others showing donald tusk and sir tim heading in other directions. showing donald tusk and sir tim headingn other directionsm showing donald tusk and sir tim heading in other directions. it was an interesting performance by donald tusk. he is not a big federalist, not the kind of eurocrat that you might think of, like jean—claude junker or someone. his tone was a slightly sad one. the photos on the telegraph suggest that, even if the headline is triumphant, boris johnson at his most from bunker as! he has written a piece, it is time to back britain and go lowball. he has written a piece, it is time to back britain and go lowballm is very positive. we were just reading it. —— go global. we are going to blast off for an extraordinary voyage. he talks about it being historic and, as i see it, a magnificent moment. we can only see some of his comment piece, but he looks more balanced towards the end, acknowledging that not everybody in the country is voting for brexit. he talks about what we do now in terms of pulling together and kind of achieving this great moment is future for the country.

donald tusk and with thejob he was doing and he were happy with donald tusk and with the job he wasnfirmed. that vote has gone through. he should be in place for the next two and a half years, but the next two and a half years, but the polls are still very unhappy about this. they found themselves out on a political limb and it is a bit of a humiliation for them to be voting against their own countryman and not have support from other countries. we can access all of the information coming through the bbc newsroom , information coming through the bbc newsroom, including copy filed by our correspondence. this is from our warsaw correspondent who says the polish prime minister has said, i will not accept the conclusion of this summit. it is clearly written that summit and with conclusions. if a country does not accept the conclusion, it means the summit is not valid. we will have to wait until tomorrow to see how this story develops further. we always like to finish these summits with some clear state m e nts finish these summits with some clear statements of intent from the european u

are you sad like donald tusk about what has happened? very much so.ticularly long —— young people, particularly long —— young people, whose lives look a little bit smaller. like the students i met at sheffield hallam university a few days ago. if he was thinking of the generations of younger people coming behind him, they might not have the same opportunities to go on scholarships and the loss of free movement means that his life does not have the same freedoms his parents and grandparents enjoyed. we need to think of all of those young people and their parents and grandparents and acknowledge that we have lost something today. we are at risk of losing free movement. we have risks being presented, environmental and is, workers' rights, protections for consumers that came from the eu, and they are now all at risk. so people are very worried. there will be disappointment, that was the word used by the prime minister. what will you as a party be able to do to ship negotiations? we will present a different vision going forward. theresa may seem to be in e

there may be some fallout over the reelection of council president donald tusk. polish prime minister has threatened to sabotage the summit if tusk is reelected. "it cannot go ahead without us, without our support. i think it is important to remember that the principal forms are community." on wedsday, a youtube video sought to strap opposition to the eu council president. former premier tusk is unpopular because of his criticism of poland's domestic policies. warsaw was in an isolated position. angela merkel and others came out in support of tusk. >> because of continuity and stability, there is no doubt in reelecting donald tusk as president of the european council. i do not see by one country would be against him is all other countries support him. >> a qualified majority would have been enough, but donald tusk was reelected with 27 21 vote. poland's defeat is seen as an investment for the country's foreign-policy. so far, it is unclear if poland will make good on their threats and retaliate very brent: are brussels' bureau chief is at the summit tonight in br

perhaps was one “— donald tusk —— a lot.ings was donald tusk, saying of britain, "we miss you already. " ben brown in brussels. we have been assessing reaction around the country to the triggering of article 50. in a moment, we will hear from of article 50. in a moment, we will hearfrom jon kay of article 50. in a moment, we will hear from jon kay in wrist but first, cambridge, where a majority voted for remain, and nearby wisbech, which voted leave. poles apart the part of the same county and now, still part of the eu. when it came to in or out, and wisbech reacted very differently. one of the biggest remain vote in the country was in cambridge. nine months on, little has changed. the city has a large european population and last week, the lib dem leader sought to reassure them. i often say to people in my patch and elsewhere who are eu nationals who are panicking about their future, nationals who are panicking about theirfuture, i nationals who are panicking about their future, i say i nationals who are panicking about the

because donald tusk, 2.5 yea rs ask it.5 years ago, elected to the president of the european council, one of the big positions within the eu, one of the two or three very senior positions, the first time it has gone to a new eastern european, or new eastern european member state, a prestigious role to have for poland. 2.5 years on, his own government or opposing him. that is essentially a domestic political dispute in poland spilling over here. between donald tusk and the government in poland, implacable political foes. the dislike for donald tusk being translated here now into a vote by the polish prime minister to say that he should not continue in that role, chairing the meeting is here as president of the european council, the meetings of eu leaders. pollen found itself isolated, one against a 27. —— pollen. everybody else confirmed him in that position. the fallout will be poisoned relations for some time. thank you, damian. we are expecting the prime minister, our prime minister, to give a press conference after this

