Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20171009

Injustice has resurfaced. The us Vice President , mike pence has walked out of a game in indiana because some of the players knelt. President trump tweeted tonight to say hes proud of him. Andrew plant has the latest. It is called taking a knee sports stars refusing to stand during the National Anthem. Among the fans at this nfl game, Vice President mike pence, who walked out of the stadium straight to the airport, and on board a plane home. The Vice President tweeted he left the game because he would not dignify an event, he said, that disrespects our soldiers, our flag or our National Anthem. President trump also tweeted that he had asked his Vice President to leave the game if any players kneeled. It is a protest against racial injustice, started weeks ago in the nfl, but taken up by athletes elsewhere. Last month a Basketball Team missed out on a white house dinner after players criticised President Trump. Commentator lightning forward, jt brown, with a fist in the air. Gestures of protest becoming commonplace across major sporting fixtures. In september, President Trump had this to say. Wouldnt you love to see some of these nfl owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, get that son a a bleep off the fiels right now. Out, hes fired. Tonight im taking a knee for america. President trumps disapproval only seems to galvanize support for the protest, with public figures, such as stevie wonder, joining in. Meanwhile, questions are being asked about whether the walkout was planned in advance, and the cost of using air force two to fly to and from the game, which some estimate could have cost up to 200,000. Andrew plant, bbc news. Earlier David Lombardi a 49ers Sports Writer with the athletic told me how fans and players reacted to the Vice President s actions. If the fans were on social media then they realised it because mike pence tweeted he had left about six minutes after the kick off. I dont think there was any audible reaction amongst the fans because everybody was just privately noticing on their fa ns was just privately noticing on their fans if they follow mike pence on twitter. The 49ers team, most of them didnt know that mike pence had left because it was a close game and it went into overtime and they were embroiled in the game. When i went to the locker room afterwards, i was telling them what had happened and only one player who started the protest was aware that p had left. And what was his response . That he had left. This was started by Colin Kaepernick who was no longer with the 49ers are that a year ago and eric reid was the first person tojoin colin and eric reid was the first person to join Colin Kaepernick. And eric reid was the first person tojoin Colin Kaepernick. He has been eloquent on this subject in press c0 nfe re nces been eloquent on this subject in press conferences and has explained the reason behind this nil down protest. He started reiterating many of the reasons this protest is happening and he took special sense to mike pence tweeting that he left because the protest disrespects american military, the American Flag and the country as a whole. Eric reid said they are not here to disrespect the military. In fact, his mother and three uncles were in the military. He said they are there to bring about social change so he was frustrated that mike pence try to reframe his protest and his idea of it which is a protest to stop social change as something that is attacking the American Flag and anthem which reid says he is not the case. You spend a lot of time with sports fans. What is your sense of how this kind of politics plays with them. There are mixed reactions. Being a sports report, i am on social media is i get a lot of the reactions. The 49ers are a team based near San Francisco which is one of the more progressive cities in the United States so there is a pretty loud and audible outpouring of support. In other areas of the country that i work, i covered and 49ers game in arizona last week where 29 players neeld and there was quite a lot of people booing. A lot of america is polarised and divided right now and the reaction to all of this protest in during the National Anthem has been polarised as well. The hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein, has been sacked from the business he founded with immediate effect. The Weinstein Company said the decision was taken in light of new information about misconduct. The 0scar winning producer has been behind some of the biggest films of the last three decades. 0ur correspondent in los angeles is peter bowes. These allegations were first made public by the New York Times last thursday. A very detailed account describing, as they saw it, a thorough investigation and talking to past employees, current employees, looking at e mails and other legal documents. A long history of inappropriate behaviour towards women and he had reached settle m e nts towards women and he had reached settlements with about eight of those women. This prompted very quickly an apology and statement by mr weinstein acknowledging that he had done harm to those people he had worked with over the years and that he was taking a leave of absence to essentially get to grips with the demons that he was battling with. There was an acknowledgement in part of what he had done. However, at the same time, on the same day, he also said through their lawyer that there we re said through their lawyer that there were mistakes in the New York Times article and he was planning to sue them. This is rather awkward for hollywood, isnt it . And the liberal circles that Harvey Weinstein has dominated for many years. Circles that Harvey Weinstein has dominated for many yearsm circles that Harvey Weinstein has dominated for many years. It is the only thing people here have been talking about for the past three days. Some people are clearly shocked by the detail of the allegations. 