hello you're watching bbc world news. i'm ben bland. our top story this hour: europe wakes up to the challenging task ahead. as brussels considers a formal response to brexit, britain will set out its plans for post—eu legislation. welcome to the programme. our other main stories this hour: crunch time for south korea's ousted—president — prosecutors are seeking the arrest of park geun—hye over a long—running corruption scandal. and a global superstar immortalised in bronze: own goal, or work of art? you decide.

i'm sally bundock. in business, let the brexit battle begin. a $600 billion trade relationship must be re—drawn. but who has the upper hand? we weigh up the numbers. plus — they won't catch fire — but will they set the tech world alight? samsung reveals its 58 smartphones — as it tries to repair a singed reputation —— reputation. plans to make the uk an ‘independent, sovereign‘ nation will be published by the government later on thursday, just a day after britain's exit from the eu began. the great repeal bill aims to repatriate more than a0 years of powers back to westminster, ending the supremacy of europeanjudges. leaders of centre—right parties from across the european union are meeting in malta today, as the eu considers its formal response to britain's notification that it is leaving the bloc. eleanor garnier reports from westminster. i , the moment.

some moments make us. this is one. the minute in westminster, belfast, edinburgh and cardiff that the united kingdom formally changed course. the article 50 process is now underway and in accordance with the wishes of the british people, the united kingdom is leaving the european union. this is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back. probably our last ambassador inside the european union handing over the letter at 12:25pm. the document that says we are on our way out. there was a hint of the steel in theresa may's stands. no longer a threat, but a serious warning. she wrote, a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism could be weakened. we must work hard to avoid that outcome. a sentence that certainly raised eyebrows here and across the eu, too. but despite all the difficulties, theresa may promised our relationship with the rest of the continent would be just as good after brexit. what we are both looking for is a conference of free trade agreement which gives that ability to trade freely into

the european single market. and for them to trade with us. it will be a different relationship, but i think it can have the same pen benefits in terms of that free to make access to free trade. more than ever, britain needs a government that will deliver for the whole country, notjust the few. and that is the ultimate test of the brexit deal that the prime minister must now secure. the clock is now ticking. two years to untangle a a0 year relationship, to unpick all the interwoven regulations and legislation. that task does today. with more detail from the government on how it plans to bring eu powers back to westminster. the president of the european council, donald tusk, said the remaining member states would pull together during the talks. and he confirmed he would set out his planned negotiating guidelines on friday, ahead of a special summit next month.

with her assessment of the view at the heart of the eu, here's our europe editor katya adler. the man with the burning letter in his briefcase. good morning. big day, ambassador? sir tim barrow arrived without much fanfare at the european council building this morning. but this isn'tjust an historic day for the uk. for the eu, it is a momentous, never—to—be—forgotten kick in the teeth. visibly unhappy, this was the recipient of britain's letter starting the brexit process. so here it is. six pages. donald tusk, the man who represents all eu member states here in brussels. there is nothing to win in this process, and i'm talking about both sides. this is about damage control. european commission president jean—claude juncker was also down in the mouth. i'm sad.

i'm deeply sad. but beneath that sadness, palpable resentment among some eu leaders today that theresa may appeared in her letter to link the likelihood of a good trade deal, so hoped for by britain, with continued cooperation on security, so needed by the eu. i think that irrespective of what an agreement can be, what sort of agreement you can do on trade at the end of the day, we remain part of the same family and we should remain committed to fighting terrorism. so what now? well, the european commission is the lead negotiator for the eu when it comes to brexit. frans timmermans is the commission's vice president. but how can negotiations even start, i wondered, with both sides at loggerheads? the uk wants divorce talks and talks of a new trade deal in parallel. the commission says non —

divorce comes first. that is all part of how we negotiate. but how do you square that circle? everybody starts with his own interest and tries to formulate his own interest in the best possible way. that's what we all do. so what's the problem in having parallel talks, talking about trade at the same time as divorce, for example? the position of the eu will be determined on the basis of careful analysis of theresa may's letter. there can be no future settlement if we are not clear on how the divorce settlement is going to be. to make two years of complex negotiations even thornier, the uk isn't talking just for the european commission. the real power behind the throne lies in the eu capitals, berlin, paris, rome and 2a others. they will take any big political decisions for the eu when it comes to brexit and the future trade deal. they don't and won't always agree with one another. and the article 50 time frame is very, very tight.

