tv BBC News BBC News April 1, 2017 2:00am-2:31am BST
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a very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in north america and around the globe. my name's lebo diseko. our top stories: protests in paraguay — anger on the streets as senators back a law that could allow the president to stand for a second term. in venezuela, a top government official breaks ranks with president maduro and condemns a court ruling side—lining congress. the white house says donald trump is not worried about possible russian revelations from former adviser, michael flynn. and we have a special report from china, as the country brings to an end centuries of ivory trading. hello. good to have you with us.
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let's start with some breaking news this hour. protestors have stormed paraguay‘s congress building and set it on fire. demonstrators in the capital, ascuncion, were angry after a secret senate vote was held earlier in the day to approve a bill that would allow the country's president, oracio cartes, to run for a second term. paraguayan presidents have been banned from re—election since 1992, to try and stop dictatorships. the bill will now go to the lower house of parliament, where he has a majority. venezuela's president nicolas maduro says he would resolve within hours, the controversy over the supreme court ruling. it strips the opposition—led congress of its powers. there've been widespread protests over the court's decision. earlier the attorney general, who's one of the president's senior aides, broke ranks with him to condemn the decision. translation: those rulings show evidence of various violations
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of the constitutional order and ignorance of the state model established in our constitution. it is my obligation to manifest to the country my highest concern regarding this event. well, the supreme court's decision effectively gives president maduro the powers of the national assembly. and there was criticism of it across the border. columbian presidentjuan manuel santos called for the international community to intervene. translation: what happened yesterday when the legislative assembly was stripped of its powers obligates us to lift our protest voices as well as our voices of solidarity with venezuelan democracy. the bodies, such as organisation of american states, and the united nations, must address the situation and propose ways to get out of it. our latin america correspondent will grantjoins us from havana in cuba. has president maduro actually
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outlined how he will result is? not by the looks of things, no. he just made it seemed that he was very competent at this impasse, as he put it, could be resolved within a matter of hours. but obviously, that lacks detail. it lacks any kind of coherence from the opposition‘s point of view. unless, of course, this was ordered by him, and it is simplya this was ordered by him, and it is simply a question of reversing that order. what i think is interesting was the way it that the country's attorney general came out so quickly to criticise the situation. but this isa to criticise the situation. but this is a woman who was a staunch chavez supported throughout a career. so this is highly unusual and shows how controversial decision was. and potentially shows cracks at the top of the murder of government when it comes to this move. i was going to
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ask you, this is to be a battle playing out that an alleged legislature and thejews —— playing the legislature and the judicial. one of the most important actors in venezuela is with the armed forces. and one always needs to consider what they are doing and what they are saying behind the scenes. we really don't know in those terms, except that repeatedly they have given their backing to the government of president maduro, and i don't see them changing that certainly for the time being. this isa certainly for the time being. this is a very common situation, and in fa ct, is a very common situation, and in fact, its roots go back to the elections which handed victory to the opposition, and the role ofjust three parliamentarians, who would have given a supermajority to the opposition. so you are quite right to suggest that there are power struggles that go way beyond just the obvious actors in all of us. but
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they do think in its essence, it boils down to the sense that president maduro has been in power now for half of his term. he did not hold the recall referendum that has been called for by the opposition, and there is a real struggle over the constitutional powers in what is a very oil—rich nation. the constitutional powers in what is a very oil-rich nation. will grant in havana, thank you for bringing us up in havana, thank you for bringing us up to speed. in other news, at least 2a people have been killed and more than 70 injured in a blast outside a moque in north west pakistan. the explosion happened in the city of parachinar, a mainly shia muslim area on the afghan border. reports say a car packed with explosives was left near the women's entrance of the mosque. new laws have come into force in the western chinese region of xinjiang, with authorities stepping up their campaign on what they regard as islamist extremism. measures include a ban on muslim
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ethnic uighurs wearing veils in public places or growing long beards. south africa's president, jacob zuma, has been criticised after an official memorial service for anti—apartheid activist ahmed kathrada was indefinitedly postponed. the postponement came after calls for president zuma to step down were made at mr kathrada's funeral this week, a year after the activist wrote an open letter saying he should quit. the activist was tried and jailed alongside nelson mandela in the 60s. president trump has signed executive orders which he says will crack down on foreign trade abuses, and bring down america's half—a—trillion dollar trade deficit. this comes after news that his former national security advisor mike flynn might be prepared to talk about russia's meddling into the election. our north america editor jon sopel reports. the allegations that just won't go away — that there was collusion between the russian government and the trump team during last year's election. and much of the attention is now focused on this man,
