she agreed a deal with jean—claude juncker in december.he's demanding the eu should change it, including seeking a legal guarantee that the uk won't be held forever to the conditions of the irish backstop. you have new proposals, prime minister? if all this looks familiar, it's because it is, yet againa familiar, it's because it is, yet again a crisis point, yet again mrs may in brussels seeking concessions, concessions the eu has said it's not prepared to make. is this hell, prime minister? laughter so the eu was my question for mrs may? does she have any new ideas? mr jean—claude juncker said they would not renegotiate the backstop but the eu is willing to rewrite the accompanying political declaration if the uk wants to seek a closer future relationship. an offer a p pa re ntly future relationship. an offer apparently ta ken future relationship. an offer apparently taken up. the discussion was robust but constructive, despite the challenges the two leaders agreed that their teams should hold talks as to whether a way through can be foun

so you tell me how jean—claude juncker. .. ..then we have a hope tp come to a conclusion. howjean—claudejuncker is a puppet of george soros? george soros has put out his plan and vision about the future of european union quite many times, openly — you can look at the internet... that's not what i'm asking you about. i am asking for specific evidence. he put out his plan. look at what was included in his plan. how many migrants should be brought into the european union, how much it would be significant that there are borders and national identity, how much the border protection capacity should be pushed back and look at the policy of the european commission since 2015 — exactly — exactly carrying out those points, which have been included in the plan of george soros. my question is... that's not evidence and you know it. crosstalk. in your view that's evidence? absolutely. that's absurd. no, this is the evidence. it has been written by george soros and that has been complete by the european commission. my question is, my question is, why european commissioners have received

then we heard from jean—claude juncker. creators now. then we heard from jean-claude juncker.s not the question between the republic of ireland and the uk, it isa the republic of ireland and the uk, it is a european issue. and that is why we cannot accept the idea that is circulated around that the withdrawal agreement could be reopened. the backstop is part of the withdrawal agreement, and so we cannot reopen the discussion on the backstop. the eu is not prepared to reopen the withdrawal agreement, the 584 page divorce treaty which includes the backstop, although they are prepared to look at the political declaration which sketches out the shape of the future relationship. it is aspirational if not legally binding and that might satisfy the back benches for theresa may, but donald tusk rode out the idea of a unilateral exit mechanism for the uk from the backstop if it came into force —— ruled out. he did not comment on the other idea of a time limit or some kind of end date being put on the backstop. very interesting. and now to vicki young. one hesitates to ask what the reac

a press conference when the irish prime minister, leo varadkar, handed a thank you card to jean—claude junckere out the text of what the thank you card from someone in dublin was, it apparently said, thanking jean—claude juncker for the first time ever, ireland is stronger than britain. would you also thank jean—claude juncker and thanking —— thank brussels for strengthening ireland's hand ? i think they have been extremely helpful to us and extremely loyal in backing the good friday agreement, so i welcome the solidarity that we've had, but i equally don't want to see — like, the interests of the uk and ireland in all of this are enormous. i have no interest in us going back to the days of the past when we have a critical match and a slagging match, as we'd say in dublin, with each other. that would get none of us anywhere. both our economies are too important, the jobs of our people, the trade we do with each other, the relationship of agricultural community and to the british consumers for food, all these things are hugely important to the island of ireland. and the amount of goods that go

a thank you card a p pa re ntly and the text of a thank you card apparently said, thanking jean—claude junckerhe first time ever, ireland is stronger than britain. would you also thank jean—claude juncker and thanking brussels for strengthening ireland's hand? i think they have been extremely helpful to us and extremely helpful to us and extremely oil —— loyal to backing the good friday agreement so i welcome the solidarity that we've had but i equally don't want to see, the interests of the uk and ireland in all of these are enormous. i have no interest in us going to the back —— going back to the days of the past where we have a critical and a sliding match, as we say in dublin, with each other. that would get us nowhere. both our economies are too important, the jobs, the nowhere. both our economies are too important, thejobs, the people, the trade we do with other and the relationship where we have the cultural community into british consumers forfood, cultural community into british consumers for food, all these things are hugely important to the island of ireland and the amount of goods

jean—claude juncker told me there is no breakthrough.f what he sees as complacency. some are saying the eu a lwa ys complacency. some are saying the eu always gives n in the end, but eu leaders see the backstop notjust as a guarantee for the northern ireland peace process, but as a guarantee for is a very lucrative single market. providing assurances on the backstop legally binding or guarantees, no problem for the eu. but weakening the backstop and providing a guaranteed and they and a unilateral get out clause for the uk, that is something the eu say they will never do. shamima begum, the 19—year—old who left britain to join the islamic state group four years ago, has told the bbc she expected more sympathy from britain. it follows the home secretary's decision to try to strip her of british citizenship. 0ur our home affairs correspondent daniel sanford reports. the 19—year—old who left school to join as and who hasjust given birth had appealed for help to return to the uk but learn today the government was instead taking away her brit

