Author Thomas Harding is in the process of doing what the descendants of many Holocaust victims would find unimaginable: applying for a German passport.

When Britain voted to leave the European Union in June, the 48-year-old had to make a decision that was never necessary before the referendum - should he request the restoration of German citizenship stripped from his family by the Third Reich? He needed only a few hours to make up his mind.

“This is more than the practical, this is also about something for us, or for me, it's about something spiritual, it's about reconciliation,’’ he said. “It's about acknowledging the truth of the horrors of the past but also about trying to build a better future together, and as a European, that's what I hope to do."

It is one of the complicated realities of the UK’s pending divorce from the EU that many Britons whose ancestors came from other parts of Europe are claiming citizenship in other member states so they can retain ties to the Continent. Inquiries about passports are up at the German, Austrian, French and Polish embassies.

Some want to retain the ability to travel easily from country to country or maintain business ties. Others just want to be part of the European Union.

But for Jews whose families fled Germany to escape Adolf Hitler, the decision means re-examining long-held beliefs about history and the country that once persecuted them.

The children and grandchildren of Jewish refugees are taking advantage of a law that allows the descendants of people persecuted by the Nazis to regain the citizenship that was stripped from them in the 1930s and 1940s. More than 400 Britons have sought information about the law since the June 23 referendum, and German authorities have received at least 100 formal applications, compared with about 20 annually in recent years.

Michael Newman, chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees, said Brexit has fuelled interest in German citizenship, but it’s hard to know how many people will actually apply. Jews are now able to consider such a step because Germany has made huge strides in addressing the past, creating a culture of remembrance, he said.

“No amount of blood money or memorials will satisfy or suffice for some people but in terms of addressing its past and owning up to it and looking into things, it's done much that many other countries haven't,’’ said Newman.

Many of those seeking restoration of their citizenship don’t intend to live in Germany, but want the freedom to travel and work in EU nations.

Ben Lewis, a 49-year-old documentary filmmaker, is among those who would like to regain German citizenship.

Lewis, whose film and production company has worked for years on the continent, sees the potential of Brexit as an abomination, particularly the anti-immigrant sentiment that influenced many people to vote to leave.

“I just want to take a firm stance, a documented stance etched in acid on stone, that I object to Brexit," he said.

The decision for many might have been prompted by Brexit, but had been years in the making for some. Harding, for one, has long been coming to terms with his German past, a journey documented in part in his book, “The House by the Lake.’’

The way Harding sees it, Germany is now showing leadership by taking in over a million refugees.

As the result of the EU referendum became clear on the morning of June 24, Harding was on the phone to the German embassy to inquire about citizenship.

It’s logical, he says, for Jews to cling to the EU, which was created to build international links that would make another European war impossible.

“It was much less about saying goodbye to Britain than saying hello to Europe," he said.

London - 5 October 2016

1. Pan down from German and European Union flags to entrance of German Embassy in London

2. Various of flags

3. Mid of author Thomas Harding sitting on grass looking at passport that belonged to his German Jewish grandfather

4. Close of Harding's face

5. Various of passport

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Harding, author, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"This is more than the practical, this is also about something for us, or for me, it's about something spiritual, it's about reconciliation. It's about acknowledging the truth of the horrors of the past but also about trying to build a better future together, and as a European, that's what I hope to do."

7. Cutaway passport and photo of Harding's grandparents

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Harding, author, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"I think what has happened to me is I have become much more open towards Germany and at the same time following Brexit, I realised that there was going to be a very real loss. It was likely that me and my family would be unable to live and work in 27 countries in Europe and given the fact that I didn't have to give up my British passport, I didn't have to live in Germany by necessity or learn German, show I could speak German, it didn't seem like there was anything to lose and so for me, it was much less about saying goodbye to Britain than saying hello to Europe."

9. Harding flicking through passport

10. Mid of exhibit of Jewish Museum in London

11. Soft focus, yellow star that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany

12. Set up of documentary maker Ben Lewis

13. Close of Lewis looking at museum exhibit

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ben Lewis, documentary maker, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"Well, it was immediately after Brexit I thought the restoration of German citizenship was something that I wanted, because before Brexit I was part of the EU anyway. I was a European, I was deeply engaged in German culture from the age of 14 when I first started learning German, and in a way my whole life was orientated around creating links around rebuilding, if you like, as a Jew, links between myself, in Britain and German culture."

15. Cutaway hands

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Ben Lewis, documentary maker, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"I have many motivations for wanting to get German citizenship. I am thinking a lot about my child, I want him to have the same advantages in life that I had, you know, to be able to play on a European field. I've worked all over Europe in my life. I love Berlin - I could imagine living there. Perhaps that would happen in the future. And I just want to take a firm stance, a documented stance, something etched in acid on stone, that I object to Brexit."

17. Set up shot of Michael Newman, chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees

18. Newman typing

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Newman, chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees:

"Well I think this is uppermost in the minds of the government that they are not going to walk away from any post Holocaust responsibilities and I think most people would look at what Germany has done since the Second World War in terms of addressing its past, the culture of remembrance, the educational resources, it's committed to teaching about the holocaust and see that what it has done has been leading the way and if you look at issues like restitution, archive, opening archives, documentation centres, even opening and creating museums, they are, they're leading the way in many respects in dealing with their history. It remains of course very subjective because no amount of blood, money or memorials will satisfy or suffice for some people but in terms of addressing its past and owning up to it and looking into things, it's done much that many other countries haven't."

20. Wide of German Embassy entrance for public

21. Close of entrance

22. Sign reading 'Welcome' in German and English

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she intends to get "the best possible deal" with the European Union in relation to the trading of goods and services.

Speaking alongside Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Rome just over a month since the UK voted to leave the EU, May also said she would deliver in establishing some control on the free movement of people.

Renzi described last month's Brexit vote as a "sad event", before adding the decision will not stop the UK and Italy from building "a new relationship of friendship".

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she intends to get "the best possible deal" with the European Union in relation to the trading of goods and services.

Speaking alongside Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Rome just over a month since the UK voted to leave the EU, May also said she would deliver in establishing some control on the free movement of people.

Renzi described last month's Brexit vote as a "sad event", before adding the decision will not stop the UK and Italy from building "a new relationship of friendship".

Rome - 27 July 2016

1. UK Prime Minister Theresa May and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi walking through Villa Dora Pamphili gardens and then standing at lecterns

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, UK Prime Minister:

"We had a very clear message from the British people in the Brexit vote, that hey want us to bring in some control on free movement. They don't want free movement rules for movement of people from the European Union member states into the UK to operate as they have done in the past. And we will deliver on that. But, on the other side, we do of course need to ensure that we get the best possible deal in relation to trade in goods and services, and I am looking at this with an open mind, I think we should be developing the model that suits the United Kingdom and the European Union."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, UK Prime Minister:

"Yesterday's attack in northern France on an innocent Catholic priest, in a place of sanctuary and peace, was yet another brutal reminder of the threat that we all face. Following on from the atrocities in Nice and Germany it reinforces the need for action both in Europe and on the wider global stage. In Europe we must increase further our intelligence cooperation, and share vital information swiftly and effectively in order to better protect ourselves from these terrorists who seek to destabilise us."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Matteo Renzi, Italian Prime Minister:

"Brexit was a sad event for us, but an event that we respect. The certainty on the timing is the crucial element to allow us to construct together a new relationship of friendship. The fact of no longer both belonging to the same European institution does not take away anything from the need to maintain the links that this city knows well, but that all Italian cities know well, because the cultural, political, institutional, humanitarian relations and values that link the United Kingdom to Italy is a relationship of extraordinary strength. It is a relationship that has lasted for centuries and will surely continue to move forward in the next months and years."

7. May and Renzi finishing their statements, UPSOUND (English) Theresa May, UK Prime Minister: "I will never complain about the Italian sun. It's wonderful"

Migrants and refugees living in a temporary camp in Calais known as "The Jungle" were on Friday unsure what the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union meant for their prospects of reaching the country.

Zimako Jones, a refugee from Nigeria who has built a school in the camp, said migrants and refugees believed England would "put up fences, block everything" when they leave the EU.

Migrants and refugees living in a temporary camp in Calais known as "The Jungle" were on Friday unsure what the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union meant for their prospects of reaching the country.

Zimako Jones, a refugee from Nigeria who has built a school in the camp, said migrants and refugees believed England would "put up fences, block everything" when they leave the EU.

Calais - 24 June 2016

1. Fence between camp, known as "the jungle" and highway

2. Shelters

3. A bottle on the ground with migrants and refugees in background

4. Shelters

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Latif Ahmatzai, Afghan refugee:

"Some people in Calais they say it's better they're separate and some say no because they have Italian passport, they say it's better if they work together."

6. Zimako Jones in a school he built

7. SOUNDBITE (French) Zimako Jones, Nigerian refugee who built the school:

"There are many people who went to ask me this. Does the Brexit on the economic level, are they going to close the borders or open the borders? I told them I didn't know, but a refugee today will remain a refugee tomorrow."

8. SOUNDBITE (French) Zimako Jones, Nigerian refugee who built the school:

"They are very well informed because they have contacts with their family, brothers, friends in England they call to have some news. So I think here in the camp news come very quickly."

9. Entrance to the school

10. Jones and Peta Morton, volunteer in the jungle, chatting

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Peta Morton, British volunteer in the Calais camp known as "the Jungle":

"In the short term I don't think it's gonna change very much. In the long-term, I think they're going to have to make serious decisions about where the border ends up." ++JUMP CUT++

"I think there's been a big push against immigration."

12. Wall of a shelter with message reading (English) "What you send out comes back. What you sow you reap. What you give you get. What you see in others exists in you."

13. Jones sitting

14. SOUNDBITE (French) Zimako Jones, Nigerian refugee who built the school:

(On what refugees and migrants think of Brexit) "That it is chaos. That it is closed. When England leaves, they will put up fences. They will block everything. But, it is the end of life. I don't want to go to England, but those who want to go to England, I always tellthem it is not the end. I do not support them, but it is not the end of life. "

15. Camp

16. Highway with fences around, police

Gina Miller needs to look no further than her own small investment firm to know that leaving the European Union would be bad for Britain.

She has an analyst who is Italian: would he need a visa? She has customers who are British retirees living in Spain: will they return home to keep access to health care and liquidate their euro investments? Her firm, SCM Direct, works closely with French bank Societe Generale: would that relationship continue?

"It could be terrible for the city,'' she said suggesting the impact could be similar to the 2008 financial crisis.

From the international banks in the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf to the traditional home of Britain's financial industry in the City of London and the hedge funds of Mayfair, bankers and money managers across the capital are watching the June 23 referendum on EU membership with trepidation. Many fear a vote to leave would undermine London's position as the world's pre-eminent financial center and damage an industry that underpins the British economy.

In case of a British exit, or Brexit, from the EU, US banking giant JPMorgan said last week that they would have to move staff to the continent to ensure it could continue to serve clients who want to invest there, Dimon said. Other global banks with customers in the rest of the EU would be in a similar situation.

Britain has been the gateway to the EU for many banks, brokerages and fund managers for decades. In addition to having a trusted legal system and institutions that operate in English, the language of international finance, London is in the right time zone to access most of the Earth during its working day and has a reputation for delivering top-notch financial services. The industry is also surrounded by an ecosystem of expertise, lawyers, accountants and consultants, to support it.

Some 60 percent of all European headquarters of non-EU firms are based in the U.K., according to TheCityUK, which lobbies on behalf of the financial industry. The UK hosts more headquarters of non-EU firms than Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands put together.

London's advantages are such that people in favor of leaving the EU, such as Peter Hargreaves, co-founder of brokerage firm Hargreaves Lansdown, think it will retain its luster no matter what. He poured scorn on the notion that it could be easily replicated.

"In addition to the cost of building the infrastructure for a rival to the City of London one has also got to work out whether people will want to live in another financial center,'' he said. "They certainly wouldn't want to live in Paris, although Paris is a pretty city, purely because of the tax rates and in all honesty they wouldn't want to live in Frankfurt because actually there isn't even the housing there to house them. People want to live in London.''

London's financial sector has complained about a number of EU rules, such as limits on bankers' bonuses and an attempt to impose a tax on financial transactions.

Those considerations, however, are largely trumped by concerns that leaving the EU would make access to the other 27 EU countries more difficult, many analysts say.

The principle of "passporting" currently allows any firm registered in one EU country to operate in any other member state without facing another layer of regulation. It's the same principle that allows exporters to ship their goods to any EU country free of tariffs. Losing that freedom is a particular concern for the many foreign firms who use London not only as a financial hub but as an entry point into the EU.

While the UK could probably negotiate a new arrangement for trade in goods, it would be much more complicated to hammer out a deal on services, experts believe. The situation has no precedent, no country the size of the UK has ever left such an integrated economic union, so the outcome of any talks can't be predicted.

