i was in one of cuba's most prominent schools when i made a joke about president fidel castro. that slept on the bunk bed on top of me recorded our conversation and i was expelled from school. my mom said the only choice is for us to leave cuba. i'm a business man. i've lived in miami for 35 years. it's my home base. i come back and forth to cuba. i've been coming to cuba for over 20 years. i mean, cuba is a communist country in economic transition. fidel castro allowed cubans to establish more businesses. there are people that are making money. there are people that have created a tremendous amount of wealth. >> anthony: people with family connections to the states, people tied to the exploding tourist industry, small business owners, taxi drivers, people operating in ever-changing gray areas of what is permissible. how's it work right now? if you're cuban, you can sell your property to -- >> hugo: another cuban from cuba. and that's what's happening right now. a lot of cuban-americans, a lot of cubans living abroad are now coming back, and through relatives, are buying proper

cuba is under the control of the fiery revolutionary fidel castro. >> he was not only a communist andarxist, but he was going to align himself with the soviet union on an island 90 miles from the coast of florida. >> the moment jack becomes president, the cia present him with their plan to bring down the cuban leader. >> the bay of pigs was a plot that was hatched during the eisenhower administration. the idea was to train some cuban exiles to invade cuba on the assumption that on their arrival there would be a popular uprising and fidel castro would be thrown out. >> kennedy was suspicious about the viability of this plan and the wisdom of this plan up until essentially the last moment. >> reluctantly jack gives the go-ahead for the operation with one crucial condition. >> he did not want it to be clear that the united states was supporting this. he wanted it to be a quiet invasion. >> it turns out to be an unmitigated disaster. early morning hours, kennedy is pulled away from a soiree at the white house. >> the president in white tie at 2:00 in the morning is meeting with his genera

se ha entregado antes a figuras contra oficiales como fidel castro y idotas como gabriel garcÍa mÁrquezreconocimiento serÁ entregado en la cuna del g20 en buenos aires. el nuevo gobierno dijo que respeta esta situaciÓn y no fue crÍtico como cuando antes era oposiciÓn. jorge: como verÁn, este ha sido un dÍa bastante complicadoen mÉxico, no Únicamente por el otorgamiento del Águila azteca, sino teme por la terrible situaciÓn que se estÁ viviendo aquÍ en tijuana donde 6000 personas estÁn esperando que alguien les dÉ un poquito de esperanza. hoy esto es todo desde tijuana. buenas noches, ilia. ilia: y gracias. buenas noches a todos los televidentes. rodrigo: [ríe]

fidel castro visiting an old age home for revolutionaries people who fought against the power of money. and cull monks are among those here who. are. people. now mugs himself has been degraded to an instrument of capital the means to sell cars. much of what he stood for may be dead but part of mogs does live on in modern hipsters what they lack in manifestos they make up for with facial hair his bid could be mugs as most lasting legacy. i don't want to hear any critique critique homes my spirits even if it sometimes is beneficial. it's time to celebrate come monks and where better to do it's than entry his birthplace monks can be found here on every street corner and in every shape and size several exhibitions are celebrating the town's most famous son. mark we want to place karl marx in his era and his century as well as a bed him in the discussions of our time so he's not isolated up there on a lonely pedestal. taken down from his pedestal he has an invitation to get to know someone who has previously just been ideology. like this drawing up scene in public for the first time tres a

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.ose ties with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: theresa may has hailed a draft agreement on post—brexit relations with the eu as "right for the whole of the uk." but the spanish prime minister has again threatened to block the eu withdrawal deal over the future of gibraltar. president trump has said any disorder on the us—mexico border could result in the closure of the entire area. his warning comes as around 3000 migrants reach the frontier. in thailand, the recent death of a 13—year—old kickboxer in the ring has reignited a debate about the safety of children in the national sport muay thai. the teenage fighter was knocked out and died from a brain haemorrhage earlier this month. a bbc team in bangkok has looked into the long—standing dispute of whether children should be allowed to box. that was a bbc investigation into thai boxing. climate

