19/02/2016 World News Today

No new deal yet for Britain as EU leaders

Prime Minister David Cameron and other leaders had back

into talks tonight after a day of delays, so what hope

is there for an agreement on Britain's future membership?

US warplanes target Islamic State militants in Libya -

aiming to kill the man behind two attacks on Western

Also coming up - tributes are paid to the best selling author

She did something that in our society is unspeakable... She kissed

a black man. Her book To Kill a Mockingbird,

which was made into a famous film, And a first look at Virgin's latest

attempt to make space travel safe for tourists - but a flight

would set you back over After more than 24 hours

of negotiations in Brussels to reach a deal on Britain's future

membership in the EU, leaders are heading back

into another round of talks. Britain's Prime Minster David

Cameron had planned to return to the UK to fire the starting

gun on an EU referendum But discussions have been beset

by delays with several EU nations unhappy over plans to curb migrant

benefits and change EU regulations. One official described

the situation as "critical". Let's join Christian Fraser,

who is in Brussels for us. Good evening. Welcome back to

Brussels. In the course of the next hour we are expecting the 28 EU

leaders to return to the council building. We are watching the big

screens behind us. Finally they will go into their second working

session. It was supposed to be what was dubbed a British working

breakfast and then it became a lunch and now it is a dinner and we are

told by the Polish representatives who briefed us in the last few

minutes that they are closing in on a deal. They expect to have an

agreement by midnight tonight. But still, even at this late stage,

there are hurdles to overcome and we must take what we are being told

with some caution. We could go late into the night and into the early

hours of the morning. We've seen leaders going away from the building

in the course of a last few hours, to get some rest. It is been the

lawyers and lyrical advisers poring over the text, trying to find a way

throughout the political interests. We have even seen a picture of Anglo

Merkle in a chip shop in Brussels trying to get food and tried to get

her mind of the negotiations ongoing. No rest for David Cameron,

he has remained in the building and there has been a series of bilateral

meetings with the Czech Prime Minister, the Dutch Prime Minister,

the Danish Prime Minister, he is pulling out all the stops to try and

get a agreement. Let's hear from our European editor. Out of the car and

into the ornate's nest. One that he stirred up yesterday. I was here

till Friday in this party working through this and we made some

progress but there are still no deal. As I said, I would only do a

deal if we get what Britain's needs. We will get back in there and I will

do everything I can. Instead of healing a UK deal does morning...