0thers shocked by the detail of the allegations. Others are almost shrugging their shoulders and saying it shrugging their shoulders and saying it saying they are surprised it has taken so long for allegations like this to be made public. People talking especially about his notorious bad temper and is the way that he deals with issues with colleagues, female colleagues are specially. I had a phone call from somebody who was clearly working with him closely at the time, describing somebody who was extremely ill tempered, rude and extremely ill tempered, rude and extremely bombastic, lets put it that way. And very difficult to deal with. People are saying it is only a matter of time that these allegations would come out. What is happening over the past few days is people are approaching the Weinstein Company and saying look, we cant perhaps continue to do business with an organisation that continues to employ this man. I think that is what has prompted this, including his brother, bob, releasing a Statement Today that he no longer has a job. Lets take a look at some of the other stories making the news. Turkey says it will stop issuing all non immigrant visas to us citizens. The announcement came after the us embassy in turkey imposed a similar measure. Last week a worker at the us consulate in istanbul was detained on suspicion of links to people involved in last years failed coup. Storm nate has weakened to a tropical depression after bringing strong winds, heavy rain and some flooding to the south eastern United States. It made landfall as a hurricane twice, in louisiana and mississippi. The storm system killed at least 25 people in nicaragua, costa rica and honduras. Germanys chancellor, angela merkel, is reported to have agreed tighter controls on migration as she tries to form a new coalition government. A compromise is said to have been reached after ten hours of talks between her cdu party and its bavarian sister party, the csu. Immigration emerged as a key issue in last months election, in which a far right group made significant gains. Argentine airlines has become the latest carrier to suspend flights to the venezuelan capital, caracas. The company said it had concerns over security in venezuela because of increasing criminal violence and political uncertainty. Four other airlines have taken similar action, further isolating the country which is suffering a severe economic crisis. A rescue operation is under way near the bangladeshi coast where a boat, carrying Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing myanmar, has capsized. Officials say at least two people are dead and many others are missing. Local media say the vessel sank due to high waves and rough weather. Earlier we werejoined by Regional Media manager for save the children, evan shuurman, who is currently in coxs bazar the latest we know is that there were about 100 people on board, high numbers of children. Search and rescue operations still going on. Unfortunately we dont know more information than that. It is really a heartbreaking situation and it highlights the tragedy thats happening on the other side of the border, in myanmar, the fact that so many people are still willing to get on board boats that are overcrowded and potentially people are unable to swim they are literally putting their lives at risk to make it across to bangladesh, to a situation where they are safe. It is a childrens emergency. Children are really struggling and suffering and i think one of the things that is very evident from just walking through the camps is that children are really struggling emotionally. They are traumatised and distressed and they need more Psychosocial Support and support Services Like that. Save the children is running a lot a lot of what we call child friendly spaces, ao we run sort of therapeutic playgroups where children have an opportunity to be with their friends, to sing songs and, i must admit, having heard so many stories of tragedy, to witness one of these child friendly spaces in action is pretty special because its suddenly the children are happy and playing and it is such a beautiful thing to see. It is a big challenge for bangladesh and i think the government has been really generous in allowing more than half a Million People to come into the country and to seek shelter and safety. But it is also putting a lot of strain on host communities. We have to remember that the area that the rohingya have fled to, it is not a super prosperous area. There is lots of poverty there and lots of poor people and now suddenly half a Million People have turned up on their doorstep. Its putting a lot of pressure on local communities but i think they are doing is well as possible. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come lighting up the city of brotherly love the Art Exhibition that combines illumination and pedal power. This was a celebration by people who were relishing their freedom. They believe everythings going to be different from now on. They think their country will be respected in the world once more, as it used to be before Slobodan Milosevic took power. The dalai lama, the exiled spiritual leader of tibet, has won this years nobel peace prize. As the parade was reaching its climax, two grenades exploded and a group of soldiersjumped from a military truck taking part in the parade and ran towards the president , firing from kalashnikov automatic rifles. After 437 years, the skeletal ribs of henry viiis tragic warship emerged. But even as divers work to buoy her up, the mary rose went through another heart stopping drama. I want to be the peoples governor. I want to represent everybody. I believe in the people of california. This is bbc news. The latest headlines. Match after some players knelt during the National Anthem. The 0scar winning Film Producer Harvey Weinstein has been sacked from the business he founded with immediate effect. After claiming catalonia would declare independence from spain within days, its still not clear if the Regions Parliament will support the regions president and support his plans. A member of Carles Puigdemonts party said he would give a symbolic statement that stopped short of a unilateral declaration. Earlier hundreds of thousands of people marched in a huge show of support for the unity of spain. 