And anything that curtails Britain's financial industry has implications for the UK economy as a whole, not just the bankers who were pilloried for taking home million-pound bonuses while they fueled the global financial crisis.

The industry's importance is even more obvious in Britain's trade figures. While the country posted an overall trade deficit of 34.4 billion pounds (50 billion US dollars) in 2014, it generated a 72 billion pound surplus from exporting financial and related services.

"Uncertainty is bad news," said Vicky Pryce, an economist and former joint head of the UK government economic service.

"It will take some time for that to settle down, it will take some time for the negotiations to take place. There is a two year period during which officials and also ministers will have to sit down and try and negotiate a deal and we just don’t know whether even over that period something will come out that will be in the slightest bit beneficial for the city so a lot of uncertainty

The City of London - the square mile roughly bounded by the walls of the original Roman city - has been the financial heart of Britain since the 17th century, when merchants meeting at local coffee houses formed Lloyd's of London and the London Stock Exchange. It has survived wars, famines and fires and would likely survive any outcome from the EU vote. The question is in what form.

Jeffrey Evans, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, whose office has promoted The City as place to do business since the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, says leaving the EU in not a risk worth taking.

Speaking in an opulent drawing room that feels more like a museum, with Dutch masters lining the walls, Evans noted that leaving the EU is "a very important matter."

"This is a decision that will affect future generations," he said.

Gina Miller needs to look no further than her own small investment firm to know that leaving the European Union would be bad for Britain.

She has an analyst who is Italian: would he need a visa? She has customers who are British retirees living in Spain: will they return home to keep access to health care and liquidate their euro investments? Her firm, SCM Direct, works closely with French bank Societe Generale: would that relationship continue?

"It could be terrible for the city,'' she said suggesting the impact could be similar to the 2008 financial crisis.

From the international banks in the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf to the traditional home of Britain's financial industry in the City of London and the hedge funds of Mayfair, bankers and money managers across the capital are watching the June 23 referendum on EU membership with trepidation. Many fear a vote to leave would undermine London's position as the world's pre-eminent financial center and damage an industry that underpins the British economy.

In case of a British exit, or Brexit, from the EU, US banking giant JPMorgan said last week that they would have to move staff to the continent to ensure it could continue to serve clients who want to invest there, Dimon said. Other global banks with customers in the rest of the EU would be in a similar situation.

Britain has been the gateway to the EU for many banks, brokerages and fund managers for decades. In addition to having a trusted legal system and institutions that operate in English, the language of international finance, London is in the right time zone to access most of the Earth during its working day and has a reputation for delivering top-notch financial services. The industry is also surrounded by an ecosystem of expertise, lawyers, accountants and consultants, to support it.

Some 60 percent of all European headquarters of non-EU firms are based in the U.K., according to TheCityUK, which lobbies on behalf of the financial industry. The UK hosts more headquarters of non-EU firms than Germany, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands put together.

London's advantages are such that people in favor of leaving the EU, such as Peter Hargreaves, co-founder of brokerage firm Hargreaves Lansdown, think it will retain its luster no matter what. He poured scorn on the notion that it could be easily replicated.

"In addition to the cost of building the infrastructure for a rival to the City of London one has also got to work out whether people will want to live in another financial center,'' he said. "They certainly wouldn't want to live in Paris, although Paris is a pretty city, purely because of the tax rates and in all honesty they wouldn't want to live in Frankfurt because actually there isn't even the housing there to house them. People want to live in London.''

London's financial sector has complained about a number of EU rules, such as limits on bankers' bonuses and an attempt to impose a tax on financial transactions.

Those considerations, however, are largely trumped by concerns that leaving the EU would make access to the other 27 EU countries more difficult, many analysts say.

The principle of "passporting" currently allows any firm registered in one EU country to operate in any other member state without facing another layer of regulation. It's the same principle that allows exporters to ship their goods to any EU country free of tariffs. Losing that freedom is a particular concern for the many foreign firms who use London not only as a financial hub but as an entry point into the EU.

While the UK could probably negotiate a new arrangement for trade in goods, it would be much more complicated to hammer out a deal on services, experts believe. The situation has no precedent, no country the size of the UK has ever left such an integrated economic union, so the outcome of any talks can't be predicted.

And anything that curtails Britain's financial industry has implications for the UK economy as a whole, not just the bankers who were pilloried for taking home million-pound bonuses while they fueled the global financial crisis.

The industry's importance is even more obvious in Britain's trade figures. While the country posted an overall trade deficit of 34.4 billion pounds (50 billion US dollars) in 2014, it generated a 72 billion pound surplus from exporting financial and related services.

"Uncertainty is bad news," said Vicky Pryce, an economist and former joint head of the UK government economic service.

"It will take some time for that to settle down, it will take some time for the negotiations to take place. There is a two year period during which officials and also ministers will have to sit down and try and negotiate a deal and we just don’t know whether even over that period something will come out that will be in the slightest bit beneficial for the city so a lot of uncertainty

The City of London - the square mile roughly bounded by the walls of the original Roman city - has been the financial heart of Britain since the 17th century, when merchants meeting at local coffee houses formed Lloyd's of London and the London Stock Exchange. It has survived wars, famines and fires and would likely survive any outcome from the EU vote. The question is in what form.

Jeffrey Evans, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, whose office has promoted The City as place to do business since the Magna Carta was signed in 1215, says leaving the EU in not a risk worth taking.

Speaking in an opulent drawing room that feels more like a museum, with Dutch masters lining the walls, Evans noted that leaving the EU is "a very important matter."

"This is a decision that will affect future generations," he said.

London - 24 May 2016

1. Various aerials of Canary Wharf

London - 6 June 2016

2. Set up of Gina Miller, co-founder of wealth management company SCM Direct

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Gina Miller, co-founder of wealth management company SCM Direct:

"It could be terrible for the city because there is so much going on in the city, and we are seen as being one of the forefronts in the financial services and being a leader in that sector and if you look at all the modelling that has gone on there will definitely be a huge impact because a lot of the euro clearing happens in the UK. We have already seen that this first quarter of this year compared to last year, M and As - mergers and acquisitions - are down 39 percent, we've seen a real halt in foreign investment in the UK. If gilt markets - foreigners why would they want to buy our gilts, we could be hit in gilts we don't know what will happen with sterling. Nobody knows."

London - 24 May 2016

4. Aerial of the city

London - 22 May 2016

6. Pan of Bank of England

7. Pull focus from flowers to Bank

8. Workers and sign for Bank underground station

London - 24 May 2016

9. Set up of Jeffrey Evans, the Lord Mayor of the City of London

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeffrey Evans, the Lord Mayor of the City of London:

"Well, first of all it’s very important matter, it’s a, this is a decision that will affect future generations. The city of London we had, we reached a decision in March the corporation that we would take a position and that’s very strongly that we wish to remain in, it was a clear majority for that. And it’s, it’s very important the city of London is really, perhaps are most successful industry in the UK, recognises the financial, press and business services, we recogonise the importance of the EU to London and the UK."

London - 24 May 2016

11. Aerials of the city with the Shard and the Gerkhin

Bristol - 6 June 2016

12. Various of set up of Peter Hargreaves, co-founder of brokerage firm Hargreaves Lansdown

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Hargreaves, co-founder of brokerage firm Hargreaves Lansdown:

"In addition to the cost of building the infrastructure for a rival to the City of London one has also got to work out whether people will want to live in another financial center. They certainly wouldn't want to live in Paris, although Paris is a pretty city, purely because of the tax rates and in all honesty they wouldn't want to live in Frankfurt because actually there isn't even the housing there to house them. People want to live in London it's got the best restaurants in the world, the best sport facilities in the world, the best theatres in the world, I mean why would anyone want to live anywhere else."

FILE: London - 22 February 2016

14. Various of trading floor and traders at GKFX brokers in London

Bristol - 1 June 2016

15. Set up Vicky Pryce, economist and former joint head of the U.K. government economic service

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Vicky Pryce, economist and former joint head of the U.K. government economic service:

"It is just possible, even if there is a 'Brexit vote', the UK we get some special allowance in terms of the way in which it operates, particularly in the service sector with the rest of Europe. But it will take some time for that to settle down, it will take some time for the negotiations to take place. There is a two year period during which officials and also ministers will have to sit down and try and negotiate a deal and we just don’t know whether even over that period something will come out that will be in the slightest bit beneficial for the city so, a lot of uncertainty. Uncertainty is bad news."

London - 24 May 2016

14. Aerials of the city

LEAD IN

2016 has been a year of upheavals and upsets that some would prefer to forget.

So what can we expect in 2017? Will the year of the rooster change the world pecking order or will it be business as usual?

While analysts are mixed on what lies ahead, one Chinese fortune teller says the world can expect "turmoil".

STORY-LINE

It was a result few people predicted, but one which will play a major role in shaping the year ahead.

Donald Trump's inauguration as the 45th US President will be held on January 20th and it's expected to draw people of all persuasions to Washington whether it's to celebrate or commiserate.

His stunning election win sparked numerous protests, and it's provoked widespread speculation about the impact that some of his controversial campaign promises might have when he takes office in 2017.

Chief U.S. Economist with S&P Global Ratings, Beth Ann Bovino says there's still some uncertainty over what path he will take.

"In terms of the impact of the Trump presidency on growth, you have to keep in mind that right now campaign promises are just what they are, promises, they are not policies. So let's see what happens in terms of how they get through Congress and whether.. and basically what comes out at the end."

If there are no major shocks to the economy, growth is expected to be around 2.5 percent and more interest rate rises are likely, according to Bovino.

"If you look at the job gains now averaging around 180,000 per month for the year to date and the unemployment rate under 5 percent we have a rather strong jobs market, so in terms of pushing the unemployment rate down even further and strengthening the jobs market that might actually result in stronger inflation as well, making the fed likely having to move further," she says.

In light of CIA accusations of Russian hacking, Trump's relations with the Kremlin will come into focus in January.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to hold an open hearing that will examine possible Russian meddling in November's presidential election.

Political analyst Masha Lipman says there are signs Moscow's relationship with Washington will thaw, but adds that both leaders are not giving much away just yet.

"We used to say that Putin is unpredictable and keeps his intentions and his plans as secret. Now we have at least one more person, who is unpredictable and this is the president of the United States — President-elect at this point, but of course in 2017, he will become the president of the United States. We still know very little about his policies. His appointments leave many shocked and speechless even, shaking heads in disbelief. But what his policies are going to be is an open question."

Lipman says the ongoing civil war in Syria means Trump and President Putin will need to make some tough choices.

Syria has been torn apart by more than five years of war - at the moment both countries support different sides.

Over the border, the Iraqi special forces are still battling the Islamic State group, also known as Daesh.

UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon says that "Daesh is now failing and controls less than 10 percent of Iraqi territory."

Political Sociology Professor at Future university in Cairo, Saeed Sadek says even if Daesh is eventually defeated, Iraq could still face many challenges.

"The only problem for the Iraqi people is off course they have this ethnic and religion sectarian conflict may continue and erupt here and there from fanatics on both sides corruption and oil prices will also affect the Iraqi economy for 2017," he says.

2017 will also see Britain set the wheels in motion for its exit from the European Union.

Prime Minister Teresa May has set a March deadline to start Brexit and will face 2 years of tense debate as she tries to get the UK the best deals on trade.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Britain faces "rough" and "hard" negotiation. But Merkel also faces a fight for her own survival with elections later in the year.

Germany will elect the members of the Bundestag, as the German parliament is called, after the summer in 2017.

Merkel's Christian Democrats are currently in a coalition government with the Social Democrats (SPD).

However, the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPI) in Berlin says there has been a right wing backlash because of her policy welcoming Syrian refugees.

"The AFD (Alternative Fuer Deutschland) party is actually taking away quite a few voters from the Christian Democrats. And it is a very unfortunate thing for Merkel to have a party formed to her right. That indeed is a vital threat to her political ambitions. And next year it will be interesting to see whether we will have a major terrorist attack for example in Germany. That is one of the big uncertainties.

If that happens I think you will see a lot of increase in support for the right-wing populists. Or if we have an unravelling of the refugee situation again with the EU-Turkey pact unravelling on refugees. That could also increase the pressure on Germany and that could also be in a sense a supporting factor for the AFD," says GPPI director Thorsten Benner.

While the West slows, the one jewel in the world economic crown is likely to be India as its growth outperforms the rest of the world.

Veena Jha, an economist and policy analyst, says India's economy is now growing faster than China and the country must seek new markets.

She says Britain could be the biggest loser because Brexit will slow Indian investment in the UK as it looks elsewhere.

"India has to consolidate its trade relationships within Asia. It has to look to Europe, without Britain, for a strong trade relationship. It has to solidify its relationships, particularly, with Germany, Netherlands, and France, which are the largest markets. It has to look to the US for an Indo-US free trade agreement and kind of a strategic partnership which has been talked about but has not been inked."

