Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At One 20171215

To the bbc news at one. Eu leaders meeting in brussels have agreed that the brexit talks can the Prime Minister theresa may called this an important step on the road to a smooth and orderly brexit. But the president of the european commission, Jean Claude Juncker, warned that the second phase will be considerably harder than the first. Damian grammaticas is in brussels this lunchtime. Yes, a significant moment, if not a surprise, that the leaders here the past hour and a half agreed that they are happy to see things move forward. Angela merkel and Emmanuel Macron just holding their final press c0 nfe re nce macron just holding their final press conference here at the summit, but they and the other leaders arrived early this morning, to try to decide whether they were happy with the progress made so far. Ona big on a big day for the eu, a barrage of questions. Last night these leaders had given theresa may a round of applause. Not very enthusiastically, but it was well deserved. Angela merkel had led that gesture, appreciative after mrs may told eus leaders she wants a smooth brexit. Its what they want as well. Of course the one leader who isnt here today is theresa may herself, the leaderfor whom this here today is theresa may herself, the leader for whom this matters more than for any other. Getting the green light in the Brexit Process to move to the next stage. And so the looming question, exactly what does the uk want future ties with the eu to look like . I think the first big step this morning for the United Kingdom to state very clearly what it wants in clear terms. I think if this happens within the next few weeks, we can start in earnest and by march we will have a very clear european position. Thank you. First, the eu 27 agreed as expected sufficient progress has been made, then the discussions turned to the eus terms for phase two of the negotiations. And a new set of guidelines. They say talks will only move on if all commitments the uk has made so far are respected in full, so no backtracking on the financial and citizens deals, and for a transition the eus terms are that the uk will continue to participate the Customs Union and Single Market so little change, but the uk will not have a part in eu Decision Making and it will have to accept all the same rules as eve ryo ne accept all the same rules as everyone else, including any new eu regulations, and be bound by the European Court of justice. Regulations, and be bound by the European Court ofjustice. As for what the uk wants most of all, in depth discussions about those future ties, theyll have to wait until march, eu leaders said, indicating it is the eu that still firmly in control of the Brexit Process. And in that press conference is happening just now, Angela Merkel has been saying that she expects what is to come is to be an even tougher negotiation. Emmanuel macron said the eu will work to keep its unity and they have also been making clear one more condition, that the uk will not be able to sign any future trade deal until after 2019, after it has formally left the eu. So that will have to wait until then. Back to you. David Damian Grammaticas kers, many thanks. Lets assess the mood in westminster as well. Eleanor garnier is there. Curious times, that round of applause for theresa may but Jean Claude Juncker warning that the next phase of talks actually in his opinion is going to be the harder one. I think there will be a huge sigh of relief in downing street that the talks are now officially moving on to the next stage. There has been a lot of drama just getting to this point. Even in the last two weeks, at one stage the deal was on, thenit weeks, at one stage the deal was on, then it was off, then back on again, all in the space of five days. The Prime Minister has welcomed todays development, saying it was an important step on the road to a smooth and orderly brexit, and i think she will certainly have been cheered by the support she got at that dinner in brussels last night, in the round of applause from the other 27 eu leaders, but todays progress doesnt mean that its all going to be easy from now on, either in brussels or back home in westminster. The government was defeated in the commons earlier this week over brexit and e like iii the eleanor garnier, thank you. The Prime Ministers saying she is working to secure the best trade deal with the eu come while regaining control over issues such as borders and immigration. Chris morris from the bbcs rat macro reality check is with me to look ahead to the second phase of talks. So the other 27 countries have now agreed that its time to move on to phase two of these negotiations, while continuing to finalise all those issues from phase one. To start with, there will be talks about a transition period of about two years after brexit, during which the uk will operate under all eu rules and regulations. Some of the detail about what that means will be controversial. Then next spring, if all goes to plan, negotiators will also begin to consider the future relationship between the uk and the eu on security, on foreign