WORLD BREXIT REVIEW

SOURCE: AP HORIZONS, LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY / POOL

RESTRICTIONS: HORIZONS CLIENTS AND AP LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6.44

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

London, UK - 22 February 2016

1. Wide of UK Houses of Parliament as London bus passes

2. Close of clock face at the top of Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June 2016

3. Wide of Big Ben as seen from Buckingham Palace

4. Wide of Buckingham Palace

POOL

London, UK - 3 June 2012

5. Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip (centre), Charles (left) and Camilla (right) on royal barge during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

6. Mid of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry on royal barge

7. Pull out of royal barge sailing down River Thames during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 11 June, 2016

8. Mid of Queen Elizabeth II in carriage during the Trooping of the Colour for her 90th birthday celebrations

9. Wide of Guardsmen in ceremonial marching during the celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 1960s

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

10. Close tilt down of man putting shirt in carrier bag

11. Wide of man by scooters

UNIVERSAL ARCHIVES

London, UK - 31 October 1963

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

12. Various of Beatles getting off plane in London

AP Television

London, UK - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Johnston, Fashion Director, GQ Magazine UK

"You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

AP Television

London, UK - 3 July 2012

14. Punk and goth street fashion in Camden

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June, 2016

15. Hipster in Brick Lane cafe

16. Pull focus of street sign reading: (English) "Brick Lane E1"

17. Various of curry houses on Brick Lane

AP Television

Margate, UK - 8 June 2016

18. Various of Margate beach and people relaxing in sunshine

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Iain Aitch, Author:

"Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

20. Various of takeaway fish and chips being served

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, April 30, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

21. Red buses on a London street

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, September 24, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

22. Tilt down of Ford workers walking out of various plants

23. Wide of Ford cars on a train

24. Various men take part in industrial action at Ford plant

AP Television

United Kingdom, February 10, 1974 - no exact location available

++4:3++

25. Various of non functioning coal mines during national coal strike

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, June 3, 1975 (MUTE)

++4:3++

26. Mid of Margaret Thatcher wearing a flags-of-Europe sweater, flanked by women also wearing pro-Europe sweaters

AP Television

Maastricht, Netherlands - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

27. Clocktower of Maastricht town hall with EU, Limburg and Maastricht flags

28. Wide of streets in the town

AP Television

London, UK - 7 July 2016

29. Various of autistic teenager Rens Van Velzen completing other puzzles with black and yellow blocks against the clock

30. Close tilt down of the psychologist on the autism study at Kings College London timing Rens Van Velzen during test

31. Close of Van Velzen

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Declan Murphy lead scientist, EU Aims study on autism, Kings College London:

"Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre or from one country."

33. Various of Van Velzen being tested in eye tracking unit at Kings College London

AP Television

Southampton, UK - 16 September 2016

34. Wide of Southampton Boat Show 2016, cruise ship in background

35. Tilt down to pontoon, boats and visitors

36. Close of 'Sunseeker' flag

37. Various of Sunseeker 95 Yacht exterior

38. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Popham, CEO of Sunseeker International:

"We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

39. Various of Fairline yacht

40. SOUNDBITE (English) Russell Currie, Managing Director of Fairline Yachts:

"We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market

41. Zoom out from cruise ship docked near boat show

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Howard Pridding, Chief Executive of British Marine:

"Industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic"

AP Television

Mijas, Malaga - October 6, 2016

43. Wide of coastal area of Mijas

44. Pan of typical apartments in the area and people walking by the sea side

45. Various of British pensioners taking Spanish classes in the Parnell School

46. Various of Juan Mayor Carlos Maldonado in his office

47. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

48. Various of family walking near beach

49. Pan from people walking up steps from the beach to the owner of Royal Beach cafe talking

50. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Morales, co-owner of Royal Beach bar in Mijas:

"Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

AP Television

London, UK - 1 November 2016

51. Pull focus of bronze Japanese archer

52. Mid of men admiring antique chandelier

53. Art dealer Tanya Baxter showing painting to visitor

54. Close tilt down of painting 'Paper Bride in Waiting' by Zeng Chuanxing (price £120,000/ USD 147,000)

55. Wide of antique clock stand

AP Television

London, UK - 9 November 2016

56. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

57. Wide of girl playing with toy on chair

58. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

59. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

60. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

AP Television

Lundby, Denmark - 22 November 2016

61. Mid tilt up of Christmas tree plantation

62. Wide of plantation through tops of trees

AP Television

Copenhagen, Denmark - 21 November 2016

63. SOUNDBITE (English) Claus Jerram Christensen, Managing Director of the Danish Christmas Tree Association:

"The low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

64. Mid of large container truck filled with trees pulling out of yard stacked with trees

65. Pan across field of Christmas tree saplings for 2018 and beyond

LEADIN:

For decades Britain's discontent over its European Union (EU) membership has simmered on, but then came the June referendum.

Nationalism surfaced and Britain's voted to leave the EU.

Brexit as it became known sent shockwaves through money markets and governments around the world.

STORYLINE:

In the weeks running up to referendum judgement day, the British were busy with a little soul searching.

Mulling over their shared history, the country's pride in their democracy and heritage.

It was a year when Queen Elizabeth celebrated being the longest reigning UK monarch and the country celebrated her ninetieth birthday.

The pomp and ceremony from her recent jubilee were still a source of pride and were reminiscent of the heydays when London style was considered to be world leading.

In the 1960's British fashion and British pop were riding high.

That sense of being at the vanguard of style has continued, according to Robert Johnston the Fashion Director of GQ Magazine: "You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

Author Iain Aitch explained how a variety of heritages were now mixed up, making Britishness a more complex idea to communicate: "Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

But it wasn't this hipster, Brick Lane art and curry house side of Britain that won the vote.

The referendum on June 23rd was to signal the start of a long debate.

Britons for the first time had to absorb what being outside of the EU looked like.

Britain joined what was then called the European Economic Community in January 1973.

This was ratified by a referendum in 1975 with a resounding 67% majority.

By the seventies, Britain was beset by strikes and disgruntled union workers.

Traditional industries such as manufacturing and coal were in decline in the mid seventies.

Unemployment exceeded one million for the first time in March 1975. By the August that figure had increased to 1.25 million.

Some 83,000 immigrants were living in the UK by 1975, mostly from the Commonwealth.

According to Migration Watch UK for the year ending December 2015, net migration to the UK was 333,000.

And the lady had yet to turn. Margaret Thatcher MP (then leader of the opposition) campaigned to stay in the European Economic Community.

Later as prime minister between 1979 and 1990, Thatcher was known for her tough line with Brussels, especially during negotiations for the Maastrict Treaty in 1992.

The city of Maastrict is the home of the treaty which created the EU.

As summer arrived, businesses, leading universities and research establishments were beginning to assess the impact of Brexit.

For science and medicine, concerns were two fold.

Britain had attracted thousands of top researchers as well as billions of Euros in grants.

They went into research like this at Kings College London.

This project is a multidisciplinary look at the potential causes and effects of autism. It's a long term project which is linked to other studies across Europe.

Doctors and scientists aren't worried about losing cash in the short term, but falling behind in the knowledge race in the long term, especially as Britain has sought to place itself as a central base for the new industrial technologies.

The other fear is losing the brains which have been drawn to British research, people who now fear they will need to move to other institutions to keep up with the cash and the research.

Lead scientist at King's College Professor Declan Murphy warned: "Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country."

The EU's Horizon 2020 budget is 80-billion Euro which funds medicine and science research across Europe.

Britain's split from the EU will leave a funding gap as well as a brain drain, according to Murphy. He argues it will be the children with autism like Van Velzen who will lose out.

As an island nation, boat building and sales have been important to the UK.

