Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240716

Card image cap

Politics is replaced by politics live, whats behind the change . Joining us tonight at 7 45pm. Good evening. The government is drawing up the biggest change to the divorce law in england and wales in almost 50 years in a bid to both speed up the process of separation, and allow more couples to split without apportioning blame. Thejustice secretary, david gauke, is set to announce a consultation on no fault divorce, after saying he wanted to remove some of the unnecessary antagonism created by the current system. Our Legal Affairs correspondent Clive Coleman is here with us now. Clive, what more can you tell us . There has been pressure building for ano there has been pressure building for a no lame divorce system for years now. Back in 1990 it was said we should have won. And seniorjudges believed we should have a no fault system. When you get divorced you are being ripped apart emotionally and financially, as a couple you are trying to sort out the best living arrangements for your children, and many people say that if you throw blame and filed into the mix at that point you are simply making a bad situation worse. We almost got no fault divorce in 1996, it was in an act of parliament. But it got looking back. Last year there was an appeal against an order which kept a marriage of a0 years because the husband would not consent to a divorce. He didnt believe his behaviour was unreasonable to the point where she could no longer be expected to live with him as a married couple. Thejustice secretary has become persuaded of the case for a no fault system. What idid the case for a no fault system. What i did look the case for a no fault system. What idid look like . The case for a no fault system. What i did look like . Well, i think we will have to see the detail in the consultation, but at the heart of it we replace a system with three of the things that you have two argue and boom in order to get a divorce, desertion, adultery or so called unreasonable behaviour, where there is blame or fault, unreasonable behaviour, where there is blame orfault, we will move unreasonable behaviour, where there is blame or fault, we will move to a system where fault and blame are not at the centre, if a spouse says, look, the marriage has broken down irretrievably, that will remain the sole ground for divorce, after a defined period the government say, maybe six or nine months, if at the end of that period the spouse is still saying, look, this marriage has broken down, then they will become entitled to a divorce. Some say thats too quick and easy, and will undermine marriage, but others say, look, this takes a layer of stress away from what can be one of the most dramatic events and anyones life. The most dramatic events and anyones life. Thank you very much indeed. Clive gave us a flavour of what might be in store. Clive gave us a flavour of what might be in store. With me now in the studio is family lawyer rupi rai, thank you very much for coming in. We dont know quite what is going to happen, do you welcome the principal . As a family lawyer ive been practising for 17 years. This is an ongoing issue. Relationship brea kd owns is an ongoing issue. Relationship breakdowns have been exacerbated because weve had to have a fault based system. I welcome it as do the organisation that govern the code of conduct for family lawyers. How difficult has it been that youve had to place blame on 1 party . Youve had to place blame on 1party . It has been difficult, the judges have been encouraged to look carefully at the allegations that have been made. They have to be Strong Enough to pass the test. If they arent happy they will reject a divorce petition and people are forced to remain living together for periods of time which they actually wa nt to periods of time which they actually want to be able to use to move on, negotiate the finances, the children and start a new life. How much more bearable do you think this could make what is, as clive was saying, a difficult time . I think it will improve it significantly. When you deal with a marriage breakdown its not just the deal with a marriage breakdown its notjust the marriage, its the finances and the children. If they know they dont have to place blame on the other party in order to bring about the end of the marriage, it means people will be more willing to discuss children, finances, and therefore, hopefully, they will be able to move on and stay on good terms with each other. We heard from clive that there is going to be a consultation. There may will be voices of opposition and people saying this will make it too easy to quit, what do you make of that . quit, what do you make of that . |j dont quit, what do you make of that . dont accept that, the reality is that relationships break down. Its making sure that the children are left in a state where they have two pa rents left in a state where they have two parents who are able to speak to each other for parents who are able to speak to each otherfor their parents who are able to speak to each other for their benefit. It isnt going to bring about the end of marriage, although we see that people tend to live together more often. My secretary has chosen as a product of a broken relationship, and decided she doesnt want to get married. She sees the end of a relationship is so traumatic that she would rather just relationship is so traumatic that she would ratherjust live with her partner. Just a final thought in terms of practicality, we hear a lot about divorce courts and the fact that there are long delays and people have to