she is set to meet jean-claude juncker.s anything but optimistic a theres close on hand >> is not enough movement for me to assume it will be productive. an unregulated exit would have devastating consequences for britain and europe. dealers -- some eu leaders pushing for a break on antitrust rules. german and french companies are often the target of tougher merger reviews. $1600 an has hit ounce. it is extending a powerful rally driven by a shortage of supplies. car manufacturers are scrambling to meet emissions controls. a budget was announced today. the finance minister under pressure to reduce the deficit. growth is lagging. likely toility require further support after rolling blackouts. this is bloomberg. olivia how is in london. more on the bloomberg scoop. we will discuss some of the market implications. on digitaladio live radio in the london area. this is bloomberg. ♪ >> welcome back to the european open. 17 minutes until the start of cash equity trading. there is optimism around trade. we talk more about that in a

you tell me how jean—claude juncker. .. explain to factual basis... how jean—claudejuncker... explain to me howjean—claude juncker is a jean—claudejuncker... explain to me howjean—claudejuncker is a puppet of george soros? soros has put out his plan about an open europe openly... i am asking for specific evidence. look at what was included in his plan. how many migrants should be brought into the european union, how it is significant that oui’ union, how it is significant that our borders, how much of the border protection should be pushed back and look at the policy of the european commission is since 2015, exactly carrying out those points included in his plans. in your view that evidence? that is a —— absurd. in his plans. in your view that evidence? that is a -- absurd. my question is, why european commissioners have received george soros 21 times without any kind of public announcement afterwards. there is no evidence. but have presented no evidence that george soros is controlling the eu immigration policy. please compare. . . immigration policy.

negotiations with jean-claude juncker? >> after the united kingdom leaving the european union, it's clear spain will have to play a more important role together with france and germany. to keep the european union working. we have to look into the future, which is the thing that really matters. david: may be a brexit without an agreement. are you prepared for that? how would you handle that? hope there is going to be in agreement. it's hard to imagine that we will go to a situation where we create damage to each other, especially to the united kingdom. i think we will have an agreement. just in case, we are preparing to face a situation in which we will have to deal with a situation in which for sure we should try to avoid. david: if it's necessary to make some agreement involving the so-called backstop with ireland, would you favor that to avoid causing damage to both sides? >> the european union negotiator was here yesterday talking about the situation. thence again told us that is something that cannot be changed. explan

jean-claude juncker expresses his frustration over brexit talks as the u.k.tiate the irish backstop. good morning and welcome to "bloomberg markets: the european open." bloomberg'sards at european headquarters in london. 6:30 in london and this is the picture across the equity market. we are pretty divided on whether to go up or down, the stoxx 600 going higher or lower. wirecard come a big gainer. regulators taking action against short-sellers, up 7.8% this morning. we've seen some aviation and travel leisure stocks well divided. cement had some numbers out, that stock up for percent this morning. intercontinental up 2%. an aviation supplier settled on matters and that stock is up over 2%. to the downside, travel and leisure stocks down on the stoxx 600. ithad ryanair moments ago, slipped off the biggest losers. hsbc is a topic of conversation today, down 3.3% as we watch what they have to say in hong kong with the interview from management. standard chartered, down in the banking sector. picture is we are treading water, looking for more guidance from the u

she set to eat john kline -- to meet with jean-claude juncker.e is anything but optimistic a deal is close at hand. >> there's not enough movement for me to be able to assume that it will be a productive discussion. an unregulated exit of britain from the european union would have to setting -- devastating consequences for both britain and europe. >> some even leaders are pushing for a change to antitrust rules. angela merkel and emmanuel macron are pushing for the change, as germany french companies are often the target of top merger reviews. block aws attempts to real merger. the prime minister is under pressure to reduce the deficit. leaving the government below revenues that could necessitate cuts. and a power utility is likely to require further support after rolling blackouts in recent weeks. global news, 24 hours a day, on-air and @tictoc on twitter, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. manus: olivia, thank you very much. stay we have the question of the day. -- today we have the question of the da

