Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20180117

Foreign ministers from 20 countries have been meeting in canada to try to exert concerted pressure on north korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. The group is made up solely of countries which were involved in the korean war more than half a century ago, but two Key International players, north koreas neighbours russia and china, are not there. At a news conference, Rex Tillerson said the us is open to talks with north korea but only if it stops its threatening behaviour. The United States has always been open to clear messages with north korea, and we have sent north korea clear messages that we are ready for serious negotiations. North korea knows that channels are open and they know where to find us. But a sustained cessation of north koreas threatening behaviour is necessary. Is a necessary indicator of whether the regime is ready to pursue a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the Security Threat that it has created. Our nations must remain united on sustaining pressure until north korea takes concrete steps toward and ultimately reaches denuclearisation. I spoke to drjohn park, director of the Korea Working Group at the Harvard Kennedy school, right after that press conference, and asked him what he made of it. It is encouraging to hear this co ordinated messaging from a Multilateral Group of countries. However we have to look at the facts. The north Korean Nuclear Weapons Programme is advanced. If the co ordinated sanctions, the reduction in evasion techniques on those sanctions are implemented, we are looking at a time line behind the north korean pace of development. In 2017 north korea had advancements on a weekly and monthly basis. And for all of the words and the taxpayer money in bringing the Foreign Ministers together you have to wonder what the point is if china and russia are not there. In fact it might even have angered china which is surely counter productive. The chinese are very concerned. Right now they feel that the way to go in terms of a diplomatic approach is a freeze for freeze, north korea will freeze Nuclear Weapons Development Activity and in return the us will freeze new military exercises. Rex tillerson shut down the proposal and has gone down this path which the Bush Administration gameplan had, which is called cvid, complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation. Are you optimistic about the Winter Olympics . Any talks at this stage of the games in terms of the crisis is welcome however it is important to manage expectations. It looks like, given the narrow focus on the successful Winter Olympics, north and south korea are limiting in terms of the scope of these discussions as something that looks very much tactical and in the scheme of things it looks like a pause rather than some kind of diplomatic offering. Under direct threat from President Trump it looked as if pyongyang was trying to scale down the rhetoric. Lets ta ke lets take a look at some of the other stories making the news. The Trump Administration has suspended more than half of its funding to the un agency supporting palestinians. The us has informed the unrwa that it will deliver 60 million of this years first instalment, but withhold the rest. The unwra provides healthcare, education and social services to millions of palestinians. Serious reservations have been expressed about a plan agreed by myanmar and neighbouring bangladesh to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Refugees starting next week. The un said any return to myanmar must be voluntary, and the safety of those going back had to be ensured. Pope francis has been to visit a womens jail in santiago on the second day of his visit to chile. The women inside the sanjoaquin prison are mostly mothers who are on drugs trafficking charges. The trip has been overshadowed by multiple accusations of child sexual abuse against nearly eighty members of the chilean clergy. Earlier, pope francis said he feels pain and shame over the scandal. The us navy has said the former Commanding Officers of two of its destroyers which were involved in deadly collisions in the pacific will face criminal charges. 17 sailors were killed in the crashes. In the first collision injune, the uss fitzgerald collided with a cargo vessel off the coast of japan, with the loss of seven lives. Ten more were killed when the uss john mccain hit an oil tanker east of singapore in august. A Us Navy Investigation found that both incidents had been caused by preventable errors. Its being reported that steve bannon, President Trumps former chief strategist, has been summoned to testify before a grandjury. The New York Times says its the first time a subpoena has been issued a to seek information from a member of mr trumps inner circle over alleged collusion with russia during the 2016 election. 0ur correspondent in washington, david willis, has more details. Up to now of course, mike, those who have given evidence to Robert Muellers special counsel investigation have done so voluntarily and there were dozens of them in the final months of last year. Steve bannon, though, by all accounts does not intend to give evidence voluntarily because maybe he knows so much about what went on in the transition and in the early months of the Trump Administration so the special counsel has subpoenaed him to give evidence to the grand jury that is looking into this whole affair of russian meddling in the outcome of the 2016 election. There is a suggestion here that this might be all part of Robert Muellers team seeking to get some leverage here with steve bannon. They desperately need his testimony. They need his evidence because of the amount that he knows. And in subpoenaing him and forcing him to give evidence to the grand jury it may open the door perhaps to a more congenial sitdown chat with the special counsels team, which steve bannon would be able to have his lawyer present. Victims of sexual abuse by the former usa Gymnastics Team doctor, larry nasser, have been giving emotional statements at his sentence hearing in the state of michigan. Several days have been set aside by the court so that up to 125 women can speak. Nasser is already serving a 60 year jail sentence for