26/01/2018 World News Today

This is BBC World News Today.

I'm Samantha Simmonds.

Our top stories.

Donald Trump tells world leaders -

it's America first -

but not at the expense

of the global economy.

But America first does not mean

America alone. When the United

States rose, so does the world. --

rose.

The death of a Canadian

billionaire couple -

now police say they were murdered.

What Brexit differences?

The UK minister in charge denies

a government split on how to handle

the departure from the EU.

Also in the programme.

Paris braces itself for more

flooding with water levels set

to peak this weekend.

Hello and welcome

to World News Today.

"America First does not

mean America alone" -

that's the message from Donald Trump

speaking at the World Economic Forum

in Davos in Switzerland.

He told an audience of business

and political leaders that the US

was doing "fantastically well"

and was "open for business."

But he hit out at what he called

other countries' "predatory"

trading practices.

Our North America Editor

Jon Sopel reports.

Wherever Donald Trump has gone

in Davos, the crowds

have gone with him.

And wherever the cameras have

been, the President has

been pleased to oblige.

I hope we're going to bring

back many billions of

dollars into the US.

I think that will happen.

It's already happening.

But billions of dollars is coming

back into the US and I think

that will just continue.

How much today?

How much?

Probably a lot.

And that was the theme

of his speech.

America first, yes, but an America

welcoming the world.

I will always put America first,

just like the leaders

of other countries should

put their country first also.

But America first does

not mean America alone.

When the United States

grows, so does the world.

But at the end of a week

in which the US imposed extra

charges on some imported goods

from China, he played down

talk of a trade war.

Nevertheless, there was a warning.

We cannot have free and open trade

if some countries exploit the system

at the expense of others.

We support free trade,

but it needs to be fair,

and it needs to be reciprocal.

Because in the end, unfair

trade undermines us all.

Some stood to applaud,

but it wasn't the ovation given

to President Xi of China last year.

This hasn't been a complete meeting

of minds, but then again

it was never going to be.

That said, Donald Trump has been

more conciliatory than many

would have expected,

and the audience have

reacted more warmly.

It may be that Davos 2018 turns

out to be a win-win.

The President has now

left the Swiss Alps,

and if not yet a fully paid-up

member of the Davos set,

he will probably be invited back.

There's a lot they liked

about what Donald Trump said,

and who would disagree

with his central message,

that a booming US economy is good

for the global economy?

Jon Sopel, BBC News, Davos.

In what could be seen as a blow

to President Trump's

America First agenda -

the aviation company

Bombardier has won its case

against proposals to impose tariffs

on their imports into America.

The BBC's Samira Hussain gave me

this update from New York.

So Bombardier had created a series

fleet of planes and there were some

big American Airlines that have

purchased these planes one of which

was dealt airlines, they had

purchased 125 of them -- Delta

airlines. But Boeing, the plane

making giant of the United States,

they cried foul play because they

believed Bombardier was price

dumping, lowering the price of the

planes in order to make it more

attractive for American buyers, and

they took their complaints to the

administration, to the commerce

Department, the US commerce

Department last year said, Boeing,

you are right, and they levied a

300% tariff on any of those Boeing

planes coming into the United States

and clearly that makes it

prohibitive, so what Boeing did,

what bombard the -- Bombardier did,

they appealed to a US body, and just

now the ITC has voted unanimously in

favour of Bombardier and that means

the tariff that was initially placed

put in place by the US commerce

Department is now Boyd.

How have the

companies reacted?

Bombardier is

really quite pleased with the

outcome, of this vote, and it really

comes to many people as a surprise,

many believe that the ITC was going

to vote in favour of Boeing. Boeing

has said it is quite disappointed,

not surprisingly, but they have also

said that it will not stand by as it

watches Bombardier participate in

illegal business practices and

jeopardise American workers and I

think that phrasing is interesting,

because right now the White House,

the Trump administration is very

receptive to any companies that are

crying foul as a result of unfair

trade practices, so as you pointed

out, this really does hit Mr Trump

exactly where it hurts in terms of

what he was talking about,

protecting American interests.

President Trump has

dismissed as "fake news",

reports in several newspapers

that he tried to fire the man

investigating alleged collusion

with Russia during the 2016

Presidential election.

It's alleged Mr Trump was only

stopped from sacking Robert Mueller

by White House advisers.

It's a claim the President

addressed head on, in Davos.

You are going to fire Robert

Mueller?

Fake news, folks. Typical

New York Times.

Gary O'Donoghue has

the latest on this

leak from Washington.