policy, and of course on trade. The eus aim is to produce a very broad political agreement on the outlines of a future deal before brexit actually happens. Detailed trade talks will take a lot longer. Part of the problem is that at the moment the eu has no idea what the uk actually wants. A deep and special partnership is the governments preferred phrase but what does that actually mean . There has been a lot of talk about this, the canada model. Free trade deal between eu and canada which came into effect this year eliminates most tariffs in the trading of goods, but it is relatively little to liberalise the trade in services, which is a far more significant part of uk economy. So understandably, the uk is looking for something a little more ambitious. The brexit secretary david davis says he wants canada plus plus plus. What we want is a bespoke outcome. Well probably start with the best of canada and the best of japan and the best of south korea, and then add to that the bits that are missing, which is the services. But the eu is cautious about this, arguing that the more access you get, the more responsibilities you take on, and the uk doesnt want to make big annual budget payments, accept thejurisdiction of the European Court ofjustice, or allow the Free Movement of people. Im afraid that my best guess will be that we might get canada plus, in other words the eu offers a bit, but i dont think well get canada plus plus plus, because the negotiating cards are more on the eu side. Well, some eu leaders accept that a bespoke deal for the uk needs to be found but there is no such thing as membership lite. The government argues that the uk and the eu are starting from the same point so doing a deal should be much easier. But this will be the first trade deal in history where the two sides are trying to get further apart rather than get closer together. Thanks, chris morris. Ajudge has called for an inquiry after a University Student was cleared of rape because police failed to disclose evidence casting doubt on the case. 22 year old liam allan spent two years on bail, before his trial at Croydon Crown court was halted, when it was revealed his accuser had sent messages suggesting she wanted to continue to have six with him. She wanted to continue to have sex with him. Andy moore reports. 22 year old liam allan spent two years on bail accused of six rapes and six sexual assaults. This morning, he told the bbc he was overwhelmed and dealing with the confusion of going from being a villain to being innocent. A massive miscarriage ofjustice. Jerry hayes was the prosecution barrister in this case. His job was to put mr allan behind bars. But then the Police Revealed they had a computer disk with 50,000 texts from the woman making the accusations. She said that she didnt like sex with him but there are Text Messages saying that she loved sex with him. There were rape fantasies, sex in the open air, this was a 12 count indictment. If the defence had not got that, that man would have been convicted. That man would have got 12 years. That man would have had his life trashed and on a Sexual Offences register forever. In a statement, the metropolitan police said its all coming as quite a big shock to him and hes quite worried because, naturally, his neighbours are being pestered. There are lots of people around his home and all he wants to do right now is have a little headspace. As a 22 year old, you can imagine, that it has all been quite unnerving, especially given the two years prior in which his life was pretty much at stake. After the case collapsed at Croydon Crown court, judge peter gower said the problem goes back for at least two decades in various forms. Trying to manage how much of the Background Information that the Police Gather in an investigation should be disclosed to the defence. Everyone working in the profession is aware that there are problems with filtering out the relevant material and sometimes it gets missed. Mr allan is a criminology student, he said he felt betrayed by a system he wanted to work in. Andy moore, bbc news. Our Legal Correspondent Clive Coleman is here. How unusual is this . In any criminal trial the prosecution are under a duty to disclose to the defence two things, anything that undermines its, the prosecutions case, or anything that assists the defence. Lawyers for a long time speaking to me have been really concerned that this process of disclosing evidence has gone awry as they point to report that was brought out injuly of this year from her majestiess inspectorate of constabulary, two staggering statistics from that report. They say firstly 22 of the disclosure schedules that they looked at were in their words, wholly inadequate. They also say that 78 of the files they examined we re that 78 of the files they examined were marked either poor, orfair. The disclosure is an absolute foundation of our criminaljustice system and the fear is that disclosure officers are not being properly trained properly resourced and theres also an uncomfortable truth here that in serious criminal and is, sexual allegations, sexual allegations of assault and rape, sometimes the complainant