possessing child pornography. You broke and shattered a lot of girls. You manipulated us to trust you because youre a doctor, and doctors do no wrong, only heal. You are not a healer. And i said, chelsea, and she said you could not see what was going on, mum. She said he hurt me. In 2009, she took her own life because she could not deal with the pain any more. I will educate my children about monsters like you, and pray to god they will never experience pain like this. There will be a day where i look into my soul and i will still see the scars of this nightmare, but i will no longer feel the deepness of their pain. Perhaps you have figured by now, that little girls do not stay little girls forever. They return as grown women who come to destroy your world. Rachael denhollander was a victim of dr larry nasser. She is attending the sentencing hearing and will be the last person to read her victim impact statement on friday. Shejoined us from kalamazoo michigan. You know, at this point, i think the main message that needs to be conveyed is this is what Sexual Assault looks like. This is what it looks like when a man is allowed to prey on little children and young women for decades. There are names and there are faces and there are souls and there are lives that been left devastated. And my greatest hope is that when our culture sees this pain, they will begin taking reports of assault seriously and they will begin holding enablers of this seriously. What gymnasts do in this sport is amazing to most of us. It is incredible to think that someone can do that in that Competitive Pressure and at risk of injury knowing that person who can treat you for injury is an abuser. Again, that is why it is important to have adults around you who you can trust. The women i spoke to today, we trusted not only larry, but the professionals around us, to keep us safe. We trusted his colleagues, we trusted msu and usag to be vetting the doctor they sent us to, to ensure that he followed protocol and his techniques were legitimate. In my case, when i was sitting on his table, there is no way he could do this if he was approved to take care of us. Children need adults they can trust. So, you and so many others come off the mat, come off the bar, and walk into the treatment room, you must be in a state of dread. Yeah, i really was. Not all of the victims were, because many were so young they did not realise what had happened to them at the time. You see varying emotions. You will see victims who did not realise they were assaulted and it did not enter their minds. You see some devastated because they felt something was wrong. You see all of those emotions conveyed. But that is why it is imperative to have adults around you you can trust, because for those of us who did feel something was wrong, we had no one to turn to. And the little girls who cried out, their voices were silenced, and the results of that have been devastating. On that point, you and so many were manipulated by larry nasser, but also mocked and disbelieved by officials who should have done something about it. And while you were being disbelieved, so many more children were going into his hands. Yes, that is exactly what happened. And, to be honest, that was the most painful and sobering part of today. Out of the 29 women who testified today, at least 26 of them were sexually assaulted after gymnasts raised the first concerns of Sexual Assault, after one told the head coach, he is fingering me like a boyfriend. She said that in 1997. His response was to wave a piece of paper in her face saying i could report this and there will be consequences for you. Four women raised concerns to different areas, and all of them were silenced. To advisers and coaches, they reported. In 2004, there was a victim, carla stevens, who spoke so eloquently in that video you played, she spoke to a psychiatrist in 2004 who did not follow mandatory reporting laws, and instead brought in larry to explain it away and deny all the allegations. You see it over and over and over again, this mockery and silencing victims. In 2016, when i came forward, i had an entire file of evidence and three medical professionals to vouch for me, an assistant prosecuting attorney from a neighbouring county willing to vouch for me, i had national and International Medical Journal Articles demonstrating what larry was doing was not a legitimate technique, medical records from medical professionals, i had witnesses, i had a mother who had seen his sexual arousal and was ready to testify to that, and with all of that evidence i brought, the response of msu and larrys boss and the dean of the college of 0steopathy was to mock me. He sent an e mail to larry nasser straightaway and said good luck, i am on your side. He laughed and said that it was the cherry on his cake. Even after all of these women came forward, the three of us, and that report, the response from msu officials was to mock us, and since then, have even said we are ambulance chasing, doing this for money. The Vice President of the board of trustees gave a video to the press just a few months after i came forward, i was called an ambulance chaser looking for payday. It is victim blaming at its absolute finest, and the results have been devastating to all of us. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come crisis in cape town. The worst drought in a century means water is running out fast. Day one of Operation Desert Storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attacks since the second world war. Tobacco is americas oldest industry, and its one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. This may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. There is not a street that is unaffected. Huge parts of kobe were simply demolished as buildings crashed into one another. This woman said shed been given no help and no advice by the authorities. She stood outside the ruins of her business. Tens of thousands of black children in south africa have taken advantage of laws, passed by the countrys new multiracial government, and enrolled at formerly white schools. Tonight sees the 9,610th performance of her long running play, the mousetrap. When they heard of her death today, the management considered whether to cancel tonights