:00:00. > :00:00.No talk on trade until there's a deal on the divorce.
:00:00. > :00:09.The EU rejects the Government's Brexit plan.
:00:10. > :00:12.As the EU publishes its Brexit strategy,
:00:13. > :00:19.Talks, which are about to start, will be difficult, complex and
:00:20. > :00:30.We'll be asking how this tough talk has gone down in Downing Street.
:00:31. > :00:33.Also tonight, hard decisions for the NHS
:00:34. > :00:38.Why improvements in A and cancer care could mean longer waits
:00:39. > :00:43.President Trump backs former adviser Mike Flynn -
:00:44. > :00:46.sacked over his links to Russia - and says he should get
:00:47. > :00:52.Closing down centuries of Ivory trading in China -
:00:53. > :00:59.And a Scotsman makes a flying visit to the newly reopened Settle
:01:00. > :01:05.And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News: Could Celtic become
:01:06. > :01:08.Scottish Premiership champions without even playing?
:01:09. > :01:31.Well, only if second-placed Aberdeen lost at Dundee tonight.
:01:32. > :01:34.Good Evening and welcome to the BBC News at Ten.
:01:35. > :01:36.The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk,
:01:37. > :01:40.has warned of tough and sometimes confrontational talks ahead,
:01:41. > :01:42.as Britain and the European Union start two years of Brexit
:01:43. > :01:48.The EU today published its strategy, refusing Theresa May's request
:01:49. > :01:51.to have parallel talks on a future trade deal.
:01:52. > :01:55.Mr Tusk said there had to be "sufficient progress" on issues such
:01:56. > :01:58.as the status of citizens in each other's countries, and the border
:01:59. > :02:01.between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic,
:02:02. > :02:04.before future relations could be discussed.
:02:05. > :02:06.And, for the first time, the issue of Gibraltar featured
:02:07. > :02:15.Our Europe editor, Katya Adler, has our first report.
:02:16. > :02:21.The chiefs of EU institutions are usually little known outside the
:02:22. > :02:29.Brussels bubble. But Brexit has changed all that. This is my first
:02:30. > :02:33.divorce... Dusky Lark dusk, president of the -- Donald Tusk,
:02:34. > :02:37.president of the European Council, today presented the draft Brexit
:02:38. > :02:43.guidelines. The mood music - polite but steely. The talkeds, which are
:02:44. > :02:49.about to start, will be difficult, complex and sometimes even
:02:50. > :02:51.confrontational. Mr Tusk was the recipient of the Prime Minister's
:02:52. > :02:57.Brexit letter this Wednesday. Why him? Because he represents all EU
:02:58. > :03:03.countries here in Brussels and they call the shots on big EU political
:03:04. > :03:07.decisions. The EU says it doesn't want to punish Britain. It wants to
:03:08. > :03:12.keep the UK close with trade and security ties. But gone are those
:03:13. > :03:16.words of sadness and regret that poured out of Brussels after the
:03:17. > :03:22.Brexit vote. Now that the formal process of leaving has begun, the
:03:23. > :03:27.EU's message today: We're ready for you. The EU is committed to a phase
:03:28. > :03:31.add preach to Brexit -- phased approach to Brexit. Phase one, the
:03:32. > :03:36.divorce. Top priorities for the EU - safeguarding the rights of EU
:03:37. > :03:42.citizens in the UK and of Britons across the EU. Agreeing a one-off
:03:43. > :03:47.exit fee for the UK to cover outstanding financial commitments
:03:48. > :03:51.and resolving Ireland's land border issue without harming the Good
:03:52. > :03:55.Friday agreement. Phase two: Discussing future EU-UK relations,
:03:56. > :04:03.but only once significant progress has been made on the divorce. Phase
:04:04. > :04:09.three: Making traditional agreements, if needed to bridge the
:04:10. > :04:14.end of Article 50 talks and start a new era in EU-UK relations. There
:04:15. > :04:17.are bumps in the road aplenty, British and European ones even
:04:18. > :04:20.before negotiations start. Today there was a surprise row over
:04:21. > :04:26.Gibraltar. The EU draft guidelines say no future agreement with the UK
:04:27. > :04:31.can apply to Gibraltar without a nod from Spain, which disputes Britain's
:04:32. > :04:35.sovereignty over the territory. The Foreign Secretary had to defend the
:04:36. > :04:39.Prime Minister's Brexit guidelines the EU perceived a UK threat to
