Saturday, March 31, 2018

Businesses in China brace for potential trade war with U.S.

A decision by the United States to impose tariffs on around $60
billion in Chinese imports has raised concerns that a trade war
between the world's two largest economies may be looming.

China vows to defend its interests and plans to slap tariffs on the U.S.

William Denselow is in China's Henan province looking at how
businesses here might be impacted.

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Posted by at

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Nasa plans return to the moon

Nasa scientists and space policy makers from around the world have been talking this week about how to send humans back to the moon.

A space policy meeting in Washington DC looked at ways to use the moon as a staging platform for testing new commercial, civil and defence systems as well as mining its valuable resources.

Nasa hopes to return to the moon in the next few years.

Harry Horton was at the meeting and sent this report.


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SCRIPT

<<UPSOT>>
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

It was Neil Armstrong's famous words in 1969 that inspired dreams of further space travel.

But in the decades since, trips to the moon stopped.

Now, President Trump wants to see Nasa return to the moon.

In December, he announced a new space policy directive.

<<TAKE SOT: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (Speaking in December 2017)>>
"The directive I'm signing today will refocus America's space program on human exploration and discovery. It marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and use. This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars. And perhaps, someday, to many worlds beyond."


Half of Nasa's new budget is designated for space exploration.

If Nasa is to send astronauts to the moon again then the people meeting in Washington DC this week will probably have some involvement. 

The American and European Scientists here say only a fraction of the moon's surface has been explored - and robots and telescopes can only learn so much.

Here's Professor Carle Pieters, a Moon Geologist from Brown University.

<<TAKE SOT: Professor Carlé Pieters, Moon geologist, Brown University>>
"We can say, ok, here's something I want to do on the moon and we can design an instrument to do that, but - and this has been demonstrated with apollo over and over again - having a human on the moon finds new things that you didn't design for."

(UPSOT: "strolling on the moon one day…")
Harrison Schmitt singing on the moon's surface in 1972. 
Today he's inspiring a new generation to dream about space exploration. 

The last living human to visit the moon believes it's America who must lead the way in a crowded international space field - with an increasingly active China.

<<TAKE SOT: Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 Astronaut>>
"It's primarily important for the United States and the free world that Nasa return to the moon because of the international competition in space. The forces of freedom need to be there and be competitive."
"Do you think the world can get excited again about another mission to the moon?"
"Oh there's no question about it. The world's going to get excited. Any time human beings are taking huge risks, managing those risks and doing exciting things."


Private companies such as Space X have opened up space travel and Nasa plans to work with them and other countries in future.

45 years since Apollo 17 left the moon - Nasa hope they can send humans there again within the next decade.

SOC

Posted by at

Fatal Uber crash slows self-driving industry

The car industry is reassessing the road ahead following a fatal crash
earlier this month.

A self-driving Uber vehicle killed a woman in the US state of Arizona
- the first time an autonomous vehicle has been involved in a fatal
car crash.

So where now for the driverless technology?

Nick Harper reports from New York Auto Show.

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TAKE VO
Seeing the future at the New York Auto Show... Sensors and cameras are
navigating the road ahead in this new partnership between Jaguar and
Waymo.
They plan to have driverless taxis on the roads for testing by the end
of this year - and 20,000 of them by 2020.
Waymo, owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, has clocked a total
of 5 million miles on public road testing so far.
Hanno Kirner is the Executive Director of Corporate and Strategy for
Jaguar Land Rover.

SOT - Hanno Kirner, Jaguar Land Rover, Executive Director of Corporate
and Strategy: "The best way is always to convince through facts and
the fact is 94% of accidents happen because of human error. So by
reducing the likelihood of human error obviously we are increasing
safety. We also believe that technology, if it works can help us with
that."

TAKE VO
Facts and figures are one thing, but consumer sentiment - the way
people actually feel about the technology - is another. And there may
now be a rather significant roadblock standing in the way of
convincing people to trust the tech.
TAKE VO
The Uber crash this month that killed a female pedestrian, also hurt
consumer confidence. Here's Jennifer Vuong from Automotive News.

SOT - Jennifer Vuong, Automotive News: "It is kind of a wake up call
for the industry. // I do think that consumers will look at this and
be a little hesitant about self-driving technology. Certainly it has
affected the industry. We're seeing some tech companies, supplies,
manufactures maybe slow down on their development or testing at least
of the autonomous vehicle tech."