The Prime Minister found himself in a grinding new world of talks. He

had told the wife and kids, he said, there could be some delay. A case of

laughing on the outside, not so happy on the inside. The Prime

Minister had promised to battle for Britain at the summit but the truth

is, after so many weeks and months of subtle diplomacy, travel,

meetings, selling his reform deal to leaders across Europe, he didn't

expect such a strong pushback on such a number of issues from so many

countries around the table here. The proposal currently on the table

doesn't satisfy all parties. We haven't finished yet. Digging his

heels in, the Hungarian Prime Minister, along with other Central

and eastern Europeans, is toughing it out over cuts to DU migrant

benefits. The French president has remained tight-lipped about

protections for the UK from the Eurozone legislation. The Belgians

and others opposed treaty changes to write Britain out of the deal of

ever closer union and then there is the Greek Prime Minister. He

hijacked this old so public opportunity to do some hard

bargaining. Help me with migrant arrivals and I will not stand in the

way of a British deal, he said. There is a will to get the deal done

here so 28 world leaders can get back to other pressing concerns. We

keep hearing about big gaps appearing between the countries on

big issues. They have been going on for months. How can be suddenly be

resolved? I do believe that each and every country pursues their national

interest. This is very logical. But at the end we all have to understand

that, if Great Britain leaves the EU, we all get nothing. There is an

element of smoke and mirrors here. All parties feel the need to be seen

to stand their ground. That is why proceedings are taking so long. It's

becoming clear that it's not only the British Prime Minister who comes

to do battle in Brussels. Some very interesting comments this evening

from the French president who of course spent in the opposite corner

to David Cameron. He has said on French radio tonight, we must not

give in to blackmail, but that British are asking David Cameron to

help them and I am trying to do all I can. One interesting thing he

raised was the issue of the treaty which Britain and France sign

together in 2003, meaning Britain is a letter to conduct its border

controls on the French side rather than on the uke K -- UK side. You

might remember the premises that, if Britain votes leave, it might return

to the UK side and we might see more migration into the UK. The French by

Minister was asked about that and he said there were ongoing negotiations

with the UK on this issue but if we open our border, there will only be

more migrants come to France. That has been the French Government

position throughout, even though they are under pressure from the

mayor in Calais to return those border checks to the UK side.

Interesting for the leave camp that the French president seems to be

ruling out the prospect for the moment. As is normal at these EU

summits, on the 28 countries get together and one or two of them

through extra cards into the middle of the table and a couple Kate 's

the negotiations. Our political editor has been examining the major

sticking points here for you leaders.

From the moment it joined the European community more than 40

years ago, Britain has had a troubled relationship with Brussels.

The Prime Minister after Prime Minister and the yapping conflict

with their European counterparts. And no, no! David Cameron hopes his

reforms will reset that relationship for good with what he calls a new

settlement. Above all, the Prime Minister hopes to do deter migrants

coming from the EU by limiting the benefits they can claim while

working and those they send home to their children. The deal will see

migrants having their tax credits phased in over four years and their

child benefit reflecting the cost of living in their own countries.