divisions there may be, but when it comes to the loaded issue of parallel trade and divorce talks, europe's most powerful leader agrees with the european commission. much to downing street's dismay. translation: in the negotiations we first have to sort out how we can untangle ourselves from one another. only when that has been settled, hopefully soon after, we can speak about our future relationship. chancellor merkel also stressed the importance of deciding the fate of eu citizens living in the uk and british citizens in the eu, asap. brussels and london agree. thankfulfor one issue at least to unite around. katya adler, bbc news, brussels. as early hearing, trade business relations after britain leads the eu a big part of the negotiations. sally bundock can tell us more. yes.

iam firmly sally bundock can tell us more. yes. i am firmly on brexit watch again today. the massive tart begins for departure. —— task. as you heard in those reports, there is a huge amount at stake for businesses both in the uk and across europe. the uk is he not remaining a part of the eu. it means a new trade relationship has to be formed. and it isa relationship has to be formed. and it is a relationship that is currently worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year. so a failure to strike a deal would be damaging to all sides. but who really has got the other hand? if we have a look at the other hand? if we have a look at the numbers, maybe we can draw some conclusions. in 2015, the uk exported $27a billion worth of goods and services to the eu. that's aa% of all the uk exports. it represents 13% of the entire british economy. that's look at it the other way. the

eu exports are far more in money terms to the uk, $360 billion worth in the same year. so it runs a large trade surplus. 0ver in the same year. so it runs a large trade surplus. over $80 billion. so you can argue it has more to lose in the negotiations. but the eu as a whole is far less reliant on britain and the other way around. just 16% of all eu exported come here. and they account for barely more than 3% of the block's economy. of course, different countries and industries are more reliant on the uk. —— bloc. for instance, the german car industry, or that the uk financial industry. we will be speaking to the

head of the german foreign policy industry. —— in situ. and we are looking at smart phones. late on wednesday, samsun unveiled its latest flagship model at an event in new york. the galaxy s8 and s8 plus feature artificial intelligence and the largest wrap—around screens ever made. they are the first major product launch since samsung had to recall, and then scrap, its note 7, last autumn, because of exploding batteries. will the s8 help it win back customers and regain the market leadership it has since lost to apple? we will be getting an expert view on that offering. and the other business to us. i will see you then. let's roundups of the other main stories. 13 people have died in south—western texas after a head—on collection between a pickup truck and a van. two others were injured.

police said the van was carrying 1a senior members of a local church returning from a retreat. a federal judge in the us state of hawaii has extended the suspension of present donald trump 0zmen travel ban for it and indefinite period. the ruling means that donald trump will be barred from reintroducing is travel ban while it is still in court. the case could take months or years. severe weather is continuing to wreak havoc in the street in state of queensland, with further evacuations ordered. the song, which cut of several towns two days ago, has moved south. flood warnings have been issued down the coast. hundreds of schools have been closed. the armed forces have been deployed to help people cut off by the conditions. south korea's ousted resident, i can hate, is in court for a hearing to decide if she should be arrested over the corruption and abuse of power

scandal that brought her down. she is accused of allowing a close friend to extort money from big firms like samsung. steve evans sent this report from seoul. the prosecutor argues because of the seriousness of the allegations she should be kept, barred penny had trouble is and other people in the alleged scandal are already in prison, pending the trials. so the argument runs should they not treated the same way? her argument is that there is the risk of flight. and there is no risk of destroying evidence, because she has been free, now, and able to have access to evidence for some months. all the same, thejudges evidence for some months. all the same, the judges will decide. evidence for some months. all the same, thejudges will decide. the betting must be that they agree with previousjudges, with betting must be that they agree with previous judges, with other defendants, that she should stay behind bars, pending her trial. they decide, but that is where the betting is. the politicalfocus in washington

remains on the investigations into russian involvement in the us election, and whether the trump campaign was involved. the chairman of a senate intelligence committee looking into the matter says they have asked 20 people to be questioned. among them, the president's son—in—lanared kushner. the top democrat on that same committee says there is no question about russia's motives. russia's goal, vladimir putin's goal, is a weaker united states. wea ker goal, is a weaker united states. weaker economically, weaker globally, and that should be a concern to all americans, regardless of party affiliation. we get the latest from washington from laura bicker. there are two separate investigations going on. one is already going on in the house, but this is the upper chamber. these are almost the big boys, so to speak.

