artless pulled in our correspondent beyond record he was in sofia bulgaria covering this summit this evening even as you parents we know even leaders today they appear united against strong that's the picture that we're see today can they maintain this united front is the big question and for how long. well so far the us seems to be determined actually to pick a fight with donald trump to tell him enough is enough and cross this line. for france germany and also britain the three big countries city and sophia we have to stand up against the trump and to show him that he cannot impose sanctions tariffs against european countries in this iran deified and he cannot impose sanctions for still another million country as he wishes companies as he wishes so now is the time to show him that we are united how long this will last we don't know if the americans can put a wedge between france germany and britain then maybe this front. if trump chooses to punish single. companies from france germany or britain maybe then he will be successful but as of now this front stands but nobody knows how l

the big question here well it sounds better than being a poodle i'll tell you that probably in sofia bulgaria tonight thank you barbara. well here's some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world facebook c.e.o. mark zuckerberg has agreed to appear before the european parliament in the wake of the global data sharing scandal and tonio to johnny the parliament's president confirming today on twitter that zuckerberg will clarify issues as early as next week the british firm cambridge analytical shared the data of nearly three million e.u. based facebook users without their consent what amala has opened an embassy in jerusalem president jimmy merola's and the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu would tended the opening today it came just two days after ten thousand were raised to a boiling point by the opening of the u.s. embassy in the city israeli troops shot dead dozens of palestinians at the gaza border fence in indonesia one officer has been killed and several others wounded in an attack on police barracks in the town of reality police shot and killed four of

brent: let's pull in our correspondent in sofia, bulgaria, covering the summit for us this evening. eu leaders they appear united against trump. that is the picture we are seeing today for the candidate maintain this united front is the big question, and for how long? reporter: so far the eu seems to be determined to pick a fight with donald trump and tell him enough is enough and don't cross this line. france, germany, and also britain, the three big eu countries said here in sofia we have to stand up against trump and show him he cannot impose sanctions o against european countries on this iran deal and not impose sanctions on steel and aluminum companies as he wishes, so now is the time to show him we are united. how long this will last, we don't know. if the americans can put a wedge between france, germany, and britain, maybe this will crumble . if trump chooses to punish single companies from france, germany, or britain, maybe he will be successful. but as of now, this front stance, but nobody knows for how long. brent: the european union wants to use of blocking statute to pr

richard bravo joining us from sofia, bulgaria.tt, when we look at the european story, all eyes are squarely on italy to see what happens, yesterday the news was about them asking for quarter trillion euros of debt relief. overnight were stepping to the middle ground, not asking for that, talking less about equity for europe. suddenly it's back. how do you look at the italian job at the moment? the things that surprised us was how muted the reaction was to result of the italian election, which we've ingested put populists charge in italy, working toward that. obviously a manifesto that was leaked over the course of last night has some pretty radical stuff which has been walked back by the parties to some degree. it has welcomed investors to the sensitivity around markets that are more fragile than others. we look at emerging markets, for example. we seen the most this location in countries like argentina and turkey, where the fundamental situation is more tenuous. they obviously have a big debt burden which they need investors to c

question here well it sounds better than being a poodle i'll tell you there robert visual in sofia bulgaria tonight thank you barbara. yeah there's a lot at stake for european business is i mean there are angry we heard that from orbit right now we showed it yeah absolutely and want to e.u. commissioner in fact even saying that they're prepared to use legislation making it illegal for european companies to comply with the u.s. sanctions target saying iran the u.s. president donald trump is trying to slap sanctions on firms that do business with iran and he's naming names. has some gotten j.t. and checks the news several times a day to rein in entrepreneur is currently in germany visiting his business partners. he sells medical technology and is also involved in the computer industry . donald trump's decision to withdraw from the iran nuclear deal comes up at every business meeting how will the e.u. react will there be new sanctions against iran. done shavian has made a lot of contacts through international trade fairs like this one in tehran last year and he has contracts with european comp

iran's agreement alive without sacrificing their own economic prosperity tonight their meeting in sofia bulgaria our very own barbara visa lives with them and she's wondering just how low europe's relations with the u.s. . it's the question really what's been the rock bottom is this something like deep dungeons or complete and forever deep frozen it really is a very bad atmosphere and we have to consider that donald trump makes the rounds of e.u. leaders before summits like this he talks to some in person to others on the telephone so when he talks like this it means the mood is like that he moves largely what leaders have been telling him and everybody is really angry particularly the french president. who feels like an animal dragged through the arena in washington made a big show off and then sent home empty handed and a couple of days later trump comes out and says ha ha i'm going to trash the deal anyway and something similar holds true for him going to marco so the main european really furious was donald trump and they are now really considering what to do how to stand up to him and that's

