not in brussels nor in london. after all, most europeans, including almost half the british voters wish that we would stay together, not drift apart. as for me, i will not pretend that i am happy today. but paradoxically, there is also something positive in brexit. brexit has made us, the community of 27, more determined and more united than before. i am fully confident of this, especially after the rome declaration, and today i can say that we will remain determined and united also in the future, also during the difficult negotiations ahead. this means that both i and the commission have a strong mandate to protect the interests of the 27. there is nothing to win in this process, and lam nothing to win in this process, and i am talking about both sides. in essence, this is about damage control. our goal is clear. to minimise the cost for the eu citizens, businesses and member states. we will do everything in our power and we have all the tools to achieve this goal. and what we should stress today is that as for no

delivered a letter to the council president in brussels. the economic and political costs of brexit could be high for both sides. not least, further separation. scotland, for example, is now talking about leaving the united kingdom. there is also some rumbling amongst other euro skeptic member countries to will brussels seek a tough pardon to deter copycats yet good that is one of the questions you want to talk about here on quadriga. our town today, "brexit - a painful divorce?" that is the question we want to talk about with our guests. it is a pleasure to welcome petra pinzler, a journalist for die zeit. for great britain, the times after will be worst when the people realize their country is bound to the e.u. with less influence. catherine hickley is a british author based in berlin and a former correspondent for bloomberg. she says the decision to leave the e.u. will likely lead to the breakup of the united kingdom. it is a pleasure to welcome david charter, and berlin-based correspondent for the british there is noays that evidence th

katya adler, bbc news, brussels. in her statement to mps today theresa may said she'd negotiate for the whole of the uk, taking into account the interests of the nations and regions. well, let's see how her words have gone down. in a moment we'll be talking to chris buckler who's in county tyrone and sian lloyd in cardiff but first to our scotland editor sarah smith in edinburgh. scotland's first minister today said she does wish to reason a success with upcoming negotiations because a good uk deal is in scotland's interests, but she is not optimistic about that. she described the process as a leap in the dark. the scottish government have not been terribly impressed with the promise ofa terribly impressed with the promise of a significant increase in powers for the scottish parliament theresa may mention today because they said they haven't had any commitment on what powers might come to holyrood after brexit. of course nicola sturgeon is busy writing a letter of her own at the moment, one she will send to the prime

the ft says theresa may's letter was seen in brussels as conciliatory and flexible. the mirror reports on the tension, with germany's angela merkel rejecting an early start to talks on a new trade deal. the i has a picture of britain's ambassador handing over the article and nigel farage beams from the front of the express with a celebratory pint. the guardian says mrs may's comments on security cooperation were seen by many in brussels as blackmail. and nigel farage beams from the front of the express with a celebratory pint. so let's begin... beginning with the express, he looks very happy. no turning back on eu exit, 2316 days after the express started its historic crusade to free britain from brussels, theresa may insists there is no turning back. caroline, this is your sister paper. they have said this several times, once we get going we are not going to change our minds, and theresa may said the same. what they are drawing attention to is that the daily express and to a lesser extent the sunday express really led the agenda on brexit. if you look at that 2316 d

we're live in brussels. in talking tax, president trump prepares to be briefed on various ways to implement sweeping changes including controversial border adjustment tax. it morning. this is "bloomberg surveillance ." i'm francine lacqua in london. it is going to be a great show. we will be speaking to the

the focus may switch to brussels. for so many weeks and months since the result nine months ago, the discussion has been mainly in westminster. but after it has been triggered, momentum will shift to brussels. we are expecting some brexit guidelines to be circulated within 48 hours of article 50 being treated. then there will be a special meeting of the 27 remaining eu leaders towards the end of april, and they will discuss their main negotiating positions until negotiations get under way in earnest in may. we are just highlighting that yes, brexit is dominating everything the british government is doing at the moment, and there are concerned leaders gci’oss and there are concerned leaders across the eu as well, but there are other things going on in other countries. elections in france and germany. theresa may is going to need to convince other eu leaders and politicians of the deal she wa nts for and politicians of the deal she wants for britain, but she is going to have to get their retention as well, because the

