Hello b.b.c. My name is Frank a man in Accra Ghana and I'm quite excited he more than deserves it because of his efforts in bringing peace not just to his country but also to the Horn of Africa and also as a hope for Africa and I believe that this is this mission of his efforts that he has made and it's also serve as a moral boost for him to do more so it is very important we commend him so much we are so proud of him we are so excited and we know that this is going to be the bigger and better opportunities and goodwill for the continent of Africa in general and the Horn of Africa in particular that voice from Ghana and we've been talking a lot about the military offensive in northern Syria we wanted to hear from dokie here it is or not it I'm from the b.b.c. Duckie service now we are covering that in Syria and in Turkey casualties on both sides of the border yesterday and today in the bone beings and Schillings we know that 11th really all started in 3 different Turkish towns and today the Turkish government accused the why p.g. For this and also on the other side of the border although there are different reports we know that the Kurdish Red Crescent they told today that 11 feels diet over the difficulty in which the Turkish state rejects it says it's never targeting in the fields and also the Syrian democratic forces said they lost $22.00 fighters today as Turkish army told that they lost 4 soldiers and we didn't Oki is there a lot of support I'm guessing there is a lot of support for this operation there is a lot of support for this in the Parliament along with take 2 government parties the main opposition party is supporting it there's only one party which is object in this operation it's the pro Kurdish h.t.t.p. They have been declaring. They're against it and they were targeted by the interior minister of Turkey today so he's criticizing them because they're using the term invasion instead awful for a sion he's calling this as an operation against terrorists not an invasion this is the main point of argument but what about amongst the people there civil society organizations who are criticizing this operation doctors say unions and also workers unions some professional organizations and 2 main human rights organizations they made declarations saying that this must stop immediately it will hurt civilians and cause more trouble than agony in the Middle East and what about the Syrian community in Tokyo have they responded No we haven't seen a public response yet for the also want to criticize it's. Easy atmospheric now as some cities are banning protests against this operation and the ones who support to be haven't seen any public events from that side as well we've heard from various players and people at the heart of this story today on o. S. And the special coverage continues duckies role as a regional power in the Middle East is the topic of discussion on global questions which is on Saturday at 18 g.m.t. Here on the b.b.c. World Service. You're listening to the b.b.c. World news on k. Or c c To southern Colorado's n.p.r. Station Kera c.c. Broadcasts on 91.5 f.m. From our studios in Colorado Springs Colorado you can also hear cares you see in the following communities 88.5 f.m. In West Cliff and Gardner 89 point one f.m. In La Hunter 89.9 f.m. In Lyman 90 point one f.m. In Manitou Springs 91.7 f.m. In Trinidad and Raton New Mexico 94 point one f.m. In Walsenburg and love Fida 95.5 f.m. In Lake George and Hartsell 95.7 f.m. In saliva universe to end Villa Grove and 105.7 f.m. In Canyon City for questions or comments please call 719-473-4801 during regular business hours you can always become a member of k. Or c c by going to k. Or c c dot o r g and making your financial contributions safely on line. Coming up after the news on that a.b.c. Well service it's on talk with me Stephen Sackur breaks it represents a political gamble played for the highest of states if Britain leaves the e.u. Without a deal there will be significant economic disruption even the most opulent Brecht's it is that knowledge that but they believe the potential rewards justify the risk it's a calculated bet on Britain's future which comes naturally to my guests today Stuart Wheeler the successful businessman and lifelong gambler who backed his commitment to Brecht's it with plenty of his own cash I think it's absurd to think that whatever the political party or charity or anything else which receives an enormous amount of money from somebody shouldn't be willing to give them more of a hearing than they would if somebody gave him 5000 it would be life doesn't work like that that's still what we all talk after the news. Hello this is David Alston with the b.b.c. News the United States has announced that it's sending thousands of extra troops to support Saudi Arabia in response to last month's attack on the country's oil industry the missile and drone strikes on Saudi oil facilities a month ago temporary took about half the country's production offline From Washington here's our correspondent. As well as an additional 2 fighter squadrons of f. 15 that will be stationed in Saudi Arabia the u.s. Is also dispatching a number of added fence systems such as Patriot missile batteries and the so-called fat system Terminal High Altitude defense secretary of defense Mark esper said the move was designed to enhance Saudi Arabia's defense capabilities following the attacks on its oil installations which the u.s. Blames on Iran on Turkey's incursion into northern Syria Mr Asper said he'd seen no sign from Ankara that they were prepared to stop the action the United Nations says about 100000 people have left their homes in northeastern Syria as a result of the ongoing Turkish military offensive it's so the number of people affected could rise very quickly if Turkey's assault on the Kurdish region continues at least 11 civilians and dozens of Kurdish fighters have been killed since the assault began on Wednesday the B.B.C.'s Martin patience is on the Turkish side of the Turkey Syria border war we're seeing here and hearing he's Turkish Erin you can hear it there and that's being directed at the Kurdish controlled town of Tel Aviv or not I repeat into one woman inside can't tell you the shelling started yesterday she said hard enough family were forced to flee to try to go back this morning and the reason for that was to try and pick up some of their belongings because they believe they will never go back but again the resharing President Trump has lost an appeal to stop 80 years of his tax records being released to u.s. House committee a federal court in Washington Rules $2.00 to $1.00 