Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Ten 20240714

Of some food and medicines. Newly released documents reveal the governments assessment of the possible effects of a no deal brexit. The number of people convicted of rape in england and wales has fallen to its lowest level on record as the number of allegations recorded by police reaches an all time high. And another batting collapse for england puts australia on top for the final ashes test at the oval. And coming up on sportsday on bbc news, the Opening Ceremony takes place on the eve of golfs solheim cup, as europe look to regain the trophy at gleneagles. Good evening. We start tonight with more shocking evidence that the Syrian Government is deliberately targeting hospitals and medical facilities in the few remaining rebel held areas of the country even though its a war crime. More than eight years after the conflict began, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives. There are still pockets of fighting, but the assad regime, backed by russia, has all but won the brutal civil war. Our middle east correspondent quentin sommerville, and cameraman darren conway, managed to get into the rebel held area of idlib in the north west of syria, where more than three Million People are trapped among them opposition fighters and islamist extremists largely surrounded by government forces. They found underground hospitals, where doctors have been forced to take refuge to escape the air strikes. The sick. The injured. The needy. There is little space left for them in idlib. Dr mohib khaddour treats more than 1,000 patients a day, with just a tiny staff. There is a large number of patients and its just a few doctors. The specialist, we have three orfour, just. The current ceasefire came too late for amal. Her name means hope, something fast diminishing in idlib. She lost her father, her mother and her brother in one year. She just has a sister, also injured in the last attack. Unfortunately she needs many operations and skin grafts. Its a very sad story, i think. Life is collapsing here. Why is this happening, she whispers. 3. 5 Million People in the province are wondering the same. The world isnt listening. Doctor, do you have any doubt that the regime and russia are targeting specifically hospitals and medical facilities . Never. I am sure that the Russian Air Force and the assad regime attack many times all hospitals and health facilities. Its fact, like the sun and moon. It is a fact in syria, and many hospitals are destroyed, and still destroyed till now. Syrias war is reaching new depths in idlib. This was a hospital. Until russia and the regime took it out. One of many we passed that appear to have been specifically targeted. In fields or in hillsides, the onslaught found them. Nearby buildings remained untouched. The United Nations passed on a record of their coordinates to russia to ensure their protection. Instead, it became a target hit list, as the same places were hit again and again. Russia and the regimes campaign has been horribly effective. Its terrifying. All of these towns and villages that we have gone through have been abandoned because this is a war against what matters to people their homes, their schools and their hospitals. This was a hospital, until a few months ago. Its one of a0 that have been attacked since april this year, and its causing people to flee in their tens of thousands. This is the last refuge of those who oppose a government which has brought their country to ruin. How can you still, in these dire straits, pass over coordinates to russia which are then shared with the regime, which will involve more targeting when this ceasefire ends . So, the coordinates is a preventative mechanism. But it isnt preventing attacks on hospitals. At the same time, i think we are now further strengthening the mechanism. A0 hospitals have been attacked in the last few months. And many more schools have been attacked, and many water points have received direct hits. So the system is broken . So, the system of preventing and protecting the civilians has completely failed. Are humanitarian workers, i dont think we can be blamed for that. As humanitarian workers we provide life saving assistance, and really, we ask everybody with these coordinates to make sure this is respected. If anything, sharing the coordinates should bring more awareness, more also accountability. That gives little reassurance on the ground. Life here is filled with peril. Going to work is an act of courage. Medical staff say they have a target on their backs. So head nurse al aswad takes care when he goes to a hospital in a secret location. His hospital is buried deep out of reach of the bombs. We were told to move fast too. Even under this solid rock, they await the next attack. The un says humanitarian operations are about to reach breaking point. Air strikes arent the only worry. If regime Ground Forces advance a few kilometres, then here will be abandoned too. So people continue to race to the border. We headed south, deep into idlib, escorted by the self styled salvation government. The men