is not in fa ct a sometimes the complainant is not in fact a victim, in a small minority of cases. In those cases this disclosure fails innocent people go to prison. Clive coleman, thank you. Ryanair has agreed to recognise pilots unions for the first time to try to prevent strike action in the run up to christmas. The airline says its invited pilot unions from a number of European Countries to talks next week. Its urging its staff to call off the industrial action which is planned for wednesday 20th. Heres our business correspondent, joe lynam. Its europes Largest Airline in terms of passengers. It prides itself on low fares. And no frills. It has refused to recognise trade unions in its 32 year existence. Until now. Faced with a highly damaging strike next week, ryanair has invited pilots to talk about forming a trade union. In its letter to pilot unions in britain and ireland, and for four other countries, it said. This is a major change of tone from only three days ago, when the airline said it would face down the unions behind the planned strikes. Which it described as a small group which dont care how much they upset they cause colleagues or customers. This is pretty astounding news today from ryanair. Ryanair is known for toughing out on negotiations. It really reflects that the pilots are a key bargaining chip, i think. Christmas flights are very sensitive. It wont have been an easy decision for Michael Oleary to reach but i think they finally recognise they had to make a change in order to keep future industrial peace and a better position. But this offer to recognise unions comes with strings attached, ryanair says it will only recognise unions if they work exclusively for the airline so pilots with a rival carrier would not be allowed to negotiate with ryanair. They would form a Ryanair Company council and they would work with Union Officials and their negotiators and we would Work Together with them to try to come up with a collective agreement. What we dont want to get involved in is a British Airways pilot who could be a potential competitor of ours negotiating on behalf of ryanair pilots. If this offer from ryanair works, it could put thousands of passengers minds at ease as they plan their christmas holidays. But whether it will improve the Airlines Overall reputation, is as yet unclear. Joe lynam, bbc news. Our top story this lunchtime the brexit talks can move onto the next stage. Eu leaders in brussels agree sufficient progress has been made. And coming up nasa discovers a whole new star system in a galaxy far far away. Coming up in sport australia trail england by 200 runs at the end of the second day in perth. Steve smith nearing a century, as the hosts wrestle back momentum in the third ashes test. A firefighter has died while battling a huge wildfire north of los angeles. The blaze, which started 11 days ago, has now destroyed an area bigger than new york city and paris combined, and is on track to become the largest wildfire in californias history. The firefighting operation has already cost more than £60 million. Our correspondent james cook reports from the town of santa paula, in california. An orange glow is lighting up the night sky here, as this gigantic wildfire rages in the mountains to the north. More than 8,300 firefighters are now tackling the blaze, trying to prevent it from advancing into half a dozen towns, including santa barbara, on the pacific coast. Celebrities mansions are among 18,000 buildings at risk. More than 800 homes have already been destroyed. Were actually returning from down south, where we went to get some fresh air and visit a friend who just had a baby. But the smoke is now back down there. My mom had a Lung Transplant four years ago and so she has a compromised. She has pulmonary fibrosis. Im so concerned. We just left our house, just to see what the conditions are like, and its really bad. The firefighter who died has been identified as cory iverson, a 32 year old engineer, who is survived by his pregnant wife and two year old daughter. This is a tragic event, and its a reminder of the inherent dangers that we face here in california with wildfire, and the risks that we take in the fire service. We understand the job that we do when we get into this profession and we enjoy the idea of helping people. But what this tells us is that we should not take any time for granted. And our thoughts and prayers really go out to this individuals family. It has not rained here for more than eight months, and with dangerous gusty winds forecast, one fire chief said the weekend would bring a horrible combination of critical fire conditions. James cook, bbc news, in california. Britains most senior military officer has warned of a new threat posed by russia to Communications Cables that run under the sea. The chief of the defence staff, air chief marshall sir stuart peach, said britain and nato must do more to protect the communication lines. Heres our defence correspondent, jonathan beale. Theyre the arteries of the information age. Hundreds of thousands of miles of cables laid on the sea bed. The lifeblood to our way of life and the internet economy. 