Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20180109

Welcome to bbc news. Theresa may has appointed more women and mps from ethnic minority backgrounds as ministers, at the end of a two day reshuffle designed to recharge her government. The Prime Minister said her reshuffle makes the government look more like the country it serves. But labour described the changes as lacklustre pr exercise. Our deputy Political Editor john pienaar has more. Allowed through the door at number ten today for a quick peek at the new look cabinet. Nobody moved. Almost nobody moved yesterday, because theresa may couldnt make them. Where is she . There she is. Jeremy hunt, the health secretary, was in the way and wouldnt budge, just like yesterday. The new faces in the top team were happy enough, though. Theres lots of energy, lots of ideas. It was a really important meeting this morning, with a sense of renewed vigour. And the losers . I did what i thought the right thing to do was. Justine greening, now ex education secretary, had no regrets. She wouldnt switch jobs. Now shesjogged off. You have to be careful about who you alienate. You cant make too many enemies . No, you cant. That is the simple truth of all reshuffles. But i do think the Prime Minister has balanced it well. We have stability at cabinet level, and we have new blood coming through into the other layers of government. So the balancing act, shes got right. Bringing the tory party closer to people was todays mission, making government look more like the electorate and somehow retrieving old loyalties that were junked by potential voters. Excited about the prospect ofjoining the government . So for thosejudged the brightest and the best, the guessing game was over. You live in hope these days. Are you pleased with your newjob . They left number ten happier than they went in. Some couldnt bear to wait for the official announcement before passing on the news. Congratulations, what have you got . Altogether, 1a mps were given jobs, eight of them women and five from ethnic minorities. Meanwhile, another plan went wrong today. Toby young, appointed to the board of a new university regulator, resigned under pressure. He had helped set up free schools, but past inflammatory comments and tweets forced him to step down before he could start his new role. An embarrassment to the government, but a relief to critics, including tories. Clearly, Due Diligence wasnt done. I made it clear i thought it was the wrong thing to do because of some very extreme things that toby young had said in the past on eugenics, on the disabled and the way he described working class people. Newly appointed and promoted ministers are looking happy tonight. They always do. But this reshuffle, the ministers theresa may couldnt move or sack, has been as much a mark of her political vulnerability as the sign of strength her party wanted. Tory mps can only hope for a tighter grip at the top in what will be a defining year. British politics is as volatile as its been in modern times. Unpredictability is the new normal. John pienaar, bbc news, westminster. Our Political Correspondent iain watson is in westminster. More women coming into the cabinet, junior post it is has to be said, more ethnic minorities too. Obviously moving the big beasts was going to be difficult for theresa may. Is there a sense, though, from the party that she had a bad hand but dealt it fairly well . |j the party that she had a bad hand but dealt it fairly well . I think today was seen as better than yesterday to be honest, what effectively downing street is saying is look, what shes doing is giving people a step up, some of the new inta kes, people a step up, some of the new intakes, some of the people who joined parliament in 2015 and 2017 and putting these people in the pipeline, if you like, means in due course you will see them at top levels of government, a more diverse grouping around that cabinet table, people who look more like the britain that they aspire to govern. So, for example, we are seeing downing street would say 37 women in ministerial posts of one kind or another. Now the total number of people from ethnic minorities in government posts has risen to nine. The government effectively is saying that at this stage today at the junior ministerial level we are seeing where the government may be going some way in the future. Whereas yesterday, of course, the story was about two things, effectively that theresa may was too wea k to effectively that theresa may was too weak to move some of the big beasts in government in any case, they would say this is all about stability, but in fact there was a lot of criticism from brexiteers and the chancellor, lots of criticism across the board with borisjohnson, neither of them were moved. Jeremy hunt effectively fought successfully for hisjob hunt effectively fought successfully for his job and when talk about more diversity, of course, the education secretary choose to go, she was somebody who came from a comprehensive school backing, justine greening, she was also somebody who is gay and also from the north of england, so all the things that perhaps a diverse conservative party might actually wa nt conservative party might actually want but she was let go because she wouldnt accept a different job. There is some criticism even of the people who are now sitting around that cabinet table when it comes to diversity because the sutton trust has looked at their backgrounds and saying will is more people from fee paying schools, more from oxbridge than before this reshuffle, so the government may have yet a bit of work on their hands but there is a feeling at westminster and amongst the conservative party that what the Prime Minister was trying to achieve today was far more successful than what she did 2a hours ago. Today was far more successful than what she did 24 hours ago. 0k, thank you. The prognosis from fleet street on day one of the reshuffle wasnt that good it has to be said. Reviews came in. What will tomorrow mornings front pages say about the latest goings and comings from number10 . We will find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrows front pages this evening in the papers. My guests tonight are charlie wells, deputy snapchat editor at the economist and hugh muir, associate editor at the guardian. North and south korea have held their first talks for more than two years, and have agreed to further discussions to ease military tensions in the region. It came after the north confirmed itll be sending a team to the Winter Olympics in south korea next month. From seoul, Rupert Wingfield hayes