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tv   BBC News  BBC News  October 7, 2017 12:00pm-12:31pm BST

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in this is bbc news. i'm sean ley. the headlines at midday. senior conservatives rally around the prime minister — borisjohnson tells mps to get behind theresa may and turn the fire onjeremy corbyn. rallies are under way in spain against catalonian independence — after last weekend's disputed referendum. these are the scenes in madrid. concerns for one of northern ireland's biggest employers after us authorities impose more heavy tariffs on bombardier planes. also in the next hour, a treat in store for sky gazers. the draconid meteor shower could show off dozens of shooting stars, in the skies above the uk tonight. and click explores the world of virtual reality in half an hour. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news.
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the foreign secretary borisjohnson has become the latest senior party figure to voice his support for theresa may — telling a messaging group of conservative mps that they should ‘get behind the pm'. his intervention comes after former party chairman grant shapps said about 30 tory mps backed his call for a leadership contest. mrjohnson said, "we havejust had an election and people are fed up with all this malarkey — get behind the prime minister." he went on to say, "ordinary punters i have spoken to thought her speech was good, and anyone can have a cold." and he told mps to "circle the wagons, turn the fire on corbyn, and talk about nothing except our great policies and what we can do for the country". it comes after the leader of the scottish conservatives, ruth davidson, told critics of the prime minister to "put up, or shut up".
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ms davidson is viewed by some as a potential contender to lead the party. our political correspondent iain watson reports. grant shapps has received plenty of advice from colleagues, with some mps and peers literally telling him to shut up. most of the party strongly support... i think we have two roads we can go down. we can behave like knuckleheads, like grant shapps did today... knuckleheads, really? well, what else was it? it was just trying to act against the prime minister. or we can unite, support the prime minister. ruth davidson has added her voice to the chorus of cutting comments, suggesting that if the plot against the prime minister had been serious, then it would have been led by someone more serious. but she had a wider message for party members, too, advising them to settle down. jeremy corbyn is eminently beatable. not only that, we have just beaten him. yes, i know it can be daunting, when you've got people chanting in the streets the name of somebody else, but that does not mean you don't knuckle down, get stuck in, show the drive,
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the energy, the ambition for the country. make sure people understand what it is that you are trying to do in politics, why you are trying to do it, how it is going to benefit their lives. that is what the party should be getting on with right now. she acknowledged that there would be instability if the prime minister were toppled, but pledged her own support now and in the future. there has been a very public closing of the ranks at the top of the party following the perceived threat from mr shapps. he doesn't have enough support to force a leadership contest. but, one of his fellow rebels, a former cabinet minister, suggested privately that the prime minister was just one crisis away from losing herjob. iain watson, bbc news. earlier, our political correspondent jonathan blake said the public displays of support could be effective, but won't do much to appease those in the party who are already unhappy. borisjohnson going boris johnson going out borisjohnson going out of his way to show loyalty to the prime minister and saying in the message
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to the conservative mps that they need to get behind the pm, he says he has spoken to ordinary punters as he has spoken to ordinary punters as he puts it and her speech was good and anyone can have a cold. it turns into a rallying cry for mps to turn the fire on corbyn, as he puts it and says they should speak about nothing else but great policies and what they can do for the country which is perhaps wishful thinking with the prime minister's position precarious but it is a public show of loyalty coming from one of the names people mention when you talk about a possible successor. add another possible successor, not an mp at the moment, ruth davidson, showing her support. again speaking to nick robinson. saying the party needs to get its act together and rebels should put up or shut up, the phrases we here at these times and also so she does not have much respect for the people plotting against the prime minister. these
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are public shows of loyalty from two seniorfigures in the party are public shows of loyalty from two senior figures in the party and two possible contenders. both said they do not want the job now and after the week the prime minister has had you could think who would want it now? we used to be told that loyalty was the conservative party's secret weapon, until the point they decide it isa weapon, until the point they decide it is a leader in opposition, a prime minister, that they have to go and they got rid of margaret thatcher and iain duncan smith. can theresa may be confident because the rebellion so—called of grant shapps and others has petered out, that she is safe? for now. that is the key. she is safe for the meantime that those mps, some of them, we do not know how many, with grant shapps in the last few days, remain frustrated