90 of Global Communications rely on them, theyre the means that allow £7 trillion worth of Financial Transactions a day. Reason enough, says britains top military chief, to worry about sabotage. And with one nation above any other in his sights, russia. Russia, in addition to new ships and submarines, to new ships and submarines, continues to perfect both unconventional capabilities. Can you imagine a scenario where those cables are cut or disrupted, which would immediately and potentially catastrophically affect both our economy and other ways of living . Theres been a recent increase in Russian Submarine activity, with Us Intelligence officials also warning theyve been aggressively operating in those areas where the cables are laid. The defence chief said britain and nato needed to match russias fleet modernisation. But the royal navys been shrinking. And with fears of yet more defence cuts, this was also a plea for more resources. This kind of problem and the protection of these assets does require more naval effort. And, of course, the number of ships and submarines of ships and submarines that weve got has been reducing over decades, actually. So it is a call for modernisation. So just how real is this threat of cutting cables or tapping lines of communication . The reality is, theyre more likely to be damaged by stray anchors or nature, even by curious sharks. And with dozens of cables and ships regularly carrying out repairs, it would be hard to completely sever these lines of communication. Yet in this era of information and unconventional warfare, it is a growing concern. Jonathan beale, bbc news. There was a catastrophic failure when the church of england agreed to compensate a woman who said shed been sexually abused by a bishop thats according to a lawyer who reviewed the case. The former bishop of chichester, george bell, who died in 1958, was alleged to have repeatedly abused a young girl. The woman made a formal complaint in 1995 and, ten years later, won an apology and compensation from the church of england. Our religious affairs correspondent, martin bashir, reports. Scholar, priest and champion of the oppressed george bell served as bishop of chichester for 30 years, until his death in 1958. But his reputation was suddenly challenged two years ago, when it emerged that this woman had made allegations that hed abused her when she was a child. I want people to know that he might have been a hero, but heroes dont always do good things. The church apologised and paid her more than £16,000 for what it called a devastating betrayal of trust. But supporters of bishop bell found the claims impossible to believe and demanded a review of the churchs handling of the allegations. Todays report is the result of an 18 month audit conducted by the barrister lord carlile. The way in which the george bell case was investigated was poor. That the wrong questions were asked, that there was oversteer in the investigation by which, i mean there were preconceptions, which were not in favour of george bell. The report contains a catalogue of criticisms. It says the investigation was very weak. Almost no effort was made to contact bishop bells family. And concludes that for bishop bells reputation to be catastrophically affected in the way that occurred was just wrong. As a church, we acknowledge that and we certainly dont want to hide want to hide from that, but we have put in place as youll be aware policies and guidelines. Were much more rigorous. Were much more better resourced. Were undertaking training on a much wider basis. And its for those reasons that i can see the church is taking safeguarding extremely seriously. Lord carliles review is the third occasion in this year alone that the church of england has had to acknowledge serious failings in its handling of child abuse allegations. Although in this case, it was not the alleged victim who suffered additional harm, but the reputation of a bishop who died 60 years ago. Martin bashir, bbc news, at church house. Before her murder, the mp jo cox set up a commission to tackle loneliness, saying she didnt want to live in a country where thousands of people are living lonely lives, forgotten by the rest of us. Now her campaign is calling for a government led strategy to address the problem saying it can be as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Danny savage reports. You cant catch me in the months before she was murdered, jo cox started a campaign to tackle loneliness. The mp said she didnt want to live in a country where thousands of people are living lonely lives, forgotten by the rest of us. The Campaign Carried on in her name, and has now concluded we all have to do our bit to combat loneliness. So hows your leg after your fall . Susan spent months feeling isolated and desperate, but things improved hugely when the Royal Voluntary Service befriended her. Oh, i was really low. I were depressed, i tried to take my own life. I were really bad. I were in a lot of pain. And if it wasnt for these people, all these people thats helping me now, i wouldnt be here. And i appreciate everything that peoples done for me. Its not always obvious to people that