Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20171209

From englands ashes tour game following an incident in a bar in perth. And coming up in half an hour, 100 women is in the brazilian city of rio dejaneiro, tackling the issue of sexism in sport. Good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. The foreign secretary, borisjohnson, is in iran, where hes pressing the authorities to release Nazanin Zaghari ratcliffe and others with british iranian dual citizenship on humanitarian grounds. Mrs Zaghari Ratcliffe is serving a five year prison term on charges of spying and trying to overthrow the iranian government, which she denies. Adina campbell reports. A big day for the British Foreign secretary. Ahead of a highly anticipated meeting, borisjohnson greeted by his iranian counterpart, looked keen to get the discussions off to a quick start. Where the topic of the imprisonment of dual nationals will be high on the agenda. One of them is nazanin zaghair ratcliffe, seen here with her daughter, who she has been away from since being arrested in tehran 18 months ago. The iranian authorities have accused the 37 year old of spying and trying to overthrow their government, something she and her family have strongly denied. In a statement, borisjohnson said he will raise grave concerns over the imprisonment of dual nationals where there are humanitarian grounds to do so. Her british husband, Richard Ratcliffe, has been campaigning tirelessly for his wifes release. It was made very clear that we shouldnt expect any miracles. But the one thing i did ask, which Richard Ratcliffe and the family have been asking, is whether he can arrange for a visa for Richard Ratcliffe to go to iran. As well as this case, there will be a number of other issues borisjohnson will be hoping to discuss, including britains continued support for the nuclear deal with iran and concerns about irans involvement in conflicts, notably in yemen and syria. Lets get more insight into this visit with our bbc persian correspondent siavash ardalan. There are a lot of items on the agenda besides Nazanin Zaghari ratcliffe. What are they likely to agree on . There are a few contracts which are being signed. One for the building of the huge solar panel, the fifth biggest one in asia. There is a contract between the private sector, building a huge Cancer Research centre in iran worth over £1 billion ands the resolution of the issue relating to the payment of the issue relating to the payment of £400 million that iranians are demanding from the uk which from a contract that goes back to the 1970s and the family of Nazanin Zaghari ratcliffe are hoping the resolution of that case in particular will urge the iranians to show more leniency. How likely though, are we to move towards a release for Nazanin Zaghari ratcliffe . Release for Nazanin Zaghariratcliffe . Well, it is not likely that Boris Johnson will be coming back with nazanin. Boris johnson has met with the iranian speaker of parliament, but the key is meeting with the head of the judiciary. It is not clear whether he will meet. The judiciary are affiliated with iranian hardliners. So, they have to sort of, you know, show more leniency and so far they havent indicated that, but you know, the speculation is that, you know, the speculation is that, you know, if the other issues get resolved, if the investments start flowing in iran and if the government of the uk makes it easier for british banks to operate inside iran as well, what they havent been doing because they are fearful of us reprisals, the chances will be increased for nazanins release. Nazanin is due in Court Tomorrow to face additional charges. We have been hearing from the bbc itself on this issue. Whats been said . Well, the timing of this trial is very telling. The irrain begans wanting to show this has nothing to do with borisjohnson. The process will flow according to iranian rules, but in terms of bbc perrian staff, the bbc asked borisjohnson, they have released a statement asking Boris Johnson to raise the issue of over 150 british bbc persian tv employees who are under pressure and being harassed by the government of iran. Mrjohnson did bring up discussing the by lateral relation with iran. What state are they in at the moment . Well, its better than before. Before it used to be very bad. Now with the removal of sanctions. Boris johnson has bad. Now with the removal of sanctions. Borisjohnson has gone with a big delegation in iran. They are signing contracts and they are hoping, you know, they could get a move on in terms of investment and so on move on in terms of investment and so on and there are regional issues to talk about the issue of syria, yemen, the iranians are hoping they could forge a bigger gap between us policies and british policies and yemen and syria. 0k, yemen and syria. Ok, thank you very much. Thank you. Weather warnings are in force for parts of the uk with freezing temperatures forecast. A yellow warning for snow and ice will remain for scotland, Northern Ireland, wales and parts of the midlands until later this evening. Our correspondent has been at a gritting station in oldham. I crossed over the pennines and the snow started and it hasnt stopped since then. The worst of the weather is in the West Midlands and shropshire and one hospital has appealed for help ferrying their staff. I am with craig dale from oldham staff. I am with craig dale from old ham council. Staff. I am with craig dale from oldham council. A busy night for you a busy night. A busy last 24 hours. To today we have got snow showers. We will keep going today. I have done a shift change. We are loading gritters. We will go through the night. There is a frost forecast tonight. So that will help. Again, through the night and we will prepare ahead of tomorrows forecast which is the big one tomorrow morning. How do you prioritise on a night like this, where it is snowing everywhere. You have got rural places in your area, havent you . We have. The main thing is, it isjust keeping on the primary gritting routes. We have seven primary gritting routes. If conditions go to what the forecast is saying, and we will have to be careful with that at the minute because it is changing