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general michael flynn. until a few weeks ago, he was the national security adviser, and one of those closest to the president. but his fall from grace has been swift, after he was found to have lied to the vice president over his contacts with the russians. michael flynn held conversations with the russian ambassador in washington, which, among other things, discussed the lifting of us sanctions against russia — which he denied. he was paid $45,000 to attend a dinner in moscow, hosted by the tv station russia today, and was seated at the same table as vladimir putin. he also lobbied on behalf of another foreign government, turkey, although that wasn't disclosed at the time. today, donald trump rallied to his side with this tweet: "mike flynn should ask for immunity, in that this is a witchhunt, excuse for big election loss by media and dems of historic proportion." but this is what donald trump and michael flynn said during the campaign, when it emerged that clinton aides had sought immunity over disclosing information about her use
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of a private e—mail server. if you're not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for? when you're given immunity it means you've probably committed a crime. so is there worry at the white house that his information could implicate the president? no — he believes that mike flynn should go and testify. he should go up there and do what he has to do to get the story out. in the meantime, the russians are again dismissing as fake news suggestions that they've been up to no good. lots of americans, they do think that yes, russian hackers are everywhere, russian hackers are in every fridge, russian hackers are in every iron and so on and so forth, but this is not true. but the defence secretary james mattis, who's in london at the moment, expressed about russia, stretching beyond their involvement in the most recent presidential election. russia's violations of international law are now a matter of record, from what happened with crimea, to other aspects of their behaviour in mucking around inside other people's elections and that
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sort of thing. 0n capitol hill, investigations into russian activity go on, but sources are saying it's unlikely that michael flynn will be given the immunity he seeks. let's talk to laura bicker who's in washington. laura, did donald trump managed to sort of pivot the attention with these new executive order is? sort of pivot the attention with these new executive order i57m sort of pivot the attention with these new executive order is? it has been a rather bruising week, another bruising week for the trump administration. and then he went on to try & two executive orders. perhaps more comfortable territory for the businessman, and these two trade orders are aimed at reducing the half a billion, $500 billion deficit, and also to reduce the number of cheap foreign imported
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goodsin number of cheap foreign imported goods in america. but as he went to sign them, he went to the podium and said a few words, and then seem to forget to sign them as he went out the door. so it seems that this was because a question was ready about michael flynn. this is something that he cannot shake. he said on twitter that these talks with president xijinping are twitter that these talks with president xi jinping are going to twitter that these talks with president xijinping are going to be tough. he said they would be difficult. but how tough can he get with them, particularly given just how much credit they give the us, as well? this is a very difficult situation. they have president xi jinping coming to the us. he will be treated to a feud as to mar—a—lago. —— to treated to a feud as to mar—a—lago. ——toa treated to a feud as to mar—a—lago. —— to a few days. it will be tough talks. that is what donald trump and knowledge earlier today. he said these talks would be difficult. why?
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because other that $500 billion annual death at the talk about, 357 billion of it is the source, the source is china. part of the problem is goods can be made cheaper in china than in the us. but donald trump wants to stop both us companies making goods in china, and also china importing goods into the us that are cheaply made there in oui’ us that are cheaply made there in our own country. so the problem is if he puts a tariff, because of these goods coming in, onto these goods coming in, the markets are slightly concerned what effect that might have. so it will be interesting to see how far he pushes, and how far president xi jinping pushes back. pushes, and how far president xi jinping pushes back. briefly, chinese seems to be more optimistic. they say they are looking forward to a new starting point. what are they looking for? -- china seems. they are looking for their own trade deal
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with donald trump. and that there we re with donald trump. and that there were strained relations with president 0bama, because president 0bama was keen to point out at certain times the human rights, the alleged human rights abuses. so when it comes to the relationship that they have with president 0bama, they are hoping that a new start with a businessman, and they are hoping when it comes to donald trump, that business acumen is one that they can work with. —— that his business acumen. and it is still a difficult dealfor him to pull. but it is acumen. and it is still a difficult deal for him to pull. but it is only more comfortable territory daily politics that he has had to play here in washington. thank you, laura. certainly an interesting week ahead. i know you will keep across that for us. stay with us on bbc news, still to come, peru struggles to recover from another wave of severe flooding — a state of emergency has been declared. the accident that happened here was of the sort that can
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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'd 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 news.
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i'm lebo diseko. the latest headlines: violence has broken out in the paraguayan capital, asuncion, after senators backed a bill to amend the constitution to allow president horacio cartes to stand for a second term. the senior aide of venezuelan president nicolas maduro has broken ranks with him to condemn a widely criticised supreme court ruling that stripped the opposition—led congress of its powers. there will be tough and sometimes even confrontational talks ahead for britain and the eu, as they try to negotiate the terms for brexit. that's the warning from the president of the european council, who says there's just no way around it. 0ur europe editor katya adler has more the chiefs of eu institutions are usually little known outside the brussels bubble. but brexit has changed all that. this is my first divorce... donald tusk, president of the european council, today presented the draft brexit guidelines. the mood music — polite but steely.