and both the democrats republicans are very importantly stood side by side in that press conference, as they announced that they had called 20 witnesses. now, those witnesses will include president donald trump's son—in—law, jayakrishna, and his former campaign manager, paul manafort. they are alleged to have met with the russian ambassador during the latter half of 2016, in the light blatter part of the campaign. —— son—in—law, jared kushner. this is all looking for alleged ties between the kremlin and donald trump's campaign. it runs in tandem with the fbi's current investigation. this is a political investigation. this is a political investigation. and certainly, when it comes to politics, the parallel investigation down in the house seems to be falling apart. hearings are not being held and there are accusations between democrats and republicans, and in fact, has

democrats have even called for the chairman of a committee to stand down after he met with an intelligence aid in the white house. they were talking about whether or not donald trump had been wiretapped or underwired, wider surveillance. —— aide. so there are various claims are the lower half. but the senate, the series will start in 3a hours time. you watching bbc news. stay with us. still to come: putting their social lives on ice — the nigerian athletes hoping to became the first bobsleigh team from africa to compete at the winter 0lympics. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can at worst produce a meltdown. in this case the precautions worked, but they didn't work quite well enough to prevent some old fears about the safety features of these stations from resurfacing. the republic of ireland has become

the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from today, anyone lighting up in offices, businesses, pubs and restaurants will face a heavy fine. the president was on his way out of the washington hilton hotel, where he had been addressing a trade union conference. the small crowd outside included his assailant. it has become a symbol of paris. 100 years ago, many parisians wished it had never been built. the eiffel tower's birthday is being marked by a re—enactment of the first ascent by gustave eiffel. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: the european union considers its formal response to britain's notification that it is leaving the bloc. the uk sets out plans for post—brexit legislation. south korea's

ousted—president in court. prosecutors are seeking the arrest of park geun—hye over a long—running corruption scandal. today on bbc news we're looking at a snapshot of every day life in syria looking at what life is like now for ordinary syrians. in the north of the country residents of al—bab are now living under turkish—backed opposition control. the forces retook the city from so—called islamic state last december. we meet ahmed, who keeps pigeons but because of this he came to the attention of is, who were not happy with his hobby. sport now, and in tennis, world number one and top—seeded german, angelique kerber, is out of the miami 0pen. she lost in straight sets in the quarter—finals to three—time winner, venus williams. the 36—year—old american who's seeded 11th prevailed 7—5, 6—3 in an hour and a0 minutes as she looks to win this tournament for the first time since 2001 having

also been a beaten finalist in 2010. venus will play britain'sjohanna konta in the semi—finals after she knocked out number three seed simon halep. 10th seed konta had a wobble in the second set but went on to win the three set encounter. the 25—year—old becomes the first british woman to reach the last four in miami. the un—seeded fabio fognini has knocked out the second seed kei nishikori in the miami masters. the japanese player was the runner—up last year but was always on the back foot in this quarter—final. italian fognini becomes the first un—seeded player to make the miami semi—finals in ten years. he now faces rafa nadal who beat the american jack sock in straight sets. africa is not a continent usually associated bobsleighing,

or even other winter sport. no bobsleigh team from nigeria or any country in africa has ever competed at the olympics. but now, the women's team's in nigeria is on the verge of that dream coming true. it only needs to complete three more competitions to qualify for the 2018 winter olympics in south korea. here's their story: these are the three things you need to bea these are the three things you need to be a successful bobsled driver. weimann, fearlessness. —— 0ne. to be a successful bobsled driver. weimann, fearlessness. —— one. you have to be able to live on the edge of. two, determination. you have to have the ability to focus. and

three, discipline, because the team in the country relies solely on your ability as a driver to qualify. my my goal is to get this team representation for this country and this continent at the olympic games. iama this continent at the olympic games. i am a natural competitor. any time i stephanie were competitive, i want to win. —— i step anywhere competitive. it's cold. it's really,

really, really cold. 0ne, competitive. it's cold. it's really, really, really cold. one, two, three. push, push, push, you guys. we are from a continent that would never imagine sliding down ice 80 or 90 miles an hour. the idea of getting people to take that in itself i think is empowering. i am currently a full—time student pursuing a dual degree. and now i am trying to win for a continent are not just a country, trying to win for a continent are notjust a country, because there has never been anywhere within africa that has received anything with bobsled in. we are all sacrificing. we have each other, thatis sacrificing. we have each other, that is good enough. sport in itself

