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tv   Newsday  BBC News  July 3, 2017 12:00am-12:31am BST

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i'm rico hizon in singapore. the headlines: all smiles from president xi and hong kong's new boss, carrie lam. but what's next for the one country, two systems? president trump is accused of inciting violence against the media after tweeting a spoof video. i'm babita sharma in london. also in the programme: philippine president rodrigo duterte marks one year in the top job. we will look at his record in office so far. and a 75th birthday for stephen hawking, the scientist who overcame disability to become a legend of physics. it is 7:00am in singapore, midnight in london and 7:00am
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in hong kong, where there are concerns the visit of china's president xi may have stoked divisions in the territory. 0n the face of it, mr xi was simply marking the 20th anniversary of hong kong being handed back to china by the british, but he used the event to warn against any challenge to beijing's control. the foreign ministry said the handover deal, guaranteeing two systems until 2047, had no practical significance, and there are fears of new education programmes to bring the public into line. it was all smiles for president xi as he left hong kong on sunday, shaking hands with carrie lam, the new chief executive of the city, who is widely seen as a chinese ally. but he can be left with no doubt about the strength of feeling among many citizens of hong kong. thousands of people took to the streets over the weekend in support of greater
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autonomy from beijing. a little earlier i spoke to the lawyer, former legislator veteran and democracy campaigner martin lee. i asked him what he made of beijing's view that the deal guaranteeing two systems until 2047 has no practical significance. that is the most worrying thing, because effectively they are saying now that we have got the sovereignty back from the british, it is no longer any of your business as to how we run the place. exactly what they mean. so therefore the british government mustn't pass comment on anything. unfortunately this is not the position agreed to by the british government. how question is, how long will the british government remained firm? at mr lee, president xijinping, ina remained firm? at mr lee, president xijinping, in a speech, says the commitment to the one country, two
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systems, is unchanged. so shouldn't this be the focus going forward? what the chinese government now claims is that the high degree of autonomy which was given to hong kong, in terms of executive, legislative and judicial power, everything now is subject to china's comprehensive jurisdiction. everything now is subject to china's comprehensivejurisdiction. now, they said that officially in a document published in 2014 in seven languages, and at that time the british government thought that there was nothing wrong about it. but at this point, mr lee, aren't the protests by the opposition or pro—democracy activists harmful in building trust with beijing? well, the trust has to go both ways. now, originally, hong kong people trusted beijing, but beijing has been reneging on its promises of democracy to us time and time again. 0riginally we were supposed to have
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universal suffrage ten years after the handover. now this is 20 years, and it is no where it is light. and i can't even tell you when we are going to have it. so what are your plans now, mr lee? what are your plans now, mr lee? what are your plans of the opposition and a pro democracy activists going forward, hitting this stance of beijing? we can only protest, and we will do it again and again. unfortunately the british government has not done enough to defend a high degree of autonomy. the british government has power to chinese pressure, and of course, their money, and u nfortu nately course, their money, and unfortunately hong kong is now being sold down the river so many times, for 30 pieces of silver. and is in the chinese way, and what president xi is saying, for hong kong and beijing to build consensus and not to have any conflict? yes, because they want to change all the rules of they want to change all the rules of the game, and they want you to agree with them. and that is consensus!
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later we will hear from the former chief secretary of hong kong during the time of the british and after the time of the british and after the handover as well. let's take a look at some of the day's other news. interior ministers from three european countries have met in paris to decide how to tackle the growing migrant crisis in the mediterranean. italy has become increasingly alarmed by a sharp rise in arrivals, and wants other countries to open their ports. the european union's commissioner for migration said they were willing to help ease the pressure for italy. we all have i would say a humanitarian obligation to save lives. this should be our priority. of course, we cannot leave a handful of european union countries on their own to deal with this. also making news this hour: japan's prime minister shinzo abe's liberal democrat party has suffered a significant defeat in tokyo's city elections.
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the party is set to record its worst—ever result, and the tomin first party and its allies are on track to win most seats in the city's metropolitan assembly. china is accusing the united states of stirring up trouble in the south china sea following reports that this us warship sailed close to a disputed island claimed by beijing. china says the uss stethem entered its territorial waters and infringed china's sovereignty, all this as president trump is due to speak with his chinese counterpart. iran says the french energy giant total is to sign a contract worth almost $5 billion to develop an offshore gas field. it is iran's biggest foreign deal since most economic sanctions against the country were lifted last year. 20 people are reported to have been killed in the syrian capital, damascus, by a car bomb that exploded just to the north of the old city.