that was donald tusk.u negotiator who will be a pivotal figure in the next two years, and he says our brexit team is ready. we will work for the eu 27 member states. that is michel barnier, who isa states. that is michel barnier, who is a really key figure in the coming negotiations. michel barnier saying that he is ready, as you would expect. let‘s talk now in brussels to tom nuttall who is a european columnist for the economist. what are your thoughts on a day of history for the united kingdom and european history?|j think kingdom and european history?” think the choreography has been relatively successful so far. i think eu officials will be relatively pleased with the content of the article 50 letter at theresa may said today. the tone was fairly conciliatory and very pointedly she did not include the threat that she has previously made, that no deal is better than a bad deal. i think they will be pleased about that but no one should be under any illusions about the difficulty of the talks to come. dif

we'll hear live from donald tusk shortly.nd the bank with half a billion customers — five banks are to merge with india's largest bank to create a super—bank. and the markets in europe have opened, it is a bit muted, we will follow the figures later in the programme. and we'll be getting the inside track on brexit with our very own economics correspondent, andrew walker. and on that note, this week we've been asking for your questions about brexit — we plan to answer them later on in the show. keep them coming in. just use the hashtag #bbcbizlive. welcome to the programme. with article 50 now triggered, negotiations on the uk's departure from the european union have begun. but this is notjust about what britain wants — the brexit deal depends significantly on what the eu is prepared to give. in the next few minutes eu council president donald tusk will present the european guidelines for the brexit negotiations. so, what kind of terms can we expect from the eu? national parliaments of the eu's 27 member states will have a say

the ruling party in poland opposed donald tusk, who is a former prime minister from donald tusk, whol party. now one of his roles as european council president will be playing a major pa rt president will be playing a major part in the uk brexit negotiations. donald tusk retains his role. he says thank you for your support. that is a very short quote. let's get the weather. it is springlike out there. we've had temperatures of 17.5 celsius. for many of us dry and settled weather for the next few days. a bit of rainfor weather for the next few days. a bit of rain for the weekend. here is how it's looking this afternoon, plenty of sunshine in leeds, cloud moving into western parts of the uk. this is how it looks in st ives at the moment. for many of us there is wall—to—wall sunshine, not everywhere. more of that club creeping in particular across parts of cornwall, devon and the channel islands. this evening most of us stay dry with clear spells, more of that low cloud moving in across western areas. hill fog. western england, wales and northern ireland could see some drizzle. with tho

donald tusk.sult of growing financial pressures across the education system. unions also say teacher shortages and budget cuts mean too many are being left to teach classes on their own. the department for education says savings can be made without having to cut posts. with me is peter morris a support staff representative at the atl education union. thank you forjoining us. what sort of evidence do you have that teaching assistants are being required and asked to teach classes instead of a teacher? we conduct an annual survey of our own members and our own support staff members and the increasing trend is upwards in terms of all forms of teaching assista nts terms of all forms of teaching assistants and sometimes even admin staff and librarians and other grades being corralled into taking full classes and effectively teaching, to all intents and purposes. the survey we conducted long last year showed that cover supervisors, which are a form of teaching assistant, nearly four fifths were saying th

that is donald tusk. and thatis council. that is donald tusk.iations begin. intense negotiations, hammering out trade deals. access to the single market, we will see how that develops over the coming months. and we will see very soon with more on that story. goodbye. hello there. the next few days are looking more unsettled, more cloud and outbreaks of rain across the country. but at least one thing is for sure, things remaining on the mild side. we'll maintain south or south—westerly winds. mild overnight too, a lot of cloud around. most of the rain across northern and western areas. the odd heavier burst over higher ground. to start wednesday morning, quite mild in the south — io—ii, closer to 6—8 in the north. a rather cloudy and damp start for wednesday. most of the rain continuing to affect north and western parts as we head through the day and in the afternoon many central, southern and eastern areas staying dry altogether. perhaps some brightness around. i suspect quite a damp afternoon for much of scotland and northern ireland, especiall

people knowjean—claude juncker, but perhaps not donald tusk as much.every two year process, i think they should become familiar to readers of british newspapers. yes, let's look at the daily mail, and this is a man we are familiar with. nigel farage they're holding a pint, and cheers to a great british future. but he is ready whaling on day one about the prime and so's letter. this could be a photo from any time in the past ten years. but we assume it is from today. i think theresa may has two set out the few strength of the has —— that she has in this situation. —— to set out. security information that british agents have a great trepidation for and do great work in the middle east and elsewhere, that isa the middle east and elsewhere, that is a another card you can play. when you see that as blackmail or if you cv european union's response as whaling, that is up to you. but i think it is not surprising that she is mentioned it. it is not a trump ca rd is mentioned it. it is not a trump card to start off with in terms of saying actually, trade negotia