The industry fears rough waters may be ahead for Britain's luxury yacht industry, but right now it's riding on a wave caused by the plunge in the pound's value.

Phil Popham, the CEO of Sunseeker International was cautious: "We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

Others like Russell Currie, the Managing Director of Fairline Yachts, says he already had cause to worry: "We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market."

British Marine's chief executive Howard Pridding tried to show more confidence in the course ahead: "Obviously, industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic."

An estimated 1.2 million Britons live in other EU countries, mostly France, Portugal and Spain according to Britain's House of Commons library.

But that's a conservative figure because many expats don't bother registering with their embassies or the local authorities.

At Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol, many Brits don't want to return to Blighty.

Used to the sun, sea and cafe society, some British residents are so concerned that their lives on the Costas are threatened, that after many years they're finally learning to speak Spanish.

According to Mijas' Mayor Juan Carlos Maldonado: "When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

Local traders are also keen to keep the British on the Costa.

Many are retired and spend their pensions here.

Bar owner Sergio Morales says: "Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

A cloud of uncertainty still hangs over British expats in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

And it's possible a string of similar nationality schools for expats may spring up.

Not everyone was bemoaning the onset of Brexit.

The art and antique market experienced a mini boom according to London dealers at this winter fair.

The weak pound against the dollar and Euro has seen American collectors in particular start to snap up bargains with savings of beween 25 and 30 per cent compared with six months ago.

Art dealers are reporting a similar trend.

They say investors see the arts market as a safe refuge in uncertain times.

As Christmas approaches the toy industry is bracing itself and Santa is wondering whether he'll have much to be jolly about.

It's the time of year when manufacturers and retailers count on making their biggest cash bonus of the year.

According to industry analyst Frederique Tutt: "Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

That's because toy retailers buy stock almost a year in advance and can keep prices stable, but the toy dealers here admit next year the stockings left out for Father Chrismas may have shrunk considerably.

There's nothing as Christmassy as a Christmas tree, but in Denmark the outlook for tree producers isn't quite so evergreen.

According to the Danish Christmas Tree Association, the small Scandinavian country grows around 11.5 million trees a year.

About 9.5 million of those are exported.

But these are challenging times and currency fluctuations are having an effect on trade.

Speaking about his members, Claus Jerram Christensen of the Danish Christmas Tree Association says: "They have experienced that the low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

The true impact of Brexit on Britain and Europe as a whole is still to an extent unknown.

The UK government had announced it was to trigger Article 50 next March to start negotiations to leave EU.

But since then, Brexit has twice been contested in the High Court.

One ruling has already stated Britain's law makers should be allowed a vote in Parliament beforehand.

Breaking up, it seems, really is hard to do.

====

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.

Britain's prime minister on Monday pledged investment into research and development as she spoke to business leaders in London, promising that the UK would be at the cutting edge of science and technology.

Theresa May, in a speech delivered to the Confederation of British Industry, said Britain would commit to investing an extra 2 billion pounds a year (2.4 billion US dollars) by 2020.

The goal is to help fuel the economy at a time when Britain is leaving the European Union.

The investment in science is set to be the first step in May's industrial strategy, which is "not about propping up failing industries or picking winners, but creating the conditions where winners can emerge and grow."

May said she aimed to deliver "a tax system that is profoundly pro-innovation".

The prime minister also insisted that leaving the European Union would give the UK new opportunities and flexibility to strike trade deals around the world.

She acknowledged that businesses did not want a "cliff edge" scenario, after warnings by business leaders about the dangers of a sudden change in the trading relationship.

Speaking earlier at the conference, CBI president Paul Drechsler had urged May to give greater clarity about the Brexit plan.

UK POOL

London - 21 November 2016

1. Various of British Prime Minister Theresa May approaching lectern, audience applauding

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

"For if we support free markets, value capitalism and back business - and we do - we must do everything we can to keep faith with them. And with not enough people feeling that they share in the wealth created by capitalism, and with the recent behaviour of a small minority of businesses and business leaders undermining the reputation of the corporate world as a whole, the way to keep that faith is to embrace reform."

3. Cutaway

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

"It's not about propping up failing industries or picking winners, but creating the conditions where winners can emerge and grow. It's about backing those winners all the way to encourage them to invest in the long term future of Britain and about delivering jobs and economic growth to every community and corner of the country."

5. Cutaway

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

"We're ambitious for Britain to become the global go-to place for scientists, innovators and tech (technology) investors. We will continue to welcome the brightest and the best, but can only do so by bringing immigration down to sustainable levels overall so we maintain public faith in the system."

7. Cutaway

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

"So in the Autumn Statement on Wednesday, we will commit to substantial real term increases in government investment in 'r and d' (research and development), investing an extra 2 billion pounds a year by the end of this parliament, to help put post-Brexit Britain at the cutting edge of science and tech."

9. Wide of May

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

"My aim is not simply for the UK to have the lowest corporate tax rate in the G-20, but also a tax system that is profoundly pro-innovation."

11. Cutaway

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

"Obviously as we look at the (Brexit) negotiation we want to get the arrangement that is going to work best for the UK and the arrangement that is going to work best for business in the UK. And I’m conscious that there will be issues that will need to be looked at. I understand the point that Paul (Drechsler, CBI President) has made, others have made this point, that people don’t want a cliff edge, they want to know with some certainty how things are going to go forward. That will be part of the work that we do in terms of the negotiation that we are undertaking with the European Union."

13. Wide of May on stage

WORLD 2017 PREDICTIONS

SOURCE: AP HORIZONS, LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY/POOL

RESTRICTIONS: HORIZONS CLIENTS AND AP LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 7:28

SHOTLIST:

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."

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

LEADIN

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".

STORYLINE

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," 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.

====

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:

As Britain's departure from the European Union falls into complete disarray, a small band of volunteers from London's tech industry is developing websites to prevent Brexit.

They hope to put public pressure on politicians to give people a second vote.

STORYLINE:

Software engineers, entrepreneurs and product managers huddle in small groups, brainstorming ideas and scrawling thoughts onto post-it notes.

It's not a startup, but a grassroots band of volunteers from London's tech industry developing websites to prevent Brexit.

They hope to put public pressure on politicians to give people a second vote.

"I'm staunchly in favour of remaining within the EU, as a member the tech community, and also just as a wider citizen of the UK," says startup founder and member of Tech For U.K. James Tabor.

"We've been a member of this organisation one way or another for so long, to not actually be taking action now would be something I'd regret for the rest of my life."

Since its launch last year, Tech For U.K. has rolled out a dozen mobile-friendly websites.

They help users automatically send anti-Brexit messages by postcard or voicemail to their politicians or spotlight the EU's benefits to Britain.

Hey MP! lets people automatically send postcards to their representative in parliament asking for another vote.

"If we can make it easier for them to make their voice feel heard, that makes a monumental difference," says Tabor.

Volunteers donate their time and the group also gets limited funding from anti-Brexit campaign group Best For Britain, which vets the digital tools before they go live.

One of the group's goals is to rally support for a second referendum on Brexit.

There's no majority for that in Parliament, but a big march in London on Saturday to demand one suggests momentum is growing.

With many outcomes to Brexit still open, Tech for U.K.'s aim is to persuade those on the fence about the benefits of EU membership and give people who are opposed to leaving a way to express their views.

Kiyana Katebi, the founder of an IT consulting firm, helped develop the group's first site, MyEU.uk , which shows people EU-funded projects in their neighbourhood based on their post code.

The site had around 100,000 visitors in the first two days after its September launch.

"I didn't know what we're gonna end up doing, but as we started talking, brainstorming, we actually wanted to do something to help enable people, like ourselves, to transform the British democracy and the main goal was to fight Brexit."

Another site, developed by user experience designer Ali Adair, lets British residents leave a voice message for their parliamentary representative with their "final say" against Brexit.

