Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20171026

For his late father, King Bhumibol adulyadej, who died a year ago after seven decades on the throne. The funeral urn was blessed by monks at the grand palace in bangkok ahead of a series of elaborate processions to the royal crematorium. A funeral procession on a scale rarely seen before. A chance for tens of thousands of thai people to say a final farewell to the only monarch of the most have ever lived under. The body of the former king, kept since his death in october last yearin kept since his death in october last year in the throne hall of the royal palace. After ruling for 70 years this is the beginning of a final journey, transported towards a spectacular golden tory, representing heaven, taking over one year to build. Here, representing heaven, taking over one yearto build. Here, his representing heaven, taking over one year to build. Here, his body will be cremated. This procession will last much of the day. His body will be carried atop a huge wooden chariot pulled by 222 soldiers and led by his son, the new king, and members of the royal family circling the gold in pretoria three times to the gold in pretoria three times to the death of the king, aged 88, in october last year sparked a national outpouring of grief and a year of mourning. He reigned for so long he became a symbol of his country. Cultured and modern. The subject of lavish public affection. He ascended the throne in 1946 and reigned for 70 years. Over the last year, 12 million thais have travelled to bangkok to pay their respect. 250,000 are expected to watch this elaborate procession before the cremation takes place at ten oclock on thursday night. This is the scene live now in bangkok where hundreds of thousands of people are gathering ready for royal cremation day. The ceremony is well under way now. There is the palin quinn we believe the urn will be carried on. Mourners have been gathering for days on the streets around this area of central bangkok. Many in during the heat and tropical torrential rain over the last few days. Hoping to get a site of one of the processions. Many say they want to pay their respects, many telling our correspondence that this is the most important moment in their lives. Lets speak now to our correspondent who is in bangkok for us. Correspondent who is in bangkok for us. Jonathan, can you explain to us the significant of the procession and the ceremonies we are seeing . What you see in the pictures is something very elaborate, a ceremony bound up with the buddhist and hindu cosmology. To be honest, most thai people do not even fully understand the significance of the rituals. It is tightly choreographed and they have tapped deep into traditional knowledge for this. There are strong similarities to funerals of premieres kings, and that members the royal family. This premieres kings, and that members the royalfamily. This is more elaborate than any other. The funeral pyrus higher and you have a military government in power now it is ultra royalist, determined to preserve the monarchys place in thai society which launched its coup against the elected government in 2012, largely to be sure that it was in power when this moment came. Because Bhumibol Adulyadej personified the modernisation of his country, he put the monarchy ce ntresta g e country, he put the monarchy centrestage and incredible affection built up for him has helped give the country stability, some would argue perhaps too much stability giving you cannot question the role of the monarchy. But they helped people transition from a monarchy bound up with royalist a gander, 70 years of a personal relationship with a man who had a modest personal life and who had a modest personal life and who did want to be dutiful and somehow transition to a new king whom we cannot talk freely about but it has a very different personality and a modern monarchy in the Information Age and that is subject to gossip and exposure. It is a difficult transition and i think you have around me hear people who feel an enormous loss have around me hear people who feel an enormous loss of somebody who they believe guided them and help they believe guided them and help the country together, the only king they have known. At the top you have anne aly relies on the monarchy to keep things as they are, to see off booligal challenges. Those two very important transitions are being managed hand in hand today in the centre of bangkok here during this long and elaborate the buyer. Goodbye. We are looking at pictures 110w goodbye. We are looking at pictures now of the soldiers, i believe they are soldiers, who are now lifting the urn. Quite an incredible sight there. That is the palin quinn will make its way through the streets, i believe jonathan, you make its way through the streets, i believejonathan, you mentioned rules about what you can and cant say. Can you answer this . Is there any room at the moment for differing opinions, differing views of the monarchy . Not really. It is difficult in normal times and especially difficult with this government at the moment. During this funeral, no one will dare speak out. Some peoples feel differently and there has been more averred criticism growing but that is punished by severe penalties here in thailand. People describe the feelings people have about the monarchy as a mixture of love and fear. When it comes to Bhumibol Adulyadej, clearly the love was very strong but fear is always there as pa rt strong but fear is always there as part of it and part of the occasion. The people around me here, when you talk to them they do feel a genuine personal bond with his king. These people are the ones around me here have nearly fainted after they have been out in the head for so long. They have been told they cannot go and yet they will enter and yet they will not leave. That shows you how devoted there. A great a daughter of Bhumibol Adulyadej, we asked about what these proceedings meant. Did you mean a lot. The people on the street make a very vivid and emotional. Some people could say was very extravagant but i think it is rather wonderful. We see an emotional connection between him and ordinary people, a