Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20240714

Prince harry pays tribute to a british soldier killed trying to stop poaching in malawi. And a silver medal for Dina Asher Smith at the world athletics championships in doha, but where are the spectators . And coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news scotland bounce back injapan, a bonus point win against samoa keeps their Rugby World Cup alive. Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. The chancellor has announced a raft of spending pledges at the conservative Party Conference. Among them an increase in the National Living wage. Sajid javid said that over the next five years it would increase to £10. 50 an hour and the age threshold would be lowered to 21. But an unwelcome distraction for delegates at the conference has been an allegation that the Prime Minister groped a journalist during a lunch 20 years ago. Our Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg is at the Party Conference in manchester. What the party wants to concentrate on his policies and spending pledges . That is right. The conservatives would dearly have loved this week to be all about the kind of bread and butter promises they want to make to voters, hoping they want to make to voters, hoping they will be the kind of plans to get people on board in a general election. But with anxieties over braxton brexit and about the Prime Ministers past behaviour, this being a quiet week that the tories was always unlikely. What happens to the Prime Minister next and the country is not entirely Boris Johnson plasma hands, no matter how many photos he grins for he cant be remotely sure if brussels budgets and gives him a brexit deal. We have made some pretty big moves. We are waiting to see if our european friends will help us. The man in charge of the money says he cant be sure how much it would cost, but would still be prepared to take us out of the eu without a deal. Irrespective, they were to open up the government cheque book. Sajid javids proud mum was in the audience to hear his promises. Mum thought it was a big deal when she watched the first asians move into coronation street here in manchester. Well, now shes watched the first asians move into downing street spending taxpayers money, they cant be sure they will have. This government is going to build britains future and bring in an infrastructure revolution. Outlining how his government would spend cash thats mostly already been promised on roads, broadband and transport and a step towards higher pay. Iam higher pay. I am setting a new target for the National Living wage, raising it to match two thirds of median earnings. This ambitious plan will bring the national with living wage up to £10. 50, giving 4 Million People a well earned pay rise. That would apply to everyone over 21, but its a five year ambition, not an immediate change. This is a modern, 215t century economy with lots of scope, lots of opportunities and its right that we balance that with a fair deal for workers, too. I thought it was very encouraging in many ways. I think the minimum wage will have a big impact on some industries but we will wait and see. There are plenty of promises the tories would like to make you this week in manchester, a trial run of a manifesto perhaps, but there is a feeling in the ether more crucial conversations are happening elsewhere. Unusually during a Party Conference, mps are at work in westminster. And opposition leaders have been planning their next moves, determined together to rule out any chance of borisjohnson taking us out of the eu if there is no deal. We will do all we can within a parliamentary scenario and with nrm party is to prevent this country crashing out on the 31st of october without a deal. And with our own parties. Whether it is the opposition or allegations about his past behaviour. Does the Prime Minister have a problem with women . Wright borisjohnson minister have a problem with women . Wright Boris Johnson has minister have a problem with women . Wright borisjohnson has problems everywhere he turns. Its been alleged you touch that i have a woman at a lunch without her permission, is that true . No and i think what the public want to hear is how were uniting and levelling up is how were uniting and levelling up the country. When the Prime Minister and his top advisor wade through so much noise, after whispers she was aware of what happened back then, Dominic Cummings wife had to deny any knowledge. Politics under this Prime Minister is stranger than any fiction. Borisjohnson will not write the ending his own. And then a couple of months that borisjohnson has and then a couple of months that Boris Johnson has been and then a couple of months that borisjohnson has been in office as Prime Minister, its been an extremely torrid time. Government insiders like to say things were a lwa ys insiders like to say things were always going to be a bit bumpy but bumpy is an understatement. We have seen over the last couple of months, huge highs and lows for the Prime Minister and there are a lot of people here in manchester who are anxious about what happens next. It may well be in the next couple of days that we hear more of the small print about the kind of deal the Prime Minister hopes to secure with the eu. He says he is cautiously optimistic, but that seems, at the moment, like its extremely optimistic to imagine that situation could be resolved within the couple of weeks that are left to him before the crucial eu summit in the middle of october. And of course, it is what happens on brexit that is the biggest factor in determining the fortu nes biggest factor in determining the fortunes of the best party and the Prime Minister himself. Laura in manchester, thank you. Well, raising the National Living wage is certainly an eye catching announcement. Our economics editor faisal islam is in manchester for us this evening. Faisal, what would it mean for workers and businesses and how would it be paid for . Well, as you say, eye catching claim was that the chancellor would end low pay. Not what youd necessarily expect from a conservative chancellor. How they are doing this is actually the definition of low pay is two thirds of the average middle salary. What sajid javid has said it he will set this floor on wages, the National Living wage, at two thirds, and therefore end low pat two thirds, and therefore end low pay. What that means in practice is that over the five years that it will be phased in, that it was heading towards about £9. 50 an hour and instead it will be £10. 50 an hour, a boost, Everything Else being kept equal, a1500 hour, a boost, Everything Else being kept equal, a 1500 £2000 a year. They have also spread the targeting of this 2 21 year olds, it used to just apply for over 25 year olds. This clearly sounds quite similar to some labour policies was that labour has an equivalent policy of instigating a £10 minimum wage as 0011 instigating a £10 minimum wage as 50011 as instigating a £10 minimum wage as soon as it says it will get into office and that will apply all the way down, even as young as 18. It will pay for theirs . Well, to some degree the exchequer, such as National Health service, and in social care, but basically employers. And employers scratching their heads a little bit about this type of policy at a time when they are under pressure from a stable economy and preparing for brexit as well. Thank you. World footballs governing body, fifa, has ruled that cardiff city must pay a first installment of more than £5 million to french team nantes for emiliano sala, the argentinian player who died in a plane crash injanuary. Cardiff had argued they were not liable for any part of the £15 million fee because sala was not officially one of their players when he was killed. A man has been found guilty of murdering his ex girlfriend who he strangled and buried in her garden in south west london. Laureline Garcia Bertaux was found wrapped in bin bags in a shallow grave. 