TAKE VO
The timeliness of the issue evidenced by this year's special Traffic
Safety Symposium, to assess and address the issue of machines behind
the wheel.
The President for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Cathy Chase,
gave the keynote speech at the symposium.

SOT - Cathy Chase, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, President:
"We support autonomous vehicles, we just want to make sure that human
error is not replaced by computer error. Two thirds of the public are
skeptical about sharing the roads with driverless cars. So we really
need to make sure they get the confidence they need to be able to rely
on on this technology which has such potential and promise to save
lives."

TAKE VO
Despite the continued US market dominance of SUVs and trucks, the
industry is clearing moving in one direction.
Some twenty companies are racing to make self-driving cars roadworthy.
Among them, Ford already has vehicles on the streets of Michigan and
Florida – testing pizza delivery.
BMW aims to unveil self-driving cars in China in 2021.
While the Chinese government has just approved Baidu's testing of
driverless cars in Beijing.
Testing and safety are now paramount to overcome concerns that it's
not quite time to remove the brains from behind the wheel.
SOC

ENDS
Posted by at

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Global interest propels renewed jade sales

For thousands of years art lovers have been fascinated by jade. Even today is remains one of the world's most precious stones.

And it's still traded on markets around the world.

Nick Harper reports on a jade sale in New York that's proving the stone's popularity is no longer limited to China.

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TAKE VO
It's been bought and sold for thousands of years, but jade hasn't lost its luster.
This personal collection of 136 artifacts was pieced together over 40 years.
And now the owner has passed it on to a Oriental auction gallery in New York, J.J. Lally and Company. Here's the gallery owner James Lally.

SOT - Lally
"He was buying at auction, he was buying privately, he was buying in Japan, he was buying in New York, he was buying in Europe, and it was this great passion. But as very often happens the collecting passion doesn't transmit through the family in the same way."

TAKE VO
This treasure trove dates back over 6000 years, some of the oldest pieces coming from the neolithic period.
Most of these artifacts survived because they were buried.
Items like ornamental pendants, ceremonial daggers, and yabi [PRON: Yah-Bee] - a toothed-disc thought to be a talisman to help the dead beyond the grave.


SOT - Lally
The Yabi, it's Chinese, loosely translated, toothed-disc. So it's a disc with teeth pointing out in a spiral shape around the edge of the circular disc with a hole in the center. So jade became the chosen material for ornament and status objects. People want what they can not have and they particularly chose to have pure white jades which are hard to find, and the more common colors are less sought after and are made into more simple shapes."

TAKE VO
Lark Mason runs an online auction site.

upsound-  "This is a tapir, but this is based on an ancient bronze form from the Western Zhou period."

TAKE VO
He's seen growing international interest in Asian antiques. And says ongoing demand, not just China, has kept jade in fashion, and fueled a rise in prices.

SOT - Mason
"Jade has this deep resonance within Chinese culture. And by extension it's become valuable and esteemed within other cultures that have dealt with China. So there are plenty of people who have no real connection with China that understand this is a special type of stone."

TAKE VO
Of course the internet has simplified the ancient global trade routes, meaning western buyers now have easier access to Chinese history.
And aesthetics aside, collecting can be costly.
This two-thousand-year old cup is expected to sell for around $2m dollars.
Proving that jade is just as highly prized in this millennia as in ones gone by.

SOC
 

ENDS
Posted by at

Monday, March 26, 2018

PKG: US expels 60 Russian diplomats

The Trump administration United States has ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and the closure of a consulate in Seattle.


The United States has joined governments across Europe to punish the Kremlin after a former Russian spy was poisoned in England.


From Washington, Kate Fisher reports.


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SCRIPT:

It's the strongest action to date for a President who has been criticised by political opponents and even member s of his own party for not taking a tough enough stance against Russia over allegations that they meddled in the US election campaign.


But now Twelve Russian intelligence officers in New York and 48 diplomats at the Russian embassy in Washington have been given seven days to leave the country.


The Russian consulate in Seattle will also be forced to close because of its proximity to a U.S. submarine base and defense contractor Boeing.


White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah:


"Today's actions make the United States safer by reducing Russia's ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations and threaten America's national security. "

It is said to be the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history. More than 20 countries have aligned with the UK, expelling more than 100 diplomats.