reports. The skiers on the slopes of pyeongchang today were moving a little slower than they will be in a months time. Then, the worlds best will be flying down these pistes. And now we know that when the Olympic Games open here on february 7th, there will be a full north korean team competing. They will march in side by side with their south korean compatriots. Translation i think with sport, we can put everything aside and everyone should do their best to achieve their goals in the competition. North korea isjust 50 miles away in that direction, and the north has really completely overshadowed preparations for the olympics here. Some teams have threatened to pull out. Ticket sales have been slow you can see this place isnt exactly humming with skiers. So there is immense relief here that the north and the south are now at least talking. This morning, north koreas chief delegate, ri son gwon, strode across the demarcation line that divides the two koreas. He warmly shook the hand of his south korean counterpart. The weather is cold, he said, but despite the cold, the peoples desire for improving relations is unfrozen. Its hard to overstate how dramatic and rapid this shift has been. Its only a month since north korea test fired this huge new missile, boasting that it could hit any city in the United States. Off the coast of korea, us aircraft carriers massed, their decks swarming with supersonic strike aircraft. It felt like this region was teetering on the brink of war. So is pyongyangs sudden change of heart real, orjust a tactic to avoid war with america . North korea would like to gain time in order to avoid a potential immediate retaliation by the United States against its wmd facilities and eventually re engage in the provocation cycle so that it can threaten the United States with nuclear action. The Winter Olympics may be a cover for kim jong un, a convenient excuse for him to step back from the brink. But here in the south, any chance to talk is better than the terrifying alternative. Rupert wingfield hayes, bbc news, in pyeongchang, south korea. Joining me now from washington is mark fitzpatrick, the executive director of the International Institute for strategic studies. Thank you forjoining us, good to see you. What do you make of this thawing of the relationship between the north, the first time theyve engained in protracted talks for more than two years now, and now the possibility of a north korean delegation going to the Winter Olympics in the south . Its remarkable, not just the fact of the talks after such a period of ice, but also what theyve already a p pa re ntly but also what theyve already apparently achieved. Talking not just about participation in the olympics, but a resumption of the talks between divided families, old people who havent seen each other since the korean war and also talks about tension reduction along the border, whether any of that gets anywhere is always up for grabs, but it is quite re markable suddenly theyre making it is quite re markable suddenly they re making progress it is quite re markable suddenly theyre making progress where there had been no progress the last few yea rs had been no progress the last few years and one might ask why . Probably a combination of things. Well, why, what do you think . Well, i think there are three factors here, the other reporter alluded to these. One is that north korea may well wa nt to these. One is that north korea may well want to avoid a us attack. Theres been so much talk in washington where i am located about the possibility of so called bloody nose option, trying to strike north korea. Theres a possibility that the United States with this tough talk actually has deterred north korea. Theres a second option, reason, is this is an opportunity time for north korea to reap some gains because south korea places such an emphasis on a successful peaceful olympics, its a time where north korea can try to get some concessions. Thirdly, i dont think one can overlook the possibility that north korea has reached its goal in the nuclear and missile programme, it said so in its new years day address and so now is a time where they can pause for a while. Driving a wedge between the south korean leadership and washington by making the south koreans believe that there is a peaceful future ahead would be an obvious reason for the rapprochement from the north . Thats obviously another reason, north korea would be foolish not to try to drive a wedge during this time when they would seem to have some advantage because of south koreas need for this peaceful olympics. But the south korean officials i have talked with say dont worry, theyre not going to make concessions without full consultation with the United States. Soi consultation with the United States. So i think the bonds between south korea and the United States are still pretty firm. All right, mark fitzpatrick, thank you. You are welcome, happy to talk to you. A court has heard that the former football coach Barry Bennell was a predatory and determined paedophile, who is alleged to have subjected a number of boys to abuse on more than 100 occasions. Bennell, who is now known as richard jones, denies multiple historical sex offence charges. The prosecution said that some of the abuse took place in the grounds of crewe alexandra, where bennell was coach, but also at his home. Our Sports Editor dan roan reports. A successful former coach in the 1980s, Barry Bennell worked with some of the most promising young footballers in the northwest of england, Youth Team Coach at crewe alexandra. He also had links with Manchester City and stoke city. But today, Liverpool Crown court was told the 63 year old, who now calls himself richard jones, was also a predatory, determined and dangerous paedophile. For the prosecution, Nicholas Johnson qc told the jury that bennell, who appeared via video link because of ill health, engaged in a course of conduct over many years involving systematic and persistent sexual abuse of pre or peri pubescent boys. He had pretty much unfettered access to large numbers of young lads who dreamt of life in professional football. Although it seemed that mr bennell was a skilled and relatively successful coach, he said, he had a much darker side. The court was told that bennell had previously served two prison sentences, both here and in the United States for serious Sexual Offences against junior footballers, but that he insisted the current complainants were maliciously making up stories about him, seeking attention or compensation. The court was told that bennell subjected boys to hundreds of assaults and