Stories for October 4th 2017

Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 13:20 UTC
Chancellor Hammond acknowledges private sector needs more clarity on Brexit

Businesses need more clarity on Brexit, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has acknowledged. Speaking at the BBC's Today program he said the sooner the government gave businesses more certainty about the process, the sooner the economy would pick up.
Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 09:59 UTC
Bolivian army veterans refuse to attend 50th anniversary of “Che” Guevara's death

A row has broken out in Bolivia between the government and army veterans over the 50th anniversary of the death of the Cuban revolutionary, Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The Bolivian government is planning a series of commemorations next week in the presence of foreign guests.
Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 08:22 UTC
Petrobras controversy: Brazil denies any current plans to privatize the company

A senior official in Brazil said there are no current plans to privatize the national oil company to deal with its massive debt, according to a new report by Reuters. Fernando Coelho Filho, the minister of mines and energy, had suggested that Petrobras could face such a sale in the future, but did not provide a concrete timeline.
Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 08:09 UTC
Good Friday agreement must not be damaged by Brexit, says EU parliament coordinator

European Parliament's Brexit coordinator has said he got a “shock” on his recent visit to Belfast when he saw the city's peace walls. Guy Verhofstadt described Northern Ireland as having a “frozen conflict”, and said the Good Friday Agreement must not be damaged by Brexit.
Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 08:02 UTC
“Working class tantrum towards immigration” spurred the Leave vote and Brexit

One of the reasons for the Brexit vote was working class voters throwing “a bit of a tantrum” over immigration, UK government minister Sir Alan Duncan claimed before an audience in Chicago. He said the campaign had “stirred up a lot of sentiment” about migration among people who do not usually vote.
Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 07:40 UTC
Boris Johnson tells Tories, “let the British lion roar” and praised Theresa May's leadership

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said it is time to “let the British lion roar” as he called for Brexit to be a moment of national renewal. Addressing Tory activists he said the UK “can win the future” and should stop treating the referendum result as if it were “plague of boils”.
Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 07:02 UTC
Catalonia expected to declare independence in matter of days; King says situation is extremely serious and calls for unity

Catalonia will declare independence from Spain in a matter of days, the leader of the autonomous region has told the BBC. In his first interview since Sunday's referendum, Carles Puigdemont said his government would “act at the end of this week or the beginning of next”.
Wednesday, October 4th 2017 - 06:34 UTC
Falklands' spring fire and smokes recorded by NASA Aqua satellite

A satellite true-color image of fire and smokes in the Falkland Islands was recorded last 28 September with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite.