07/03/2018 Beyond 100 Days

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Beyond One Hundred Days.

A nerve agent was the weapon, say

British authorities investigating

the attempted murder of a Russian

spy and his daughter.

The two remain critical

after collapsing

in a public park in Salisbury,

England on Sunday.

The Kremlin continued to deny any

involvement.

Another major departure

at the White House.

This time it is the president's top

economic advisor who is stepping

down after a rift over tariffs.

Also on the programme..

A private message is on its way

from Pyongyang to the US.

We speak to a top American

diplomat on whether this

could be a breakthrough.

I'm so glad I had a bad day at work.

And I take up an unsettling

new sport - axe throwing.

Find out about the new craze

making its way from Canada.

Get in touch with us

using the hashtag

'Beyond-One-Hundred-Days'.

Hello and welcome -

I'm Christian Fraser in London,

Jane O'Brien is in Washington.

It's now known that a nerve agent

was used in an an attempt to murder

a Russian spy and his daughter

earlier this week.

British counter terrorism

police say Sergei Skripal

and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia

were specifically targeted.

The unnamed substance was so potent

that a police officer who was first

to respond is also now in a serious

condition in hospital.

Moscow has denied any links

to the attempted murder

of the former double agent.

And the UK government says it

continues to keep an open mind

while the investigation unfolds.

But the method employed, in a public

area, with such a toxic agent,

will only fuel concerns

that there was some

state involvement.

Tom Symonds reports.

Sergei Skripal was a man

with a shadowy past.

Relatives said he feared it

would catch up with him

but he was using his own name,

living a normal life, popping into a

corner shop last month

for milk and bacon.

Tonight, he and his daughter

are gravely ill and now, the police

have revealed why.

In summary, this is being treated

as a major incident

involved attempting murder

by the administration

of a nerve agent.

As you know, these two people remain

critically ill in hospital.

Sadly, in addition,

a police officer who

was one of the first

to attend the scene

and respond to the incident is

now also in a serious

condition in hospital.

Counter-terrorism officers are being

advised by public health agencies,

they say there is no obvious

outstanding risk and, they are

trying to work out what the Skripals

were doing in Salisbury after

arriving on Sunday.

Police are investigating

reports that Sergei

Skripal had lunch with a woman

at this Italian restaurant.

They were behaving

strangely, she had dark

hair, resembled his daughter

Yulia in this picture.

But police have already

seized this CCTV footage

from just before 4pm.

A man and a blonde haired

woman heading to the

area where the family were taken

ill on a park bench.

An eyewitness who saw

that has told us...

The girl was pretty,

blonde hair, I couldn't see

her face very well because

she was leant on him.

Blonde hair, dark hair,

detectives will need to sort

through a mass of eyewitness reports

and CCTV, to establish the truth.

The Government was briefed

on the inquiry today.

We need to keep a cool head

and make sure that we

collect all the evidence we can,

and we need to make sure

that we respond not to rumour

but to all the

evidence that they collect.

And then, we will

need to decide what

action to take.

But life in central Salisbury is now

dominated by the response to the

suspected poisoning.

At lunchtime this,

after a woman appeared

to have been taken ill at

the offices next to the restaurant.

Police would not discuss why there

was such a huge emergency response.

But with two lives in jeopardy at

the local hospital, it is clear why

the risk has to be taken seriously.

In a few minutes we will speak to

the former chair of the UK joint

intelligence committee to get her

thoughts on this developing story.

Here in Washington,

the revolving door of

the White House is spinning again.

The latest to go is

the president's chief

economic adviser Gary Cohn.

Last week it was one

of his most trusted confidents,

Hope Hicks, who resigned

seeking new opportunities.

She was his fourth director

of communications.

Another to go was the political aide

Rob Porter who was removed

following allegations

of domestic abuse.

Gary Cohn was always

fighting a losing battle.

When it came to trade

he was the free-market globalist

fighting the President's instinct

for protection and tariffs.

In the end something had to give.

Any other leader might question

why so many people seem

unable or unwilling to stay

on the job.

But Donald Trump seems to relish

the constant change.

So many people want to come in,

I have the choice of anybody.

I could take any position

in the White House

and I'll have a choice of the ten

top people having to do with that

position.

Everybody wants to be there.

And they love this White House

because we have energy like

rarely before.

And joining us now

in Washington is our

North America Correspondent Nick

Bryant.

Gary Cohn was an interesting figure,

seen by some as a Democrat in their

Republican administration but plenty

saw him as a moderating influence.

Exactly, this is the most

consequential departure we have seen

for that reason. Gary Cohn was seen

by Wall Street is a reassuring

figure in a White House in turmoil

and moderating endurance as well,

someone we believe persuaded Donald

Trump not to declare that China was

a currency manipulator and persuaded

him to renegotiate Nafta rather than

getting up the entire agreement. He

has been trying to rein in the

protectionist impulses of Donald

Trump and of course those

protectionist impulses have found

expression in the past week with his

plan to impose tariffs on aluminium

and steel which have sparked the

possibility of this global trade

war. And that it was bought was the

final straw for Gary Cohn.

The

lifeblood of the Republican party is

free trade and business, how much

influence will Republicans now have

on this in the White House without

Gary Cohn?

Well over the past week

boosting the triumph of the economic

nationalist, the most well-known was

Steve Bannon and he has gone of

course. He was the former chief

medical strategist and there are

economic nationalist left. Peter

Navarro was one of them coming he

once wrote a book called death by

China. And the Republican party has

long been the party of free trade.

Evangelical about capitalism. One of

the reasons for the liberalisation

of trade policy around the world is

that if modes capitalism and the

world and they believe free trade is

good for business. Many senior

Republicans made the case that a

trade war is something the US

consumers and manufacturers will pay

for. In the supermarkets and car

dealerships. But Donald Trump is not

persuaded by that, he has vacillated

on a lot of policies including gun

control that he has been consistent

on this promise to renegotiate trade

deals and to stop America being

taken advantage of by foreign

trading partners. That was the

message that resonated during the

2016 campaign especially in the rust

belt but got the presidency. With

the promise that he is determined to

keep with the intimidation of these

tariffs.

For more on the impact of

Gary Cohn's departure we are joined

now by Douglas Holtz Eakin,

who was an economic advisor

in the administration

of George W Bush and is now

President of the

American Action Forum.

Thank you for joining me. He went

through all this with President

Bush. And Teresita tried to impose

work overturned. Do you think that

the same could happen to these?

Almost certainly, one of the most

frustrating aspects of this episode

is they will be costs, direct costs

in the steel consuming industries

that will outweigh the benefits.

Costs in the form of trade

retaliation and degradation of the

world trading system and no benefits

in the end because the WTO will save

these are a violation and have to

go.

Even if they do go away can

confidence in the US as trading

partner the restored question mark I

think it has been shaken, I think an

enormous amount depends on the

outcome of the Nafta negotiations.

If that lands successfully with a

tripartite agreement with the

modernised Nafta that will be

against a lot of the rhetoric from

the president on the campaign trail.

And for the betterment of the North

American trading establishment.

Wilbur Ross said today, commerce

Secretary, that he's not looking for

a trade war but sensible relations.

Today I looked at the list that the

Europeans are providing and seems

they are already in the bunker. The

provisional list that they will

supply to EU member states, US goods

that they will target, steel and

industrial products, agricultural

products, peanut butter, orange

juice. It does not bode well.

It

does not and this is why their words

do not match the actions. It is not

that it is a hypothetical

retaliation, it happened before and

I was in the White House then, they

put up a list and promised it will

happen again. And it is a very

measured retaliation. It takes a

look at the scale of damage to

Europeans, it matches that damage on

US exporters and says OK, do you

want to go forward. If they were

paying attention to that and wise

enough to scale back or drop it, the

Europeans would also scaled back and

that would be the right outcome.

Maybe Donald Trump will look at

figures today, the American trade

deficit swollen to its widest level

in almost a decade. So maybe he is

correct and other countries are

taking the Mickey out of the United

States.

I think any sophisticated

analysis of the trade deficit

focuses on the mismatch between US

investment and savings as a nation.

That is the fundamental determinant

of why we had the trade deficit.

There's no tariff policy that would

change that and some of the things

that the president has accomplished,

his big tax cuts, larger deficits

and faster growth will almost

certainly widen that deficit. So

he's doing to frustration if he

believes these policies will narrow

the trade gap. - do to frustration.

Returning to our main story and be

suspected poisoning of Sergei

Skripal and his daughter.

For more on this, let's speak

to Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones -

she's the UK's former chair

of the Joint Intelligence Committee

and was a security minister

at the time of the spy swap in 2010

when Sirgei Skripal was transported

from Russia to the UK.

What does the implication of the

police saying that this is a nerve

agent because I understand they're

not especially easy to store or to

move.

I think we will have to have

further analysis. But

move.

I think we will have to have

further analysis. But I think most

people would conclude that it would

be a very concerted and organised

operation likely to be in the hands

of state to achieve that kind of

operation. So it does look like a

Russian effort.

As the former

security minister of course you

would know which kind of groups have

these nerve agents. I know that

Sarin gas is more commonly available

but this appears to be a very

sophisticated and potent nerve agent

and that is not something that crime

groups would get their hands on

necessarily?

Not easily. You have to

be careful about making an

accusation before we have full

evidence. But it does point in the

directions of being an operation by

Anna stayed.

