brexit. Mrjohnson hopes he can depend on the american president for support. Donald trump said that brussels has not treated the uk very well over brexit. Tomorrow they sit down together and discuss a post brexit trade deal. So far so good. The weather is perfect. The guestlists fantastic, everybodys getting along and well acco

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