she will go to brussels for talks with jean—claude juncker and she plans to have a conversation withrs of the remaining 27 eu countries. a lot on her plate still they are but remember, the european union is holding extremely firm on their site has no plans whatsoever, as far as we can see, to reopen that withdrawal agreement. as ofa reopen that withdrawal agreement. as of a pennetta has her work cut out. the allegation continues that she is running down the clock. that it is time running out. she hopes this will concentrate the minds of mps and get them to back her deal? that may well be her trump card when it comes to it because the majority of mps want to avoid a no—deal scenario, most think it will be a catastrophe for the economy and other aspects of british life. if it comes to a choice between theresa maymight be under no—deal, i think mps will plump for the deal. what might happen between then and now is mps doing what they have been threatening for some time, wrestling control of the process. we will look towards the next crunch point, 27th february, a series of amendments to

yesterday jean claude juncker said in the german ci-- >> translator: if britain doesn't leave on thebut later, no one will stand in their way, but britain will still have to run in the european parliament elections if they're still members at that time >> and across the pond, bernie sanders has joined the list of democrats seeking the party's nomination -- sanders said he would tackle the same issues that spurred his 2016 campaign, such as universal health care and higher taxes on the wealthy. he also didn't hold back on attacking president trump. >> our campaign is not only about defeating donald trump the most dangerous president in modern american history. it is not only about winning the democratic nomination and the general election our campaign is about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice. our campaign is about taking on the powerful special interests that dominate our economic and political life >> and iconic fashion ziern carl lagerfeld has died in paris at the age of 85. lagerfeld,

jean-claude juncker saying brexit is in god's plan's. terminalstory on the yesterday saying the eu is willing to give clarification, but for the moment, they will not renegotiate on the brexit deal. next on "bloomberg surveillance cfo, we will hear what he had to say after full-year earnings lack of behind estimates. in new york city, here is the jan hurtado. to thes the biggest blow german audit -- british auto industry. honda planning to close its factory. the plant is the nation's fourth-largest auto factory and employs 3500 workers and will close in 2021. the move isn't because of brexit, says the cfo. president trump upping the rhetoric against venezuela's regime. in miami, he called for the army to switch support to the opposition. he says the days of socialism are numbered. nicolas maduro, hitting back. >> you can choose to accept president guaido's offer of amnesty to live your life in peace with your families and countrymen. does not seekdo retribution against you and neither do we. maduro'sust not follow orders. >> donald trump

she still intends to go back out to brussels, she has a meeting with jean—claude juncker this week innegotiations on the thorny issue of the northern irish backstop. interesting to hear today from one of her ministers, culture secretary, who suggested that the necessary changes to that backstop could be made without reopening the withdrawal agreement. i don't think it's the mechanism that matters, it's the objective. if you can get to a place where the potential longevity of the backstop, the potential that the backstop lasts forever can be adequately dealt with, that's what we are all seeking to do. that is what parliament has been very clear it wants. it will back this deal if it can do something about the backstop. the mechanism is what we are discussing at the moment. but parliament needs to give the prime minister the space to go and have that conversation with brussels to see what we can achieve and if we can do something about that then i think it's very clear parliament will be prepared to support this deal. although it was not entirely explicit, the idea that you could sort t

any change of tactics, she still intends to go back out to brussels, she has a meeting with jean—claude junckeren negotiations or that thorny issue of the northern irish backstop. quite interesting to hear today from one of her ministers, the culture secretary, who suggested that the necessary changes to that backstop could be made without reopening the patrol agreement. backstop could be made without reopening the patrol agreementlj backstop could be made without reopening the patrol agreement. i do not think it is the mechanism that matters, it is the objector. if you can get to a place where the potential longevity of the backstop, the potential that the backstop last for ever, can be adequately dealt with, that is what we are all seeking to do, that is what we have been clear that parliament once, it back there's the 11 can do something about the backstop. the mechanism is what we are discussing at the moment, but parliament is to give the prime minster the space to have that conversation with brussels, to see what we can achieve, and if we can do something about that, it is clear that parl

even behind closed doors, their meetings between jean—claude juncker and theresa may, and we had theygeneral is also expected back here in brussels tomorrow. in private, eu officials are tearing their hair out. with only 37 days to go until brexit day, there is a big political impasse between the two sides over the backstop, the guarantee to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and ireland after brexit. the eu points to what it sees as mistaken complacency among many mps. this assumption that it will be all right on the night. and as time runs down, the eu will blink over the backstop rather than face a no—deal brexit. it is important to remember, the eu only blinks when it is in its own interest. in its backstop, eu leaders say notjust a protection for the northern ireland peace process better protection of their lucrative single market. don't forget, after brexit, the land border between eu and uk will run those 300 miles between northern ireland and ireland and eu leaders wa nt to ireland and ireland and eu leaders want to avoid goods being smuggled into the single market t