let's join ben brown in brussels. then, give is appealing, what is the mood there for britain and the eu now that this historic event has taken place? —— then. that this historic event has taken place? -- then. this was reflected in the tone of donald tusk, sadness, a bit of sarcasm, perhaps in his tweet that after nine months the unit -- tweet that after nine months the unit —— the uk has triggered brexit, almost saying why has it taken so long after the referendum? the european union throughout its history has been growing and has countries knocking at its door saying, please let us into your club, and suddenly, here, you have the british permanent representative, sir tim barrow, handing over a letter saying, actually, we want out of your club. it isa actually, we want out of your club. it is a new experience for the european union and their identity, i think. one of the things we haven't quite cottoned onto here is the importance of money for the eu 27, that the britain is one of only a handful of net donor

neither in brussels nor in london. in other news, a week on from the terror attack in westminster, a vigil has been held to remember the victims. hello, and welcome to an ask this brexit special. theresa may has finally fired the starting gun on the process of britain leaving the eu.

we're live in brussels. in talking tax, president trump prepares to be briefed on various ways to implement sweeping changes including controversial border adjustment tax. it morning. this is "bloomberg surveillance ." i'm francine lacqua in london. it is going to be a great show. we will be speaking to the shadow brexit secretary, the portuguese finance minister, and a brexit committee member. the vice president of the european commission also joins us a little later on. the four we get the brussels, let's get straight to the bloomberg first word news. here's nejra cehic. nejra: president trump will be briefed later on various ways to implement comprehensive tax code changes. he will be presented with possible changes i officials including gary cohn. that is according to people familiar with the meeting. french presidential candidate francois fillon's wife penelope has been charged in the fake jobs probe according to reports by french media outlets citing unidentified judicial sources. her husband has been

we will either news conference for now in brussels. unprecedented and reg retta ble, in brussels. unprecedented and regrettable, two of the words described —— used to describe today's events. let's rejoined ben brown. diva hofstadter was taking a tough line. he said it wasn't a question of revenge or punishment. setting out some tough lines for the next few yea rs of some tough lines for the next few years of negotiations. the president of the european parliament also saying that to not be a member of the eu cannot be the same as being a member. in other words, whatever deal varies with britain, it can't be as good as the deal that the 27 other countries inside the eu have. let's get the thoughts on all of that from my guest, from an economic think tank. european parliament taking a hard line? i think the european parliament wants to take a ha rd european parliament wants to take a hard line now to have a strong influence on the negotiations and on the final outcome of the negotiations, because in the end they have to say yes or no. they are not in the day—to—day negotiati

our europe editor reports from brussels. reporter: the man with the burning letter in his briefcase. good morning. ambassador. he arrived without much fanfare at the council building. this isn't just an historic day for the u.k.. for the eu it is a momentous, never to be forgotten, kick in the teeth. visibly unhappy, this was the recipient of britain's letter starting the brexit process. usk, the man who represents all eu member states here in brussels. mr. tusk: there is nothing in this process -- i'm talking about both sides. this is about damage control. reporter: so the letter has been delivered. what now? the european commission is the lead negotiator for the eu when it comes to brexit. the commission's vice president. how can negotiations even start with both sides at loggerheads? the u.k. wants divorce talks and talks of a new trade deal in parallel. the commission says no, divorce comes first. >> that is part of how we negotiate. everyone starts with its own interest and tries to formulate its own interests in the be

neither in brussels law in london. after all, most europeans, including almost halve the british voters, wish that we would stay together, not drift apart. we already miss you. thank you and goodbye. that was the view of the european council. later, the european parliament gave its reaction and made clear what its priority was in negotiating a brexit deal. the european parliament must defend citizens' rides. this is why we need an agreement based on continuity, reciprocity and non—discrimination. not reaching a deal on the right of citizens means not reaching a deal at all. plenty of reaction there and it is worth remembering of course that the european parliament does have a veto. lead guitar you quickly about the calendar events going forward. we will get some sort of response on friday from the european council president donald tusk. it will then probably take him a few weeks to come up with an opening position which is agreed by the 27 countries. in fact, there is a coming together of the european council at the

they will decide, not brussels. controlled immigration because we can't remain pa rt immigration because we can't remain part of the single market...|j immigration because we can't remain part of the single market... i hear about hard and soft brexit. we need to talk about what the single market means. no tariffs, no bureaucracy, on the other side, you will take it from a luxembourg judge and you will at allow anyone to come in from the european union. it's those two things people really did vote about. let's have this argument in another place, not just let's have this argument in another place, notjust on those two issues. there'll be a lot of businesses, wealthy people, politicians, the media, we need to say, let's stop this division. let's bring the talent together and see how can this work for everybody, and that is that letter, in a way, when it mentions businesses and people, because people are not his knees and business is people. we have talked toa business is people. we have talked to a lot of people who a