that Mr Trump couldn't block the order he's never made his tax returns public despite promising to do so the case could now end up at the Supreme Court. South Korea is to cut the number of troops in the army by 100000 because of a declining number of young men available for compulsory military service Michael Brister has this report South Korea's Amica only has just and a half a 1000000 soldiers that number will be reduced by a 5th of the next 3 years the decisions be made because a fall in birth weight means there'll be fewer young men to complete their 2 years of military service South Korea has a fertility rate of about one child per woman half the amount needed to maintain a stable population I can trick only has $51000000.00 people that could drop by a 3rd over the next half century Michael Bristow reporting world news from the b.b.c. . The United Nations refugee agency says more than a quarter of a 1000000 people in bikini a fast so have been displaced by violence over the last 3 months the u.n.h.c.r. Says malnutrition and starvation a real threat has exhausted people struggle to find safety it says one and a half 1000000 people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance he Ethiopian prime minister Ahmed says he's humbled and thrilled to have won this year's Nobel Peace Prize Mr Beers Africa's youngest leader at $43.00 our correspondent Andrew Harding reports from Johannesburg what securing the peace prize was Mr Abbie's dramatic move to end 2 decades of conflict with neighboring Eritrea Some fear this prize is come too soon that Ethiopia's democratic reforms will unleash ethnic and political tensions that could overwhelm its young leader but the prize is a spur as well as a reward and there are hopes that it will help keep Mr Abby on track and maybe even encourage Eritrea's still repressive leadership to follow his ambitious example the vice chancellor one of Bangladesh's most prestigious universities says he will ban all political activities on the campus after a 5th day of student protests against the authorities Professor Saif al Islam the head of the Bangladesh University of engineering and technology in the capital Dhaka also apologized for not responding decisively enough to the murder of a student hard was tortured and killed allegedly by members of the ruling party's student wing the final opinion polls in Poland before Sunday's general election suggest that the governing right wing Law and Justice Party is on course to win but it may lose the overall majority it's enjoyed for 4 years the party's highest rating in any poll was 46 percent and that's the latest b.b.c. News. Welcome to talk on the b.b.c. World Service with me Stephen Sackur my guest today is a lifelong gambler who thanks to a calculation and luck has won more than he's lost Stuart Wheeler began life with the Auld stand against him some 84 years ago he was an unwanted baby given away for adoption his 1st stroke of luck came in the form of his adoptive parents who were loving and well to do and gave their son a privileged upbringing which saw him educated at Eton and Oxford University he tried his hand at the law and banking but his real calling was gambling poker Roulette blackjack bridge horse racing and the thing that he could bet on he would eventually betting made him his fortune he created a spread betting company i.e. G. Which eventually floated on the London Stock Exchange and made his fortune he used the money to fund his growing interest in politics 1st it was the Conservative Party including a wreck or gift of $5000000.00 pounds but increasingly it was bricks it still has devoted much of his recent life to backing the bricks that cause he is the inveterate gambler who sees bricks and even a no deal bricks it as a winning band on Britain's future but what if he's wrong has his money given to him undue influence over Britain's future Well he joins me now Stuart Wheeler welcome to hard talk thank you would it be fantastic characterize you as a lifelong risk taker if you would and what motivated you from a very early age to want to take so many risks when I go to fish risk I took our very very young was at a point to point and I that horse race horse race and I bet brighter days the 2nd one shooting and even money and you get die just so that was my start for Graeme King How old were you that age will 98 or 9 and from that point on you always it seemed had. Perhaps an obsession would it be fair to say with gambling. If I did I mention gambling bar. And probability is as well which are very much connected we gambled with state I suppose you were lucky in the sense that you were raised by a family who were sufficiently well to do that you always had access to money and you were well enough all to be able to indulge your appetite for risk we went terribly well off I mean even people on the lowest incomes now are aware enough off to do a little bit of gum to give leaves any bang I don't critique it or anything I didn't think I was say which that I could gamble when other people couldn't or didn't get would be fair and you mention a lot or is it it seems to me your entire life has been to a certain extent there is this combination of calculated risk and chance and the greatest chance of all that you experience was the fact that as an unwanted baby an orphan you were adopted by a family who both loved you but also had the economic means to give you a life of privilege but I was actually very lucky the way I was adopted my adoptive mother to be went to the adult prison him with his sister and I grew up his mother to be found a very good looking baby obviously not me and he was about that one who has just said yes but there's another one who's making a real nuisance of himself might be more interesting in their own right that was me and that's how I was there was a very particular upbringing wasn't it because your parents they were they were not vastly wealthy but they were well to do but they also didn't really have jobs they enjoyed their lives your father in particular he spent most of his time writing he will prove his own Rock Ness you count the fact that he fought throughout the area the 1st World War That's what we have ahead he he said he works said to be I can quite see that everyone should have a have do we should work for the. Money but he doesn't have a right I'm a life you in your twenty's and thirty's not a host of jobs you were a barrister you worked in the city as a bank couldn't really settle at any of it and throughout all of this time your main love your vocation if I can put it that way seems to be playing cards going to the racetrack