who rule here are deemed terrorists by the west, but these camps are full of families and innocents. The assad regime doesnt discriminate. Theres no question that attacking civilians, hospitals and schools is a war crime. Do you think anybody will ever face justice . I dont think. Nobody cares. I hope i can seejustice in syria for everyone who injures syrian people, but i dont think i will see it. Or in my life, at least. Amal and taznin have known only this war. Its far from over, but already the living, the dead, the injured, have been forgotten here. And quentinjoins me now from beruit. You have just returned from idlib. You have just returned from idlib. You managed to get in. There are millions of people there. Give us an idea of the scale of the humanitarian crisis that is occurring there. It enormous. You could be forgiven for thinking the war in syria is almost over, but far from it. The assad regime in russia are using the same terror tactics that they use to regain territory elsewhere in the country in idlib. What kind of government drops barrel bombs on medical workers and on children . Theres a ceasefire in place but many but few people believe it will hold. The un is planning for a million displaced people. Beyond that it will not be able to cope. If things get even worse, its 3. 5 million terrified people in syria on the move. The world will not be able to cope with that. You saw the pictures in my piece. The situation there is grim. Winter will soon be upon us. It will get much, much worse. Idlib really is suffering and there a great fear that we are facing a humanitarian crisis, the likes of which we havent seen in recent memory. Quentin sommerville, thank you. The Prime Minister has denied lying to the queen about his reasons for suspending parliament. Boris johnson was speaking after scotlands highest civil court ruled yesterday that the shutdown was unlawful, because it was intended to hinder parliamentary debate. Mrjohnson also dismissed concerns about newly released government papers detailing preparations for a no deal brexit scenario that contained warnings of medical shortages, food price rises and major cross channel trade delays. He said the documents were just sensible preparations. 0ur Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg reports. Almost a year to the day, this document was snapped by a beady eyed photographer in westminster. A hint of the turmoil the government believed might come if we leave without a deal. 12 months later, after leaks and suspicion, at last, ministers have been forced to publish the actual details. Do you understand what were actually doing . I dont. Lets hope they do know what theyre doing, because leaving without arrangements in place could mean shortages of some food, protests, severe disruption at the irish border, and much more. If we have to come out on october the 31st with no deal, we will be ready. And the ports will be ready, and the farming communities will be ready, and all the industries that matter will be ready for a no deal brexit. Stop the coup after clashes in parliament, mps did change the law to make it much harder for the government to take us out if theres no agreement with brussels by the end of october. But the Prime Minister is adamant hed find a way round that to stick to his deadline. So, neither side has any intention at this stage of backing down. If we were to allow the country to leave without a deal on the 31st of october, we would not be serving our constituents well. We would be complicit in doing something that would be very disruptive in the short term, very damaging in long term. Is there any progress, do you want to tell us whats going on . Im very impressed. The only clear way out of the wrangle for the Prime Minister is of course to do a deal with brussels and leave the eu in an orderly fashion. There are whispers of progress in london and brussels. Butt the eus chief negotiators not so sure. We are still ready to examine objectively any concrete and legally operational proposal from the uk. The law has been changed to make it harder for the Prime Minister to take us out of the eu without a deal. But its not completely off the table. So while ministers suggest these are just worst case scenarios, the anxiety in whitehall and beyond cant disappear. Nor can downing street escape a judges ruling yesterday that the way they suspended parliament was against the law. Number ten is fighting on many fronts. This is not normal the Prime Minister, having to deny that he lied to the monarch. Did you lie to the queen when you advised her to prorogue, to suspend parliament . Absolutely not. Indeed, as i say, the high court in england plainly agrees with us. But the Supreme Court will have to decide. Therell be that other verdict next week. But the opposition just doesnt buy the governments arguments, or whether theyre ready for no deal. Thats why we are so angry that parliament was prorogued, because i should be in parliament at the moment with the ability to interrogate the Prime Minister and ministers. Fifth fifth mps could be ordered back on the road to westminster by the courts next week. Were in a strange limbo. The only certainty change of some sort is on the way. So, as you heard, borisjohnson said government plans for handling a no deal brexit outlined a worst case scenario. Some items and goods have been identified as critical. So what preparations are being put in place to ensure their supply is not interrupted by brexit . 