donald tusk, the man who represent all eu member states here in brussels. there is nothing to win in this process, and i'm talking about both sides. this is about damage control. european commission president jean—claude juncker was also down in the mouth. i'm sad. i'm deeply sad. but beneath that sadness, palpable resentment among some eu leaders today that theresa may appeared in her letter to link the likelihood of a good trade deal, so hoped for by britain, with continued cooperation on security, so needed by the eu. i think that irrespective of what an agreement can be, what sort of agreement you can do on trade at the end of the day, we remain part of the same family and we should remain committed to fighting terrorism. so what now? well, the european commission is the lead negotiator for the eu when it comes to brexit. frans timmermans is the commission's vice president. but how can negotiations even start, i wondered, with both sides at loggerheads? the uk wants divorce talks and talks of a new trade deal in parallel. the commission says non — d

danjohnson, bbc news, brussels. let's speak to our europe correspondent, chris morris, who's at that meeting in malta. in the shadow of brexit, what's your sense of the mood today? it was interesting, kate, the fact that angela merkel virtually didn't mention brexit. there was a subliminal message that it's not all about you and we are moving on with the other issues which concern us. but clearly in the margins that has been an awful lot of talk about brexit. there is that mood of regret and sadness but we also hear from eve ryo ne and sadness but we also hear from everyone that we will be united on this. i know it's an easy thing to say, but over the last five years of covering the eu, i'm not sure i've ever seen the other countries are united as they seem to be at the moment on brexit. sure, the uk will try to chip away and pick off specific countries on specific issues but at the moment i think they do realise that in unity lies strength. the next step, and donald tusk, the president of the european council is he

and brussels! the world's biggest insurance market confirms it's moving some of its business to the continent in response to brexit. we hear from the boss. and can a tech firm that makes lists really be a multi—million dollar business? we meet the man behind listable — the firm that promises to make employing people easier. he'll explain how. today we want to know, what are your questions about brexit? we'll be answering your questions on this friday's edition of business live. let us know. just use the hashtag bbcbizlive. welcome to the programme. we start of course with brexit — as the massive task now begins of agreeing the terms of britain's departure from the european union. there's a huge amount at stake for businesses here in the uk — and across the remaining 27 eu countries in the form of a trading relationship worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year. a failure to strike a trade deal would be damaging to all sides. but who really has the upper hand? let's look at the numbers. i

are brussels bureau chief. another interesting eu summit tonight. as always, think you very much. -- thank you very much. one of europe's acute problems, how to deal with turkey and erdogan. earlier today, angela merkel told parliament, here in berlin, that is imperative that germany and opera -- ankara not grow more distant. >> green party members of parliament were t-shirts expressing support for the imprisoned german turkish journalist. they had to leave the chamber. underlying conflict remains. chancellor angela merkel used her speech to reiterate her outrage at turkish president erdogan's statements that germany engages in nazi like practices. >> these comparisons to the nazis has to stop. >> merkel added that germany has profound differences of opinion with turkey on the market see justice, freedom of expression and freedom of the press. merkel again criticized a referendum on the turkish constitution. on the other side, it is said that germany started the conflict by meddling in turkish affairs. >> we are disappointed by germany's attitude in

danjohnson is in brussels. this flow of signals, dan, to do with a refusal to consider discussions in parallel, if you like, the divorce terms and the future trade deal, how much of a setback will be if that kind of message continues? i think that would be a major blow to the british government‘s position. it‘s what theresa mayle hung her negotiating strategy on. the signs are she isn‘t going to get what she wants on that. certainly, the european leaders who responded to article 50 being triggered so far have hinted that that‘s not what they want. that‘s not the best way they think this negotiation should proceed. so they wa nt to negotiation should proceed. so they want to see more of a staged process. where things are worked through in consequence more slowly, more time is taking and the two yea rs more time is taking and the two years is spent primarily working out exactly how britain will untangle the eu from every aspect of life that it reaches into. then after that, perhaps with transitional arr