However there could be hiccups as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi moves towards a cashless society, promoting digital transactions instead to curb the black market.

However the coins fall, 2017 is the Chinese Year of the Rooster which begins on January 28th. The Rooster is the sign of dawn and awakening, but it also means that triumph can only be achieved at the price of hard work.

Chinese Feng Shui Master and Astrologist Dong Yilin says many countries will face huge challenges with their economies.

"In the year of rooster, the Heavenly Stem (in Yi Qing) is fire and the Earthly Branch is gold and they are struggling with each other. It's like a process of burning gold and beating it into a craftwork. The craftwork is beautiful but it has to go through enormous hardships. Therefore, in the year of 2017, we will see many "turmoils" not only in China but also many other parts of the world like the Europe and the US."

One thing's for certain, a busy 2017 awaits whatever way the compass points.

AP Television

New York - 9 November 2016

1. Various of Trump fans celebrating

2. Wide of Trump and his family

3. Woman celebrating Trump's win

4. Trump and family walking on stage

5. People cheering Trump

6. Trump shaking hands with Mike Pence

Miami - 11 November 2016

7. Various of anti-Trump protests

New York - 1 December 2016

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Beth Ann Bovino, Chief U.S. Economist, S&P Global Ratings:

"In terms of the impact of the Trump presidency on growth, you have to keep in mind that right now campaign promises are just what they are, promises, they are not policies. So let's see what happens in terms of how they get through Congress and whether.. and basically what comes out at the end."

Washington - recent

9. Exterior of US Capitol

New York, US - 13 June 2014

10. New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) floor

US - Exact date and location unknown

11. Man filling up car at petrol station

New York - 1 December 2016

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Beth Ann Bovino, Chief U.S. Economist, S&P Global Ratings:

"If you look at the job gains now averaging around 180,000 per month for the year to date and the unemployment rate under 5 percent we have a rather strong jobs market, so in terms of actually pushing the unemployment rate down even further and strengthening the jobs market that might actually result in stronger inflation as well, making the fed likely having to move further."

Moscow, Russia — December 15, 2016

13. Various of Kremlin

14. Various of political analyst Masha Lipman looking at computer

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Masha Lipman, political analyst:

"We used to say that Putin is unpredictable and keeps his intentions and his plans as secret. Now we have at least one more person, who is unpredictable and this is the President of the United States - President-elect at this point, but of course in 2017, he will become the President of the United States. We still know very little about his policies. His appointments leave many shocked and speechless even, shaking heads in this belief. But what his policies are going to be is an open question. "

Aleppo, Syria - 15 December 2016

16. Wide of Aleppo outskirts

17. Wide of buses parked near evacuation area

18. Various of United Nations vehicles parked near evacuation centre

Bartella, Iraq - 21 October 2016

19. Various of Bartella, east of Mosul during fight against IS group

20. Various of Iraqi Special Forces

Cairo, Egypt - 13 December 2016

21. Set up of Dr. Saeed Sadek Political Sociology Professor at Future university in Cairo at office

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeed Sadek, Political Sociology Professor at Future university in Cairo:

"The only problem for the Iraqi people is of course they have this ethnic and religion sectarian conflict may continue and erupt here and there from fanatics on both sides, corruption and oil prices will also affect the Iraqi economy for 2017."

London, UK - 13 July 2016

23. Various of British flag on parliament

UK Pool

London - 27 June 2016

24. British PM Teresa May ( formerly Home Secretary) arriving at 10 Downing Street

AP Television

Berlin, Germany - 12 July 2016

25. Various of German newspaper headlines about Teresa May

26. Various of German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Berlin - 1 December 2016

27. Various of the German Parliament building (Bundestag)

28. Thorsten Benner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin, in his office

29. SOUNDBITE: (English), Thorsten Benner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin:

"The AFD (Alternative Fuer Deutschland) is actually taking away quite a few voters from the Christian Democrats. And it is a very unfortunate thing for Merkel to have a party formed to her right. That indeed is a vital threat to her political ambitions. And next year it will be interesting to see whether we will have a major terrorist attack for example in Germany. That is one of the big uncertainties.

If that happens I think you will see a lot of increase in support for the right-wing populists. Or if we have an unravelling of the refugee situation again with the EU-Turkey pact unravelling on refugees. That could also increase the pressure on Germany and that could also be in a sense a supporting factor for the AFD".

Surat, India - 5 December 2016

30. Various of men working in Indian diamond factory

New Delhi, India – 3 December 2016

31. Various of economist Veena Jha in her office

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Veena Jha, Economist:

"India has to consolidate its trade relationships within Asia. It has to look to Europe, without Britain, for a strong trade relationship. It has to solidify its relationships, particularly, with Germany, Netherlands, and France, which are the largest markets. It has to look to the US for an Indo-US free trade agreement and kind of a strategic partnership which has been talked about but has not been inked."

New Delhi, India – 7 November 2016

33. British Prime Minister Theresa May shakes hands with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during her official visit to India

Surat, India - 5 December 2016

34. Various street scenes in Surat

Rojama Mayong Village, Assam, India – 18 November 2016

35. A woman waiting to exchange defunct currency bills at a bank

Beijing, China - 30 November 2016

36. Various of Chinese Feng Shui master and astrologist Dong Yilin

37. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Dong Yilin, Chinese Feng Shui Master and Astrologist:

"In the year of the rooster, the Heavenly Stem (in Yi Qing) is fire and the Earthly Branch is gold and they are struggling with each other. It's like a process of burning gold and beating it into a craftwork. The craftwork is beautiful but it has to go through enormous hardships. Therefore, in the year of 2017, we will see many "turmoils" not only in China but also many other parts of the world like Europe and the US."

38. Close of compass

Talk to Brian Hall about economics, trading blocs, or the value of the British currency, and there's one factor, and one factor only, shaping his view in the June 23 referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union: immigration.

He's tired of eastern Europeans arriving on these shores, and he plans to use his vote to make that point.

"How it has changed is influx of Europeans from eastern Europe in Dover," said the proprietor of the W & G Hall convenience store. "It's dragged the town down because there has been 'white flight' as well which is what's happening and people are just moving away and the town is just 'going down the pan' (deteriorating)."

The "remain" camp led by Prime Minister David Cameron appears to have won the economic argument, with key business figures warning that leaving the EU might bring calamity, but the "leave" camp may be winning the emotional argument about how unchecked immigration is transforming British life.

Led by former London Mayor Boris Johnson and UK Independence Party chief Nigel Farage, they claim that British workers have been hurt because EU "freedom of movement" laws mean that Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles and others can come to Britain visa-free to live, work and claim benefits.

They warn that if Turkey joins the EU - a prospect that is not imminent - it will give millions more access to Britain. And they point out that Cameron's government has failed to make good on promises to cut immigration.

That's created plenty of resentment in Dover, Britain's prime port for ferry and vehicle traffic across the English Channel.

On a clear day, the coast of France is visible from Dover's famous white cliffs, and they provided a vital vantage point for the early detection of German bombers heading toward London during World War II. The concern now is not enemy attack - although an armed Russian submarine was recently intercepted in the Channel - but Europeans who arrive legally under the EU's rules guaranteeing the free movement of people.

To the chagrin of some locals, the rules give Poles, Slovaks, Romanians and others from countries admitted to the EU after the collapse of the Soviet bloc the same right to live and work in Dover as Britons who have been here for generations.

Some long-time residents say they are angry about having to compete for medical care and school places for their children with newcomers who have no ties to Britain.

The "leave" campaign has not spelled out how it intends to curb immigration, but its "Take Back Control" campaign slogan sums up the group's approach.

Its leaders argue that by walking away from the 28-nation bloc, Britain will once again be able to enact and enforce its own visa policies, without having its hands tied by the EU's implacable freedom of movement policies.

No longer, they say, would citizens of poorer Eastern European countries be able to come to Britain and enjoy the same privileges as Britons.

That argument is gaining traction in Dover, a slightly rundown small town.

"If we come out of the EU, we can support our own country which we should do, instead of helping everyone else out," said Paul Rayworth, a 48-year-old local, repeating a familiar claim made by legions of "leave" backers.

Three recent research reports that find EU immigrants actually pay more in taxes to Britain than they take out in benefits and services, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research in London.

And John Powell, Director of National Operations at Migrant Help UK is optimistic NGOs such as his can make a difference for the better.

"Of course, you get any group, anywhere, in any part of the country, in any country - there will always be some tension and the trick is to make people aware of each other's differences, to integrate them, to make them understand and then that's the trick there to living in harmony," he says.

"And I think by and large we do achieve it here. We have in the past put forward projects, for instance with the Roma community in Dover to help better integration and others."

The resentment of newcomers in Dover is hardly universal. Some residents believe Britain has an obligation to offer a helping hand.

To 58-year-old local Bill Burne, the world has changed and it is time to move on.

"I believe we are living under an illusion that we are still great. I don't know about leaving the European market because I don't know the effects of it but I feel we should have a reality check."

Talk to Brian Hall about economics, trading blocs, or the value of the British currency, and there's one factor, and one factor only, shaping his view in the June 23 referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union: immigration.

He's tired of eastern Europeans arriving on these shores, and he plans to use his vote to make that point.

"How it has changed is influx of Europeans from eastern Europe in Dover," said the proprietor of the W & G Hall convenience store. "It's dragged the town down because there has been 'white flight' as well which is what's happening and people are just moving away and the town is just 'going down the pan' (deteriorating)."

The "remain" camp led by Prime Minister David Cameron appears to have won the economic argument, with key business figures warning that leaving the EU might bring calamity, but the "leave" camp may be winning the emotional argument about how unchecked immigration is transforming British life.

Led by former London Mayor Boris Johnson and UK Independence Party chief Nigel Farage, they claim that British workers have been hurt because EU "freedom of movement" laws mean that Hungarians, Slovaks, Poles and others can come to Britain visa-free to live, work and claim benefits.

They warn that if Turkey joins the EU - a prospect that is not imminent - it will give millions more access to Britain. And they point out that Cameron's government has failed to make good on promises to cut immigration.

That's created plenty of resentment in Dover, Britain's prime port for ferry and vehicle traffic across the English Channel.

On a clear day, the coast of France is visible from Dover's famous white cliffs, and they provided a vital vantage point for the early detection of German bombers heading toward London during World War II. The concern now is not enemy attack - although an armed Russian submarine was recently intercepted in the Channel - but Europeans who arrive legally under the EU's rules guaranteeing the free movement of people.

To the chagrin of some locals, the rules give Poles, Slovaks, Romanians and others from countries admitted to the EU after the collapse of the Soviet bloc the same right to live and work in Dover as Britons who have been here for generations.

Some long-time residents say they are angry about having to compete for medical care and school places for their children with newcomers who have no ties to Britain.

The "leave" campaign has not spelled out how it intends to curb immigration, but its "Take Back Control" campaign slogan sums up the group's approach.

Its leaders argue that by walking away from the 28-nation bloc, Britain will once again be able to enact and enforce its own visa policies, without having its hands tied by the EU's implacable freedom of movement policies.

No longer, they say, would citizens of poorer Eastern European countries be able to come to Britain and enjoy the same privileges as Britons.

That argument is gaining traction in Dover, a slightly rundown small town.

"If we come out of the EU, we can support our own country which we should do, instead of helping everyone else out," said Paul Rayworth, a 48-year-old local, repeating a familiar claim made by legions of "leave" backers.

Three recent research reports that find EU immigrants actually pay more in taxes to Britain than they take out in benefits and services, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research in London.

And John Powell, Director of National Operations at Migrant Help UK is optimistic NGOs such as his can make a difference for the better.

"Of course, you get any group, anywhere, in any part of the country, in any country - there will always be some tension and the trick is to make people aware of each other's differences, to integrate them, to make them understand and then that's the trick there to living in harmony," he says.

"And I think by and large we do achieve it here. We have in the past put forward projects, for instance with the Roma community in Dover to help better integration and others."

The resentment of newcomers in Dover is hardly universal. Some residents believe Britain has an obligation to offer a helping hand.

To 58-year-old local Bill Burne, the world has changed and it is time to move on.

"I believe we are living under an illusion that we are still great. I don't know about leaving the European market because I don't know the effects of it but I feel we should have a reality check."

Dover - 10 June 2016

1. Pan of Dover

2. White cliffs and port

3. Ferry leaving port

4. Dover city centre

5. Various of pub with sign with menu, reading: (English) "We take euros"

6. Various of migrants in city centre

7. Exterior of W & G Hall convenience store

8. Various set up of Brian Hall, owner of W & G Hall convenience store

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Brian Hall, owner of W & G Hall convenience store

"Well, how it has changed is influx of Europeans from eastern Europe. In Dover it's mainly Roma gypsies as well. So, you know, I've not had a problem. We've had Poles here, hardworking. But the percentage of them (migrants) in the town has just become too much, you know. It's dragged the town down because there has been 'white flight' as well which is what's happening and people are just moving away and the town is just 'going down the pan' (deteriorating)."

