Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240713

Hello to you. Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases in the earths atmosphere have reached new highs according to the latest figures, and there is no sign of any decline, not even a slowdown. One of the worlds leading experts on Climate Change has said that like many other people, he is now scared for the future of the planet. Responding to the latest report by the World Meteorological organization, sir david king, former chief scientific adviser to the uks government, says there is a lack of Political Leadership to tackle the scale of the problem. Our chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt has more details. Floods in england. Record spring temperatures and wildfires in australia. The worst floods venice has seen in a generation. Scientists say extreme weather events like these will become more common as Climate Change intensifies. And today, we learnt that the gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, causing Global Warming, have hit record levels yet again. Lets see how concentrations of the main Greenhouse Gas, Carbon Dioxide, have risen. Back in 1800, in the early days of the industrial revolution, there were 280 molecules of Carbon Dioxide per million. There is a gradual rise until around 1960. Then, look at this. It takes off. Think cars, industrialisation in the developing world, mass aviation. Today, we learned the concentration accelerated again this year, taking the total to 407. 8 parts per million. We have again broken records in Carbon Dioxide concentrations and we have already exceeded a00ppm level, which was regarded as a critical level that happened already two years ago and this growth of Carbon Dioxide concentration continues. We know what the problem is almost everything we do has a carbon consequence. The way we travel, the food we eat, the energy we use to power our homes, how we build our homes. And we know what to do. Scientists say weve got to almost halve emissions in the next 10 years if were going to keep warming below 1. 5 centigrade. Let the temperatures rise above that, they warn, and we will all face more intense heatwaves, droughts and floods. I think the thing that we need to remember about Climate Change is that the critical period is now and that the Climate Change well see and the decisions that we make will last notjust for decades, not even centuries, but potentially longer than that with melting of the ice sheets. So, its really got to be the top of our agenda, i think, for many decades to come. The frozen regions of the world have already started to melt. And the sad fact is todays figures show that our efforts to cut emissions are not working. In truth, it is worse than that. The concentration of Greenhouse Gases has actually accelerated. I spoke to james shaw, new zealands minister for Climate Change. He also leads the greens in the countrys coalition government, which earlier this month passed a law to make new zealand become Carbon Neutral by 2050. Well, obviously, its not great news, but it doesnt come as any great surprise either. We know that although a number of countries have started to make quite aggressive moves on Climate Change, we havent yet bent the curve in terms of global co2 emissions. Theyre still going up and they need to start coming down. You are talking about net zero for carbon by 2050 you know, of course, thats nowhere near soon enough. Well. The law that we passed here in new zealand says that actually the most important thing is that new zealand plays its role in keeping Global Temperatures to 1. 5 degrees above pre industrial levels, and that was really given to us by the ipccs report last year. Now, there is obviously debate about what that means for any individual country, but one of the things that we have done is to set up a new Climate Change commission modelled on the uks Climate Change committee, which will give us authoritive science based targets and maybe the targets that we have set will change over time as circumstances change. What do you think about how the rest of the world is doing, particularly your relative neighbour, australia 7 well. We have told australia what we think of their policy and we continue to work with them constructively, particularly when it comes to the pacific. But, obviously, the whole world needs to take a lot stronger action than what we have seen to date. As a leader of the green party, it seems pretty clear that Environmental Concerns are one of the things that brought you into politics. How hopeful are you actually . Its a pretty depressing outlook, isnt it . Well, there are spots of hope all around the world. I mean, even in the united states, which has signalled that it intends to withdraw from the paris agreement, youre actually seeing some extraordinary action at the state level, particularly in places like california and new york, also at the city level and in other countries around the world. I do believe that as some countries really move into the front of this and demonstrate that you can bring down your Greenhouse Gas emissions and still have your economy grow and develop and see peoples incomes and lifestyles continue to improve at the same time, that that will give hope to other countries that maybe they can do the same thing. That is new zealands minister for Climate Change. A court in washington has ruled that former white house counsel, don mcgahn, must comply with a congressional subpoena related to the investigations into russian interference in the 2016 us elections. That inquiry is now complete, but the ruling could provide a legal basis for white house officials to testify before the impeachment inquiry. Lets speak now to our north america correspondent david willis. This could be significant, couldnt it . It could indeed. For a number this could be significant, couldnt it . It could indeed. Fora number of reasons. The white house has consistently claimed that white house officials, former and present, cant be compelled to testify before congress, that they are immune from having to do so, but the judge, the federaljudge ruled today that having to do so, but the judge, the federal judge ruled today that that was fiction and she said that any attempt to prevent them from testifying before congress was an impingement of their freedom of speech. She said the president , in denying white house, the ability to testify before congress, was putting himself above the law, as she put it, and she went on to say