0ur europe editor katya adler reports from barcelona. Viva catalonia viva espana catalans who oppose independence from spain call themselves the silent majority. Today they made a lot of noise. We want to stay together. We dont want to break this country. I am catalan. I am spanish. And today im here because im very proud. And i dont want that catalonia go out of spain. Everyone we spoke to here was catalan but people came from all over spain in the name of spanish unity. This crowd is emotional, excitable and passionate because this is all about identity, their identity. Whether catalonia remains in or outside spain but the power of emotions aside, today is also all about politics. The question here for the spanish prime minister, will he wait for the Catalan Government to declare independence or act first . His answer in a rare televised interview today. Translation be absolutely reassured, the government will prevent any declaration of Catalan Independence from turning into something real. Spain will continue to be spain. It is what the majority of spaniards want. Maybe but catalans remain split between families and friends with tensions remaining this week. Im worried independence can happen in 48 or 72 hours and i dont think ive heard have a clear explanation of how things are going to work. I dont know if im going to be in europe, if i will be using the euro. We have two countries, spain and catalonia. My heart is divided. Im excited with the idea of creating a new country but im worried too. My friends are very, very worried. But ardent Pro Independence catalans arent concerned. Theyre elated. They view the Spanish Government as oppressive and identify with the catalan language and culture, not spanish. The number of pro catalan voices have been growing in the last few years. We are waiting for a long time. Im excited. Last week catalans held an independence referendum not recognised under spanish law. So now will the Catalan Government fulfil their promise, declare independence and risk a strong response from madrid . Talking to an mp from the governing party that seems increasingly unlikely. A kind of yes, but. We are sure and we have understood that the majority of catalans want this country to be an independent state. We are ready to talk, negotiate with the catalan, with the Spanish Government, in order to make this effectively. That does not sound like a unilateral declaration of independence. This is the point. But by now the point for many catala ns, whatever their political persuasion, is to avoid deepening divisions, between fathers and sons, colleagues and cousins. After days of colourful flag waving, a heartfelt plea for dialogue. Katya adler, bbc news, barcelona. And you can stay up today on events in spain with our online coverage. So for the latest on the politics on catalonia including analysis from our correspondents head to bbc. Com news. Scientists whove developed a new gene test for Breast Cancer say that it could cut the number of women having surgery by a third. The test has been developed in manchester here in the uk. Our Health Correspondent jenny walronds report contains flash photography. They have a friendship forged through a fight against cancer. Charley and annie were tested for the brca gene mutation after losing family members to breast and ovarian cancer. Charley was a carrier and given up to an 87 risk of Breast Cancer. Annie wasnt but was told she had up to 50 chance. As a result, both had mastectomies. 87 is pretty high so to me, ijust wanted to get rid of them as soon as i could. Had the risk been a bit lower, i would have maybe thought twice about it, and been a bit calmer about the situation and perhaps gone for regular screening as opposed to such drastic surgery. I always thought that they would kill me so i wanted them off. So it was all to do with mindset, really. But, no, it is a big operation and it is, um, something that is life changing. The womens chances of developing Breast Cancer could have been much lower but it was not possible to tell. Charley has the same brca gene mutation as the hollywood actress, angelina jolie, who had her breast tissue and ovaries removed after also being told she had up to 87 risk of Breast Cancer. Within six months, women with a Family History of Breast Cancer, who come for brca testing on the nhs, in manchester, could be given a much more accurate assessment of their risk, thanks to a new test looking at 18 genetic variants, which influence the chances of having Breast Cancer, alongside other risk factors, including breast density in the age of puberty. Scientists believe it could cut the number of preventative mastectomies by a third. If you can get the risk below 50 50, women are much more likely to take their chances, have screening, other preventative measures, rather than go for risk reducing mastectomy. Scientists hope to go further and believe, within the next two years, they will be able to give a breakdown of any womens lifetime chances of developing Breast Cancer using up to 300 genetic variants. I think this new gene test could be a game changer in trying to prevent Breast Cancer by giving women Early Warning that they carry a genetic risk. Perhaps, even if it has never been in their family before. Scientists are also investigating whether this research could also be used to understand the way our genes affect our chances of developing prostate, ovarian, lun and colon rectal cancers. Jenny waldron, bbc news, manchester. North koreas Supreme Leader kim jong un has given his sister more power by promoting her to the nations top Decision Making body. 28 year old kim yo jong will replace her aunt in the politburo. Her promotion is being seen as further evidence of the kim family strengthening its grip on north korea. 