even carried out some of his crimes here, in one of the changing rooms in the ground of crewe alexandra. But several alleged victims also played for clubs linked to Manchester City. One alleged that he was abused when aged between 11 and 13 more than 100 times after bennell introduced himself as a scout for the club. Another claimed he was abused at bennells house and on football tours, where horror movies would be played to soften up his victims. And one complainant who threatened to report the abuse said bennell told him that nobody would believe him and that, ive got people playing professional football now that ive done these things to youre nothing. The jury was told they would have to decide between bennells version of events or believe the prosecutions case that hed committed Sexual Offences on a large scale against very vulnerable lads. The trial continues. Dan roan, bbc news, liverpool. Eight people have been arrested during a series of raids investigating Human Trafficking and sexual abuse. Around 150 officers took part in a joint operation in stockton on tees and in sheffield this morning. Immigration teams were also involved. It followed a young woman reporting to police that she had been trafficked around the country and subjected to Sexual Offences. The newly reshuffled cabinet meets for the first time. North and south korea hold talks. The north will also attend the olympics over the border. A former football coach goes on trial accused of 48 historical Sexual Offences against young boys. Sport now, and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. I reckon you are a havent more there with the footie a monitor. The championship side knocked Manchester United out in the quarter finals. Manchester city had the better of the opening stages with that seriously threatening the goal. That shot was deflected wide. Bristol city havent let themselves be completely dominated, though. Pep guardiolas named a strong side. Four changes to the one that knocked burnley out of the fa cup. Kevin de bruyne is captain tonight. Its goalless, though. The Football Association has anounced a range of initiatives and policy changes to improve diversity throughout the game. They will introduce their own version of the rooney rule implemented in the american nfl whereby at least one candidate from the bame, black, asian and minority ethnic groups will be interviewed if they are qualified. We wa nt we want to become a more Inclusive Organisation where the workforce of the fa more represents the people that play football today. I think the message it sends out is the fa is for all, we have always, we talk about that, you know. What it will say is that the opportunities to have a career beyond playing in the fa and wider football workforce is something thats both desirable and something thats both desirable and something thats both desirable and something that the fa is serious about promoting. Peter beadsley has been asked to take a period of leave while newcastle continue their investigation into allegations of bullying and racism made against him. He is the under 23s coach at the club, 22 year old winger Yasin Ben El Mhanni made a formal complaint at the weekend. Beardsley has released statement and says that he categorically denies the allegations. Uk sport has set team gb a target of at least five medals at next months Winter Olympics in south korea. The Current Record is four set in 1924 and also the last games in sochi. Team gbs paralympic athletes have been set a target of seven. Heres our Sports Correspondent joe wilson has more. Korean cultural centre. For everything the games means to the hosts nation it means more than ever to british sport. An audience gathered to hear the targets. Every time it seems to be this will be the best ever this time. You think, is it possible to keep going . The great thing with the Winter Olympics and paralympics, it is a games that is developing in great britain, we have had some really impressive results over the past few Olympic Games and paralympic games. We are seeing more consistency now. It is an area we can grow. Speed skater Elise Christie could win two medals for britain on her own. As for the winter paralympics, the medal target is at least seven. There is always more to be played for. You make connections where you see them. What we do see is the profound sense people get from the paralympics, that it is high class sport, but with a higher purpose, it tells you something about your self and what is possible. I hope will challenge perceptions of disability in society. The uks investment in pyeongchangs winner sport is £32 million of lottery money. As ever, that is only fun if it pays off. Joe wilson, bbc news, central london. Thats all the sport for now. Its still goalless at the ethiad stadium. March city there beginning to knock at the door Manchester City. Thank you for that, olly. The number of people waiting more than four hours in accident and Emergency Departments in scotland reached a record high in the last week of 2017. New figures show only 78 of patients were seen within the governments four hour target, the lowest proportion since weekly data started being published three years ago. Heres our scotland editor sarah smith. Busy accident Emergency Departments in scotland mean patients are facing their longest recorded waiting times. Last week, over 100,000 patients waited more than four hours to be seen. Nearly 300 waited longer than 12 hours, figures described today as a disgrace. The figures out today are for the week ending in hogmanay, a very, very challenging week for our Health Service, flu really beginning to kick in that week. For example, 40 increase in calls to the Scottish Ambulance service on hogmanay alone. Of course, our staff are working extremely hard on the front line to keep patients safe. In the week between christmas and new year, only 78 of people visiting a e were seen within the target of four hours. Thats compared to 92 for the same week the year before. The delays are not because of increased patient numbers. Only 635 more people attended a e departments. One reason given for the increased waiting times is a surge in flu infections. Cases of flu in scotland are running at more than double the rate in england, more than twice as many as there were last year, and thats now a significant concern. I just wasnt sure. Patients with flu take longer to assess and require treatment in individual rooms, as staff try to minimise the spread of infection. The team have had to work extremely hard all the way over christmas and the new year period. Worse than before . I would say