performance, but Agatha Christie would have been the last person to want such a thing. This is bbc news. The latest headlines 20 countries led by canada and the United States have called for the strict enforcement of sanctions against north korea. Us media is reporting that President Trumps former chief strategist, steve bannon, has been ordered to testify before a grandjury. Police in california have praised the courage of a 17 Year Old Girl who escaped from a home where she and 12 siblings were allegedly being held captive by their parents. David and Louise Turpin, whose children range in age from two to 29, are due to appear in court later this week, charged with torture and child endangerment. The children were found in squalid conditions, some chained to their beds. James cook reports from outside the home in perris. In public, they looked like a big happy family, devoutly christian. Renewing their wedding vows in las vegas, david and Louise Turpin played the part of proud parents. But in private, say police, the turpins had a dark secret. Before dawn on sunday, a 17 Year Old Girl escaped from this house through a window. She had taken a deactivated mobile phone and managed to use it to call the police. Inside, officers found her 12 brothers and sisters, dirty and malnourished. Three were shackled to their beds with chains and padlocks. The home dark and foul smelling. I wish i could come to you today with information that would explain why this happened. But we do need to acknowledge the courage of the young girl who escaped from that residence to bring attention so they could get the help they so needed. Neighbours say the turpins were originally from west virginia. The father was an engineer on a good salary but had twice declared bankruptcy, and neighbours admit there were signs that something was amiss. I never saw a scooter, i never saw a bike. I saw the infant maybe three times. Maybe. I never saw the infant again. How did they live when you saw them . They were always pale, like, abnormally pale. The children do look pale in pictures posted on facebook. Here theyre visiting disneyland. Police say the siblings were so small they were shocked to discover that seven were actually adults. The eldest, 29. Theyre now being treated in hospital. Theyve gone through a very traumatic ordeal. I can tell you that theyre very friendly. Theyre very cooperative. And i believe that theyre hopeful that life will get better for them after this event. This quiet californian suburb is now under intense scrutiny. The Authorities Say they had no prior contact with the family, but neighbours are searching their souls, wondering if they could have saved the siblings sooner. As for david and Louise Turpin, they are now under arrest, charged with torture and child endangerment. Doctors say they are determined to keep all 13 siblings out of the media spotlight. Theyre focused on feeding them to try to improve their physical condition and on offering them psychological help as they try to come to terms with their ordeal inside this home. James cook, bbc news, in perris, california. Hong kong democracy activist joshua wong has beenjailed for three months for obstructing the clearance of a protest camp during the 0ccupy protests in 2014. This is the second time hes been jailed for his part in the protests. Speaking to the bbc before the trial he said prison was a price he was willing to pay for democracy. No one would like to serve a sentence inside prison but compared to the price paid by activists in mainland china, i think the price i need to pay is just a small piece of cake. In 2017, i would describe hong kong turning from a semi democracy city turning into a semi authoritarian it as the starting point of a new crackdown. Danny vincentjoined us from hong kong. Forjoshua wong, he will be spending three months in prison. The most significant point in that Development Means that he will be barred for standing for any type of election in hong kong to the next five years. Many activists feel the government perhaps influenced by beijing, the accusation of systematically using the law to attempt to politically persecute, to criminalise the opposition, so even this month, there are around 50 pro Democratic Leaders and activists. They would argue that many of the charges are convoluted and quite vague, charges such as inciting others to incite people to go to the street and cause public nuisance. Its a difficult time for the pro democracy movement. But many of the activists pledged to fight on. Donald trump has been advised to eat a lower fat diet and take more exercise, following a medical last friday. But the white house doctor, ronnyjackson, said the president was generally in Excellent Health and had performed well in cognitive tests. Can you explain to me how a guy who eats mcdonalds and all those diet cokes and never exercises is in as good a shape as you say he is in . Its called genetics. I dont know. Some people just have great genes. I told the president if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years he might live to be 200 years. I dont know. He has incredible genes, i just assume. The president of the european council, donald tusk, says the uk could still remain in the eu if it changed its mind about brexit. Mr tusk was speaking at the European Parliament in strasbourg. His view was echoed by the president of the european commission, jean claude juncker. Cape town could become the first major city in the world to run out of water as earlier as april. South african officials have warned that the citys worst drought in living memory could force them to shut the taps off and impose Emergency Water rationing. A maximum of 25 litres of water would be provided per person per day. Experts predict that there is just over 90 days worth of water left in the city. Sarah corker reports. There may be water all around cape town, but little of it is drinkable. The South African city is suffering its worst drought in more than a century. After three years of very low rainfall, western cape dams are now less than a third full. And the authorities are warning of day zero, the day the taps run dry, it could come as soon as the 22nd of april. If that happens there will be Emergency Water rationing. I do hope that the