♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. vo luntr. topiary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo.

narrator: funding was al provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> i'm sarah campbell and you are watching the context on bbc news. president biden: the bottom line is when our country instead together we stand strong. i believe the world is safe. >> increasing engagement in the region to work withllies like australia and japan to ensure the pacific remains free and open. we don't want any change to the status quo. >> two big countries not in the

g7 almost at the center of the g7 conversations. sarah: welcome to the program. leaders are gathering in hiroshima where in a few hours the g7 summit will get underway with a key focus on dealing with russia and china. tonight we look at the uk's's failure to impose fines worth as much as one billion found -- one billion pounds on foreign companies breaking a landmark transparency law. in el salvador more than 66,000 people were arrested last year in the government crackdown on street gangs. and we talked to congressman adam smith about his struggles with anxiety, chronic pain, and the difficulties of life in politics. first, global security concerns

over russia's invasion of you crying and china's new assertiveness as chop of the agenda as g7 gathers in japan for a summit. hosting the event, hiroshima, the first city to be leveled by an american atomic bomb in 1945 claiming an estimated 140,000 lives and forever changing the world. as he held bilateral talks with president biden earlier japan's prime minister fumio kishida said the world is at a crossroads following russia's attack on ukraine. though the g7 leaders represent some of the world's most powerful and wealthiest countries the focus will be on the two major powers not at the table, russia and china. joining us now is zach cooper a former aide to the u.s. national security council and a senior fellow at the american enterprise institute and sylvia urman, a former french ambassador to russia and a former french ambassador to

china. good evening both of you and thanyou so much for joining us here on the context. let me ask you, sylvie, about how japan has set up this g7 summit. they have interesting ideas bringing in different countries as well as the key seven. sylvie: hiroshima is a very symbolic place, like you said. japan has invited other countries before. countries also from what is now called global south, india, indonesia, australia, of course. the idea is to get the support -- of their support, the assistance given to ukraine. the most important is to convince them not to head to russia to circumvent the sanctions. sarah: zach, we mentioned the

fact that the two countries that will probably dominate conversation, china and russia, are of course not at the table. starting with china, what do you think the conversation will be? zach: i think much of the focus will be on chinese economic practices. we have certainly heard a lot about that in the run-up to the g7. the japanese side is ver worried about economic coercion. i think one of the key elemes in the g7 statements we will see in a few days will be about economic coercion and other forms ofnfair economic behavior. that is what i would expect to be the top item coming off of the china agenda at the g7. sarah: economic coercion and presumably also taiwan. the situation there is also likely to figure into talks. zach: absolutely. i think behind closed doors people will be very worried about the taiwan issue and i would expect a statement about the desire for peace and

stability in the taiwan strait. i do not think it will be dressed promine perhaps in the eventual statement. but behind closed doors i trahir ambassador to china and the u.k.. what is your take on how china will dominate talks at the g7 over the next couple days? sylvie: i think the priority with ukraine, because there is a war going on. and it china is having, not an alliance, but a partnership, with russia. it does not really support the war, but it does not condemn it either. since it is organized by japan, of course, concentration in the indo pacific will be very important. i think what is important is the necessity of the status quo and freedom of navigation in the region.

as it has been said before, economic behavior of china is also very very border. but, there is this european formula thais de-risking, not decoupling. meaning, it should be less dependent on what -- wealth and supply chains. this is very important. at the same time on some issues, climate change, it is important to have a relationship with china. sarah: zach, i wonder how when weun havde seen, haven't we, the president of france, emmanuel macron, visited there last month. are the g7 countries trying to provide a unified response, but also, very conscious they want

individual relationships with such powerful country? zach: absolutely. all the g7 members want different relationships with china. we talk a lot about economic tension between the u.s. and china. u.s./china trade is at an all-time high. it is not the case that the united states or others are asking g7 members to stop trade with china. you are seeing nervousness abo the types of economic behavior china is taking. i think there are different variations on that in different countries. clearly emmanuel macron was going to china trying to increase the relationship a bit. trying to expand trade with china. schultz has done that previously as well. -- olaf scholz has done that previously as well. the japanese are more hesitant. in the last 24 hours they had a major meeting of technology ceos in the semiconductor space clearly trying to establish japan as a technology leader on semiconductors. each government will have a

different approach, but i think all of them are united in the objective of trying to make sure the basic rules of the road are upheld on china and economic issues. sarah: we saw today that u.k. prime minister in japan talking about new economic and defense deals, again, behind the scenes there are these bilateral's going on as well as g7 couns coming together. zach: and, maybehe element that will get the most attention is not a bilateral, but trilateral. the possibility on sunday, probably, of the korean and japanese president and prime minister meeting with joe biden in a major trilateral meeting. that is probably the biggest thing that might come out of the g7. this cooperation between korea and japan that has heretofore been very difficult. sarah: the other country we obviously need to talk about because it will dominate conversation is russia. i suppose, asking the same question again, perhaps, to you, sylvie, each country has a