let's go straight to malta now where donald tusk has begun speaking.ty gives us only two years to reach an agreement. allow me to outline the main elements and principles of my proposal. we treat them as fundamental and will firmly stand by them. our duty is to minimise the uncertainty and disruption caused by the uk decision to withdraw from the eu for our citizens, businesses, and member states, as i have already said in essence it is about damage control. we need to think of people first. citizens from all over the eu live, work and study in the uk. and as long as the uk remains a member, their rights are fully protected. but we need to settle the situation after the withdrawal with reciprocal, enforceable, and non—discriminatory guarantees. second, we must prevent a legal vacuum for our companies that stems from the fact that, after brexit, eu laws will no longer apply to the uk. third, we also need to make sure that the uk offers all financial commitment and liabilities it has taken as a member state. it is only fair towards all those people, comm

this is bbc news, the headlines: the president of the european council, donald tusk, suggests a phased strategy for brexit negotiations, allowing trade talks to begin once progress is made on the divorce deal. starting our talks on all issues at the same time as suggested by some in the uk will not happen. we really are moving forward now and there is are moving forward now and there is a lot of goodwill, a lot of willingness to achieve what the prime minister has said she wants to achieve, which is an orderly transition. longer waits for routine operations like hip replacements as the nhs in england tries to improve a&e and cancer treatments. the government denies reports of a £10 billion hole in britain's defence budget but admits there will be will more cuts to come. also, it's one of the biggest wildlife conservation projects ever seen in britain. the back from the brink campaign is being launched today and it aims to save at least 20 species from extinction. and it's full steam ahead for the flying scotsman at the re—opening of the settle—to—carlisle rail line. good afternoon and

donald tusk had to leave the room. the vote was taken.against him because of political differences between mr tusk and the current government in poland. they said they were against him being extended and voted against. but what we understand is reports are saying he was returned by the 27 others, and that will include the uk if the count is correct. there had been some suggestions the uk could use to abstain but would have sided with the 26 to reconfirm mr tusk for another two and a half years and to go against the polish views. that was a slightly delicate choice for the reason made to have made. mr tusk now, confirmed another two and a half yea rs tusk now, confirmed another two and a half years at the helm, chairing the summit meetings, which will take him all the way through the brexit negotiations and the timetable that has been set out. how does this leave relations between donald tusk and poland ? leave relations between donald tusk and poland? very, very strange. we will wait to see what the poll said. going into the vote earlier

but the president of the european council, donald tusk, appears to be a little bit more certain.lly, yes. lord coe, the former british ambassador to the eu, who helped draft article 50, agrees. you can change your mind while the processes going on, he said. some people might be a little bit annoyed by that, they might try to extract a political price, but legally, they couldn't insist that you leave. that's the problem, the politics mightjust become way to complicated but who might have the final legal say on what could yet become a critical question? well, in the recent supreme court case on article 50, both sides assumed that it was not a ball. the courtjudgment concluded that we are content to proceed on that basis, without expressing any view of our own. article 50, don't forget, is a piece of european law so the ultimate arbiter on this issue is the european court of justice. arbiter on this issue is the european court ofjustice. there is a case in dublin at the moment that is seeking to refer this question to the european court to get a definitive answer. 0ne the european c

donald tusk suggested that the uk would have little say in the matter.at does sufficient progress in men and who is it that will define it? eu 27 decides if sufficient progress has been achieved. probably in the autumn.- least i hope so. there was also a warning that the uk should not try to hold separate discussions with individual member states. divide and rule, the eu insists, will not be allowed. plenty for the government to chew on. at the nato meeting in brussels the foreign secretary was keen to emphasise the positive. both sides genuinely want an ambitious partnership in the future. we really are moving forward and there is a lot of goodwill, a lot of willingness to achieve what the prime minister has said she wants to achieve, which is an orderly transition and a deep and special partnership between a strong eu and a strong uk. no one ever thought this was going to be easy. this document from the eu shows how many hurdles there are going to be along the road. and if there were to be a transition phase between full membership and a totally new re

and there is the word divorce and donald tusk, the man who should be getting that letter tomorrow.legraph, lucy. the behind brexit, says theresa may. do you think tomorrow we are going to see those remoaners, the remainers, his sayjust get the best deal? i doubt it. the prime minister has encouraged brexiteers not to hold independent state parties. she doesn't want people to be triumphant, rubbing it in the face of the 48% that did not vote for this. her message face of the 48% that did not vote forthis. her message is face of the 48% that did not vote for this. her message is one of unity, let's come behind this decision and move forward. it is interesting, we do remain very polarised, but one positive thing brexiteer 's have seized upon this week, was a leak that went to a german publication showing an internal memo from the german finance ministry suggesting no deal if britain doesn't get a trade deal with the rest of the eu, it could potentially be disastrous for germany's financial stability and economy. so i think remain as feel as though they are on shaky ground, keeping the

what does donald tusk amina ali willjudge it?'s taking the ball back to say this is in the eu court and if there will be sufficient progress on the idea of a settlement of king reached, that is when britain can start looking at a new trade deal. district. —— it is a tricky deal. if you look at the issue ahead, there four key issues. the idea of ireland on what you do about the republic and how you make that as easy as possible, which donald tusk said required imagination. i look at the issue of 3 million european citizens in the uk, the million citizens in europe and how you settle their future along with the business is on both sides of the channel as well as the brexit exit bill, there's 50 billion that they say britain has to pay for its commitment. those are the four issues we start with at the beginning. if they get onto the idea of this settlement, hundreds of thousands of legal documents related from everything including citizen rights to pets rights to the sale of seville oranges, they can get this idea of britain startin

he will go as far as blocking .he official conclusions they do not favor the reelection of donald tusk atle is meant to be the end of february. they believe there is enough time in the next two months to find another suitable candidate. the polish prime minister sent a letter to the 27 heads of state ahead of this eu summit saying she believes that donald tusk was playing a role in the .pposition in poland using his role as european council president to voice his opinions on domestic issues in warsaw. she supported another candidate. a member of european parliament from the center right who is really unknown among political leaders. they respect donald tusk and they want to see him continue in this role for the next two and a half years to help steer europe through these troubled times. many have been saying it might be that the polish are just out tuskck and that donald t will be reelected. genie: what else is on the agenda for the summit? brexit is although it's not officially written in the schedule. >> people don't like here in brussels using that term. they are trying to strike a

donald tusk on the brexit guidelines. they are being circulated.ing out as to what they may contain. how much detail will he reveal in that press conference. we will preview that and cross to brussels next. all of that next. this is bloomberg. ♪ ♪ welcome. let's talk about the equity markets. 42 minutes into the session in europe. let's give you a sense of where we are going. importantly, we are seeing a reaction feeding through what -- from what we have seen in south africa overnight. that is clear on your screen. has changed. what you are seeing is a moved to the downside. the big loser is old mutual. also pressure on mining stocks as well. that could be what is happening with copper. you would have expected the chinese data, the pmi data on manufacturing to ameliorate some of that concern. the anglo is down, rio is trading down as well. ofically an essay affect stocks feeding through off of that. and what is happening with the mining story overnight. that is adding to the downside pressure right now. let's talk about what is happening with malta

are you in contact with donald tusk autodesk?” for the team set up for this negotiation. we have heard the initial views of the british government, we now hear donald tusk‘s outline of the guidelines she has given with regards to their approach, how optimistic or otherwise are you theirs can reach some sort of reasonably satisfactory conclusion? i am very optimistic gibraltar will be very successful after brexit is finalised because a lot of what we need is in the bilateral benefit of both the uk and gibraltar. this will be complex negotiation and it would be foolish to predict what will happen at the end but with energy and enthusiasm —— we accept the result of the referendum and we will work to make a su ccess referendum and we will work to make a success of the future for gibraltar and the whole of the uk. thank you for coming on. former security adviser michael flynn has offered to testify in exchange for immunity. he was sacked from misleading comments about his relationship with the russian envoy. today president trump‘s spo

they will elaborate on that letter from donald tusk.at the red lines are, the negotiating positions etc. the real negotiations will not get under probably until late may orjune. and even then, really, people say the negotiations in earnest will not begin until we have had the french presidential elections. and then in september, the german elections. until those elections are out of the way, the negotiations proper can't really kick in. you are looking at the autumn before it properly begins. it has to be done and dusted by october 2018 18th of has to be done and dusted by october 201818th of european parliament to endorse it and the other 27 countries to ratify it. it's not two yea rs countries to ratify it. it's not two years at all. it's more like one year. that is a very tight timetable indeed. indeed it is. maybe it will focus minds. thank you for the moment. let's talk now to the pro—brexit conservative mp suella fernandes, and the labour shadow brexit minister, paul blomfield. just before they came to us, we have been talking. a

we will not get a fuller response from donald tusk for a couple days. —— a video statement.ent setting out the broad principles by which the eu will conduct the negotiations over the next couple of yea rs. negotiations over the next couple of years. in theresa may's letter we gather there are the broad para meters gather there are the broad parameters of how she sees the next two years panning out, and echo really of her lancaster house speech backin really of her lancaster house speech back in january. so, really of her lancaster house speech back injanuary. so, the negotiations will not kick off really until may orjune. then you have the french and german elections in may and september. they will probably not start in earnest until the autumn of this year, and they have to be completed by october 2018, in orderfor have to be completed by october 2018, in order for approval from have to be completed by october 2018, in orderfor approvalfrom the european parliament and ratification. it is a pretty tight timetable. ben, thank you. we will have more from brussels shortly. let'