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and will do is time goes on. it will not take much for the frustration to bubble up and blow the lid of the simmering discontent among mps who cannot forgive theresa may for calling a snap election and losing the parliamentary majority as a result. and keeping a lid on it is the brexit negotiations and a fear they could be disrupted seriously if there is a change of leadership. also the fear of a general election that might happen as a result. also, the lack of consensus around who should take on the leadership, if theresa may goes. we are talking about two names, ruth davidson and borisjohnson. we will leave that as it is. going back to your point, they are names people talk about is possible contenders. danish police say they have found the head and legs of a swedish journalist, two months after she disappeared peter madsen is alleged to have killed 30—year—old kim wall,
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after she boarded his submarine on the 10th of august. her headless torso was found in the water off copenhagen nearly two weeks later. madsen claims she died by accident after a heavy hatch cover struck her on the head. a mass demonstration in support of spanish unity is being held in madrid. other smaller rallies are taking place outside town halls across the country, calling for negotiations between the spanish government and the catalan authorities over the disputed independence referendum. this is madrid where thousands had gathered to protest against the unilateral declaration of independence by catalonia threat next week. and in barcelona supporters of dialogue between catalonia and central government have taken to the streets. our europe correspondent james reynolds is in alicante. where does the prospect of a
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compromise lie in this? we have had such strong rhetoric. never mind the scenes of violence last sunday. is there any sense this weekend there may be room for, buys? possibly. we saw some signs yesterday when the spanish government representative in catalonia apologised for police action during the referendum and we saw signs of conciliation from the cata la n saw signs of conciliation from the catalan authorities, when an adviser to the leader suggested there should bea to the leader suggested there should be a ceasefire with madrid. those statements, those moves have succeeded for a while of lowering the temperature of debate and it is important when we follow the politics to note some of the wiggle room catalan politicians have given themselves. the leader of the cata la n themselves. the leader of the catalan region, ca rles themselves. the leader of the catalan region, carles puigdemont, he has said he will deliver a statement about the political situation on tuesday in the catalan parliament. political situation is a
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vague phrase that gives him room for manoeuvre to decide whether he wants to go for the declaration of independence, or does he want to have dialogue? do people where you are in an unconnected area, but obviously spanish, do they have any idea how this has accelerated to the point where it looks like nobody is in control of events? nobody does, i think. i think there is a surprise among moderates in spain and the cata la n among moderates in spain and the catalan region that the loudest voices have taken over. some against independence say recent polls in recent yea rs shows independence say recent polls in recent years shows support for independence was a minority and suddenly there is a referendum, which did not take into account everybody‘s views. some say there should be dialogue and a middle ground in which the catalan
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authorities talk to madrid authorities talk to madrid authorities and catalonia calls off the proposed declaration of independence but has greater autonomy within the spanish state, which is a potential solution offered by mediators which might be a cce pta ble offered by mediators which might be acceptable to a lot of people on both sides. the prime minister has been criticised by his conservative predecessor on how he has handled this but the socialists agree with him that catalonia has to be stopped from leaving spain. it seems to be turning politics in spain upside down. it is interesting to see the pressures on the prime minister. he isa pressures on the prime minister. he is a conservative prime minister and one powerfulformer is a conservative prime minister and one powerful former conservative has called on him to be tougher and you realise in madrid the pressures facing the prime ministerfor action against catalonia, the conservative media referring to those in catalonia those who want to carry
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out a coup against the constitution. james reynolds, thank you. there are fears that british jobs at the aerospace company bombardier could be at risk, after the us government imposed even more tariffs on imports of new planes made by the firm. it's part of a dispute with the american firm boeing, and would massively increase duties paid on the c—series model to almost 300 per cent. the wings of the jets are built in belfast, where bombardier employs more than 4,000 people. davy thompson from the unite union says workers are very concerned. its looms large over the workers and it is time for the government to step up for british workers. we see the british government being bullied by boeing. the eu needs to step in because effectively they are being bullied and it needs to stop now. i spoke to our business correspondent and he said the tariff has increased on the one imposed