:04:40. > :04:45.withdraw security cooperation if it didn't get a good trade deal. The
:04:46. > :04:52.UK's commitment to the defence and the security of this region, of
:04:53. > :04:57.Europe, is unconditional and it is not some bargaining chip in any
:04:58. > :05:03.negotiatiations. But EU countries are wary. If we see the letter that
:05:04. > :05:07.has been sent by the British Prime Minister, some would say it was a
:05:08. > :05:10.little bit aggressive. That's not the attitude that we will be having
:05:11. > :05:15.around the table. I mean, yes, we are willing to come to an agreement,
:05:16. > :05:19.but if you ask too much, then maybe there is no agreement and I'm not
:05:20. > :05:26.sure if that's a good thing for the British. Picking and choosing is
:05:27. > :05:29.fine, in Belgian chocolate shops. But Brussels says Britain can forget
:05:30. > :05:33.having a bit of this and none of that when it comes to the single
:05:34. > :05:38.market. There is goodwill on both sides, but having cake and eating it
:05:39. > :05:40.will be one of Britain's Brexit challenges. Katya Adler, BBC News,
:05:41. > :05:42.Brussels. Our deputy political
:05:43. > :05:50.editor, John Pienaar, Theresa May wanted parallel talks on
:05:51. > :05:57.divorce and trade. She hasn't got that. What's the reaction been?
:05:58. > :05:59.Well, Downing Street never really expected Donald Tusk's first
:06:00. > :06:03.response to be especially encouraging and it wasn't. The
:06:04. > :06:07.reaction has been pretty cordial, marking time and hoping somehow to
:06:08. > :06:11.turn the negotiations Britain's way when they get started. As for those
:06:12. > :06:14.negotiations, when they start, ministers will begin confident they
:06:15. > :06:18.can secure the rights of EU nationals in this country and Brits
:06:19. > :06:24.on the continent pretty quickly, pretty easily. Gibraltar looks
:06:25. > :06:29.tougher. Boris Johnson has posted a message on Twitter this evening
:06:30. > :06:31.pledging Britain to be rock like in support of Gibraltar over Spanish
:06:32. > :06:34.claims of sovereignty. Ministers will have to seek understanding,
:06:35. > :06:37.respecting the wishes of people there and without Spain in the words
:06:38. > :06:41.of one minister to me, losing too much face. Tougher still is the
:06:42. > :06:45.financial settlement. Any big deal will meet a wall of resistance from
:06:46. > :06:49.Tory hard liners. Some of them would be quite happy to walk away with no
:06:50. > :06:53.deal making a clean break from the EU. There's another big challenge.
:06:54. > :06:57.After all the talk of taking back control, keeping public opinion on
:06:58. > :07:02.side with the compromises and tradeoffs to come could be tougher
:07:03. > :07:05.than anything. It's been a day of heavy, enormous political challenges
:07:06. > :07:06.or if you prefer a normal day in the office in British politics these
:07:07. > :07:12.days. Many thanks. Hotels, restaurants and the tourism
:07:13. > :07:14.industry have warned they'll face a recruitment crisis,
:07:15. > :07:16.if immigration from the EU is heavily restricted
:07:17. > :07:19.after the UK leaves. The British Hospitality Association
:07:20. > :07:22.says it relies on 60,000 EU workers a year, but unions have accused
:07:23. > :07:26.the sector of not doing enough to Our economics editor,
:07:27. > :07:32.Kamal Ahmed, reports. The hospitality sector -
:07:33. > :07:39.holiday parks, restaurants, hotels - is all about entertainment,
:07:40. > :07:42.making customers happy. But this is a sector
:07:43. > :07:48.with its fair share of worries, It has relied for years
:07:49. > :07:54.on workers from the EU. Could that supply be
:07:55. > :07:57.about to be cut off? Agnieszka is from Poland and works
:07:58. > :08:02.for Butlins in Bognor Regis. There's loads of question marks,
:08:03. > :08:10.and we lost the stability now. My son, he's eight,
:08:11. > :08:15.he knew just a basic thing about the Brexit,
:08:16. > :08:19.but his concerns that we are going to leave his school,
:08:20. > :08:23.that he will leave his The hospitality industry employs
:08:24. > :08:32.three million people and is the fourth-largest sector
:08:33. > :08:33.in the UK. Of those workers,
:08:34. > :08:35.24% are from the EU. And in some sectors,
:08:36. > :08:38.the figure is much higher. 75% of all waiting staff