he hands it to donald tusk. details of what was in that letter, what was the tone like, does it address the divorce bill at all, does it address the rights of eu citizens in the u.k. or do we have to leave all of that for another day? perhaps it will be some disappointment here if we see the hands of michelle bonnier tied. we will see in the days ahead. let's check in on how the markets are doing. equities are set for a higher open according to futures. you're seeing of risk rebound across the equity space, up by .2 of 1% despite saw the outages from the cyclone down in australia. global stocks are set for the first -- 15th straight month of gains. trading in a whisker of its all-time high. paris and frankfurt set to rise. you talk about brexit, you talk about the risks, let's have a riskometer.brexit a couple of things to bear in mind. thee we'll woke up june 24, ftse in town terms is up nine point -- 9.16%. euro sterling, the euro is up by 14%. what is your risk reward, how do you play brexit, is the pound the

what do you make of what donald tusk has had to say today. had to say today. this is cold, hard reality, hitting the government who, of course, were saying we could get all of these benefits. the league campaign, boris johnson get all of these benefits. the league campaign, borisjohnson you saw in the package, promised we would bring all this money back into the uk, but it turns out that the bargain will have to be driven very ha rd bargain will have to be driven very hard indeed and i am quite worried because i fear for the level of goodwill that we will be able to sustain during the course of this two—year period. sustain during the course of this two-year period. but in some ways there is encouragement in what donald task is saying. he says there does not have to be a divorce deal done and dusted, just sufficient progress, then they can talk about trade. the prime minister's fundamental mistake was not to secure this parallel, the ability to talk about the new relationship at the same time as the divorce settlement. the european union have

we can get to specifics about timetables and donald tusk in a moment.more relaxed about it in one sense than we are, in terms of the timetable. they are looking to the french elections. they have just seen french elections. they have just seen elections in the netherlands, german elections and so on, we are in there somewhere but not top of the pile is. it has been a top issue for us for some time but there are other things happening in europe. what will happen now is the focus of discussion will move away from just london to brussels and other european capitals. they are going to become much more directly involved as they now negotiate these guidelines and then start the more detailed mandate for the discussions that will take place over the next two years. it's true, they have a lot of other things on the agenda, elections, migration issues and the eurozone. but brexit is a big issue for eve ryo ne but brexit is a big issue for everyone that has to be sorted out. without a german chancellor or french president, with that hanging over us french preside

donald tusk issues draft guidelines on how they e.u. intensive negotiate brexit. rand takes another hit as 8 other cabinet members. and quite the quarter. order stocks head for the best -- global stocks head for the 2009.eriod since ests.y of big name gu we'll talk about banks and glencore. and the deputy leader of angela merkel's party. if you have any questions for any of them, you can send them to us by the ib function. use tv go function and click on ib show functions. be sure to do that. first of all, this is what the data is telling us. stocks are dropping on the final day of a good quarter. this is the picture overall for global stocks. it is what i would call a blockbuster quarter. investors seeing little reason to take shares higher amid a little bit of political and economic uncertainty. we are expecting a news conference from the finance minister of south africa. i want to show you rand. 1346.29. the vix index a touch side. astian: south korea's former president park has been arrested on bribery charges three weeks after she was ousted. a court granted

we've been getting a reaction from donald tusk.row, the british ambassadorfor the european union and he has said, we miss you already and there is no reason to pretend this is a happy day in brussels or london. he took in receipt, that letter. let's talk to our european correspondent. it's quite conceal a tree in tone from theresa may? yes. i think the change in tone, back from january when she set out her stall in her speech. that went down pretty badly in some of these buildings, because it was seen as of these buildings, because it was seen as quite hostile. all the talk of no deal is better than a bad deal. all the economic threats. it's totally different, it starts with the referendum not being an attempt to do harm to the eu. it goes on about a deep and special relationship, repeated throughout. i think that will go down better here and be a welcome message. we've heard from donald tusk, almost sad and sombre? he has been like that and sombre? he has been like that and others have all so. it's a sad day for many here. some wh

it is notjust what donald tusk says.let's go to the front of the telegraph, continuing the brexit theme. donald tusk says a spot of this opening salvo there must be no unfair competitive advantage that britain takes after brexit. it's all about shifting and trading regulations to get a more business friendly environment to facilitate cross—border trade. iain duncan smith, the former tory leader, a big brexiteer, has predictably said this is posturing. i think the telegraph are only punting this because a lot of the readers run small and medium—sized enterprises that don't actually export to the eu. at the moment they do have to adhere to all the eu rules. things like brexit make life more difficult for the small and medium businesses. afterwards that will be gone. it will depend on relative regulation. if sun is in relation to workers' rights that will throw up another... it would but there are things about environmental transport, a lot of things have been very beneficial.“ this great repeal bill which viewers will hear