wait, and so on. How will this feed through the system . Will there be further resources needed to process this, will there be better technical support, an Online System, perhaps . There is an Online System, perhaps . There is an Online System, perhaps . There is an Online System that was brought about quite recently. It still has to be checked by judges, court quite recently. It still has to be checked byjudges, court clerks. If we have a process whereby people are able to go online, or even put in applications and they dont have to approve the grounds, then it will absolutely make it quicker and easier, and less costly. Thank you very much for giving us your opinion. British airways could be fined as much as £500 million, for a huge data breach which has affected tens of thousands of people. Hackers managed to access details of 380 thousand bookings made with the airline over a two week period. Ba say personal and financial details have been compromised, although passport information hasnt. It says any customer whos been affected financially will be compensated. Many have been forced to cancel their credit and debit cards. 0n the British Airways website ive got six cards locked, it was very annoying trying to find a way to contact them to see which one had been compromised. Like thousands of other customers george herreras bank details have been hacked and hes had a confusing day working out what he should do. I dont think i have to cancel all my credit cards, but i dont know. And in the process of doing that. It could take a long time. Each card takes at least 25 minutes to go through the system. So what do we know about this breach . It affected customers who made a booking or change when sudha British Airways website, or the apple from 11pm on august 21 open to 9 a5am on wednesday evening. 380,000 chords difficult cards were affected. Names, addresses, e mail addresses and Payment Information were stolen. They include card number, expiry date and the three digit Security Code on the back. Im not letting you see my three digit number because its a bit like giving you the keys to my say. 0n because its a bit like giving you the keys to my say. On an online transaction this number shouldnt be stored. British airways says they werent, so how did hackers get hold of them . Emily is a Cyber Security expert, what could have happened . 0ne expert, what could have happened . One theory is that a supplier to British Airways is how they got compromised in the first place. On the website you may not realise but there is a lot of Third Party Software within those web pages to do things like process card information. It could be that they we re information. It could be that they were targeted because they are weak on security and ben used to extract the data. British airways says its sorry promises compensation for any customers who end up out of pocket. This was a very sophisticated criminal attack on British Airways, and over more than 20 years that we have been operating weve never had a breach of this kind. It doesnt surprise me. We see attacks like this targeting card details all the time. This is a big industry and criminals do this on a daily basis. It is unusual for hackers to land so much sensitive payment card details. Its the first Major Incident since new Data Protection rules came into effect, which means British Airways could face a fine of over half £1 billion, given the speed of baes response regulators may not impose such a sky high penalty. Lets speak now to simon nayyar who is a Business Traveller who regularly uses British Airways. Youve been affected, what was the first you heard of this . youve been affected, what was the first you heard of this . I guess, like a lot of people, who have been affected i woke up this morning and discovered in my inbox and e mail at about 2 a5am, saying that they had been a data breach. It was disappointing and slightly confusing, as a customer, it is kind of like a non apology apology. It was an apology for the inconvenience caused but no real apology of the data breach itself. Even more bizarrely, it basically, British Airways didnt show any sign of ownership or take any sense of ownership or take any sense of ownership of what had happened. They basically said, its over to you. Get in touch with your bank and your credit card issuer. There was no proper apology. No hint of redress, less of compensation. I gather today that British Airways has dripped that British Airways has dripped that out of ryanair press office, but as customers, you might have thought that we might have heard that from British Airways directly, rather than through the media. British airways has dripped that out of their press office. For so many britons at this time of year, they are coming back from family holidays, mum and dad going back to work, kids going back to school, the last thing they want to discover when theyve just come back from a holiday that theyve got to make time to try and get sued to their bank or credit card issuer. You were told that the best thing to do was make your own contact with your provider and get them to decide whether you should cancel the card . Absolutely, thats exactly what i did. It was baffling, because apart from the fact that the call loads we re from the fact that the call loads were enormous and i from the fact that the call loads were enormous and i had to try three times because the line was engaged and then it took 22 minutes to get through to my card insurer. I spoke to someone, interestingly, he said that in the 18 years hes been with them these are the highest call volumes theyve ever recorded. Annex basically