treat from the white house all right we'll have to wait and see bob our days of reporting from sofia bulgaria thank you so very much well as we just referenced are companies now are frantically reviewing the use blocking statute to see if it'll help them out and daniel you've got all the details what is it well essentially the e.u. is making it illegal to comply with u.s. sanctions on iran it's only the second time that the e.u. was threatened to use the so-called blocking statute the first was in one thousand nine hundred six as a response to u.s. sanctions in cuba but it was never introduced now as a slew of firms from across the world announced they're pulling out of iran e.u. leaders are clearly scrambling to shelter european firms from the contagion. the blocking statute is aimed at protecting small and medium sized companies operating in the country it would also provide compensation for sanctions related losses although german politicians have said that can't be applied across the board the picture is much more complex for a bigger european corporations with close financial and corpora

all right let's pull in our correspondent band record he is in sofia bulgaria covering the summit or worse this evening and evening to you parents we know indian leaders today they appear united against strong that's the picture that we're seeing today can they maintain this united front is the big question and for how long. but so far the u.s. seems to be determined actually to pick a fight with donald trump to tell him enough is enough across this line. for france germany and also britain the three big countries city and so if we have to stand up against the trump and to show him that he cannot impose sanctions or tariffs against european countries this iran deified and he cannot impose sanctions for still another medium country as he wishes companies as he wishes so now is the time to show him that we are united how long this will last we don't know if the americans can put a wedge between france germany and britain then maybe this front. if trump chooses to punish single. companies from france germany or britain maybe then he will be successful but as of now this front stands but

di longest crucial to keep the deal going not even leaders are going to be talking tonight in sofia bulgaria what do you think needs to happen there i believe european leaders have to reject this notion that being pro nuclear agreement means being challenging the transatlantic relations i think chancellor merkel has made clear last saturday i believe that european commitment to the transatlantic relations remains intact while at the same time rejecting and criticizing donald trump's withdrawal from the agreement so i think this message is important for inner european dialogue but also with with regards to transatlantic dialogue and of course of the united states is isolated in its rejection of the day what role could other key players like russia and china play in saving this accord. when it comes to the economic dividend obviously uranium trade with china which was intact even before the agreement will play a more significant role in the future and russia will be an actor. which iran will seek to to guarantee its security dividend and implications and i think for russia and china it's a win

the eu summit is underway in sofia, bulgaria. a united front against president trump.uite punchy quotes coming out from donald toosk in particular. supposed toit was be about the western balkans. a low level discussion as far as the eu is concerned. as turned into a talk about how the eu confronts donald trump two issues that they don't like. first, the u.s. pulling out of the iran nuclear deal and second, the trade actions against the european union. , but has been no decision there has been an attempt to promote this united front in europe where we know that leaders squabble a lot. that says a lot. ♪ ♪ welcome back to "bloomberg best" i'm bloomberg chatterley. steve eiseman made a big-time that before the 28 -- 2008 crisis. he's now recommending that investors short deutsche bank. he explains why an exclusive conversation. -- deutschek has bank has real profitability issues. they haven't spent money on technology in a long time. they're probably undercapitalized. they are a problem bank. it has to shrink are medically. >> do you see more consolidation in these europe

leaders something they might or most likely will discuss tonight by the way in sofia in bulgaria where they are meeting for a summit where this will be an important topic but it doesn't seem like they are ready to do that to have this aggressive stance because the problem of course is that the the retaliation the possible retaliation by by trump would escalate things max thanks so much brussels bureau chief there. let's catch up on some of the other stories making headlines today malaysian reformist leader anwar ibrahim has been released from prison courting to the palace the former deputy prime minister has been granted a royal pardon the release comes after his opposition alliance won the elections earlier this month and more abraham was imprisoned in two thousand and fifteen on sodomy charges. at least sixteen people have died after a bridge collapsed in india and authorities fear more may be trapped and it happened in the temple town of modern during a busy evening traffic rescuers were able to save several people. and renowned american writer tom wolfe has died at the age of eight

