Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20180113

Good evening and welcome to bbc news. The leader of the liberal democrats, sir vince cable, has warned the government not to agree to bailout of the Construction Company carillion with tax payers money. There are fears the firm, which has debts of £1. 5 billion, could collapse after creditors failed to agree a possible rescue plan. Carillion employs about 20,000 people in the uk and is one of the governments main contractors. Our business correspondent, joe lynam, reports this is liverpools newest hospital under construction, now there is concern that projects like these could be affected if the company collapses. From prisons to hospitals, schools and rail, carillion is responsible for some of the uks largest infrastructure maintenance projects. So should the government bail the debt laden company out . What has to happen in this case, the contracts have to be kept going and supporting the supply chain and the tens of thousands of workers. That can be done by the government taking lots of this in house, or re tendering in other cases. The government cantjust do a financial bailout. The shareholders and creditors the big banks have to take a hit, they cannot just off load all the losses to the taxpayer. Carillion is a major British Company with hundreds of contracts running prisons, maintaining hospitals and mod facilities, with almost 20,000 employees here and tens of thousands more dependent on the company. But it has run up debts of £1. 5 billion, including almost £1 billion to its banks, whose patience has run out. Britains biggest ever Rail Infrastructure project, high speed 2, starts Major Construction this year. And here at euston station, carillion is meant to build it, but given its mountain of debts there is a very real chance that the government might have to step in and give those contracts to other companies, or simply bail the company out with all the moral hazards that comes with. The rmt union has called on the government to provide reassurances to thousands of workers who could be affected. Also caught in the crossfire, hundreds of Smaller Companies who carry out subcontracted work on behalf of carillion. Potentially it could be devastating. Many of them are owed millions by carillion and if they do not get those monies, of course they are at risk as a business. The other thing is there will be thousands ofjobs, potentially, lost as a result. If carillion cannot be saved or restructured, the consultants ey have been put on notice to take over as administrators, a precautionary measure which the government and thousands of staff hope will not be needed. Labour have issued a statement in response to crisis. And joe lynam joins me now. They are a huge company. How they got into such trouble . they are a huge company. How they got into such trouble . I think their appetite for contracts was bigger than their stomach. To apply for these giant contracts, uk wide, to run prisons, schools, mod facilities, you need scale. They built upscale by being a Jenny Willott Construction Company, and engineering giants. Smaller companies are precluded from applying for those kinds of gigs. They promised that they would do a certain amount of work within a certain amount of work within a certain amount of time. But the income flow has been much less than they told their banks, when they borrowed money from their banks to apply for these contracts and franchises. The income flow back through has not really did what they expected. That has brought them to a situation where they owe their banks £900 million. They are in difficulty. They have a huge role in the public sector. What are they likely to do . They are caught in a bind. The conservatives love these types of contracts. It means that the government wont necessarily have to forgive the money. The company well, and will put it back to the company. But it certainly doesnt want to bail out a private company which, as recently as last june, aged dividends to its shareholders. That doesnt look great to taxpayers. Especially since we are coming onto ten years since the bags were bailed out by taxpayers. Thank you. And well find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrows front pages at 10 30 and 11 30pm this evening in the papers our guestsjoining me tonight are anne ashworth, associate editor at the times, and the playwright and writer at the new european, bonnie greer. The African Union has demanded an apology from President Trump after he reportedly used a crude term to describe nations on the continent. It was apparently made during an Oval Office Meeting on immigration with members of congress. The union, which represents 55 african countries, expressed its shock, dismay and outrage and said the Trump Administration misunderstood africans. 0ur north america correspondent, peter bowes, reports. It has been an extraordinary week, even by Donald Trumps standards. It ended with a medical, a routine checkup that all president s undergo and word from mr trumps doctor that the commander in chief is in excellent health. But the past two days have seen the president mired in controversy, as donald trump arrives in florida to spend the weekend at his golf resort, the International Community is still fuming over his alleged use of crude language to describe african countries. As the African Union we were quite appalled and infuriated, outraged, by the comments. And for a country like the United States, which is a valued partner for the africans, this is quite a shock. From the United Nations in geneva came the stiffest of rebukes. These are shocking and shameful comments from the president of the United States. Im sorry but theres no other word one can use but racist. You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents. The allegation has gone unanswered by the president. He had an opportunity at this ceremony in celebration of Martin Luther king. But it was awkward. After signing a proclamation in honour of the civil rights leader, mr trump dodged the most uncomfortable of questions. Mr president , are you a