said we dont know whether you should cancel your card or not. They said, we are still waiting for guidance from British Airways. In the event of loss for fraudulent use you are protected, so i said should i destroy the card, and they said, its up to you. As a customer, particularly when data is an enormously sensitive thing, and Financial Data even more so, British Airways had a duty of care that they didnt really seek to discharge properly. Certainly not convincingly, and i feel properly. Certainly not convincingly, and ifeel many customers feel the same. You use British Airways for business, youve been using them over a long period of time, you were saying that you feel you have seen a lot of changes you are not altogether surprised that theyve been hit by Something Like this because of their strategy . Im in reputation management, my own business spends a lot of time helping clients, corporate and orange dig up organisations on how to manage crisis situations and every day engagement with their key stakeholders. For a lot of companies their customers are one. I dont think, certainly, this isnt the way we would have incurred any of our clients to handle Something Like today, i mean, one takes ownership, one takes responsibility and makes a very clear prospectus for the customer about the journey to ensure effective and equitable redress. In terms of the broader point, i think, for many of us who are frequent travellers with British Airways, im proud to travel with them, and we still want to do the right thing. Essentially, it is a Great British icon, it is a statement of britain wherever you are in the world when you see that tail fin. It sort of followers the Spring Bank Holiday crisis last year, when the contractor managed to turn off the main server leaving customers stranded all over the world. At that time there was discussion about was this evidence of the airline, basically, extracting too many efficiency gains in order to boost the profits of shareholders, was it going too far . Im afraid this looks like more of the same. Its not those things alone, its all the other things we have two bear in mind. Theres the end of free drinks, and food coming economy. Theres been so called and rather euphemistically described densification on their long haul jets. Sitting ten abreast, to mexico or other things, of course, the airline will talk about spending billions of pounds on new products and thats great, thats welcomed, but in many other ways, product and service is nothing like what it used to be, or like what it was even five yea rs to be, or like what it was even five years ago. So a wakeup call for bae . I think so. We will find out how this story is covered in the front pages later tonight. This evening in the papers our guests joining me tonight are john rentoul, chief political commentator at the independent, and henry zeffman, Political Correspondent at the times. To stay with us for that. The headlines on bbc news. The government is to draw up the biggest change to divorce law in england and wales in almost 50 years allowing more couples to split without apportioning blame. Thousands of ba customers cancel their credit cards after a huge data breach at the airline. Sir vince cable will stand down as liberal democrat leader after brexit, and wants candidates from outside politics to be given the chance to replace him. More on that shortly. A man who claimed to be a survivor of the Grenfell Tower fire has beenjailed forfalsely claiming almost £90,000 worth of emergency funds. Yonatan eyob was put up in a hotel and given a food allowance and pre paid credit cards. Drugs, including cocaine, were found in his hotel room, along with around £3,000 in cash, designer clothes and jewellery. Specialist military teams have started decontaminating the home of the novichok poisoning victim sergei skripal. The operation at the house in salisbury where police say the former russian agent, and his daughter yulia, were contaminated with nerve agent in march, is part of the planned decontamination programme, during which items will be removed from the property. Further sampling will later be carried out to ensure the site is safe. After more than a week of fierce fighting between rival factions in libya, a fragile ceasefire brokered by the un appears to be holding. Seven years ago, rebel groups, backed by a military coalition which included britain, toppled the dictator muammar gaddafi. Since then, theres been political and military chaos. One result has been a huge surge in african migrants using the country as a route to europe. The latest violence between rival militias erupted around the capital tripoli. The bbc has the only International News team there and we can speak to clive myrie. We are entering a nervous city. 0nly now, after one week of fighting and sleazy spheres do we think its safe to enter tripoli. Cease fires. Armed groups outside the capital breached the city walls. Rival factions are ready to fight. The battle has left scores dead, including civilians. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes. Darkness provides no respite. The battles are over, for now. But the scars remain. At this family camp ground ali doted on two grandchildren,. The rocket or missile landed with the children we re missile landed with the children were playing. There was blood everywhere. 0n the ground, all over the place. When you see the body of your grandchild, my daughter. The place. When you see the body of your grandchild, my daughter she had to see it too. I am very, very sad. Ten years i have been asking why . Why . The boys were 14 and 15. They were buried a week ago today. Libyas problems, death, destruction, ra response to the messy end of colonel gaddafis rule, the country was carved up leaving no one in control. The militias and groups within the captain lobbying accused of being greedy. Those groups outside the capital say they have. There is a government in tripoli, its accused of allowing armed factions to act with impunity. So many militias and fighting groups are seemingly running the country, and libya is a failed state. Seizing on that failure have been the deliberately seen the fighting of recent days in snaith thousands who are trying to use libya as a gateway to europe across the mediterranean. These people had to break out of a detention centre, the fighting got too close. This man says there was gunfire at night, thats why they escaped. Even as we try to run another man was shot. Libyans are tired of men with guns having all the influence, hopes for nationwide elections by the end of the year are now in ruins. 0nce elections by the end of the year are now in ruins. Once again, an attempt to stitch together this fractured nation has come to nothing. President trump has called on his attorney general, Jeff Sessions to open an investigation into who wrote the anonymous New York Times article into his presidency. Mr trump said it was a matter of National Security because the writer had questioned his fitness for office, and claimed to have thwarted his inclinations. The open editorial criticised the president s leadership and said white house staff were constantly trying to thwart parts of his agenda. The labour Leaderjeremy Corbyn has said his party speaks for the mainstream in the uk he hit back, after the former Prime Minister tony blair told the bbc hes not sure its possible for moderates in the party to retake it from the left. His comments came as the leader of the liberal democrats, sir vince cable, said he wants to transform his party into a movement for moderates. Vicki youngs report contains some flash photography. Is british politics in need of a face lift . 0r is british politics in need of a face lift . Or even a total rebuild . Iua voter who thinks that politicians are failing to represent your feelings . Tony blair was the last party leader to win a decisive election victory, he says last party leader to win a decisive election victory, he sasteremy corbyn doesnt have a broad enough appealfor this kind corbyn doesnt have a broad enough appeal for this kind of corbyn doesnt have a broad enough appealfor this kind of win. And moderate Centre Ground mps have lost control of the labour party. Im not sure its possible to take it back. In a lot of People Associated with me feel like the labour party is lost. Visiting a museum in leicester today the labour leader insisted he is the one in tune with voters. His campaign for an equal society has a mainstream message. Tony blair should recognise that membership is much bigger than its ever been. Bigger than its been in my lifetime. Well over half a Million People. After the general election we set out what our aspirations are to the people of this country. The liberal democrat leader thinks millions of voters feel homeless, today he offered them a roof over their head, saying he would open up the party to outsiders who share his liberal values. Would open up the party to outsiders who share his liberalvalues. Its would open up the party to outsiders who share his liberal values. Its a mass movement, the voice on the inside, in our parliamentary parties. He even suggested that the lib dem leader wouldnt need to be an mp. Why are you confident that millions of people would flock to you in this new system . There is clearly a demand out there for a rallying point. Large numbers of people are fed up with the drift of the country, and the fact that the two established parties have taken a relaxed status. Some conservatives and many labourmps relaxed status. Some conservatives and many labour mps are in and co mforta ble and many labour mps are in and comfortable with the direction their parties are going in, there is talk ofa parties are going in, there is talk of a new party, breaking away from old ones. Without a clearfigurehead its hard to see how any of these ideas would get off the ground. There is certainly no agreement about what could happen next. With me to discuss what a new centrist party may look like im joined by the guardian columnist, dawn foster and laura hughes, Political Correspondent at the financial times. Thank you very much and welcome to you both. Dawn, do we know what the Centre Ground is . Thats the problem, the Centre Ground is by virtue in the middle, so when it comes to policies you never know which way it will go. Thats what did for the lib dems in 2010, some people thought they would be a big force for the left, some people thought they would bae force for the right, and they went to the right. Those are similar problems to what labour are having now. No one is really sure how the people of britain occupy the Centre Ground. To make a centrist party you need a proper platform on these politicians to convince people to vote, at the moment theres lot of disagreement amongst people, both the liberal democrats, the tory party and the right of labour, there needs to be a platform and at the moment there is no Centre Ground. Do you agree that the Centre Ground is an odd, wishy washy place to be . You hear a lot about this expression but we dont really understand where it is. I think we sort of assumed that everyone was in the centre, we write about tony blair and David Cameron winning that sort of platform. As brexit showed, this country isnt as straightforward as we went like to have thought. Actually, its incredibly divided. We are seeing the ground beneath all the parties split in various directions, and the reason its cracked is because everyone realised, actually, we thought we were here, and were not. We are so divided. Are we quite binary then, we like to know is that we have this option, they are far apart, one or the other . we have this option, they are far apart, one or the other . I think its a really broad spectrum. 