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tv   BBC News  BBC News  September 23, 2018 9:00am-9:31am BST

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this is bbc news. the headlines. backing another brexit vote. the labour leadership say they'll support another referendum, if that's what party members want. a tax for second homes. labour announces new plans as annual conference gets underway today. us media giant comcast outbids rupert murdoch's 21st century fox to take control of tv—broadcaster sky. shareholders are urged to accept the offer. falling for scams. reports of fraud almost double in three years. a bbc investigation reveals there were almost 50,000 cases reported last year, with six people over 60 falling victim every hour. britain's anthonyjoshua defends his three world heavyweight titles, knocking out alexander povetkin in the seventh round at wembley. and could the bbc drama bodyguard be behind a surge in interest in counter—terrorism jobs? and our sunday morning edition
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of the papers is at 9.35, this morning's reviewers are city am's head of politics 0wen bennett and the evening standard's defence editor, robert fox. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, and his deputy tom watson have both said they would back a second referendum on brexit if party members wanted it. dozens of motions supporting the idea have been submitted to the labour conference, which gets under way in liverpool this morning. 0ur political correspondent iain watson has more. labour's slogan for this year's conference is rebuilding britain. the party wants to be seen
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as an alternative government. its leadership will be unveiling policies to appeal to those who feel left behind by economic change — people who, perhaps, voted for brexit. but some in the party want another vote on the eu, a new referendum on any final deal. the shadow chancellor has not ruled it out. it's on the table. we're keeping all of the options open. but the people's vote campaign, which wants a new referendum, is pushing labour to go further, to make a positive commitment. a poll of more than 1000 labour members suggested... the main issues today won't simply be debated here on the conference floor. behind the scenes, there is a big push by some in the party's rank and file to make sure that later in this conference, there's a full debate on brexit, including the option of having a new referendum. away from the glare of publicity, delegates will hammer out the final wording of any brexit motion today, though this wouldn't be debated
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in public until tuesday. significantly, the party's deputy leader tom watson has said if members decide that they want a new referendum, he'll go out and argue for it. if somebody says they're gonna have a go at it, you would call an election? i'm ready for it... and in the sunday mirror, the labour leaderjeremy corbyn, who's been reluctant to back a referendum, said he, too, would respect his members‘ wishes but his clear preference is for a general election. if that doesn't happen, calls from some ofjeremy corbyn‘s own members for a new vote are likely to grow louder. iain watson, bbc news, liverpool. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, is in liverpool for us at the labour conference, which is due to open shortly. as we're hearing, norman, a lot of pressure on the leadership over this issue of another brexit referendum — what is going to happen? carol, i
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think it is going to be a tale of two conferences, the conference labour would like to have, which is going to be heavily dominated by chunky policy is to set up the idea of labour as a government in waiting, and then the conference they are probably going to have, which is going to be a tussle over brexit and whether the party should embrace the idea of campaigning for a second referendum. 0n the former, this morning we are getting new policies, so for example labour suggesting they would crack down on second home ownership and double council tax for those who have second homes with the cash going to help the homeless, in marked for local for the two spent on temperature come in and. at the same time. talking about ensuring that large companies of more than 250 people, one third of the seats on the board would have to go to employees. all of that follows on from the announcements on three nationalising the railways within five years, which we had from john
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mcdonnell just yesterday. five years, which we had from john mcdonnelljust yesterday. and also we had john mcdonnell setting out plans to ensure that workers in the gig economy had the same rights as people in more conventional workplaces. but won brexit hangs over this conference like a great big thundercloud with massive pressure from party activists, some of the big unions, for labour to embrace a second referendum. so far, tea m embrace a second referendum. so far, team corbyn have tried to keep the door closed, saying, it is an option, we may look at it after an election. gradually, gradually, that door has been prised open and the deputy leader has now said if party members want a second referendum, then that would have to be party policy. jeremy corbyn, too, saying the same thing that he would abide by it if that is what the members wanted. the question is, how far will labour go? at the moment they're being fairly coy, have a