they might be lonely or in need of some companionship. And what we offer isnt somebody to come in and just talk at people. What were doing is, were saying to people would you like to be part of something where you meet somebody, you get to know them, they get to know you, and you create a friendship . This morning, injo coxs hometown of batley, the report was officially launched. This isntjust about being old. Loneliness can affect us at any stage in our lifespan. Jos sister spoke passionately about getting people talking about loneliness. Ive spoken to loads of people recently who think, you know, communities arent like they used to be, where you knew your neighbours and you knew everybodys name. And its trying to sort of reconnect people so we get back to that. Have you got some mince pies in . No. Thejo cox Loneliness Commission suggests government and employers must do their bit to deal with loneliness, but also, that individuals and communities are the most important for preventing isolation. Danny savage, bbc news, batley. In the ashes, a century from batsman Jonny Bairstow helped england post a total of 403, as they look to fight back in the five match series. They need at least a draw in perth this week to avoid a series defeat. But australia had the better of day two, and at the end of play, the hosts werejust 200 runs behind england, with seven wickets remaining. Andy swiss reports from perth. The waca is traditionally where australian heroes are made, but would this be another day for english ones . Well, it seemed so at first, as dawid malan and Jonny Bairstow picked up their marathon partnership where theyd left off. Bairstow completing a superb century. After his now infamous incident in a perth bar, he celebrated by head butting his helmet. England were enjoying themselves. But out of nowhere, guess what . Malan went to a brilliant catch by Peter Hanscomb for 1110, and the rest crumbled in all too familiar fashion. Losing their last six wickets in 48 mind boggling minutes. Theyjust made it to the 400 mark, but it should have been so much better. Well, to be all out by lunchtime here wasnt exactly part of englands plan. That was some batting collapse, even by their standards, and australia are suddenly right back in it. So could englands bowlers repair the damage . Well, they made a decent start Craig Overton removing both openers, but further chances slipped through theirfingers. They were difficult ones, but they proved damaging. Usman khawaja made a half century by the time he was eventually trapped leg before, and there was no budging his skipper. Steve smith still there on 92. If only some of englands earlier batting had shown such stickability. You can look at it and go, yeah, weve letand go, yeah, weve let the position slip. But at the same time, ourjob now when we come back in the morning is a case of, right, we have got the capabilities of taking five, six wickets in a session, we have shown that previously, so there is no reason why we cant now. A day which belonged to australia, then, but a test which england cant afford to lose is still tantalisingly poised. Andy swiss, bbc news, perth. The us space agency, nasa, says its discovered an eighth planet circling a distant sun making it the first solar system to have the same number of planets as our own. The eight orbiter star, known as kepler 90, and the discovery reveals an order like earth and its neighbours with small planets nearest the sun, and bigger ones further away. Paul rincon reports. Astronomers have discovered more than 3,000 planets circling other stars but very few plans to systems resemble our own. Now a team using the kepler space telescope has confirmed the distant existence seven were seven were already known but experts trained a Software Programme to recognise known planets and the programme search to raw data and identified a previously unknown world. The planet we found, kepler 90, is the smallest of the bunch and orbits just outside the inner two planets. The new planet is small enough that we think it is probably rocky and does not have a big b, the surfaces like we scorching hot. We calculated it probably has an average temperature of 800 fahrenheit. They used computers to look into data and bind things people did not have spot have time to spot, providing good candidates for worlds hidden within the kepler data, machines can up the slack and go and discover these worlds. The distant planetary system is ordered like our own, with the small worlds nearest the star and biggest planets further away. All the planets further in towards their parent star which is known as kepler 90, which means they are probably too hot for life as we know it, but Machine Learning Kabeer Yousaf bind the signatures of earth sized worlds elsewhere in the cosmos. That could lead to Ground Breaking discoveries in the search for life in the universe. Kensington palace has announced that prince harry and Meghan Markle will marry on may martine made the 19th next year. They had been dating since the summer and announced their engagement in november. They will marry at st georges chapel at windsor castle. Time for a look at the weather