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days ago. they are adding salt to the wound by putting it up to 300% so the wound by putting it up to 300% so nobody to be made for bombardier. bombardier is a canadian company that has a huge facility in belfast. they make a new type of commercial aircraft called the c—series which is forup to aircraft called the c—series which is for up to 150 passengers. they do not directly compete with boeing who make bigger aircraft, up to 300, 500 make bigger aircraft, up to 300,500 people. c—series successively won bid to sell planes to delta airlines in atalanta. 125 planes. boeing, which did not apply for that contract are now taking the issue, accusing bombardier of being subsidised by the canadian government and indeed it got1 billion canadian dollars when it had
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its near death experience in 2015, but everybody in the industry has received at least $1 billion. i think boeing gets a fair amount of government support. a huge amount. boeing supplies the us navy and air force. there is the accusation in europe and canada that those, they were paid well over what they would have been paid if they would not an american company because they wanted to keep this prestigious brand boeing growing and making profits. they complained that this was a subsidised gig for delta and that, first apartment has thus far agreed with them. a final question, is it likely that these ta riffs question, is it likely that these tariffs will be imposed, or is it likely we are at the stage that comes before negotiation? you have obviously been doing this a few yea rs! obviously been doing this a few years! what is happening is there is a dance that goes on and bombardier
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is entering into a market and the sharks are there with boeing and airbus and they are entering a market that could affect boeing. there is political play. boeing when they put out the statement, they gently reminded uk viewers they employ 80,700 in the uk, more than are employed by bombardier in the uk and so the uk government is in a bind, politically tied to the dup, where this company is. these jobs matter? but at the same time it can't risk the 18,700 jobs, especially the new factory in sheffield. a tropical storm that killed at least 25 people in central america has become a hurricane as it crosses the gulf of mexico towards the southern united states. nate is predicted to hit the united states on sunday. the mayor of new orleans has ordered evacuations and a mandatory curfew in some parts of the city. though overall rainfall may not be as high as other tropical events, short durations of rain,as we can see, can produce flooding. we are particularly mindful,
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in this regard, for this particular storm of coastal flooding, because of the potential storm surge for those areas of the city that are outside of the levee system. the headlines. senior conservatives rally around the prime minister — borisjohnson tells mps to get behind theresa may — and turn the fire onjeremy corbyn. rallies get under way spain against catalonian independence — after last weekend's disputed referendum. concerns for one of northern ireland's biggest employers after us authorities impose more heavy tariffs on bombardier planes. police investigating the las vegas shooting say they have yet to establish the motive of the gunman, stephen paddock. he killed 58 people at a country music festival in the city last sunday. police say they have examined more than 1,000 leads since then, but still don't have any clear
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explanation for his actions. luxmy gopal reports. six days on from stephen paddock killing 58 people and injuring hundreds at a music festival in las vegas and police still don't know why he did it. the 64—year—old opened fire from his hotel room before turning the gun on himself. at a press briefing, the las vegas metropolitan police department said they've gone through more than a thousand leads in the investigation. we have looked at everything, literally, to include the suspect‘s personal life, any political affiliation, his social behaviours, economic situation and any potential radicalisation that so many have claimed. we have been down each and every single one of these paths, trying to determine why, to determine who else may have known of these plans. the police have ruled out the possibility that there was another shooter
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in the room with paddock. but they haven't established what he was planning to do with the 50lb of explosives found in his car at the hotel. meanwhile, officials from las vegas airport say a bullet fired during the shooting pierced a jet fuel storage tank 2,000 feet from the gunman‘s hotel window. there was no fire or explosion and the authorities won't speculate on whether paddock was aiming to hit the tank. it leaves yet more questions at a time when the nation wants answers, when those grieving for loved ones are trying to make sense of this senseless loss of life. luxmy gopal, bbc news. donald trump's administration has issued a ruling allowing american employers to opt out of providing free birth control. the president has reversed a part of barack 0bama's health care reforms, which required companies and insurers to provide contraceptive coverage.