brussels fell silent today at ceremonies marking the exact moment those attackers struck the airport and the central subway station. take a listen. reporter: the sound of fear. this was a scene moments after two explosions ripped through the check-in area of the international airport in belgium, one year ago. just over an hour later, another attack. a bomb detonated in a train in the city center. ♪ reporter: one year later, hundreds gathered outside the brussels airport to remember the suicide attacks. ♪ [solomon music] -- [solemn music] reporter: observing a moment of silence before hearing from survivors. >> march 22, 2006, the day our lives were turned upside down. the day the unimaginable happened. the day i lost my beautiful wife. many times i ask myself what is -- if? what if we had left 10 minutes later? what if we had driven a bit slower? what if? reporter: in a small park leading to the airport, another commemoration took place. ♪ reporter: this sculpture ruined in the attack had been a familiar meeting point. its restoration a symbolic gesture of resilience one year a

we will go live to brussels with analysis of today's events. also on thee program, a man-made catastrophe with hunger used as a weapon of war after two years of civil war in yemen. we report on millions of people facing the eminent prospect of famine. the scandal over turkish agents spying widens. this german member of parliament is on thehe list of targets dran up by turkey's intelligence service. my name is christopher springer, thanks for joining us. the united kingdom has formally launched the process of leaving the european union. in brussels, european councncil resident donald tusk receiving a letter earlier today from british prime minister theresa may triggering that divorce. in london, may told parliament that brexit was an opportunity for the u.k. to become stronger and fairer. >> prime minister theresa may made history today, ceiling brexit and thereby radically changing the course of great written. -- great britain. after signing the process for the exit of the european union, he addressed in the's -- mp's. >> in accordance with the

and brussels! the world's biggest insurance market confirms it's moving some of its business to the continent in response to brexit. it will be up and running by january 2019. lloyd's has warned that without the move, brexit could have a significant impact on its continental business — which generates £2.9 billion a year — that's11% of its business. hennes & mauritz is launching its eighth brand and is investing heavily to get its clothes faster into shops. the announcement comes after it reported sluggish sales growth. the new brand, arket, will be launched this autumn, starting with a shop in london, and will offer more expensive clothes than h&m for men, women and children the us economy grew faster than initially estimated in the final months of 2016. the economy grew at an annualised pace of 2.1% in the fourth quarter of the year, up from an earlier estimate of 1.9%. the upward revision was partly due to stronger consumer spending. financial fraud losses across payment cards, remote banki

we will end up living with a brussels stitch—up u nless up living with a brussels stitch—up unless the liberal democrats get our way, that the british people have a final say in way, that the british people have a finalsay ina way, that the british people have a final say in a referendum. the only thing to be decided now really is whether the politicians here at westminster and in brussels decide our future, westminster and in brussels decide ourfuture, or westminster and in brussels decide our future, or whether the people get the final say. so we are defiant, respectful but defiant, saying the people must have the final say. ukip and the tories effectively merging makes our case all the more strongly because moderate people normally support the conservatives must understand their party now no longer exists. thank you very much. let's get reaction to that right now. and the news of douglas carswell's departure. don't know if you were able to hear tim farron say now that theresa may is effectively the leader of ukip, that the conservatives have taken over your territory, what's your re

i don't know why you were in brussels, you can reveal all ina you were in brussels, you can reveal all in a moment, but wednesday is the day that theresa may is the trigger article 50, which formally begins the negotiation process for the uk to exit the european union. it is, it is very much the talking point here in the united kingdom, and actually even in brussels, which many see as the capital of europe, you know. and what i thought was really interesting is, with this particular story, the way that there isa particular story, the way that there is a clear admission in many cases 110w is a clear admission in many cases now that the united kingdom doesn't have the expertise for the negotiations in this divorce. and in europe it is generally accepted, and in brussels on friday, i was sitting there over lunch, and an official said we know they don't have the expertise. and what does that mean? it means the two years that people are talking about, that the process will take, that everything should be settled within the two year period is unlikely. it will not happen within the two year

laura kuenssberg in brussels, thank you. and laura has a special programme on bbc two this evening — brexit: britain's biggest deal. that's at 9pm, or you can watch it on the bbc iplayer. staff atjohn lewis and waitrose, who own the company and receive a yearly bonus, have seen that bonus cut to to the lowest it's been since the 1950s. the john lewis partnership chairman said it had been reduced for the fourth year in a row because of uncertainty about inflation and the impact of brexit on the value of the pound. a church of england bishop has turned down a promotion after his congregation protested about his opposition to women priests. the right reverend philip north, who is currently the bishop of burnley, was selected as the next bishop of sheffield injanuary. mr north said it was clear his appointment would be ‘counter productive' to the mission of the church. last month we brought you the story of nemleyjunior — a baby chimpanzee freed thanks to a bbc investigation — from wildlife traffickers in ivory coast. tw