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listen to this... the people's vote we want is on... the people's vote we want is on, who do you want to run the country going forwards? who do you want to drive brexit going forwards? and as jeremy and tom watson have said, you know, ultimately we're not in control of this process right now, we want to be in control of that process and... but this conference is a democratic party, is a democratic party, we will listen to the views of members and we will reflect on the views of members on the issue of brexit. the big question is, what will this conference actually get to vote on? will they get to vote on a motion saying that labour backs a second referendum? saying that labour backs a second referendum ? all will saying that labour backs a second referendum? all will it be worded in such an ambiguous way that it will amount toa such an ambiguous way that it will amount to a fudge without actually committing labour to supporting a second referendum. directors of the british broadcaster sky have urged shareholders to accept a takeover offer of more than £30 billion from the us
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media giant comcast. after a long—running battle against rupert murdoch's 21st century fox, comcast won a blind auction for sky. our business editor simonjack reports. it's been an epic battle between two heavyweights of the media world. in the final round, us cable giant and universal studios owner comcast delivered a knockout blow, offering £30 billion, 10% more than the disney—backed 21st century fox was prepared to pay. the prize — sky's 23 million customers across europe, ten million of them in the uk. the final bid has come in at £17.28, which is a i7% increase on the previous offer for sky, so they certainly have. and i think for comcast, sky is a very important strategic asset. it will help them diversify outside of the us where they're seeing of the us, where they're seeing pressures of cord—cutting — that is, consumers are less and less paying for big, expensive cable packages.
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so, why are all these megadeals happening now? look no further than the new kids on the block, netflix and amazon. both are winning new subscribers around the world. both are pouring billions into making their own original content. in the short—term, sky customers will notice little difference. both bidders had agreed to fund loss—making sky news for at least the next ten years. putting up prices will be hard, given the red—hot competition for eyeballs. comcast may have won, but they had to pay £30 billion. the real winners this weekend are the sky shareholders, which include the family of one rupert murdoch. he may not have succeeded in buying all of sky as he once wanted, but he won't be going home empty—handed. simon jack, bbc news. a woman accusing president trump's supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexual assault has agreed to testify against him next week. lawyers for christine blasey ford say she has accepted a request to appear before the senatejudiciary committee to be questioned about the alleged attack at a party in 1982. judge kavanaugh has repeatedly denied the allegations.
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laybo diseko reports. arriving home accompanied by security, brett kavanaugh, seen here in the red cap, still at the centre of a storm. the conservative judge is donald trump's choice to fill the vacant seat on the supreme court. last week, that seemed almost a certainty, until allegations of sexual assault emerged in the media. christine blasey ford says he tried to rape her when they were teenagers in the 1980s — an allegation judge kavanaugh strenuously denies. there have been days of negotiations over whether dr ford would give evidence before the senatejudiciary committee. now, it seems there may just be a breakthrough. in a statement, her lawyers said... some republicans,
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including donald trump, say this is a deliberate attempt to delay and ultimately obstruct judge kavanaugh‘s confirmation. but many are also trying to tread carefully. the president and i are confident that senate republicans will manage this confirmation properly, with the utmost respect for all concerned, and i believe thatjudge brett kavanaugh will soon bejustice brett kavanaugh. and take his seat on the supreme court of the united states of america. dr ford may have accepted the request to appear before the senate committee, but her lawyers are still negotiating the terms. when she gives evidence, who is in the room, and who she is questioned
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by are all still issues to be agreed. but many are also trying to tread carefully. lebo diseko, bbc news. 0ur washington correspondent chris buckler has more. the senate judiciary committee had been trying to get a firm answer from christine blasey ford about whether or not she was prepared to give evidence. now, we have had a letter from her lawyer to the committee and in it she says specifically that she is prepared to provide what she describes as first—hand knowledge of brett kavanaugh‘s first—hand knowledge of brett kava naugh‘s sexual misconduct. first—hand knowledge of brett kavanaugh‘s sexual misconduct. judge kavanaugh‘s sexual misconduct. judge kavanaugh denies any suggestion that he is involved in sexually assaulting her some 36 years ago at assaulting her some 36 years ago at a party. but she continues to make these claims and she will now do so it seems at this hearing. that is provided a number of terms and conditions are met. first abortion is understood to be concerned that brett kava naugh gives is understood to be concerned that
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brett kavanaugh gives evidence before she does. she does not want him to be in the room when she speaks. and there is also the question about who will question her. we have had suggestions from republicans that they might bring in female lawyers to do that, because ofa female lawyers to do that, because of a sensitivity that there are only male republican senators on this committee. and they are concerned that they might not be seen to treat her sensitively. however dr ford wa nts to her sensitively. however dr ford wants to be questioned only by senators. so there is still some negotiation to be done but it does seem that she is prepared to go to the committee to speak. nonetheless when you listen to the white house there is some frustration, certainly they believe that this could potentially be seen as another delaying tactic and they want to push ahead with a brett kavanaugh‘s confirmation as a supreme court justice as quickly as they possibly can. they've also been critical of the cats who they claim are playing politics with all of this, and certainly there is a political element to, because brett kavanaugh
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could potentially push the supreme court further to the right, and that's something that democrats are concerned about. but away from all the politics, this is a deeply personal issue, and everybody is aware that it needs to be handled very sensitively and carefully, particularly after criticism of a tweet by donald trump in which he questioned why christine blasey ford or her parents had not gone forward and made a complaint to the authorities some 36 years ago. publicans authorities some 36 years ago. publica ns know that authorities some 36 years ago. publicans know that people will be watching carefully if and when this hearing finally takes place. a murder investigation has been launched after a 19—year—old man died after being shot in east london last night. two other people were also seriously injured in the incident in walthamstow at around 11 o'clock. nobody has been arrested. there have been more than 100 murders in the capital so far this year. an investigation by bbc radio 5 live has found that the number of elderly people reporting that they've been the victim of scamming has nearly doubled in the last three years.?|n some cases,
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people had lost hundreds of thousands of pounds. ? fraudsters scammed almost 119,000 older people across the uk in the past year, equivalent to nearly six every hour. caroline davies reports. it's a crime that can happen in your own home, as simple as a convincing phone call or a few clicks on a computer. and for one group in particular, reported cases of fraud are becoming more common. the cost of personal fraud across all ages is estimated to be around £10 billion a year. figures requested in an investigation by 5 live show that nearly 119,000 people aged over 60 reported that they had been scammed and more than 1000 of those victims were over 90. some experts worry the real number of over—60s affected is far higher and that older people are particularly at risk as they are more likely to live alone and be drawn into conversation
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with a fraudster. the impact can be devastating, leaving victims without savings, potentially reliant on the state to pay for their care. those who do fall victim to fraud once are often targeted again, sometimes being placed on a scammers' list of people likely to be sucked in. the financial 0mbudsman service has said that scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and told banks that they should take the evolution of fraud into account, rather than assume it is their customers who have been grossly negligent. caroline davies, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, and his deputy, tom watson, say they would back another brexit referendum, if that's what party members want. us media giant comcast outbids rupert murdoch's 21st century fox to buy tv broadcaster sky for over £30 billion. and fraud is on the rise.