different agenda. first of all, the g7. you expect a unified voice when it comes to russia, potentially, sanctions? sylvie: i think for the g7 countries, yes, definitely. but, not with the guests and countries that have been invited because, well, they consider that there is a double standard on the part of the west. they want to be independent and nonaligned. asming the u.n. does not condemn russia, they do not vote against russia, they do not even show up for the vote. it will be very difficult to convince them, i think. sylvie: i guess you are talking about, eight countries aside thn trying to bring

fr people to the table including india, indonesia, is ill, south korea, and vietnam, all coming with different attitudes and opinions potentially about ukraine at the moment. sylvie: absolutely. take afghanistan for instance. there has been a very long partnership with russia. also, india is buying some oil and gas from russia. and, it is selling it other countries including european countries. so, that is a way to circumvent the sanctions against russia. so, russia will continue to support and -- the war. sarah: sylvie berman and zach cooper, thank you for your expertise this evening.

we will return to the subject of the g7 later in the program. there are lots of important issues to discuss in japan over the next few days. around the world and across the u.k. this is bbc news. now let's look at some other stories making headlines today. a survey by citizens advice suggests up to one billion people canceled their broadband in the past year due to the high cost of living. the charity said those struggling could have benefited from cheaper social tariffs or special low-cost packages. 4.3 million eligible people are missing out on the deals. voters in northern ireland are going to the polls to decide who should represent them on 11 councils, a total of 807 candidates competing for 462 seats in council chambers across the country. polls close at 10:00 p.m.. follow the results here and on the bbc news website as they

sats reading test in england have been published after some teachers and parents said it was so difficult it left pupils in tears. the department for education says the papers are rigorously trialed and the national association of head teachers said even staff had to really think about the answers. you are live with bbc news. thank you for joining us. thousands of foreign companies have yet to be fine for breaking a new u.k. transparency law according to analysis by the bbc's journalism team. the legislation requires overseas companies with property in the u.k. to reveal who owns it. the bbc found fines worth up to $1.25 billion have not yet been imposed including fines for firms with links to russian oligarchs. let's get more from courtney ben bridge in the newoom. a new law was introduced after

russia invaded ukraine designed in part to stop foreign criminals from laundering dirty money. under the rules as of the end of january of this year foreign companies with property in the u.k. must disclose their owners or face fines of up to 2.5 thousand pounds per day. three months on, and thousands of companies appear to not be complying with the law, but not a single fine has been issued. one of the firms yet to disclose the information is a cyprus based company that owns this west london mansion with links to the former owner of the chelsea football club, all roman obama veg. it is thought up to 5000 forms -- firms with property in england and wales have yet to disclose the infmation. the truth could be lower than that because some firms no longer exist and others have transferred their property. even using a conservative figure of 4000 firms at 2.5 thousand pounds per day it gives us a

figure of 10 million pounds per day, 12.5 million u.s. dollars. given it has been more tn 100 days since the january 31 deadline passed, that could total one billion pounds or 1.2 5 billion u.s. dollars. the u.k. department of business and trade released a statement ying the u.k. is the first country in the world to be taking this tough new approach. and, the statement goes on to say fines are just one tool in our arsenal and noncompliant companies are already unable to buy or sell unregistered land, that caps the flow of money. the statement that says "we are currently buildin cases against companies and priotizing actions against the most egregious offenders." the government has noted it is difficult to pinpoint the owners of many of these properties because many have shielded wealth in offshore companies, trusts, and in the names of family members. sarah: earlier the author and

anticorruption activist bill browder told the bilby -- the bbc that the u.k. is failing to implement its own legislation bill: this ishe fundamental problem. you can make as many great laws as you want but if you do not enforce them it does not have any effect and britain is the worst offender when it comes to this type of thing. the laws on our books are absolutely rocksolid but the law enforcement is a complete disaster. the governm has made all sorts of very bullish noises about being tough on russians and it tough on russian oligarchs. but here is a very real-life example. and it's not complicated. if these companies have not disclosed their owners, they should be fine. -- find. ed. just send them a bill. that has not been done and i find it disappointing. there does not seem to be any appetite or capacity to follow through on these laws. i have seen it in many other connected areas.

in money laundering there has not been a single prosecution of a russian for money laundering in 22 years since putin came to power. something s to change. the government makes laws. people pound tables in parliament and nothing happens. it all comes down to implementation, which is an absolute disaster in the u.k.. i sarah: i am ined by maria, a research fellow at out security -- a defense and security think tank. thank you for joining us this evening talking this through. it is complicated, but you heard bill browder there suggesting whatever is going on, the u.k. is not doing it very well. would you agree with his assessment? maria: yes, in part. definitely, this is at issue. this register is one of many things that came rushed in a

fast-track legislation in response to russia's aggression in ukraine february of last year. still in our mess things have to be done to not even solve, but mitigate, what has been a problem for more than 30 years now, dirty money in london, in the u.k.. we are trying to catch up with something that is a massive issue. fast-track legislation is useful. as bill browder said, legislation can get you so far. then it will just be a nice piece of paper unless you follow with proper enforcement, which is what is lacking now. >> is this a problem solely unique to the u.k.? maria: not really. enforcement, if you go to the major conference of different government officials talking and dealing with financial crime, enforcement is the buzzword mainly because everybody is

talking about lack of resources. you have major jurisdictns even in the.s. that have a completely differenthro a ciom they are still dealing with a massive amount of dirty mone the u.k. has even less resources that it has been catching up and struggling for a long time. we he seen some improvement with recent legislation, recent plans. t, not enough. sarah: are you surprised by the fact that legislation has come in, but the bbc analysis has found no fines have been issued at all. it that surprising? maria: neaobviously, this is a y complicated and complex problem. it's not early just about come as you said in your introduction, a lot of the criminals have already shielded behind it trusts. obviously, they were expecting legislation.