0ver the last 30 years with the conservatives and labour thinking that people didnt vote and would never vote so parties were fought and won, and last, on a small number of right and Centre Politics to make up of right and Centre Politics to make up labour, and may vote conservative. Whats happened is thatJeremy Corbyns conservative. Whats happened is that Jeremy Corbyns labour conservative. Whats happened is thatJeremy Corbyns labour party and people like ukip have realised that the way to win an election could be to appeal to people who have never voted. SoJeremy Corbyns labour party went out to get as many people as possible who werent on the electoral register onto it. Thats why ukip did so well and why Jeremy Corbyn broadened his appeal while moderate labour mps said it wasnt appealing. I think the people at the centre who stepped up, had a lot of attention, in the meantime there were loads of people on the sidelines, the political elements we re sidelines, the political elements were being courted. Lauder, you mentioned that its almost like a concept that the people, the liberal elite, we assume that if only we layout out to the moderate ground and the politicians think people will come round to a sensible way of thinking, maybe politicians need to realise their way of thinking may not be what the general public want . It feels like a crisis point. Something will happen, it might be as simple as brexit going out of the way. But a lot of this is also about political ideas and how you identify yourself. Are you a left leaning figure, we can associate with that a nyway figure, we can associate with that anyway that was a bit more confusing under tony blair. Suddenly these labour mps werent the traditional communal, left wing socialists that some labour members wanted. Its all got very confused and a bit of a medal. Thats why tony blair talking about this wouldnt work it was endorsed by tony blair because it would be associated with the centre left would be associated with the ce ntre left politics that would be associated with the centre left politics that were successful for a long time. All this talk and speculation is because nobody really knows where they are at the moment and i wonder once brexit is out of the way a little bit, are these labour mps actually going to do it . From history we know that break off groups dont do very well, the system does not favour small breakaway parties and thats why, because of centres as well they tend to stay in their little families. Could a new party ever be vibrant and dynamic, is it always doomed to fail . The big risk is that they will never get much power, and wouldnt win any seats, but it could scupper labour and conservatives in marginals. As with the sdp who cost labour quite a fee receipts, that could happen. It would be very difficult to get people very excited about a centrist party, especially young people who are very enthralled by labour at the moment and older people who have always voted conservative. Food for thought, thank you very much indeed. Staying with politics now. The conservative mp and former foreign secretary, borisjohnson, and his wife, marina wheeler, are divorcing. The couple are believed to have separated some months ago. Theyve been married since 1993 and have four children together. It looked like sunday will offer the drier sunnier weather. It looked like sunday will offer the driersunnierweather. Even it looked like sunday will offer the drier sunnier weather. Even a showers clear from east anglia. Some outbreaks of rain in the far north east of scotland. Thickening cloud and some patchy rain into of south west england, wales, Northern Ireland and later running into north west england. Where you have cloud overnight temperatures double figures. Where you are clear dipping down into single figures. Were watching a weather system coming in on saturday. It may produce early rain before it brightens up. Most of the rain is going to run onto wales, parts of northern england, the midlands and was eastern england. A mixture of cloud, some bright sunny spells in the south but mainly dry. Breezy through our frontal zone. At that patchy rain in scotland but by the afternoon here, by the odd shower, some sunny spells around. Dry weather, two, and temperatures on saturday amid tight teens. Hello this is bbc news. The headlines no fault divorces are being considered by the government in what would be the biggest change to the law in this area for almost fity years. Ba says sorry after a mass hack of data from its customers nearly a00,000 payment cards have been compromised. After more than a week of fierce fighting between rival factions in libya, a fragile ceasefire brokered by the un appears to be holding. Sir vince cable will stand down as liberal democrat leader after brexit, and wants candidates from outside politics to be given the chance to replace him. President putin has opposed the idea of a ceasfire in the rebel held syrian province of idlib where an assault by the Syrian Government is thought to be imminent. At a joint summit with the president s of iran and turkey, he said a ceasefire was meaningless unless all armed groups agreed to it. Both he and irans president rohani said the Syrian Government who they support has the right to regain all of its territory, but turkey has warned of a massacre in syria if Government Forces advance on the last rebel held area. We cannot leave this to the scruples of the sad regime who have a record of the sad regime who have a record of massacring people. We had not forgotten this. Any invasion will result in bloodshed and tragedy. There are 3. 