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syrian officials say the bomber was in one of three cars that had been pursued. china's ambitious space programme has suffered a setback, after its heavy—duty carrier rocket failed less than an hour after take—off. state media said an anomaly had been detected during the flight of the long march—5. these are just a few of the millions of manny pacquiao fans in the philippines, who are probably still in shock after watching their boxing hero lose his wbo welterweight title to the australian underdog jeff horn in a match dubbed the battle of brisbane. and, in contrast to all that disappointment, to the eager anticipation here in london, where wimbledon fever is taking hold. people are already camping out in an attempt to get their hands on tickets for the tennis
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tournament, which begins on monday. i expect most people in the queues are hoping to see world number one andy murray defend his title. but some people simply couldn't wait, and started a game of their own. the president of the philippines, rodrigo duterte, is celebrating a year in office. it has, shall we say, been an eventful 12 months, with controversy never very far away. in fact, mr duterte's tenure has been marked by outspoken and often simply offensive comments. he promised to slaughter drug addicts in the philippines, comparing the crackdown to hitler. mr duterte told president 0bama america had lost, and he would realign the country with russia and china. islamist militants were warned he could match them for savagery. i'll eat their liver, he said. and the presidentjoked about rape with soldiers, apparently to boost their morale. joining me from manila is the author marites vitug, who has written on the muslim insurgency in mindanao. after everything that we have just
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said earlier about the 360 days, the first 360 days of president rodrigo duterte, how would you assess his first year in office? well, two streams of... maybe, let's see, in the economy, it is growing. it is enjoying the momentum from the previous government, so enjoying the momentum from the previous government, so we enjoying the momentum from the previous government, so we expect that to continue. however, in the realm of, let's say, peace and order, that is a big question mark. first, as you mentioned, the killing of drug users continues. although there has been, the police claimed, decreased in some of the crimes, but the killings have risen. and number
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two, terrorism is still a very big issue in mindanao, and that will continue. and number three, peace with a major muslim group is still not finalised, and that's still a big challenge for president rodrigo duterte. so it are saying, then, that you are giving him passing marks for economic reforms, in the philippine economy, but failing marks in terms of terrorism, the war on drugs and the peace deals? rico, you set it for me, yes, yes. the thing is we have seen that the rhetoric has taken over his leadership. his rhetoric has become very, very strong. but if you notice, for the economy, he leaves it to his economic team, led by the finance secretary. so it seems that as long as he leaves this sector alone, it will quietly continue to move and to grow. what could the
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problems on the terrorism, on the war on drugs problems on the terrorism, on the waron drugs and problems on the terrorism, on the war on drugs and the peace deal have, eventually, an affect on the economy? that's what many people here are saying. if and when the violence impacts on the economy, then i think the cabinet members, then i think the cabinet members, the economic team, will start to speak up for the president. because as of now, as we know, he does not consult them, and it is hard for them to give their peace of mind u nless them to give their peace of mind unless asked. all right, before we let you go, we had to ask you about the health of the president. he was absent from public view for days in between official appearances in june. are you concerned about his health? yes, yes, very much so. many of us here, we talk about it, and we are concerned that they are not disclosing his real state of health. reminds us of the years of marcos,
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when his kidney disease was kept away from public view. so we really are concerned. we want the office of the president to release medical details, the way of his predecessors did, president aquino, just one day away from office and we would receive medical bulletins. thank you so receive medical bulletins. thank you so much or your insights on president rodrigo duterte's first yearin president rodrigo duterte's first year in office. donald trump has created another twitter storm and is accused of inciting violence against the media, after he tweeted a spoof video showing him physically assaulting a man with a cnn logo superimposed on his head. the us president is shown slamming the logo to the ground and punching it repeatedly. 0ne cnn contributor says the president will end up getting someone in the media killed. 0ur washington correspondent laura bicker has more about reaction in the us to mr trump's latest tweet. well, cnn has taken the unprecedented step of issuing a statement condemning
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the president and saying that his tweet incites violence against reporters. they are backed by a number of journalists groups. even some right—wing commentators believe on this occasion donald trump has crossed a line. but the white house has said there's nothing to be alarmed about. homeland security adviser tom bossert said this should not be perceived as a threat. butjust consider this. on friday the white house press spokesman rounded on the press, accused them of not covering policy. but if you look at donald trump's twitter habit, the one thing he tweets about most often is about the press. he describes his twitter habit as not being presidential, but being modern presidential. it may keep his base happy, but while it continues, it distracts from his agenda to make america great again. you are watching newsday on the bbc. still to come on the programme:
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stephen hawking's dismay at donald trump over climate change. he says pulling out of the paris agreement could doom future generations. china marked its first day of rule in hong kong with a series of spectacular celebrations. a huge firework display was held in the former colony. the chinese president, jiang zemin, said unification was the start of a new era for hong kong. the world's first clone has been produced of an adult mammal. scientists in scotland have produced a sheep called dolly that was cloned in a laboratory using a cell of another sheep. for the first time in 20 years, russian and american spacecraft have docked in orbit at the start of a new era of cooperation in space. challenger powered past the bishop rock lighthouse at almost 50 knots, shattering a record that had stood for 34 years. and there was no hiding the sheer elation of richard branson
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and his crew. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: after the inauguration of a new chief executive, hong kong waits to see whether beijing is going to play a stronger hand. president trump is accused of inciting violence against the media after tweeting a spoof video. north korea has opened what's called a children's traffic park in pyongyang. it's to teach youngsters how to stay safe on the roads. looks fun, doesn't it?