genuine personal affection. There is a kind of bond. In a country of where royalist propaganda is so prevalent many have so many restrictions on what you can say about the royal family, people outside are bound to ask if this love is genuine. Family, people outside are bound to ask if this love is genuinelj family, people outside are bound to ask if this love is genuine. I think it is. For example, i was raised in britain and in thailand so i am interested in democracy, quality and all of that but i feel as much as anyone else and i was surprised in a way, how upset i felt when he died and then going on the street and seeing people. Ithink and then going on the street and seeing people. I think it is quite genuine. You have been critical about the way expression about the monarchy has been restricted. About the way expression about the monarchy has been restrictedlj about the way expression about the monarchy has been restricted. I do not think that is helpful. But it does not mean that he has not been a great thing in many ways. And also it has been our whole lives. Anyone younger than 70 will have known only this king and so it is quite an historic moment. It is all about ca is historic moment. It is all about cars as well as them. It is asked at the end of an epoque for many of us. Did you have many dealings with him . Many personal encounters that told toa many personal encounters that told to a little bit about what kind of a man he was . My mother was close to the queen and we would have tea with her. And we had a house by the sea so we her. And we had a house by the sea so we would go to is powerless, in the sea there. We could not leave the sea there. We could not leave the sea there. We could not leave the sea and they love the sea and i used to get exhausted when i was quite young. My mother would tell me i could not emerged from the ocean but i would come out all shrivelled up. Ata but i would come out all shrivelled up. At a harley was fun. And then when i was older i presented a book to him and he was extremely charming. I was grovelling on the floor in respectful positions and he insisted that i come sit on a chair which i thought was wonderful. Not eve ryo ne which i thought was wonderful. Not everyone does that. We had quite a long chat about the duties of a publisher, he was quite interested in environmental work i was doing. The conversations i had with them, he was extremely serious but very well informed. At another time we talked about Water Purification and that sort of thing. That is what made him loved. And touched so many aspects of people s lives. Made him loved. And touched so many aspects of people s lives. Is a mix of love and fear that people fear feel . With him i would say it is more love than fear, for certain. Yeah. He did have a human side and that came across. For all that devotion, jonathan, how much power do the king hold in thailand . Theoretically, if you look at the way it is written in the constitution, he is above politics isa constitution, he is above politics is a constitutional monarch. It is meant to be like a european monarchy where he advises and he is consulted the politics continues on without him. In thailand, the last king acquired moral authority and whatever he wanted people will try to follow his advice. He was seen as in the god. The monarchy has also been given a focal power were all the real power of the country, the military and the big business and the bureaucrats, they rely on the prestige of the monarchy and the monarchy has huge wealth. The biggest business in the country because of the amount of land it has. There is potentially enormous power for has. There is potentially enormous powerfor any king has. There is potentially enormous power for any king who wishes to wield it. The late king wielded it su btly wield it. The late king wielded it subtly although he had a huge influence on the shape of thai politics, some argue it may have made it quite conservative. There will be quite a lot about how the new king will wield the power but there is real power here in practice thatis there is real power here in practice that is not obvious in the constitution and is quite different from the models of monarchy we see in european countries. You spoke about the military coups that the king had to deal with. How did he manage those relations . That is one area of controversy. His critics say he was far too tolerant and at times he was far too tolerant and at times he tolerated crackdowns on student protests. Those were times during the cold war when King Bhumibol adulyadej was seen as a vital cold war lead adulyadej was seen as a vital cold warlead a. At adulyadej was seen as a vital cold war lead a. At the same time he intervened to stop repression. I think you sailed with the wind. When military governments were strong he felt he could not intervene but he would go along with them. I think thatis would go along with them. I think that is where the historical record will be more critical of him, that he tolerated military government and in many cases endorsed it for large parts of his reign. Thank you very much, jonathan. You are looking at life pictures as the funeral possession for King Bhumibol adulyadej gets under way. That is a large palanquin with the urn, not actually carrying the king but representing how mama in the past have been cremated. That will be carried around this royal area of bangkok by soldiers you just saw, it each taking the load of three polls underneath that palanquin. Life pictures coming in from bangkok fair of the funeral possession bangkok there are of the funeral procession of King Bhumibol adulyadej. Stay with us on bbc news, still to come driver what driver . Well take you to southern germany and the bus that moves all by itself. Indira gandhi, ruler of the Worlds Largest democracy, died today. Only yesterday shed spoken of dying in the service of her country and said, i would be proud of it, every drop of my blood would contribute to the growth of this nation. After 46 years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. No more suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day might bring. Booster ignition and liftoff of