0ur economics editor faisal islam has more on this and how local authorities are dealing with these risks. 0n the banks of the humber, immingham docks, already by tonnage the uks biggest port, and if the governments yellowhammer is correct, its preparations here that can help lessen the impact of no deal on fresh food and medicine supply, and even the risk to Water Supplies arising from the uks reliance on imports from europe of Water Purification chemicals. It is here, at the port of immingham, that some of the solution to these no deal worries can be found. You can store the crucial chemicals for the water supply here. Also, the government chartered emergency ferries to come in here and those Water Purification chemicals are whats known as category one. The other four . Medicines, medicalsupplies, veterinary medicines, and Nuclear Power plant parts. All those goods are classified as critical and the government is arranging more emergency freight. But the problem really does boil down to what happens further south. Hauliers on the short channel crossing in kent. Can a quarter of a million businesses, filling these lorries, that have never before required paperwork or checks for european trade, get ready on time . Its all new to anybody thats around now, so i think it will be delays, no matter what. No matter what they say, when they used to cross borders in different countries, they had to wait then. The yellowhammer assumptions about these delays have been filtered down to councils. The bbc has obtained the internal planning of many. We have previously revealed Hastings Council discussed how to stop individuals stockpiling, referred to as rationing. Chichester District Council is buying a 2a,000 litre fuel tank and a filling station with taxpayer brexit funds to deal with any disruption. We can also show that on Water Supplies, considered a low to moderate risk generally, dudley council, for example, has a document identifying constraints on supply of drinking water, due to short shelf life imported chemicals. Social care problems again mentioned in yellowhammer and in council documents, for example, the isle of wight, warning of the extreme impact of the failure of a social care provider. Can we have a quick word . The cabinet minister for no deal said that all this planning shows that the government is getting ready. The yellowhammer documents are a worst case scenario. It is so that the government can take plans and take steps to mitigate any of those consequences. But a version of the same yellowhammer documents from the same day circulated to the Scottish Government was not headlined as being a worst case scenario. In any event, the assessment is from a few weeks ago, not old, as originally claimed by the government and so far the turbo charging of no deal preparations has not changed its own assessment. Faisal islam, bbc news. 0ur europe editor katya adlerjoins me now. Katya. On 315t of a cupboard so close, any deal has to be done by the 17th of october, is it possible . It depends who we should believe because the Prime Minister says he is working flat out to get a deal with the eu but today we heard from the chief brexit negotiator from the eu who said, there are no grounds for optimism. The thing is, is he being fair . The main envoy for the Prime Minister is shuttling backwards and forwards to brussels twice a week at the moment, but because he has not yet put a concrete uk proposal on the table, how to replace that backstop guaranteed to keep the irish border open after brexit and because the ideas he is discussing with the eu has been described by insiders as piecemeal and largely aspirational, basically eu leaders suspect that a lot of these trips are for show, to show uk voters that the Prime Minister is busy trying to get a deal rather than sincerely talking about ids that the eu could go for. Are they not engage in . No, thatis go for. Are they not engage in . No, that is for two reasons, number one that is for two reasons, number one thatis that is for two reasons, number one that is because the tiny sliver of hope of a deal is better than no hope of a deal is better than no hope at all and to because of it does come to an expensive no deal brexit, then leaders like the Prime Minister want to say to their voters at home, you witness me doing the best that i could the fault lies with the other side. Thank you. And just to say katya will be back tonight on bbc one with our Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg and the rest of the team from brexitcast the podcast with all the latest from westminster and brussels. Its making its tv debut tonight thats at 11 35 so do join them then. The number of people being prosecuted and convicted for rape has fallen