10. Flags of teams playing in the European Championships in France

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Brian Hall, owner of W & G Hall convenience store

"I get on with everybody, I've been here 40 years, I'm a pillar of the community and the town's just changed out of all recognition and not for the better. I'm not saying it's just because of the immigrants coming in. I think seaside towns generally in this country, whether it be Margate, Ramsgate, Hastings - you know they seem to get more than their fair share. I know there's other places around the country, like Peterborough and Boston, where the agricultural workers are, in Cambridgeshire. So... they, they just don't seem to... they're never going to integrate as they should."

12. Various of England paraphernalia in shop

13. Various of England (St George) flag in a house window

14. Various set up shots of John Powell, Director of National Operations at Migrant Help UK

15. SOUNDBITE (English): John Powell, Director of National Operations at Migrant Help UK

"Of course, you get any group, anywhere, in any part of the country, in any country - there will always be some tension and the trick is to make people aware of each other's differences, integrate them, make them understand and then that's the trick there to living in harmony. And I think by and large we do achieve it here. We have in the past put forward projects, for instance with the Roma community in Dover, to help better integration and others."

16. Dover town hall

17. Monument to those killed in the First and Second World War outside town hall

18. Main shopping street in Dover

19. Flags of European countries

20. SOUNDBITE (English): Paul Rayworth, 48-year-old local

"If we come out of the EU, we can support our own country which we should do, instead of helping everyone else out. Billions, and all that - the money is going nowhere, innit? It's, like, just draining us dry. We used to be Great Britain. Now we're just Britain so really we should get the 'great' back and sort ourselves out really, shouldn't we?"

21. Mid of street

22. SOUNDBITE (English): Jason Lancett, 48-year-old construction worker

"I'll be voting out because a lot of political reasons. One, immigration. Two, fishermen, the local fishermen. Three, the local homeless people. There are more homeless people in Dover as you can see, more drug addicts. The people they do let into the country, they're not contributing into the community. I'll be voting out and that's one of the reasons."

23. Mid of street

24. SOUNDBITE (English): Bill Burne, 58-year-old local

"I believe we are living under an illusion that we are still 'great'. I don't know about leaving the European market because I don't know the effects of it. But I feel we should have a reality check."

25. Various of port

26. Various wide shots of Dover

27. Wide of Dover castle

Top European Union officials on Thursday urged the Group of Seven major economies to show solidarity in helping European nations cope with the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees.

European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters in Ise Shima that G7 leaders, who are gathering in Japan for their annual summit, had to take the lead in "managing" the crisis.

Hundreds of thousands of people, many from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, have tried to seek asylum in wealthier European countries after fleeing war and poverty.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and fellow leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States are holding a two-day summit in Japan's coastal region of Ise-Shima focused on boosting trade and economic growth, as well as tackling other global issues.

Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are both representing Europe at the G7 summit.

Both leaders made reference to the UK's upcoming referendum on whether it should remain in or leave the European Union.

Tusk also said the EU was ready to continue with sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict.

Top European Union officials on Thursday urged the Group of Seven major economies to show solidarity in helping European nations cope with the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees.

European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters in Ise Shima that G7 leaders, who are gathering in Japan for their annual summit, had to take the lead in "managing" the crisis.

Hundreds of thousands of people, many from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, have tried to seek asylum in wealthier European countries after fleeing war and poverty.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and fellow leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States are holding a two-day summit in Japan's coastal region of Ise-Shima focused on boosting trade and economic growth, as well as tackling other global issues.

Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are both representing Europe at the G7 summit.

Both leaders made reference to the UK's upcoming referendum on whether it should remain in or leave the European Union.

Tusk also said the EU was ready to continue with sanctions against Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict.

AP TELEVISION

Ise Shima - 26 May 2016

1. Wide of news conference

2. Journalists

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Tusk, European Council President:

"Those who criticise us should rather think how to increase their assistance, because what Europe provides is already massive. In all the above mentioned three dimensions (referring to making the international community increase assistance for solving refugees' needs, encouraging other financial institutions and donors to raise their assistance, and promoting the establishment of resetllement schemes for refugees), we need the leadership of G7. And honestly speaking, if they do not take the lead in managing this crisis, nobody else will. I will appeal to G7 leaders to take up this challenge."

4. Wide of conference

5. Journalist asking question

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Tusk, European Council President:

"I can assure you that, in fact, when it comes to the EU, we are ready to continue with our sanctions (on Russia), and I'm quite sure that, in fact, we don't need, you know, a special discussion among leaders. For example, in June, during our European Council meeting, I'm quite sure that we will decide about sanctions in (the) next two or three weeks, without huge discussion."

7. Wide of conference

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Tusk, European Council President

"We have to choose. If we prefer free movement, if we prefer the whole values of the EU, we have to accept also some negative results. It's not only the UK experience, this is the idea of Europe, this readiness to respect values, even some results of this fact, it can be also be negative. But, as I mentioned one minute ago, we have to respect every decision in the UK, and we are ready to do it."

9. Journalist

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission President:

"Yes, the general atmosphere of our talks would be better if Britain is staying in the European Union. I'm reading in British papers that (Former London mayor and prominent campaigner for Britain to leave the EU) Boris Johnson spent part of his life in Brussels. It's time for him to come back to Brussels in order to check in Brussels if everything he's telling the British people is in line with reality, I don't think so. So he would be welcomed in Brussels at any time."

11. End of conference

Finance officials on Saturday pledged a more forceful effort to stimulate a sluggish global economy.

The hope is that stronger growth can boost long-stagnant wages and combat a rising backlash against globalization.

The finance leaders said they will use all the policy tools available to them to promote "strong, sustainable, inclusive, job-rich and more balanced global growth."

The International Monetary Fund called for a three-pronged approach including monetary, fiscal and structural actions to avert recession risks.

The commitment came in a joint statement from the policy-setting panel of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund at the end of its spring meeting in Washington.

Markets have stabilized after a chaotic start to the year, when fears were growing about a possible new global recession. But the IMF's communique cited a long list of threats, from terrorist attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis to the shock to global confidence from a potential exit by Britain from the European Union.

"Against this backdrop, it is important to buttress confidence in our policies," the IMF said.

The IMF discussions followed two days of talks among finance officials of the Group of 20 major economies. Representing the United States were Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

The concern about economic growth was heightened at the beginning of this year by tumult in financial markets. Investors feared that China's economy, the world's second biggest, was slowing more than expected, raising the possibility of a global recession.

Agustin Carstens, the head of the Bank of Mexico and chairman of the IMF's policy panel, said finance leaders realized "there was no room for complacency" even though markets have stabilized.

Many nations buffeted by the forces of globalization have lost jobs and workers' wages have stagnated. In the United States, this anger has propelled the presidential candidacy of Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In Britain, voters will decide in June whether to leave the European Union.

The finance leaders said they believed their actions would help stimulate growth and boost jobs and wages. But they acknowledged there was no time to waste in producing results.

"Clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

The IMF this past week downgraded its outlook for the economy this year and cited risks that could make things worse: conflict in the Middle East, the refugee crisis in Europe, Britain's possible exit from the EU, and the growing political backlash in the United States and Europe against international trade.

Finance officials on Saturday pledged a more forceful effort to stimulate a sluggish global economy.

The hope is that stronger growth can boost long-stagnant wages and combat a rising backlash against globalization.

The finance leaders said they will use all the policy tools available to them to promote "strong, sustainable, inclusive, job-rich and more balanced global growth."

The International Monetary Fund called for a three-pronged approach including monetary, fiscal and structural actions to avert recession risks.

The commitment came in a joint statement from the policy-setting panel of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund at the end of its spring meeting in Washington.

Markets have stabilized after a chaotic start to the year, when fears were growing about a possible new global recession. But the IMF's communique cited a long list of threats, from terrorist attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis to the shock to global confidence from a potential exit by Britain from the European Union.

"Against this backdrop, it is important to buttress confidence in our policies," the IMF said.

The IMF discussions followed two days of talks among finance officials of the Group of 20 major economies. Representing the United States were Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

The concern about economic growth was heightened at the beginning of this year by tumult in financial markets. Investors feared that China's economy, the world's second biggest, was slowing more than expected, raising the possibility of a global recession.

Agustin Carstens, the head of the Bank of Mexico and chairman of the IMF's policy panel, said finance leaders realized "there was no room for complacency" even though markets have stabilized.

Many nations buffeted by the forces of globalization have lost jobs and workers' wages have stagnated. In the United States, this anger has propelled the presidential candidacy of Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In Britain, voters will decide in June whether to leave the European Union.

The finance leaders said they believed their actions would help stimulate growth and boost jobs and wages. But they acknowledged there was no time to waste in producing results.

"Clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

The IMF this past week downgraded its outlook for the economy this year and cited risks that could make things worse: conflict in the Middle East, the refugee crisis in Europe, Britain's possible exit from the EU, and the growing political backlash in the United States and Europe against international trade.

Washington, DC - 16 April 2016

1. Panel members walks toward seats

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"As you see from the communique, we agreed the global recovery is continuing, but expansion is modest. There has been some improvement in the past month, but financial market volatility and risk aversion are rising amid questions of medium-term global growth prospects. The situation may ultimately weigh on sentiment, which is why we must implement mutually reinforcing policies to boost global growth and strengthen financial stability."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"We agreed that emerging markets and developing countries are generally better prepared than in the past for possibly a less favorable environment, but many of them are exposed to tighter financial conditions, slowing capital inflows and currency pressures. In this context, clear and effective communication of policy stances will be key limit excessive market volatility and negative spillovers."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"There was a consensus there is no room for complacency, and ahead of us, we still have important challenges, and in that sense the three-pronged approach that was proposed by the IMF was widely subscribed and accepted."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

"I think your observation is correct. There was not the same level of anxiety, but I think there was an equal level of concern, but a collective endeavor to identify the solution and the responses to the global economic situation."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

"Now, clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home when they return? How much political force will that require and will they exercise it. It's a matter that we will measure, we will score, and we will come back to them and tell them how much they accomplished."

11. Panel members leave room

Finance officials on Saturday pledged a more forceful effort to stimulate a sluggish global economy.

The hope is that stronger growth can boost long-stagnant wages and combat a rising backlash against globalization.

The finance leaders said they will use all the policy tools available to them to promote "strong, sustainable, inclusive, job-rich and more balanced global growth."

The IMF called for a three-pronged approach including monetary, fiscal and structural actions to avert recession risks.

The commitment came in a joint statement from the policy-setting panel of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund at the end of its spring meeting in Washington.

Markets have stabilized after a chaotic start to the year, when fears were growing about a possible new global recession. But the IMF's communique cited a long list of threats, from terrorist attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis to the shock to global confidence from a potential exit by Britain from the European Union.

"Against this backdrop, it is important to buttress confidence in our policies," the IMF said.

The IMF discussions followed two days of talks among finance officials of the Group of 20 major economies. Representing the United States were Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

The concern about economic growth was heightened at the beginning of this year by tumult in financial markets. Investors feared that China's economy, the world's second biggest, was slowing more than expected, raising the possibility of a global recession.

Agustin Carstens, the head of the Bank of Mexico and chairman of the IMF's policy panel, said finance leaders realized "there was no room for complacency" even though markets have stabilized.

Many nations buffeted by the forces of globalization have lost jobs and workers' wages have stagnated. In the United States, this anger has propelled the presidential candidacy of Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In Britain, voters will decide in June whether to leave the European Union.

The finance leaders said they believed their actions would help stimulate growth and boost jobs and wages. But they acknowledged there was no time to waste in producing results.

"Clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

The IMF this past week downgraded its outlook for the economy this year and cited risks that could make things worse: conflict in the Middle East, the refugee crisis in Europe, Britain's possible exit from the EU, and the growing political backlash in the United States and Europe against international trade.

Finance officials on Saturday pledged a more forceful effort to stimulate a sluggish global economy.

The hope is that stronger growth can boost long-stagnant wages and combat a rising backlash against globalization.

The finance leaders said they will use all the policy tools available to them to promote "strong, sustainable, inclusive, job-rich and more balanced global growth."

The IMF called for a three-pronged approach including monetary, fiscal and structural actions to avert recession risks.

The commitment came in a joint statement from the policy-setting panel of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund at the end of its spring meeting in Washington.

Markets have stabilized after a chaotic start to the year, when fears were growing about a possible new global recession. But the IMF's communique cited a long list of threats, from terrorist attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis to the shock to global confidence from a potential exit by Britain from the European Union.

"Against this backdrop, it is important to buttress confidence in our policies," the IMF said.