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.nion in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: theresa may prepares for the historic eu summit that is set to approve the draft brexit withdrawal deal. she has written an open letter to the nation urging the british people to get behind the agreement. one of the biggest matches in south american football, the copa libertadores final, is postponed after a bus carrying the boca juniors team is attacked in buenos aires. more now on the violence in argentina. tim vickery, our south america football correspondent, said it came as no surprise. it's a disaster, really, for south american club football. in the glorious history of south american club football, this match is, i think, the biggest thing that's ever happened. it's got the biggest global audience that has ever watched a club game between two south american sides. and i'm afraid you've come into our house and you've seen

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.e soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm lewis vaughanjones in london. our top stories: after a six—month journey, the us space agency nasa has successfully landed a probe on the surface of mars, sparking jubilation at mission control. ukraine has declared martial law in part of the country, following russia's seizure of three ukrainian navy ships. in sport, thailand will have its first driver in formula 1 in more than 60 years. alexander albon will race for the toro rosso team. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the story of china's gene—edited babies is making headlines in hong kong's south china morning post. the paper reports chinese health officials were kept in the dark about the experiment, with officials saying they read about it on the internet, just like everyone else. let's now turn the page. the inter

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.n the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a us government report warns that climate change will cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century. questions from spain over gibraltar‘s status throws doubt over sunday's meeting on britain's proposed eu—brexit deal. the united states imposed tough new sanctions on iran this month, with donald trump renouncing the international agreement designed to restrict the country's nuclear programme. the measures, which the other signatories of the agreement oppose, are intended to hit iran's oil exports, shipping and banks. but what will the sanctions mean for the people of iran? our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports from the capital, tehran. when iranians want to have fun, they go up to the mountains, and then come down fast. this is tochal, a resort in the foothills north of tehran. in winter, they

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: nasa has successfully landed a probe on the surface of mars, sparking jubilation at mission control. president trump has warned britain the brexit deal could damage us—uk trade, in a fresh blow to prime minister theresa may. it's two months since a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the indonesian island of sulawesi. hundreds of children were separated from their families and more than 2,000 people died, with large areas being declared mass graves. but as rebecca henschke reports, in recent weeks, there have been some extraordinary family reunions with their missing children. five—year—old jumadil is reunited with his mum, a week after they were separated by the powerful quake and tsunami. translation: when he saw my face, he started crying and hugged me so tight. he didn't want to let go, he was so scared. his grandfat

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.h the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the controversial saudi prince mohamed bin salman has arrived at the g20 summit, as the us senate votes to take forward plans to end american military support for the saudi—led war in yemen. the bank of england warns that the uk could face a deep recession and a collapse in the pound if there's a no—deal brexit. the european union has condemned russia over the seizure of three ships in the crimea at the weekend. but it's failed to agree new sanctions on russia, preferring instead to issue a statemnet expressing dismay at what it calls russia's unacceptable use of force and calling on them to release the vessels steve fish is a political science professor at the university of california, berkeley and he's there for us now. thank you for your time. what is going on here? in this part of the world it is always hard to

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.et union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: nasa has successfully landed a probe on the surface of mars, sparking jubilation at mission control. president trump has warned britain the brexit deal could damage us—uk trade, in a fresh blow to prime minister theresa may. general motors has announced plans to halt production at five factories in north america and cut more than 111,000 jobs. the move follows slower car sales and rising costs, partly caused by tariffs on imported steel introduced by president trump. the us carmaker is to focus on its line—up of trucks and electric and self—driving vehicles. i'm joined now by david cohen, a professor of political science at the university of akron in ohio. thank at the university of akron in ohio. you forjoining u news. thank you forjoining us here on bbc news. first of all, just give us a sense of how important general moto

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: theresa may has hailed a draft agreement on post—brexit relations with the eu as "right for the whole of the uk." but the spanish prime minister has threaten to block the eu withdrawal deal over the future of gibralter. president trump has said any disorder on the us—mexico border could result in the closure of the entire area. his warning comes as around 3000 migrants reach the frontier. he was at the helm of the japanese carmaker nissan, for nearly two decades, but after being sacked over allegations of financial misconduct, what's next for carlos ghosn? some see his ousting as part of the firm's attempt to rebalance power in its alliance with renault and mitsubishi, which mr ghosn also chairs. he was the architect of the tie—up between the three firms. hours after his sacking, france and japan expressed support fo