so. Ive been doing this job for many years and i think its probably one of the busiest times weve had. The health minister, visiting a hospital in perth, insists the scottish nhs is performing well overall, with far fewer cancelled operations than south of the border. In lanarkshire, some of the nhs admin staff have been volunteering on the wards to help the overstretched nurses. I was a bed buster. Whats a bed buster . It was basically going to help the ward staff to strip down the beds after a patient had been discharged so that its cleaned and made up and ready for the patient to come into, and do that as quickly as possible to save the nursing staff doing it themselves. Nhs spending is significantly higher in scotland, about £160 more per person than in england. Greater integrated health and social care is meant to mean fewer delayed discharges, less bed blocking, but todays figures show that the Winter Health crisis has hit scotland hard. Sarah smith, bbc news, perth. Virgin trains have stopped stocking the daily mail on board their west coast route. The company said concern had been raised by colleagues about the mails editorial position on issues such as immigration, lgbt rights and unemployment. The daily mail has accused the company of censoring the choice of newspapers offered to passengers. A year ago today, the late Martin Mcguinness resigned as stormonts deputy first minister. His party, sinn fein, and the democratic unionists have since been unable to reach an agreement to restore the power sharing coalition. Civil servants have been running Northern Ireland but theyre not able to make any major decisions. Annita mcveigh has been spending the day at stormont reflecting on the past 12 months. Iam here i am here in the great hall at stormont, extremely quiet. A shadow really of the place it once was a year ago. Whats happened in the last year, well, amongst other things, a series of pretty elastic deadlines set by the previous secretary of state, james brokenshire, deadlines that passed really without any sort of sanction for a lack of progress and so thats the sort of situation that the new secretary of state Karen Bradley now finds herself at the helm of, whether she can inject any momentum, any new ideas to make a change, well, we have to see when she arrives here and gets talking properly to the parties. With a look back first of all at how we got to this point here is our ireland correspondent chris page. Just like everywhere else in the uk, the Health Service in Northern Ireland is under severe pressure this winter, but whats different here is that theres no health minister. Three months before it collapsed, the devolved government published a plan to restructure the nhs after a report said the system was at breaking point. No problem with your Blood Pressure before . No. This gp says urgent reforms are being held up because ministers are out of office. We already see it with the long waiting lists for secondary care. We see it with the lack of investment in social care. We see it with the issues around the out of Hours Service and we see it with the heavy demands on access to gp services, and thats where the patients will see it primarily. Others who rely on public money to do theirjobs say that uncertainty is unacceptable. Youre too neat by nature. This workshop for people with dementia is one of hundreds of programmes run by Community Arts organisations. They say their future is shaky because of funding cuts, but they feel theyve nowhere to go to make their case. We have no government, we have no champion, we have no minister. So weve nobody to turn to to support policy changes, to support the communities here. This is a crisis moment for us. The political crisis is apparently still as deep as a year ago. Martin mcguinness ended sinn feins Uneasy Partnership with the democratic unionists when he resigned as deputy first minister. There have since been elections to stormont and westminster and several rounds of talks to restore power sharing. But many days of negotiations have failed to break the deadlock. The dup and sinn fein increased their dominance in both elections last year and they blame each other for the stormont stalemate. In the meantime, unmade decisions are piling up. Half of the construction industrys business comes from Public Sector projects. Workers are concerned about a downturn in demand. Within the next few months, unless decisions are made and projects and things start to move forward, i think we could see a situation where were seeing layoffs in the construction industry. We need to see the executive and the assembly reestablished as soon as possible. The british and Irish Governments are aiming to restart talks between the parties in the coming weeks. At the moment, theres no sign of a deal to bring devolution out of the deep freeze. Chris page, bbc news, belfast. With me is the author and commentator barry rowan. Its pretty much a year ago to the day we had a conversation about this situation. Has much changed since then . conversation about this situation. Has much changed since then . I think things have got worse. Just look around us. Its a ghost house. Its around us. Its a ghost house. Its a Parliament Without purpose. Its a Parliament Without credibility. It is pretend politics. You mentioned in the introduction about the elastic deadlines which have been stretched, stretched almost to breaking point now i think in terms of credibility. The trenches are getting deeper and there is no sign of any breakthrough. Yet both the main parties, dup and sinn fein, profess publicly they would be willing to get back to talks tomorrow. Why havent they . Because they want to talk about different things. The sinn fein bottom lines, around Irish Language act, marriage equality, a legacy process, are set ata equality, a legacy process, are set at a height the dup wontjump. Theyve also, sinn fein have made this clear, theyre not interested in another round of talks which is talking for talking sake. So unless you shake this up, change it, do something different, i think we could be standing here in a years time talking about the same things. I also think if it wasnt for the dup tory arrangement at westminster, we may have arrived at a position already where the bolts are on the door of this place. Do you think the Irish Government and British Government will have to step in, in a more formal way whatever that might be . Again thats difficult. Because the dup are making it very clear that if we dont have an executive soon, we need Northern Ireland Office Direct rule ministers here at stormont. Dublin have a different