discovery, with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one american legend. This is beautiful. A milestone in human history. Born today, this girl in india is the 7 billionth person on the planet. This is bbc news. The latest headlines the funeral procession of thailands revered King Bhumibol adulyadej, who died a year ago, has begun in bangkok. Kenyas Electoral Commission says a president ial Election Rerun will go ahead after the Supreme Court was unable to rule on whether or not to halt the ballot. President Uhuru Kenyatta won the first vote in august, but the result was annulled by the Supreme Court after allegations of irregularities in the poll. But the opposition claims any new vote will be rigged with their leader, raila odinga, urging his supporters to boycott the vote. Our africa editor fergal keane reports. The president s party turned to god this morning. A prayer meeting by women supporters near the Supreme Court. Hoping thejudges, too, would hear their pleas. Nothing is moving at the moment, until we have peace and elections. Thats our prayer. In a country where many institutions have been undermined by decades of corruption, the Supreme Court is seen as an honest and fearless arbiter. But today, as lawyers waited, the extraordinary news that too few judges had turned up to hear the crucial case. This matter cannot, therefore, be heard this morning. Its accordingly adjourned to a date to be taken in the registry. Once again, my apologies to all of you. Thank you. Among those who didnt come was thejeff deputy chiefjustice. Her bodyguard was shot and wounded last night. What happened to the deputy chief justice yesterday was not an accident, as it were, it was a deliberate move to intimidate her, to make sure that she doesnt turn up for these proceedings. This process has produced many controversial moments, but the failure of enough judges to turn up here this morning to decide on the case is a significant blow to those who put their faith in kenyas institutions to deliver democratic accountability. But government supporters listening to the news were delighted. A mile away, Opposition Leader raila odinga was being greeted like a conquering hero. Calling on his supporters to become a resistance movement. And oppose what he called a dictatorship. So what do we do, what do we do tomorrow . What should we do tomorrow . He asked them. No elections, they shouted, and kept shouting. But the polling boxes are being delivered and tonight, president kenyatta pledged to enforce security laws. To step aside them is to step into anarchy. And as president of this great republic, sworn to defend constitutional order, i will not let that happen. Its a promise that will be hard to keep in Opposition Strongholds like this, where children run the gauntlet between demonstrators and police. Fergal keane, bbc news, kenya. The british governments made it clear there will be a vote in parliament before britain leaves the European Union. It follows some confusion after the brexit secretary, david davis, suggested a vote on a final deal might have to take place after the uk officially leaves in march 2019. Our deputy Political Editor john pienaar reports. Brexits about britain taking back control the promise to the country before the Eu Referendum and since. But will the Uk Parliament be guaranteed a vote on the Historic Deal to leave the European Union before its done . Welcome, secretary of state. Today, the minister in charge of brexit answered no. He told mps getting a deal, if there is one, could go down to the wire, the last moment before britain leaves. Its no secret that the way the union makes its decisions tends to be at the eleventh minute. Sorry, the 59th minute of the Eleventh Hour of the eleventh day and so on. And thats precisely what i would expect to happen here. So what about the governments promise parliament would have a meaningful vote on the deal . The undertaking weve given, the undertaking weve given. Could be after march 2019 . It could be, yeah, it could be. It depends when it concludes. I mean, mr barnier, remember, has said. The vote, sorry, the vote of our parliament, the Uk Parliament, could be after march 2019 . Yes, it could be. Did he mean that . Ministers had promised mps a vote ahead of brexit. When you said that it is possible that parliament might not vote on the deal until after the end of march 2019, im summarising correctly what you said . Yes, thats correct. In the event we dont do the deal until then, yeah. So theresa mays government could strike a deal without getting parliaments backing first. Sounded clear, but then came the time to explain that to mps. Can the Prime Minister please explain how its possible to have a meaningful vote on something thats already ta ken place . Im confident because it is in the interest of both sides and its not just this parliament that wants to have a vote on that deal, but actually, there will be ratification by other parliaments that we will be able to achieve that agreement and that negotiation in time for this parliament to have the vote if we can admit it. That wasnt a guarantee mps would get a vote before britain leaves, just an intention, an expectation, and david davis was equally clear he expects a nailbiter. The greatest potential danger facing the government if parliament does throw out a brexit deal when its done, that would shatter the governments authority, even call its survival into question. Tories worried about brexit are insisting they want the vote they believe they were promised. A lot of the reason that people voted to leave the European Union was about taking control back, and that control has to come back to this sovereign parliament. And i think our constituents will expect us to have a say before the deal is finally concluded and before the European Parliament has had a say. And thats what the Prime Minister has promised us. Theres no easy route to brexit. Here and in europe, each day seems to bring a new set of problems, a fresh set of doubts. John pienaar, bbc news, westminster. Fats domino, one of the pioneers of rock and roll, has died. He was 89. Best known for songs aint that a shame and blueberry hill, he sold more than 65 million records, outselling