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a bbc investigation finds six people over the age of 60 fall victim to a scam every hour. four years ago, lizzie lowe took her own life. the 14—year—old believed she wouldn't be accepted as a christian who was gay. since then, her church in manchester has been on a mission to welcome everyone, regardless of their race, disability or sexuality. it's now become part of the first "inclusive deanery" in the church of england. but it's not been without controversy, as abbiejones reports. we gave elizabeth the middle name ofjoy, and she was our... ourjoy. liz is always there. she's always on your mind. lizzie lowe was a committed christian. she also believed she was gay. she was worried about telling her parents and feared her church wouldn't accept her sexuality. absolutely not would it have made any difference at all,
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and that's the sad part, the really sad part. but in september 2014, lizzie took her own life. lizzie's death devastated the community in didsbury, herfamily, herfriends, her school and her church, and it completely changed the way that church responds to the issue of sexuality. all sing hymn over the last four years, st james and its sister church emmanuel have formally adopted the title of inclusive church. it means everyone is welcomed, regardless of race, wealth, gender or sexuality. it's nice to be able to bring up our girls up in the same way that we grew up, which is coming to church on a sunday. coming out was always very difficult for me. it is nice to know that i am accepted for who i am. but before lizzie's death, her vicar admits his church didn't talk about the divisive issue of sexuality. i wish we could turn the clock back. i wish we could have done something ahead of that decision that lizzie took that would have given herjust
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the slightest chance to have found a safe place to talk. we had to change. we had to make sure something like this would never happen again. to cement that change, the church staged its own pride event. it's also joined with 11 neighbouring churches to become the first inclusive deanery in the church of england. but it's proved controversial — 25 parishioners have left. those opposed to the church's new direction were reluctant to appear on camera, but others have admitted the changes have taken time to accept. i did struggle initially, yes, because there do seem to be passages in the bible thatjust blanket call it wrong. i can do it now. i think the people i talk to are just lovely people. you can interpret the biblical passages differently and i think logically now, i'm there at inclusion and yet, i mean, i'm of a generation who grew up when homosexuality was onlyjust legalised.
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it's a huge cultural shift. but lizzie's parents believe embracing inclusion will save other teenagers. if this can happen to us, it could easily happen to anyone else — your daughter, your son, your grandchild. it's about accepting people for who they are, you know? not who we want them to be. abbiejones, bbc news, manchester. viewers in the north west can see a special report on that story on inside out, at 7.30 on bbc one tomorrow evening. and it'll be available on the iplayer, too. house of fraser stores in edinburgh, hull and swindon are to close. sports direct‘s mike ashley, who recently bought the struggling chain, has been in talks with landlords over rents in recent weeks. at least 20 house of fraser stores have been saved from closure. iranian leaders have accused us—backed gulf states of being behind an attack on a military parade which killed 25
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people, including a child. tehran accuses the uk and others of harbouring members of iranian separatist groups. an anti—arab group and islamic state both claimed responsibility for the attack, but there's no evidence to show they were involved. pope francis has begun a tour of baltic countries, arriving first in lithuania. the pope paid tribute to the victims of the region's nazi and soviet occupations. he will travel to latvia on monday and estonia on tuesday as all three baltic states mark 100 years since they declared independence. it's the first trip by a pope to the region since 1993. voters are going to the polls in the maldives in an election which opposition groups have warned will not be free and fair. president abdulla yameen is seeking a second term in office, despite concerns about his record on human rights and the jailing of his rivals. it's been reported that police raided the headquarters of
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the opposition alliance yesterday. india's prime minister, narendra modi, is due to launch what's been billed as the world's biggest universal healthcare scheme. the plan aims to grant 500 million people, nearly half of india's population, the entitlement to free health insurance — supported by a network of 150,000 health and wellness centres. but critics say the government has failed to prepare the necessary infrastructure to effectively implement the scheme. the venezuelan authorities have welcomed a chinese hospital ship, which will be docked for the next week treating local patients. the defence minister, thanked china for the gesture of friendship and said that both countries would benefit. venezuelan‘s have been struggling to access food and medical care in the current ecnomic crisis. richard forrest has more. some welcome help from a powerfulfriend. the chinese hospital ship,
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the peace arc, docked in venezuelan‘s port of guaria. for caracas, this is a chance to say to the world, we do not stand alone. translation: starting now, they will be here this whole week, attending to and receiving patients of all nationalities. i've spoken to the state governor and there are people who are interested. on board, there are 300 beds, eight operating rooms and a medical helicopter. but it's a lifeline for the government in caracas in more ways than one. it a political gesture from an ally that is helping to rebuild venezuela's crumbling economy. a week ago, president maduro visited beijing, where he signed a number of trade and investment deals. it's a reply of sorts to the us sending its own hospital ship to neighbouring colombia in august, to help venezuelan migrants who've fled their country.