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.s an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. i'm babita sharma in london. our top stories: a new warning on climate change as the un says global greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2017. indonesian investigators prepare to release their first report into last month's lion air disaster. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the business standard reports on amazon's rise to become the leader in india's domestic e—commerce market. it says five years after setting up shop in india, the us retail giant has passed homegrown rival flipkart, clocking $7.5 billion in sales. ‘duterte death squad' is the headline in the philippine star. the paper says the president is creating his own armed civilian group to kill suspected rebels in public places in response to the new people's army forming a group of urban assassins. and the south china morning post

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.h the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: donald trump threatens to pull out of a meeting with president putin, as russia's conflict with ukraine intensifies. there's been a sharp increase in migrant boats crossing the channel to the uk. ministers say its being organised by criminal gangs. a preliminary report into last month's deadly indonesian plane crash has recommended that the budget airline lion air improve its safety culture. all one 189 people on board were killed. let's get the latest from our bbc indonesia editor, rebecca henschke, who is injakarta. and has been listening to that press conference. rebecca, tell us what they had to say. as you have said, this is an early report waste on—the—fly data recorder, the cockpit reporter has been recovered, but what has been said is uncomfortable both for the manufacturer of the almost new plane, boe

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.n in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: the republican candidate cindy hyde—smith has won the senatorial seat in mississippi and extended the gop's majority in the senate. donald trump threatens to pull out of a meeting with president putin, as russia's conflict with ukraine intensifies. the british government has expressed concern at the significant increase in migrant boats crossing the english channel. home secretary, sajid javid, says the traffic is being organised by criminal gangs and he's promised more cooperation with the french authorities. this month alone 110 migrants, many saying they are iranian nationals, have made it to kent on the english coast. all of them have been passed to immigration officials. the french police say they believe the recent surge is down to tighter security at the eurotunnel entrance and also because of brexit, with migrants wan

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.es with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: britain's prime minister theresa may says a brexit deal is now within everyone's grasp after agreeing the blueprint for the post—brexit relationship with the eu. the board of the japanese car maker nissan has fired its boss, carlos ghosn, after claims of financial misconduct. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. singapore's the straits times hints at the country's future leader. it reports that finance minister, heng swee ket, is on course to become singapore's fourth prime minister. the business page of the financial times has good news for fans of electric cars in china. american carmaker, tesla, is cutting prices of some of its models to boost sales there. mainland china is the world's largest car market. and in the japan

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.e soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: the bank of england has warned that leaving the european union without a deal could hit the british economy harder than the financial crisis a decade ago. a preliminary report into last month's deadly indonesian plane crash has found that the jet involved was not airworthy. and a popular video online — a not—so—serious pa pal security breach. a young argentine boy broke free of his mother's clutches to play with pope francis and one of his guards during a vatican audience, much to the pope's delight. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world, starting here in the uk with the financial times, which leads on the two stark reports today that brexit may leave the country worse off. it calls the forecasts made by the bank of england blood—curdli

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.close ties with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: mexico says it will deport a group of migrants who forcefully attempted to cross the border into the united states. after 20 months of negotiation, a european union summit in brussels has backed the brexit agreement, marking another step towards britain's departure from the bloc. so what happens next, now that the brexit deal has been endorsed by eu leaders? the biggest potential hurdle lies at westminster, and mrs may's chances of getting the agreement through parliament next month. if mps approve it, it would then be put to the european parliament. but if, on the other hand, it's voted down by mps, there are a number of possible consequences. they could try to force a re—negotiation, a general election, another referendum or the uk could leave without a deal. the european commission president jean—c

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.viet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: nasa has successfully landed a probe on the surface of mars, sparking jubilation at mission control. president trump has warned britain the brexit deal could damage us—uk trade, in a fresh blow to prime minister theresa may. matthew hedges the british academic who was jailed on spying charges in the united arab emirates has been pardoned and could be home as early as tuesday. he'd been sentenced to life in prison last week but the case prompted intense diplomatic efforts by the foreign office. mr hedges had always protested his innocence but officials in the uae say he's still considered to be a spy, as our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. matthew hedges' six month ordeal is almost over. five days after being handed a life sentence, he will soon be home. mr hedges will be permitted to leave the country once all