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the talks, which are about to start, will be difficult, complex, and sometimes even confrontational. mr tusk was the recipient of the prime minister's brexit letter this wednesday. why him? because he represents all eu countries here in brussels and they call the shots on big eu political decisions. the eu says it doesn't want to punish britain. it wants to keep the uk close with trade and security ties. but gone are those words of sadness and regret that poured out of brussels after the brexit vote. now that the formal process of leaving has begun, the eu's message today: we're ready for you. the eu is committed to a phased approach to brexit. phase one — the divorce. top priorities for the eu — safeguarding the rights of eu citizens in the uk and of
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britons across the eu. agreeing a one—off exit fee for the uk to cover outstanding financial commitments. and resolving ireland's land border issue without harming the good friday agreement. phase two — discussing future eu—uk relations, but only once significant progress has been made on the divorce. phase three — making traditional agreements, if needed, to bridge the end of article 50 talks and start a new era in eu—uk relations. but there are bumps in the road aplenty, british and european ones even before negotiations start. today there was a surprise row over gibraltar. the eu draft guidelines say no future agreement with the uk can apply to gibraltar without a nod from spain, which disputes britain's sovereignty over the territory. while the foreign secretary had to defend the prime minister's brexit
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guidelines, the eu perceived a uk threat to withdraw security cooperation if it didn't get a good trade deal. the uk's commitment to the defence and the security of this region, of europe, is unconditional and it is not some bargaining chip in any negotiatiations. but eu countries are wary. if we see the letter that has been sent by the british prime minister, some would say it was a little bit aggressive. and that's not the attitude that we will be having around the table. i mean, yes, we are willing to come to an agreement, but if you ask too much, then maybe there is no agreement, and i'm not sure if that's a good thing for the british. picking and choosing is fine, in belgian chocolate shops. but brussels says britain can forget having a bit of this and none of that when it comes to the single market. there is goodwill on both sides,
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but having cake and eating it will be one of britain's brexit challenges. katya adler, bbc news, brussels. thousands of people in peru are struggling to recover from another wave a severe flooding in the country. the government has declared a state of emergency in the piura region in the northwest of the country where, many are without supplies of food and fresh water. more than ninety people have been killed by floods in the country since the start of the year. greg dawson reports. when a road becomes a river, you need to improvise. a makeshift raft to get his children to land. in the piura region, people are salvaging their property and their pets. translation: i am carrying him to where he is dry because he was drowning. i am taking him to safety.
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days of continuous rain as the banks of the river which rushed into the streets and field peoples homes. the river has one, says this man. he is great for the floods arrived in the daylight so his family were able to escape. officials say 5000 people have been rescued, many ending up in camps like this where food is being handed out by volunteers for supplies. these children are crying for water. translation: the water has sta ke for water. translation: the water has stake in everything. we do not have anywhere to live. my children are sleeping on the ground, we have nowhere to sleep. the flood has taken it all. they are thousands in peru that have suffered from severe weather. more than 90 people have died since the start of the year. warm temperatures in the pacific have led to torrential rain, flooding and mudslides. as well as
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lost homes and lives, it is estimated the damage will cost more than $1 billion dasha the us, china and europe have pledged to help in the rescue effort but it will take several years the rescue effort but it will take several yea rs before the rescue effort but it will take several years before it is completed. it may be one of the most significant steps ever taken in the fight to save the african elephant. china has closed down almost half of its official ivory carving factories and shops, and by the end of this year will force the remaining legal businesses to shut. conservationists say today's move is a "game changer, as our beijing correspondent john sudworth reports. chinese ivory carving dates back hundreds of years. but these craftsmen will be the last. the un's top wildlife official is on hand to witness the shutdown. this is a momentous day in china, where we see this decision rolled out in the field.
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we are here in the marketplace, we have seen a shop closed. this is a momentous decision and is worthy of attention. china's move comes not a moment too soon. the african elephant is teetering on the brink of extinction. is that another one? and the majority of this slaughter, perhaps as much as 70%, is done to feed chinese demand. this business is one of those being forced to close today. the markings and certifications show that the tusks come from authorised stockpiles — ivory that china was allowed to buy under international law in the hope it would suppress demand for smuggling. translation: i feel sad. i love this art and even if you abolish it it will not stop the illegal trade, it is likely to encourage it. but campaigners, including
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prince william who has personally lobbied china's leaders on the issue, disagree. factories like this one, they argue, send a signal to consumers that ivory is ok to buy and they provide criminals with an opportunity. certifications for pieces like this one can, in fact, easily be forged and the reality is, however inadvertently, china's legal ivory trade has acted as cover for a much larger illegal black market smuggling operation. that is why this step taken here is so important — the complete closure of china's officially sanctioned domestic trade. they all look like they are ivory products, right? it is true that the criminals will not be stopped entirely. it is already illegal to sell ivory in china over the internet and yet it took us just a few clicks to find it. "where's it from?", we ask.