:08:39. > :08:40.are from the continent. I asked the Butlins boss
:08:41. > :08:42.about the challenges If the tap is just turned
:08:43. > :08:48.off straightaway, that We rely on a third of our work base
:08:49. > :08:55.from European employees. To be able to turn that straight off
:08:56. > :08:58.and replace it straight off More than 60% of voters here voted
:08:59. > :09:04.to leave the European Union and at least part of the reason
:09:05. > :09:07.for that was concerns about immigration, one of the big
:09:08. > :09:11.unresolved issues in these Theresa May knows she has to achieve
:09:12. > :09:18.a delicate balancing act, between responding to those
:09:19. > :09:23.concerns, but at the same time allowing businesses,
:09:24. > :09:26.whole economic sectors, Whether it's coffee shops,
:09:27. > :09:34.hotels that rely on foreign staff, or pulling a pint in your local pub,
:09:35. > :09:37.this is a sector facing criticism that it is not doing enough to train
:09:38. > :09:43.British workers and pay is too low. It's kind of laziness for them
:09:44. > :09:47.to say that if they are not able to recruit migrant workers there's
:09:48. > :09:51.going to be a crisis It's a crisis of their own creation
:09:52. > :09:57.and they need to be focusing on how do they actually get people to come
:09:58. > :10:02.into the industry? The hospitality sector says
:10:03. > :10:05.it is looking to new horizons, looking for the British
:10:06. > :10:08.workers it needs. But it will be a long process -
:10:09. > :10:12.ten years - before a reliance on millions of EU workers
:10:13. > :10:15.is turned around. The Scottish First Minister has said
:10:16. > :10:23.there's "no rational reason" for the UK Government
:10:24. > :10:27.to block her request for a second Nicola Sturgeon has written
:10:28. > :10:30.to Theresa May asking for Westminster to authorise another
:10:31. > :10:34.vote, because of Brexit. The Prime Minister has insisted that
:10:35. > :10:36."now is not the time" Our Scotland editor, Sarah Smith,
:10:37. > :10:48.is in Edinburgh tonight. Sarah, it sounds as if Theresa May's
:10:49. > :10:54.unlikely to change her mind. What can Nicola Sturgeon now practically
:10:55. > :10:57.do? Well, in her letter Nicola Sturgeon made it clear she's not
:10:58. > :10:59.just going to accept Theresa May telling her there can't be talks
:11:00. > :11:03.about another Scottish independence referendum. She didn't go into
:11:04. > :11:08.detail about what she might actually do. So what are her options? Well,
:11:09. > :11:11.some of the more drastic steps like calling an early election to the
:11:12. > :11:15.Scottish Parliament seem quite unlikely at this stage. What she
:11:16. > :11:19.might be able to do is try and disrupt the Brexit legislation, like
:11:20. > :11:22.the great repeal bill that's going to bring all those powers, currently
:11:23. > :11:27.exercised in Brussels, back to the UK. To make that happen, there may
:11:28. > :11:31.have to be legislation put through the Scottish Parliament. If Holyrood
:11:32. > :11:34.refused to do that, they could probably delay the progress of that
:11:35. > :11:37.bill, even if they can't derail it entirely. That's one option. You can
:11:38. > :11:41.be certain the Scottish Government is going to look for every
:11:42. > :11:46.opportunity they can from now on to try and keep the pressure on Number
:11:47. > :11:50.Ten, try and force them to talk about a referendum. Now Theresa May
:11:51. > :11:53.has not actually responded to this letter yet. She's not sent a reply.
:11:54. > :11:57.Downing Street have made it clear again tonight they will not enter
:11:58. > :12:01.into any negotiations about the timing or the arrangements for an
:12:02. > :12:06.independence referendum until after the UK has left the EU and until
:12:07. > :12:10.after voters have had a chance to see how the Brexit deal is working
:12:11. > :12:12.in practise. Sarah, many thanks. Sarah Smith there.
:12:13. > :12:15.The head of the NHS in England has admitted that it can't meet one
:12:16. > :12:17.of its key targets - giving people routine operations,
:12:18. > :12:22.such as hip and knee replacements, within 18 weeks of being referred
:12:23. > :12:25.Simon Stevens, who set out his priorities for
:12:26. > :12:28.the Health Service today, said it was part of the "trade off"
:12:29. > :12:30.for improvements in other areas like cancer care.