The IMF discussions followed two days of talks among finance officials of the Group of 20 major economies. Representing the United States were Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

The concern about economic growth was heightened at the beginning of this year by tumult in financial markets. Investors feared that China's economy, the world's second biggest, was slowing more than expected, raising the possibility of a global recession.

Agustin Carstens, the head of the Bank of Mexico and chairman of the IMF's policy panel, said finance leaders realized "there was no room for complacency" even though markets have stabilized.

Many nations buffeted by the forces of globalization have lost jobs and workers' wages have stagnated. In the United States, this anger has propelled the presidential candidacy of Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In Britain, voters will decide in June whether to leave the European Union.

The finance leaders said they believed their actions would help stimulate growth and boost jobs and wages. But they acknowledged there was no time to waste in producing results.

"Clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

The IMF this past week downgraded its outlook for the economy this year and cited risks that could make things worse: conflict in the Middle East, the refugee crisis in Europe, Britain's possible exit from the EU, and the growing political backlash in the United States and Europe against international trade.

Washington, DC - 16 April 2016

1. Panel members walks toward seats

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"As you see from the communique, we agreed the global recovery is continuing, but expansion is modest. There has been some improvement in the past month, but financial market volatility and risk aversion are rising amid questions of medium-term global growth prospects. The situation may ultimately weigh on sentiment, which is why we must impliment mutually reinforcing policies to boost global growth and strengthen financial stability."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"We agreed that emerging markets and developing countries are generally better prepared than in the past for possibly a less favorable environment, but many of them are exposed to tighter financial conditions, slowing capital inflows and currency pressures. In this context, clear and effective communication of policy stances will be key limit excessive market volatility and negative spillovers."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"There was a consensus there is no room for complacency, and ahead of us, we still have important challenges, and in that sense the three-pronged approach that was proposed by the IMF was widely subscribed and accepted."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

"I think your observation is correct. There was not the same level of anxiety, but I think there was an equal level of concern, but a collective endeavor to identify the solution and the responses to the global economic situation."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

"Now, clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home when they return? How much political force will that require and will they exercise it. It's a matter that we will measure, we will score, and we will come back to them and tell them how much they accomplished."

11. Panel members leave room

'BFG' STARS DISCUSS BRITAIN'S EU REFERENDUM

The intense debate over Britain's future in or out of the European Union came to Hollywood Tuesday (21 June 2016) as the stars of Steven Spielberg's "The BFG" weighed in on the high-stakes issue at their film's Los Angeles premiere.

Academy Award winner Mark Rylance expressed his concerns about the EU referendum while remembering slain British lawmaker Jo Cox.

"It's a very big week and it's been really tragic to see the death of that wonderful woman, you know who such a compassionate campaigner. And just to see there are things about Europe that worry me. There are trade agreements. This horrible TTIP agreement is a terrible thing. I don't know why Obama is backing it. It gives corporations the right to sue us if we change our minds as a people. It's not democratic. But on the other hand, all the guys who are backing separation are so awful about refugees. They're all rather nasty businessman, like Rupert Murdoch. So it's a very complicated issue. But I think like here in America there is a real anger and a loss of identity. People don't know who they are and they feel betrayed by the government so have really sold out to business too often, too long. And so you're seeing some rather nasty characters, like Mr. Trump in my opinion. And in England also, some nasty characters being promoted just because people are angry. They don't know who they are and what's going on. But these big businessman, they ain't the answer. You know we've got to get together, I think, more. Or the refugees. The refugees are climate change refugees. You can't be making wars like England and America are and then drop your arms saying 'we're not going to accept your refugees' when you've bombed their countries and depleted uranium. You asked me a question that's not the right one to ask me tonight. But anyway, there's my answer. It's a personal question for people," said Rylance.

Cox, a Labour lawmaker who had championed the cause of Syrian refugees, was stabbed and shot to death outside a library in her constituency Thursday. The suspect gave his name in court as "death to traitors, freedom for Britain."

"Downton Abbey" actress Penelope Wilton said leaving would be a "disaster."

"I want to stay in Europe with all my heart. I want to stay in Europe. I think it would be a disaster. We've had peace in Europe for seventy years and there's a lot of right-wing factions building up all over and it's very important that we stick together. And we are a global economy now and we're a global world and can't afford to go back to being little England anymore. We've got to join in and learn to join in," Wilton said.

For actress Rebecca Hall the issue is a matter of identity.

"I don't want us to leave the EU. I feel very strongly about it and I don't think we should and I think it's … That is my belief. I think it's been a really important thing. I identify as European as much as English and always have and I think that's very important," she said.

Hall added that she has shied away from discussing politics in the past, but is moved to speak up about the referendum.

"I'm really torn about this because I've always thought my job is to do my job. I'm not a politician. I'm not a spokesperson. But on the other hand, I do appreciate that the things I say may get to people or might influence people. And I think when things get really confusing like they do now and you have a lot of people who are frightened and confused and not seeing things clearly and things are not communicating well then yeah, I suppose you do start wanting to speak up," she said.

British voters head to the polls on Thursday to decide if the country should stay in the European Union or leave it.

'BFG' STARS DISCUSS BRITAIN'S EU REFERENDUM

The intense debate over Britain's future in or out of the European Union came to Hollywood Tuesday (21 June 2016) as the stars of Steven Spielberg's "The BFG" weighed in on the high-stakes issue at their film's Los Angeles premiere.

Academy Award winner Mark Rylance expressed his concerns about the EU referendum while remembering slain British lawmaker Jo Cox.

"It's a very big week and it's been really tragic to see the death of that wonderful woman, you know who such a compassionate campaigner. And just to see there are things about Europe that worry me. There are trade agreements. This horrible TTIP agreement is a terrible thing. I don't know why Obama is backing it. It gives corporations the right to sue us if we change our minds as a people. It's not democratic. But on the other hand, all the guys who are backing separation are so awful about refugees. They're all rather nasty businessman, like Rupert Murdoch. So it's a very complicated issue. But I think like here in America there is a real anger and a loss of identity. People don't know who they are and they feel betrayed by the government so have really sold out to business too often, too long. And so you're seeing some rather nasty characters, like Mr. Trump in my opinion. And in England also, some nasty characters being promoted just because people are angry. They don't know who they are and what's going on. But these big businessman, they ain't the answer. You know we've got to get together, I think, more. Or the refugees. The refugees are climate change refugees. You can't be making wars like England and America are and then drop your arms saying 'we're not going to accept your refugees' when you've bombed their countries and depleted uranium. You asked me a question that's not the right one to ask me tonight. But anyway, there's my answer. It's a personal question for people," said Rylance.

Cox, a Labour lawmaker who had championed the cause of Syrian refugees, was stabbed and shot to death outside a library in her constituency Thursday. The suspect gave his name in court as "death to traitors, freedom for Britain."

"Downton Abbey" actress Penelope Wilton said leaving would be a "disaster."

"I want to stay in Europe with all my heart. I want to stay in Europe. I think it would be a disaster. We've had peace in Europe for seventy years and there's a lot of right-wing factions building up all over and it's very important that we stick together. And we are a global economy now and we're a global world and can't afford to go back to being little England anymore. We've got to join in and learn to join in," Wilton said.

For actress Rebecca Hall the issue is a matter of identity.

"I don't want us to leave the EU. I feel very strongly about it and I don't think we should and I think it's … That is my belief. I think it's been a really important thing. I identify as European as much as English and always have and I think that's very important," she said.

Hall added that she has shied away from discussing politics in the past, but is moved to speak up about the referendum.

"I'm really torn about this because I've always thought my job is to do my job. I'm not a politician. I'm not a spokesperson. But on the other hand, I do appreciate that the things I say may get to people or might influence people. And I think when things get really confusing like they do now and you have a lot of people who are frightened and confused and not seeing things clearly and things are not communicating well then yeah, I suppose you do start wanting to speak up," she said.

British voters head to the polls on Thursday to decide if the country should stay in the European Union or leave it.

Los Angeles, 21 June 2016

1. Wide of "The BFG" cast posing for photos

2. Medium of Mark Rylance speaking to reporters

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Rylance, actor:

"It's a very big week and it's been really tragic to see the death of that wonderful woman, you know who such a compassionate campaigner. And just to see there are things about Europe that worry me. There are trade agreements. This horrible TTIP agreement is a terrible thing. I don't know why Obama is backing it. It gives corporations the right to sue us if we change our minds as a people. It's not democratic. But on the other hand, all the guys who are backing separation are so awful about refugees. They're all rather nasty businessman, like Rupert Murdoch. So it's a very complicated issue. But I think like here in America there is a real anger and a loss of identity. People don't know who they are and they feel betrayed by the government so have really sold out to business too often, too long. And so you're seeing some rather nasty characters, like Mr. Trump in my opinion. And in England also, some nasty characters being promoted just because people are angry. They don't know who they are and what's going on. But these big businessman, they ain't the answer. You know we've got to get together, I think, more. Or the refugees. The refugees are climate change refugees. You can't be making wars like England and America are and then throw up your arms saying 'we're not going to accept your refugees' when you've bombed their countries and depleted uranium. You asked me a question that's not the right one to ask me tonight. But anyway, there's my answer. It's a personal question for people."

4. Medium of Penelope Wilton speaking to reporters

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Penelope Wilton, actress:

"I want to stay in Europe with all my heart. I want to stay in Europe. I think it would be a disaster. We've had peace in Europe for seventy years and there's a lot of right-wing factions building up all over and it's very important that we stick together. And we are a global economy now and we're a global world and can't afford to go back to being little England anymore. We've got to join in and learn to join in."

6. Wide of Rebecca Hall speaking to reporters

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Hall, actress:

"Yeah, I don't want us to leave the EU. I feel very strongly about it and I don't think we should and I think it's … That is my belief. I think it's been a really important thing. I identify as European as much as English and always have and I think that's very important."

8. Medium of Rebecca Hall speaking to reporters

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Hall, actress – on the role of celebrities in politics:

"I mean, I'm really torn about this because I've always thought my job is to do my job. I'm not a politician. I'm not a spokesperson. But on the other hand, I do appreciate that the things I say may get to people or might influence people. And I think when things get really confusing like they do now and you have a lot of people who are frightened and confused and not seeing things clearly and things are not communicating well then yeah, I suppose you do start wanting to speak up."

10. Wide of "The BFG" cast posing for photos

Seven British lawmakers quit the main opposition Labour Party on Monday over its approach to issues including Brexit and anti-Semitism, blasting open a long-simmering rift in the left-of-centre party.

Many Labour lawmakers have been unhappy with the party's direction under leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist who took charge in 2015 with strong grass-roots backing.

They accuse Corbyn of mounting a weak opposition to the Conservative government's plans for leaving the European Union, and of failing to stamp out a vein of anti-Jewish prejudice in the party.

The quitters represent a small fraction of Labour's 256 lawmakers, or the 650 total members of Parliament.

But this is the biggest split in the party since four senior members on the right wing quit in 1981 to form the Social Democratic Party.

Luciana Berger, one of those who announced Monday that she is leaving, said Labour had become "institutionally anti-Semitic".

Another, Mike Gapes, accused the party's leaders of being complicit in facilitating Brexit.

"It's not just the politics. It is whether you can feel a moral integrity to go along with things that you can no longer justify or accept. And I've come to my own breaking point. I cannot do that any longer", he added.

The seven lawmakers said they will continue to sit in Parliament as the newly formed Independent Group.

Corbyn said he was "disappointed that these MPs have felt unable to continue to work together for the Labour policies that inspired millions at the last election and saw us increase our vote by the largest share since 1945".

Those Labour lawmakers who quit in 1981 eventually became today's Liberal Democrats, a centrist party that has failed to topple the dominance of Britain's two main political parties, Conservatives and Labour.

The new Labour splitters urged others to join them in creating a new centrist force in British politics.

"We do not think any of the major parties is fit for power", said lawmaker Angela Smith.

"People feel politically homeless and they are asking and begging for an alternative."

UK POOL

London - 18 February 2019

1. Journalist asking question

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mike Gapes, UK Member of Parliament for Ilford South:

SOUNDBITE (English)

"This is not the Labour Party that I fought to save when Neil Kinnock was leader. It isn't the Labour Party that I fought against Trotskyists in student politics. This is the Labour Party which has changed beyond recognition. And you have to make a decision. It's not just the politics. It is whether you can feel a moral integrity to go along with things that you can no longer justify or accept. And I've come to my own breaking point. I cannot do that any longer."

3. Journalist asking question

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Angela Smith, UK Member of Parliament Penistone and Stocksbridge:

"People feel politically homeless and they are asking and begging for an alternative. This is why we believe our politics is broken and that something has to be done to build back a politics that people believe in, and we cannot be complicit in a political system which is broken and which is failing to put the country first and put people first."