that president s are not kings. This ruling is significant for several reasons, not least because it could embolden democrats to seek testimony 110w embolden democrats to seek testimony now from people who have been really to give it, people like the acting chief of staff of the white house, and mike pompeo for example. It could also embolden those officials, lower officials on the totem pole to come forward of their own volition and testify before the impeachment enquiry and it could bolster any claim that democrats are thinking of placing before the president that he was obstructing justice obstructing congress in his dealings over the last few months. David, just on don mcgahn himself, any testimony he might give could be interesting given that he was very helpful to the mueller investigation. Very much so, and he testified at length before Robert Muellers enquiry into russian meddling in the 2016 election and he revealed a great deal as well. He said President Trump on several occasions urged him to sack mr mueller and then to lie about it when the story got out. It is clear that don mcgahn has potentially quite a lot to say to the impeachment enquiry, and today we heard that that enquiry is wrapping up in the sense that the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said they would be compiling a report to go to the judiciary committee, compile any articles of impeachment. But he left open the possibility that there could be further hearings in the weeks to come. David, thank you very much. The Us Navy Secretary who was fired after falling out with donald trump over the handling of a misconduct case has told american cbs news that the move risked discipline in the military. Richard spencer sparked tensions with the president after he demoted a navy seal who was pictured posing over the corpse of an is prisoner. Here he is speaking to cbs reporter david martin. What were the ramifications of intervening in that review process . Well, right now, were not going to do it, is what secretary esper says. What message does that send to the troops . Well, what message does it send . That you can get away with things. We have to have good order and discipline. Its the backbone of what we do and the trident review process, with the senior enlisted reviewing fellow senior enlisted is critical. The senior enlisted are the back bone of our military, they are the girder of good order and discipline. Former Us Navy Secretary Richard Spencer speaking to cbs. Hong kong police say they plan to enter the Polytechnic University where protesters are staging a sit in to ask those holding out to leave, but no immediate arrests will be made. In a separate development, in her first public appearance since pro democracy candidates won a sweeping victory in local elections, the territorys chief executive, carrie lam said she was aware voters had expressed unhappiness with the governments handling of months of unrest. The large number of voters coming out to cast a vote, perhaps not only to select a preferred candidate, to sit on the District Council but also to express a view on many issues in society, including, iwould readily accept that, including deficiencies in governance, including unhappiness with the time taken to deal with the current unstable environment, and of course, to end violence. Carrie lam there speaking in the past hour or so. The bbcs Sharanjit Leyl is in hong kong. She gave more details about the polices plans to enter the university. She hopes those students will leave peacefully. We know those students have been there for more than a week 110w have been there for more than a week now 01 so. Have been there for more than a week now or so. It was terrible scenes last week when the Security Forces basically surrounded the campus and there is still security around the campus. But what you are seeing now isa campus. But what you are seeing now is a slightly softer approach. 0n monday we saw some of the pro democratic candidate go and visit the campus, with or psychiatrist and medics, really hoping to try to treat the students who are still in their. Reports suggesting they are ina their. Reports suggesting they are in a terrible condition. Some of them feeling somewhat suicidal. There is a real hope they can get these students out peacefully from Polytechnic University. As far as they are concerned, not much has changed. This is an internal matter for china, nobody elses business. What you think of anything is likely to change as a result of these results . To change as a result of these results . It is hard to save the hong kong people are determined that they wa nt kong people are determined that they want change, they want greater freedoms. They have constantly referred to their five demands, the need for greater freedoms from beijing and the central government. Steps towards universal suffrage. They certainly want an independent enquiry into alleged Police Brutality stop we have seen a lot of that from both sides, from the protest site as well as the Security Side over the last five months. There is a lot of frustration and it is really unclear as to how that might be resolved. I was talking to a candidate who won in this constituency earlier this morning and she was saying there is real hope that they will try to heal decisions but there is really no policy yet put forth. Carrie lam has talked about dialogue with the other side, really a lot, it feels like an open wound here, lots of frustrations for people. Stay with us on bbc news. Still to come the pricelessjewels stolen in an overnight heist from a museum in germany. President kennedy was shot down and died almost immediately. The murder ofjohn kennedy is a disaster for the whole free world. He caught the imagination of the world, the first of a new generation of leaders. Margaret thatcher is resigning as leader of the conservative party and prime minister. Before leaving number 10 to see the queen, she told her cabinet, its a funny old world. Angela merkel is germanys first woman chancellor, easily securing the majority she needed. Attempts to fly a hot air balloon had to be abandoned after a few minutes, but nobody seemed to mind very much. As one local comic put it, its not hot air we need, its hard cash. Cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. Castro developed close ties with the soviet union in the 19605. It was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. This is bbc news, the latest headlines a new report shows concentrations of Carbon Dioxide