The white house says id it was making it clear to russia that actions have consequences:


"Our relationship with Russia is frankly up to the Russian government and up to Vladimir Putin and others in senior leadership in Russia. We want to have a cooperative relationship. The president wants to work with Russia. But their actions sometimes don't allow that to happen. The poisoning in the UK that has kind of led to today's announcement was a very brazen action. It was a reckless action."

But Russian ambassador to the unites states, Anatoly Antonov says there will be little chance of cooperation now:


"What the United States of America is doing today - they are destroying what little remained of U.S.-Russian ties. I would add that all the responsibility for ruining Russian-American relations is on the United States of America."


Russia denies any role in the attack and has vowed to retaliate to what it's described as a provocative gesture.


But even as Trump's government steps up the pressure, the President himself has been unusually silent--he has yet to condemn Moscow personally.

Last week president Trump said he was making plane to meet president Putin in person but any such meeting is looking less and less likely as relations between Russia and the west continue to deteriorate.

Kate fisher sabc news, washington


Posted by at

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

NYC weighs driving charge to beat congestion

New York could become the first city in the United States where
drivers have to pay for the privilege of using the road.

Planners hope the pay-to-drive scheme would reduce Manhattan's
congestion and raise around $1.5bn in annual revenue.

But critics say the city's public transport needs to improve if the
plan is to work.

Nick Harper reports from New York.

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- natsound cars honking -
New Yorkers often find themselves on the road to nowhere fast.
Slow speeds, frequent stops, and crippling congestion are all part of
the Manhattan driving experience.
But a new congestion-charge aims to bring all of that to a stop.
Here's Professor Sarah Kaufman from the Rudin Center for
Transportation at New York University.

SOT - Kaufman
"I do think that charging for certain behavior will adjust that
behavior. Manhattan has one and half million people enter everyday,
which is a large number and it can not sustain a higher number of
people driving in by themselves."

The proposal recommends an $11 and a half dollar charge for cars and
$25 dollars for trucks. Which seems to make sense when you consider a
trip in a taxi through Manhattan's Midtown averages less than 8
kilometers an hour. Meaning people can walk almost as fast as they can
drive.

Forcing more people to take public transport, though, only makes sense
if the trains can take the strain.

Subway critics like Owen Gutfreund a professor of Urban Policy and
Planning at Hunter College says New York's aging infrastructure isn't
up the job.

SOT - Gutfreund
"Maintenance has fallen off. Repairing switches, repairing signals,
maintaining the fleet of cars. The nuts and bolts so to speak are
getting a little bit too loose."

Taxi takers and Uber users won't be exempt either, facing a surcharge
of between two and five dollars a ride.
One transportation expert has even suggested imposing a $50 fee on all
for-hire vehicles.
Singapore, London, and Stockholm have all introduced congestion pricing.
But despite these successes, there might be another roadblock to
bringing the scheme to the US.

SOT - Gutfreund
"All those are examples that we could learn from. Unfortunately
Americans don't like learning lessons from other people - they prefer
to to solve the problem on their own so to speak."

With Manhattan seemingly on the highway to hell, city's planners have
now come to a fork in the road - they need to decide if they want
congestion charging or just congestion.

SOC

ENDS
Posted by at

Monday, March 19, 2018

PKG: Surge in number of American women freezing their eggs as more Chinese come to US for the procedure

The number of women choosing to freeze their eggs in the United States has swelled from 475 in 2009 to nearly 8,000 in 2015, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.  

But it's not just American women who are choosing to spend thousands of dollars on a procedure with unpredictable results. 

In China the treatment is illegal for unmarried women and restrictive even for those who are married. 

Since the country lifted its one child policy in 2015 more and more Chinese women are travelling to the US for the treatment. 

Kate Fisher reports


IN: Carolyn Lee decided
OUT: SOC
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{SCRIPT:}

VO#1: <b'roll of Carolyn Lee and her 5 children>

Carolyn Lee decided to freeze her eggs when she was unmarried in her 30s. 

Now she and her husband have two sets of twins and a 7 week old baby - all from frozen eggs.

 

SOT: CAROLYN LEE, mother-of-five from frozen eggs

"It almost felt like I was competing in the olympics and that I was looking forward to seeing how this turned out and having a huge goal that I accomplished. It's a combination of science and art. You can't control this but you know you've done your best."
 