Just to speak about the

slight dashed this by swap, you are

in position when what kind of

negotiations went on in the

background customer -?

Seven

protocols would have applied and you

would not expect him to be the

target of an operation of this kind.

But we also have statements that

appear to have been made by

President Putin about people who

fell into that category. So you

cannot necessarily conclude that the

normal protocol would necessarily

operate.

I suppose what will

surprise some people are there are

easier ways to kill someone who is

considered to be a traitor of the

state. You could push them out of

the window, shoot them, whatever. It

just seems to me using a nerve agent

in public in a city really is like

using a hammer to kill an insect.

Just a public way to do something.

Why would they do that?

You could

say the same about Litvenenko. And I

think there is a kind of right in a

particularly sophisticated and

unpleasant method of doing things.

-- pride. If you're going to put

this kind of thing into a country is

easier than the kind of controls we

have on weapons and knives and so

on. So I think it is part of the

style.

Thank you very much.

Diplomats from North Korea are

thought to have the communication to

give to the USA. Yesterday resident

Trump said John Yang seemed sincere

in its willingness to discuss the

possibility of denuclearisation.

He claimed tougher sanctions had

brought North Korea to this point.

Well one man who has been

at the table with Pyongyang before

is Chris Hill, the

former US Ambassador

to South Korea and he joins us now.

Is there anything different about

this new overture customer it seems

like deja vu all over again but what

is different is Kim Jung un has

never said anything like this and

suggested his nuclear programme is

on the bargaining table so this is

new.

And out of respect and

cooperation with the South Korean

think that the Trump administration

needs to hear this through and see

if there's something there.

What

more could they give in order to

facilitate the talks?

For the Trump

administration first of all I think

they made some harsh words but I

think it is important to keep

sanctions on. In fact there are some

sense that perhaps the sanctions

have had some role in perhaps

changing the North Koreans. So I

would hold tough on those but be

willing to work with the South

Koreans and possibly get some kind

of conversation and even negotiation

going. So it is very important that

they be cautious but not churlish

about this.

You talk about having a

conversation and I just wonder who

they would get to have that

conversation. United States has lost

its South Korean ambassador who was

really the expert and his supposed

replacement has withdrawn his

negotiation. - withdrawn his

application.

Well that is correct,

so it is a good question. I hope

they're not thinking Jared Kushner

at this point but certainly they

must start to staff up that State

Department and I think this special

envoy should be in the State

Department and hope there is a real

effort because you can't have

diplomacy without diplomats. That is

precisely what this administration

has been trying to do.

Present Trump

said it is his rhetoric has done

this, he could be correct and maybe

the North Koreans and Chinese have

moved because of this.

Whatever

happens he is going to claim credit

and that is fine. I think the South

Koreans are working with him to give

him credit so that is fine. The

question is how to go forward,

whether we can find something new in

this and whether we can do something

about this terrible situation on the

Korean peninsula.

Does the

involvement of South Korea help or

complicate negotiations?

I think

South Korea looks at North Korea

through a lens that is a bit

different from the way Americans

look at the issue. It is different

and I think we need to be respectful

of the fact that the South Koreans

live literally in the shadow of some

14,000 artillery tubes. We need to

understand when they talk about

peace and security on the Korean

peninsula is something affecting

them and their children. So they

have a different vantage point and

not at all helpful when Americans

call them week or whatever. We need

to stand close with them right now.

Thank you for joining us. Not much

trust on either side but one to

watch.

A BBC journalist has alleged

that she was sexually harassed

by the senior Russian politician

Leonid Slutsky.

Farida Rustamova, from

the BBC's Russian Service,

is the third journalist to openly

accuse Mr Slutsky of

improper behaviour.

The BBC is in possession

of a recording of the incident,

which was captured on a dictaphone.

Mr Slutsky denies the claims.

An outspoken archbishop

of El Salvador, who was shot dead

in 1980 as he celebrated mass,

is to be made a saint,

according to the Vatican.

Archbishop Oscar Romero denounced

repression and social

injustice in his country as it

descended into civil war.

No one was ever convicted

for his killing.

Coca-Cola is to make

an alcoholic drink.

The 125-year-old American company

says it wants to cash

in on a growing trend in Japan

for a fizzy, flavoured drink mixed

with a local spirit.

And that it will be

targeting a specific part

of the Japanese market.

And some incredible

pictures to share with you

from a volcano in southern Japan.

A series of powerful

eruptions has created

a huge volcanic plume,

which is now three-thousand

metres high.

Authorities are warning people not

to approach the area.

We've been talking a lot about trade

during this program -

particularly when it comes to steel

exports from Canada.

But there are a number of other

things the Canadians have

introduced to the world -

Justin Beiber, maple

syrup for instance.