attitude, the Irish Foreign minister said in this hall that theres no such thing as british only direct rule. Him and the taoiseach are not going to sit quietly in a corner and theyve said if we dont have an executive here decisions should be taken in an intergovernmental conference. For unionists thats dublin interference in Northern Ireland and it makes a bad situation worse in their terms. Soi bad situation worse in their terms. So ijust think bad situation worse in their terms. So i just think we are bad situation worse in their terms. So ijust think we are no bad situation worse in their terms. So i just think we are no further forward than we were a year ago and i wouldnt be surprised, wouldnt be shocked and we are in the year of the 20th anniversary of the good friday agreement, i wouldnt be shockedif friday agreement, i wouldnt be shocked if on this date next year we are standing here having a similar conversation. Thank you very much. Certainly i have been hearing pretty pessimistic assessments today about the possibility, the chance of progress. I should add brexit is a complicating factor in this. The differences between the two main parties, the dup which supports brexit, and sinn fein, which doesnt and another complicating factor is the dups pact with theresa may as well. So i think talking to people today whats very clear is that there doesnt seem to be a roadmap ahead and perhaps that is the first and key challenge for Karen Bradley to establish one. Heavy snow across the alps has cut off towns and villages and raised the avalanche risk to the highest level in some areas. One swiss resort has begun airlifting out tourists by helicopter after snow blocked rail and road access. So much snow, literally tonnes of it. Its sheer weight forces it down to the valleys. This was the scene in switzerland. No one was hurt but the avalanche risk is the highest its been for almost a decade. Over a metre of snow fell in parts of the alps on monday alone. In the italian resort, residents were evacuated when snow poured down into their homes. Villages are cut off, many schools are closed. This is france. Translation we heard a big noise at first. No tremor but a very big noise, a huge growl. Then i saw the cloud coming down so we ran back and into the basement. Its always a shock, its always. Its not nice to see. We bought the house would explode. When you see that, your heart sinks. In the shadow of the famous matterhorn, over 13,000 tourists in the swiss resort of zermatt cannot leave. Snow has blocked road and rail links. Skiing isnt possible, slopes are closed because of the avalanche danger. Residents and holiday makers alike are being warned to avoid high alpine raids and to follow all safety advice. Those stranded in cut off villages may have to be patient. Another metre of snow is forecast in the next 24 hours. Imagine folks, bbc news, geneva. Life on the road can be challenging for any reporter. Ow you Little Nipper spare a thought for this reporter who was covering the annual stock take of animals and unsurprisingly the clip has gone viral. Now time for a look at the weather. Sunny skies on the way back many of you. This will move slowly northwards and eastwards. Patchy light rain and drizzle by the time we get to dawn. Temperatures could drop low enough for some frost. Some icy conditions on thursday morning. Patches of four could linger. A bit ofa patches of four could linger. A bit of a misty start for eastern parts of a misty start for eastern parts of england. One or two struggling to brighten up, but for many, sunny spells will develop throughout the day. Feeling a good deal better than it has the past few days, temperatures around 5 10. On wednesday night, with clear skies and light winds, if you showers towards the south west. England and wales, Northern Ireland especially seeing fog. Where you get the sunshine with light winds, again, shouldnt feel too bad. This is bbc news, our latest headlines. The newly reshuffled cabinet meets for the first time as theresa may refreshes the junior government ranks too. A court has been told the former football coach, Barry Bennell, was a predatory and determined paedophile who engaged in the systematic abuse of young boys. He denies 48 counts of child sexual abuse. North korea has agreed to military talks with the south and to send a delegation to the 2018 winter Olympic Games there next month. The two countries held their first talks for more than two years. The number of people waiting more than four hours in scotlands accident and emergency units reached record high levels in the last week of the year. The worst is yet to come for diesel cars which will see their sales continue to plunge, a study has warned. Professor david bailey, an authority on the motor industry, said diesels slow death was being driven by environmental pressures and consumer confusion. He is urging the government to set up a scrappage scheme to encourage drivers to switch to electric cars. Last year, new car sales in the uk fell for the First Time Since 2011. And in 2017 diesel sales dropped by 17 . They predict that diesel cars will account for only 15 of the market by 2025, down from 50 . Jim holder is editorial director of what car and autocar. Its good to see you. This is no surprise really, is it . We know the Environmental Concerns are weighing on peoples minds, and diesel cars, frankly, it would seem have had their day. Yes, i think that would bea their day. Yes, i think that would be a slightly extreme view, if im honest. I think what were seeing is that diesel cars can both environmentally and economically be a good choice for some drivers. They have to be drivers who do long distances or drive heavy vehicles. I think the point the professor is making is that public confusion is driving down the sales of diesel and it is driving some people to buy eight non diesel car when diesel could be the best choice for them. Certainly it is under pressure and the fuel in the long term probably doesnt have a strong future. But the near term, it can still suit a lot of people a lot of the time. What is the confusion the public have . The confusion is drawn from a lot of these negative headlines that keep on coming through. They branded diesel is dirty diesel. Its not a black and white situation, its not one size fits all. The latest most modern diesels are the cleanest and in some cases they are as clean as petrol. What we are seeing is that people dont really understand, its ha rd to people dont really understand, its hard to explain the difference between a Diesel Engine that is modern and an older Diesel Engine. They are