:12:31. > :12:34.He's been speaking to our health editor, Hugh Pym.
:12:35. > :12:37.The NHS serves patients from cradle to grave,
:12:38. > :12:39.but there are difficult choices, and the message today
:12:40. > :12:43.is that it offers high quality care in many areas,
:12:44. > :12:47.but something has to give, and that's waiting lists
:12:48. > :12:50.for routine surgery, for patients like Christine.
:12:51. > :12:54.She waited 22 weeks for a heart bypass operation, longer than NHS
:12:55. > :13:00.It's caused her a lot of anxiety and she's decided to go private.
:13:01. > :13:03.The sword of Damocles is hanging over my head.
:13:04. > :13:10.I couldn't say categorically I'm going to be able to do something.
:13:11. > :13:16.I feel I am getting, not worse, but more tired.
:13:17. > :13:19.The head of NHS England explained his immediate priorities,
:13:20. > :13:23.including A and cancer care, to health staff today,
:13:24. > :13:26.but waiting lists for routine operations, for a while,
:13:27. > :13:31.Might more patients be waiting longer and might they be very
:13:32. > :13:37.We need to fix the most urgent problems first.
:13:38. > :13:41.I think most people can see that ensuring that our A and GP
:13:42. > :13:46.services are able to properly look after people across the country has
:13:47. > :13:52.Having done that, we want to be able to also ensure that we are meeting
:13:53. > :13:59.That's worried some medical leaders, who say longer waits
:14:00. > :14:05.We know that people occasionally die on waiting lists,
:14:06. > :14:11.The longer you wait, the more the likelihood that will happen.
:14:12. > :14:13.This health centre, where Mr Stevens was today,
:14:14. > :14:17.provides a range of services and treatments to patients.
:14:18. > :14:21.There's also a dentist and pharmacist as well as GP practices.
:14:22. > :14:25.The idea is to treat as many people as possible away from hospitals.
:14:26. > :14:28.He wants to see more of this sort of thing around the country,
:14:29. > :14:34.It will also take time to improve the nation's health,
:14:35. > :14:36.but they're starting young here at schools in Lancashire.
:14:37. > :14:40.Children run a mile a day, with the NHS promoting the initiative.
:14:41. > :14:44.We know that we want to change things for the future generation.
:14:45. > :14:47.50, 70 years' time, we don't want people dying in their 50s and 60s
:14:48. > :14:53.We want to tackle some of the major things we're seeing around diabetes.
:14:54. > :14:55.We've built a fantastic partnership with the schools
:14:56. > :15:00.here and we are teaching children to be really active.
:15:01. > :15:05.For now, a key question is whether the NHS budget
:15:06. > :15:13.There's no doubt that with the extra money the NHS has got,
:15:14. > :15:15.we should be able to bring about the improvements
:15:16. > :15:20.Obviously, decisions for the future are for the future.
:15:21. > :15:23.Today we're talking about the practical steps
:15:24. > :15:27.In other words, we're doing what we can with the money
:15:28. > :15:29.available, but asking for more at some stage is not
:15:30. > :15:38.President Trump has again come to the defence of his former
:15:39. > :15:40.national security adviser who was sacked after lying
:15:41. > :15:43.about phone conversations with the Russian ambassador.
:15:44. > :15:47.Mike Flynn said he was prepared to give evidence to investigators
:15:48. > :15:49.who are looking into claims that Russia tried to influence
:15:50. > :15:53.the US election, but only in return for immunity.
:15:54. > :15:56.President Trump tweeted his agreement, and said Mr Flynn had
:15:57. > :16:02.Our North America editor Jon Sopel has the latest.
:16:03. > :16:04.The allegations that just won't go away -
:16:05. > :16:06.that there was collusion between the Russian
:16:07. > :16:09.government and the Trump team during last year's election.
:16:10. > :16:12.And much of the attention is now focused on this man,
:16:13. > :16:17.Until a few weeks ago he was the national security adviser
:16:18. > :16:20.and one of those closest to the president.
:16:21. > :16:24.But his fall from grace has been swift, after he was found to have
:16:25. > :16:28.lied to the vice president over his contacts with the Russians.
:16:29. > :16:30.Michael Flynn held conversations with the Russian ambassador
:16:31. > :16:33.in Washington, which among other things discussed the lifting of US
:16:34. > :16:36.sanctions against Russia - which he denied.