And now we have axe throwing.

It's a new trend that reportedly

started with our neighbours

in the north and is trying to -

quite literally -

find its mark here in Washington.

Of course, I had to give it a try.

If you've had a bad day at work

or maybe you've fallen out

with your partner or burned a cake,

I don't know.

But what better way to ease

the tension and get rid of some

of that pent-up aggression than lob

an axe at a wall!

It's not like the

normal thing to do.

Let's go do something

I could end my life with today!

So when it comes to this,

everybody can kind of come

and experience something new.

It's a bonding experience.

And it's a lot of fun.

Now, step on your right foot.

Give it a good go.

Take it up.

Step.

Well, I hit the target.

You did hit the target.

That's a start.

It's really not that dangerous.

As long as you don't throw

like a crazy person.

And just try to have some fun.

Axe throwing is becoming

alarmingly popular in the US

having made its way

across the border from Canada.

There's even an axe throwing league.

That is quite a medal

you've got there.

How did you win it?

I threw it, I won this by throwing

large axes at the wall eczema

How did you do it,

because I'm hopeless.

What is your top tip for me?

I go with the two-handed

style, overhand.

No wrist action, that's

a common misconception.

No risks involved in the throw.

How does this make you feel?

It makes me feel like a man,

with a big hairy chest!

Clearly my technique

needs a little polish.

So after half a dozen throws,

I promise I won't do

anything bad with this.

I'm exhausted.

The axe is getting blunt

and I still haven't hit the target.

But, it's great fun.

And I'm so glad I've

had a bad day at work!

And so the night wore on.

Come on!

Once you've mastered

the basics there's no limit

to what you can do with an axe.

And then there's that golden moment

when it all comes together.

Yes!

Jane O'Brien, BBC News,

axe throwing queen of Washington.

Are you serious, there's nothing you

cannot do with the axe. Promise me

you will never show that video. I

have this image of being pinned to

rotating board with Katty Kay trying

to throw it at me.

Well the last

thing she said to me was to keep him

in line. Whatever it takes. Axe

throwing, you name it. And the last

time we spoke you with throwing

pizza dough. So I think that I win.

Not a axe.

Was it fun? Tremendous

fun, real adrenaline buzz. I have to

say ambassador Chris Hill left the

studio rapidly. He was there a

minute ago and suddenly he was not.

I just think you should all be

worried.

I imagine it is a bit like

screaming, scientists say it is good

for you to scream and let it all

out. The axe might be a good tonic.

Another story from China, state

media encouraging men and women to

settle for someone who is kind of OK

when choosing to marry. What they're

saying in newspapers is that people

are picky and they need to be less

fussy when it comes to picking a

partner. Apparently it follows

concerns about the low birth rate

the country for that newspaper

estate to many single people have an

idealised view of love that leads

them to reject people who are

perfectly reasonable partners. What

do you reckon, if you do not like

them you could just get rid of them

with an axe X Mac.

This is Beyond 100

Days from the BBC.

Coming up for viewers

on the BBC News Channel

and BBC World News -

Saudi's crown prince is on the charm

offensive in London -

with this visit to the UK

although it is a controversial one.

And the Stormy Daniels saga -

how a legal technicality

might allow this adult film actress

to tell all about an alleged

affair with Donald Trump.

That's still to come.

Good evening. There is a bit of snow

in the forecast tonight. Nothing

like the snowfall we had a week ago.

It will only be small areas of the

country affected. But some parts of

the Midlands could see some

additional snowfall tonight. It does

not look like much but it causes

showers to Darren together into a

slightly more organised area of rain

or snow. Meanwhile we continue to

see showers across parts of Northern

Ireland and western Scotland. But

further south we have much of the

rain and the snow. The snowfall

mostly reserved for higher ground,

the hills and mountains of Wales,

the North Midlands, parts of north

England. But later in the night it

may be that we see some snow

temporarily to those lower levels.

Temperatures falling away to

freezing or below across the

northern half of the country.

Further south not so cold. But we

could see some snow across the

Midlands and the north of England

and Wales. That could cause some

disruption of your BBC local radio

station will keep you up to date.

This area of snow and rain slides

away very quickly and then not a bad

day for many with some spells of

sunshine and just a scattering of

showers. And relatively mild

compared with what we had a week

ago. Highs of seven in Aberdeen, 10

degrees in London. Then on Friday

dry weather around, some showers in

the North, wintry over higher ground

and data during the day wet weather

pushing across the Channel Islands

and into the south-west of England.

Pretty heavy rain developing

courtesy of a frontal system pushing

its way north during Friday night

into Saturday. All driven by low

pressure. But with that out of the

west we develop a southerly wind

which brings in some pretty mild air

as we go through the weekend. So for

the weekend pretty mild, double

digits in the South and some rain at

times.