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.es with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. you are watching the briefing. our headlines: russian special forces have seized three ukrainian navy vessels off the coast of crimea, in a sharp escalation of tensions. after the eu has agreed theresa may's brexit agreement, the prime minister is today trying to convince parliament to back her deal. let's stay with brexit and back to my colleague philippa thomas at westminster. after everything that happened in brussels and the speed with which that deal was signed off by eu leaders now we are really into the uncertainty. i will be totally honest, we do not know what is gained to happen but we have some options. the professor of government at lsejoins me. options. the professor of government at lse joins me. we do not know and there are lots of things we will find out as we go along the process. theresa may signed everything in brussels yesterday

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.he soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: one of the biggest matches in south american football, the copa libertadores final, is postponed after a bus carrying the boca juniors team is attacked in buenos aires. after theresa may's day of meetings in brussels, the eu says it is ready to sign the brexit withdrawal agreement at sunday's special summit. let's stay with brexit. the leader of northern ireland's democratic unionist party, which props up the british government at westminster, has urged theresa may to focus on getting a better deal. more now on sunday's brexit summit in brussels. our political correspondent alex forsyth told us, after the hicup over gibralter, things should in theory go smoothly for theresa may. i think you can expect it, but when it comes to brexit i take everything with a pinch of salt. we have spoken about these big meetings time a

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. you're watching the briefing. 0ur headlines: thousands evacuate their homes in northeastern australia as fire risk levels are raised to catastrophic for the first time in history. and our top story: a new climate report warns that heatwaves and increasingly hot weather, could overwhelm health services around the world. more on climate change now. the un secretary general antonio guterres has warned that the rise of nationalism around the world has reduced the political will of some countries to work collectively to tackle global warming. ahead of the 620 summit in argentina, and also a un climate change conference in poland next week, the so—called cop24, he urged all political leaders to make reducing climate change a priority. he was speaking exclusively to our new york correspondent, nick bryant. things are getting worse than predicted but the political will to date is, unfortunately, not as high as it should be. w

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.es with the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm rico hizon in singapore. i'm kasia madera in london. our top stories: after 20 months of negotiation, european union leaders endorse the terms of a brexit deal. russian special forces have seized three ukrainian navy vessels off the coast of crimea, in a sharp escalation of tensions. the final of the south american club football championship, the copa libertadores, has been postponed for the second day running. the match in the argentine capital between the local rivals, boca juniors and river plate, was first suspended on saturday after the boca team bus was attacked. a number of players were hurt and taken to hospital. let's take a look at some front pages from around the world. the front page of the straight times from singapore is dominated by its reporting of eu countries approving the brexit deal. the article e

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.s an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: questions from spain over gibraltar‘s status throws doubt over sunday's meeting on britain's proposed eu—brexit deal. the trump administration has asked the us supreme court to review its policy of preventing some transgender people from serving in the military. the appeals court is already reviewing the decision of lower courts which have blocked the policy, but the administration wants the supreme court to fast track a definitive ruling. earlier i spoke to our correspondent peter bowes in los angeles — who explained how the proposed ban led to this point. well, yes. there have in fact been two proposals, and the original proposal, which would have been a blanket ban on transgender people serving in the military was essentially kicked out by the court. indeed, there are still some injunctions in force as they apply to that original scenario, which has

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.th the soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the us calls on europe to do more to support ukraine in its conflict with russia over the crimean peninsula. a sharp increase in migrant boats crossing the channel to the uk. the uk government says the traffic is being organised by criminal gangs. voters in the us state of mississippi have been casting their ballots in a special run—off for the last senate seat of the mid—term elections. no candidate reached 50% on the 6th of november. president trump has been a big supporter of republican candidate cindy hyde—smith, but her campaign has been overshadowed by comments made about public hangings. that has re—opened some old wounds in a state with a difficult history of race relations. our correspondent chris buckler is in oxford, mississippi. polls have now closed and they are being counted at the moment, the votes.