yes, a momentous day here in brussels. the european union, in its history, has only got bigger, with new countriesjoining history, has only got bigger, with new countries joining and today, suddenly with the letter handed to donald tusk, the european council president, here was a country saying, no, it wanted to leave, so let's discuss where we are, where this leaves the european union with my two guests here outside the european commission building, tom nuttall from the economist magazine and jeppe kofod from the european parliament, of the socialist and democrat. a day of history but i is saddened by what has happened today? very saddened. coming from denmark, wejoined at the very saddened. coming from denmark, we joined at the same time as the uk, so for us, it is like losing a sibling, it is not a day forjoy, not for the uk or for europe sibling, it is not a day forjoy, not for the uk orfor europe or denmark or anybody else. is it a day you thought would ever happen? you knew of course that there were a lot of euroscep

laura joins me from brussels now. we heard earlier the prime minister refusing to accept a manifesto pledge has been broken, but how much pressure is the government under, over this? i think there is a lot of pressure on them and in a way this has been one of, if not the most bumpy yesterday for theresa may's government since she took charge. backin government since she took charge. back in the heady days of the summer. back in the heady days of the summer. she's in trouble for two reasons. firstly, because of breaking that manifesto promise, even though she was trying at pains to get off on bat on a technicality, if you like, about how legislation went through the house of commons. but also because of who this tax rise will actually affect. for many tory mps, what she and the chancellor are doing is basically going after the tory tribes, going after their own people. the pm did have a couple of reassurances. she said the legislation won't come in until the autumn. she did hint at a package of measures, saying this ba

katya adler, bbc news, brussels. the brexit clock started ticking from the moment the letter of article 50 was delivered today and there will be two years to negotiate. what happens nextnext? on friday, the european council will set out proposals. a month later, at a summit, the other 27 states will debate and then be asked to approve. then they will talk. first, the french and german elections to be held in may and september. negotiations should finish by october next year. the uk and the european parliament will vote on it. that is the plan. but there is no precedent for it. james robbins has been looking at the challenges ahead as the negotiations get under way. the europe which britain married into over a0 years ago looked and felt quite different. just nine states in a predominantly economic community. steadily, membership grew, the ties that bind reached further and further across europe. the project became more political, the union ever deeper, until british voters opted for divorce. but that very complexity m

but brussels does not wa nt to terms as well. but brussels does not want to do that, does it? it does not want to talk trade initially. article 50 itself says the final agreement must make reference, only reference, to the future trade agreement, not a detailed plan. and of course it is in the interest of the eu to some extent get everything else sorted out first and leave the trade until later because the uk has more at stake than the eu. to leave it later to some extent is playing a tough bargain. will have to wait until 2018 unfortunately until we get real clarity about what the real arrangements will look like. for businesses, whatever they are, financial, import and export, they have had to make contingency plans anyway. many are planning for a hard brexit. there will be winners and losers. give us your take on that you are right. yesterday the prime minister said she wanted a brexit for anyone. old trade deals by definition have winners and losers. who could be the most exposed? those in the agricultural sector, manufacturers, carmakers, textiles, food and beverages, and

katya adler, bbc news, brussels. well as katya mentioned, the european council's draft guidelines state that after britain leaves, no agreement on britain's future relationship with the eu may apply to gibraltar without agreement between madrid and london. earlier, i spoke to gibraltar‘s chief minister, fabian picardo, who said brexit was complicated enough without spain trying to complicate it further. well, i think it is clear that what spain has done is what she has traditionally done so she became a member of the european union. it is to use the eu, now in the context of the brexit negotiations, to steal a margin of her claim to the sovereignty of gibraltar. these are d raft sovereignty of gibraltar. these are draft outlines, we are ready see spain making emus she might have made as five minutes to midnight. with an agreement ready, she is doing that now. and frankly, i think it is singling out travolta unfairly. gibraltar is not the culprit of britain and should not be a victim of brexit. a letter from the sco