This is Beyond 100 Days,

with me Christian Fraser in London.

Jane O'Brien is in Washington.

Our top stories:

Police reveal that the former

Russian spy who collapsed

in Salisbury, England was poisoned

by a very rare nerve agent.

Another major departure

at the White House.

This time, it is the President's top

economic advisor stepping down

after a rift over tariffs.

Coming up in the next half-hour:

Fishing and finance -

the European Council gives more

details about what sort of trade

deal the EU would like in

a post-Brexit Britain.

Saudi's Crown Prince

arrives in the UK.

He meets the Prime Minister and has

lunch with the Queen,

but there are those not rolling

out the welcome mat.

Let us know your thoughts

by using the hashtag #beyond100days.

The British government has set

down plenty of red lines

in this Brexit negotiation.

Today, it was the turn

of the European Union.

In Luxembourg, they have

published draft guidelines

for the negotiations

of a future relationship.

The European Council President,

Donald Tusk, said the EU wants

a free-trade agreement with

zero-tariffs goods and reciprocal

access to fisheries.

But the document provides little

detail on financial services.

In London, the Chancellor

of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond,

said any deal that didn't encompass

Britain's service sector -

which includes banks -

would not be viewed as a fair deal.

Our UK political editor,

Laura Kuenssberg, reports.

A different Mansion House.

This time, in a Luxembourg garden.

But there's strife ahead,

even in this, the most

tranquil surroundings.

The European Union

revealed its response

to Theresa May's plans for Brexit.

It will make it more

complicated and costly

than today, for all of us.

This is the essence of Brexit.

A pick-and-mix approach

for a non-member state

is out of the question.

We are not going to

sacrifice these principles.

It is simply not in our interest.

Unfortunately, and we have to know,

there will be be no

winners after the Brexit.

Both sides will be losing.

The EU has been united

with that gloomy message.

But it was only on Friday

the Prime Minister said she wanted

an ambitious trade partnership

where the bloc but accepted

compromises would be made.

So how do the two sides compare?

The EU guidelines of a possible deal

say there will be negative

economic consequences.

And, while the Prime Minister

said all agreements mean

picking and choosing,

the EU insists the UK can't cherry

pick the bits of the EU it likes.

But the unions accepted

the goal of a trade deal

where there are no tariffss

but controversially,

only if the EU keeps access

to fish British waters.

Crucially there is space to budge.

The document says if the UK

positions were to evolve,

the union will be prepared

to reconsider its offer,

and there is the chance of brokering

a limited deal over services,

including the giant money machine

of the City of London.

Where the Chancellor shrugged off

the Brussels position.

They are very skilled

and disciplined in the way

they carry out negotiation.

It doesn't surprise me remotely that

what they have set out this morning

is a very tough position.

But Labour claims the Government's

approach is all over the place.

We can change the tone

into one of mutual respect

and we can get the deal

that

will protect the economy and jobs.

There are big gaps between

what the Government wants

and what the EU is willing to give.

And it is clear, it is easier

for Brussels not Westminster to call

the shots, but in this long,

tortured process, today is not

a moment of political panic.

It is clear from both sides

and from these guidelines, there

is a real conversation to be had.

President Trump is facing more

pressure from within

the administration and from outside.

It's emerged porn actress

Stormy Daniels is taking legal

action to have a non-disclosure

agreement about her alleged

relationship with Donald

Trump declared void.

Stormy, whose real name

is Stephanie Clifford,

claimed to have had an affair

with Mr Trump in 2006 and 2007.

The President's personal lawyer has

admitted paying Ms Clifford money

before the Presidential election,

but denies the pair ever

had a relationship.

Joining me now to discuss any legal

jeopardy this could put

the President in is Jonathan Turley

from George Washington University.

Thank you for coming in. This is a

story that's been rumbling on for

some time, so how does this court

challenge change it?

It really

involves a couple of surprising

details, one is that the president

was using a fake name during these

negotiations over what Stormy

Daniels refers to as the hush money.

His attorney, a man called Colin,

also used in a shoot name in all of

these fake corporate entities to cut

this deal. She is essentially saying

that the agreement is now invalid

for two reasons, and one is that the

president never signed it, in either

his real or fake name, and second,

and this is probably the stronger

argument, that the President's

lawyer has nullified the agreement

because he spoke publicly. The

agreement also says quite clearly in

a court document that she said she

had a year-long affair with the

president, something his attorney

has denied. That isn't just some

tabloid magazine, but a court

document, where she is under

obligations to be true.

It all

sounds a bit of a mess. What do you

make of the way this has been

handled by the attorneys in the

White House?