european commission president jean—claude juncker described talks as robust but constructive.e in the bbc newsroom. air accident investigators say they've successfully recovered a body from the wreckage of a plane that went down in the sea between france and britain carrying the argentine international footballer, emiliano sala and his pilot. the body has not yet been officially identified, but both families have been updated. let's just go to the united states. i want to show you a tweet that could have only been written by president donald trump. "presidential harassment! it should never be allowed to happen again!" he's talking about this. on wednesday the house intelligence committee chair, adam schiff, announced a sweeping probe into mr trump's finances and possible links to russia. and to "investigate any credible allegation that financial interests or other interests are driving decision—making of the president or anyone in the administration." this prompted mr trump to tweet. "the dems and their committees are going nuts. adam schiff for his part retorted. "i can under

lets hear from jean—claude juncker, the president of the european commission.s a guarantee for ireland. it is not a question between the republic of ireland and the united kingdom, it's a european issue and that is why we cannot accept the idea which is circulated around that the agreement could be reopened and as the backstop is part of the agreement, we cannot reopen the discussion on the backstop. tomorrow i will have the pleasure to welcome the british prime minister and she knows that the commission is not prepared to reopen the issue. this is the current position of the 27 and the commission. it is the position of the commission and thus of the 27. thank you very much, jean—claude it was a very good meeting and we were joined in the meeting and we were joined in the meeting by a meeting and we were joined in the meeting bya number of meeting and we were joined in the meeting by a number of officials. commissioner hogan was present as well and michelle barney, discussing brexit. the agenda is deep and broad and deals with many things other than brexit incl

however, the european commission president, jean—claude juncker, has said he does not expect a ‘breakthroughs a few moments ago, reported by some of the news agencies, with jean—claude junker saying he had no expectations of a brexit breakthrough when he meets theresa may this evening. with that in mind, let's talk to gavin lee, our europe correspondent, in brussels. hardly a no specialist doctor these talks, gavin. now, when you have low expectations of a breakthrough today, the expectation and motivation to continue to get some kind of deal which will lead to the house of commons agreeing to theresa may's plan, but they are pushing it, downing street. theresa may is about to arrive in a few minutes, and she will be hoping the momentum is with her. she wants a change to the backstop, and it is the second time she will have seen jean—claude junker since the deal was voted down. another change here tonight as well, we are used to seeing protesters in westminster, but it is becoming more familiar here. we have some unicorns that have just arrived. these are pro—european, some english, some ita

well, mrs may is due to meet mr tusk, as well as the european commission president jean—claude junckerorfigures today. meanwhile, labour leader jeremy corbyn has set out five demands for his party to support a brexit deal — calling for them to be enshrined as objectives in domestic law. let's go to brussels now, and ros atkins is there for us. good morning. well, theresa may arriving in brussels in the knowledge that the eu has said, again, that it won't reopen individual agreement. again, that it won't reopen individualagreement. if again, that it won't reopen individual agreement. if not that, then,is individual agreement. if not that, then, is there anything for eu can do to help her sell a deal? well, i think everyone has been focused on those comments by donald tusk and the special place in hell phrase which has prompted a huge reaction. in that same statement, he reiterated the fact that the eu is open to finding a way of guaranteeing peace on the island of ireland and of finding a way for the uk to leave the eu, but in a way that maintains the current status of the irish border.

relations in brussels': the guardian leads with a tense—looking photograph of theresa may and jean claude junckerock. back in westminster, the ft reports that in a plan dubbed ‘project after‘, a secret group of senior figures in government is drawing up plans to kick—start the economy if the uk leaves the eu without a deal. not that secret, we have the name of one of them. the i claims thatjeremy corbyn is facing a party revolt and threats of resignations from pro—remain mps — after setting out what labour would support in a brexit deal. in other news — the head of instagram has become the first technology boss to back a statutory duty of care to protect children from online harms, according to the daily telegraph — after he announced a ban on all graphic self—harm images on the social media platform. on the front page of the daily mirror — the former strictly come dancing judge, len goodman criticises plans to scrap free tv licences for over—75s, saying it would punish lonely and poorer pensioners. the metro leads with the news that all horse racing in britain has been cancelled for at least six

betweenbeen talks theresa may and jean called -- jean-claude juncker. charles: yes, hello. an you hear me? what is going on in brussels between theresa may and jean-claude juncker? charles: well, we broke the story today from spain. we had an interview with the spanish foreign minister. he told us that progress is being

she is meeting with jean—claude juncker today.y are going to be very tough and they are going to say you can't open the withdrawal agreement. we can't renegotiate the backstop. lee of rate the prime minister of ireland, very bright eyed and bushy tailed —— leo brad cavill to the eu parliament stands behind him. the council stands behind him, the commission stands behind him —— leo varadkar. she might be able to negotiate a time limitation. but how that will help her with her brexiteer friends in parliament that will help her with her brexiteerfriends in parliament i don't know. she spent yesterday in belfast meeting with the five parties in stormont, highlighted on this front page, may gets nowhere in northern ireland, very, very big, significant differences between the different parties. sinn fein, the dup, they are all on different... huge, but what was interesting was the dup, who used to be very "no backstop" said, "maybe we need to extend article 50 so we can get through that", so i can see a little nudging. it is going to be