categorised in very scientific terms. The rhetoric coming from the government and Mainstream Press is about dirty diesel. The truth is that the latest diesels can be clean and can be a good choice. I think the industry is struggling to get this point across. Of course its struggling because its been undermined, its lost a lot of credibility since the volkswagen scandal. The government and press piling in, is finding it ha rd to and press piling in, is finding it hard to fight its corner and to make the case based around the actual fa cts the case based around the actual facts of their own test and of other far tougher tests that are carried out around the world and which are proving that the latest diesels can be clean. What about what the mayor of london wants to do which is bring in bt charge for diesel vehicles . Thats the kind of thing thats going to put people off isnt it . Absolutely. If you read the fine wording on his proposals, it is to introduce the tcharge for older diesels. The best way to lower emissions anywhere is of course to get people into newer vehicles which are much more efficient. So really what the mayor is trying to do is complimentary to what the industry wa nts. Complimentary to what the industry wants. Hes trying to drive the older most polluting diesels out of london. That is exactly what the industry wants. It wants people to buy new cars which are much cleaner. The newer vehicles that you say and that the industry says are as clean as some of the worst polluting petrol ones, what year are we talking about here . You can buy the latest diesels now. All the cars on sale now meet a standard called a u6 which is widely categorised as being the highest standard in the world. What weve got coming over the next 23 what weve got coming over the next 2 3 years is a series of much tougher legislation which will bring it in real world fuel economy testing and other much tougher tests. By the end of that we can truly say that europe will have the toughest tests in the world. The diesels you can buy today, they are already meeting a very, very high standard. The testing is getting tougher, the industry is working harder than ever. It is investing billions of pounds in improving its technology. Thank you. A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and two others are being sought by police, after a shop worker was attacked in an argument about cigarette papers. Officers say when staff refused to serve them because of their age, they became aggressive. The victim, vijay patel, died in hospital yesterday. Our special correspondent, lucy manning, reports from north london. He worked hard in this shop in the quiet suburbs of north london, but one punch was to end vijay patels life. On saturday night, Abdullah Rahimzai was working alongside mr patel when three teenagers were told they couldnt buy cigarette papers unless they could prove they were 18. They threatened me to break the window, so thats why i ask him. I wish i didnt send him to the window, but because of the threat the guys made, i asked him only to see. When i reached the door, he was already knocked down. He was hit one punch. The family released this photo of mr patel in hospital before he died to try to help catch those who killed him. For his relatives in slough, disbelief a night at work could end with such violence. He was just the greatest man. He was innocent, he was kind. He loved everyone and thats why we all loved him as well. He was the pillar of the house. You know how you take out the pillar and the house is not there, its like this. Everyone is broken down. Mr patel had come from india a decade ago, working all hours to help his family. He came to this country so he could support his family, so he could support his children. He could give them a better life. So they could get the best education as well. So they could have better lifes ahead. A Better Future ahead as well. Police say mr patel was murdered for trying to make others obey the law. It was a completely unprovoked attack on a man just doing hisjob here. The police have now arrested a 16 year old and are looking for two other teenagers. Mr patels nephew, the same age as the boy arrested, cant understand why they attacked him. One punch and one family left with nothing but their grief. Lucy manning, bbc news. The director general of the bbc has been asked to appear before mps to answer questions about gender and pay at the corporation. Lord hall will face questions by the culture and media select committee. The request comes after the bbcs former china editor Carrie Gracie resigned from her post after complaining about unequal pay. Shes also been asked to appear before mps. Prince harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle have visited a youth Radio Station in brixton in south london on their first royal engagement of the year. Hundreds of people lined the streets outside the reprezent studios to welcome them. Nick witchells report contains flash photography. They travel with all the paraphernalia of royalty, but harry and meghan are the new royal couple determined to do things just a little differently. So this was a visit to a Radio Station, housed in old shipping containers. Cheering. Believe it or not everyone is listening and im in the same room as the royal couple right now. This is reprezent fm in brixton, south london, set up 10 years ago to help tackle inner city issues, like knife crime. It gives young people a purpose and trains them to be broadcasters. I can see why your shows so popular because youre so thoughtful in the approach, but also so engaging to listen to. Thank you. Inside the station, harry and meghan were getting to know the broadcasting class of 2018. Outside it was apparent that royaltys newest recruit is reaching new audiences herself. The support from brixton, it was just a lot of people of colour that were just cheering her on. Obviously you could tell that she was quite surprised the reception she got. She looked shocked, didnt she . I thought that, yeah. Yeah, because everyone was shouting for meghan and not really harry. Get out of the way. We want to see meghan we want to see meghan, demanded the crowds in south london. Expect to hear a lot of that between now and the wedding in may, and beyond. Nicholas witchell, bbc news. The headlines on bbc news. The newly reshuffled cabinet meets for the first time, as theresa may put the finishing touches to some junior positions today. North and south korea hold their first talks in more than two years. The north will also attend this years Winter Olympics over the border. A former football coach goes on