racist . The president left without responding. He earlier tweeted that hed used tough language in a meeting with senators but not the derogatory language attributed to him. Peter bowes, bbc news. Hawaiis Emergency Management agency has been forced to send out a tweet reassuring citizens there is no missile threat to hawaii. It comes after residents allegedly received Emergency Alert warning of an incoming Ballistic Missile. It was later revealed to be a false alarm. David willis is in washington. This must have been absolutely petrifying for people. What has been the reaction . It has caused a lot of concern, as you can imagine, in hawaii. That message going out both on social media and in text form to peoples smartphones, saying. Of course, it was a drill, as it turned out, but people didnt know that for some time. The message went on, the us Pacific Command has detected a missile threat of why you. A missile may impact on land or sea within minutes. If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, seek immediate shelter in a building. You can imagine the sort of panic that must have created. There is no Central Nuclear shelter, iam told, there is no Central Nuclear shelter, i am told, actually on hawaii. A lot of confusion. They are still trying to find out how this actually happened. Presumably people would have been even more concerned than usual because there has been so much talk about north korea, but people might have read this and thought this is potentially credible. They obviously have a system in place there to warn people. Absolutely. The geopolitical situation, the threat of some sort of Nuclear Strike by north korea, very much on peoples mines buried in hawaii, because of the recent firing of these tests by the north. These Ballistic Missile tests. Its very much in the forefront of peoples mines there. This isjust much in the forefront of peoples mines there. This is just the sort of thing that they did not want to read. A lot of concern there. It has been said to be false. 0fficials coming out now and saying that. Of course, trying to piece together what actually went wrong here. Is there the possibility of some sort of hack of the system, or was this just human error, in which case one human being may be looking for a new job tomorrow morning thank you. Dentists have accused the government of not doing enough to tackle tooth decay in england. New figures indicate there were nearly 43,000 operations to remove childrens teeth last year a i7 increase on four years ago. The British Dental Association says england now provides a second Class Service compared to scotland and wales. 0ur health correspondent, dominic hughes, has the story. Tooth decay in children is distressing, painful and avoidable. Dentists say sugary snacks and drinks are the biggest cause. British children drink more soft drinks than anywhere else in europe. And the number of multiple extractions, which have to take place in hospital under general anaesthetic, is continuing to grow. Figures compiled by the local Government Association showed there were nearly 43,000 multiple tooth extraction is among under 18s in england last year. Thats around 170 every day of the working week. 0verall, theres been an increase of i7 injust four years. Dentists say children in england are suffering and are being offered a second rate service when compared to scotland and wales. The department of health in english says the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks was part of its plan to reduce the number of extractions. We very much welcome the sugar tax, but we need the government to focus on other areas, for example like Price Promotions or those discounts, and the level of marketing on unHealthy Products. All those colours and animations are always enticing children to prefer those products, making thejob of eating Healthy Products and healthier diet much more difficult for parents. With proper oral hygiene, good brushing and avoiding high sugar snacks and drinks, thousands of children could be saved from experiencing the pain of a rotten tooth. Dominic hughes, bbc news. Earlier, i spoke to Labours Shadow Health secretary, jonathan ashworth, who gave me his response to the figures. These are absolutely shocking figures. When you drill into the detail, what you find is that those children born in the poorest communities, and children born in the north of england, tend to be more likely to suffer from tooth decay, more likely to be admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction than children born in the richest parts of the country. I think that is absolutely shocking. Actually, when you look at the wider context for Childrens Health in this country, you can see that there is a correlation between poverty and deprivation and ill health, and that the governments response has been to cut much of the Public Health budget, to reduce dentistry budget and, of course, this winter crisis we are suffering in the nhs now, we are also seeing childrens intensive care beds taken up. Childrens Health Across the board has been neglected for many years under this government. The headlines on bbc news the African Union demands an apology from President Trump for rocketry remarks he reportedly made about the continent. Dentists have accused the government of not doing enough to tackle tooth decay in england. New figures indicate nearly 43,000 operations to remove teeth last year from children, a i7 increase. Iran has said the us has crossed a red line by imposing sanctions on the head of itsjudiciary and vowed to retaliate. Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani is among 14 individuals and bodies targeted. Iran also rejected any changes to its nuclear deal with world powers. President trump has warned that hell re impose sanctions on iran in less than four months a move that would undermine the agreement under which tehran curbed its nuclear programme. Lets speak now to professor abbas milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program at the university of stanford in california. Thank you forjoining us. What is the reaction from iran likely to be . They have said they will retaliate. What might they do . In practical terms, i think they will not do much because i dont think what mr trump has said is very much to their dislike. They have been hoping to show the International Community, to show the International Community, to show europe, russia and china, that the United States is the one that is trying to undermine this agreement they have abided by all their commitments. I think they are getting their wish. How does iran perceives President Trump and america under his leadership at the moment . Presumably there isnt a lot of trust there. I think there is not trust. The Supreme Leaders last comment is called him unstable. But i think there are two different opinions in a run. I think there is the Supreme Leader who has never trusted him but doesnt want, light relations. But there are also people like carney and the reformists, and i think the majority of the arabian people, the normalised relations with the night dates is the absolute necessary step. In the gradual improvement and much needed economic domain. The regime knows the economy is in serious crisis. Unless they normalise relations with the world, theyre not going to get the kind of investment they desperately need to fix the economy. President trump says he wants to have this treaty renegotiated within four months. What are the chances of that happening, and what is he demanding . I think happening, and what is he demanding . Ithink mrtrump, happening, and what is he demanding . I think mr trump, who considers themselves the best deal maker in themselves the best deal maker in the world, should know you can never unilaterally declare how you want a deal to be made. This is a multilateral deal. It has the un, europe, russia, china and iran. The chances of the deal being revamped, the chances of this deal being renegotiated, i think is almost nil. Mrtrump has renegotiated, i think is almost nil. Mr trump has the possibility of unilaterally withdrawing. He made his characteristic hyperbole, often times the claim that this is the single worst deal the United States has ever signed during its campaign. I think he feels somehow obligated to realise his promise of tearing the deal down. Its not going to happen, i think. The deal down. Its not going to happen, ithink. The the deal down. Its not going to happen, i think. The more he persists in this policy of indecision and kicking it down the line, the more i think he hurts the possibility of gradual incremental, Democratic Change in iran. People who are using this rhetoric are precisely the people who were suppressing the demonstrators in on the streets. Why does President Trump dislike this deal so much . Is it simply because it was his predecessor did find it . My sense is that that is exactly it. He thinks everything that 0bama has done is bad, and he needs to undo it. He hasnt made any credible criticism, the notion that this has been a bonanza for the arabian regime or for the conservatives really hasnt happened. The iranians regime has got some money out of it. The claim that the United States gave billions in cash to run was simply not true. United states returns 1. 4 billion the benighted states boat. This money was absolutely required for the United States to return the money that the shah had paid at the United States have confiscated. There is a lot of rhetorical games that mr trump makes, but i think part of the problem is also the fact that the chav administration has not really determines what a runs policy is going to be. Siovas mr trumps administration. They want to essentially move him in the direction of toppling this regime, and there are others who say that this is the business of the iranians people. We should help the iranians people. We should help the iranians people. We should help the iranians people who are making a concentrated effort to change, make the change themselves. Unless they move in the direction of the second alternative, that is the alternative of allowing the arabian people to do their business themselves, theyre going to act counter productively with a gradual change that everyone hopes for. The iranians people. Thank you. Consumers can no longer be charged extra simply because theyre paying by card. From today, itll be unlawful to charge credit or debit customers more than other customers. Its hoped the ban will benefit shoppers and holidaymakers who buy goods online or in small stores. Some retailers have already said they will raise overall prices in response to the change. Adina campbell reports they are the small fees added at the very end of the buying process. In percentage terms it may not be that much, but these card surcharges add up. Not any more. Under new eu rules, retailers on or offline can no longer charge customers for paying with a credit or debit card. The treasury says these surcharges cost consumers £166 million every year. But some companies such as concert venues can still charge a booking or service fee. No longer will they be penalised just for paying by credit or debit card. Now with the end of surcharges you are comparing like for like. The price you see is the price you pay. You dont get a nasty sting at the end. But some shoppers are not convinced. They can do it very sneakily, cant they, and just hide that 2 or whatever its going to be in the cost of what youre going to purchase. I dont see why we should have to pay that for actually using a means of payment thats kind of, you know, universally acknowledged. At the end of the day, theyll end up passing it onto the consumer, so it doesnt make that much difference, to be quite honest. Traders could feel the effects, too, because Card Companies will still charge for their services, but can no longer pass that fee to customers. Vin runs a group of Small Businesses and is also president of the british independent retailers association. Nearly 63 of our sales are by credit card and debit card so it will affect us in the long term if rates and increased rates do go up. For retailers like this hardware store, todays ban throws up several options. They may decide to suck up the cost of processing a debit or credit card. Alternatively, they could simply put up their prices or they may decide to re brand these fees as a Service Charge. 