changing all the time, we may reduce the network and keep key roads open. If the weather is in our favour, we will try to widen it again. We will keep going on them. It is a special type of grit you have in oldham. Different to many other places . Type of grit you have in oldham. Different to many other places7m is not quite special. We orderer a big aggregate. We use a ten mil one. It is windier in oldham and we need it to stay on the road rather than blow off. One of the things that a lwa ys blow off. One of the things that always happens when it snows is, people that drive gritters come underfire for people that drive gritters come under fire for not doing a very good job, but you have tried to mitigate that some of that this year, havent you . Well, notjust this year. Four or five years ago we named the gritters and this year we have a new set of gritters. It is done by schoolchildren. That was bad brit that left. It brings a bit of humour into it on a really serious subject, but it gets Public Interest in it, yeah. How much grit are you expecting to use this weekend . Well, oii expecting to use this weekend . Well, ona expecting to use this weekend . Well, on a normal run well use 50 tonnes. Over this weekend we could use anything up to 2,000. So, we normally use 6,000 in an average season. We just keep stocking up. As we use it, fresh orders will come in. The snow started earlier than expected . Not for oldham, no. Snow in oldham from, youre right, probably about november onwards we can get it because we have the saddleworth moors. We have four Trans Pennine routes. That, it is not unusual to get it in mid october. Yeah. Not unusual to get it in midoctober. Yeah. Thank you very much. I think youre needed elsewhere. The gritters are brand new and they are electronically programmed so the drivers drive one driver in each vehicle and push a button and there isa vehicle and push a button and there is a satnav which shows them the priority routes which they need to follow and they will need to do a good job because more snow is expected across the north of england and especially in greater manchester. Temperatures across the country could drop below freezing, minus six celsius around here, perhaps up to minus or down to minus 12 in the north of scotland. So we better let these guys get back to work. Keep us all safe on the roads. Voters can use the next general election to have their say on a final deal with the european union, according to one of the leading brexiteers in the cabinet. The environment secretary, michael gove, made his comments in the Daily Telegraph, a day after theresa mays agreement in brussels cleared the way for trade talks. He said if voters didnt like the final deal, they could force a future government to change course. Our Political Correspondent Jonathan Blake has been following the story. He makes it sound easy. What has he been saying and how has it been received . Michael gove set out in the Daily Telegraph what he see as asa the Daily Telegraph what he see as as a cautious welcome for the agreement theresa may reached with brussels. At the end of the first stage of the brexit negotiations. And he prays the Prime Ministers tenacity, but is clear to point out that the caveat that is on page one of that agreement, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. So suggesting that things may change and as if to remind people the uk is taking back control of its laws and borders he uses the phrase, after the two year transition outside the eu, the british people will the opportunity to diverge from eu law on the Single Market and the Customs Union. Thats on the Single Market and the Customs Union. Thats controversial on the Single Market and the Customs Union. Thats controversial because the Prime Minister said we will remain, we will leave the Customs Union and the Single Market during the transition period, but we will stay with the eu on the current terms. So technically, we will be out of those bits of eu per ram terse, but we will be operating as if were still in. People are picking up on that as something thats significant. Michael gove seems to be, stating the obvious, suggesting that once we leave the eu, the deal thats negotiated is in place, doesnt have to stay there forever. It, of course, takes two to negotiate a new deal and a new arrangement, but mr gove is making the point that voters could influence that by voting in a new government and having them do something different. We have heard from a few high profile politicians on this so far and grant shapps the former conservative Party Chairman was interviewed on the bbc news channel earlier and this was his response to what mr gove had to say. I saw what michael was saying in the paper. Ididnt i saw what michael was saying in the paper. I didnt think there was anything remarkable about it. Every election there is the opportunity fort the electorate to boot the government out. Clearly the electorate will make a bunch of decisions not only the brexit deal thats been negotiated, but what parties are promising to do pledging to do in the future, it doesnt seem surprising to say it will be in part a referendum about this. Theresa may seems to have done enough to keep most within the conservative party happy, but there are differences of opinion. The leader of the house, Andrea Leadsom has spoken about what mr gove had to say and as far as she was concerned he was stating the obvious. Sovereign governments are always in a position to undertake and then subsequently to make different arrangements should the will of the people be that they do that. I dont see this is getting us anywhere. It is the case in a Sovereign Parliament that the voters can choose to take a country in a different direction. Jonathan, trade talks are coming up next. How bruising could this be for britain . Bruising was the word Iain Duncan Smith used when he was interviewed on the radio to say it will be very difficult and for all the hard work that it has taken to get to this point, the midnight phone calls, the pre dawn flight to brussels, the hard wrangling with theresa mays political allies at home, the trade talks will be tricky because the cabinet has yet to agree on what they want the