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this is what is pushing those people to leave. hyperinflation, food and medical shortages, families struggling to eat. and in this country with the world's biggest oil reserves, petrol shortages mean queueing for days just to fill up a tank. president maduro says the problems are the result of a plot engineered by hostile forces, but he is almost completely isolated on the international stage. the issues in his country increasingly affecting his neighbours, with thousands pouring into colombia, peru and brazil. for maduro's government, this very public show of friendship is something of a buoy, a gesture in a relationship it hopes will keep this nation afloat. people have been evacuated in california after a wildfire spread across thousands of acres in just a few hours. hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain the fire,
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which is burning in the rural castaic area of the state. no injuries have been reported. here are some dramatic pictures of indonesia's anak krakatua volcano, erupting during the night. the volcano has erupted at least 44 times this week alone, according to the country's meteorological agency. it's been active sincejune, but has not caused any disruption to flights or tourism. in 1883, there was an eruption in which more than 35,000 people died. eight million people are expected to tune in for the finale of bodyguard tonight. as well as causing a twitter frenzy each week, the series has prompted lots of interest in counter—terrorism policing. thousands of people have accessed the metropolitan police's recruitment site since the show started. but how realistic is richard madden's character david budd? our home affairs correspondent,
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danny shaw, reports. he's talked down a suicide bomber, been shot at in a car, and duffed up a government advisor. agh! all in day's work for a close protection officer? here's one man who should know. i have protected theresa may when she was home secretary, you're right. and it is nothing and was nothing like what david budd did. agh! the way we operate is not quite like david budd, who seems to be operating independently! so independently, he even has an affair with the home secretary. that's not realistic at all! anybody who crosses that line would not last very long within the department and might not last very long within the police service. but the met police wants to capitalise on the popularity of bodyguard. there's been a surge of interest injoining the force. it needs to recruit detectives and technology experts. it's about encouraging people to have an ambition,
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dream big, and, actually, some day you could be protecting her majesty the queen, or protecting the home secretary. but you're not going to get that instantaneously. one feature of the programme is the large number of senior female officers and detectives from black and minority ethnic groups. it takes some doing... the reality is rather different. they're in a minority, as this asian counterterrorism detective told me. she doesn't want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of her role. women and bme officers are in every rank and every specialism in the police services. so it's not a rare thing. we do have senior female officers. we also have senior bme officers. but we still do need more diversity, without a shadow of a doubt. the character of david budd makes great telly and may inspire some potential recruits, but he's no substitute for a real close protection officer. it's not about making waves,
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they have to stay in the shadows. danny shaw, bbc news. the series finale of bodyguard is on bbc one at nine o'clock tonight. senior members of the royal family have allowed cameras to follow them for a new documentary about the queen as a global figure. queen of the world, which will be shown on itv, was filmed over a year. in one episode, the duchess of sussex, meghan markle, reveals a secret detail of her wedding dress for the first time. somewhere in here, there's a piece of... did you see it? the piece of blue fabric that's stitched inside? no! it's my something blue. it's my — it's fabric from my... oh, how nice! well, i hope it's still in there! yes, it should be. we'll have to look at that. it's fabric from the dress that i wore on our first date. photographs of a retiree cat—napping with his feline friends have gone viral, leaving a shelter in the united states inundated with more than £30,000 in donations.
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terry laurmen from wisconsin has been volunteering at his local animal shelter since 2016. he's supposed to help with the grooming, but he often joins the residents for a quick siesta. photos of terry, who has been nicknamed cat grandpa, have been shared more than 22,000 times. now it's time for a look at the weather. and southern england and then is going to continue to push eastwards and then we will see an improving picture but it will take its time. a speu picture but it will take its time. a spell of wet weather to clear from east anglia and the south—east, scattered showers accompanied by a brisk north—westerly wind making it feel really quite cool out their.
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0vernight tonight, that rain will use away from the south—east, the winds will for her fifth and the showers will ease, the skies will clear and it's going to be a chilli start on monday morning, below single figures for many. but it will be dry and settled the many across the country with just the exception of the far north—west, where there will be a scattering of showers. looking ahead, the arched, settled story continues. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... labour leadership say they would be ready to back another eu referendum — if party members want one.
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