donald tusk has the letter. what actually happens now? to respond and he's going to tell us his response on friday, but tomorrow we will get a white paper. we will get the government telling us what it intends to do in practical terms to give effect to what it did today, triggering article 50. i don't think we will see the term of what theresa may has referred to as the great repeal bill because she says in her letter to donald tusk she needs to consult on how we design and implement that legislation. so it will be a much more open document, talking about the way in which you give effect to brexit when it actually happens, around two years down the line. right. and when we talk about some of the european rules and laws, coming on to the statue books here, what about people who are listening thinking, "well, if we voted to leave the eu, i thought we left all that stuff behind." explain why we need some of it? absolutely and you can understand that because the prime minister referred to it, i think, perhaps not today, but originally at the

they are guidelines for now, but donald tusk made clear the eu will insist the uk sorts out its exitments first. so an outline agreement on citizens rights, on financial liabilities, before anything else. while stand only whilst we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal, can we discuss the framework for future relationship. starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. so the eu is explicitly rejecting theresa may's position. no trade talks at first, future ties only outlined during a second phase of negotiations. no special access for industries like cars and banking. the eu excludes a sector by sector approach to its single market, and the transition would be under eu rules, uk required to accept existing union structures. transition periods mean that you are still a member, or at least you still a member, or at least you still have access to a membership situation. if you have such an access,itis situation. if you have such an access, it is obvious, it goes without saying, that the institutions would have all

theresa may's letter to donald tusk?mean, notwithstanding what the snp are saying, it is about giving more autonomy to the scottish parliament, and the northern ireland and wales. it is about collaboration and wales. it is about collaboration and she is determined to represent the interests of every person in this country and i think that's what people expect and a lot, you know, oui’ people expect and a lot, you know, our system of politics is divisive and adversarial and behind the scenes, people are saying we have got to get on with this, whether we we re got to get on with this, whether we were against it or for it. the fact that the letter says we are leaving the european union, but we are not leaving europe, is that an attempt to be as conciliatory as she can be to be as conciliatory as she can be to other european countries who are following this? it is notjust being conciliatory. it is the truth. we're members of nato. we're members of the european council, overseas, the human rights law and that sort of thing. w

but on the agenda is whether to extend the term of donald tusk as president of the european council.lking about brexit at all, and if not, why not? rita, eu leaders are arriving here for their summit now, and even though brexit is one of the biggest challenges facing the eu, the issue is not on the formal agenda at all, and it is not expected to be talked about in the margins of these meetings. it will not be chewed on over dinner tonight. the reason is that the eu is emphatic that there can be no negotiations of any sort until the uk has formally asked to leave the eu, triggered article 50 of the lisbon treaty. until that happens, until that notification is given, there can be no talks, so it is quite a bizarre situation, that it is the big issue here, but it will not be talked about. theresa may has insisted for many months that she will trigger that, beginning brexit, by the end of march, a couple of weeks. despite the need for parliamentary approval, number ten insist that timetable remains in place. in the meantime, the eu continues to discuss other things, including the future

timber oh is the eu and hands that over to donald tusk. is the procedure of events that take place today. 1:20 in brussels. at the same time theresa may will speak to parliament and a lot of people will be very interested in the tone that she does adopt. to what extent will it be conciliatory, some suggesting that can be something that guides markets, guides the currency markets in particular. i will pick it up here in brussels and ask allen in berlin, how is this going to be received around the different eu capitals? >> already a sense of genuine progress across the capitals. that a lotlderment of government officials that we speak to regard as the u.k. --tting itself in the foot shooting itself in the foot. countries like spain have a large number of u.k. citizens living there contributed to the economy. what happens to those people? the baltics rely on the u.k. for defense and security support. their neighbors are russia. poland have the largest single resettlement -- recipient of eu funding. concerns right across the continent. matt: b

signed by britain's prime minister teresa may-- is presented to european union council president donald tusk around 7:30 this morning, our time. article 50 -- which basically ree a divorce from the e-u. may signed the letter yesterday. today's move is the beginning of a two-year countdown to the final split. the two years will be used to settle the terms of the divorce. this comes after a vote back in june where the people of britain chose to leave the union. happening right now - a third straight day of severe weather. overnight - violent storms hitting the south - and claiming their first casualty. the growing death toll, still ahead. but first, sunny