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that story is popular on bbc.com let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the china daily reports on what it calls an upbeat atmosphere created by the chinese president's visit to hong kong. the paper says mr xi boosted the confidence of the people for a betterfuture but admitted various challenges remain ahead 20 years after its handover. the japan times reports on an election setback for prime minister shinzo abe in metropolitan elections in tokyo. it says the emerging tomin first party scored a sweeping victory and was expected to oust the ruling liberal democratic party. and the business times suggests that the future of banking in singapore is in offering online shopping. its headline:
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more now on our top story, china's announcement that the sino—british agreement guaranteeing two systems has no practical significance. earlier i spoke to anson chan, who served as hong kong's second—highest official when britain was in charge. she continued in the role of chief secretary after the handover in 1997. anson chan gave me her reaction to those surprising remarks about the legally binding treaty. i think it's shocking news for hong kong people. we were expecting president xi to come to hong kong in connection with the celebration of hong kong's handover with some reassuring words. instead he says, 01’ reassuring words. instead he says, or the ministry of foreign affairs says, that it no longer has practical effect. i hope it's
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equally shocking to the british government and that the british government and that the british government will do something about it. they don't need reminding that thejoint declaration is it. they don't need reminding that the joint declaration is a joint declaration signed by both britain and china and britain must see to it that china sticks to its word. what do you think britain can do? britain should make it quite clear that as the rub at all has indicated, it continues to have legal effect. the one country two systems concept was supposed to last for 50 years until the year 2047 and they must not allow china to walk away from its promises to the people of hong kong and infact promises to the people of hong kong and in fact to the international community when the joint declaration was signed in 1984. we were very disappointed with the foreign secretary's very bland statement on the 20th anniversary of hong kong's handover. the foreign secretary said that britain's commitment to hong
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kong remain as strong today as it was 20 years ago. if that were the case then britain should do something about this unilateral declaration of walking away from the joint declaration. there has, though, been clear evidence of that situation unfolding right now. we've seen those protests taking place, we've seen the rule of law is still ofaid and we've seen the rule of law is still of aid and the one country, two systems is still in place, what do you think will happen in the coming yea rs you think will happen in the coming years that makes you so concerned? you're right, we've steamed steady erosion of one country two systems and incursions into hong kong's lifestyle and core values —— we've seen. lifestyle and core values —— we've seen. but the foreign secretary tiptoed around all this in a very bland statement. instead of challenging china and saying to china, hey, you cannot decide on your own to walk away from these promises because the rule of law, basic rights and freedoms are the
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cornerstone to one country two systems. in fact hong kong's strengths, it is these strengths that give us economic vitality. without those strengths hong kong would very quickly be marginalised. i interviewed chris patten on thursday on the eve of the handover anniversary and he said the alternative to what we've seen now, the call for independence, would not work. is that something you agree with? i agree. i think independence would never work politically, socially and economically but i should point out that the voice for independence in hong kong is a very, very small voice. there's no community support for independence. but what young people feel is britain signed off on hong kong's future without giving the people of hong kong a say in its future so the younger generation feel they at least should have the right to discuss their future. what's likely
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to happen beyond 2047. that seems to me to bea to happen beyond 2047. that seems to me to be a very reasonable stance. you're advocating that you want china to make some kind of a statement lewd into what's going to happen post—2047? statement lewd into what's going to happen post-2047? not necessarily at this stage but that date is drawing near and near this stage but that date is drawing nearand nearand at this stage but that date is drawing near and near and at some stage people will be interested in what's going on post—2047, if nothing else then the business sector would want some certainty after 2047, but in the time being what hong kong would like to see is china adhere into one country like to see is china adhere into one cou ntry two like to see is china adhere into one country two systems, a high degree of autonomy protecting the rule of law, basic rights and freedoms. the future of hong kong. now, rico, our next story involves one of the world's most famous people in science. yes, babita. everybody knows who he is! stephen hawking is not only one of the world's greatest
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physicists, he's also spent most of his life struggling with the affects of motor neurone disease. professor hawking's been marking his 75th birthday with a lecture at cambridge university and he's also been talking to our science correspondent pallab ghosh. when i was diagnosed at 21, i was told it would kill me in two or three years. now, 54 years later, albeit weaker and in a wheelchair, i'm still working and producing scientific papers. today, stephen hawking celebrates his 75th birthday. but it's been a great struggle, which i have got through only with a lot of help from my family, colleagues and friends. at an event at cambridge university to pay tribute to his life, he was applauded for his scientific achievements. the legacy will be the scientists that he inspired. and there will be thousands of them, and they're still being inspired today. so there will be ten—year—olds