VO#2: <Lees B'roll>

The Lee family was lucky – Citing a number of medical studies, the Washington Post reports a woman freezing 10 eggs at age 36 has between a 30 to 60 percent chance of having a baby.


VO#3: <lab or Khan set-up>

Dr naveed khan has been helping women get pregnant for 12 years. He says the technology used to freeze eggs is getting more effective.
 

SOT: DR NAVEED KHAN, Shady Grove Fertility

"In the beginning we had success rates of eggs survingin only 10 % now over 80/90 % of the eggs survive

We have this process of egg freezing called vitrification which is flash freezing of the eggs. Because of that our pregnancy rates with frozen eggs are just as good as fresh."

 

VO#4: <lab b'roll,>

That's attracted international interest - particularly from China where unmarried women are not allowed to freeze their eggs and even married women face a lot of restrictions.


SOT: DR NAVEED KHAN, Shady Grove Fertility


"Some of the more high tech procedure are not readily available in china itself. Especially once they lifted the one child rule back in 2015 we now have a huge population of women who now need services for fertility because there just isn't the capacity for treating all those patients in china itself."


VO#5: <b'roll of website in Mandarin, stills of seminars in China>

Demand is such that they've just started a program specifically for Chinese women. Dr Khan will be hosting patient seminars in major Chinese cities this month.


STAND-UP IN LAB: Kate Fisher, Rockville, Maryland <b'roll of embryologists extracting eggs over part of stand-up>


"This is where it all happens. The woman's eggs are retrieved in the room just behind that glass. They're then passed through the window to the embryologists who then get on with their work straightaway. The team here says that until about 8 years ago this was a very rare procedure but now they do between 2 and 4 of them every day."


VO#6: <lab b'roll>

The team says age is the most important factor in success rates - the younger the woman is when she freezes her eggs, the more likely she is to end up pregnant.

 

VO#7: <lab b'roll>

Each egg freezing process costs from around $10,000 with several hundred dollars of yearly storage fees on top. But Carolyn says, it is worth it.

 

SOT: CAROLYN LEE, mother-of-five from frozen eggs

"I would go for it. I would first be informed. I'd choose a clinic which has a very good lab. And choose a doctor with great bedside manner, that is very informed, has read up on things. Get the odds in your favor as much as you can. You can be a mother and not give up on that."


VO#8: <Carolyn and family

And despite the cost and uncertainty more and more women in the US and overseas are not giving up on it, hoping medical advances will mean they don't have to close the door on their chances of having a family.  

Posted by at

PUTIN WINS FOURTH TERM WITH LANDSLIDE

President Vladimir Putin has won another six years in office after winning a landslide in the Russian presidential election, in a poll that critics say was tilted in his favour. He addressed crowds in Moscow to call for unity, after a campaign in which opposition leaders accused him of running a corrupt regime. But as Dan Ashby reports, he is on course to rule Russia for a quarter of a century.


IN: (Cheers) 'He walked out....'
OUT: Russia without him
Dur: 2;00

Posted by at

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

HAWKING DIES AT 76


British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.

He became world renowned for his work around black holes and relativity.

Olly Barratt reports from London.

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****

Stephen Hawking's family say he died peacefully at his home in Cambridge.

They described him as 'a great scientist and an extraordinary man'.

He was born in Oxford in 1942 and became one of the world's best known scientists.


Dr Robert Massie is from the Royal Astronomical Society.

CLIP

And Stephen Hawking had spoken himself of wanting to make physics accessible.

CLIP


Students at Cambridge University have signed the book of condolences there.

CLIP


He was given only a few years to live when diagnosed in the 1960s with a rare form of motor neurone disease.

But he insisted he would not be restricted by his physical condition.

CLIP

Stephen Hawking wrote a number of science books, including A Brief History of Time which sold millions of copied worldwide.

His life was turned into the film The Theory of Everything, in which he was played by Eddie Redmayne.

He spoke at the opening of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

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DUR: 16

CLIP:

UK Prime Minister Theresa May paid tribute to his 'brilliant and extraodinary mind'

The Motor Neurone Disease Association reports that its website crashed after the news of his death - with a surge in donations to the charity.

OB, LONDON

Posted by at

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Intl Women's Day: UN highlights work of rural women

On International Women's Day the United Nations has held events to celebrate and highlight the work of women in rural communities.