are about to start will be difficult, complex and sometimes even confrontational. 0n the day that donald tuskout the eu's negotiating guidelines, we look at the the road ahead for brexit. and will we all by cyborgs any century soon? the answer is yes, if the tranhumanists have their way. good evening. is — or daesh‘s — tentacles have spread across the globe, but tonight we focus our attention on where it all began. iraq's second city, mosul, has, for the past three years, been under the vicious heel of is, who visited unimaginable horror on many of the city's inhabitants. it was in mosul where the is leader, abu bakr al—bagdadi, declared an islamic caliphate, but now the iraqi army, aided by coalition forces, have liberated much of the city and backed is fighters into neighbourhoods in west mosul‘s old city, along with around 300,000 inhabitants. there is little doubt is will eventually be routed in mosul, but the human cost of the liberation is high, with accusations that coalition strikes involving uk and usjets called in by the iraqis have been careless of civilian life. in a moment we hav

by the british prime minister is being taken by hand to the president of the european council, donald tusk it's delivered, at lunchtime, mrs may will make a statement to parliament in which she'll urge the country to "come together" as it embarks on a "momentous journey." alex forsyth reports. more than four decades ago, the uk first signed up to the then european community. today, those years of union will come to an end. david cameron's promised back in 2013 was key to getting to this point. he said britain would get to choose whether to stay in or leave the european union, leading two years of debate about the union. it is time for the british people to have their say. it is time for us to settle this question about written and europe. so, last year, politicians of all persuasions took to the streets of britain. they made their case for leave or remain. then richest people decided. the british people spoke, and we are out. for some there was jubilation —— british. for others, contemplation. even devastation. and for him a resignation. i think the country requires fresh leadership to tak

i think the focused in the next 24—hours will be on donald tusk.rst formally eu response to theresa may's article 50 letter, in the form of negotiating draft guidelines, which will be sent to the yellow 27 eu capitals. i understand he still working on document. it will focus in particular on the sequence of negotiation. from an eu perspective that means first, separation, the divorce, the broad outline of that. then, several months later, general agreement on the broad terms of a future trading relationship. then again, several months after that, the transition. how do we get from full eu membership now today, to a totally new relationship in the future? those transition negotiations will delve into some of the most difficult issues like freedom of movement of people, migration and the role of the european court ofjustice. there has been a lot of speculation in the uk about whether we might find a transition period after march 2019, before a full exit. is that idea being entertained in malta? i've not spoken to a single leader from any other europe

at the meeting, in the last hour, donald tusk has been reconfirmed as president of the european councilart their fellow countryman‘s bid for a second two—and—a—half—year term. 0ur correspondent damian grammaticas is in brussels. talk us through the key agenda and the mood. the first thing that we have had, the key sort of small moment was that reconfirmation re—elections, of donald tusk, for another two and a half year term. slightly bizarre situation, his own country, poland, was against him, and had indicated they did not want him to have another two and a half years. the reason for that, of course, donald tusk, from a different political party, the government in poland is implacably opposed, and they did not wa nt implacably opposed, and they did not want him. the prime minister tried to stop it here today, made her objections known, when the vote was taken, she was the only one objecting, so poland was left isolated, 27 other nations did not object, and that means theresa may may have been able to sidestep the issue because it was not entirely clear whether she had to vote actively

donald tusk you don't normally have the sort of opposition he's facing.ision and they get on with business whereas this has hit a hump because poland is trying to force a vote on extending his time as eu council president by another two and a half yea rs, president by another two and a half years, they want to put their own candidate on the table and ask for eu leaders to vote on him instead. there is a real political row between the governing party in poland, the law and justice party, and president donald tusk, who as polish prime minister represented a different political party. it has its root in polish domestic politics. when she arrived in the last hour or so the polish prime minister once again made it clear she will be raising this this afternoon and will be seeking a vote on who becomes the nick next eu council president. theresa may is there at a dinner tonight, then she leaves. then the eu leaders talk about unity once she has gone? yes, you're right, they'll be talking about their plans to get together on rome on march 25 when they will be mar

as we saw with donald trump —— donald tusk, he looked genuinely upset.ing on which the eu leaders will try to come together and provide a united front to the united kingdom. one of the things we will see players in the next few months is the eu saying every day, we are as united as ever, and the united kingdom trying to chip away at potential differences between member states and institutions. i'm not sure much success member states and institutions. i'm not sure much success they will have. now the uk has formally started the process of living, the other 27 are already looking at life beyond the uk, how we move on after that. the bbc reality tech team will be working overtime on brexit. you can find them on bbc television and online. in a couple of minutes on the programme, we will look at reaction from top eu officials, and also two major member states, france and germany. the accident that happened here is of the sort that can cause a meltdown. the republic of ireland has become the first country in the world to ban smoking in the workplace. from toda