is just very expensive. to get to our final goal, is just very expensive. to get to ourfinal goal, we need at least $150,000. in orderfor us to do this, we will cut off our cable, no new clothes, we will move somewhere thatis new clothes, we will move somewhere that is a little bit cheaper. anything that gives me a battle, i try and combat it. i am determined to qualify. no matter what comes along the way on this path i have to stay on it. once i decide to go, just keep going. in a rare honour for a football player, the portuguese striker cristiano ronaldo has had the airport on his home island of madeira named after him. however, it was his rather odd—looking statue that attracted most of the attention at the unveiling ceremony — as our reporter sarah

corker explains. cristiano ronaldo is a local hero in madeira. 0ne one of the world's most successful footballers. the real madrid footballers. the real madrid football star is known for his skills and his looks. the islands most famous son, a rags to riches success. so what better way to outline his achievement than naming the airport after him and unveiling a new statue? but this probably was not quite the likeness he was expecting. unfazed by the bulging eyes of the bust behind him, he thanked the regional government for this tribute. but social media has not been quite so kind. the statue has already got its own spoof twitter page. football fans say it looks like former republic of ireland catch on niall quinn than ronaldo. and this is another quote. 0ne fan said this. singing.

and another statue, again in ronaldo's hometown, has also been the subject of ridicule. around the world there are caricatures and figurines and it took only 15 days to make this bust. the artist says he has not spoken to cristiano ronaldo yet, but looks forward to getting his opinion. let's hope that the star sees the funny side. sarah corker, bbc news. we will see you soon. mixed fortunes for the weather in the next 2a hours. some of us will have dampness. pulses of rain. for others, across more eastern parts of england, warm air heading our way. temperatures could reach 22 during wednesday afternoon, the warmest day. a mixture of weather. that is the case overnight. for most of us, a mild night, though southerly winds keeping things in double figures. rain in western areas in particular. mist and fog patches to be expected.

small changes in western areas through the day. more rain coming and going. the wettest weather, probably wales, maybe northern ireland. dumfries and galloway and cumbria. maybe not much in the way of rain in the far north of scotland. the east of the pennines, not much rain either. across a swathe in the midlands, east anglia, south—east england, the cloud in the morning will break apart. sunshine coming through. sunshine on the hazy side. temperatures could hit 22 degrees making it the warmest weather we have seen so far in 2017. 0vernight, more general rain developing. tomorrow night, a good part of the country will have it. the east will avoid the rain and stay dry. staying well into double figures. friday. low pressure is in charge. this low will bring an area of rain north and east through the morning. by the afternoon, northern ireland, western england, wales, southern scotland, brightening up. but it will get increasingly windy in northern areas of england. temperatures at 16—17 degrees in the warmest spots. pretty good for the time of year, though not as warm as wednesday. the weekend, bright spells and scattered showers. they are slow—moving showers. if you catch one, it will be with you for a while. a few showers in the north and west to start the day but it should be dry with sunny spells

in the afternoon. again, decent temperatures. highs between 13 and 17. warm for most of us. but for the rest of us, cloud and breezy with some rain on and off. the best temperatures and eastern areas seeing 17 degrees. the weekend. saturday starts off with a mixture of bright spells and passing showers. some showers could be lengthy because the winds will be light. wednesday, a change in the weather patterns. high pressure will ta ke weather patterns. high pressure will take hold in the uk. the second half of the weekend looks more cheery. passing showers in westminster. sunny spells coming through. not warm in the sunshine. highs of 17 degrees. that is the latest weather. hello. this is bbc news. i am ben

bland. the headlines: the european union is meeting to considers a formal response to brexit. they have rejected a british government plan for the two sides to agree the terms of the uk's status outside the bloc while negotiating its departure. after officially starting the process of leaving the european union, the british government is due to set out its plans for post—brexit legislation. the british prime minister says britain can hold on to its trade benefits with the eu, even after it has left. the ousted south korean president, park geun—hye, has arrived in court for a hearing that will decide whether to approve an arrest warrant against her over a over a long—running corruption scandal. a federaljudge in the us state of hawaii has extended the suspension of president trump's travel ban — on six mostly muslim states — for an indefinite period. the ruling means it cannot be enforced, while being contested