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55 million women have benefited from the rule. now employers will be able to decline free birth control on religious or moral grounds. ryanair‘s chief operations officer is to resign at the end of the month, following mistakes over pilot rotas that led to the cancellation of more then 20,000 flights. michael hickey worked at the airline for 30 years and was responsible for the scheduling of pilots' shifts. he's the first executive to leave in the wake of the flight cancellations which have affected more than 700,000 passengers. travel firms often aren't giving consumers accurate information about whether their holidays are protected, new research suggests. the atol scheme means people won't lose money or become stranded abroad if their provider collapses. the consumer group which? made dozens of calls to eight travel firms including british airways and thomas cook. they found in eight out of ten cases, staff couldn't confirm whether customers were atol—protected, while others exaggerated the extent of the cover. concerns are growing for the world's donkey population
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because of a demand for their skins in china where they're used in traditional medicine. british charity the donkey sanctuary is leading an international campaign to halt the trade in donkey skins and meat until it can be properly regulated. africa is being particularly badly hit as the animals are vitally important for poorer communities. alastair leithead reports from kenya. across africa donkeys are working animals. this is a common sight in the continent but their future is in jeopardy. carlos makes a living delivering water, earning just £3, £4 and a good day, but now he has to rent a donkey after his was stolen and killed for its skin. that is more than half his income. he's upset talking about the animal he looked after and worked with for four years and now it is affecting his family.
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translation: it is a big difference 110w. translation: it is a big difference now. i don't have enough money. i have not paid my rent. i have not paid. and i have people who depend on me. donkeys are an important part of the economy in poorer neighbourhoods particularly. dropping off concrete for building works and sometimes acting as removal vans. the price of the donkey has doubled in two years, because they are in demand. this is one of kenya's three donkey abattoirs, brought in from across the country, they are sold by weight. chinese buyers monitored the process. that is where the skins are heading. once they are salted and dried. donkey meat is popular in china and that is exported also. so many people benefit from the donkey today. we are happy with the chinese. because before, there was
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nothing coming out of the donkey. this is the finished product. health foods and medicine containing gelatin made from boiled donkey skins. china is running out of donkeys and suppliers are looking elsewhere. the donkey sanctuary in devon has led the international campaign to have the trade stopped. this is the biggest crisis donkeys have faced. we are talking about millions and suffering on a scale we have not witnessed before. over a dozen governments have taken action to stop this trade. because they know it is impoverishing their people as well as being massively. with donkey prices so high, carlos can not afford another. people across the continent of losing their animals and livelihoods. we can return to the controversy
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over the catalan referendum on the line is somebody who has gathered with thousands of protesters in barcelona where people are calling for a dialogue between catalonia and central government. what prompted you to come out on a saturday to ta ke you to come out on a saturday to take part in the demonstration? hello. excuse me, can you repeat? why did you decide to take part? because we want to speak of politics because we think that they have to... it is theirjob and they have to... it is theirjob and they have to speak and not fight, because this is not why we vote. did you take
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pa rt is not why we vote. did you take part in the referendum? yes. may i ask and you do not have to answer, i will ask you, how did you vote? undecided. can you say that again? undecided. can you say that again? undecided. so you are not necessarily against independence, but you are not happy with the way the debate is conducted?” but you are not happy with the way the debate is conducted? i voted undecided because i wanted to vote. idid not undecided because i wanted to vote. i did not want... iam undecided because i wanted to vote. i did not want... i am sorry, excuse me, iam nervous. iwanted i did not want... i am sorry, excuse me, i am nervous. i wanted to vote. but i did not vote any position