brussels' opening bid could be as much as 50 million quid. what are eu citizens living in the uk and uk citizens living in the eu, are they going to be able to stay where they are? of sides want this part of the deal sorted out pretty quickly. 0k, this part of the deal sorted out pretty quickly. ok, so, we splitting up. but what sort of future relationship are we going to have? how will the uk and the eu do business? a formal new trade agreement is going to take years to figure out. if there is a divorce deal, that might help smooth over the split. this is also a divorce before the deadline. they have just two years to hammer this out. the clock starts ticking now. germany's federal prosecutor has begun investigating accusations that turkey spied on turks living in germany. it follows reports that turkish intelligence gave its german counterpart a list of alleged supporters of fethullah gulen. he's the muslim cleric that turkey blames for last year's failed coup. german ministers said spying by ankara on turks living in germany would not be t

molly: meabh mcmahon joining us from brussels. we are staying in the belgian capital as there is a lot going on today. haveve nato messengers who gathered for a summit, and among them, u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson feared he is set to push nato allies to increase defense spending, arguing that washington carries too much of the financial burden. for more, let's go to fear benefit a -- to pierre. what is at stake in this meeting? the first point is one that have already talk about, which is the dire financial situation of nato. i do not mean to say the financial need that has gone faceup, but the united states today face for about 68% of the global spending nato members. it is an old request, old demand from the u.s. that the other 27 allies cough up, if you will, in since 2014, it is now nato textbooks that all allies should pay up to 2% of the militarygdp in spending, and today, only eight of nato allies do reach these objectives, and rex tillerson has reiterated this morning the call for better european spending on milit

ben joins us now from our brussels studio. in terms of whatjean—claudejuncker had to say, was a romantic notion? was it serious? he has a very twinkly turn of phrase and he is a bit of a tease and i think he knew what he was saying. he deeply regrets brexit is happening and so do other eu leaders. he thinks it is a mistake for britain. he thinks both the eu and britain will lose out. he does not want it to happen, but he does not think within his lifetime we will be knocking on the door asking for re—entry. they know it will happen and in a way it is already happening. the formal negotiations cannot start yet until theresa may triggers article 50 in a letter, but she was not in the talks this morning while the remaining 27 think about the future, map out their priorities and talk about the negotiating position they are going to adopt. i had a strong sense that brussels is ready for the letter and they want theresa may to get on with it. it would be fascinating to have been a fly on the wall listening to all their observati

neither in brussels nor in london. ina rare neither in brussels nor in london. in a rare interview inside number ten, the prime minister promised that despite the challenges our relationship with the rest of the continent will be just as good. what we are both looking for is a comprehensive agreement which provides the ability to trade freely into the european single market and for them to trade with us. there will be a different relationship but i think will have the same benefits in terms of free access to trade. an assertion that will take a lot to prove. won her counterparts in europe struggle to believe. but the time for preparation is up. it is now time to try and persuade. the president of the european council, donald tusk, said the remaining member states would pull together during the talks. and he confirmed he would set out his planned negotiating guidelines on friday ahead of a special summit next month. with her assessment of the view at the heart of the eu, here's our europe editor katya adler. the man with the burning letter in his briefcase. good

but berlin and paris have moved everything to brussels and the negotiations are being conducted in brussels with support from burning. at the moment we have the commission and the council, the mexican negotiations all working together -- brexit negotiations working together. let's explore that further. there has been some suggestion that mr. garnier deals with the divorce and not issues surrounding trade. its talk about parallel and sequential and how this will work. reporting over the past few minutes suggest that the trade deal could be started earlier than the conclusion of the divorce bill if the divorce bill is proceeding and some key milestones have been met. can we delve into your views on how this will actually work, the sequencing of this whole thing? judy: the sequencing is only beginning to be known now and i saw the report and barney a has set out three stages over the next 18 months. seems very short, but he wants to concentrate minds. there is not an appetite among -- all countries for a parallel trade deal. there might be a chance it talks are going well and if they reach a c

given what has happened in london, paris, brussels, and so on. and then that we have british citizens living in these countries, and you've been a dicey situation if you did that and ended up inadvertently with your own british citizens being injured in those attacks, should they happen on foreign soil. that was the last bargaining chip. this is the new one. i think there are enough for them to raise it, but they have to be catalogued the tone, and i think that the daily mail's idea of whaling is the guardian's idea of a normal part of negotiation. we can see where the blackmail line has come from. he said he was being nice so he did not use the word blackmail. maybe it was an inaccurate translation. you would have to be naive to think they did not think about it. the guardian, page three, the diplomats of tim barrow. he held theresa may's handbag. can we also showed the picture and draw a parallel, look at his legs! look at his derrier. even in up the sexism? a nice suit. what do you think? that is standard eu issue? do you think is legs are nic