It's called Finalsay.app.

"A lot of people find it very hard to... they don't feel confident engaging in politics, they don't feel like they've got the right information," says Adair.

"Although, I would say a lot of people have feelings about politics, and they have opinions, and they have people they love in their lives, they have family members, and politics directly really affects them.

"So, I think it's important for whoever you are to get involved and do what you can."

The group, while small, says they've have had an impact on sentiment, but didn't provide any numbers on site traffic or messages sent.

About 200-300 people have joined the group. They work on the projects on evenings and weekends and collaborate remotely.

The group is using technology to counter what they see as misinformation surrounding Britain's EU membership that may have contributed to the 2016 referendum vote result to leave.

Since the referendum, Brexit opponents have raised concerns about the influence of Russian meddling and the role of social-media advertising using data harvested from Facebook.

"Unless you happen to know quite a lot about the political process, unless you happen to know someone who is a councillor, the reality is that not that many people make the effort to go to MP surgeries, to engage in the political process, which is to some extent why it's become so vacuous. Because not enough people are involved in it," says Alastair Duncan, the chief strategy officer of a creative technology company.

On the other side of the argument, pro-Brexit groups flourish online, with names such as Get Britain Out, Stand Up 4 Brexit and Leavers of Britain using social media to promote their views.

More than 1,500 U.K.-based tech executives signed Tech For U.K.'s open letter last year to Prime Minister May, warning that Brexit risks making it harder to hire tech talent and crimping funding from Europe.

But for many volunteers, Brexit's impact on the country transcends those concerns.

"Just last month alone, sites that we have had hundreds of thousands of impressions, we've had tens of thousands of positive actions, people saying, making their voices heard, getting in contact with their MPs, forwarding it to their friends, showing with their social groups," says Tabor.

"And this isn't just, you know, activists or staunch Remainers, this is general members of the public, sharing with themselves, finding messages that appeal to them."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

London, UK - 23 March 2019

1. Wide of protesters beating drums

2. Close up of drums

3. Various of marchers, signs

UK POOL

London, UK - 23 March 2019

4. Aerial shot of huge crowds gathered on Park Lane next to Hyde Park

5. Aerial shot of demonstrators with giant second referendum sign, reading (English): "Put It To The People"

6. Various aerials shots of thousands of demonstrators

ASSOCIATED PRESS

London, UK - 20 March 2019

7. Pan left of Tech for U.K. meeting

8. Mid of members listening

9. Close of screen, reading (English): "People's Vote March. Design Sprint"

10. Various of members working on laptops

11. SOUNDBITE (English) James Tabor, Startup Founder and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"I'm staunchly in favour of remaining within the EU, as a member the tech community, and also just as a wider citizen of the UK. We've been a member of this organisation one way or another for so long, to not actually be taking action now would be something I'd regret for the rest of my life."

12. Close of Tober holding smartphone, showing 'Hey MP!' website

13. Tracking shot of Tabor demonstrating 'Hey MP!' website on smartphone

UPSOUND (English): "It's very simple. What you do is you enter your postcode, and it will then auto generate a piece of custom creative for your MP. So, this is for Caroline Nokes, who's the MP down near Winchester."

14. Various close shots of 'Hey MP!' website

15. SOUNDBITE (English) James Tabor, Startup Founder and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"If we can make it easier for them to make their voice feel heard, that makes a monumental difference. So, one of the things that we've been focusing on is making it easier for people to write to their MPs, and we can make it easy for people to send emails to MPs. We don't actually send something physically through the post, that becomes a bit more challenging, but we've been able to leverage some of our expertise, our understanding, and some of our contacts to make it possible so that in the last ten days alone,  six-and-a-half to seven thousand postcards have been sent to MPs, just based on stuff that we've built."

16. Various of members brainstorming, working in groups

17. Tilt down of Kiyana Katebi, Founder of an IT consulting firm and Member of 'Tech for UK', using smartphone

18. Mid of smartphone, showing 'MyEU.uk' website

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Kiyana Katebi, Founder of an IT consulting firm and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"Hi, my name is Kiyana, and I'm a product manager by day and I fight Brexit by day and night."

20. Various close shots of 'MyEU.uk' website on smartphone

21. Tracking shot of Katebi demonstrating 'MyEU.uk' website on smartphone

UPSOUND (English): "So, we click on the logo just next to us, this is our location. And when I you scroll down, you can see what kind of project has been funded through the EU."

22. Cutaway of smartphone, showing 'MyEU.uk' website

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Kiyana Katebi, Founder of an IT consulting firm and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"I didn't know what we're gonna end up doing, but as we started talking, brainstorming, we actually wanted to do something to help enable people, like ourselves, to transform the British democracy and the main goal was to fight Brexit."

24. Various of members brainstorming, working in groups

25. Close of post it notes

26. Various of member holding poster, reading (English): "NHS. Who's going to fix it if we shoot ourselves in the foot??"

27. Various of member working designing poster, reading (English): "Brexit Snakes & Tiny Ladders"

28. Tilt up of Ali Adair, User Experience Designer and Member of 'Tech for UK', using smartphone

29. Various of smartphone, showing 'Finalsay.app' website

30. Tracking shot of Adair demonstrating 'Finalsay.app' website on smartphone

UPSOUND (English): "This is where you record your message. There's a script here for people who don't know what they want to say. You introduce yourself, it prompts to help you say why you want a final say referendum and then ask your MP to back a final say referendum."

31. Close of smartphone, showing 'Finalsay.app' website

UPSOUND (English): "Hi Christopher, I live in Christchurch and I'm a 38-year-old designer. I have a young child and I don't normally send you messages. In fact, this is the first I've ever sent. I would really like you to support a final say referendum."

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Ali Adair, User Experience Designer and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"A lot of people find it very hard to... they don't feel confident engaging in politics, they don't feel like they've got the right information. Although, I would say a lot of people have feelings about politics, and they have opinions, and they have people they love in their lives, they have family members, and politics directly really affects them. So, I think it's important for whoever you are to get involved and do what you can."

33. Various of Tabor designing poster

34. Various of Alastair Duncan, Chief Strategy Officer for a Creative Technology Company and Member of 'Tech for UK', designing poster

35. Close of poster, reading (English): "Team UK Needs EU"

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Alastair Duncan, Chief Strategy Officer for a Creative Technology Company and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"Unless you happen to know quite a lot about the political process, unless you happen to know someone who is a councillor, the reality is that not that many people make the effort to go to MP surgeries, to engage in the political process, which is to some extent why it's become so vacuous. Because not enough people are involved in it."

37. Various of member presenting poster design

38. Wide of group

39. Various of Duncan presenting poster design, reading (English): "Freedom of Movement. Lifeblood of NHS"

40. SOUNDBITE (English) James Tabor, Startup Founder and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"I mean, just last month alone, sites that we have, have had hundreds of thousands of impressions, we've had tens of thousands of positive actions, people saying, making their voices heard, getting in contact with their MPs, forwarding it to their friends, showing with their social groups. And this isn't just, you know, activists or staunch Remainers, this is general members of the public, sharing with themselves, finding messages that appeal to them."

41. Wide of group

42. Mid of poster, reading (English): "9 in 10 Doctors Say to Stay"

LEADIN:

As Britain's departure from the European Union falls into complete disarray, a small band of volunteers from London's tech industry is developing websites to prevent Brexit.

They hope to put public pressure on politicians to give people a second vote.

STORYLINE:

Software engineers, entrepreneurs and product managers huddle in small groups, brainstorming ideas and scrawling thoughts onto post-it notes.

It's not a startup, but a grassroots band of volunteers from London's tech industry developing websites to prevent Brexit.