bulgaria. gavin lee reports from sofia.ide by side with germany and france on sofia's lovers' bridge, a spring walk for the prime minister in a coordinated show of unity on the streets of bulgaria during an informal eu summit. brexit isn't on the agenda but theresa may is meeting leaders in the sidelines who still want answers over what britain wants. the main sticking point, the irish border, avoiding customs checks while controlling the flow of goods between the republic and northern ireland. reports this morning suggests the government may ask to extend the irish customs arrangements to beyond 2021, to prevent causing chaos for cross—border trade. not true, the prime minister told me. we will be negotiating future customs arrangements with the european union. i've set three objectives. the government has three objectives in those. we need to be able to have our own independent trade policy. we want as frictionless a border between the uk and the eu so that trade can continue, and we want to ensure that there is no hard b

a lot of defines in europe and they're trying their best you correspondent reporting from bulgaria capital sofia thank you. all right when i bring up to speed now with some of the other stories making news around the world. facebook c.e.o. mark zuckerberg has agreed to appear before the european parliament in the wake of the global data sharing scandal the parliament's president antonio a thai yani confirmed on twitter that sucker berg would clarify issues as early as next week fresh from cambridge analytic usher at the data of nearly three million e.u. based facebook accounts without their consent but a model has opened an embassy in jerusalem guatemalan president jimmy morales and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu attend that the opening which comes a two days after tensions were raised to a boiling point by the opening of the u.s. embassy in the city israeli troops shot dead dozens of palestinian protesters at the gaza border. a man in china has a skate with more than forty five thousand euros worth of items in a daring raid on a jewelry store a chinese state television broadcast this

gavin lee reports from sofia. on the streets of bulgaria during an informal eu summit. in the sidelinesnt answers over what britain wants. the main sticking point, the irish border. the next eu frontier. taoiseach, a quick word. chaos for cross—border trade. not true, the prime minister told me. with the european union and i've set three objectives. the government has three objectives in those. we need to be able to have our own independent trade policy. there is no hard border between northern ireland and ireland. the border is as much about politics as trade. of ireland's troubled past. there will be no hard border. what they call the magic solution. including a vision on the trade and customs relationship. and the divisions in the uk. gavin lee, bbc news, sofia. 0ur assistant political editor norman smith is in westminster. how likely is that the government will ask for more time? will ask for more time? go to brussels and say please could we have some extra time. we have some extra time. month transition period and then we are out, no extra time. are out, no extra time. huge queues

the point being here that the national palace of culture and sofia and bulgaria is that the eu are sayingions of cronyism ina corruption, allegations of cronyism in a government which has long stopped the likes of albania and macedonia, montenegro, boss media, kosovo from joining. it's worth noting that the expansion seems to be bands today because it seems a sensitive time. with brexit and going from 28 to 27. issues with the financial crisis and a migration credit crisis. the first meeting of its kind to get things back on track. the head of the arab league has called for an international probe into alleged "crimes" committed by israeli forces against palestinians during deadly violence along the gaza border this week. tens of thousands of people have been protesting along the border since the end of march, calling for palestinian refugees to be able to return to their homes, now inside israel. the largest demonstrations coincided with the move of the us embassy in israel from tel aviv to jerusalem on monday, which saw israeli forces kill some 60 palestinians. a senior hamas official ha

there is a lot of defines in europe and they're trying nest you correspondent reporting from bulgaria capital sofia thank you and now one of the main reasons why the e.u. is grappling with how to deal with the fallout from what happened in this nuclear deal is because there's so much business at stake you can say that again and made at times really of the essence with this one one the e.u. commission is saying they're prepared to use legislation making it illegal for european companies to comply with u.s. sanctions targeting iran now u.s. president donald trump has threatened to slap sanctions on firms that do business with iran and he's naming names has some gun j.v. and checks the news several times a day dear amy an entrepreneur is currently in germany visiting his business partners he sells medical technology and is also involved in the computer industry . donald trump's decision to withdraw from the iran nuclear deal comes up at every business meeting how will the e.u. react will there be new sanctions against iran. done j.v. and has made a lot of contacts through international trade fairs lik

or not and that's a decision they will need to take for example in sofia this evening when they meet in bulgaria to discuss this max thanks so much we'll be following that of course those talks later on today did max hoffman air force in brussels. well this issue has repercussions in the business world of course to a particularly for germany i guess that's right and after announcing his intention to withdraw from the iran nuclear agreement u.s. president is not trying to pressure u.s. allies into following suit he's threatened by sanctions on european companies that do business with iran and he's already naming names. has some gotten j.v. and checks the news several times a day dear amy an entrepreneur is currently in germany visiting his business partners he sells medical technology and is also involved in the computer industry . donald trump's decision to withdraw from the iran nuclear deal comes up at every business meeting how will the e.u. react will there be new sanctions against iran. again j v and has made a lot of contacts through international trade fairs like this one in tehran last y