Any controversy

involving a porn star called Stormy

is probably not going to turn out

well, so it's definitely not a good

thing. This could be a serious

threat. John Edwards, who ran for

president, was indicted when a third

party paid off essentially a woman

he was having an affair with, and

she ultimately bore a child with

him. He was indicted and stood for

criminal campaign finance violation

charge. Bill Clinton followed the

same path, you had the filing of a

civil suit involving a relationship

before he became president, and

ultimately led to his impeachment

because he decided he wouldn't tell

the truth under oath. So these are

precarious waters for any president.

It was the lie that did for Bill

Clinton, wasn't it, the lie that he

told. What happens if Robert

Mueller, the special council, but

the president under oath and asks

him about this specific subject and

whether money changed hands. Is that

where this gets tricky for the

president?

It does, and that is the

high risk scenario. Because this

money has been alleged to be a

campaign finance violation, it falls

within the bailiwick of the special

council. He has been given a charge

allowing him to look at the election

and any crimes that arise in the

course of his investigation. He

could clearly ask the president not

only did he have this affair, but

whether this money was a quid pro

quo, whether it was hush money. The

president would need, like Bill

Clinton, to answer truthfully, no

matter what the embarrassment might

be. The Republicans in Congress

would be hard-pressed not to say

that it was an impeachable offence,

as it was for Bill Clinton.

How do

you think he has handled it?

Well, I

think it's interesting, in that the

political irony is that he might

well have survived the scandal of an

alleged affair with a porn actress.

He's handled allegations made

against him by women and, of course,

we had the tapes where he admitted

groping women publicly. The problem

he's in is any attempt to cover it

up. That, as Jonathan is saying, is

really the thing that is back to

haunt him. Had he just tried to

stick it out, there is all in

indication that this wouldn't have

affected his face, that women would

have continued to vote for him, and

it wouldn't have affected his

standing in the polls. This is the

sort of behaviour most of his

supporters just go, it's Donald

trump.

Like he says, I could murder

somebody on fifth Ave and they

wouldn't care, and maybe they don't

care about the consensual sex, but

perhaps they would care if there was

perjury or he walked into problems

over campaign finance.

Exactly, and

it's going to be an interesting

legal tussle.

Britain and Saudi Arabia are

pledging to build more than $90

billion worth of trade and

investment ties. The announcement

comes as Theresa May has met with

Mohammed bin Salman, the crown

prince of Saudi Arabia, who arrived

at the start of a three-day visit to

the UK.

Campaigners have been out in force

today, protesting Saudi Arabia's

record on human rights and the war

they've led against

the Houthis in Yemen.

But the pair have agreed a political

solution, say Theresa May's office.

She reminded MPs the two countries

have long-standing ties,

Our chief international

correspondent, Lyse Doucet,

is with me now.

I saw your interview with the

Foreign Minister yesterday. The fact

that Mohammed bin Salman is being

given the red carpet treatment

today, he had lunch with the Queen

and I think he's having dinner with

Prince Charles and Prince William

tonight, does that suggest that,

although it falls short of a state

visit, it is hugely important to the

UK?

To both sides, and the mention

is the United Kingdoms. Mohammed bin

Salman is 32. Barring some

unexpected development, and we

always have to expect that in the

volatile Middle East, he will be

King one day, and therefore Britain

will want to do with him. What

better time than when he is young

and when he is starting out. It is

first trip to Britain as crown

prince, and he has been put in

charge of a folio covering the in

Yemen and also social reform. I go

to Saudi Arabia every few months

and, in the space of a few months,

so much changes, but a lot doesn't

change, including the response to

dissent, which is always suppressed

immediately, and the war in Yemen

has dragged on longer than Saudi

Arabia expected. But there is a

close relationship. They are saying

it is more than a century long

relationship. The bedrock of that is

a tricky relationship, and most of

that trade is that defence. Britain

would to be the major suppliers of

arms, so it is controversial.

Dissent isn't tolerated and neither,

it seems is bad PR. Some

extraordinary adverts. I want to

show viewers a story in the God --

the Guardian written by Emily

Thornberry, and it was an attack on

human rights, she didn't like the

red carpet is being rolled out. But

the advert at the somebody has paid

for it, and if you drive from

Heathrow to central London today,

all along the route of the Mfor, you

could see billboards, bringing

change to Saudi Arabia, and they

have gone to some effort to make

sure it looks good.

They were aware

there would be billboards saying the

opposite, and when I went to the

Saudi embassy earlier this week,

they had reinforced security

measures and there was a fan going

around the embassy with a picture of

Mohammed bin Salman and say he

should not be welcomed. The fact

remains that he is popular at home.