the main gas behind Global Warming are at record levels. Hong kongs chief executive carrie lam has acknowledged deficiencies in her government in her reaction to the landslide victory of pro democracy parties in sundays local elections. The World Anti Doping Agency, wada has recommended russia are given a four year ban from sporting competition for falsifying laboratory data. This would mean that the country wouldnt compete in the upcoming 0lympics. They are also likely to be barred from staging Major International events putting at risk the games scheduled to be held in St Petersburg for euro 2020. Richard mclaren is a law professor at Western University in london, ontario, and the person who investigated the russian anti doping manipulation scandal. I asked him what he thought of the latest recommendations. It is rather extraordinary, but not entirely unsurprising. The data was completely fouled up that was turned over to wada, and rusada had been suspended by wada as a result of the investigations several years ago, and this was part of the arrangement that would have allowed them to come back into the tent and be a fully operational body. Instead, the data that was turned over has been manipulated. Not only has it been changed, but conversations have been inserted that were fictitious and peoples roles were changed in the data, so a number of different changes that went on that resulted in this recommendation of non compliance with the code. So, what do you make of this announcement . You describe it as extraordinary . I think its extraordinary because it is very strong, it is hard hitting, it is going to have an impact if it is upheld, it has to be decided by the executive board of wada, for a four year period, potentially could be longer in certain circumstances. So, its a very tough stance against whats going on. As you suggest, it is very likely to be challenged, do you think it will be upheld . I wouldnt want to speculate on that, there is an automatic right to challenge by way of taking any decision to the court of arbitration for sport, and they would have the final say. I wouldnt want to speculate how they would deal with it. No one can really predict that at this point. If it is upheld, it would be a National Humiliation for russia, wouldnt it . It certainly would, i thinkjust the fact that it has gone this far in the process of even getting to the executive committee of the wada board is humiliation, and the rusada, the new head of the agency has been pushing hard inside russia for sweeping changes, warning that this was going to be the result, and it now is the result, but there havent been any sweeping changes inside of russia. It is clearly intended to send a message, do you think it will have an impact on doping worldwide . I think it will definitely have an impact on russia and the behaviour of a number of people there, and therefore it has to have a Ripple Effect worldwide, because the more you keep russian athletes out who have been cheating, the more other athletes around the world are able to compete in the slots that the russians would have occupied. Lets get some of the days other news. Uber has been refused a new license by londons transport authority, transport for london, which said it had identified a pattern of failures that put passengers safety at risk. The regulator said the taxi app was not fit and proper as a licence holder, despite having made a number of positive changes to its operations. Uber has 21 days to appeal, during which it can continue to operate. A second man has been arrested in connection with the deaths of 39 vietnamese people in a lorry in essex in eastern england. The 36 year old man is being held on suspicion of manslaughter. A 25 year old lorry driver from County Armagh has already admitted plotting to assist illegal immigration. The men are accused of being part of a larger plot to bring people into the uk illegally. Perus Constitutional Court has ordered the release of the Opposition Leader Keiko Fujimori after more than a year in pre trial detention. Shes awaiting trial in a Corruption Case linked to the brazilian construction giant 0debrecht. The eldest daughter of the former president , alberto fujimori, she denies accepting illegal contributions from 0debrecht for her president ial campaign eight years ago. Marches have taken place around the world to mark the International Day of the elimination of violence against women. The United Nations says one in three women experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime and has called on countries to do more to protect women. Rich preston has this report. In switzerland, a vigil in memory of women killed by their partners. The United Nations says that more than half of women murdered around the world are killed by a partner orfamily member. Translation in todays switzerland, Domestic Violence is a pressing issue. On average, two out of five women have experienced Domestic Violence at some point in their lives. Translation we still have some way to go. They are just out of childhood so now i am teaching them the hard reality of adult life. Women dont enjoy the same rights as men, we cantjust stroll out in the streets the way a man would. In france, where the numbers of women murdered by a partner or ex partner has gone up, a promise to toughen the law, to crack down on coercive control and remove parental rights from abusive partners. Translation when it can save lives, we want to give doctors the possibility of setting aside medical confidentiality in extreme cases where there is a serious risk of more violent. In turkey, the anti violence marches turned violent, with Police Using Pepper Spray to break up the crowds. In spain, the countrys far right party, vox, refused to sign an all Party Declaration condemning violence against women. In russia, support for a new bill which would toughen punishments for domestic abuse, but which campaigners fear is under threat of being watered down. Translation people are afraid to demonstrate because of political oppression so even 400 people gathering is a lot and russia. The United Nations says that despite movements like metoo or times up, violence against women continues to be normalised and embedded in society and everyone, including silent bystanders, have a responsibility to stop it. Rich preston, bbc news. Priceless jewels have been stolen from one of europes oldest museums in the german city of dresden. Three complete collections of jewellery including diamonds, rubies and