benidorm feels a long way from brussels. but when article 50 is trickled there today, it will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of british people in spain —— triggered. whether it's for better or worse, brexit‘s happening, and here on the south coast of spain, where there are more british expats than anywhere else in europe, it's causing anxiety, what happens to their pensions, free access to healthcare and their right to stay here in the years to come. at the costa blanca mail voice choir, keith livsey is thinking about packing up and returning to britain after 23 yea rs. and returning to britain after 23 years. i gave up my residency three yea rs years. i gave up my residency three years ago “— years. i gave up my residency three years ago —— weeks ago so i had to go to england injanuary and i've started to pay tax in england. but i just personally see the british government giving half £1 billion to spain soi government giving half £1 billion to spain so i can stay here. —— £500 million. and t

katya adler, bbc news, brussels. the brexit clock started ticking from the moment the letter was delivered to brussels, and the parties will have two years to conclude negotiations on britain's exit. so what happens next? on friday the european council will set out its proposals for the negotiations to come. a month later at a special eu summit the other 27 member states will debate — and then be asked to approve those proposals. the talking will then start, but big decisions may have to wait till after the french and german elections held in may and september. the negotiations should finish by october next year when the uk and eu parliaments would both vote on the final deal. that's the plan — but the path ahead is uncertain and there are no precedents for it. our diplomatic correspondent james robbins has been looking at the challenges ahead as the negotiations get under way. the europe which britain married into over a0 years ago looked and felt quite different. just nine states in a predominantly economic com

expected to be herfinal may is in brussels attending what's expected to be her final eu summit before she triggers britain's departure from the eu. she's facing pressure over calls for the uk to pay a bill of tens of billions of euros when it leaves. meanwhile, donald tusk has been reconfirmed as president of the european council despite the objections of his own country's government. 0ur correspondent damian grammaticas is in brussels. let's deal with the big exit bill first. why does britain need to hand over so much money? well, we don't know the number that is going to be put on it. there has been a lot of sort of talk about different figures, and we will see once article 50 is triggered. but essentially the discussions will revolve around commitments that have already been made. so that is things like the uk's share of all the pensions that have been built up by eu staff, including british staff who worked for the eu, that is something that will exist into the future, how much money should the uk put into that? the uk's share of items that have already been approved, spending tha

so what has been the response to theresa may's announcement in brussels? correspondent. brussels? dan theresa may's announcement in brussels? dan johnson joins us theresa may's announcement in brussels? danjohnson joins us live from the belgian capital. the from theebeleian caoital. 1 foregéeile 50 to be awaiting for article 50 to be triggered. this announcement actually came during an announcement the eu chief spokesman here, this morning he confirmed they had that notice from had that- notice from the had had that advance notice from the uk government and said, "we are ready to begin negotiations, we are just waiting for the later letter. everything is ready on the side." sources on this site suggest they ffifiees 1111 the 1111 1111135111 thee the efifi‘ee 1111 the 1111 1111313111 heee the is 511-3111 111 11:1 111 1555311 h1111 the i is better 1111-3111 111 11:1 111 1111111111 h1111 the i is better prepared 1111-3111 11 1'11 111 1111111111 h1111 the i is better prepared for feel the eu is better prepared for this doing it 1h111 w7 — feel the eu is better prepared for th

katya adler, bbc news, brussels. authorities in europe and australia have announced a sweeping tax avoidance probe. dutch investigators say they have received information about 50,000 suspects and reported the seizure of paintings, a gold bar and jewellery and have arrested two people. they have not named the bank but credits lease has been contacted. —— credit suisse. but credits lease has been contacted. -- credit suisse. it is switzerland second largest bank but also a huge player in the global financing and it has admitted that its branches in paris, amsterdam and london were raided... credit suisse asset visited. .. and london were raided... credit suisse asset visited... and that london were raided... credit suisse asset visited. .. and that they were cooperating fully. the dutch also visited all make raided a bank in holland and confiscated not money but goods. it is a classic trick with trying to hide your assets are investing in jewellery, with trying to hide your assets are investing injewellery, painti