government is doing something to prevent day zero because it would be a national crisis. Honestly it would be horrific when day zero comes. Its going to be very scary but i think its a reality unfortunately. A reality that would make cape town famous for being the worlds first major city to run out of water. Its 4 million residents already face strict limits on the amount of water they can use. There are bands on washing cars and filling up pools. People are urged to shower for no longer than two minutes and to flush toilets as little as possible. Businesses are doing their bit to save water, but theres been some criticism of the governments approach. Why are we looking at day zero . Are there no other alternatives other than to close up my hotel and switch off all the taps . There are alternatives and there are countries in this world that have proven there are ways to deal with drought and with desert regions. One has to just look at the middle east and see what israel did to the desert there in respect to desalinisation. South africa is building desalinisation plants and drilling more boreholes, but officials said if dam levels fall below 13. 5 , the water supply to cape town will be turned off. People here have been warned, every drop counts. Sarah corker, bbc news. The central philippine province of albay has declared a state of calamity as the mount Mayon Volcano spews lava. Its now reached the limits of a no go zone and spread ash on nearby villages. The most active volcano in the philippines has been erupting since saturday. Back in 1814 it buried a town and killed 1,200 people. Thousands have been evacuated this time. But as people have been fleeing their homes, tourists have been descending on the area to watch this spectacular lava display. A reminder of our top story. A meeting of 20 Foreign Ministers look at ways to curb north Koreas Nuclear and Ballistic Missile programmes has agreed to ensure that un sanctions are strictly enforced. The Canadian Foreign minister, chrystia freeland, who hosted the meeting in vancouver, said they could not stand by as the Nuclear Threat on the Korean Peninsula intensified. Much more on the website. And you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter, im bbcmikeembley. Well, theres been some significant accumulations of snow across parts of Northern Ireland and scotland, the far north of england, and we continue to see wintry showers, snow showers, through the course of the night, early into wednesday so thats prompted the met office to issue an amber warning for parts of south west scotland, Northern Ireland, for this combination of snow and ice. Very windy too during the overnight period. Gale force winds, particularly across irish sea coasts in towards the south west for a time. Plenty of snow showers continuing across scotland, Northern Ireland and into Northern England that accumulate and continue to tot up. Across the south, some dry interludes in fact, particularly across the south east, but wherever you are its going to be a chilly start to wednesday. Wednesday itself looks like to be another cold and a windy one, there will be wintry showers again but also some good spells of sunshine and increasing amounts of sunshine as we head on into the afternoon. But plenty of wintry showers, snow showers across scotland and Northern Ireland to begin the day. Strong winds too so therell be some drifting of snow, blizzard conditions, take extra care on the roads, watch out for icy stretches as well. The same too for parts of Northern England but the further south that we head, fewer showers through the morning period. A few running through the cheshire gap there in towards the pennines and the odd wintry showers across the higher ground, the moors of south west england. But elsewhere it should be dry, chilly and bright with some sunshine through the morning. Those showers continue across many northern and western areas, but through the afternoon, like i mentioned, increasing amounts of sunshine for england and wales with most of the showers confined to scotland and Northern Ireland, the far north of england with snow amounts continuing to tot up here. It will be cold if you factor in the wind, subzero feeling temperatures in the north. But to the south with the sunshine, it shouldnt be too bad. Now, onto wednesday night, this is the area of low pressure will the next hazard to our shores. Its going to bring a spell of wet and very windy weather to all areas. Across the north of this rain band, were likely to see a spell of snow for Northern Ireland, Northern England, central, southern scotland, which could be heavy for a time. Severe gales sweeping through england and wales along with that rain but it clears out quite quickly through thursday morning, and in fact, into thursday afternoon, and improving picture, the winds falling lighter. Therell be fewer showers, most in the north and west, against snow on the hills, but some good spells of some joint further south and east. But that area of low pressure is cause some disruption, the severe gales, heavy rain and also the snow, which could fall across southern areas, so keep tuned to your bbc local radio. And then into friday itself, its looking quieter. Not as strong, those winds. Still blustery across the north and the west where therell be most of the snow showers. Good sunny spells further south and east. This is bbc news. The headlines 20 countries led by canada and the United States have called for the strict enforcement of sanctions against north korea, the latest bid to curb its nuclear and Ballistic Missile programmes. But two key players, north koreas neighbours china and russia, are not involved in the meeting in vancouver. Us media is reporting that Donald Trumps former chief strategist steve bannon has been summoned to testify before a grand jury, by the special counsel investigating links between the Trump Election Campaign and russia. Before a grand jury, bannon would not be entitled to have his lawyer present. International gymnasts are confronting the former usa team doctor, larry nassar, in court, and describing how he sexually abused them as children. Nassar was jailed last month for 60 years for possessing child pornography. Hes also admitted Sexual Assault and is awaiting sentence