Critics say this will not make a difference. Sadly I think it is a

pantomime, what is been offered to us, moderate changes on this but if

it were formed, subject to change the order Parliament, possibly

overruled by the European Court. What is is a missed opportunity to

go for a really different relationship. The Prime Minister is

also looking to protect the City of London from financial decisions made

by euro zone countries as it begins a integrate their economies more

closely. The deal does include new safeguards to ensure financial

markets outside the Eurozone are not treated unfairly, but there is

uncertainty about who decides when the safeguards are triggered. Mr

Cameron wants the House of Commons here to have greater powers to club

together with other European parliaments and block EU laws. That

is achieved, EU governments will have to think again if more than

half of EU parliaments opposing the proposal. Element that help the

Prime Minister will bring substantial reforms, the fact that

these negotiations are taking time shows that the issues are serious. I

believe if you can, right and will be better off and it performed EU,

but we will have to await the outcome. Above all, the Prime

Minister wants some of these reforms to be written into the EU treaties

and be made more legally binding. In particular he wants his plan to

offer Britain out of more political integration to be written into EU

law, something many countries oppose as unnecessary. Even though there

was no deal tonight, campaigning has already begun for the referendum

that is to follow. Three years ago, David Cameron promised fundamental

and far-reaching change. The question now is whether he has met

that promise. Just in case you are under the

illusion that they are all getting on fine in that room upstairs, I

will read you a couple of messages we have had from negotiators who are

party to the discussions. A foreign affairs minister with the Czech camp

says, at the time passes, I am or perplexed of the British approach of

non-negotiation, quite unorthodox to say the least. This from the Slovak

Prime Minister, who says someone brought this issue to the European

agenda, it is as far as I am concerned home political affairs. If

that country would be a small country, it would be smacked and

asked to leave but in this case it is a big country, the UK, and you

know my opinion about a small dog and a big dog in politics. Some

quite scathing remarks from the sidelines of the summit this

evening. Clearly the frustrations are rising in the room. Europe wants

to on the death of the bigger issues, they think they are being

forced to talk about what is for in a domestic agenda. Let's get a view

on that. We can talk to the former Prime Minister of Italy, he joins us

on the line. Mr Marty, good evening. I know you have a lot of experience

of summits like this. What you make of the last two comments I have made

therefrom some of the smaller countries? The frustration boiling

over the British position? Yes, there is frustration in a way

understandable. I think more generally I remember when I was

still in office, still the Prime Minister, and David Cameron called

me to announce I believe it was his Amsterdam speech in early 2013 about

calling one day a referendum. Now that move turns out to be in

retrospect a political miscalculation because what seemed

at the time might have been a sort of bilateral negotiation between the

UK and the rest of the EU, three years later it turns out to be a

really very complicated multilateral negotiation because the EU is for a

number of reasons a much more fragmented entity. So Mr Cameron in

his speech could not even remotely imagine that three years later he

would be confronted with the reactions of the countries on

welfare treatment, the reactions of the Greek Prime Minister seizing

this opportunity to make sure that the other members of the EU to not

block the border with Greece and so forth. So I am not sure that in

retrospect Mr Cameron believes it has been a very good idea. We are

hearing from the number ten camp tonight that it has been a very ugly

day. We do not think they enjoyed it one bit. It is interesting you raise

that issue about then and now. There are some people in the room,

European counterparts, saying, the David Cameron really expect to have

this renegotiation? Back then he was in coalition, perhaps he didn't

expect to win the election. Maybe he didn't expect for this to be on his

plate. Here it is, he has to have this negotiation and now he's going

to have to have that vote later in the year which might have very

serious repercussions. Yes, I think it was a well meant intention but it

played out a bit like a speculative political bats and now he sees the

downside of that bet. I still hope that there will be an agreement,

that Mr Cameron will be able to sell it convincingly to the British

people, that the UK will stay in the European Union, which I believe is

in the overall interests of the UK and EU and I would pray for Mr

Cameron to avoid going down in history with a legacy of having at

the same time fragmented the EU by leaving the EU and fragmented the UK

by having Scotland leaving the UK, that would be the terrible scenario.

So I hope for all of us and for him that we are not going to that.

So I hope for all of us and for him Before I let you go, Mr Monti, Scher

is an anecdote or two of your time here in Brussels during the summit.

They go late into the night, you need real stamina. What goes on in

the room? Can you remember things that went on when you were here that

would surprise a few people at home? Yes, particularly I remember one

night, the night between 20 eight and 29th of June of 2012 when we had

a very tense Eurozone summit, which ended at 4:30am in the morning and

where I am happy to say it was possible in initiative which was led

by the Italian Prime Minister, so every member it very well, to allow

the German Chancellor to finish and the Dutch Prime Minister to accept

some vegetables of trivialization in the bond markets that was a very

critical turning point because it paved the way for the famous

announcement about doing what it takes and the journalists that noted

during that evening and at night there was another interesting

Germany versus Italy game that was in the semifinals of the European

cup and Italy came out winning! So you won twice over! Very good. It

was very good of you to join us this evening. We are grateful for your

time, for sharing some of those thoughts with us. Thank you very

much indeed. The former Prime Minister, Mr Monti. You're watching

BBC News. That was all of the latest developments in Brussels. Let's

review some other news now. A senior figure of so-called Islamic

state - thought to be linked to last year's attacks on tourists

in Tunisia - is believed to have been killed by American airstrikes

in neighbouring Libya. An IS training camp in Sabratha,

around 70km west of Tripoli, US officials said it was "likely"