betweenbeen talks theresa may and jean called -- jean-claude juncker. charles: yes, hello. david: can you hear me? what is going on in brussels between theresa may and jean-claude juncker? charles: well, we broke the story today from spain. we had an interview with the spanish foreign minister. he told us that progress is being made toward hammering out an accord on brexit. he said that he could not be sure that that would actually come to pass, but he said that the brexit accord or treaty would not be reopened, but he used the phrase that work is being done to hammer out an accord for brexit, as we speak. david:, charles, one moment we will come back to you. we are going to moscow. the state of the nation address, a lot in there about the economy, but also about some other things from president putin. saved the year, he best for last with a big multimedia display of new weapons. those he could target the u.s. with, including a video showing a missile heading for miami. in fact, this year the tone was different. and the missiles were less of a focus, and no videos, but he wa

that is interesting because yesterday we had jean-claude juncker say we were getting nowhere, no clarityill hear from the prime minister after her meeting with mr. juncker about 7:00 this evening. is there going to be whitesmoke from that meeting? is there a new deal she can bring back to parliament, or just saying that we need more time? vonnie: the spanish former minister -- the spanish foreign minister saying this is in madrid while the others are in brussels, but i am sure he's being kept informed. what else are we hearing? is ireland saying anything about this? presumably it is the irish backstop being changed in some way. david: that's right. it is absolutely crucial. we had some headlines from the prime minister of ireland in the last few minutes as well saying that all of europe remains united behind ireland in their support for them, but also talking about the dangers of no deal. there is incentive on the european side, both ireland and the rest of the eu 27, to avoid no deal. that is what they are trying to hammer out. the agreement of the irish prime minister is going to be ab

when they signed the deal back injuly, they signed the deal back injuly, the eu commission had jean—claude juncker is referring to the us and president trump's america first policy. but of course the biggest headline i have seen is how european wines will be cheaper injapan by some 15%, so what a great way to end the week. indeed, iam indeed, i am sure they will be toasting it injapan. and let's take a lot at those markets now before we go because we know that asian markets are ticking higher. there is a lot obviously relief after the wrapup of the us— china trade talks, which seemed to end on a fairly friendly note, and we are seeing markets as a result head up as you can see on your screen. of markets as a result head up as you can see on your screen. of course, can see on your screen. of course, this was helped by wall street because the s&p 500 had the best january since 1987. thanks for watching. this is bbc news. the top stories this hour: millions of people in the american midwest have been trapped in their homes by an extreme polar vortex, with temperatures below —30 celsius. president tru

jean-claude juncker has already said that it is in the hands of god, brexit, so there is a religious, so there is a religious theme. let'sjust look of god, brexit, so there is a religious theme. let's just look at one another story, here on the sunday sunday telegraph, talking about thejihadis sunday sunday telegraph, talking about the jihadis bride, sunday sunday telegraph, talking about thejihadis bride, shamima begum, saying that britain is trying to make an example of me. —— the sunday telegraph. this is a very difficult case this. yeah, i mean it has been a very difficult case. it has been a very difficult case. it has really divided political opinion, she said that she's been made an example of being singled out by speaking up, she singled herself out. sajid javid said he has taken legal advice by people say it is... he hasjust legal advice by people say it is... he has just taken legal advice by people say it is... he hasjust taken her citizenship away. bangladesh say that she is not away. bangladesh say that she is not a citizen there, so we assumed up? ina sense a citizen th

if you look at some of the state m e nts actually if you look at some of the statements from jean—claude junckeray, it has been a restate m e nt and theresa may, it has been a restatement of their respected positions. so no major shift at all. after the meeting withjean—claude juncker here at the european commission, the prime minister went to the european parliament to meet president to yani, along with the parliament's chief president to yani, along with the pa rliament‘s chief brexit president to yani, along with the parliament's chief brexit negotiator guy verhofstadt. after they had had that meeting, mr ten one made this statement. it was a very good meeting but we are very concerned. this is the reality of a no—deal brexit. it should be a very dangerous solution, a no—deal brexit. the it is the only solution that grants and orderly uk exit, the only solution that protects peace in ireland and of the market. again and again the european union saying it won't open that withdrawal agreement but since willing to look at the political declaration. let's looked at this. i enjoy and by my guests.