These women are often the backbone of economies outside urban centers around the world.

But they are still not treated equally, with many facing discrimination, prejudice and even sexual violence.

Nick Harper reports from the UN in New York.

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TAKE VO
They make up a quarter of the world's population, but most are left behind by development. These are the rural women.
But at a time when women's rights have come to the fore in developed nations, in many other countries these issues are still hidden beneath the surface. Here's UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

SOT - Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations: "Let us declare loud and clear "The Time is Now."

TAKE VO
At the United Nations in New York, the UN chief highlighted the challenges rural women face, like unequal pay, difficulties in owning land, and often violence.

SOT - Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations: "All around the world we need to listen to the women and girls who are rightly proclaiming their rights. We must join together as partners – women and girls, men and boys – to make gender equality a reality for all. Our aspirations for a world of peace, prosperity, dignity and opportunity for all depend on it."

TAKE VO
The past year has seen the rise of the #MeToo movement, with countries speaking out against sexual assault and harassment. But that movement hasn't made it as far as many rural communities, says the head of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

SOT - Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Head of UN Women: "In the case of the Oscars and Hollywood, because they have such visibility it is an important forum because what they are able to do gains greater visibility than something that is done by someone who is far away in Sri Lanka - they might not be able to get that visibility."

TAKE VO
Women often have care and domestic responsibilities, which impact their agricultural output, and the wages they are able to earn. Venge Nyirongo is a Policy Specialist at UN Women.

SOT - Venge Nyirongo, Policy Specialist, UN Women: "All that is affected by how much burden they get to subjected to while at home; but also at community levels, because the norms that guide societal behavior are still prejudiced against women."

TAKE VO
For the first time, the UN's senior management team is now made up equally of men and women. That gender parity will also be true for the leaders of UN Country Teams by next month. Change is coming from the very top, here at UN headquarters. But that change is still a long way off reaching the bottom, and altering the way women are treated in rural communities around the world.

SOC


ENDS

Posted by at

Saturday, March 3, 2018

AMISOM Rejects UN Resolution on Somalia


Intro;


Leaders from Troop contributing countries to the African Union Mission in Somalia are urging the United Nations to reconsider a decision to withdraw forces from the horn of Africa.

 

A draw down of AMISOM troops in Somalia has started and local Somali forces are expected to take over but there is concern whether they will manage.

 

Michael Baleke reports from Kampala.

 

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Friday, March 2, 2018

Venezuelans Pushed to Find New Ways to Put Food on the Table

Lead 
 
The economic crisis affecting Venezuela has pushed  people living there  to become inventive, and find new ways to pay for everyday necessities. 
 
Critical shortages of food and medicine, and a quadruple-digit inflation rate have forced many Venezuelans to sell off their possessions to  hold off starvation.
 
Juan Carlos Lamas has more from Caracas. 

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SCRIPT
A secondhand clothing store in Caracas is the backdrop for one of the dramas currently playing out in the Venezuelan capital.
 
Its owner Victor Correa explains people come here to sell their clothes to survive.
 
CLIP
"Some of the people who come to my store tell me their priority is to sell their clothes and have enough money to buy their lunch or to pay for their next day's  transportation, but most of them just want some money to buy medicine." 
 
Victor Correa says about two hundred people come to his store each week to sell their clothes. 
Many of his customers like Felix Sotillo have already sold off more valuable possessions and family heirlooms.
 
CLIP 
"I have sold my car, my bicycle, most of my clothes and even my children's toys. It's a shame but we need money if we want to eat" 
 
People buying and selling their clothes here say they simply cannot make ends meet given skyrocketing prices. The IMF is predicting Venezuela's inflation rate will hit 13 thousand percent this year.Wages have lagged way behind and most people cannot afford the few goods for sale at stores.  
 
Economist Leonardo Vera explains Selling their clothes or buying secondhand ones, is just one way Venezuelans have adapted to living with hyperinflation
 
CLIP 
"87 per cent of Venezuelan families are now living in poverty. Just 4 years ago it was 48 percent. This shows how quadruple-digit inflation has destroyed the lives of people living in Venezuela. This is a crisis never before seen in Latin America." 
 