There were stories at the time that

Donald Trump had considered firing

Robert Mueller, the special counsel,

and since then he has interviewed a

bunch of people, Robert Mueller,

around 20 staffers from the White

House have been spoken to by the

special counsel and he has also

spoken to a member of Donald Trump's

Cabinet, Jeff Sessions, the Attorney

General, so it's not entirely

surprising if some of that stuff

started to leak out. But use or a

flat denial from the president that

he had even considered it, but what

is new today is the idea that when

he floated or supposedly floated the

idea last June it was the White

House counsel, the most senior

lawyer in the White House, that he

was the one who threatened to resign

if the president did that. That is

the new piece of information. It has

got everyone concerned again about

whether or not he is still thinking

about doing that and Democrats have

been trying to introduce legislation

which will prevent him from doing

that, even though the legal position

seems to suggest he would have a

hard time doing it, anyway.

Canadian pharmaceutical billionaires

Barry and Honey Sherman

were murdered in a targeted killing

- police in Toronto have said.

The couple were found hanged

in their home six weeks ago.

Officers originally

ruled out murder.

The couple's children disputed this

and hired private investigators

who claimed the pair

had been murdered.

Now police say they agree.

Their deaths shocked the Canadian

communities, one of the country's

ridges couples, billionaires Barry

Sherman and Honey Sherman were found

dead in their Toronto home in 2017,

and in the days following their

deaths were being treated as a

possible murder-suicide. The family

denied that, saying no one close to

the couple believed this, they

criticised the initial handling of

the case by authorities, hide their

own private investigator and

conducted an independent autopsy and

say they are not surprised that six

weeks later authorities now say they

are treating their deaths as murder.

There are no signs of forced entry

on all access points to the home and

Honey Sherman and Barry Sherman were

found deceased in the lower-level

pool area. We believe now after six

weeks of work that we have

sufficient evidence to describe this

as a double homicide investigation.

And that both of them were in fact

targeted.

Barry Sherman founded the

pharmaceutical giant which sounds

generic medicines worldwide and he

and his wife were well known for

their donations to hospitals and

charities and Jewish organisations.

The police do not have any links and

so the mystery of who killed the

Shermans continues.

Let's take a look

at some of the other

stories making the news.

Residents in the South African city

of Cape Town have been warned

to "save water as if your life

depends on it" to avoid

the supply being shut off.

A severe drought has seen

consumption limited to 50

litres per person per day.

Now officials are urging people

to switch off their toilet

cisterns and limit flushing

to conserve water.

Formal coalition talks

have begun in Germany

to try to break four months

of political stalemate

following September's

inconclusive elections.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's

conservatives are seeking to form

a government with the country's

second-biggest party,

the centre-left Social Democrats.

Top chefs from as far afield

as the US and Japan have

attended the funeral in France

of one of the prime exponents

of their art Paul Bocuse.

They filled Lyons cathedral

in their hundreds, dressed

in their chefs' whites,

to pay homage to a man nicknamed

the Pope of French gastronomy.

South Korean authorities

are investigating a fire that

swept through a hospital,

killing as many as 40 people.

It took firefighters several

hours to put it out.

The fire is the country's

deadliest in almost a decade.

It's now emerged the building didn't

have any sprinklers -

even though it was built only

a few years ago.

Laura Bicker reports from Seoul.

Black smoke billowed

from the emergency wing,

as firefighters tried to get

to patients trapped inside.

There were nearly 200

people in the building.

Many were elderly.

Those who escaped needed

urgent treatment.

Others died on their

way to hospital, most

from smoke inhalation.

Firefighters said they did

everything they could.

TRANSLATION:

We prevented the fire

from spreading to the second floor

in the early stages,

so that we could secure the second,

third, fourth and fifth floors.

As crews inspect the blackened

shell of the hospital,

it was revealed that no water

sprinklers had been installed.

This is the deadliest blaze

in a decade in South Korea,

and the government said

there would be a thorough

investigation.

TRANSLATION:

The president has

ordered an investigation to figure

out the exact cause of the fire

and come up with measures to prevent

more fires at building complexes,

as well as preparing support

measures to promptly cope

with the personnel and property

damage caused by this fire.

Just last month, 29 people

were killed in a fire

in a sports centre in Sejong.

An inquiry found there were too

few emergency exits,

and it had been built

with flammable materials.

Questions are now being asked

about safety regulations

in South Korea, and what needs to be

done to prevent something

like this happening again.

Laura Bicker, BBC News, Seoul.