francine: that was the commission, president jean claude juncker speaking in brussels.mpasse as parliament prepares to vote. we thought there was evidence that the two sides were coming together. our comments like that from mr. juncker helpful? maria: they probably are not, but that is in many ways his role and he thinks he needs to publicly stick to that script. he says brexit feels like a waste of time, this is not the future, this is a deconstruction of the future. behind the scenes, both sides are working on this text. delegationw the u.k. has been flying in and out of brussels the entire week, so clearly things are moving. the attorney general be in brussels today, all eyes on him. anything he can say on the backstop to make sure the deal gets through, we will keep a close eye on. tom: what kind -- francine: what kind of a deal could they come up with? this would make going to parliament easier. would it be smoke and mirrors or something concrete? maria: we know, and this is very key, 95% of this deal has been agreed. it is about the irish backstop. the europeans m

does she feel she got some things you can present to jean—claude juncker that looks like a convincinghat you might expect them to doing what you might expect them to do in doing what you might expect them to doina doing what you might expect them to do in a situation, which is to keep the door open and think it would be a bit rude if they rejected theresa may's request for a meeting, so we don't know when it's going to take place, morning, afternoon, evening, we don't if she was the donald tusk, the president who chairs the eu summit, or someone from the european parliament either, let alone watch is actually going to say. presumably all of the above mentioned, adam, and presumably also she will be hoping she has something from that working group, the seed of an idea at least not a fully formed idea, something she can present to jean—claude juncker and so is something she can present to jean—claudejuncker and so is there something that you can work with? the issue here is either side seems to have a quite different view of where this process is going. so theresa may's message is you a

she is set to meet jean-claude juncker to secure a workable agreement.e is anything but optimistic a deal is close at hand. there is not enough movement for me to be able to assume it will be a productive discussion. the unregulated exit of britain would have devastating consequences for britain and europe. >> we could get a clue as to how dovish the fed has become. january minutes will be released at 7 p.m. u.k. time and something that impact the curve. ittain signals can see resume its narrowing after bouncing back from a december low of under 10 basis points. swedbank is facing allegations from a swedish broadcaster it was used to launder money, alleging some 50 customers showed quote clear warning signals of suspected laundering. a spokesman telling the broadcaster it has reported suspicious transaction. some eu leaders are pushing for a change to antitrust rules. the aim is to allow companies to compete globally with competitors. angela merkel and emmanuel macron are pushing for the change. arean and french companies often the target of tough merger

theresa may is in brussels where she met with european commissioner president jean-claude juncker. she is try to change the brexit deal she reached with the european union last year. she was the eu to change the most contentious part of the agreement, the irish border backstop. >> it's not going to be easy but crucially, president juncker and i have agreed that talks will start to find their way through this, to find a way to get this over the line and deliver on the concerns the parliament has so we get a majority in parliament. the president of the european parliament is morning of dire consequences if britain leaves the block without a exit deal. he spoke to reporters in brussels following talks today with prime minister may and the top eu brexit lawmaker. it was a very good meeting .ut we are very concerned we have reached an economic and humanitarian capital. this is the reality of a no deal. that should be a very dangerous solution. they must endorse a deal by march 29. they say lawmakers don't want to renegotiate the legally binding divorce agreement but stressed that while

jean-claude juncker. 's a contentious issue for brexit, and the reason it hasn't gone through in westminster, concluded in a month's time, but the next meaningful that any commons is the 12th of march. there's two things don't risk. —— fit. it may be that happened before the assurance has been given by the eu. devoted be given dart then we have a eu summit on the 21st on 22nd. i sense there isa on the 21st on 22nd. i sense there is a slight shift in turn. mark rutte. he is normally quite a mild mannered politician, but his comments were reasonably spiky. none of the leaders are panicking, they are all preparing for major brexit. he wouldn't put a pub percentage on it, but he said he is not optimistic that a deal will go through. you may say that he is not in control of these discussions, theresa may, and it is down to parliament, but your conversation with the police by minister was very similar. the bulgari empire minister, he never gets involved, ba rseghyan bulgari empire minister, he never gets involve

let's hearfrom the president of the european commission jean—claude juncker, but first the dutch primet, because we are now 30 days, approximately, a bit over 30 days before brexit date, and we are not there yet. i have a brexit fatigue, as this is an important issue for the uk and for us. i will have a meeting tomorrow with the prime minister, i had a meeting last week, and we will see what will happen. that was jean—claude juncker, the president of the european commission and before that, the dutch prime minister. cubans will go to the polls later to vote on a new constitution to replace the one dating back to the soviet era. the new text will recognise private property and is more accepting of private businesses in the economy. however, many cubans say it will keep the same communist controls on the island — dressed up with new words. from havana, will grant reports. votes in cuba are always a landslide. the government's proposals are unanimously, and inevitably, approved by an electorate fearful of the consequences of showing dissent. but this vote, on the new constitution, might w