outcome to be. If they can, then it might smooth the passage a little bit more easily, but if they cant, then it will be tricky the hole way through. Jonathan blake, thank you very much. Foreign secretary Boris Johnson, discusses the imprisonment of british iranians during a visit to tehran. Michael gove says voters will be able to force changes to a brexit deal at the next election if they dont like what the government has negotiated with the eu. And an amber weather warning has been issued for parts of north wales and north west england. Further heavy snow is expected overnight. At least two people have been killed in israeli air strikes in gaza. The israeli Authorities Say they were targeting hamas military positions after rockets were fired from there into southern israel. Four people are now known to have died in violence since President Trump announced the United States would move its embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem. Sebastian usher reports. The palestinians are continuing to show their anger over President Trumps recognition ofjerusalem as israels capital. There have been more clashes in bethlehem at student held protest rallies. Yesterday was the first day of rage declared by the palestinians. Two protesters were killed in confrontation with israeli troops in gaza and many were wounded across the palestinian territories by tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds. Hamas has called for a new Palestinian Uprising or intifada. Translation we announce that in the face of the invaders, israel and the United States, we will launch protests everywhere, in and out of palestine. Starting from today, there will be no route to retreat, no red line for us. Overnight, the Israeli Military said its air strikes targeted a base of the military wing of hamas, killing two of its members. The attack came after rockets were fired towards israel from gaza. But the level of violence so far appears containable, as far as israel is concerned. But International Criticism of President Trumps move has not been muted. Many other protests were held across the arab and muslim world. Top officials from saudi arabia and the United Arab Emirates have warned that the move has given extremists a new lease of life. There is almost no support so far for President Trumps view that the long moribund Peace Process needed a shock to the system. And scepticism over mr trumps much vaunted new initiative for peace, due to be unveiled in the new year, is only growing as the immediate consequences of his actions play out in gaza and the west bank. Sebastian usher, bbc news. Wildfires in Southern California show little sign of letting up as hot, dry winds continue to fan the flames. One woman has died and more than 200,000 people have fled their homes with more preparing to evacuate today. President trump has declared a state of emergency as sarah corker reports. In the mountains north of los angeles, wildfires continue to roar through the forests of ventura county. Powerful winds are fanning the flames, the fires spreading quickly and cutting dangerously across highways. Radio these guys are scrambling. And the thick plumes of smoke billow for miles. Across Southern California, tens of thousands of people have already fled. And this is the destruction they are escaping from. I always equate these to my Family Friends as disaster war zones is what you see, with the homes that are lost, and the tragedy that hits all of these families that live in these areas. That was the living room. Some people now returning home see what, if anything, they can salvage from the charred wreckage. Its unbelievable, its devastating, it is horrific. There is nothing left. Not a darn thing. The first fires broke out on monday, reaching the exclusive area of bel air in los angeles and threatening the mansions of hollywood stars. At night, it looks like a volcano erupting. Across a huge area, from Santa Barbara to la to san diego, more than 8,000 firefighters are trying to contain these furious fires among the worst in living memory here. Strong winds forecast through the weekend are making for extremely dangerous conditions. The funeral of the french musical legend Johnny Hallyday is taking place in paris. Huge crowds of people have lined the streets to pay homage to the 74 year old who died earlier this week. The service has been held in a very famous Parisian Church and there is some music. Music mr macron has been speaking and saying that the singer touched all lives and were expecting a concert later today as well to take place. He has been described as the biggest rock star you have never heard of. His reply to this back this the day, it is better to be king in ones own country than a prince elsewhere. He has been questioned about his desire to strike and make it big in america, but failing to do so, but much loved by the french and many french speaking countries. Well, our paris correspondent Hugh Schofield explained why he was so popular. In france rock is not rock, it is le rock. It is a concept. It has been elevated to a concept in france like everything else. He saw himself as a servant of this concept of rocknroll and impossible to define which the french really responded to. He saw himself as a creature of this thing, this concept and thats what he did all his life. He dedicated himself to it. When you ask the french people about him and why they love him, they say because he dedicated himself, he gave himself to us and to his art form and he did it right to very end because just a few months before he died when he had lung cancer and was really suffering he was on tour Stage Touring with some of his old buddies and you know he had to sit down in the concerts, but he kept going and thats what the french love and thats what he saw his role to be, to perform this kind of sacrament with the public. That was Hugh Schofield remembering Johnny Hallyday. The Consumer Group which . Says an urgent review into the availability of free to use atms is needed to make sure customers do not struggle to access cash. There are concerns an overhaul of the link system could result in a significant reduction of free to access machines. Which is calling on the Payment Systems