that the strikes had killed the senior Tunisian extremist

linked to the beach attack Here's our security

correspondent Frank Gardner. Flattened by a US air

strike early this morning. This is all that remains

of what Washington said was an Islamic State

training camp in Libya. US Air Force warplanes

carried out the raid, flying from RAF

Lakenheath in Suffolk. Britain's Defence

Secretary personally Their main target was

a Tunisian jihadist. He has been linked

to two terror attacks including one in Sousse

which killed 38 tourists. We took this action against Sabir

after hearing that he and others This morning's Libby attack

was the most significant It took place here at Sabratha

in a camp to the west A lot of most of those

killed were North Africa One of those is said to have played

a major role in the terror attacks Yet IS's main strength

is concentrated around Sirte Recruits continue to come

in from North Africa and It will take rebuilding the state,

strengthening the authorities and making sure that training

camps like this But this is the reality

in much of Libya now. A country awash with arms,

competing militias, no rule of law and no functioning

central government. Libya is fast emerging

as Islamic State's second The Pulitzer Prize winning

author Harper Lee - She was best known for her

classic novel the bestseller Lee, who was from Alabama,

published the book in 1960 and it would be another 55 years

until she released her second Our reporter looks

back at her life. She did something that

in our society is unspeakable. The character Atticus Finch was the

moral heart of this story of racism, injustice in childhood and board

many similarities with her own father. It is a sin to kill him

mocking bird. And Harper Lee was also something of a tomboy. She

studied law for a while but then decided to write. Her inspiration

was a life in Monroeville in Alabama and the turbulent fight for civil

rights. It was the town that witnessed the case of a black man

murdered after being accused of being brewed to a white woman. His

killers went free. Defang the defendant guilty as. It radiates

through the book, described as the nation's novel. 50 years on, she was

still given awards. I have my work cut out for me for the next 15

years. One, raced novel. But the writing, as you can see from this

letter, she had planned a series of novels but her friend said it was

hard to do with the reaction to Mockingbird. I think what it really

began to snowball and then it really began to snowball to the top of the

mountain, I wonder if it sneaked up on her after a while. Whether it

overwhelmed her. So the arrival of the second book more than 50 years

later was more than unexpected. The manuscript had been locked away for

years, it had been written before the killing mockingbird. It was an

instant bestseller but it wasn't to kill him mocking Bird. A million

copies a year is still sold. Generation after generation have

been moved by Harper Lee's story of justice, decency and setting up for

what was right. She did really didn't need to write another word.

Thousands of mourners are paying their respects to the former US

Supreme Court Justice who died last week.

His death has complicated an already turbulent election year.

It gives President Obama a chance to appoint a more liberal successor

to Justice Scalia - but Republican leaders believe

a replacement should not be named until the next

Barack Obama and the first lady are expected to pay their respects

Sir Richard Branson will reveal a new version of his

Virgin Galactic SpaceShip later today.

Sir Richard is part of a commercial space race among rival billionaire

entrepreneurs, as they vie to send the first tourists into space.

Our correspondent Andy Moore reports.

Under construction at a hangar in the Mojave Desert.

It looks much the same as its predecessor but most

The new vehicle is essentially the same as the previous one.

But we have incorporated a lot of small changes,

Which have, I think, made a significant, overall

The Virgin Galactic SpaceShip is lodged at altitude

The testing programme was well advanced when it was folded

Soon after separation, the co-pilot prematurely operated

a control that should only have been used for re-entry.

The craft broke up and fell to the desert floor.

He was killed, the pilot survived with serious injuries.

An investigation found it should have had safety systems to take

account of the possibility of human error.

The main thing is, space is difficult.

We are trying to do things here that nobody else has managed to achieve.

I think the beautiful planet we live on, Earth,

through space, we can do many, many things to help this planet.

Richard Branson was a much younger man when he first launched

the project in 2004, saying the first passengers would be

in space in a few years' time was up many of them have paid $200,000

upfront and they still do not know when they will get to fly

After the tragic loss of Mike it would have been

wrong for them to cancel the project.

It meant he would have lost his life in vain.

Branson has plenty of competitors hot on his heels.

Blue Origin is planning to use a reusable rocket.

It is a crowded marketplace and the prize is to make space

An Aston Martin DB10 car designed for the latest James Bond film

"Spectre" has sold for some $3.5 million at auction,

The car was one of ten made for the 007 movie that saw

Daniel Craig reprise the famous role for the fourth time.

The sale was the biggest of the night in a charity auction

EU leaders are heading into another dinner meeting with no deal yet

Discussions have been beset by delays with several EU nations

unhappy over plans to curb migrant benefits and change EU regulations.

Good evening. Usually at this point on a Friday night I would summarises

the weekend forecast in a few words or a simple headline, but this

weekend it's a bit more complicated than that. Largely because of this

weather front that stretches right back across the Atlantic. It is the

dividing line between