President Nicolas Maduro blames the economic free fall on a right-wing conspiracy and US economic sanctions.  The opposition says it's due to poor planning and mismanagement by the current government.No matter who is to blame for the  economic crisis, Venezuelans are determined  to find enough money to put food on their tables, even if that means letting go of most of their possessions.   Juan Carlos Lamas Caracas 

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The Legacy of Hugo Chavez 5 Years After His Death




Five years have passed since the death of Venezuela's legendary President Hugo Chavez. He was  a career military officer who rode a wave of popular outrage at the traditional political elite and sold the idea of giving power to the people.  Latin American Correspondent Juan Carlos Lamas takes a look at the legacy Chavez left behind, and what has become of his dreams for a socialist Venezuela. 

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Millions of people consider former President Hugo Chávez a man who completely transformed Venezuela politically, economically and socially.  He nationalized Venezuelan industries and poured huge infusions of cash into social programs. Five years after his death, Chavistas, as his supporters are known, still see him as Venezuela's savior. And even though the country has fallen into a deep crisis there's still support for Chavez's handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro.  


Chavista Yajaira Rodriguez says she's benefitted from the socialist programs of Chavez and Maduro. 

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"Chavez is a supreme leader among socialists, Maduro is his son, and I'm glad he is following my commander's legacy." 


Since Nicolas Maduro was elected in 2013, the global price of oil has plummeted. Venezuelans are suffering from extreme shortages of food and medicine.  Inflation has reached quadruple digits. 


Máximo Febres blames government mismanagement for  the country's social, political and economic crisis. 
 
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"In the last five years, we've seen the consolidation of a totalitarian and military system, which I'm not afraid to call a dictatorship."
 
Maduro says Venezuela's current problems are part of an international conspiracy to destroy his government. 

Economist Leonardo Vera says Venezuela has dug itself into a hole that will be difficult to get out of.
 
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" From 2015 to 2016, over 10 million people went from middle class to poverty. That's a clear example of the destruction of the quality of  life in Venezuela."  
 
Presidential elections are scheduled for May, and so far, the splintered opposition has not put forward a unifying candidate.  Juan Carlos Lamas, Caracas. 
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MAY DELIVERS BREXIT STRATEGY 'CLARITY'

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has set out her priorities for Brexit, admitting that neither side will get everything it wants in negotiations.


She's delivered a major speech in London on her government's Brexit strategy.


The UK is due to leave the European Union in March 2019.


Olly Barratt reports from London.


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Theresa May's speech was about detail.


The European Union has been pressing for it ahead of the next set of negotiations.


But she also wanted to strike an optimistic tone.


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In terms of detail Mrs May said the UK wanted to make 'binding commitments' on standards and regulations for access to EU markets.


But she insisted Britain will not be part of a customs union with the EU, seeking a customs arrangement instead, so the UK can be free to strike trade deals around the world.


The Prime Minister touched on financial services and said that the "jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK must end".


And she suggested the UK  could remain as an associate member of agencies in the spheres of medicine, chemicals and aviation.


Theresa May acknowledged difficult discussions lie ahead.


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When it comes to Northern Ireland she reiterated she would not agree to it staying in a customs union with the EU but would work to find other ways of avoiding a border with Ireland.


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The EU's chief negotiatior Michel Barnier responded to the speech by saying he welcomed the new 'clarity' from the UK.


The opposition Liberal Democrats in the UK called the address 'prevarication' and accused her of avoiding serious decisions.


But some in Theresa May's own Conservative Party believe there is a bargaining chip she hasn't yet used, but could…


The multi-billion dollar so-called 'divorce bill' that Britain's agreed to pay the EU…


Conservative MP Jacob Rees MOgg


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As negotiators are fond of saying - nothing is agreed, until everything is agreed.


Olly Barratt SOC

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China import ban prompts UK to step up fight against plastic waste

With China banning the import of recyclable plastic waste this year, campaigners in the UK are warning of an impending environmental crisis.

The British government has launched a crack down on plastic and growing public anger about rising plastic waste levels in oceans has led experts to say the country is reaching a turning point in attitudes towards pollution and recycling. 

Paul Barber reports from London.

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President Trump promises tariffs on steel

U.S. President Donald Trump says his administration will slap a 25%
tariff on imported steel, and 10% on aluminum.

The President says he aims to officially sign the measure next week.

It's in bid to protect producers at home but as William Denselow
reports, there are fears the move could spark counter-measures from
some of America's trading partners.

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