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.on in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a us government report warns that climate change will cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century. questions from spain over gibraltar‘s status throws doubt over sunday's meeting on britain's proposed eu—brexit deal. un envoy to yemen has delivered a plea for peace. on a visit to the area he pressed for the un to be given a leading role in running it. i apologise, there seems to be a problem with that report, we will try and bring it to you at another time. the tv adventurer bear grylls has given himself another challenge — as a volunteer. having worked with the uk scout association for a number of years, he's now teaming up with the united nations and the world scout organisation to engage young people across the world in sustainable development. the bbc‘s nada tawfik spoke to him at the un in new y

. >> narrator: the flames of crisis burn far stronger, fed and fanned by the bitter tirades of fidel castro

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.on in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc world news. the latest headlines: the us senate votes to take forward plans to end american military support for the saudi—led war in yemen. a warning from the bank of england that a no—deal brexit could mean recession and a collapse in the pound. it is known as the land of fire and flood, and this week australia is experiencing both weather extremes. two people died in sydney in the heaviest rainfall for decades. further north, in queensland, thousands of people have been evacuated from areas around rockhampton as unprecedented conditions push bushfires into regional communities. georgina smyth has the story. it is hot, dry and windy. the perfect conditions for a bushfire. this is queensland's coastline. the flames are out of control, and the smoke is so thick it is blocking out the sun. more than 8,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes after

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. you're watching the briefing. our top story today: president trump has warned britain the brexit deal could damage us—uk trade, in a fresh blow to prime minister theresa may. it has become one of the great environmental causes of recent years. plastic pollution's effect on the world's oceans has dominated the news agenda. now kenya is hosting the first global conference on the so—called blue economy, looking for ways to utilise the ocean's resources in a sustainable way. the southern nigerian city of port harcourt has long suffered from pollution from oil spills, but plastic is a growing problem. the bbc‘s mayeni jones went there to find out why. welcome to nigeria's garden city, port harcourt was once known for its lush green landscape. now, illegal oil refineries and unofficial dumps lined the banks of the river. the smell is quite intense. you have a smell is quite intense. you ha

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: a us government report warns that climate change will cost the country hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the century. taiwan could become the first place in asia to legalise same—sex marriage. the issue has divided the island nation so the proposal is being put to the vote in a referendum. it's one of a number of contentious issues on the ballot paper — including what name the country should compete under in the olympics. polls have just opened so let's join our taiwan correspondent, cindy sui, who is in taipei. good to see you, lots of controversial interesting issues that people will be voting on, let's start with this issue of same—sex marriage. what likelihood you think there will be of change? it is really uncertain right now, as you see behind me there are long lines of people coming into vogue, not onl

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90. an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. you're watching the briefing. our headlines: president trump has said any disorder on the us—mexico border could result in the closure of the entire area. his warning comes as around 3,000 migrants reach the frontier. the british prime minister theresa may believes a post brexit deal with the eu is close. but the spanish prime minister has again threatened to block the eu withdrawal deal over the future of gibralter. let's stay with that now. tony travers is the director of the institute of public affairs at the london school of economics. hejoins me now. thank you forjoining me. she is fighting on two fronts, isn't she? theresa may is fighting with her own backbenchers over this, they are all lining up to describe it as unacceptable. she also has european leaders, including spain, warning there could be no question of further concessions to the uk? it poses the greatest threat, do you think?

cuba has declared nine days of mourning following the death of fidel castro at the age of 90.he soviet union in the 1960s. it was an alliance that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war with the cuban missile crisis. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: mexico says it will deport a group of migrants who forcefully attempted to cross the border into the united states. after 20 months of negotiation, a european union summit in brussels has backed the brexit agreement, marking another step towards britain's departure from the bloc. russian special forces have seized three ukrainian navy vessels in the kerch strait, off the coast of crimea. in a major escalation of tensions, russian forces opened fire and ukraine says six of its crew members were injured. the ukrainian president petro poroshenko has called an emergency meeting of his national security council, which says it plans to declare martial law. russia has accused the ukrainian ships of breaching its territorial waters. anders aslund is a senior fellow in the eurasia center at the atlantic council. he joins me fr