:16:37. > :16:40.He was paid $45,000 to attend a dinner in Moscow, hosted by the TV
:16:41. > :16:43.station Russia Today, and was seated at the same
:16:44. > :16:48.He also lobbied on behalf of another foreign government, Turkey,
:16:49. > :16:52.although that wasn't disclosed at the time.
:16:53. > :16:55.Today, Donald Trump rallied to his side with this tweet.
:16:56. > :16:58."Mike Flynn should ask for immunity, in that this is a witchhunt,
:16:59. > :17:02.excuse for big election loss by media and Dems of
:17:03. > :17:07.But this is what Donald Trump and Michael Flynn said
:17:08. > :17:09.during the campaign, when it emerged that Clinton aides
:17:10. > :17:12.had sought immunity over disclosing information about her use
:17:13. > :17:17.If you're not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for?
:17:18. > :17:21.When you're given immunity it means you've probably committed a crime.
:17:22. > :17:25.So is there worry at the White House that his information
:17:26. > :17:30.No - he believes that Mike Flynn should go and testify.
:17:31. > :17:33.He should go up there and do what he has to do
:17:34. > :17:37.In the meantime the Russians are again dismissing as fake news
:17:38. > :17:41.suggestions that they've been up to no good.
:17:42. > :17:44.Lots of Americans, they do think that yes, Russian
:17:45. > :17:47.hackers are everywhere, Russian hackers are in every fridge,
:17:48. > :17:53.Russian hackers are in every iron and so on and so forth,
:17:54. > :17:58.But the Defence Secretary James Mattis, who's in London
:17:59. > :18:01.at the moment, expressed about Russia, stretching
:18:02. > :18:08.beyond their involvement in the most recent presidential election.
:18:09. > :18:14.Russia's violations of international law are now a matter of record,
:18:15. > :18:17.from what happened with Crimea, to other aspects of their behaviour
:18:18. > :18:19.in mucking around inside other people's elections and that
:18:20. > :18:24.On Capitol Hill, investigations into Russian activity go on,
:18:25. > :18:27.but sources are saying it's unlikely that Michael Flynn will be given
:18:28. > :18:41.What we still don't know is whether General Flynn has a giant tin of
:18:42. > :18:44.beans but he's going to be able to spill, or whether this is just
:18:45. > :18:49.sensible self protection that he is engaged in, by asking for immunity.
:18:50. > :18:54.They have but his solicitor has done nothing to dampen speculation by
:18:55. > :18:58.saying he has a story to tell. That has left many Democrats and
:18:59. > :19:01.journalists salivating in Washington and probably left a few people at
:19:02. > :19:03.the White House having some restless nights sleeps in the days and weeks
:19:04. > :19:09.ahead. Thank you, John. It's being called one
:19:10. > :19:11.of the most significant steps ever taken in the fight
:19:12. > :19:13.to save the African elephant. Today, China - which is thought
:19:14. > :19:17.to be the destination for up to 70% of the trade in ivory -
:19:18. > :19:20.closed down nearly half of its ivory The ivory trade has seen numbers
:19:21. > :19:25.of African elephants plunge from an estimated 3-5 million
:19:26. > :19:28.in the early part of the 20th century, to fewer
:19:29. > :19:31.than 0.5 million now. Our Beijing correspondent
:19:32. > :19:37.John Sudworth reports. Chinese ivory carving dates
:19:38. > :19:43.back hundreds of years. But these craftsmen
:19:44. > :19:46.will be the last. The UN's top wildlife official
:19:47. > :19:52.is on hand to witness the shutdown. This is a momentous day in China,
:19:53. > :19:55.where we see this decision This is a momentous decision
:19:56. > :20:06.and it's worthy of attention. China's move comes not
:20:07. > :20:10.a moment too soon. The African elephant is teetering
:20:11. > :20:16.on the brink of extinction. And the majority of this slaughter,
:20:17. > :20:21.perhaps as much as 70%, This business is one of those
:20:22. > :20:30.being forced to close today. The markings and certifications
:20:31. > :20:35.show that the tusks come from authorised stockpiles -
:20:36. > :20:38.ivory that China was allowed to buy under international law
:20:39. > :20:43.in the hope it would suppress And even if you abolish it,
:20:44. > :20:54.it won't stop the illegal trade. But campaigners, including
:20:55. > :21:01.Prince William, who has personally lobbied China's leaders
:21:02. > :21:05.on the issue, disagree. Factories like this one, they argue,
:21:06. > :21:12.send a signal to consumers that ivory is OK to buy and they provide
:21:13. > :21:18.criminals with an opportunity. Certifications for pieces like this
:21:19. > :21:22.one can in fact easily be forged and the reality is,
:21:23. > :21:25.however inadvertently, China's illegal ivory trade has
:21:26. > :21:30.acted as cover for a much larger illegal black market
:21:31. > :21:35.smuggling operation. So that's why the step being taken
:21:36. > :21:38.here is so important. The complete closure
:21:39. > :21:40.of China's officially They look like they
:21:41. > :21:45.are ivory products... It's true that the criminals
:21:46. > :21:49.won't be stopped entirely. It's already illegal to sell ivory
:21:50. > :21:53.in China over the Internet, and yet it took us just a few clicks
:21:54. > :21:57.to find it. "Where's it from?"