5. Journalist asking question

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Chukka Umunna, UK Member of Parliament for Streatham:

"Make no mistake, it's not just Labour MPs who are privately wrestling with their consciences on this every single day. We know of lots of other members of parliament in other parties too. The whole thing is broken, so we've got to change it."

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Chris Leslie, UK Member of Parliament for Nottingham East:

"So, of course, for myself the Brexit saga has been very much a tipping point. You know I've been trying for a very, very long time to push and cajole and nudge the Labour Party to do what I would regard that its traditional values to point it towards which is protecting jobs and livelihoods, but instead we've seen the consistent attempt to put this sort of political calculations above what I regard as the national interest and that for me has been a tipping point. But there's a combination of issues as you've heard today."

8. Journalist asking question

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Luciana Berger, UK Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree:

"Well when I joined the Labour Party thought I was joining a broad church and it's now clear that that broad church which brought many of us into the Labour Party no longer exists, and therefore we have to be true to ourselves and true to our values. It would be much easier for us if we just kept quiet and kept our heads down. But we don't believe or I certainly don't believe that's what I came into politics to do."

10. Journalist asking question

CHADHA TALKS ABOUT THE RELEVANCE OF HER MOVIE IN THE AGE OF TRUMP AND BREXIT

Director Gurinda Chadha didn't think that the themes in her movie "Viceroy's House" would resonate so much in the contemporary world when she started working on it 7 years ago.

Joined at the press conference in Berlin with her actors and screenwriter, the director said that the theme of partition is seen in many instances across the world now:

"I think that for me now sitting here, when we started making the film there was no talk of Brexit, there was no talk of someone like Trump being President," she mused.

"Once again the film was alive again today and then now here we are, releasing the film in a time where the politics of hate and division are so prevalent and are defining not just America at the moment but here in Europe."

Screenwriter Paul Mayeda Berges said that it was significant that the movie has its world premiere Sunday (12 February 2017) in Berlin, because it is "a city that knows about being partitioned."

Set in 1947, "Viceroy's House" captures the final days of the British Raj - as British India was divided into India and Pakistan. This lead to what many consider to be the largest mass migration recorded.

Hugh Bonneville plays the last Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, who is charged with handing India back to its people. At the press conference, the actor said that although the story covers important political themes, he found the human elements particularly appealing:

"I just want to say, for all that it is a story that shows epic decisions, and epic human tragedies, ultimately, all that bleakness that is alluded to, it does come down and bring into focus the simplicity of human lives and the fact that in the very end in this most unlikely of endings, which was actually one of the certifiable facts of the film of two people finding each other in a refugee camp long after the events had taken place, and that actually turning out through fiction to become the fact of of Gurinda's grandparents, I think brings it into focus that despite this backdrop of seismic shifts, both in humanity, humanitarian needs and of geographical humanitarian location, there are seeds of hope even if these ghastly times that we are living in let us cling onto these moments of two people finding each other and building a future," he said.

"Viceroy's House" has its world premiere in Berlin Sunday (12 February 2017)

Berlin, 12 February 2017

1. Various of Berlinale posters in the press conference

2. Various of Manish Dayal, Gillian Anderson, Gurinder Chadha, Hugh Bonneville, Paul Mayeda Berges and Huma Qureshi entering press conference

3. Close of Gillian Anderson, pan to close of Hugh Bonneville

4. Various of director Gurinder Chadha

5. Wide of press conference

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul Mayeda Berges, screenwriter:

"We hope by using the house as a microcosm the story will resonate in much larger ways. It is very significant for Gurinda and I that the world premiere is in Berlin, a city that knows about being partitioned. You look at the film in the time of Syria and Trump, and Brexit in some ways and all of these other things, and you hope that a very specific story will resonate in a much larger way for International audiences."

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gurinder Chadha, director:

"I think that for me now sitting here, when we started making the film there was no talk of Brexit, there was no talk of someone like Trump ever being President, there was nothing we were just. 7 years ago it was a very different world when we started making the film. So now at the other end, even when we were editing, even when we were shooting the film, Syria was happening, the day we were shooting the scenes with a thousand extras as refugees we felt very bad because we were shooting these refugees but it was that morning that the little boy had been found washed up on the beach. And so we were looking at these news images on our phones and here we were with refugees, 70 years later. It was getting very real for us what we were shooting in terms of the resonance for today. When we were editing the film in London, my editor was Italian, and suddenly Brexit happened, something none of us ever imagined would happen. Suddenly we were dealing with our own partition in London. My editor was distraught because he was married to an English woman and had 2 children, didn't know what was going to happen to him, his family and his future. Once again the film was alive again today and then now today here we are, releasing the film at a time where the politics of hate and division are so prevalent and are defining not just America at the moment but here in Europe."

8. Cutaway press conference

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hugh Bonneville, actor:

"I just want to say, for all that it is a story that shows epic decisions, and epic human tragedies, ultimately, all that bleakness that is alluded to, it does come down and bring into focus the simplicity of human lives and the fact that at the very end in this most unlikely of endings, which was actually one of the certifiable facts of the film of two people finding each other in a refugee camp long after the events had taken place, and that actually turning out through fiction to become the fact of of Gurinda's grandparents, I think brings it into focus that despite this backdrop of seismic shifts, both in humanity, humanitarian needs and indeed shifts of geographical humanitarian location, there are seeds of hope even in these ghastly times that we are living in let us cling onto these moments of two people finding each other and building a future."

10. Cutaway press conference

LEADIN

Food poverty has been rising in the UK, in the wake of years of economic austerity.

Now the Conservative government has called a snap-election on June 8, increasing uncertainty about future government policies.

Community activists in London are providing free meals and a food-sharing fridge to help low-income residents and reduce food waste.

STORYLINE

Cranberry and walnut cakes sell for a couple of pounds (2.5 USD) at the Ritzy Cinema cafe in Brixton, south London.

But many are often thrown away once they've reached their best before dates, contributing to food waste in the local community.

That's despite the fact that they are still perfectly good to eat and there are plenty of mouths that would want them.

But there's a new community effort to hold back the tide of discarded processed and fresh goods.

A group of 25 food activists people came up with the idea of starting a People's Fridge, in a shared workspace for start-ups, small businesses and social entrepreneurs, called Impact Hub Brixton.

The People's Fridge is a public fridge where local businesses and residents can leave spare, edible food for others.

And so employees at the Ritzy Cinema now bring their cafe's surplus cakes for people in the community to have for free, rather than sending it to landfill.

"We heard about it, a staff member had come down and heard about the project and it just seemed like a great idea," says Sarah Cook, the Ritzy Cinema's Marketing Manager.

"Businesses like ours, we waste a lot of food off, to then donate it to people in need and help support the community in Brixton, which we are a big part of, is kind of important to us."

Organisers held a crowdfunding campaign to get the fridge project started, raising more than £2,000 (2,556 USD).

Volunteers run the fridge to cut food waste, encourage food sharing and help tackle food poverty.

One of the co-founders, Rebecca Trevalyan, says after a couple of months of the fridge being open there's brisk activity.

"We're seeing lots of donations coming into the fridge, it has been certainly full over the last couple of weeks," Trevalyan says.

According to the founders, food waste is a big issue in the UK valued at around £17 billion (21bn USD) each year, with restaurants throwing away 900,000 tonnes of food annually.

"In terms of demand for it, and need for food, we know that increasing numbers of people are turning to food banks, unfortunately, and we know that food banks don't currently offer fresh food," Trevalyan says.

"There is therefore a gap for the fridge in providing that fresh source of food, but also being a smart way to deal with food surplus."

Trevalyan adds that it is not only the very poor who are in need of help.

"There are lots of people who are in work who are receiving an income but who still can't afford the rising costs of food and who really benefit from such initiatives.

"Here, from my experience, it certainly feels like there is demand and the demand is rising."

The fridge appears to be mutually beneficial.

"Food we've put on the shelves, or had put on the shelves is generally leaving the shelves within 36 hours of it being there," Trevalyan says.

The founders were inspired by similar fridges in Spain, Germany, and India as well as Somerset and Derbyshire in the UK. But this is the first time the concept has been brought to London.

They know that the fridge will not end the issue of food poverty, but it is one of a number of methods which can be used to combat the problem.

This is as UK welfare benefits have been cut over recent years.

According to the Trussell Trust, that runs food banks across the UK, it distributed more than 519,000 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis from April to September 2016. That's up from about 113,000 such parcels for the same period in 2012.

It says the primary reasons for food bank referral are benefit changes and delays and low incomes, issues some say are at risk further from a potentially weakened UK economy post Brexit.

Now that a general election in the UK has been called for 8 June, uncertainty is rife.

One organisation offering free meals in 34 locations across the country, has already seen greater pressure on its services in recent years.

"About a year and a half ago, a local drop in centre for elderly people closed down. It used to serve a hot meal everyday for people over the age of 50," says Alex Cameron, a volunteer at the charity Food Cycle in London's Marylebone.

"And with the closure of that, lots of people were left without a central place to come and meet. It was really damaging to the community actually,"

Food Cycle aims to relieve food poverty and provide a community for people to be a part of. It takes food surplus donations, primarily from supermarkets, and cooks meals for people to attend.

Since the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union in June 2016, the country has already seen price rises in imported food products, as the British sterling has fallen in value. Food prices are expected to grow by between 5 percent and 8 percent in 2017, according to the Food and Drink Federation.

Cameron says she has seen an impact already: "Well, I have to admit I've noticed that the price of the butter that we buy goes up.

"So as a charity we're going to have to start spending more on the extra food that we buy to compliment the food that's surplus.

"I also think that it will have a knock-on effect when basic ingredients and foods go up in price. These are the people that are most affected by that."

One analyst says further inflation and economic instability as the Brexit process completes could increase the already record number of people using free food sources.

"I think Brexit is going to have a negative impact on incomes across the whole spectrum, high-income earners and low-income earners. But the difference is that low-income earners have less room for manoeuvre," says Sarah Boumphrey, Director of Economies and Consumers at the market researchers Euromonitor.

The team behind the People's Fridge think that, if their project is successful, they can help others set up community fridges across the UK.

And, although they may not want it, conditions may be right for just that.

London, UK - 12 April 2017

1. Various two employees of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, delivering cakes to the People's Fridge

2. Can of soup and box of cranberry and walnut cakes in the People's Fridge

3. Tilt down fridge

4. Rack focus of sign on fridge reading (English) "I help cut food waste"

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Cook, Marketing Manager, Ritzy Cinema:

"We heard about it, a staff member had come down and heard about the project and it just seemed like a great idea. Businesses like ours, we waste a lot of food off, to then donate it to people who are in need and help support the community in Brixton, which we are a big part of, is kind of important to us."

6. Pan right of street in Brixton to exterior of Ritzy Cinema

7. Various of people in the Ritzy Cinema bar and cafe eating and drinking

8. Various of person taking food from the People's Fridge

9. Set up shot of Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"Food we've put on the shelves, or we've had put on the shelves is generally leaving the shelves within 36 hours of it being there."

11. Various of onions and greens in the fridge

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"We're seeing lots of donations coming into the fridge, it has been certainly full over the last couple of weeks. In terms of demand for it, and need for food, we know that increasing numbers of people are turning to food banks unfortunately and we know that food banks don't currently offer fresh food. There is therefore a gap for the fridge in providing that fresh source of food, but also being a smart way to deal with food surplus."

13. People walking past fridge

14. Food items in the fridge

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"There are lots of people who are in work who are receiving an income, but who still can't afford the rising costs of food and who really benefit from such initiatives. Here, from my experience, it certainly feels like there is demand and the demand is rising."

16. Various of people eating at a dinner held by Food Cycle in a church in Marylebone

17. Maggie at the table with other diners

18. Maggie in front of a bowl of food

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Maggie (No last name given), Marylebone resident

"Oh, it helps you a lot really. If you are only on your pension. But yes, very, very good. It's good all round and they're lovely people here."

20. Volunteers preparing food in the kitchen

21. Volunteer Alex Cameron serving diners

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Cameron, volunteer:

"About a year and a half ago, a local drop in centre for elderly people closed down. It used to serve a hot meal everyday for people over the age of 50. And with the closure of that lots of people were left without a central place to come and meet. It was really damaging to the community actually."

23. Volunteer preparing food in the kitchen

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Cameron, volunteer:

"Well, I have to admit I've noticed that the price of the butter that we buy goes up. So as a charity we're going to have to start spending more on the extra food that we buy to compliment the food that's surplus. I also think that it will have a knock-on effect when basic ingredients and foods go up in price, these are the people that are most affected by that."

25. Various of woman eating

26. Set up shot of Sarah Boumphrey, Director, Economies and Consumers for market researchers Euromonitor

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Boumphrey, Director, Economies and Consumers for Euromonitor:

"I think Brexit is going to have a negative impact on incomes across the whole spectrum, high-income earners and low-income earners. But the difference is that low-income earners have less room for manoeuvre. They can't direct their spending elsewhere. They can't save less to help with higher food prices. So they have less of a security net."