british prime minister theresa may and european commission president jean-claude juncker have pledged to continue talks over brexit, but juncker once again refuse to renew talks. brexit is set to begin march 29. swedish police say a norwegian airplane bound for france with 169 passengers on board hass returned to stockholm m after receiving a bomb threat. the plane was evacuated and is being searched by rhonda fusil experts. members of the national swimming team were among the passengers. tonight, france has recalled its ambassador to italy in protest of the series of verbal attacks by the italian government. french president emmanuel macron summoned the ambassador back to paris for consultations. relations between italy and france have grown increasingly tense mostly because of disagreements over migration policy. at a news conference today, italy's interior ministry outlined his country's grievances while also insisting italy would welcome talks.s. >> over the past tate of years on the french italian border, the french government, which thinks it is so generous and hospitable, sent

travels to brussels this afternoon for talks with the president of the european commission jean—claude juncker over the irish box —— backstop. brexiteers fear it could track the uk in endless negotiations. jean—claude juncker has said the discussions will be friendly but he does not expect a breakthrough. sainsbury‘s and as the merger could be in jeopardy after analysis from the competition and markets authority —— and asda merger. the cma said ways to address concerns could include forcing them to sell a significant number of stores or off—loading one of the brands. a us —based organisation that campaigns for lgbt sportspeople has cut links with tennis legend martina navratilova over comments she made about male to female transgender athletes. she wrote it was cheating to allow transgender women to compete in women's sport as they had unfair physical advantages. athlete ally said it perpetuated myths and was transphobic. research shows 40% of companies have a wider gender pay gap this year than they reported last year. firms with more than 250 mps are legally obliged to disclose the differenc

however, neither donald tusk nor european commission president jean-claude juncker are open to renegotiatehe deal. brent: very strong words today. to talk about how the words, if they fell on deaf ears or friendly ears, we will pull in quentin peel. he's an associate fellow at the europe program at the think tank chatham house. and from brussels, our very own barbara wesel is standing by. to both of you, good evening. barbara, let me start with you. you were present at that press conference today. what was the reaction when mr. tusk said that, and who was he actually talking about? who does he think deserves that place in hell? barbara: there was of course a sort of audible gasp in the press room when this remark about a special place in hell for hardcore brexiteers came, and then furious tweeting started because everybody knew this was sort of like a little smoke grenade that donald tusk had been lobbing across the channel. and also we know that this was not an off-the-cuff remark because we immediately received the verbal notes of tusk's remarks, and it was written there word by word. so

she said she will return to brussels for further talks with european commission president jean—claude juncker plans to speak to the leaders of every eu member state. a charity is claiming that two thirds of fathers of premature and sick babies are being forced to return to work while their child is in intensive care. more than three—quarters of parents surveyed by the neonatal charity bliss and bbc radio 5 live investigates, said they were not given enough time off. the survey also suggests one in 10 parents had to leave theirjob as a result of their baby's stay in hospital. millions of workers could see their take—home pay fall from april when the amount they have to put into their pension pot increases. a bbc analysis of earnings suggests higher contribution rates for those in auto—enrolment pensions will hit pay packets, despite an imminent tax cut. here's our business correspondent rob young. building a pension pot, sacrificing part of our wages today to pay for a more comfortable retirement. since 2012, ten million eligible workers have been automatically enrolled in a workplace pension.

britain's prime minister, theresa may, is to meet donald tusk and jean—claude juncker in brussels ontempt to break the deadlock on the terms of britain's departure from the eu. speaking a few hours ago in northern ireland, mrs may said she was committed to avoiding a return to a hard border with the irish republic after brexit. we are working on the deal to leave the european union, the commit on both sides were there being no hard border, and we have been clear as a uk government that we will do everything in our power, should it be the case that we left without a deal, we would do everything in our power to avoid a hard border in those circumstances, and of course we talked with the irish government and the european union, should those circumstances arise. but we are working to ensure that we leave with a deal, and within that deal, that we are able to provide for the commitment that is being made on both sides for no hard border between northern ireland and ireland. the head of the taliban delegation in moscow has said he hopes that withdrawal of us troops from afghanistan will ta