Stay with us on BBC

World News, still to come.

Paris is braced for more

flooding with water

levels in the city set

to peak this weekend.

This is BBC World News Today.

The latest headlines:

Donald Trump tells business leaders

at the World Economic Forum

in Davos that he's

putting America first.

But he offers friendship

and partnership in

building a better world.

Canadian pharmaceutical billionaires

Barry and Honey Sherman

were murdered in a targeted killing

- police in Toronto have said.

Britain's future relationship

with the European Union is again

causing tensions in the country's

governing Conservative Party.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer

Philip Hammond has suggested

the relationship post-Brexit might

only be a little different from now.

That's sparked an angry reaction

from those in the party who want

a clean break from Europe.

Alex Forsyth reports.

In Teesside today the Brexit

secretary was trying

to calm troubled waters.

Surrounded by businesses

dependent on EU trade,

he promised certainty and continuity

when we leave.

David Davis set out the Government's

plans for a transition period of up

to two years after Brexit.

This is a bridge to a new future

partnership, where crucially

the United Kingdom is outside

the single market and outside

of the customs union.

He said for business

there would be no dramatic change,

but the UK would start to talk trade

with other countries,

all to be negotiated with the EU,

but for now it's comments

by his Cabinet colleague

that is causing problems.

The Chancellor said there could be

very modest changes in EU relations.

If the Cabinet can't

agree on its position,

how can you possibly

negotiate with Brussels?

Look, I'm in politics,

and people debate,

and they have different views.

There's a diversity of views on this

subject, in all parties.

That doesn't mean that we don't have

or can't have a coherent

and forceful view, in the interests

of the United Kingdom.

Ministers don't always

want their divisions laid bare.

Today the Chancellor insisted

he backed the Government's view.

I was speaking about our trade

relationship with the EU,

and it is the Government's policy

that we want to maintain the maximum

possible access to markets,

and the minimum friction

at our borders.

But the businesses Brexit

will affect say the political

discord is damaging.

This car parts manufacturer

in Redcar relies on being able

to import from and export to the EU,

and its boss wants far more

clarity from the Government

about its long-term Brexit plan.

I think it's been pretty

shambolic, and I just want

them to get on with it.

From the contrary statements

coming out and infighting

that is happening, I don't know

what they're expecting to achieve,

I don't know what their targets are,

because it's just wishy-washy.

Businesses like those

here which rely heavily on trade

with the EU crave certainty.

The Government says that's what

the transition phase will offer.

The trouble is, the Conservative

Party simply cannot agree

on what should come beyond.

And as talks slowly approach

future trade relations,

what has so far been a fragile truce

among the Tories looks rocky.

Alex Forsyth, BBC News, Teesside.

Hundreds of people have been

evacuated from their homes in Paris

as the city braces itself

for more flooding.

Tunnels and roads have been sealed

off and the bottom floor

of the Louvre was closed.

It follows the wettest

January in Northern France

for over a century.

And it's not over yet -

flood waters are expected

to peak this weekend.

The BBC's Hugh Schofield has been

stepping out to bring us the latest.

For the second time in a year and a

half Paris is waking up with its

fetid water, and we were reporting

almost exactly the same story in

2016, in June, the land unable to

absorb the excess rainwater and then

this water coming down into the

capital, where there is localised

flooding now, this residential

building, and the ground floor here

has been boarded up. These are flats

where people live and they have

moved out. Looking across the river

that is where the commuter network

comes into the city and that has

been shut down because it has been

flooded, if you live in a barge you

would be told to move out and the

big museums have once again started

moving their precious items from the

basement to higher levels. Every

time there's a flood in Paris they

say, is this the big one? There is a

prediction every hundred years there

will be a big flood like in 1910,

this one Phil Peat on Saturday at

six metres above the norm and it is

not the big one -- this one will

peak on Saturday.

And now all the sport.

Roger Federer will look to match

Novak Djokovic's record six

Australian Open titles when he takes

on Marin Cilic in the final

in Melbourne on Sunday.

Federer had an unexpectedly quick

semi-final when his young

South Korean opponent,

Hyeon Chung, was forced to retire

with severe blisters.

Nick Parrott reports.

Even in a tournament full of upsets,

few would forecast a downturn

in fortunes from Roger Federer.

With the roof closed in Melbourne,

the atmosphere would provide

for his semifinal, but few things

could distract the greatest.

The Swiss won the toss, electing

to receive and showed his intent,

breaking the unseeded outsider

at the first attempt.