He is of a generation, and the vast

majority of Saudis are of the same

age as him, 30 or under, and he is

bringing change, he is determined to

push, to pole, to drag his kingdom

into the 21st century, and it is

things that we take as bog-standard,

allowing women to drive and Goodison

on Mars, allowing women to sit in

sports in a mask, and we think, is

that it? He wants to make economic

change. He wants to diversify from

oil. There is much at stake, because

it is do or die. He knows that, if

Saudi Arabia doesn't change, it will

collapse. Wedge he is coming to the

US next week to continue the charm

offensive, presumably.

These are

long-standing relationships. Why

does he feel the need to consolidate

them in this way?

When he comes to

Washington, and I was in Riyadh for

President Trump's visit, his first

foreign visit as president, and the

strength of the relationship was on

the show. Saudi Arabia gave

unconditional support to President

Trump at a time where President

Trump was being criticised for his

travel ban, which was essentially

against majority Muslim countries,

when he was being criticised for

misogyny and everything else. I was

in Saudi Arabia at the time, and he

had across the board support, tinged

with, thank God President Obama is

gone, because there were so many

tensions. But income is President

Trump, who sees the main threat in

the region as Iran, that they need

to work together to fight terrorism,

and it is jobs, jobs, deals, deals.

President Trump was so excited about

how many arms deals he did when he

was in Riyadh, and that will

continue, that kind shoulder to

shoulder, the United States and

Saudi Arabia.

Always good to have

you in the studio. Nice to see you.

This is Beyond 100 Days.

Still to come - autonomous driving

and electric supercars.

We head to this year's

Geneva Motor Show to take a closer

look at the rides of the future.

Here in the UK, an 18-year-old

asylum seeker from Iraq has gone

on trial, accused of planting a bomb

on a London Underground train

at Parsons Green in south-west

London last September.

The jury has been told the device

was designed to cause

"maximum harm and carnage".

30 people were injured

when the bomb partially exploded.

Ahmed Hassan denies attempted murder

and causing an explosion

likely to endanger life.

Our home affairs correspondent,

June Kelly, has more.

SIRENS.

An autumn morning last year.

And today the Old Bailey heard how

an improvised explosive

device partially detonated

on an underground train just as it

pulled into Parsons Green station.

The partial explosion created

a large fireball in a carriage

carrying around 93 passengers.

Some were caught by the flames

and sustained significant burns.

The teenager on trial for the attack

was brought to court to face charges

of attempted murder and causing

an explosion likely

to endanger life.

18-year-old Ahmed Hassan,

an asylum seeker from Iraq,

is pleading not guilty.

When he arrived in the UK he told

immigration officials

that he had been forcibly taken

by the Islamic State group

and trained to kill by them.

He said he had got away

from IS and was in fear of them.

Today the court heard that

Hassan left his device

in a bucket on the train.

It was said to be loaded

with shrapnel to cause

maximum harm and damage.

And he had used the

volatile explosive TATP.

The prosecutor Alison Morgan

said of the passengers,

many ran in fear and panic.

They were fortunate.

Ahmed Hassan had fitted

the device with a timer.

He got off at the station before.

He was arrested 24 hours later.

June Kelly, BBC News,

at the Old Bailey.

You're watching Beyond 100 Days.

It is hard to overstate

the importance of the insurance

and banking sector to the UK economy

- over a million UK jobs, worth over

£120 billion to the economy -

and, as things stand,

London is one of the most important

financial capitals in the world.

So what happens after Brexit?

In an interview with the BBC this

week, the French economy minister

made clear that France does not

think financial services can be part

of any future EU-UK trade deal.

In a speech today, the Chancellor

of the Exchequer made clear

he thinks otherwise.

A trade deal will only happen if it

is fair and balances the interests

of both sides. Given the shape of

the British economy, and our trade

balance with the EU 27, it's hard to

see how any deal that didn't include

services could look like a fair and

balanced settlement. So I'm clear

not only that it is possible to

include financial services within a

trade deal but that it is very much

in our mutual interest to do so.

Well, Lloyd's of London is one

of the oldest financial

institutions in the City.

For 300 years, it has provided

insurance services across the world.

Katty and I have been chatting

to CEO Baroness Inga Beale

about Brexit, and I asked her

about the plans to move

a subsidiary to Brussels.

Over 80% of Lloyd's business comes

from outside the UK, and about 10%

of that comes from the EU 27. So

we've got a whole load of business

that will continue to be traded in

London, as it always has done. The

reason we are having to set up a

subsidiary in Brussels is to service

that piece of the business that is

just coming from the EU 27, and

that's about 4 billion euros of

business, and we will set up a legal

entity in Brussels and we will have

staff there, but a lot of the

activity and expertise will still

continue to sit in London. So the

busy, bustling underrating in the

trading room that you see behind me,

that will still be in existence and

it will be a key part of Lloyd's

business model going forwards.