we have to be more preemptive and have due diligence of what the criminal practices are. at the same time, given it has been such a massi problem, a decade-long problem, i am seeing, obviously, the register having to deal with a lot of information being brought forward. going through all of that information finding the one that is not correct and has not been submitted as well with limited resources, even the more skilled investigator what a struggle with that. sarah:f you had to give advice to the government what advice would you give in terms of enforcement. what is one thing you would do? maria: resources, resources, resources. legislation can get you so far. bring forward legislation currently being discussed. we have an economic crime bill

finally bringing company form. once again, that is primary legislation. secondary legislation that needs to follow would be resources to help law enforcement do their jobs and go after criminals. sarah: it is the u.k. the top destination if you are trying to hide money in a way that is not particularly legal? is that still the case? maria: it used to be. i think with the latest reforms probably it will more difficult. it is still attractive because it's a global financial center. we are seeing other jurisdictions being less, you know, responsive to russia's aggression in ukraine and the issue of dirty money. we will probably see a shift in the u.s. economy -- the years to come. if the u.k. keeps goi on that path i hope it will be more than a destination for dirty money. sarah: thank you for talking to

us this evening. there is more iormation and analysis on the story from our data journalism team on the bbc news website. to the u.s. now and the claims by the duke and duchess of sussex that they were pursued by paparazzi photographers as they tried to leave an event in new york earlier this week. here they are accompanied by meghan's mother arriving at the ms foundation for women awards ceremony. the trouble started when they left as they put it, in a statement, they were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi. they added in the statement that this written is pursuit lasted for over two hours and resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians command two nypd officers. the new york police department said that while numerous

photographers made the transport of the duke and duchess challenging, there were no reported collisions, injuries, or arrests. as you would expect, there has been a lot of reaction in the americ papers. let's look. that's the new york daily. it led with "scary echo of post described the episode "the harry and meghan drama show." a more sober t times inoted that the frenzy tt follows the duke and duchesss pt with our royal correspondent nicholas winchell. he has been analyzing the events and the row that has followed. nicholas: there are discrepancies between the account issued by the suspect says and what the new york police are saying. it is a difference in perception

and we have been here before with the sussexes. they were at the center of ts and clearly found it worrying and alarming ad for harry it would be very triggering evoking images and recollections of the tragic circumstances which led to the death of his mother, being pursued by paparazzi in paris 26 years ago. now, wheth it was sensible for their spokesperson to issue the statement that they did, couched in the language that it was, which read rather like a tabloid story, i think, that's a moot point. but we must ke in mind harry has made it hs to chaleslengine theis behav bior e media whenever he feels that it is inappropriate. clearly, this was a case in point. now, he has also a very low threshold for oil -- when it comes to tolerating the behavior of the media. he has a very low flashpoint and clearly that was exceeded in new york 24 hours ago.

sarah: the u.k. treasury revealed queen elizabeth's funeral and lying in state cost taxpayers an estimated 162 million pounds, just over $200 million. reporter naomi joy smith has been looking at the numbers. naomi: that some covers of the. -- covers the time all the way from the queens passing last september through the 10 days of national mourning in the u.k. through the monarchs lying in state and of course her funeral. it is worth remembering the monumental scale of the events. the largest state event held in the u.k. since the second world war, viewed and attended in many cases by people and dignitaries from around the u.k. end of the world. you will remember the hundreds of thousands of people that cute to pay respects to the queen during the lying in state at westminster hall. at the funds were spent to

ensurehe events could be held smoothlynd with dignity while ensuring the safety and security of the public. thats reflected in this number. 73 million pounds spent by the home office to ensure police and security around all of the events around the united kingdom. the second largest rog's money was covered by the department for culture and media, about 57 million spent on billboards and other announcements covering and celebrating and commemorating the legacy of the queen. the next largest tranche of money was covered by the scottishovernment. nearly 19 million pounds cover the cost of the queens lying on rest -- lying at rest in edinburgh after her passing in scotland. other governments spent smaller psalms in wales and northern ireland as it then prince charles told the four nations following the passing of his mother. these governments have since

been refunded by the treasury for all the costs incurred. the smaller tranches were covered by the ministry of defense, the department of transport, and the foreign commonwealth and development office. that's a breakdown of the costs narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymd james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: pediatric surgeon. volunteer. piary artist. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others everyday. people who know, know bdo.