They hope to put public pressure on politicians to give people a second vote.

"I'm staunchly in favour of remaining within the EU, as a member the tech community, and also just as a wider citizen of the UK," says startup founder and member of Tech For U.K. James Tabor.

"We've been a member of this organisation one way or another for so long, to not actually be taking action now would be something I'd regret for the rest of my life."

Since its launch last year, Tech For U.K. has rolled out a dozen mobile-friendly websites.

They help users automatically send anti-Brexit messages by postcard or voicemail to their politicians or spotlight the EU's benefits to Britain.

Hey MP! lets people automatically send postcards to their representative in parliament asking for another vote.

"If we can make it easier for them to make their voice feel heard, that makes a monumental difference," says Tabor.

Volunteers donate their time and the group also gets limited funding from anti-Brexit campaign group Best For Britain, which vets the digital tools before they go live.

One of the group's goals is to rally support for a second referendum on Brexit.

There's no majority for that in Parliament, but a big march in London on Saturday to demand one suggests momentum is growing.

With many outcomes to Brexit still open, Tech for U.K.'s aim is to persuade those on the fence about the benefits of EU membership and give people who are opposed to leaving a way to express their views.

Kiyana Katebi, the founder of an IT consulting firm, helped develop the group's first site, MyEU.uk , which shows people EU-funded projects in their neighbourhood based on their post code.

The site had around 100,000 visitors in the first two days after its September launch.

"I didn't know what we're gonna end up doing, but as we started talking, brainstorming, we actually wanted to do something to help enable people, like ourselves, to transform the British democracy and the main goal was to fight Brexit."

Another site, developed by user experience designer Ali Adair, lets British residents leave a voice message for their parliamentary representative with their "final say" against Brexit.

It's called Finalsay.app.

"A lot of people find it very hard to... they don't feel confident engaging in politics, they don't feel like they've got the right information," says Adair.

"Although, I would say a lot of people have feelings about politics, and they have opinions, and they have people they love in their lives, they have family members, and politics directly really affects them.

"So, I think it's important for whoever you are to get involved and do what you can."

The group, while small, says they've have had an impact on sentiment, but didn't provide any numbers on site traffic or messages sent.

About 200-300 people have joined the group. They work on the projects on evenings and weekends and collaborate remotely.

The group is using technology to counter what they see as misinformation surrounding Britain's EU membership that may have contributed to the 2016 referendum vote result to leave.

Since the referendum, Brexit opponents have raised concerns about the influence of Russian meddling and the role of social-media advertising using data harvested from Facebook.

"Unless you happen to know quite a lot about the political process, unless you happen to know someone who is a councillor, the reality is that not that many people make the effort to go to MP surgeries, to engage in the political process, which is to some extent why it's become so vacuous. Because not enough people are involved in it," says Alastair Duncan, the chief strategy officer of a creative technology company.

On the other side of the argument, pro-Brexit groups flourish online, with names such as Get Britain Out, Stand Up 4 Brexit and Leavers of Britain using social media to promote their views.

More than 1,500 U.K.-based tech executives signed Tech For U.K.'s open letter last year to Prime Minister May, warning that Brexit risks making it harder to hire tech talent and crimping funding from Europe.

But for many volunteers, Brexit's impact on the country transcends those concerns.

"Just last month alone, sites that we have had hundreds of thousands of impressions, we've had tens of thousands of positive actions, people saying, making their voices heard, getting in contact with their MPs, forwarding it to their friends, showing with their social groups," says Tabor.

"And this isn't just, you know, activists or staunch Remainers, this is general members of the public, sharing with themselves, finding messages that appeal to them."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

London, UK - 23 March 2019

1. Wide of protesters beating drums

2. Close up of drums

3. Various of marchers, signs

UK POOL

London, UK - 23 March 2019

4. Aerial shot of huge crowds gathered on Park Lane next to Hyde Park

5. Aerial shot of demonstrators with giant second referendum sign, reading (English): "Put It To The People"

6. Various aerials shots of thousands of demonstrators

ASSOCIATED PRESS

London, UK - 20 March 2019

7. Pan left of Tech for U.K. meeting

8. Mid of members listening

9. Close of screen, reading (English): "People's Vote March. Design Sprint"

10. Various of members working on laptops

11. SOUNDBITE (English) James Tabor, Startup Founder and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"I'm staunchly in favour of remaining within the EU, as a member the tech community, and also just as a wider citizen of the UK. We've been a member of this organisation one way or another for so long, to not actually be taking action now would be something I'd regret for the rest of my life."

12. Close of Tober holding smartphone, showing 'Hey MP!' website

13. Tracking shot of Tabor demonstrating 'Hey MP!' website on smartphone

UPSOUND (English): "It's very simple. What you do is you enter your postcode, and it will then auto generate a piece of custom creative for your MP. So, this is for Caroline Nokes, who's the MP down near Winchester."

14. Various close shots of 'Hey MP!' website

15. SOUNDBITE (English) James Tabor, Startup Founder and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"If we can make it easier for them to make their voice feel heard, that makes a monumental difference. So, one of the things that we've been focusing on is making it easier for people to write to their MPs, and we can make it easy for people to send emails to MPs. We don't actually send something physically through the post, that becomes a bit more challenging, but we've been able to leverage some of our expertise, our understanding, and some of our contacts to make it possible so that in the last ten days alone,  six-and-a-half to seven thousand postcards have been sent to MPs, just based on stuff that we've built."

16. Various of members brainstorming, working in groups

17. Tilt down of Kiyana Katebi, Founder of an IT consulting firm and Member of 'Tech for UK', using smartphone

18. Mid of smartphone, showing 'MyEU.uk' website

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Kiyana Katebi, Founder of an IT consulting firm and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"Hi, my name is Kiyana, and I'm a product manager by day and I fight Brexit by day and night."

20. Various close shots of 'MyEU.uk' website on smartphone

21. Tracking shot of Katebi demonstrating 'MyEU.uk' website on smartphone

UPSOUND (English): "So, we click on the logo just next to us, this is our location. And when I you scroll down, you can see what kind of project has been funded through the EU."

22. Cutaway of smartphone, showing 'MyEU.uk' website

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Kiyana Katebi, Founder of an IT consulting firm and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"I didn't know what we're gonna end up doing, but as we started talking, brainstorming, we actually wanted to do something to help enable people, like ourselves, to transform the British democracy and the main goal was to fight Brexit."

24. Various of members brainstorming, working in groups

25. Close of post it notes

26. Various of member holding poster, reading (English): "NHS. Who's going to fix it if we shoot ourselves in the foot??"

27. Various of member working designing poster, reading (English): "Brexit Snakes & Tiny Ladders"

28. Tilt up of Ali Adair, User Experience Designer and Member of 'Tech for UK', using smartphone

29. Various of smartphone, showing 'Finalsay.app' website

30. Tracking shot of Adair demonstrating 'Finalsay.app' website on smartphone

UPSOUND (English): "This is where you record your message. There's a script here for people who don't know what they want to say. You introduce yourself, it prompts to help you say why you want a final say referendum and then ask your MP to back a final say referendum."

31. Close of smartphone, showing 'Finalsay.app' website

UPSOUND (English): "Hi Christopher, I live in Christchurch and I'm a 38-year-old designer. I have a young child and I don't normally send you messages. In fact, this is the first I've ever sent. I would really like you to support a final say referendum."

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Ali Adair, User Experience Designer and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"A lot of people find it very hard to... they don't feel confident engaging in politics, they don't feel like they've got the right information. Although, I would say a lot of people have feelings about politics, and they have opinions, and they have people they love in their lives, they have family members, and politics directly really affects them. So, I think it's important for whoever you are to get involved and do what you can."