What

does this mean in terms of jobs, not

just at Lloyds but in the insurance

market? How big a shift could it be

from the UK to the continent in

terms of job numbers?

We don't think

it will be that large. For Lloyds,

it's a small fraction of the total

employee base, or the total people

that work in the market. Over time,

it could be that more people decide

to have people situated in France or

Germany or Italy, because they see

business opportunity coming out of

it, so that's the way we are trying

to look at it, looking at it from

the newly -- from an opportunistic

point of view.

You have repeatedly

said you don't want any more

uncertainty, and you would like the

government to provide more certainty

to your industry. What is it that

you want the UK Government to do,

and how fast do you need them to do

it?

We have years and years of back

policies, and the life insurance

players and pension providers have

long-term contracts. The issue is

that, once we have exited the EU,

many of our firms are many insurance

firms will no longer be licensed and

they won't be able to service those

contracts, so one of our big asks is

to have certainty of being able to

service those contracts. That could

be provided by the regulator is

right across Europe, and by Europe I

include the UK regulators, they

could solve this, and that is of our

asks, if the government doesn't

negotiate some access to a single

market for financial services, the

regulators could still come up with

a rival option that would secure our

ability to service those customers.

You said that there are

opportunities and new in Europe. Do

you think there are worldwide?

The

US is by far Lloyd's largest market,

and we have long-standing

relationships in the US, and we

continue to see growth but, when we

look further afield to other

markets, Asia has a population of 4

billion.

You just set out right

there all of the worldwide

opportunities.

We believe there are,

but we've got to be able to still

look after our business within

Europe, so of course we spend, and I

spent, as a CEO, quite a bit of time

on Brexit, I have to admit, and

that's about defending what we have,

but any business wants to turn

everything they can into an

opportunity, so we must be positive

in our outlook. We believe there

could be good opportunities for

Lloyds within the whole of Europe,

including the whole way through the

EU countries, but also we must take

our eye off the ball of the above --

of the other opportunities. We've

been set up in Singapore for some

years, we celebrated ten years in

China last year, we set up in Dubai

a few years ago, and those centres

are becoming more and more important

for Lloyds overall global business.

My car didn't start this morning, so

I've got a vested interest in the

next piece of news.

Let's take you now to one

of the highlights of the car

industry's calendar -

the Geneva Motor Show,

which is on this week.

Maybe I could get a new car!

Even though the business may be

worried about the fall in diesel

vehicle sales and a possible trade

war with the United States,

there's still room to dream.

Our correspondent Theo Leggett

is there and had a tour of how

motoring might look in the future.

Here in Geneva, I am surrounded

by hundreds of cars which are either

on the market already

or soon to go on sale.

But what I really like about shows

like this one is you get

an indication of what manufacturers

think we'll be driving in a few

years' time so let's take

a look into the future...

Here we are in the future

and what do we have here?

This little machine is a robot taxi

because people will be living

in cities and they will want

to get around.

So come on inside.

Do take a seat because there

is plenty of room in here.

Now, one thing you might notice,

looking around, is there is no

driver, and that is because

this is a robot taxi -

it is the future, after all.

It is electric, it's clean,

it's green, it's an alternative

to buses or trams or other forms

of public transport.

So in one sense it is a taxi

but, remember, don't

complain about the driving.

How about this?

It looks like something

out of Blade Runner.

It's a new concept from Toyota and,

because it's from the future,

as you will see in the moment,

it has funky internal lighting.

It's also electric, self driving

but at least it does have a steering

wheel for when you really feel

like taking control.

Or how about this?

It's the new nucleus concept

from Italian designer house,

Icona, and as you can see,

it is basically a living

room on wheels.

Icona says this is not

being planned for tomorrow,

it's for the day after tomorrow,

it's a distant future idea -

but as you can see,

lots and lots of space,

there's a bar over there,

big seats - this one's so large,

you can even lie down

and have a sleep so that is

what I going to do, goodnight.

And if futuristic really

is not your thing, don't worry,

you can always come here

to the David Brown Automotive

stand where you can find

a new take on an old classic.

SIGHS.

Lovely.

Yes, that's more like it! My car is

in black and white as well. Not a

jump lead inside. All of the new

toys at the Geneva car show.

Before we go, take a look at these

pictures of an amazing

rescue in California.

This is my nightmare, I've just come

back from skiing with my children.

A five-year-old skier lost

consciousness after she was left

dangling from a chairlift

at the Bear Mountain Ski

Resort in Big Bear Lake.

This makes my stomach turn.

A ski instructor, who's

on the lift with her,

is holding her jacket as people

below gather with some

tarpaulin to allow her a soft

landing from the lift.

Well done to that skiing instructor.

He held on for quite some time.

Extraordinarily well done.