0ur asia pacific editor, Michael Bristow has more. Over the weekend, the north Korean Leader paid homage to his father and grandfather both ruled the country before him. It was a reminder that ruling north korea, since its founding in 1948, has been a family affair. To reinforce that point, mr kim used a Party Meeting to promote his younger sister, kim yo jong. She is not yet 30 and only started appearing regularly a few years ago but is thought to be in charge of her brothers public appearances. It is uncertain how much power she will wield behind the scenes but she will be aware that being part of the ruling family does not give her lifetime protection. Kimjong un had his uncle, once a trusted advisor, executed in 2013. And north korean agents are thought to have been behind the assassination of his half brother who had been living in exile. He was killed with a nerve agent at this malaysian airport earlier this year. North koreas attempts to build a Nuclear Tipped Missile has brought about an International Crisis as pyongyang faces down its neighbours and the United States. Kim yo jong has come to prominence at a dangerous time for her family and her country. Lets head to philadelphia now and whats being described as the largest public art project in the us for a decade. One the citys major thoroughfares is celebrating its centenary. An artist from china who helped organise the opening and closing ceremonies at the beijing olympics has found an unusual way to mark the event. Tim allman explains. The city of brotherly love lit up like never before. One of the main streets of philadelphia celebrating its centennial. So a special exhibit. Dozens of pedal powered cabs strung up with 1000 chinese lanterns. But this art is notjust for looking, it is for riding as well. It is phenomenal to see it at night. Nostalgia and childhood magic. Talking to people, they ask if its art, it is. It is a very special time. All of this is the work of cai guoqiang who based the designs on lanterns he played with as a child. Every one of them was handmade in his hometown and carefully shipped across the pacific. Some of them are more traditional shapes. Some of them are aliens and panda bears and stars, sushi. Cai guoqiang says the lanterns were an extension of his dreams. A chance for people of different races to meet and exchange feelings. A night sky illuminated like fireflies. A reminder of our top story now. The us Vice President has walked out of an american football match after some players kneel during the National Anthem. Mike pence said he left the game because he would not dignify any event that showed such disrespect. Hundreds of thousands of people have been on the streets of barcelona in a huge show of support for the unity of spain and against plans for the independence of catalonia. Hello, once again the weekend has been marked by relatively benign conditions for most areas. And at its best we saw decent spells of sunshine boosting the temperatures to around about 17 or 18 degrees. But theres no escaping the fact that in some spots, there was quite a bit of cloud around as well. And for some the odd bit and piece of rain. Thats pretty much how we start the new day on monday. Not a shock to the system as you step out temperatures for the most part in double figures. A lot of cloud around. Probably at its thickest perhaps across parts of scotland. Weak weather fronts here, just dragging cloud and rain, from west to east to many areas. Northern ireland perhaps a little bit drier, just a fraction brighter. Certainly as we come south of the border, the greater part of england and wales is dry. Bright at best, probably, maybe the odd hint of sunshine. That wont be the case across parts of the far south of wales and south west england. The air is moister here, the cloud sitting very low in the atmosphere, and there could be some drizzly rain on breeze as well. Im hopeful that that situation will improve as the day really gets going. I think brighter skies too, eventually, getting into parts of wales, the north of england and certainly for scotland, after that rather dismal start. Northern ireland, i have not forgotten you, its just that you started off quite bright and then the cloud fills in, with rain into many areas by around about teatime and early evening and that is exactly the moment at which wales and the republic of ireland will clash horns in a crucial world cup qualifying match, in wales. 0vernight, there will be quite a bit of rain across the northern half of britain. That same weather front though, as it moves into the southern half of britain, is not much more than a band of cloud, with the odd spot of rain, perhaps. Brighter skies follow on behind, though no too many isobars there. So that turns out to be a decent afternoon for many spots, save for this North Western quarter, where we are seeing the first signs of a wet night and a pretty wet and windy day too, as these weather fronts pile in from the atlantic. Some heavy rain on the Western Hills of scotland, across the cumbrian fells, top end of the pennines, eventually down into the welsh mountains. Ahead of it, the cloud just fills in but you stay dry for the greater part of the day. Behind it, things begin to improve. Certainly dries out and that is the shape of things to come, for many of us through thursday. Still a little bit breezy perhaps but a lot of dry weather around and some brightness as well. That all comes to us thanks to this albeit transient ridge of high pressure. Because its elbowed aside by the next set of weather fronts coming in from the atlantic. Notice again, we have a number of isobars there so we finish the week, perhaps for many, with a combination of wet and windy weather. This is bbc news the headlines the us Vice President has walked out of an american football match after some players knelt during the National Anthem. Mike pence said he left the game in indiana between the colts and the San Francisco 49ers because he would not dignify any event which showed such disrespect. The 0scar winning Film Producer Harvey Weinstein has been sacked from the business he founded with immediate effect. The Weinstein Company said the decision was taken in light of new information about misconduct. Us media had reported hed reached settlements over claims of sexual harassment. Hundreds of thousands of people have been on the streets of barcelona in a huge show of support for the unity of spain and against plans for the independence of catalonia. Spains worst political crisis for decades was sparked by a referendum on independence for the wealthy North Eastern region. Now on bbc news, its time for dateline london