ben brown, thanks very much, with the latest in brussels. so just to underline, the letter starting britain's exit from the eu has been delivered, but what happens now? theresa may says there is no turning back from the triggering of article 50, but could the uk still change its mind perhaps and reversed that decision? is it possible? chris morris has been investigating. 0ur reality check question, can we change our mind about article 50? well, guess what, it's complicated and that's because article 50 of the lisbon treaty was written with a deliberate lack of clarity, it doesn't say whether it can be revoked once it has been triggered, so revoked once it has been triggered, so both legally and politically, opinion is split. downing street has suggested the question is irrelevant, it's got no plans to try and reverse this decision, so the debate is purely theoretical, but it is hard to find a minister being definitive about article 50. the justice secretary liz truss has said my understanding is that it's a revoca ble, my understanding is th

we are live and westminster and brussels. vonnie: how global markets are reacting to brexit near-term and long-term. the pound sterling on this historic day. and company news, samsung set to unveil the latest version of its flagship smartphone, will it get the company back on track? mark: have a look at where european equities are trading now. 30 minutes left until the end of the wednesday session. theresa may triggered article 50 today. european stocks rising, they have been up and down. currencies falling against the dollar today. sovereign bonds and commodities and credit default swaps. let's get to the big story. let's get to the triggering of article 50. , this iserful function the landing page for all things related to elections and demographics for european countries. the part that is interesting, all of it is interesting, is this, post-brexit gdp forecast. the u.k. post-brexit forecast down. ireland and lithuania and romania, these are the countries affected by the brexit vote to pull the u.k. out of the eu. this is t

i'm ben brown at the european commission in brussels where the clock is now running on two years of negotiations — on the terms of the uk's exit from the eu. receiving the six page letter, the president of the european council, donald tusk, said there was no reason to pretend that this was a happy day either in brussels or london. here it is. six pages. the notification from prime minister, theresa may, triggering article 50. we'll bring you all the latest news and reaction throughout the day from here at westminster and across the uk and european union. also this afternoon: there has been a moment of silence on westminster bridge to remember the four people who died in the terror attack here, exactly one week ago. good afternoon from westminster. after 44 years as a member of the european union, the formal process to take the united kingdom out of the eu has begun. this lunchtime a letter, signed by theresa may, has been handed to the president of the european council, donald tusk, in brussels. in it she says the referendum was a "vo

i am here in brussels. i came for the euro group meeting of finance ministers who use the euro currency yesterday. today we will have the ego sent meeting for finance ministers of the entire european union. the focus was really meant to be greece yesterday and trade today, because we are getting a visit from shinzo abe today to discuss a trade pact with the eu. but the spotlight has been stolen by brexit, as the british government announced that theresa may would trigger article 50 next week. what has been very interesting is the order in which these negotiations will happen. will britain have to pay its dues first, before negotiations start eating into its two years negotiation time? will it be able to negotiate a treaty for trade post-brexit the same time it negotiates its exit from the european union? i bring back bnp paribas senior investment strategist daniel morris. how important are these questions? how key is the schedule and the timing on these negotiations? >> well, certainly it is going to be cru

we report from brussels as $200 million is raised forfamily brussels as $200 million is raised for family planning schemes brussels as $200 million is raised forfamily planning schemes in developing countries to counter cuts introduced by donald trump. marine le pen could face charges relating to treating graphic images of islamic state atrocities. emmanuel macron has launched his manifesto and francois fillon has had more bad news today, a property of his raided by police. we'll have the latest on the french presidential election. if you bought shares in the company that owned snapchat you probably had a good day, the stockjumping by more than 40% just since the company floated. there were a few hours after donald trump's speech to congress where something resembling calm had descended on washington, dc. but it didn't last long. there is now huge pressure on mr trump's attorney generaljeff sessions and what relationship and connections he has had with the russians. mr trump has been talking about this in the last few hours, he says he has total confidence injeff sessions, that he thinks

we are live from westminster and brussels. before that, let's look at how european equity markets are doing. if there are brexit concerns, investors are not showing them. ftse 100 is up by 0.25%. elsewhere seeing the xetra dax in germany higher, and the cac 40 in paris higher by 0.4%. the dow snapping an eight day losing stretch, the longest stretch in about eight years or so. asia was positive as well. let's look at the uk pound sterling. what we're seeing there is quite a bit of weakness. heavy selling in the asian trading seg. that session. that's quieter, off session lows, but still off 0.32% on the day. >>> uk prime minister theresa may has officially signed and sealed the order that invokes article 50 of the lisbon treaty which kick starts the country's divorce from the european union. the letter is expected to be handed to donald tusk before may begins her address to the house of commons at 13:30 cet. steve joins us from westminster. it's a historic day and you've been talking to a number of key voices. >> absolutely. w