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because there are politicians, they can doa because there are politicians, they can do a lot of things. i do not wa nt to can do a lot of things. i do not want to be independent right now. let me put this, what would you like the prime minister to do now? excuse me? what do you think the prime minister should do now? what should he do? they have to finish this. and make collections. elections in catalonia. in catalonia and in spain. thank you very much. that story will be very much dominant. we have seen scenes in madrid where
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people are taking part in demonstrations, similar demonstrations, similar demonstrations around the country, encouraging dialogue between the government in madrid, the national government in madrid, the national government and the government of catalonia, the region, the capital of which is barcelona. people across the uk could be treated to the sight of dozens of shooting stars, when the draconid meteor shower peaks this weekend. it is most likely to be clearest in the direction of the constellation of draco — the dragon — in the northern sky, in the early evening. it's one of two meteor shows that can be seen during october. earlier i spoke to elizabeth pearson, an astronomer and news editor of "sky at night" magazine . she told me that if the weather holds up, it could be a spectacular sight. if it is clear, and you look to the northern sky above the top of the plough, you should hopefully see meteors. so shooting stars, bright streaks of light passing across the sky. all you need to do is get out
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as soon as it turns true dark, preferably before the moon gets up and if you look to the northern sky, adjust to the dark, get away from street and house lights, let your eyes adjust and you should hopefully begin to see one or two every couple of minutes. what causes this, why do we see this? we see meteor showers at the same time every year because we passed through the tail end of a comet and comets come through the solar system every few thousand years and leave a trail of debris and ice and dust and as we pass through that every year, the debris and dust hits the atmosphere, superheats it and causes a streak of light. it is these particles burning up in the atmosphere. the names are fascinating, where does this name comes from? most meteor showers are named after the constellation where the radiant is.
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the radiant, if you took a picture of the meteors as they go across the sky, which people do, they seem to come from one place and in this case it is in the head of the constellation of draconis. they are coming from the dragon and tonight and tomorrow we should get a good view? clear skies. turn off the artificial light. fingers crossed for clear skies but hopefully you should see the dragon spitting out some fire. now let's look at what the prospects are for tonight and tomorrow. after a breezy and cloudy morning with rain, through the afternoon we should see things brightening up for
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some. showers across parts of western scotland, northern ireland, north—west england, and in the south rain lingering in the south—west. elsewhere we should see brighter skies. if you hope to catch a glimpse of the shower tonight —— meteor shower tonight... wherever you are a mild night with temperatures staying in double figures. tomorrow probably a better day with showers, more sunshine and light winds. still showers in northern ireland, west of scotland and perhaps north—west england and in north wales. but more sunshine and temperatures should feel warmer. goodbye. you are watching bbc news. let's
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ta ke you are watching bbc news. let's take a look at the headlines atjust approaching 1230. the foreign secretary has told fellow mps in a whatsapp group, that they need to get behind theresa may and turn the fire onjeremy corbyn. rallies are expected in spain against catalonian independence, after last weekend's disputed referendum. campaigners called for dialogue between spain and catalan with the slogan, spain is better than its leaders. us authorities have imposed more heavy tariffs on the import of bombardier planes, causing more concerns for one of northern ireland's biggest employers. the head and legs of the swedish journalist kim wall have been found, two months after she disappeared following an interview with an inventor onboard his homemade submarine. sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. hello again, mike.
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good afternoon. lewis hamilton has been dominating qualifying for the japanese grand prix taking pole position their for the first time and is joined by sebastian vettel on the front of the grid. the only place anybody could catch hold of lewis hamilton was outside of his car. he left everybody choking on his exhaust fumes. team—mate valtteri bottas came close to losing it in the battle to keep up. romain grosjean did further back. the first session ended early. there was no end in sight for the misery hamilton caused rivals, smashing michael schumacher‘s track record three times on the way to claiming the 71st pole position of his career but his first here. remarkably, only his first at suzuka.


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