28. A diner at Food Cycle

29. An empty bowl

30. Diners at Food Cycle

31. Various of a man taking food from the People's Fridge

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Maidenhead - 21 April 2017

++STARTS ON SOUNDBITE++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, British Prime Minister:

"When I took over as Prime Minister, people were predicting that there was going to be immediate financial crash, economic danger. In fact, we've seen consumer confidence remain high, we've seen economic growth beyond all expectations, we've seen record numbers of jobs. When I took over as Prime Minister, people were concerned that the country was divided, that it wouldn't come back together again, but actually I think we now see a unity of purpose. People wanting us to get on with Brexit and make a success of Brexit."

++BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, British Prime Minister:

"It's about ensuring that we have an economy that is creating good, well-paid jobs. That we see growth and prosperity spread across the whole of the country, it's about providing opportunities for all, so that we ensure every child has a good school place; that we're building sufficient, affordable housing. It's about ensuring that we're a more united nation. That means taking action against the extremists who try to divide us, but it also means standing up to the separatists who want to break up our country."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, British Prime Minister:

"Our plan for a stronger Britain is precisely about helping ordinary working families. It's about an economy, a strong economy that creates those higher-paid jobs; it's about opportunity for all. It's about ensuring people can get on through their own hard work and talents, by merit, not by privilege. It's about ensuring that we're building more affordable housing, and having those opportunities for the future."

++BLACK FRAMES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, British Prime Minister:

"Well, let's be clear. The 0.7 percent commitment (to foreign aid) remains and will remain. What we need to do though is to look at how that money is spent and make sure that we are able to spend that money in the most effective way."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

STORYLINE:

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that the country was being united by the collective desire to "make a success of Brexit".

Speaking at the GlaxoSmithKline factory in Maidenhead, her constituency, May went on to emphasise the need to take action against "extremists that try to divide us" as well as "separatists who want to break up our country".

The Prime Minister also pledged to increase affordable housing and to create an economy where people can get by on their "talents, by merit, not by privilege".

May also confirmed that the country's commitment to foreign aid would remain as 0.7 percent of the gross national income.

May is campaigning ahead of the June 8 snap elections she has called.

===========================================================

Clients are reminded:

(i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com

(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service

(iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.

LEADIN

Food poverty has been rising in the UK, in the wake of years of economic austerity.

Now the Conservative government has called a snap-election on June 8, increasing uncertainty about future government policies.

Community activists in London are providing free meals and a food-sharing fridge to help low-income residents and reduce food waste.

STORYLINE

Cranberry and walnut cakes sell for a couple of pounds (2.5 USD) at the Ritzy Cinema cafe in Brixton, south London.

But many are often thrown away once they've reached their best before dates, contributing to food waste in the local community.

That's despite the fact that they are still perfectly good to eat and there are plenty of mouths that would want them.

But there's a new community effort to hold back the tide of discarded processed and fresh goods.

A group of 25 food activists people came up with the idea of starting a People's Fridge, in a shared workspace for start-ups, small businesses and social entrepreneurs, called Impact Hub Brixton.

The People's Fridge is a public fridge where local businesses and residents can leave spare, edible food for others.

And so employees at the Ritzy Cinema now bring their cafe's surplus cakes for people in the community to have for free, rather than sending it to landfill.

"We heard about it, a staff member had come down and heard about the project and it just seemed like a great idea," says Sarah Cook, the Ritzy Cinema's Marketing Manager.

"Businesses like ours, we waste a lot of food off, to then donate it to people in need and help support the community in Brixton, which we are a big part of, is kind of important to us."

Organisers held a crowdfunding campaign to get the fridge project started, raising more than £2,000 (2,556 USD).

Volunteers run the fridge to cut food waste, encourage food sharing and help tackle food poverty.

One of the co-founders, Rebecca Trevalyan, says after a couple of months of the fridge being open there's brisk activity.

"We're seeing lots of donations coming into the fridge, it has been certainly full over the last couple of weeks," Trevalyan says.

According to the founders, food waste is a big issue in the UK valued at around £17 billion (21bn USD) each year, with restaurants throwing away 900,000 tonnes of food annually.

"In terms of demand for it, and need for food, we know that increasing numbers of people are turning to food banks, unfortunately, and we know that food banks don't currently offer fresh food," Trevalyan says.

"There is therefore a gap for the fridge in providing that fresh source of food, but also being a smart way to deal with food surplus."

Trevalyan adds that it is not only the very poor who are in need of help.

"There are lots of people who are in work who are receiving an income but who still can't afford the rising costs of food and who really benefit from such initiatives.

"Here, from my experience, it certainly feels like there is demand and the demand is rising."

The fridge appears to be mutually beneficial.

"Food we've put on the shelves, or had put on the shelves is generally leaving the shelves within 36 hours of it being there," Trevalyan says.

The founders were inspired by similar fridges in Spain, Germany, and India as well as Somerset and Derbyshire in the UK. But this is the first time the concept has been brought to London.

They know that the fridge will not end the issue of food poverty, but it is one of a number of methods which can be used to combat the problem.

This is as UK welfare benefits have been cut over recent years.

According to the Trussell Trust, that runs food banks across the UK, it distributed more than 519,000 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis from April to September 2016. That's up from about 113,000 such parcels for the same period in 2012.

It says the primary reasons for food bank referral are benefit changes and delays and low incomes, issues some say are at risk further from a potentially weakened UK economy post Brexit.

Now that a general election in the UK has been called for 8 June, uncertainty is rife.

One organisation offering free meals in 34 locations across the country, has already seen greater pressure on its services in recent years.

"About a year and a half ago, a local drop in centre for elderly people closed down. It used to serve a hot meal everyday for people over the age of 50," says Alex Cameron, a volunteer at the charity Food Cycle in London's Marylebone.

"And with the closure of that, lots of people were left without a central place to come and meet. It was really damaging to the community actually,"

Food Cycle aims to relieve food poverty and provide a community for people to be a part of. It takes food surplus donations, primarily from supermarkets, and cooks meals for people to attend.

Since the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union in June 2016, the country has already seen price rises in imported food products, as the British sterling has fallen in value. Food prices are expected to grow by between 5 percent and 8 percent in 2017, according to the Food and Drink Federation.

Cameron says she has seen an impact already: "Well, I have to admit I've noticed that the price of the butter that we buy goes up.

"So as a charity we're going to have to start spending more on the extra food that we buy to compliment the food that's surplus.

"I also think that it will have a knock-on effect when basic ingredients and foods go up in price. These are the people that are most affected by that."

One analyst says further inflation and economic instability as the Brexit process completes could increase the already record number of people using free food sources.

"I think Brexit is going to have a negative impact on incomes across the whole spectrum, high-income earners and low-income earners. But the difference is that low-income earners have less room for manoeuvre," says Sarah Boumphrey, Director of Economies and Consumers at the market researchers Euromonitor.

The team behind the People's Fridge think that, if their project is successful, they can help others set up community fridges across the UK.

And, although they may not want it, conditions may be right for just that.

London, UK - 12 April 2017

1. Various two employees of the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, delivering cakes to the People's Fridge

2. Can of soup and box of cranberry and walnut cakes in the People's Fridge

3. Tilt down fridge

4. Rack focus of sign on fridge reading (English) "I help cut food waste"

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Cook, Marketing Manager, Ritzy Cinema:

"We heard about it, a staff member had come down and heard about the project and it just seemed like a great idea. Businesses like ours, we waste a lot of food off, to then donate it to people who are in need and help support the community in Brixton, which we are a big part of, is kind of important to us."

6. Pan right of street in Brixton to exterior of Ritzy Cinema

7. Various of people in the Ritzy Cinema bar and cafe eating and drinking

8. Various of person taking food from the People's Fridge

9. Set up shot of Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"Food we've put on the shelves, or we've had put on the shelves is generally leaving the shelves within 36 hours of it being there."

11. Various of onions and greens in the fridge

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"We're seeing lots of donations coming into the fridge, it has been certainly full over the last couple of weeks. In terms of demand for it, and need for food, we know that increasing numbers of people are turning to food banks unfortunately and we know that food banks don't currently offer fresh food. There is therefore a gap for the fridge in providing that fresh source of food, but also being a smart way to deal with food surplus."

13. People walking past fridge

14. Food items in the fridge

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Trevalyan, co-founder of the People's Fridge:

"There are lots of people who are in work who are receiving an income, but who still can't afford the rising costs of food and who really benefit from such initiatives. Here, from my experience, it certainly feels like there is demand and the demand is rising."

16. Various of people eating at a dinner held by Food Cycle in a church in Marylebone

17. Maggie at the table with other diners

18. Maggie in front of a bowl of food

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Maggie (No last name given), Marylebone resident

"Oh, it helps you a lot really. If you are only on your pension. But yes, very, very good. It's good all round and they're lovely people here."

20. Volunteers preparing food in the kitchen

21. Volunteer Alex Cameron serving diners

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Cameron, volunteer:

"About a year and a half ago, a local drop in centre for elderly people closed down. It used to serve a hot meal everyday for people over the age of 50. And with the closure of that lots of people were left without a central place to come and meet. It was really damaging to the community actually."

23. Volunteer preparing food in the kitchen

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex Cameron, volunteer:

"Well, I have to admit I've noticed that the price of the butter that we buy goes up. So as a charity we're going to have to start spending more on the extra food that we buy to compliment the food that's surplus. I also think that it will have a knock-on effect when basic ingredients and foods go up in price, these are the people that are most affected by that."

25. Various of woman eating

26. Set up shot of Sarah Boumphrey, Director, Economies and Consumers for market researchers Euromonitor

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Boumphrey, Director, Economies and Consumers for Euromonitor:

"I think Brexit is going to have a negative impact on incomes across the whole spectrum, high-income earners and low-income earners. But the difference is that low-income earners have less room for manoeuvre. They can't direct their spending elsewhere. They can't save less to help with higher food prices. So they have less of a security net."

28. A diner at Food Cycle

29. An empty bowl

30. Diners at Food Cycle

31. Various of a man taking food from the People's Fridge

Ahmed from Ahwaz in southwest Iran has lived in a makeshift migrant camp near the Calais dunes for about two months.

Together with his wife, eight-year-old daughter and two-year-old son he boarded an overloaded rubber boat for a night voyage to Britain sometime in November 2018.

The fragile vessel, however, quickly tipped and his children fell into the water, he said.

Eight people helped pull them back aboard and within an hour the boat was back on the beach.

Ahmed said a friend arranged the boat ride but he didn't know which beach the group left from or the exact date.

Ahmed and his family are part of the recent spike in bids by mostly Iranian migrants desperate to get to Britain mainly in rubber boats, as reported by French border officials.

In a bid to end the high-risk tactic, France is combing beaches, dunes and the frigid, murky coastal waters of northern France.

The goal is to save lives in one of the world's busiest, and most treacherous, waterways, known for its strong currents, and to catch smugglers who appear to have found a new money-making niche, adding to their specialty of hiding migrants in freight trucks that cross the Channel on ferries or trains.

The stepped-up security is beginning to pay off. A patrol discovered a motorized rubber boat and four people this week in the dunes south of Calais, a top French border control official told The Associated Press.

French authorities counted 71 small boat crossings or attempts in 2018 - 57 for the months of November and December alone, according to the Interior Ministry.

Forty of the crossings were successful, with the majority of the 504 migrants who tried managing to make it to British waters or the coast.

In 2017, there were only 12 such crossings.

Most migrants in northern France still opt to hide among vegetables or other cargo in trucks, trying to outwit heartbeat detectors, scans and other sophisticated equipment seeking to rout them out at ports in Calais and Dunkirk and at the Eurotunnel.

About 3,000 migrants were discovered hiding in trucks in the region in 2018, Franck Toulliou, the No. 2 Air and Border Police official said.

Toulliou said that fears voiced by some migrants about increased checks with the approach of Brexit are unfounded because nothing will change for those trying to enter Britain illegally.

"In terms of the level of controls (after Brexit), there won't be more or less. We'll check (all vehicles), 100 percent," he said.

The cliffs of Dover, visible in good weather, are irresistible for some of the desperate people huddled around camp fires in hideouts around Calais, in defiance of police who regularly clear them out and a harsh policy of the town that harbored a huge makeshift camp of thousands of migrants.

The camp went up in flames during a dismantling operation in the fall of 2016.

Toulliou said that no Iranian smuggling network has yet been discovered, even though the French dismantled 26 smuggling networks in 2018 along the northern coast.

Britain has pressured France to do more to end the boat crossings, with London injecting funds as it has in the past.

France announced in early January stepped-up security to stop departures of small boats.

Ports have taken measures to lock down vessels after a fishing boat that was stolen in November from Boulogne-Sur-Mer reached Britain, and boats were tampered with in the small pleasure port of Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk.