to its lowest level in england and wales since records began. The Crown Prosecution Service says cases taken to court are down by more than 30 compared to last year. And the of number of people found guilty has also fallen significantly. Yet allegations of rape being reported to the police are at an all time high. Our Home Affairs Correspondent june kelly has more. Rebecca began a relationship with a man who lied to her that he was a police officer. In fact, he was a convicted criminal with a history of violence against women. She discovered this after he attacked her. He just went into a complete frenzy and thats when he started to physically assault me. He was punching me in the back of the head about four or five times. He tried to bite my hand, and then the violence just escalated, and that was when it progressed on to raping me. He then held her hostage in her flat. He attacked me again, and this time he had a huge kitchen knife and raped me for a second time. After being raped, rebecca had some seemingly normal whatsapp exchanges with her attacker. She says because she was terrified of him, but she was told that because of this he would not be prosecuted. How did you feel when you learned that . Somewhere between absolutely broken to absolutely livid as well. It was, hang on a minute. Youve let him out based on a really weak reason. This record low in prosecutions is evidence, say campaigners, that prosecutors are trying to second guessjuries by screening out tougher cases. Not so, insists the director of public prosecutions. There has not been a change in approach from prosecutors at the cps. We operate on the basis that juries are objective, impartial and reasonable. That is what a prosecutor bears in mind when making his or her decision. Rebecca was told by a specially trained rape lawyer that her case wasnt going to court, a conversation she can recall in detail. Hes raped somebody, theyve come forward. There is so much evidence there. Youve let a known rapist go, and i said that to her. And she shrugged, and she went, ive heard worse. Rebecca says she was left suicidal by her experience and shes unsure whether she would advise other complainants to come forward. Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service says it will now ask a watchdog to review its work. June kelly, bbc news. Lets take a look at some of todays other news. A man has been charged with the murder of 11 month old za kari bennett eko. The child was rescued from the river irwell in bury yesterday afternoon, but later died in hospital. 22 year old zak eko has been remanded in custody and will appear before magistrates in manchester in the morning. A teenager who died after eating a chicken burger at a byron restaurant hadnt been told it contained buttermilk. An inquest has heard that owen carey, who had a dairy allergy, collapsed while out celebrating his birthday with his family in london. British airways has started cancelling flights scheduled for the 27th september, when another strike by pilots is expected. Ba plans to run more flights than they did on strike days earlier this week, but the majority of flights will be cancelled. Members of the public have been paying their respects to the former zimbabwean president , robert mugabe, whose body is lying in state at a stadium in the capital, harare. His family and the government have disagreed over mr mugabes final resting place. But tonight state television is reporting that the countrys current president has agreed that the mugabe familys wishes should be respected. Two types of drugs for Cystic Fibrosis that are said to be life changing are to be made available to around 400 patients in scotland. They can cost up to £100,000 per patient, per year a cost which the Health Regulator in england says is too much. Our Health Editor hugh pym has the story. Lots of messages. Kelly from near loch lomond has Cystic Fibrosis. It is a debilitating lung condition. After campaigning with her mother, she has been on one of the drugs for a few months. The difference was drastic. It was very, very quick. Within the first four hours, i started to notice a difference. Im definitely coughing not as much now and im sleeping better. My mum said i look totally different to what i did before. Kelly is no longer grey. She has a sparkle in her eyes. She has now got a future and she is now talking about having a pension. Which is something she never thought she would need. They are now delighted that the drugs, orkambi and symkevi, will be available to hundreds more patients after the Scottish Government struck a deal with the manufacturer. It works for about half of Cystic Fibrosis patients. We will twist it together. Oh, look currently, those with the condition have to be treated with an array of devices and medication. The new drugs help improve lung health. What do we want . Orkambi when do we want it . Now but the drugs are still not available elsewhere in the uk and there have been protests at westminster. The medicines regulatorfor england said the drugs were too expensive and its rulings have followed in wales and northern