33. Various of Tabor designing poster

34. Various of Alastair Duncan, Chief Strategy Officer for a Creative Technology Company and Member of 'Tech for UK', designing poster

35. Close of poster, reading (English): "Team UK Needs EU"

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Alastair Duncan, Chief Strategy Officer for a Creative Technology Company and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"Unless you happen to know quite a lot about the political process, unless you happen to know someone who is a councillor, the reality is that not that many people make the effort to go to MP surgeries, to engage in the political process, which is to some extent why it's become so vacuous. Because not enough people are involved in it."

37. Various of member presenting poster design

38. Wide of group

39. Various of Duncan presenting poster design, reading (English): "Freedom of Movement. Lifeblood of NHS"

40. SOUNDBITE (English) James Tabor, Startup Founder and Member of 'Tech for UK':

"I mean, just last month alone, sites that we have, have had hundreds of thousands of impressions, we've had tens of thousands of positive actions, people saying, making their voices heard, getting in contact with their MPs, forwarding it to their friends, showing with their social groups. And this isn't just, you know, activists or staunch Remainers, this is general members of the public, sharing with themselves, finding messages that appeal to them."

41. Wide of group

42. Mid of poster, reading (English): "9 in 10 Doctors Say to Stay"

LEAD IN:

Ex-British Prime Minister Theresa May's premiership is living on, but perhaps not how you'd expect.

An English tearoom in the leafy county of Surrey has named a robotic waitress after the former leader. It's called Maybot.

STORY-LINE:

Meet Theresa, the Maybot, who - like her namesake - can't deliver Brexit, but can deliver breakfast... sort of.

The new addition to The Tea Terrace restaurant in Cobham, about 19 miles/30 kilometres south west of London, can ferry cups and cakes to guests seated at any of its 15 tables.

The former Prime Minister acquired the nickname "Maybot" after performing a robotic dance to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" at a party conference last year.

In homage to May, the mechanic waitress can churn out a twist on the politician's infamous Brexit slogan: "Brexit means Brexit."

Theresa, the Maybot, says: "Breakfast means breakfast."

"She did say breakfast means breakfast, strong and stable breakfast. It's just to copy Theresa May, as a Brexit means Brexit, strong and stable. It's just for fun, we've done that from the beginning," says branch manager Mantas Burba.

Burba, says "Theresa" has been programmed with a digital map of the floor plan.

She uses in-built sensors to avoid obstacles and smoothly deliver food and drink to customers.

But she can't serve the treats from the tray. That job is down to the guests.

"It does not take orders at the moment and it's not putting the drinks or food on the table. So, she's not doing that," says Burba.

"But I think in the future they will (be) designed to be able to do it. And I think it could be the future."

The Maybot is a 6th generation trackless robot produced by Suzhou Pangolin Robot Corp., Ltd, a Chinese company that specialises in service robots.

Their website outlines the benefit of employing a robotic waiter, highlighting that while human employees work eight hours a day, have variable efficiency, can get ill, take holiday and require salaries, a robot works for twelve-hours straight and has greater commercial value.

While the real Theresa is out of a job, guests believe robots like her mechanical namesake are the future.

"It's just a much more efficient way of ordering and serving a lot of people at the same time," says guest Ruth Taylor.

"I think it's a matter of a certain time you just want a waitress to come up and give you your food, get on and move on. And other times you want to chitchat, but I think she's quite efficient," says guest Vanessa Buosi.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cobham, UK - 2 August 2019

1. Various of "Theresa" robotic waitress at The Team Terrace restaurant

2. Pan left of Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace, putting tea and cakes on "Theresa"

3. Tracking shot of "Theresa" delivering tea and cakes to table

4. Close of Ruth Taylor, Guest, pouring tea

5. Close of Taylor drinking tea

6. Tracking shot of Burba demonstrating "Theresa"

UPSOUND (English): Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace

"So, this is Theresa Maybot, our waitress. And it's really easy to control and really simple. So, basically (you) have table options where she can go, so you can scroll up and down. And you just press the table number, and then you press the dish, you press add, and just press start. And then straight away she goes to the table."

UK POOL

FILE: Birmingham, UK - 3 October 2018

7. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May dancing her way onto stage at Conservative Party's annual conference

8. Crowd clapping

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cobham, UK - 2 August 2019

9. Tracking shot of "Theresa" returning to bar

10. Mid of "Theresa" UPSOUND (English): "Breakfast means breakfast. Strong and stable breakfast."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace:

"She did say breakfast means breakfast, strong and stable breakfast. It's just to copy Theresa May, as a Brexit means Brexit, strong and stable. It's just for fun, we've done that from the beginning."

12. Various of Burba making coffee

13. Close of Burba putting coffee cup on tray

14. Tilt up of "Theresa"

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace:

"It does not take orders at the moment and it's not putting the drinks or food on the table. So, she's not doing that, but I think in the future they will (be) designed to be able to do it. And I think it could be the future."

16. Pan right of Burba putting cake on "Theresa"

17. Tilt down of tea pots, cups and cake on "Theresa"

18. Close tilt up from cake to tea pot

19. Tracking shot of Burba sending "Theresa" to deliver tea and cake

20. Pan right of restaurant interior

21. Tilt down of cakes in display cases

22. Tilt down from sign, reading: "Lemon Drizzle" to cake

23. Pan right of muffin in display case

24. Setup shot of Ruth Taylor, Guest

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruth Taylor, Guest:

"She changes her styling from time to time. She's recently got a crown on, but yeah, she did have a wig. And she did say something about breakfast being breakfast, the first day."

26. Cutaway of "Theresa"

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruth Taylor, Guest:

"You know, I think robots are the future and it's a very efficient way of serving lots of people. You know, if you see a future where you could order at the table, and then they just line them up and put the food on the robots and just bring them out, it's just a much more efficient way of ordering and serving a lot of people at the same time."

28. Tracking shot of "Theresa" delivering tea and cakes

29. Close of cakes

30. Tilt up of teacup

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Vanessa Buosi, Guest:

"I think it's a matter of a certain time you just want a waitress to come up and give you your food, get on and move on. And other times you want to chitchat, but I think she's quite efficient."

32. Various of "Theresa"

33. Tilt down of restaurant exterior

34. Close of sign in window, reading: "Come on in. Even if it's just for a cuppa!"

LEAD IN:

Ex-British Prime Minister Theresa May's premiership is living on, but perhaps not how you'd expect.

An English tearoom in the leafy county of Surrey has named a robotic waitress after the former leader. It's called Maybot.

STORY-LINE:

Meet Theresa, the Maybot, who - like her namesake - can't deliver Brexit, but can deliver breakfast... sort of.

The new addition to The Tea Terrace restaurant in Cobham, about 19 miles/30 kilometres south west of London, can ferry cups and cakes to guests seated at any of its 15 tables.

The former Prime Minister acquired the nickname "Maybot" after performing a robotic dance to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" at a party conference last year.

In homage to May, the mechanic waitress can churn out a twist on the politician's infamous Brexit slogan: "Brexit means Brexit."

Theresa, the Maybot, says: "Breakfast means breakfast."

"She did say breakfast means breakfast, strong and stable breakfast. It's just to copy Theresa May, as a Brexit means Brexit, strong and stable. It's just for fun, we've done that from the beginning," says branch manager Mantas Burba.

Burba, says "Theresa" has been programmed with a digital map of the floor plan.

She uses in-built sensors to avoid obstacles and smoothly deliver food and drink to customers.

But she can't serve the treats from the tray. That job is down to the guests.

"It does not take orders at the moment and it's not putting the drinks or food on the table. So, she's not doing that," says Burba.

"But I think in the future they will (be) designed to be able to do it. And I think it could be the future."

The Maybot is a 6th generation trackless robot produced by Suzhou Pangolin Robot Corp., Ltd, a Chinese company that specialises in service robots.