Reinforced security also means foot patrols on beaches, sometimes with helicopter support, and patrols on the Channel itself by France's Maritime Prefecture which coordinates rescues of the often off-course travelers.

Still to come are drones, part of a French-British action plan still being developed.

Planned long before the spike in small boat crossings, a new Joint Information and Coordination Center, opened in November and staffed by French and British Border Force police, provides real-time information with images of the ports of Calais and Dunkirk, the Eurotunnel and Eurostar information.

The high-tech detection is likely to only make Ahmed's life worse in his small camp, shot through with ethnic and religious divisions.

His wife and children are currently housed in a small apartment, on doctor's orders, but that is temporary.

He said he was beaten in the head by Muslims during a Bible-reading session, showing a photo of his bandaged head.

Calais - 15 January 2019

1. Ahmed (last name not given),37, Iranian refugee walking to the camp with food

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ahmed, Iranian refugee:

"All try in the boat. And going to UK. Little people in here in Iranian (Everyone have tried to take the boat to the UK. Few Iranian people left)."

3. Ahmed walking to the camp with food

4. Various of migrants setting up tent

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dariush (last name not given), Afghan refugee:

"We sleep in the street, or we sleep here in Calais. Because of that, we want to go to UK. It's not important, we die in here in the tent or we die in a river and sea."

6. Tents in the field

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dariush, Afghan refugee:

"It was difficult, and now it's maybe very difficult after this (Brexit). But we will try because you can see it as well, we can't live in here (for) about one year and six months or even more than that. But we will try. Maybe we can go to UK and make our life (there)."

8. Kettle being heated on fire

9. Ahmed and refugees seated by fire

10. Various of the camp

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Ahmed, Iranian refugee:

"Two children go down in the water. After two friends, after eight friend helped me (to) for move my children up (on the) boat. After one hour, we come back on the beach."

12. Various of Ahmed visiting his wife and children in hospital dormitory, where they recovered after incident with the boat

13. Ahmed covers his face with hands, UPSOUND (English): "Very dangerous the boat."

14. View of Calais from dormitory

Calais - 16 January 2019

15. Exterior of the Joint Information and Coordination Centre (JICC)

16. Policeman looking at screens

17. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Toulliou, deputy chief of the local Air and Frontier police department:

"In terms of the level of controls (after Brexit), there won't be more or less. We'll check (all vehicles), 100 percent: all the heavy vehicles, all tourism vehicles will be checked at the same level."

18. Various of people working inside coordination centre

19. SOUNDBITE (French) Franck Toulliou, deputy chief of the local Air and Frontier police department:

"The first reason is the proximity of Brexit. The fear of migrants has reinforced the border controls. Although it has already proven itself effective."

20. Various of migrants take away their belongings as police arrive to dismantle the campsite, some burning their belongings in small fires

21. Police pulling journalist away, who was working covering story at campsite

22. Police pulling away Associated Press cameraman

23. Various of workers cleaning the rubbish remaining at camp, police monitoring

24. Police leading away a migrant

25. Train coming out of the Eurotunnel

26. Barbed wire

Boulogne-sur-Mer - 16 January 2019

27. Various of the Port in Boulogne-sur-Mer

28. Empty seashore

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus053388

Finance officials on Saturday pledged a more forceful effort to stimulate a sluggish global economy.

The hope is that stronger growth can boost long-stagnant wages and combat a rising backlash against globalization.

The finance leaders said they will use all the policy tools available to them to promote "strong, sustainable, inclusive, job-rich and more balanced global growth."

The IMF called for a three-pronged approach including monetary, fiscal and structural actions to avert recession risks.

The commitment came in a joint statement from the policy-setting panel of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund at the end of its spring meeting in Washington.

Markets have stabilized after a chaotic start to the year, when fears were growing about a possible new global recession. But the IMF's communique cited a long list of threats, from terrorist attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis to the shock to global confidence from a potential exit by Britain from the European Union.

"Against this backdrop, it is important to buttress confidence in our policies," the IMF said.

The IMF discussions followed two days of talks among finance officials of the Group of 20 major economies. Representing the United States were Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

The concern about economic growth was heightened at the beginning of this year by tumult in financial markets. Investors feared that China's economy, the world's second biggest, was slowing more than expected, raising the possibility of a global recession.

Agustin Carstens, the head of the Bank of Mexico and chairman of the IMF's policy panel, said finance leaders realized "there was no room for complacency" even though markets have stabilized.

Many nations buffeted by the forces of globalization have lost jobs and workers' wages have stagnated. In the United States, this anger has propelled the presidential candidacy of Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In Britain, voters will decide in June whether to leave the European Union.

The finance leaders said they believed their actions would help stimulate growth and boost jobs and wages. But they acknowledged there was no time to waste in producing results.

"Clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

The IMF this past week downgraded its outlook for the economy this year and cited risks that could make things worse: conflict in the Middle East, the refugee crisis in Europe, Britain's possible exit from the EU, and the growing political backlash in the United States and Europe against international trade.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus053388

Finance officials on Saturday pledged a more forceful effort to stimulate a sluggish global economy.

The hope is that stronger growth can boost long-stagnant wages and combat a rising backlash against globalization.

The finance leaders said they will use all the policy tools available to them to promote "strong, sustainable, inclusive, job-rich and more balanced global growth."

The IMF called for a three-pronged approach including monetary, fiscal and structural actions to avert recession risks.

The commitment came in a joint statement from the policy-setting panel of the 189-nation International Monetary Fund at the end of its spring meeting in Washington.

Markets have stabilized after a chaotic start to the year, when fears were growing about a possible new global recession. But the IMF's communique cited a long list of threats, from terrorist attacks and the Syrian refugee crisis to the shock to global confidence from a potential exit by Britain from the European Union.

"Against this backdrop, it is important to buttress confidence in our policies," the IMF said.

The IMF discussions followed two days of talks among finance officials of the Group of 20 major economies. Representing the United States were Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

The concern about economic growth was heightened at the beginning of this year by tumult in financial markets. Investors feared that China's economy, the world's second biggest, was slowing more than expected, raising the possibility of a global recession.

Agustin Carstens, the head of the Bank of Mexico and chairman of the IMF's policy panel, said finance leaders realized "there was no room for complacency" even though markets have stabilized.

Many nations buffeted by the forces of globalization have lost jobs and workers' wages have stagnated. In the United States, this anger has propelled the presidential candidacy of Republican front-runner Donald Trump. In Britain, voters will decide in June whether to leave the European Union.

The finance leaders said they believed their actions would help stimulate growth and boost jobs and wages. But they acknowledged there was no time to waste in producing results.

"Clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said.

The IMF this past week downgraded its outlook for the economy this year and cited risks that could make things worse: conflict in the Middle East, the refugee crisis in Europe, Britain's possible exit from the EU, and the growing political backlash in the United States and Europe against international trade.

Washington, DC - 16 April 2016

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"As you see from the communique, we agreed the global recovery is continuing, but expansion is modest. There has been some improvement in the past month, but financial market volatility and risk aversion are rising amid questions of medium-term global growth prospects. The situation may ultimately weigh on sentiment, which is why we must implement mutually reinforcing policies to boost global growth and strengthen financial stability."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Agustin Carstens, Chairman of IMF Policy Panel

"There was a consensus there is no room for complacency, and ahead of us, we still have important challenges."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

"I think your observation is correct. There was not the same level of anxiety, but I think there was an equal level of concern, but a collective endeavor to identify the solution and the responses to the global economic situation."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director

"Now, clearly the question is how much is going to get done back home when they return? How much political force will that require and will they exercise it. It's a matter that we will measure, we will score, and we will come back to them and tell them how much they accomplished."

Sunday's French presidential centre-right primary runoff pits a candidate campaigning on traditional family values and drastic free-market policies against a more moderate figure who accuses his rival of pandering to the far-right.

Francois Fillon, 62, is counting on his solid score in the first round - over 44 percent - and the support of former President Nicolas Sarkozy to beat Alain Juppe, 71, who received 28,6 percent of the votes.

In next year's presidential election, the conservative nominee's toughest competition is likely to come from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is hoping to be swept into power on a wave of populism.

Fillon could prove a tough rival to Le Pen, since his traditional conservatism appeals to some of her voter base.

Hall Gardner, professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris said Fillon "is looking for young voters, for conservative voters".

"He is trying to attract Le Pen's voters and therefore appealing to the extreme right but not going so far as Le Pen in terms of anti-Europe."

In the first round, Fillon especially attracted votes from those who took the streets in 2013 to protest against a law legalising gay marriage.

Fillon, who pledged to ban same-sex couples from adopting, is also in line with Europe's concerns about immigration, and pledged to hold a referendum on a quota system to reduce the number of legal immigrants by half.

Juppe's economic platform is not much different from Fillon's - raising the retirement age to 65, extending the workweek beyond 35 hours, cutting taxes.

But Juppe has taken a more moderate stance on controlling immigration and on Islam, urging respect for religious freedom.

Juppe is also campaigning firmly against populism, calling for a "happy" national identity that respects France's diversity.

Paris - 24 November 2016

1. Wide of Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"(French Presidential hopeful Francois) Fillon has taken a very conservative right wing position versus Alain Juppe who came in second. Fillon thinks that he is a combination of Thatcher and Reagan. Who you listen to his last talk he came out a little bit like Trump. I would say 10 percent Trump, he is not totally as extreme as Trump but nevertheless still appeals to Catholics and conservative voters. Juppe on the other hand is trying to appeal to the centre and to the left as much as possible."

3. Cutaway

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"I think Fillon is playing Trump in the sense that he is looking for young voters, for conservative voters. He is trying to attract Le Pen's voters and therefore appealing to the extreme right but not going so far as Le Pen (Marine Le Pen, French National Front President) in terms of anti-Europe. He wants in fact to create a stronger Europe and build on liberal policies. (Former French President) Valery Giscard d'Estaing has talked about a European Defense, a European Corps. Now that Brexit has taken place and the Brits are more or less out of Europe the idea is that Europe can build itself up again."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"Well I think that a lot of centre and left people who don't like Fillon's right wing and Christian-social policies, who are not upset about gay votes or gay marriage or gay adoption, issues like that which Fillon has come out fairly strong on, he's not going to change gay marriage, but the big question is gay adoption."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Hall Gardner, Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris:

"I think it's anyone's game, it really depends on the voters' turnout. If enough centrists come out to support Juppe we could see a surprise and Juppe himself said it was going to happen. It's possible. Only if the people are really afraid that Le Pen could be … What has rallied France in the past has been the fear that Le Pen was going to be the next candidate. And if they really think that Juppe is the candidate to fight her they will come out en masse. If not it is going to be a very close election. My preference would be for Juppe but I am afraid Fillon seems to have an edge at the moment."

9. Wide of Gardner

French Foreign Minister Marc Ayrault on Wednesday called for a halt to the Aleppo "massacre".

Ayrault said the bombings need to stop, and it "is never too late to make peace".

He spoke alongside his Italian and German counterparts, Paolo Gentiloni and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in Rome.

Violence has flared in Syria, particularly in and around the northern city of Aleppo, since a US and Russian-brokered cease-fire collapsed last month.

Speaking about the migrant crisis in Europe, Steinmeier said EU member states need to "stabilise those countries from where the majority of migrants and refugees are coming" in order to stem the flow.

The three ministers also discussed a common European defence and security strategy, the relationship with Russia, migration, and the future of the European Union after "Brexit."

Rome - 12 October 2016

1. Italian Foreign Affairs Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, French Foreign Minister, Marc Ayrault and German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, entering room for news conference

2. SOUNDBITE (French) Marc Ayrault, French Foreign Minister:

"For the moment our priority is not to enter into a cycle of sanctions for the sake of sanctions. Our priority and our determination is to plead for the stop of the bombings in Aleppo and to allow, as soon as possible, for the access of humanitarian aid and also to restart the political process. You are saying Americans and Russians are talking again after weeks of interruption, I say that this is good. Every chance has to be explored. It is true that there has been an agreement on the ninth of September, but this agreement has never been enforced."

3. Cutaway of news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (French) Marc Ayrault, French Foreign Affairs Minister:

"Over the last few hours, the bombings have restarted. If it is not fighter-jets, it is artillery tanks, positioned around Aleppo and the massacre is continuing. So the appeal I want to launch is let's stop this massacre, let's save the population of Aleppo, it is never too late to make peace."

5. Cutaway of news conference

6. SOUNDBITE (German) Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Foreign Minister:

(Talking about EU military cooperation) "In the European Union we find opportunities, especially in the civil and military cooperation, which do not exist in a pure military alliance such as the NATO, that allow us to stabilise those countries from where the majority of migrants and refugees are coming to Europe nowadays."

7. Ministers leaving

8. Exterior of Villa Madama