trial, accused of 48 historical sex offences against young boys. An update on the market numbers for you heres how londons and frankfurt ended the day. And in the the United States this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. Researchers have warned that Climate Change is creating a dangerous gender imbalance of green sea turtles in parts of the Great Barrier reef. The scientists from the Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the higher the temperature at which turtle eggs incubate, the more likely they are to produce females. The bbcs online team have been looking into the details. Ambient music throughout. With me now is larry crowder, professor of Marine Ecology and conservation from Stanford University in california. Its good to see you. Thank you for being with us. This seems like a strange phenomenon. I suppose those people who believe that Climate Change is a huge problem and the seas are warming up, change is a huge problem and the seas are warming up, this is a by product of that . Seas are warming up, this is a byproduct of that . Well, sea turtles have temperature dependent sex determination. Whether you believe in Climate Change or not, the sea turtles are telling us the waters are warming, the beaches are warming. How much of a problem is this for the future of the animal . Weve done a lot to try to bring turtles back from the brink of extinction. One change is a really daunting issue, because warming of beachesis daunting issue, because warming of beaches is skewing turtle populations towards female all over the world. If its not highly skewed, if there are three or 47 females per mail, we think that wont be a problem. But on the Great Barrier reef example that was just published, almost 100 of the turtles being produced female. What can be done to mitigate the circumstances this . Well, some of the press suggested pretty invasive approaches like generating artificial rain to cool this and. Giving the stretch of beach is the turtles are on around the world, that would be really difficult to do exceptin that would be really difficult to do except in extreme cases. In other cases, turtles have some tricks they can also pull like they can ship their geographic range away from the tropics towards the poles to encounter more cool stand. They can also nest earlier in the season. There is some evidence to suggest turtles are making those adjustments. Whether that will be enough to keep them from experiencing Climate Change impact toward extinction, we dont know. Thats the difficulty, isnt it . Mother nature seems to have an in built way of dealing with a certain rise in sea temperatures, but if the rises are extreme that is going to be difficult. Man has to intervene. Yes, i think man has generated an extreme problem here, and the turtles and corals and various organisms around the world have tricks to deal with climate variability. Turtles have been around for 100 million years so theyve experienced changes before. But what they are up against now with the human threats is potentially a really serious issue that could require pretty substantial intervention. Thank you. Proposals to ban parents and carers in wales from smacking their children have been published. Ministers say smacking is no longer acceptable, and want to follow scotland in outlawing the physical punishment of children. But campaigners against a change fear it could criminalise ordinary parents. Sian lloyd has the details. Its the turn of the people of wales to say where they stand on smacking. The government here wants to see it banned. Its plans would see the defence of reasonable punishment removed from the offences of assault and battery. Similar proposals have already been announced in scotland. The Welsh Government says it wants to bring in the move as part of a wider package of measures to support young people. Many more parents now will say the approach to positive parenting, not using physical punishment, is what they do as a matter of course. But i think that will make that the norm across society to show that physical punishment of children is not only not necessary but shouldnt be allowed. There will now be a 12 week consultation, allowing the welsh public to contribute to the debate. No, i dont think its appropriate to smack children, because i dont think it is productive, really. I dont think that stops them from behaving a certain way. A little tap like that on the hand i dont think is terrible, but, no, not, you know, a big whack. If you are teaching them not to be violent or hit people, you shouldnt hit them. Its hypocritical. The Welsh Governments plans are already being supported by the childrens commissioner for wales and some childrens charities, including the nspcc. But others are critical, claiming most parents know where to draw the line between chastisement and abuse, and that their judgment should be trusted. Sian lloyd, bbc news, cardiff bay. The nominations for this years British Academy film awards have been announced. The fantasy romance the shape of water leads the field, with 12 nominations. Joanna lumley will host the awards ceremony, replacing stephen fry, whos stepped down from the role. Heres our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba. The shape of water, a tender Science Fiction fantasy, with britains Sally Hawkins playing a mute cleaner who falls in love with a water creature. A best actress nomination for hawkins, one of 12 for the movie, including best film. You have wanted this your entire adult life. No, since the nursery. Just behind, two films have nine nomination. Wartime drama darkest hour, where both gary oldman and Kristin Scott thomas are recognised for best actor and best supporting actress. So mildred hayes, why did you put up these billboards. My daughter angela was murdered seven months ago. And dark drama three billboards outside ebbing, missouri. Like the shape of water, its strongly female led, with Frances Mcdormand nominated for best actress. This is a year where, unusually, two of the three most nominated films feature strong women at the centre, with the men only supporting roles. And this yearfemale led doesnt just apply to many of the nominated movies. The awards ceremony will be presented by a woman, for the first time in over 15 years. Another significant piece of Film Industry symbolism for women. We are levelling up very very quickly to the same level. We have still got to fight, stand up, be brave, be bold, be resolute, and say, we are going to make things even. We will make them equal from now on. That is good. That is exciting. The theme of, to an extent, focussing on