every 1950s rock and roll act except elvis. Nick higham looks back on his life. One day, youll cry i wont come back to you just you wait and see. Antoine fats domino started playing piano in the bars of new orleans, rolling rhythm and blues with its rich jazz and latin roots. But i love to see you with a smile oh, well, goodbye although ill cry aint that a shame. But soon, he developed a new, much more popular style, one of the first black artists to top the white dominated charts. The genial fats delighted crossover audiences and, in the process, found hed helped to invent rock and roll. Ive found my thrill on blueberry hill. Blueberry hill, his biggest seller, was one of 30 top a0 hits, though one he didnt write himself. He made millions and gambled much of it away, but went on playing into old age. When Hurricane Katrina hit his home town in 2005, he chose to stay at home and was rumoured dead. Later, there was a visit from George W Bush to replaced fats dominos president ial gold medal, lost in the floods and looting. As for his music, it remained as appealing and infectious as ever. Fats domino whos died at the age of 89. Lets head to germany now for whats being described as a little bit of transport history. The bbcs tim allman has more. As revolutions in technology go, this seems at first glance a little underwhelming. But this mayjust be the transport solution of the future. No driver, no can do it. Just a small bus trundling along at an average speed of ten kilometres an average speed of ten kilometres an hour. The chosen venue for this new service is the town in the region of lower bavaria, not far from the czech and austrian borders. It will offer free rides from the czech and austrian borders. It will offerfree rides ran eight minute route linking the town centre, local swimming baths and the train station. Translation i think we can say the town has written a page in transport history. Driverless vehicles become something of a holy grail for the transport industry, convinced they will lead to greater safety and efficiency. The self driving cars, self driving lorries and now, self driving buses. Translation thats the future. It will probably work flawlessly. From next year, the new buses will take to the roads and other german towns and cities, including hamburg, where bus drivers may soon be an endangered species. Jim allman, bbc news. Thats the way its looking. Stay with us here on bbc news. Hello there, good morning. There are some significant changes to come over the next few days. Once again, though, on wednesday, it was another mild day, with much more sunshine around, and we saw temperatures as high as 20 degrees in the south east. But over the next few days, for all of us, the wind direction is going to change. Its going to drag down some cold air, as well. But at the moment, this weather front is on the scene. Having moved southwards, its now moving northwards, dragging misty, murky, damp weather into englund and wales. North of that, though, clearer skies in scotland. But enough of a wind to prevent the temperatures getting too low, and across the far north of scotland, we have got some showers. Lighter winds for northern ireland, could be some patchy mist and fog early in the morning here. Cloud spilling into northern england, a bit of dampness around too. A damper start with much more low cloud across wales, the midlands, towards east anglia, as well. Some hill fog likely. More general low level fog in the south east, where there is not much wind to stir things up at the moment. But it may well brighten up across southern counties of england, and turn out to be another mild day. And weve got the sunnier skies in scotland, away from the northern showers. More sunshine for northern ireland, perhaps the far north of england, but in between, a zone of much more low cloud. Temperatures lower than they were yesterday, and we could see a little rain and drizzle through much of the day across east yorkshire and lincolnshire. That weather front, though, is weak, and it will get pulled apart as High Pressure builds in overnight into friday. And its going to drag down, with that High Pressure, some drier air and clearer skies, so more sunshine on the way on friday. A chilly start, maybe a touch of frost on the grass, from wales, the midlands, northwards, and maybe some mist and fog, too, but otherwise a brighter day. More sunshine, and temperatures where they should be for this time of year. Things change again on saturday. You will notice the wind really starting to pick up. There will be more cloud around. There is likely to be some showers around, as well. Its all because an area of low pressure is running close to our shores. That, though, is going to dive its way into europe, and bring some really wet and windy weather into much of europe this weekend. The position of this High Pressure behind that is crucial, because it means for us, on sunday, we are going to get more of a northerly wind, and that is going to drag down some cold air across the uk. You will notice it feeling much, much chillier, especially in the wind, which will be strongest down the eastern side of the uk. Temperatures 13 or 1a in the south, but struggling to eight or nine in the north. There may be one or two showers. As the winds drop out overnight, we could start quite frosty, particularly in the countryside, on monday morning. This is bbc news. The headlines hundreds of thousands of mourners have converged on bangkok many camping on the streets to bid farewell to thailands revered King Bhumibol adulyadej. Elaborate ceremonies has been performed and the urn is now being paraded through the street. Hundreds of thousands of people have converged on the capital to observe the first part of a five day ceremony of ceremony controversial re run of the president ial election which is being boycotted by the main opposition. Tens of thousands of security personnel have been deployed to protect voters and polling stations. The Opposition Leader has denounced the election as a sham. Tributes are coming in for one of the pioneers of rock and roll, fats domino, who has died at the age of 89. Starting out as a pianist in a bar, he became one of the first black