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today, or eight—year—olds, who are reading about stephen, reading about the work that he did, and may go on to be the next einstein. hello, professor hawking... in an exclusive interview with bbc news, professor hawking told me that he was worried about the future of our species. what are your views on president trump's decision to withdraw from the paris climate agreement, and what impact do you think that'll have on the future of the planet? we are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible. trump's action could push the earth over the brink to become like venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees and raining sulphuric acid. stephen hawking has three children. his daughter lucy says his life is an inspiration, and not
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just to scientists. people who've lived in really extreme circumstances seem to find something very, very inspirational in his example of perseverance and persistence, and his kind of ability to rise above his suffering and still want to communicate at a higher level. # happy birthday to you... his ideas have transformed our understanding of the cosmos. but what's also being celebrated is his determination and humanity. pallab ghosh, bbc news, cambridge. let's bring you a reminder of our top story before we go and concerns in hong kong that the visit of china's president xi jingping in hong kong that the visit of china's president xijingping may have stop divisions in the territory. mr xi was marking the 10th anniversary of... he used the event to warn against any challenge to beijing's control. the foreign
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minister said the handover control guaranteeing two systems until 2047 had no practical significance. you've been watching newsday. stay with us, we'll have an exclusive interview with the new philippines central bank governor, nestor espenilla junior, and he tells me what his priorities on his first day in office. and before we go, let's head to new york where the queen mary 2 arrived this weekend. the luxury ocean liner won the bridge 2017, a 6,000—kilometre trans—atlantic race that began in france and marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of american troops in europe to fight in world war i. that's all for now, stay with bbc world news. it looks as though the forthcoming
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week offers the prospect of some sunshine and that's the way we start for many on monday but as early as tuesday some areas will be seeing some rain and then later in the week things turn rather hot and humid from the south and we'll get to that ina from the south and we'll get to that in a second. first up it looks like it won't be a cold start anywhere, clearer skies for scotland and northern ireland may have allowed temperatures to dip a touch but the murky weather all over western scotla nd murky weather all over western scotland through sunday will have slumped its way overnight down to the southern and western parts of england and wales so rather disappointing start to the day. further east enough cloud for a spot of rain perhaps but not amounting to very much at all. as we drift up to the borders, a cross into scotland andindeed the borders, a cross into scotland and indeed across to northern ireland, much clearer here but you'll notice that we've still got an area of low pressure close by to the shetland isles so a fair few showers here to start the day, maybe
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the odd longer spell of rain but eventually that moves to scandinavia, brightening up here. further south the front will weaken and the rain will fizzle away across the south—west, maybe one or two showers towards the south—east, the chance of a shower at wimbledon as we turn on the heat and a sharper shower further north, we turn on the heat and a sharper showerfurther north, east we turn on the heat and a sharper shower further north, east midlands towards lincolnshire and norfolk. a lot of dry weather around once that monday front if you like has fizzled away. but look out to the atlantic, we see new developments. it will first show its hand across northern ireland and later in the day on monday. 0vernight it will be turning quite wet for a time and through the day on tuesday here we see the influence of that rain getting into the central belt and into the north of england and maybe the north of wales too, to the south of it with a bit of sunshine, we could see the temperature around 20 or 25. further north despite the sunshine, on the cooler side of the front, 13 to 16. 0n cooler side of the front, 13 to 16. on tuesday night into wednesday we
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pushed the bulk of the weather front away to the near continent but it leaves a legacy of cloud that has enough about it for the odd spot of rain or drizzle on the breeze but the heat builds on the north, a bit cooler, by thursday it will be a lot warmer everywhere and with moisture further south we could see the first signs of quite a few thunderstorms. take care. the latest headlines from bbc news: a new era for hong kong, with a new chief executive marking 20 years since the handover to china. it was all smiles from president xi and hong kong's new boss, carrie lam, but there are concerns that beijing is exerting a stronger influence in the territory. president trump is accused of inciting violence against the media, after tweeting a spoof video showing him assaulting a man with a cnn logo superimposed. and this video is trending on bbc.com: north korea has opened what is called a children's traffic park in pyongyang. it is to teach youngsters how to stay safe on the roads. that story is popular on bbc.com.
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stay with bbc world news. now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk.
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