women is continued, with bafta announcing that it will soon be publishing a set of cross industry workplace guidelines, following the Sexual Harassment revelations of the past few months. I think we have a very powerful role to play. We are a small organisation, but with a powerful global presence, so it is incredibly important that we are not only part of the changes, but we are driving those changes through too. This is also the week when oscar voters are deciding their nominations. It is likely much attention will be paid this year more than ever, as to whether they will be championing female led stories and female storytellers. Its the worlds biggest showcase for the gadgets that could become part of our lives in the near future. More than 170,000 people are expected to visit this years Consumer Electronics show in las vegas. The Tech Companies latest developments include driverless taxis and new advances in Artificial Intelligence, including some disturbingly human robots. Our Technology Correspondent Rory Cellan Jones reports from las vegas. A powerful and largely invisible technology is on the march. Its learning how to drive. It can recognise individualfaces, and it knows an awful lot about our personal preferences. That technology is Artificial Intelligence and, in las vegas this week, tech firms are showing off how far its come. Hey, sophia, can we shake hands . In a Las Vegas University lab, im meeting sophia, a humanoid robot. How sophisticated do you think you are as a robot . I want people to perceive me as the robot i am. However, i wouldnt want to trick people into thinking im a human. I just want to communicate with humans in the best possible ways, which includes looking like one. Sophia, whos had advance notice of my questions, has few practical uses right now, but her creators believe she represents a big step on the road to Artificial Intelligence. Our aspiration is to bring the machines to life, to create living, Intelligent Systems and there youll see the greatest revolution in Artificial Intelligence. As this giant tech show gets under way, chinas spending on al and robotics is much in evidence. This suitcase recognises and follows its owner. Heres chinas biggest force in al, the search giant baidu, laying on a lavish las vegas event with the slogan ai is changing the world at chinas speed. It calls itself chinas google. Its already a leader in technologies like facial recognition, and baidu is confident china can challenge americas ai dominance. China is quickly catching up and the gap is closing, but china has a lot more people, much larger scale. Its a big market. So i think thats a foundation for china to prevail in the ai age. Google, which usually keeps a low profile at this show, has chosen to put its name everywhere across las vegas, stressing its leading role in al. We are trying to do our best to stay ahead. There is lots of great competition and lots of excitment. What it means is that theres a lot of investment going into this area, a lot of the best minds working on it. So i think youre going to see the field advance pretty quickly. Its arriving quite slowly. Out in downtown las vegas, ive booked a ride in an autonomous taxi no steering wheel, no pedals, no driver. Its made by a french transport company. Its notjust america and china racing to get ahead in al. Rory cellan jones, bbc news, las vegas. Time for a look at the weather. Good evening. Im a bit envious of the blue skies in las vegas at the moment. We have been shrouded in grey a cross moment. We have been shrouded in grey across many parts of the country. There is a change on the way which comes courtesy of weather fronts which are producing heavy rain across devon, cornwall, west and wales and Northern Ireland. As it clears skies will start to clear and there will be a bit more sunshine as we to tomorrow. That band of rain is going to turn a bit lighter as it edges northwards and eastwards. Not much breeze on it but its going to produce lots of mist and hill fog. With skies clear in south west england, wales and Northern Ireland there is a chance of frost into tomorrow morning and dense patches of fog. The main risk of ice could be in Northern Ireland. Hopefully skies are bright for many. One or two places in Northern Ireland will linger with fog all day and the north and east of scotland, while Western Areas brighten up. In the north and east its going to be great tomorrow afternoon with outbreaks of rain. Misty and foggy over the grampians and the eastern portion of the southern uplands. Across eastern counties of england it may be a struggle to get the sunshine out into the afternoon. Come further west, central western parts of england into wales, sunny spells are back and with light winds it should feel a bit more pleasant thanit it should feel a bit more pleasant than it has done so far this week. Through wednesday night into birthday, some showers towards south west england. Staying wet in the far north east of scotland. In between clear skies, light winds, a frost will develop. Notjust between clear skies, light winds, a frost will develop. Not just that, we are set to seize and dense patches of fog. Through thursday morning and friday morning frost and fog will be the jewel hazard for commuters. The fog could linger. Away from that, a good deal of sunny brea ks away from that, a good deal of sunny breaks developing for many. Still some outbreaks of rain towards shetland, maybe across parts of norfolk and suffolk. Temperatures down a bit after that chilly night, back down to between 3 7. On friday mist and fog across eastern areas. The wind picking up through the day. Sunny spells in the afternoon in central and eastern areas. In the west the rain arriving in ireland later in the day. That weather fronts slowly moving eastwards as we go through into the weekend. Heavy initially, turning right and patchy. Lots of cloud around this weekend and force on the grey skies are back. For some the grey skies are back. Hello, im ros atkins, this is outside source. North and south korea meet for the first time in two years but is it enough to diffuse the Nuclear Threats and what does it mean for relations with the west. There have been violent clashes in this year after austerity measures imposed by the government. We report from tunis. This ukrainian lawyer successfully argued in court against the release of her sisters killer. But then she was murdered. We look into the case that has outraged the country. And the japanese astronaut whos grown 9cm after just three weeks in space hes concerned. Well explain whats happening with the help of the uk space agency