stream to a good lesson for all sofia which is the capital of ball garia now besides looking at russia the way the bulgarian looking at this possible pipeline they don't d. bulgaria anymore here's a map and this is turkish dream and this is the way it works nordstrom we've talked about that there is a deal with germany and russia russia has partners close to completing that turkish stream pipeline there almost done this is going to facilitate countries like serbia hungary creation italy and of course guess what paul gary and now the question is where is this pipeline going to enter europe from turkey is it to go down through greece or is it going to go through ball garia so well gary it might be getting a second chance here and this is what you were talking about just before the commercial break the fact that you know they might be in luck because they might be able to sign a deal with russia to get that pipeline built through bald area but anyway you turn it turkey's going to be in control of this it runs through turkey they could have had it their way a while back but that's not the way it's going to happen now and to build another pipeline next to that we can'

to a good lesson for all sofia which is the capital of bald kariya now besides looking at russia the way the bulgarian looking at this possible pipe on they don't see bulgaria anymore here's a map and this is turkish dream and this is the way it works nordstrom we've talked about that there is a deal with germany and russia russia has partners close to completing that turkish stream pipeline they're almost done this is going to facilitate countries like serbia hungary creation italy and of course guess what ball garia now the question is where is this pipeline going to enter europe from turkey is it to go down through greece or is it going to go through ball garia so well gary it might be getting a second chance here and this is what you were talking about this just before the commercial break the fact that you know they might be in luck because they might be able to sign a deal with russia to get that pipeline built through bald area but anyway you turn it turkey's going to be in control of this it runs through turkey they could have had it their way a while back but that's not the way it's going to happen now and to build another pipeline next to that you

theresa may is in bulgaria for the eu—western balkans summit in sofia, where she will attend a workinge customs union, because we're leaving the european union. of course, we will be negotiating future customs arrangements with the european union, and i have set three objectives. the government has three objectives in those. we need to be able to have our own independent trade policy. we want as frictionless a border between the uk and the eu so that trade can continue, and we want to ensure that there is no hard border between northern ireland and ireland. live to westminster and our assistant political editor norman smith. if you are accommodated within the realms of possibility, despite what downing street is sailing, but that deadline might need to be extended, given the deadlock over the customs union? well, the speculation at westminster is now rife that mrs may is looking at the possibility of perhaps extending the deadline, so we remain in the customs union longer, for two reasons. one, a view that technically we simply will not be in place to put in place the sort of options t

theresa may is in bulgaria for the eu—western balkans summit in sofia, where she will attend a working be leaving the customs union, as we're leaving the european union. of course, we will be negotiating future customs arrangements with the european union, and i have set three objectives, the government has three objectives in those. we need to be able to have our own independent trade policy, we want as frictionless a border between the uk and the eu, so that trade can continue, and we want to ensure that there's no hard border between northern ireland and ireland. there are fears ofjob losses at mothercare with the company set to close 50 of its 137 remaining stores. former chief executive mark newton—jones is also expected to be re—appointed just over a month after he was sacked over poor christmas sales. full—year results for the retailer are due this morning. some experts predict a 95% fall in profits. that's a summary of the latest bbc news. more at 9.30. thank you. we are just looking at your emails about fixed odds betting terminals and the stake being reduced from £100 down to

bulgaria european council presidents don't all toss slammed president trump for pulling the u.s. out of that deal last week. while your leaders are resuming their summit in the bulgarian capital sofia today with their counterparts from the western balkans they'll be discussing the e.u. expansion into that region with albania and macedonia at the head of the line but in parts of the balkans there are aspects of daily life that hardly reflect you standards in parts of kosovo for example women often face of the year discrimination domestic violence is rampant and the justice system there repeatedly turns a blind eye to that again man has been locked up in prishtina us women's prison for nine years now for killing her husband we can't reveal have real name the marriage lost it just a year but it was torture as a husband can be terrible and even. bush incredible but i should also i went to the police so often once i even took the pistol my husband said he'd bought to kill me if i felt threatened but the police did nothing so i don't remember their names but i do remember their faces when you wanted one told me if you were my wife you wouldn't have had the chance to come here or because