and gambling where there's some truth in that and I said he was a failed parish and a failed trip in the city as well in the end I couldn't get a drop so a friend of my Tommy Rich suggested starting or became my g. Index I jumped ticket because I had no other choice we were antics do you think a gambling No I didn't think I didn't I would an addict in the sense that I might have really lost all my money and when my life I like I'm going but I wouldn't quite say there was an addict No but you nearly did lose all your money though in various points where you describe having to go to for example bridge clubs as they were in the fifty's and early sixty's because you needed to win money you were very good at Brad said in one case I was so short of money I had I hate you having to do it I went to a friend of mine and said we would let me have some money if I really really need it and so $1.00 day he gave me a check for a 1000 pounds which in days Geoffrey huge amount and I took it to my bridge club and I knew that I would have to cash the check unless I won $600.00 pounds which indulged as staggering amount to within one night I did with it and have at therefore had to cash the check written memoir winning against the odds at you know I know I just wonder whether whether you think very hard about how many different times you could've lost and I actually lost everything during the 987 stock market crash my company was in a terrible mess. Lots of our clients and I didn't they know they lost more money than they ever thought they could they dug gens Indic should never even forgoing 100 points before and on the Black Monday for the quarter that itself $500.00 points as show up for clients when a terrible. And solicitors would write to me saying where we are can't. Doesn't have to pay you because she's a gambling debts and that would have been true but I think all the Financial Services Act was brought into effect in bits and the bits which made these debts in force or had just been brought into effect and when the crash took place let us now fast forward because you survived the financial crash of 87 i.g. Became really very successful you in the end walked away with tens of millions of pounds when I g floated went public and you made a killing you made a lot of money it seems to me You then became rather bored and that's when your political instincts started to twitch and that's when you decided to use your money to wield some political influence you know so much that I got bored I totally non technological and I realized that I was a c.e.o. Of I g index I was attending meetings where technological things were the main things discussed I couldn't understand a word so I sort of made an instantaneous decision to retire Ashish executive and say then I completely wrong that confidence in my successes and so will my shows which is a huge mistake the course they went up 15 times very quickly well except you'd still made tens of millions of pounds true but you were doing much better to have made hundreds of millions well but let's get to the way you use the money and politics and before I mean you became a donors the conservative that he shouldn't small relatively small donations to start with but then by 2001 you decided to make the biggest political donation in British history 5000000 pounds I think I may have shared that distinction with one of the Gettys who made it well known Ok but the point is you had become frankly hugely influential Thanks to money. Do you think on reflection that is a healthy thing well you're in the doctor so you I think it's. Healthy that people who make major donations should have any and for yes I think it's I didn't mean and I didn't mean to be rude but I think it should be said I think that whatever political party or charity or anything else which receives an enormous amount of money from somebody shouldn't be willing to give them more of a heading than they would if somebody gave him 5 times it would be life doesn't work like that it's if you keep by what you do you are we've discussed your personality and your your predilections you're a gambler you develop a company which is a gambling operation gambling frankly is a severe social problem in the u.k. Today so you've made a lot of money about of a controversial activity and then you put your money into politics which gives you a seat at the table gives you a significant amount of political influence and many people will say I don't all of those things together and that frankly is a potentially very dangerous perversion what I would have tried repeating myself but you're saying that people give a lot of money to a particular party shouldn't be more their opinion should be no more than a man in the street who gives them nothing more something I don't agree with that if somebody is concerned enough about political matters or about a charity or somebody to give a huge amount of money they deserve to have their opinions heard but you could there was no alternative strategy if you were so concerned about getting your political ideas across you could become a politician you could have put yourself up for election you could have been held accountable by the public but you didn't do any of that when I was quite go by that I was 65 that just because there are many of. Your offers as you well know in the seventy's including leaders of the free world so age wasn't really the problem is just you saw a short cut you saw that money could deliver you something perhaps give you more power than running as an m.p. It wasn't so much that I wanted. In fact I was he optic I went when I went to she would have had to say I want to give you 5000000 pounds I was taken in by my friend where of each before he could open his mouth I told him why I was doing this it's a friend I ended up saying and if you offer if I have offered a peerage I should reject it and said I was stupid enough to say I want nailing for top Fitzpatrick Well you know I think maybe the cabinet or a.v.o. Policy I think you changed your mind about that yet it was a time and it does interest me again given your background that you've said you know and again in the book you discuss the your views a broadly libertarian your very very right of center when it comes to economic policy making and you write this you say I'm very right wing economically the critical point I suppose is that I would be in favor of being not not at all kind to those who do not have a job unless they genuinely couldn't get one I would be more kind to those who have low paying jobs it just seems to me there's an irony in that being a pillar of your political thin