One in every six cigarettes smoked in the UK is counterfeit.
In this episode of BBC News Behind the Investigation, Melanie Stewart-Smith talks to File on 4 Investigates reporter Jane Deith about how the team uncovered the global criminal networks flooding Britain with fake cigarettes, and the human cost behind every cheap pack.

Jane explains how the team traced the supply chain from secret factories in Belgium to corner shops, minimarts and cash and carries across the UK.

We also look at why gangs are moving from drugs to fake cigarettes. A former senior Europol official says they now make as much money as they do from drugs, with far lower prison sentences if they’re caught. The profits are being used to fund weapons, people smuggling and even terrorism.

Do people really know what they’re funding when they buy cheap cigarettes?

Hear the full investigation: search for File on 4 Investigates on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032sbc

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#FileOn4 #BehindTheInvestigation #Counterfeit #OrganisedCrime #ModernSlavery #bbcnews

0:00 Intro
0:54 Why investigate counterfeit cigarettes?
2:00 How big is the UK fake cigarette market?
3:31 Undercover in Liverpool
5:30 Tip-off from Belgian customs
6:20 How Polish gangs run the trade
7:18 The dawn raid near Brussels
8:02 Inside the raided factory
11:15 The hidden factory in South Yorkshire
12:15 The trapped workers’ story
14:09 Emerson’s story
15:09 How big and organised are these operations?
16:21 Why gangs target the UK
17:30 More money than drugs, less risk
18:21 What the UK government says
19:15 The violence behind the trade
20:54 What buyers are really paying for

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Since Andy Burnham has been in office he has consistently mentioned Brexit and why he thinks it has been a bad deal for the UK. Now, he says he wants to “deepen” the UK’s relationship with the EU at a summit in Brussels next month. Adam, Chris and Faisal Islam discuss if he has Brexit strategy, what it might be, and what it could mean for the next general election.

Plus, Faisal is in Bangkok where the International Monetary Fund has upgraded its UK growth forecast for the year. He outlines the outlook for the UK and how it fits in with the global picture.

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Americans will head to the polls in 17 days to decide how the rest of Donald Trump’s presidency will play out.

Thousands of races are taking place across the US, at different levels of government, on 3 November. But the main event for voters will be electing members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the two chambers that make up Congress. Both of them are currently controlled by the Republicans, the president’s party.

The success or failure of Trump’s final two years in office could rest on the outcome.

The BBC examines the key battleground states and what the Republicans and Democrats are doing to win these crucial midterms.

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#US #Midterms #BBCNews

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Farmland in Iceland is limited, but the country has an abundance of heat, water and clean electricity. Tech Now’s Adrienne Murray …

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Is Washington leaving Saudi Arabia to fend for itself?

Last week, Houthi rebels launched a series of missile strikes on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. Surveillance footage showed a fireball erupting as airport passengers ran for cover. At least fourteen people have been killed and hundreds were injured.

The attack is the latest escalation in a decade-long war between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in neighbouring Yemen. The Saudis have long relied on financial, military and intelligence support from the United States, particularly in their fight against the Houthis. But Washington so far has shown little appetite for direct involvement in the fighting.

So why is the United States holding back? And what does that mean for the people caught in the middle?

The BBC’s chief international investigations correspondent, Nawal Al-Maghafi, recently reported from inside Yemen and joins The Global Story’s Asma Khalid to discuss why this conflict is escalating and what might happen next.

Timecodes:
0:00 Are the US going to join the Saudi fight against the Houthis?
1:21 Introduction to Nawal Al-Maghafi who talks us through the situation
4:31 How have Saudi Arabia responded?
7:35 Who are the Houthis?
9:39 Why has the US historically backed Saudi Arabia?
13:15 The unpopularity of the Saudi/Yemen war
17:00 Why has fighting re-started since the ceasefire?
18:00 Nawal’s visit to Taiz
21:58 Are the Houthi’s feeling more emboldened to fight?

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For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

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