ireland. Health authorities here say they have to follow the advice of Clinical Experts in terms of what is Cost Effective for the nhs. They say they want to get back into talks with the manufacturer, even though recent negotiations stalled. Whatever happens in the weeks ahead will be closely watched and scrutinised by patients and campaigners. Go adas family live in carlisle, not far from the scottish border. They might now consider moving to scotland so she can be prescribed the Cystic Fibrosis drugs. Heartbreaking, really, to know that only five minutes down the motorway, that this drug could be available to her, or is available to her now, should i say . And yet we live in england, and this Postcode Lottery now exists. But it is not as simple as it looks. Nhs leaders in england say they want to help patients like ada, but they have to weigh up the financial implications, to make sure that those with other Health Conditions are treated fairly. Hugh pym, bbc news. The duchess of sussex has launched a new range of clothing that she hopes will help unemployed women find a job. The duchess is a patron of smart works, a charity which provides interview clothes and training to women who are out of work. She explained why its important to help. Its notjust about the people that you know youre supporting, its about the people you dont know, that you may never know, you may never meet. As women, it is 100 our responsibility, i think, to support and uplift each other, to champion each other as we aim to succeed. To not set each other up for failure, but instead to really be there, rallying around each other and say, i want to help you. Cricket and it was the first day of the final ashes test today. It proved to be another difficult one for england with the bat. Australias bowlers were in the assendency with england finishing the day on 271 for 8. Joe wilson reports from the oval. Keep going, captain. As long as there is the strength to lift a pen and sun in the september sky, there is cricket. It aint over till the oval. Fifth test, over the road. Rory burns again displayed deep concentration and good judgement thats it. A7, he made. Joe denly was the first english batsman to fall. Steve smith the fielder. Well, he even makes his catches last as long as possible. He held on. Captainjoe root was dropped three times before he got to 50. Just watch them. Siddles chance was the simplest, although tim paine had the gloves to help him. Commentator oh, down again. Still no good. And look who dropped this one yeah, that is steve smith. Well, good fortune, but when root got to 57, enter pat cummins. No fielder required. Australia had changed their team for this test, picked Mitchell Marsh. He took four wickets, dismissing bairstow like that and woakes like this. England soon eight wickets down and it seemed like another weary day at the ashes office. But heres the thing. Arent the australians tired too . And as day became evening, jos buttler started hitting. Not only did buttler end the day like this, hell be back in the morning to resume. England 271 8 and if theres more of this, well, keep the ashes going until december. Joe wilson, bbc news, at the oval. Thats it. Now on bbc one, time for the news where you are. Have a very good night. Hello and welcome to sportsday im chetan pathak. Another bad day with the bat for england butjos buttlers late flurry gives them hope in the final ashes test the comeback former world number one Kim Clijsters announces her return to tennis at the age of 36 and the Opening Ceremony heralds the start of the solheim cup as europe look to regain the trophy at gleneagles hello and welcome to sportsday. There was another familiar batting collapse from england on the first day of the final ashes test. Beforejos buttler revived their innings as they closed play on 271 for eight. England had started ok but lost five wickets for 56 runs to slip to 226 for eight at one stage. Australia, whove already retained the urn, saw their bowlers on top again as they look to win the series. Our sports correspondentjoe wilson was watching at the oval a full day of test match cricket as we approached mid september, we should be thankful for that fact alone, but much of the day was a story of catches, dropped one. Australia missed three opportunities before reaching 50 and then benefiting that and seem to get a bit stuck himself. Dismissed for 57, a beautiful delivery, a clean bowl. And after that, austria look like theyre going to take control, interesting decision for them to both first, interesting decision, replete that decision by taking the ball to move for deliveries, and taking four wickets in the game, but england was still bowling and mainly butler who had some fun as the day turned to evening and in support england on the second day can get their total to 300 or more, that may put some scoreboard pressure on australia. So heres a look at the scorecard. Only captainjoe root passing fifty in the top order, with the recalled Mitchell Marsh taking four for 35. Jos butler is still there though. 6a not out is his top score of the series so far and england