5 million civilians in the region and thousands will lose their lives from this imminent bombardment as they have nowhere to ta ke bombardment as they have nowhere to take refuge. And then they will be pushed to our borders. Russia has offered direct help to the syrian people. Food, medicine and other goods are transported to syria. It seems that we must adoptjoint measures for the reconstruction of syria. Counterterrorism is an inevitable pa rt counterterrorism is an inevitable part of the mission of restoring peace and stability to syria. However, this Campaign Must not cause any harm to the civilians. We are fighting for peace. Waging war for the sake of war is the wrong policy in our view. And today the United Nations special envoy for syria stephan de mistura has been speaking about why he believes this discussion about idlib is important. The focus is on idlib. We all terribly concerned. They are all ingredients that exist for a perfect storm with devastating humanitarian consequences and other consequences as well. Joining me now is dr ian black, former middle east editor for the guardian and visiting senior fellow at the London School of economics middle east centre. Thank you. We had a sense there are three of the key players involved in this region. Turkey, iran and russia. I pick for is the involvement, if you could, of those countries and why they are so intricately tied up with the situation in syria, in idlib. What we see in the summer today is a snapshot of the big players in the syrian crisis. Iran and russia have backed president assad from the beginning of the war, seven years ago. Turkey initially called for president assad to go but it is also involved. It has had a lot of refugees crosses emboldened these countries are really calling the shots. The americans and europeans are not shots. The americans and europeans a re not really shots. The americans and europeans are not really involved in a significant way and what were seeing is a discussion of the endgame, if you like. The way that the war was going to end. And what we saw today, at the summit, was pretty clear positions, particularly from the russians and the iranians. So people really essentially saying that, as this push is Going Forward on idlib, it is really the endgame. In syria now will inevitably end up firmly in the hands of assad. That has been clear for some time but the final act, if you like, in this tragedy, is going to be played out in this area. It is in the north west of syria. Close to the border with turkey. It is the area where people have fled from all over syria to get away from the war. The war is inevitably going to come to them. It is a stronghold of groups fire eating the assad regime including of course an Important Group of groups fighting the assad regime. It is designated a terrorist regime by the un and others, the difficulty is, sorting out our all this final act in the war is going to be played out without causing terrible humanitarian suffering. There are about other half Million People who live in this area and the warnings about the likely fate of those people have been escalating as the operation has seen more and more imminent. And it does feel increasingly that it is about to ta ke increasingly that it is about to take place. So what we have seen todayis take place. So what we have seen today is an important diplomatic moment and it is not clear, is from the way the summit ended, whether there is still more time for an offensive to be halted. 0r there is still more time for an offensive to be halted. Or it is actually about to happen and the final act is going to get under way. A huge amount of concern as you say ofa a huge amount of concern as you say of a humanitarian crisis, of civilians caught up in all of this. That clearly unpalatable for the west. Also, the role of russia and iran in all of power that they have wielded in backing assad and yet the west, as you rightly pointed out in your first answer, have essentially pulled back from syria. Do you think they are now looking at that with regret giving the change in the leadership in the white house . Well, it has been a long, painful story. Has to be said that President Trump attracts story. Has to be said that president tru m p attracts controversy story. Has to be said that President Trump attracts controversy and whatever he does. But actually, he has been quite consistent in american policy towards syria. It has been very narrow. Ever since 2013 when president 0bama will still in the white house and there was no response, no military response to the Syrian Governments use of chemical weapons on a large scale, 0bama called that a red light but when that red line was crossed, nothing much happened. So that was a moment when western policy towards this crisis, the greatest crisis of the arab spring, began to look pretty ineffective. And it has become more so. President trump has focused, like 0bama, one fighting isis, but it is a narrow approach to the war. The russians and iranians say the same thing so the idea that this was one of the most important arab countries. There was a democratic uprising against an autocratic president. That is all gone. As the