regulator to step in and conduct an urgent market review. Links plans could potentially reduce the number of atms in the uk or increase the number of paid for atms in the uk. We want to make sure that consumers have access to money in the way they want to, particularly in the face of closing bank branches, where people find it more and more difficult to get hold of a bank and get their money the way they want to. Apple is reported to be close to buying the music recognition app shazam for about 400 million. Shazam, which is based here in the uk, allows people to use their smartphone or computer to identify music through a snippet of sound, as well as giving the option to buy it. Our business correspondent, joe lynam, says any deal is potentially very lucrative for apple. Every time you hear a piece of music you like it, name that song, it not only names it quickly, it gives you a link to buy it instantly and what apple is doing, it is cutting out the middle man because they have to pay shazam a commission for routing traffic via their app, whatever it is, to their apple buying service or their Music Service other Music Services are valeable. So they are cutting out the middle man and paying 400 million, thats less than people thought the Company Might be worth and they would be able to use the technology that shazam is working on other types of technology. The fifa world cup is still six months away but players, managers and fans will already be dreaming about how well their team might do. It turns out theyre not the only ones. Following on from the success of paul the german octopus, who became famous for his predictions during the 2010 tournament, a menagerie of creatures are trying to emulate his success in russia. Both our moscow correspondents Sarah Rainsford and Steve Rosenberg have been to have a look. Forget lionel messi or ronaldo, these could be the real stars of the world cup. They are russias furry fortune tellers, all of them, were told, experts at predicting football results. As your intrepid moscow correspondents, sarah and i have visited all the host cities for next years tournament and discovered a menagerie of soccer soothsayers. First stop, sochi. Heres the stadium. Meanwhile down at the local aquarium. This is harry the otter and in sochi he has a reputation for results, with a 50 success rate. With a 75 success rate. I will ask him about englands chances at the world cup. Yes or no . Ready . Hes gone straight for the green. It took seconds, hes decided, no doubt about it england to win. Onto ekaterinburg where the excitement is building not on the pitch but in the zoo. Maggots at the ready, meet the fortune telling meerkat. Im told he has plenty of experience picking winners, lets see where hes gone. England . Thats a good sign. The fortune telling raccoon is not bawling ball. She is harder to catch than harry kane. So bring on the subs. If the left turtle wins so will england. Coming up from behind. Its england yes england. Ever since paul the german octopus hit the headlines in 2010 with his world cup predictions, the search has been on for a worthy successor. Have they found one in Saint Petersburg . At the world famous hermitage museum, they believe their animal pracle beats the opposition by a whisker. Meet the fortune telling cat. He will be predicting the soccer scores. Lets see he chooses in this combination. A crystal ball on four legs he is not, i suspect. But at least hes cute. Matt taylor has the weather. We have been consulting with our weather centipede and it has 98 boots on. We have got a wintry weather scene. North east wales and north west england, it is causing disruption to travel. Some of the south west of scotland and north west scotland. These are the areas where showers fade. Ice will become the big risk. A weatherfront brings rain in from the south west later. It could get down to minus six celsius in the midlands and wales. But snow is the big issue for tomorrow. Met office and amber warning for heavy snow. Be prepared. The areas at risk covered by the amber warning stretch across mid and north wales and fringing into Northern England and parts of the Northern England and parts of the Northern Home counties. Five to ten centimetres of snow. Double that on the hills. If you are travelling Cross Country expect problems tomorrow. Snow develops quickly through the morning in these areas. Heaviest in the morning, turning patchier and lighter into the afternoon. The northern edge, uncertainty how far north it will get and on the southern edge, it will be a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, but southern counties of england and the far south and south west of wales, mainly rain. The winds can be the big problem. Severe gales around the Bristol Channel and through the English Channel and through the English Channel later on, but its here youre into the mild air. The midlands, mid wales and northwards struggling to get above freezing. Scotla nd struggling to get above freezing. Scotland and Northern Ireland away from the showers, this is where we will have a dry and sunny sunday. Ice quickly forms as we go into sunday evening as the snow starts to fizzle out. So it will be an icy night. Treacherous on roads and pavements. This area of low pressure looks like it will have its biggest impact across spain, portugal and france. There could be rain and sleet and snow here and we are close to gales or severe gale force winds. More likely to see snow fall in the north west of wales. Tuesday, cold, but bright. Severe frost into tuesday. And here, most will have a dry and sunny day, but changes in the north west later. The weather front pushes in and it will bring milderair front pushes in and it will bring milder air for front pushes in and it will bring milder airfor midweek. Hello, youre watching bbc news. Now, in the latest in our series of programmes for the bbcs 100 women series Julia Carneiro is in the brazilian city of rio dejaneiro tackling the issue of sexism in sport. Were challenging teams of women in four cities around the world to tackle everyday problems that blight their lives. In the workplace. We need a working prototype by tomorrow morning. In education. Emojis not showing up in the overlay