emeralds belonging to 18th Century Royalty were ta ken. David sillito reports. Dresden castle, the home of one of the worlds greatest displays of royal opulence. The room of wonders created to dazzle, to overwhelm people. It was the collection of augustus the strong, a man of extravagant appetites. It was rumoured he had fathered 300 children. The green vault is one of the greatest collections of aristocratic treasure in the world. However, a significant part of it has been stolen. Police arrived this morning to find a collection of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, described as part of the state treasury of 18th century saxony, had gone. Translation the culprits evidently got in through a window. They cut through the bars and then smashed through the glass before they went straight to one the cabinets which they destroyed. They then left the building and disappeared. So, how did they do it . One clue is this burnt out electrical box, street lights failed, the museum alarm was silent. However, police say a camera did manage to capture images of two thieves as they broke in. The museum says around 100 jewel encrusted items were taken. The value, the museum isnt giving a figure but says this is about more than just money. This collection is, they say, a nations cultural heritage. David sillito, bbc news. The pope is on his way back to rome after concluding his visit to japan. Before departing, he visited Sofia University in tokyo, and held a private holy mass. His visit was marked by messages on atomic power and weapons where he comforted survivors of Nuclear Bombings and accidents. The four day japan trip came after a visit to thailand, also a country with only a small proportion of catholics. A sewing circle in the netherlands is getting a lot of love online after it started making little mittens for koalas injured in the recent australian bushfires. Sewing shop owner Jeltje Van Essen says she was jolted into action after seeing these pictures of the koalas with burnt paws. She called upon her group of volunteers to get to work and has even uploaded a pattern online so others can make the mittens too. So far more than 400 pairs have been finished. A reminder of our top story a new report shows concentrations of Carbon Dioxide the main gas behind Global Warming are at record levels. There is much more on all the news anytime on the bbc website. And you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter im bbcmikeembley. Hello there, theres a big change in the weather for all of us by the end of this week, but before then we have got more mild weather, more cloud, and some further rain and perhaps in some parts, strong to galeforce winds, with the worst of the weather through tuesday and wednesday expected across england and wales. The reason for the wet and windy weather, another area of low pressure, this one contains remnants of ex Tropical Storm sebastian and that is going to stick around for the next couple of days. Ahead of that, we have still got mild conditions by the morning, a lot of cloud, some further pockets of rain and drizzle but the wetter weather and windier weather will be toward the south west, where the winds are up picking up in the morning. Gusts of 40mph or perhaps 50mph. That will push that rain band northward throughout the day, could be quite heavy at times, push its way northwards across england and wales into Northern Ireland and the central belt of scotland, some patchy rain and stronger winds for northern scotland. Behind the rain band may get some sunshine but watch out for heavy downpours, particularly toward the south east of england later on in the afternoon. But with this tropical air heading away, it could be quite warm in the sunshine, 14 or 15 degrees perhaps. But some wet weather for the south east of england, east anglia into the evening, and our area of low pressure comes back towards the south west of england and wales, picks up the rain here which will be quite heavy, and also strengthens the wind, and we will see gales pushing through the English Channel coastal areas into the Channel Islands too. So, more rain for england and wales, could be heavy at times, and we are still going to have some wet weather across the far north of scotland. But mainly its south east scotland and north east england that will see the rain turning heavier and more persistent as we head into the afternoon bringing the threat of more localised flooding. Temperatures widely in double figures. As we head into thursday, we start to see some changes because the low pressure is going to take a lot of that rain away into the near continent. Our wind direction is going to change from that milder south westerly to a much colder northerly wind, and that will drag down the cold air across the whole of the country. We have still got some rain to clear away on thursday and there is more of it now across england and wales, a little bit slower but we should see it brightening up for Northern Ireland and particularly across scotland with some sunshine knocking those temperatures down in that northerly wind, still some mild air across the south but only 11 or 12 degrees. As we move into friday morning, there may well be a frost around, perhaps all the way down toward the midlands as well. Thats a significant change. We are also looking at drier weather to arrive on friday, that is going to mean more sunshine for a change, but those images will be lower, typically 5 8 celsius. This is bbc news. The headlines new figures confirm that concentrations of Greenhouse Gases in the earths atmosphere have reached another record high. The statistics by the World Meteorological organisation, collected over thirty years, suggest that rising concentrations of Carbon Dioxide, methane and other Greenhouse Gases are driving the severity of Climate Change. There is no sign of any slowdown. Hong kongs chief executive has acknowledged deficiencies in her government in the wake of sundays landslide victory for pro democracy parties in local elections. In her weekly address carrie lam also said she hopes students still occupying the Polytechnic University will leave peacefully. She offered no concessions on the protesters demands. The World Anti Doping Agency has called for russia to be suspended from International Sporting competitions for the next four years for having falsified laboratory data. The commitee found that russian officials had erased failed doping tests from a database. A vote on the recommendation will be held next month