Their website outlines the benefit of employing a robotic waiter, highlighting that while human employees work eight hours a day, have variable efficiency, can get ill, take holiday and require salaries, a robot works for twelve-hours straight and has greater commercial value.

While the real Theresa is out of a job, guests believe robots like her mechanical namesake are the future.

"It's just a much more efficient way of ordering and serving a lot of people at the same time," says guest Ruth Taylor.

"I think it's a matter of a certain time you just want a waitress to come up and give you your food, get on and move on. And other times you want to chitchat, but I think she's quite efficient," says guest Vanessa Buosi.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cobham, UK - 2 August 2019

1. Various of "Theresa" robotic waitress at The Team Terrace restaurant

2. Pan left of Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace, putting tea and cakes on "Theresa"

3. Tracking shot of "Theresa" delivering tea and cakes to table

4. Close of Ruth Taylor, Guest, pouring tea

5. Close of Taylor drinking tea

6. Tracking shot of Burba demonstrating "Theresa"

UPSOUND (English): Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace

"So, this is Theresa Maybot, our waitress. And it's really easy to control and really simple. So, basically (you) have table options where she can go, so you can scroll up and down. And you just press the table number, and then you press the dish, you press add, and just press start. And then straight away she goes to the table."

UK POOL

FILE: Birmingham, UK - 3 October 2018

7. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May dancing her way onto stage at Conservative Party's annual conference

8. Crowd clapping

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cobham, UK - 2 August 2019

9. Tracking shot of "Theresa" returning to bar

10. Mid of "Theresa" UPSOUND (English): "Breakfast means breakfast. Strong and stable breakfast."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace:

"She did say breakfast means breakfast, strong and stable breakfast. It's just to copy Theresa May, as a Brexit means Brexit, strong and stable. It's just for fun, we've done that from the beginning."

12. Various of Burba making coffee

13. Close of Burba putting coffee cup on tray

14. Tilt up of "Theresa"

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace:

"It does not take orders at the moment and it's not putting the drinks or food on the table. So, she's not doing that, but I think in the future they will (be) designed to be able to do it. And I think it could be the future."

16. Pan right of Burba putting cake on "Theresa"

17. Tilt down of tea pots, cups and cake on "Theresa"

18. Close tilt up from cake to tea pot

19. Tracking shot of Burba sending "Theresa" to deliver tea and cake

20. Pan right of restaurant interior

21. Tilt down of cakes in display cases

22. Tilt down from sign, reading: "Lemon Drizzle" to cake

23. Pan right of muffin in display case

24. Setup shot of Ruth Taylor, Guest

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruth Taylor, Guest:

"She changes her styling from time to time. She's recently got a crown on, but yeah, she did have a wig. And she did say something about breakfast being breakfast, the first day."

26. Cutaway of "Theresa"

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruth Taylor, Guest:

"You know, I think robots are the future and it's a very efficient way of serving lots of people. You know, if you see a future where you could order at the table, and then they just line them up and put the food on the robots and just bring them out, it's just a much more efficient way of ordering and serving a lot of people at the same time."

28. Tracking shot of "Theresa" delivering tea and cakes

29. Close of cakes

30. Tilt up of teacup

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Vanessa Buosi, Guest:

"I think it's a matter of a certain time you just want a waitress to come up and give you your food, get on and move on. And other times you want to chitchat, but I think she's quite efficient."

32. Various of "Theresa"

33. Tilt down of restaurant exterior

34. Close of sign in window, reading: "Come on in. Even if it's just for a cuppa!"

LEAD IN:

Ex-British Prime Minister Theresa May's premiership is living on, but perhaps not how you'd expect.

An English tearoom in the leafy county of Surrey has named a robotic waitress after the former leader. It's called Maybot.

STORY-LINE:

Meet Theresa, the Maybot, who - like her namesake - can't deliver Brexit, but can deliver breakfast... sort of.

The new addition to The Tea Terrace restaurant in Cobham, about 19 miles/30 kilometres south west of London, can ferry cups and cakes to guests seated at any of its tables.

The former Prime Minister acquired the nickname "Maybot" after performing a robotic dance to ABBA's "Dancing Queen" at a party conference last year.

In homage to May, the mechanic waitress can churn out a twist on the politician's infamous Brexit slogan: "Brexit means Brexit."

Theresa, the Maybot, says: "Breakfast means breakfast."

"She did say breakfast means breakfast, strong and stable breakfast. It's just to copy Theresa May, as a Brexit means Brexit, strong and stable. It's just for fun, we've done that from the beginning," says branch manager Mantas Burba.

Burba, says "Theresa" has been programmed with a digital map of the floor plan.

She uses in-built sensors to avoid obstacles and smoothly deliver food and drink to customers.

But she can't serve the treats from the tray. That job is down to the guests.

"It does not take orders at the moment and it's not putting the drinks or food on the table. So, she's not doing that," says Burba.

"But I think in the future they will (be) designed to be able to do it. And I think it could be the future."

The Maybot is a 6th generation trackless robot produced by Suzhou Pangolin Robot Corp., Ltd, a Chinese company that specialises in service robots.

Their website outlines the benefit of employing a robotic waiter, highlighting that while human employees work eight hours a day, have variable efficiency, can get ill, take holiday and require salaries, a robot works for twelve-hours straight and has greater commercial value.

While the real Theresa is out of a job, guests believe robots like her mechanical namesake are the future.

"It's just a much more efficient way of ordering and serving a lot of people at the same time," says guest Ruth Taylor.

"I think it's a matter of a certain time you just want a waitress to come up and give you your food, get on and move on. And other times you want to chitchat, but I think she's quite efficient," says guest Vanessa Buosi.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cobham, UK - 2 August 2019

1. Various of "Theresa" robotic waitress at The Team Terrace restaurant

2. Pan left of Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace, putting tea and cakes on "Theresa"

3. Tracking shot of "Theresa" delivering tea and cakes to table

4. Close of Ruth Taylor, Guest, pouring tea

5. Close of Taylor drinking tea

6. Tracking shot of Burba demonstrating "Theresa"

UPSOUND (English): Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace

"So, this is Theresa Maybot, our waitress. And it's really easy to control and really simple. So, basically (you) have table options where she can go, so you can scroll up and down. And you just press the table number, and then you press the dish, you press add, and just press start. And then straight away she goes to the table."

UK POOL

FILE: Birmingham, UK - 3 October 2018

7. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May dancing her way onto stage at Conservative Party's annual conference

8. Crowd clapping

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cobham, UK - 2 August 2019

9. Tracking shot of "Theresa" returning to bar

10. Mid of "Theresa" UPSOUND (English): "Breakfast means breakfast. Strong and stable breakfast."

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace:

"She did say breakfast means breakfast, strong and stable breakfast. It's just to copy Theresa May, as a Brexit means Brexit, strong and stable. It's just for fun, we've done that from the beginning."

12. Various of Burba making coffee

13. Close of Burba putting coffee cup on tray

14. Tilt up of "Theresa"

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Mantas Burba, Branch Manager of The Tea Terrace:

"It does not take orders at the moment and it's not putting the drinks or food on the table. So, she's not doing that, but I think in the future they will (be) designed to be able to do it. And I think it could be the future."

16. Pan right of Burba putting cake on "Theresa"

17. Tilt down of tea pots, cups and cake on "Theresa"

18. Close tilt up from cake to tea pot

19. Tracking shot of Burba sending "Theresa" to deliver tea and cake

20. Pan right of restaurant interior

21. Tilt down of cakes in display cases

22. Tilt down from sign, reading: "Lemon Drizzle" to cake

23. Pan right of muffin in display case

24. Setup shot of Ruth Taylor, Guest

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruth Taylor, Guest:

"She changes her styling from time to time. She's recently got a crown on, but yeah, she did have a wig. And she did say something about breakfast being breakfast, the first day."