:21:58. > :22:00.we ask. "The ivory's from Africa,"
:22:01. > :22:05.comes the reply. Nonetheless, it's a bold
:22:06. > :22:07.and important step. China is sacrificing this
:22:08. > :22:12.ancient art in order A brief look at some
:22:13. > :22:26.of the day's other news stories. West Midlands Police have charged
:22:27. > :22:28.a 23-year-old man with a double Aaron Barley is alleged to have
:22:29. > :22:34.fatally stabbed Tracey Wilkinson He's also charged with the attempted
:22:35. > :22:41.murder of the boy's father, Peter. The driver of the bin lorry that
:22:42. > :22:44.crashed in Glasgow killing six people has been banned from driving
:22:45. > :22:47.for three years. Harry Clarke had his licence
:22:48. > :22:50.withdrawn following the crash in December 2014, but was spotted
:22:51. > :22:52.by neighbours driving Workers at BMW's Mini
:22:53. > :23:00.and Rolls-Royce car plants in the UK The dispute is over the closure
:23:01. > :23:04.of the company's final The union says some workers
:23:05. > :23:09.could lose up to ?160,000 Google paid ?36 million
:23:10. > :23:16.in corporation tax in the UK It made profits of nearly
:23:17. > :23:23.?149 million on sales In South Africa, there's growing
:23:24. > :23:32.criticism of President Zuma from within his own party,
:23:33. > :23:34.after a reshuffle in which he removed some key
:23:35. > :23:38.figures from government. There's been particular anger -
:23:39. > :23:41.and protests held in the street - over his decision to sack
:23:42. > :23:44.the widely-respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan,
:23:45. > :23:46.who's clashed with Mr Zuma over Our correspondent Milton Nkosi
:23:47. > :23:54.is in Johannesburg. How much pressure is
:23:55. > :24:07.President Zuma under? Well, he is under a great deal of
:24:08. > :24:12.pressure tonight, as his comrades are calling for him to resign. He's
:24:13. > :24:15.been under pressure before, for his lavish lifestyle, for example for
:24:16. > :24:21.spending public funds renovating his private home. But the sacking of
:24:22. > :24:27.Pravin Gordhan, the finance minister, is seen by many here is
:24:28. > :24:32.the last straw. This has also affected the currency, the rand,
:24:33. > :24:37.which has devalued by about 8% since the reshuffle drama began. There is
:24:38. > :24:41.also the wider implication politically for him, because
:24:42. > :24:46.opposition parties are threatening a vote of no confidence in parliament.