a letter, signed by prime minister theresa may, will be delivered to european council president donald tusk within hours, triggering years of intense negotiations. a passengerjet has caught fire while landing in central peru. all 140 people were evacuated safely. officials say the fire probably started when the plane's wing scraped the runway. australian officials are beginning to assess the damage after the monster cyclone debbie pummelled the northeast coast. only one fatality has been reported, but some areas remain difficult to access because roads are blocked. president donald trump has signed an executive order scrapping the us's green energy targets, and boosting its troubled coal industry. us environmentalists say the move will hinder efforts to curb climate change, and have vowed to challenge it in the courts. now for the latest financial news with and world business report. with just hours to go before article 50 is triggered we find out how prepared businesses are for this seismic change. and back in the race, samsung gears up to show off its latest smartphone, but can it regain

donald tusk, president of the european council, today presented the draft brexit guidelines. music — polite but steely. 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 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 — discussi

it is only when donald tusk has the letter in his own hand that the clock will start ticking and thewo—year deadline will start to get and closer. theresa may has two yea rs and closer. theresa may has two years to get the deal she wants with the eu. and once that letter is delivered, what is the next big set piece in this? does it go behind the scenes and it is all furtive discussions in secret? the focus may switch to brussels. for so many weeks and months since the result nine months ago, the discussion has been mainly in westminster. but after it has been triggered, momentum will shift to brussels. we are expecting some brexit guidelines to be circulated within 48 hours of article 50 being treated. then there will be a special meeting of the 27 remaining eu leaders towards the end of april, and they will discuss their main negotiating positions until negotiations get under way in earnest in may. we are just highlighting that yes, brexit is dominating everything the british government is doing at the moment, and there are concerned leaders gci’oss and there are concerned leaders a

presidentthe european donald tusk.own's very on -- article 50 is that people were not aware of until a year ago and many people never thought would be used in the official process begins. talk to me what we heard from the european union president. >> we heard pretty conciliatory tone from donald tusk. the eu does not really have a much reason it seems to give a butall weight to the u.k. they do want to remain closed for the sake of the business interest and the people's' interest. u.k.ny people live in a and in europe. he said as much in his official response. the british, for their part, fairly conciliatory at the beginning of the letter and they posted it on the website. they make a couple velti threats on security cooperation -- veiled threats on security cooperation. jonathan: how does it play out? we have to wait of four month until that the summit. will we have lines drawn? seeing some we are lines drawn out. i have only had a chance to look through the letter. if you look at the bullet points six in the letter,

the letter is expected to be handed to donald tusk before may begins her address to the house of commons at 13:30 cet. steve joins us from westminster. it's a historic day and you've been talking to a number of key voices. >> absolutely. we've heard from hillary bend, alex salmond. delighted to introduce nick clegg, euro spokesman for the democrats. this is not a good day for you. you are a staunch remainder. what is the best britain can get out of this now? >> the best we can get out of this is if were theresa may were to reverse her decision not only to pull us out of the european union and margaret thatcher's invention, the single market. it was very much a british invention, massively benefited the british economy. i think theresa may made a massive error by choosing to placate her own party by saying she would leave the single market even as we leave the eu. if she were to reverse that decision and say, no, on reflection it's better if we try to keep the best sort of -- the best virtues of economic integration as we leave the rest of the european union, i think that would be the bes

theresa may is in brussels for what's expected to be her final eu summit before triggering brexit, as donald tuskcted as president of the european council. a new war memorial is unveiled by the queen by the thames to honour those who have served in iraq and afghanistan. the monument is dedicated to civilians as well as servicemen and women. ina in a moment it will be time for sportsday. first, a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. we will be looking at the political row caused by an announcement of a national insurance hike for the self—employed in yesterday's budget. we will be reflecting on the life and work of sir howard hodgkin, who has died at the age of 8a. and our political correspondent and the financial times will bejoining us correspondent and the financial times will be joining us for the papers. that's all i heard on bbc news. now it's time for sportsday. —— that is all ahead. hello, and welcome to sportsday. i'm hugh woozencroft. the main stories this evening: "arsene‘s listening". wenger says he will consider the thoughts of the arsenal fans before making a fina

donald tusk said the remaining states would pull together in the talks.et out his plans for negotiating guidelines on friday. with her assessment at the heart of the european union, we go toa heart of the european union, we go to a report by katya adler. the man with the burning letter in his briefcase. good morning. big day, ambassador? sir tim barrow arrived without much fanfare at the european council building this morning. but this isn'tjust an historic day for the uk. for the eu, it is a momentous, never to be forgotten kick in the teeth. visibly unhappy, this was the recipient of britain's letter starting the brexit process. so here it is. six pages. donald tusk, the man who represent all eu member states here in brussels. there is nothing to win in this process, and i'm talking about both sides. this is about damage control. european commission president jean—claude juncker was also down in the mouth. i'm sad. i'm deeply sad. but beneath that sadness, palpable resentment among some eu leaders today that theresa may appeared in her letter to link th