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"the ivory is from africa", comes the reply. nonetheless, it is a bold and important step. china is sacrificing this ancient art in order to save an ancient species. john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. a bold new advertising campaign. video shows reaction to a seat with a moulded body with a prominent penis. this is in mexico city. the sign read it is unpleasant sitting here but it is nothing compared to the sexual abuse women face on
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subways. it was full steam ahead for britain's most famous locomotive the flying scotsman as it celebrated the re—opening of the scenic settle—to—carlisle rail line in northern england. the route was closed by a landslip a year ago. danny savage's report contains some flashing images. steam train hisses. one of the most famous names in the world of steam on one of the most famous railway lines in britain. the settle—carlisle route runs through the beautiful upland countryside of yorkshire and cumbria. but for 16 months, there's been no through—traffic because of a landslip. today, the line reopened and hundreds of people came along to see the celebratory service and to breathe a sigh of relief. it's absolutely wonderful, because it's my lifeline to get from appleby up to carlisle. i'm a non—driver, but i do love to escape to the shops at least once a month.
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although this wonderful old locomotive is attracting all the headlines today, the big issue for the more remote communities along this line is that they've got their main transport link back, and that means a return of visitors and business. £23 million has been spent repairing the line. it's the biggest fix network rail has ever undertaken, which is why it took so long. built in the 1870s, threatened with closure in the 1980s, this old—fashioned but much loved railway route is open again. a new era, celebrated old style. danny savage, bbc news, cumbria. some interesting pictures of that launch on the website. it is in the england section. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team on twitter — i'm @lebo?diseko thank you for watching. hello.
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this past week has seen some really varied weather across the uk, but this weekend we'll even out the differences. we are all pretty much in the same boat for saturday, in that there will be a fair amount of showers around, some quite heavy. quite a chilly night to come on saturday night. then the vast majority will have a fine and dry sunday, with some sunny spells around. this is what the start of saturday looks like for early risers. looks pretty wet across north—west england. it will take much of the morning before that begins to ease. already through western parts of the uk the showers are getting going, so out and about through parts of south—west england. this is the picture at 9am in wales. increasingly into parts of the midlands as well, dotted about are some of these showers. much of eastern england will have a fine morning. the rain, more persistent compared with elsewhere in the uk to begin with, in north—west england. standing water and showers around in northern ireland, through the west and north of scotland. dry to begin within in eastern scotland. it will take much of the morning before this rain in north—west
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england eases to showers, going into the afternoon. look at the showers breaking out elsewhere. some of them will be heavy. the risk of hail and thunder, fairly slow—moving too. some bright and sunny spells in between. it looks like an improvement gradually through the afternoon in northern ireland, western parts of scotland, western coastal fringes of england and wales. in the sunny spells, at 13—16, not feeling too bad. showers should fade away into sunday morning. looks mainly dry. a ridge of high pressure building in for the second part of the weekend. it means quite a chilly start on sunday morning, compared with recent mornings. a touch of frost in scotland and northern ireland possible and a frost on the ground in the northern half of the uk. but we're rewarded on sunday with some cloud around, but some good sunny spells too and the very vast majority will have a dry day, with light winds. in that sunshine, feeling quite pleasant. again, temperatures mostly at around 11—15. just a few spots getting
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warmer than that going into sunday afternoon. the races on sunday, so looking fine and quite calm too. the weather shouldn't be causing too many dramas. enjoy the action. as we go into the start of next week, there are some weather fronts to come through and here they come. but once they push their way through, they will be weakening further south later on monday and into tuesday, and once they are gone high—pressure builds back in across the uk. so wednesday onwards, much of next week is looking dry and there will be some sunny spells coming through this cloud. the latest headlines from bbc news. i'm lebo diseko. violence has broken out in the paraguayan capital, asuncion, after senators, meeting behind closed doors, backed a bill to amend the country's constitution to allow president horacio cartes to stand for a second term. reports say opponents of the change set fire to the congress building. the attorney general of venezuela has broken ranks with president nicolas maduro to condemn a supreme court ruling
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that stripped the opposition—led congress of its powers. luisa ortega expressed ‘great concern' — describing the court ruling as ‘a rupture of the constitutional order‘ in the country. the president of the european council, donald tusk, has warned of tough and sometimes confrontational talks ahead, as britain and the eu start two years of brexit negotiations. the eu has now published its strategy — refusing theresa may's request to have parallel talks on a future trade deal. now it's time for the week in parliament. hello, and welcome to the week in parliament. a dream come true for many people, but a day others hoped
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