theresa may will hold talks with european union leaders jean—claude juncker and donald tusk during herin a few hours. the british prime minister is looking for changes to the brexit withdrawal agreement. she heads there the day after mr tusk made these comments about those who brought about brexit. by the way, i've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like for all those who promoted brexit without even a sketch of a plan for how to carry it safely. —— carry it. strong words indeed. there is more reaction to that from mps and of course, analysis, on the bbc news website. talks have been taking place in pyongyang between the us envoy, stephen biegun, and his north korean counterpart, kim hyok—chol. they're organising the second meeting between donald trump and kimjong—un, which is due to take place in vietnam at the end of the month. 0ur correspondent in seoul, laura bicker, gave us this update. this is the first time for stephen biegun to be in pyongyang on his own meeting his counterpart, and that's why it's being looked that, as one analyst put it to me, as gametime. w

she'll meet the european commission president, jean—claude juncker, who suggested yesterday that a breakthroughhanges to the "backstop" — the mechanism aimed at preventing the return of border checks between northern ireland and the republic. president trump has said he is looking forward to a good meeting with north korea's leader kim jung—un — their second summit will be in vietnam at the end of february. mr trump said he wants pyongyang to denuclearise eventually, but that he is in no particular hurry. the first summit was in singapore lastjune — it was the first time serving leaders of the two countries had met. our correspondent laura bicker is in the south korean capital. well, kim jong—un‘s butler is said to be in hanoi right now, looking at places for the north korean leader to both stay and have a look at to visit when he's at the summit next week. perhaps more substantially, the us envoy to north korea, stephen biegun, and his counterpart kim jock kim hyok—chol are also on the way to hanoi to hold discussions. it is understood that the two will be agreeing some kind of framework, some

you're the brexit secretary, you ought to be able to remember the name of european commissioner jean—claude junckerinister had withjean—claude... keeping with the romantic theme, pete wishart of the snp used valentine's day as an opportunity to express some passionately held views. labour is red, tories are blue, the message from scotland is we are staying in the eu! carol hall. tourists coming to westminster these days sometimes feel a little underwhelmed. the iconic elizabeth tower which contains big ben is shrouded in scaffolding and protective plastic as major restoration work is carried out. but that project is barely the beginning of the restoration work that is needed to be carried out on the palace of westminster, a unesco world heritage site. mps and peers have agreed to move out by 2025 in order to allow the work to go ahead in the quickest and most cost—effective way. even so, it will be many years before it's completed, and a while before it even begins in earnest. the leader of the house of commons andrea leadsom reassured a committee of mps and peers meeting in a rather gloomy room th

british prime minister theresa may and european commission president jean-claude juncker have stressedgain that the backstop provision in britain's withdrawal deal with the eu will be temporary. following talks in brussels, the two leaders issued a joint statement saying that they had discussed guarantetees to ensure the backstop, which aims to avoid a hard border on the island of ireland, will not be permanent. may has faced stiff opposition from within her own party, from members who believe the backstop could tie britain to the european union indefinitely. reporter: in london, theresa may's conservative party is breaking apart. three prominent parliamentarians have had enough of may's tough brexit course and have announced they are quitting the party. they accuse may of succumbing to the anti-europe right wing and changing the tories forever. >> the right wing, the hard-line, anti-eu awkward squad that had destrtroyed every leadr for the last 40 years, are now running the conservative party from top to toe. they are the conservative party. reporter: the three then positioned themsel

tonight we followed up on the meeting between theresa may and jean—claude juncker last week and we hadsecretary of state constructive talks. it is clear from oui’ constructive talks. it is clear from our side that we are not going to reopen the withdrawal agreement, but we will continue our discussion in the coming days. horse racing in britain will restart on wednesday after a six—day shutdown because of an outbreak of equine flu. the british horseracing authority has been advised by vets that race meetings can go ahead, with strict bio—security controls. the virus is generally not life—threatening, but limits a horse's competitive capability. one of brazil's best known political journalists, ricardo boechat, has died in a helicopter crash. the helicopter came down onto a motorway in sao paulo around midday on monday, crashing into a lorry. it had taken off from the nearby city of campinas earlier in the day. caroline rigby has more. lines strewn across the road, the wreckage of the helicopter which had been carrying one of brazil's best—known political journalists. ricardo boechat di

british prime minister theresa may and european commission president jean-claude juncker have pledged to continue talks about the u.k.'s which are all from the e.u. but you once again refused to renegotiate the terms of the drawl and a ninety minute meeting both sides despite the talks as robust but destructive and have agreed to meet again later this month with forty nine days to go to bragg's it may came to brussels seeking concessions that would earn the backing of britain's parliament. all right let's take you now to brussels so we can talk to. max hofmann our bear chief there max mr younger didn't appear in the mood for concessions how would you characterize the talks you know when you compare to how he greets his guests usually with hugs and kisses he was very serious there and you described yourself a lot you said at the joint declaration says that the discussion was robust but constructive brussels is very concerned not necessarily by the fact that the reset may comes back to renegotiate some parts of whatever agreement she wants to renegotiate here but it's also the fact that