:24:47. > :24:49.Others are saying that they will institute the impeachment
:24:50. > :24:54.proceedings as soon as they can. President Zuma himself has got
:24:55. > :24:58.factions within the ashen -- African National Congress that he is trying
:24:59. > :25:04.to manoeuvre around. He has, through this reshuffle, paying some of the
:25:05. > :25:08.loyalists in the party and also punishing his opponents. There a
:25:09. > :25:15.leadership contest later this year for the leadership of the party and
:25:16. > :25:17.he wants his wife to take over. The current dip into President Cyril
:25:18. > :25:19.Ramaphosa is very keen to take over the post as well. -- deputy
:25:20. > :25:24.president. Celtic will win the Scottish
:25:25. > :25:26.Premiership for a sixth consecutive time if they can beat
:25:27. > :25:28.Hearts this weekend. They are 22 points clear,
:25:29. > :25:31.with nine games still to play. Our sports correspondent,
:25:32. > :25:33.Natalie Pirks, has been speaking to the Celtic manager and former
:25:34. > :25:37.Liverpool boss, Brendan Rodgers, about the team's success -
:25:38. > :25:39.and whether the league COMMENTATOR: It's Armstrong
:25:40. > :25:43.and that's terrific! Just one of the many adjectives used
:25:44. > :25:45.to describe Celtic's record-breaking and potentially
:25:46. > :25:47.treble winning season. COMMENTATOR: And they made
:25:48. > :25:50.it look so, so easy. Unbeaten in the league,
:25:51. > :25:52.they've swept all before them Their manager is understandably
:25:53. > :25:58.loving life at his childhood club. There might be more prestigious
:25:59. > :26:04.leagues, there might be more competitive leagues,
:26:05. > :26:06.but in terms as a football club, there are not too many bigger
:26:07. > :26:08.than Glasgow Celtic. When you're manager of that
:26:09. > :26:11.and when you supported it, the club, COMMENTATOR: Here here they come,
:26:12. > :26:15.the champions of Europe. Success courses
:26:16. > :26:19.through Celtic's veins. The most revered side
:26:20. > :26:22.in their history were the so-called Lisbon Lions of 1967,
:26:23. > :26:24.who won the European Cup. And there's Jock Stein
:26:25. > :26:29.himself, there he is. But even Jock Stein's legendary side
:26:30. > :26:32.didn't go as many games unbeaten This hasn't been a title race,
:26:33. > :26:37.it's been a procession, and it's led to criticism
:26:38. > :26:42.that the league lacks competition. The English Premier League
:26:43. > :26:44.is the most competitive league in the world,
:26:45. > :26:47.the top team to the bottom team. The money, the finance
:26:48. > :26:49.that's there allows every You don't quite have the investment
:26:50. > :26:53.and the money up here, but what we have to do at a club
:26:54. > :26:57.like Celtic is earn every single penny, get the most that we possibly
:26:58. > :27:00.can by winning the league, trying to qualify for
:27:01. > :27:03.Champions League, which is very, very difficult, and trying to keep
:27:04. > :27:07.growing the club. As the league winners,
:27:08. > :27:10.Celtic get Scotland's only Champions League spot,
:27:11. > :27:13.worth ?26 million this season. Has that cash created a gulf
:27:14. > :27:17.others can't bridge? Is it that Scottish football has
:27:18. > :27:20.fallen behind, or is it that Celtic And I think a lot is to do
:27:21. > :27:25.with what Brendan Rodgers has brought to Celtic,
:27:26. > :27:27.has meant they are driving Their sixth consecutive title
:27:28. > :27:35.will cement a dominance that shows The Flying Scotsman was back on one
:27:36. > :27:49.of Britain's most scenic tracks this morning,
:27:50. > :27:51.as it marked the reopening The route was closed
:27:52. > :27:56.by a landslip a year ago. I should warn you Danny
:27:57. > :27:58.Savage's report contains One of the most famous names
:27:59. > :28:09.in the world of steam on one of the most famous
:28:10. > :28:12.railway lines in Britain. The Settle-Carlisle route runs
:28:13. > :28:14.through the beautiful upland countryside of
:28:15. > :28:18.Yorkshire and Cumbria. But for 16 months, there's
:28:19. > :28:21.been no through-traffic Today, the line reopened and
:28:22. > :28:26.hundreds of people came along to see the celebratory service
:28:27. > :28:30.and to breathe a sigh of relief. It's absolutely wonderful,
:28:31. > :28:34.because it's my lifeline to get I'm a non-driver, but I do love
:28:35. > :28:38.to escape to the shops Although this wonderful
:28:39. > :28:42.old locomotive is attracting all the headlines today,
:28:43. > :28:44.the big issue for the more remote communities along this line is that
:28:45. > :28:47.they've got their main transport link back, and that means a return
:28:48. > :28:49.of visitors and business. ?23 million has been
:28:50. > :28:56.spent repairing the line. It's the biggest fix Network Rail
:28:57. > :29:00.has ever undertaken, Built in the 1870s, threatened
:29:01. > :29:07.with closure in the 1980s, this old-fashioned but much loved
:29:08. > :29:22.railway route is open again. Now on BBC One, it's time
:29:23. > :29:24.for the news where you are.