And early on, the South Korean got

an inkling luck wasn't

going to be on his side.

At 36, there are cracks

appearing in Federer's game.

But at 21, Chung lacked

the experience to exploit them,

resisting the inevitable was made

harder for Chung with

his mobility hampered.

Federer was blistering, too,

but with brilliance.

It all proved too much,

and trailing 5-2 in the second set,

the pain was such that

Chung couldn't continue.

I've played with blisters

in the past and it hurts a lot

and at one point it's too much

and you can't take it any more.

There's no way you can come

back and you can make it

worse so that's why it's better

to stop, and that is why

this feels bittersweet.

I'm pleased to be in the final

but not like this, and he has

played such a wonderful tournament.

Credit to him for trying so hard

today.

Despite the pain of his

defeat, Chung can leave

with his head held high.

Optimistic that his future is

bright.

Federer will face

a tougher challenge trying

to win his 20th Grand Slam

against Marin Cilic on Sunday.

South Africa's Test against India

will resume tomorrow

after today's play was abandoned due

to a dangerous pitch.

Chasing 241 to win

the match in the final

innings at the Wanderers,

South African batsman Dean Elgar

was hit on the grille

of his helmet by a short ball

from India's Jasprit Bumrah.

The strip was cracking leading

to uneven deliveries

and the umpires stopped the match.

However, it's been decided

it can continue tomorrow.

Everybody wants to see Test cricket,

the matches in a good position, but

the issue becomes what is not safe

and what is not fit, and I think

when the ball loops from a length

and hits somebody in the face, that

is when the match officials feel it

is unsafe, but we will definitely

want to play if the conditions are

safe but that is for the match

officials to decide and not us.

England might have won the one-day

series already but there will be no

whitewash after defeat against

Australia this morning.

England were put into bat and got

off to the worst possible start,

losing their first five wickets

for just 8 runs.

Things did improve slightly,

with Chris Woakes hitting

an excellent 78 but their total

of 196 never really

looked like being enough.

Australia cruising to that target

with 13 overs to spare.

And now to the FA Cup. Alexis

Sanchez started for Manchester

United, and he was involved in the

first goal for them, helping to set

up Marcus Rashford. Mata has just

had a goal disallowed for offside.

Ander Herrera with the second offer

Manchester United against Yeovil.

Thank you.

It's been nominated

for seven academy awards -

and star Frances McDormand

is the favourite to take

the best actress Oscar.

Three Billboards outside

Ebbing Missouri is a story

about a grieving mother's

fight for justice.

The BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz

has been speaking to the film's

writer and director,

Martin McDonagh.

My daughter was married seven months

ago...

Frances McDormand, the angry

and unflinching briefings mother.

Ghosh grieving.

She

Martin McDonagh has a

Oscar-nominated for his writing but

not for his directing, is he

disappointed?

Not really, because my

mate has got nominated in the other

category. It would have been nice.

You, get over here.

No, you get over

here.

One of the criticisms of Three

Billboards is that the Sam Rockwell

character, the policeman, he's a

racist and he's treated

sympathetically.

He is definitely a

racist and a bully and I would not

say he is treated sympathetically,

but I was trying to see the hope in

all of these people. If you say that

is treating a character

sympathetically, to a degree it is,

but the point of the film and I hope

what people come away with, is the

possibility of change in people.

If

it was me I'd start up with a

database and every male baby that is

born I would stick him on it and as

soon as he did something wrong,

cross-reference it and make certain

it was a correct match and kill him.

We have heard many speeches from

people in the film industry saying

it is time for a change, do you

think summing fundamental is

happening?

It feels like something

new and great is happening, I've

been in rooms at the last couple of

awards ceremonies and it is palpable

and it does feel angry and it feels

like it won't go away and I think

that's great. It feels like a change

is probably happening.

The Oscar

ceremony at the beginning of March

might point towards that change with

surprising winners and quite

possibly a forthright acceptance

speech from this lady.

The Guggenheim museum

in New York is reported to have

turned down a request

from President Trump to borrow

a painting by Van Gogh

for the White House -

instead offering him

a solid gold toilet.

The Washington Post says

the Guggenheim apologised for not

being able to furnish the Trumps

with Van Gogh's Landscape With Snow

but expressed hope

that the alternative

would be of interest.

The fully functioning 18 carat gold

toilet is the creation

of artist Maurizio Cattelan,

titled 'America'.

Don't forget you can get

in touch with me and some

of the team on Twitter -

I'm samanthabbcnews.

Stay with us.