26. Cutaway of "Theresa"

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruth Taylor, Guest:

"You know, I think robots are the future and it's a very efficient way of serving lots of people. You know, if you see a future where you could order at the table, and then they just line them up and put the food on the robots and just bring them out, it's just a much more efficient way of ordering and serving a lot of people at the same time."

28. Tracking shot of "Theresa" delivering tea and cakes

29. Close of cakes

30. Tilt up of teacup

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Vanessa Buosi, Guest:

"I think it's a matter of a certain time you just want a waitress to come up and give you your food, get on and move on. And other times you want to chitchat, but I think she's quite efficient."

32. Various of "Theresa"

33. Tilt down of restaurant exterior

34. Close of sign in window, reading: "Come on in. Even if it's just for a cuppa!"

The UK's Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain and Japan have agreed on "increased cooperation on defence, cyber security and counter-terrorism" and stressed that her country stands in solidarity with the Japanese people after North Korea's latest firing of a missile over northern Japan.

Speaking alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Thursday, May said North Korea's missile launch was "an outrageous provocation and unacceptable threat to Japan's national security."

The British leader is on the second day of a three-day visit to Japan that is focussing on Brexit, trade and security.

May said she had agreed with Abe to establish a new trade agreement with Japan after Brexit that would be based on the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.

++NO CUTAWAYS AVAILABLE, SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

UK POOL

Tokyo - 31 August 2017

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

1. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister of the UK, Theresa May arriving for a news briefing

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

"I want to begin by expressing the UK's strong sense of solidarity with the Japanese people at this time. The UK and Japan are natural partners. We share common interest as outward looking, democratic, free trading island nations with global reach."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK:

"Japan is a natural partner for us on defence and security issues. We are each other's closest security partners in Asia and Europe and today we have agreed a joint declaration on security cooperation to enhance our collective response to threats to the international order and to global peace and security through increased cooperation of defence, foreign policy, cyber security and counter-terrorism."

++BLACK FRAMES++

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

"And today, we've agreed a new programme of cooperation, to ensure a safe and secure Rugby World Cup and Olympic and Paralympic Games here in Japan. We have highlightet our opposition to any actions on the South and East China Seas likely to increase tension. Stability in this region is a global concern, and we encourage all parties to resolve their disputes peacefully, and in accordance with international law."

++BLACK FRAMES++

5.SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK:

"North Korea's missile launch this week was an outrageous provocation and an unacceptable threat to Japan's national security. We condemn North Korea in the strongest terms possible for this reckless act which was a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. In response to this illegal action, (Japanese) Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe and I have agreed to work together and with others in the international community to strengthen pressure against North Korea including by increasing the pace of sanctions implementation and working towards the adoption of a new and effective resolution at the United Nations Security Council."

++BLACK FRAMES++

6.SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK:

"Japan is the world's third-largest economy. And we benefit more from Japanese investment than any other country in the world apart from the United States."

++BLACK FRAMES++

7.SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK:

"I've had the opportunity to meet a number of major Japanese investors here in Tokyo who have reiterated to me their belief in the strength of the UK economy and their commitment to a mutually beneficial partnership. And Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe, it was good to reaffirm your continued faith in the UK economy including after Brexit."

++BLACK FRAMES++

8.SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK:

"We want to see a swift conclusion of the ambitious EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe and I have agreed that as we exit the EU, we will work quickly to establish a new economic partnership between Japan and the UK based on the final terms of that agreement."

++BLACK FRAMES++

9.SOUNDBITE (English) Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK:

"This visit marks a great step forward. Not only in enriching our existing ties, but agreeing our shared vision of even deeper cooperation in the future. And I know that as we both believe, these issues will not only increase our own security and prosperity, and the steps we've taken will be important in that, but they will also see us together in playing a unique role as standard-bearers for the open, liberal, innovative and secure world order that both our great nations rely on."

10. Zoom out to wide of May and Abe

The British Prime Minister has denied opposition claims that he was secretly negotiating the basis of a trade deal with the United States ahead of the country’s departure with the European Union - including a contentious plan to extend patents for American drug companies.

Johnson on Wednesday offered a "cast iron guarantee" that the National Health Service (NHS) "under no circumstances would be on the table" in trade negotiations, labelling the accusations " a complete diversion."

The Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn waved 451 pages of documents at a press conference Wednesday, declaring that they covered six rounds of negotiations beginning in July 2017 - preliminary soundings ahead of formal trade talks.

With the future of the NHS in focus in the December 12 general election, Corbyn highlighted the drug price issue and argued that extending patents would boost the profits of big pharmaceutical companies at the expense of taxpayers who would be barred from buying cheaper generic versions of the drugs.

Johnson has consistently denied Corbyn’s repeated attack line that the NHS is "for sale."’

The leaked documents covered more than pharma issues, offering insight into how the Trump administration saw post-Brexit trade. Other discussions focused on agriculture, chlorinated chicken and food labeling.

The documents showed that the U.S. considers that there would be “all to play for” in the event no deal is struck between the U.K. and the EU.

Johnson also addressed the claims of anti-Semitism in the Labour party and Islamophomia in the Conservative party.

He said his party would launch an inquiry before Christmas into "every manner of prejudice and discrimination" within the party and apologised for the "hurt and offence" that it had caused.

His comments came after Corbyn struggled Tuesday to defuse harsh criticism about anti-Semitism leveled at both himself and the party by Britain’s chief rabbi.

While voicing his disapproval of all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, Corbyn declined repeatedly to apologize during a prime-time BBC interview for any anti-Semitism that has occurred in the Labour Party over the past few years.

The Muslim Council of Britain praised the rabbi for speaking out and said it agreed with his conclusion that too many politicians have been silent while racism has spread.

The council said Muslims face hostility, particularly within the Conservative party.

UK POOL

Helston - 27 November 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister: ++INCLUDES REPORTER QUESTION OFF CAMERA++

Reporter question (English): "In that document, it does say that the length of drug patents, for example, is on the table so can you give me a cast iron guarantee that the length of drug patents won't be up for negation?

Johnson: "I can give you an absolute, cast iron guarantee that this is a complete diversion, that the NHS under no circumstances will be on the table for negotiation, for sale. Look at what we're doing with the NHS, we're funding it massively. The reason we can fund it massively is because we believe as one nation conservatives, this is a new government with a new approach, we believe in putting big sums now into the NHS and sustainably for the future. But we also believe in driving the long term growth of the UK economy. And that's why we're making sensible investments in such things as satellite technology, because those are the growth areas of the future. I want to see a dynamic, flourishing UK economy enabling us to fund the NHS for the long term. That's what this one nation government is all about."

++BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister: ++INCLUDES REPORTER QUESTION OFF CAMERA++

Reporter question (English): "So just to be clear, and I think you are being clear here. You will not extend any drug patents in any trade talks with the US?"

Johnson: "We are absolutely resolved that there will be no sale of the NHS, no privatization. The NHS is not on the table in any way."

Reporter question (English) "No patents?"

Johnson: "In no way. The NHS is in no way on the table, in no aspect whatever. And this, as I say, is continually brought up by the Labour Party as a diversionary tactic from the difficulties they are encountering, particularly over the problem about leadership on anti-Semitism, and then the great vacuity about their policy on Brexit. Nobody knows what side Mr. Corbyn would come down on. In fact he said he's going to be neutral. So you're left wondering what the point is of his doing this deal and perhaps, you know, as I say one of the purposes of these these satellites might be one day to discover the great black hole of the heart of Labour's policy on Brexit."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister: ++INCLUDES REPORTER QUESTION OFF CAMERA++

Reporter question (English) "Just lastly, you raised anti-Semitism. Presumably you think Jeremy Corbyn should apologise for the instance of anti-Semitism in his party. But would you take the moral high ground and apologise for Islamophobia in the Conservative Party?"