battle against terrorism and were about to see the final act. The only question, i think, now, is whetherwe final act. The only question, i think, now, is whether we have had warnings about this from the americans, if there is use of chemical westerns deliver weapons from the regime, there may be consequences. We saw that before but not much changed. We must leave it there but thank you very much for your thoughts this evening. Theres been an assassination attempt on the frontrunner in brazils president ial election. He was stabbed in the chest during a campaign rally. Hes a controversialfigure his far right speeches have outraged many people in brazil, but hes been performing strongly in recent opinion polls. Joining me now from s o paulo is gustavo ribeiro, journalist for the brazilian report an independent online news and Current Affairs website. Thank you very much for being with us. Tell us a little bit more about how this attack unfolded. This attack happened during a political rally. He was surrounded by a crowd and carried by supporters. When someone approached him and stabbed him in the stomach. Three perforations. His condition is serious but stable, according to the latest doctors report that has been released less than one hour ago. He is conscious and well according to doctors. But he has lost a lot of blood and there remains a risk of infection. So he will have two remain in the hospital for at least one week. We did not know yet if he is going to be able to resume his Campaign Effort until election day, which for the first round happens in exactly one month on october seven. We have heard of course condon condemnation from his rival candidates for the presidency but one imagines a sense that the kind of radical discourse that we were hearing from him, the polarity in this contest may well have contributed to the kind of frenzy around all of this. Well, while shocking and reg retta ble, well, while shocking and regrettable, yes, this attack is far from surprising due to the rising levels of polarisation in brazilian politics since 201a. We had a very, shall i say, dramatic president ial election. The opposing party that lost did not accept the results and since then we have had escalating tensions. We had a very controversial impeachment process against the left wing president. Now we have, at the beginning of the year, shots fired at a campsite where former president was campaigning. Now the case of a left wing Rio De Janeiro campaigning. Now the case of a left wing rio dejaneiro city councillor who was murdered in what the federal police have already called a political assassination and now this. It is an escalating process and he certainly has contributed to this time it due to his homophobic, racist and sexist ra nts his homophobic, racist and sexist rants over the years. The very rise of his president ial bid is indicative of how polarised brazilian politics is right now. Every year millions of tonnes of Plastic Waste flow into the sea around the world. Now, for the first time, theres going to be an attempt to get into the middle of the Pacific Ocean to try to clean it. In the biggest operation of its kind, a huge plastic Collection System will be towed out from california tomorrow. 0ur science editor David Shukman explains. In san francisco, final construction of a massive project with an incredibly bold ambition. To try to clear the oceans of Plastic Waste. This animation shows how the huge structure is meant to collect millions of pieces of plastic to make them easier to get rid of. Sights like this have shocked people around the world. Images of the damage to wildlife have inspired this effort to clean up. If we dont do it now all this plastic will start breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces, and the smaller the pieces are the more harmful and harder to extract from the marine environment. So we feel there is a sense of urgency. There is Plastic Waste in every ocean around the world but this is the first attempt to clean it up. It will take place in the eastern pacific in a rotating current that traps plastic, whats called the great garbage patch. Its bigger than britain and france combined. How is the project meant to work . A giant tube 600 metres long will float on the surface and bend into a shape like a horseshoe, drifting naturally with the current and the winds. Because it will move faster than all the bits of plastic in the water it should slowly gather them together into a small area. Underwater a kind of barrier will hang three metres down to trap plastic below the surface and the design should mean that any fish will pass under it. Once the plastic has been drawn into a dense mass it will then be collected by ship, taken away to be recycled. No one can be sure if the huge system will work. Some experts worry it could harm marine life. The major problem is those creatures that passively float in the ocean and cannot actually move out of the way. Once they are in, they are going to be trapped there unable to move. For example plankton is the bottom of the food chain, so we really do not want to be taking that out of our oceans. That is clearly from the teeth of a fish. Yes. There is no other explanation. One of the scientists on the clean up project says because the plastic is being eaten by fish it is entering the food chain so should be removed. Its been there for years. We find plastic from the 70s, from the 80s, from the 90s. And then we also find languages on those bits of plastic so we will find in the North Pacific chinese, japanese, english,

© 2024 Vimarsana

comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.