0ne business thats already been criticised is the delivery company, just eat, which has said it will impose a new Service Charge for card payments. There are now calls for the new changes to be closely monitored to ensure consumers are not punished for paying by plastic. Adina campbell, bbc news. Four british friends have broken the world record and become the fastest ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat. The amateur crew, dubbed the four 0arsmen, made history when they reached the island of antigua just after 1 30am this morning, having spent 29 days at sea and beating the previous record by six days. Dan johnson has more. And here they go shouting the end of an epicjourney rowed in record time, four men who had not even been in a rowing boat 18 months ago, now not only challenge winners but the first to cross the atlantic in less than 30 days. It feels overwhelming. The challenge, as we said before, is just relentless, never ending pain, just rowing, the whole thing, and coming first is something that is beyond our wildest dreams. They left the Canary Islands 3,000 miles away and faced 40 foot waves, scorching sun and howling winds, not quite the apocalypse but a test of endurance for the four oarsmen. Surviving on rations, producing their own water, taking it in turns to eat, to sleep, and to row. Its amazing to complete the row. We set out as a charitable initiative, for two charities, mind, and spinal research. The mind research is commemorative of my mum and her struggle with her Mental Health. To do it in such justice and in such style and with such great support and Great Success is amazing. Just making it to the caribbean is a fantastic achievement but they have raised more than a quarter of a million and have rowed their way into the record books. Dan johnson, bbc news. Well, a little earlier, my colleague Reeta Chakrabarti was able to speak to the the four 0arsmen from antigua. They told her how it felt to have claimed the world record. Its been a crazy 12 hours. We got in late last night. We really didnt let ourselves believe that we won the race, got the record, until we crossed the finish line. Its an evil game, ocean rowing, and we just didnt want to believe it until it happened. When we crossed the line and got to see the support that was here in antigua, as well as family and friends, it was overwhelming. Its been a crazy 12 hours but we are really happy and proud. You have absolutely smashed the record by six days. George, sitting next to dickie, what sort of time did you think it was going to take . Sorry, i didnt quite hear that. What time did you think you would complete the racing . We are real amateurs at this and have no real experience. To set any kind of objective parameter as to what we were expecting was always going to be a stab in the dark. The aim was to do our best. Over the last 18 months, we have given everything we have, every second. All of our resources and effort to preparing as well as we could. It is the Worlds Toughest row. We were preparing as best as we could for it, and giving it our all. We didnt know. We just wanted to keep the boat upright and moving. To get here in record time is beyond our wildest dreams. At what point did you realise that the record was within reach . It probably wasnt until the last few days of the race. It wasnt even necessarily about the record for us. We had two teams who were quite close behind us. A team from antigua and one from switzerland. Winning the record doesnt mean anything if you dont come first. 0ur priority really was just to stay ahead of the game. Work really hard. Just do our best, to keep the boat going as fast as it could. We got the world record, which is just absolutely crazy. A really great feeling. We are very proud. As well as beating the record, you have also raised a quarter of a million for charity, which has particular meaning for george and peter. Do you want to tell us about why . There are two charities. Mind, which is a Mental Health charity, and spinal research, which is also uk based but Fund Research globally. For me, spinal research has particular important. I played rugby with a guy called benjamin kennedy. He unfortunately had a spinal injury in 2010. Since then, i have really wanted to do something give hope to people who have spinal cord injuries. Spinal research has been fundamental in our preparation. It has been great having their support. Hopefully by raising this money, we can help to find a cure in the future. Frances president has called for the baguette to be listed as one of the worlds cultural treasures. Emmanuel macron says a unesco listing is needed because the french daily staple is envied around the world and its excellence should be preserved. It comes after the uns Cultural Agency awarded a similar status to italys naples pizza. It is time for the weather. Thank you. It has been one of those days again, especially in the western side of the british isles. Not a lot of sunshine. Its down to this weather front. Quite a of sunshine. Its down to this weatherfront. Quite a bit of sunshine. Its down to this weather front. Quite a bit of rain which tends to each with time. The odd drip and strand in the morning for some areas. Not a cold night u nless for some areas. Not a cold night unless other than on sunday, a lot of cloud. That front still there are producing the odd bit but that fades with time. We may get a bit of sunshine here. Elsewhere quite a bit of cloud and just feeling a fraction fresher than today. Temperatures down by a degree or two. It in the day, we will have a new set of weather fronts. A lot of cloud, wind and rain. Gradually tumbling ever further south. Very gusty conditions anywhere near that weather fronts, which eventually pushes off to the near continent. Following much colder, fresher air with a lot of showers around. By the middle of the week, any of the showers will be wintry