Johnson: "Obviously, whenever we have an incident of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia or whatever in the Conservative Party, we take a zero tolerance approach. And as I think I said to you last night, we know we have a one bounce and we deal with it approach to this. We are going to have an independent inquiry into Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, every manner of prejudice and discrimination and it will start before Christmas."

Reporter question (English) "Do you apologise for the Islamophobia that has taken place in your party?"

Johnson: "Look, of course, for all the hurt and offense that has been caused, of course we do. And all that is intolerable and it's so important as a country that we don't allow that kind of thing and that's why we're going to have the independent inquiry. But what we also want to do, bring our country together _ yes, I think that politics has become very rancorous _ but bring it together, get Brexit done and concentrate on the future."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

The leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists on Tuesday confirmed her party's members of parliament would not vote in support of UK Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement with the European Union.

In the last few weeks, May has sought new reassurances on the deal's most contentious section, an insurance policy known as the "backstop" designed to prevent the reintroduction of border controls between the UK's Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a EU member state.

But assurances from EU leaders that the backstop is intended as a temporary measure of last resort failed to win over Arlene Foster, whose party props up May's minority government in parliament.

Members of Parliament are scheduled to deliver their verdict on May's divorce deal with the European Union later on Tuesday after more than two years of political upheaval.

All signs point to it receiving a resounding thumbs-down, a development that would throw British politics further into turmoil, just 10 weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU on 29 March.

++NO CUTAWAYS AVAILABLE - SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++

UK POOL

London - 15 January 2019

1. Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster at "A Better Deal" event, which was also attended by former Brexit secretaries Dominic Raab and David Davis

++BLACK FRAMES++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party:

"She (UK Prime Minister Theresa May) still has a withdrawal agreement, which will not gain the support of the House of Commons. And why is that the case? Because when we told her in December that we could not support this deal, it was because the backstop was something that we could not accept. It does violence to the union. It separates us from the rest of the United Kingdom in a very, very obvious way. And, of course, that was confirmed by the attorney general in his legal advice."

++BLACK FRAMES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party:

"So, we said to the prime minister that she needed to - our preference - get rid of the backstop and have a withdrawal agreement that could be lived with. Unfortunately, I don't even think that the prime minister asked to get rid of the backstop. She has asked for a range of issues and we've seen the result of that yesterday with the letter from the European Union. But, of course, that does not change the withdrawal agreement, which as we all know is an international treaty. And, therefore, we will not be able to support the withdrawal agreement today. And I regret that because I want a deal with the European Union."

++BLACK FRAMES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party:

"You know, as someone who lived through the Troubles we never had a hard border. There were 20,000 soldiers in Northern Ireland and they couldn't hermetically seal 'the border' in Northern Ireland. So it is a bit of a nonsense, frankly, to talk about a hard border. What we should be looking at are ways to use technology - and I know some people get very uptight when we talk about technology but we are living in the modern world. We should be using technology, we should be using our intelligence, we should be using risk analysis in terms of the single market, which they want to protect, I understand that. But, you know, to suggest that we will have a return to the borders of the past, when of course the borders of the past were there for a completely different reason. They were there to stop terrorists. They were there to stop the flow of Semtex. Semtex, as opposed to the flow of powdered milk."

++BLACK FRAMES++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party:

"For me, we need to choose reason and choose hope, as opposed to choosing fear and narrowness, and look to the future in a very positive way and see and be proud of our nation. Be proud of who we are, in a global community."

++BLACK FRAMES++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Arlene Foster, leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party:

"So for me, we will not be able to support this withdrawal agreement today. What we want the prime minister to do after today is to go back to the European Union and say that the backstop has to go. And it has to go because it doesn't have any meaning in terms of what it's trying to do, but instead it separates Northern Ireland from Great Britain in a very real and tangible way."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday that Britain's "special relationship" with the United States is "as strong as it ever has been", adding that a visit by US President Donald Trump to the United Kingdom would happen in due course.

Speaking in Davos, May said she would be discussing North Korea, Syria, Iraq and Iran when she meets with Trump later in the day.

May also said she would be speaking at Davos about the opportunities presented by advances in technology and artificial intelligence.

UK POOL

Davos - 25 January 2018

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

"Well of course we continue our negotiations or Brexit. We have a successful end to phase one of the negotiations in December and we're now looking ahead to our future partnership with the European Union, but I believe it's important to look at the grand challenges that we face as countries. Artificial intelligence is one of those we've identified in the United Kingdom, we're already at the leading edge of A.I. and I want to see more tech companies being set up in the UK. Over the last three years we've seen a new start up being set up every week in the United Kingdom. I want to build on that because this is the future, it's the provision of jobs for people for the future. And we want to ensure that we're doing that and that's why I want to speak about technology about artificial intelligence here at Davos."

++BLACK FRAMES++

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

"Well the tech companies can be a tremendous force for good in so many ways but also we need to ensure that we're looking at those ways in which the Internet and technology can be used by those who wish to do us harm. So we've already been working with the tech companies but I want to see them doing more on taking down terrorists and extremist material. We've worked with them on issues like child pornography on the on the net as well. I think this is so important for the future. And we also want to look at as we look in this new world of the future of artificial intelligence, how can we ensure that people are confident about the way data is being used, and confident about these applications and that's about the ethics. That's why we're setting up a new centre the data ethics and innovation."

++BLACK FRAMES++

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

"We've already made an invitation to the president for a visit to the United Kingdom and obviously that will happen in due course. That special relationship between the UK and America is as strong as it ever has been. And what I want to be talking to the president about and we'll be talking to him about is a whole range of foreign policy areas where we have faced shared challenges and are working together. So whether it's working together in relation to North Korea to stop them from their illegal activity in relation to ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, or whether it's working together in Syria where of course, and Iraq, where great strides have been made in relation to dealing with Daesh or whether it's working together to reduce the destabilizing activities of Iran in the region. We work with the United States on all of these issues and we'll be continuing to do so."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was introduced to Japan's latest robot technology on Thursday as he began a week-long tour in the region.

He visited a robotics centre at Tokyo's Waseda University, which collaborates with the University of Birmingham, according to Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Johnson arrived in Japan on Thursday for talks on security and trade, and to share his experience of hosting the Olympics as London mayor five years ago.

Johnson will meet his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, on Friday to discuss increased foreign and security cooperation, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

North Korea's missile threat and Brexit are likely to top the agenda.

Johnson is also due to meet Japanese business leaders for talks on enhanced trade and investment during his three-day visit to Japan before travelling to New Zealand and Australia.

AGENCY POOL

Tokyo - 20 July 2017

1. Various of researchers showing humanoid robots to British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at Waseda University,

UPSOUND (English) :

(Johnson) "It's like an i-Pad, is it?"

(Researcher) "It's like an i-Pad so that you can interact with robot."

(Johnson) "Fantastic."

(Johnson) "Artificial intelligence."

(Johnson) "Do you know Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics? You remember? The robot can't hurt anybody. What is the next one? "

(Johnson) "He looks as though he is about to do martial arts."

(Researcher) "So this is a robot like walking, the level walking."

(Johnson) "I don't believe it, I just don't believe it."

(Researcher) "So normal human robots must bend knees."

(Johnson) "It's an Elvis Presley type thing, fantastic. Look at that."

(Johnson) "Is there a company that helped to make this?"

(Researcher) "Yes, yes, but we designed it."

(Researcher) "For the...fires."

(Johnson) "It is like (movie) RoboCop. Have you seen it?"