32 year old Kirill Belorusov was convicted at the old bailey and he will be sentenced on friday. The bbc has further clarified its decision to uphold part of a complaint regarding comments about donald trump by the bbc breakfast presenter, naga munchetty. The bbc says the original complaint also included the breakfast presenter dan walker. But by the time it had been escalated to a higher level within the corporation, the complainant took issue only with naga munchetty. She is not facing any disciplinary action. A year since the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a saudi consulate in istanbul, the saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has accepted responsibility for the killing. But he says he did not order it or know about it at the time. No one has yet been convicted for the murder. A United Nations Investigation Team has gained access to covert recordings of the killing. Bbc panoramas jane corbin has the story. This is the saudi consulate in istanbul. In october last year, Jamal Khashoggi walked inside and was never seen again. We only know that Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, and the brutal way in which it was done, because the saudi consulate was bugged by turkish intelligence. Un human rights expert, agnes callamard, led an investigation into khashoggis murder and negotiated access to the crucial tapes. Joining her Investigation Team was british barrister helena kennedy. They are two of the very few people to have heard the tapes. The horror of listening to somebodys voice and the fear in someones voice, makes a shiver go through your body. Jamal khashoggi had been living in exile, after speaking out about what he described as the repressive regime of saudi arabia. He visited the consulate, hoping to collect divorce papers so he could marry his turkish fiance, hatice cengiz. Translation the way they killed him. It killed all my hope in life. But as the couple approached the building, a chilling conversation was taking place inside. You can hear them laughing. Its a sort of chilling business theyre waiting there, knowing that this man is going to come in and hes going to be murdered. The recordings then reveal what happened when the journalist entered. Hes asking, are you going to do that to me, are you going to give me an injection . To which he is being said yes. The murder is believed to have taken place less than half an hour after khashoggi said goodbye to his fiancee and walked inside. Translation it is not just a tragedy for me, but all humanity. All of the people who think like jamal. Callamards report concluded that the saudi state was responsible for the murder. The saudi government told panorama it is committed to holding the perpetrators accountable. The crown prince denies ordering the killing but has now said he takes responsibility. Translation this was a heinous crime, but i take full responsibility as a leader in saudi arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the saudi government. Jane corbin, bbc news. And you can watch panorama the khashoggi murder tapes, tonight on bbc one, at 8 30. Prince harry has paid tribute to a british soldier killed trying to stop poaching in malawi. While on his tour of southern africa, he said people who wanted to protect nature should not be dismissed as hippies. Our royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell is travelling with the prince and sent this report. Liwonde National Park in malawi, a place which should be a sanctuary for wildlife, for elephants in particular. Except for this. The scourge of the poaching gangs, which kill wildlife in africas game parks. Its a problem which takes human life as well. Prince harry laid a wreath at a memorial to guardsman mathew talbert of the coldstream guards. He was killed earlier this year, when he was on an anti poaching patrol in support of local park rangers. Having killed the animal, it is then a race to remove the ivory. And then a demonstration laid on for the vip visitor. A supposed gang of poachers whove killed an elephant are making off with the prized ivory tusks. In pursuit, a joint british army park ranger patrol, tracking them through the bush. It ended, unsurprisingly, with the poachers rounded up and in custody. This is a carefully staged example of what happens at the sharp end of the battle against the poachers. But, of course, the underlying issue here is the need to conserve nature. And on that, harry, who was opening a new section of forest, part of the Queens Commonwealth canopy, today, on the whole question of conservation, he has something to say. For me, its striking a balance, right . And i think the way. I get accused of being hippie for saying this, but now in todays world i think its more acceptable, but everything is in balance. Were the only thing thats putting everything out of balance. So, somehow, we have to be able to accept and to learn and appreciate what already exists, rather than destroying it and then realising that we need to then recoverfrom it. Because we are literally driving ourselves to extinction. So, thats twice on this tour that harrys spoken up about conserving the natural world. And from a setting such as an african game park, one might wonder who would contradict him. Nicholas witchell, bbc news, liwonde, malawi. The time is 6 15pm. Our top story this evening the chancellor announces billions of pounds of spending pledges at the conservative Party Conference. Including a significant rise in the National Living wage. And still to come scotland keep their world cup hopes alive, with a convincing win over samoa. Coming up in the next 15 minutes and bbc news, fifa order cardiff city to pay £5 million as a first instalment for the transfer of emiliano sala, the striker who died in a plane crashed shortly after signing for the club. Within the last half hour, britains Dina Asher Smith has been awarded her silver medal after finishing second in the womens 100m final at the world athletics championships in doha. It means shes the first british woman to win an individual World Championship sprint medal in 36 years. Theres been considerable criticism of the championships themselves with athletes performing at a less than half empty stadium at some points. There for us now is our sports correspondent, natalie pirks. It isa it is a little fuller than i saw it yesterday but not that many people. Yeah, many reasons have been offered as to why they are not going for it here. Including the fact that they prefer here. Including the fact that they p refer to here. Including the fact that they prefer to distance races competitive sprint races. It is better he tonight, but still nowhere near full. When the governing body president , said coe, was part of the committee that delivered doha back in 2014, he said winning the championships to the middle east for the first time would be the first time to make athletics reach new audiences. But it is precisely lack of audiences that have led this criticism. Commentator Shelly Ann Fraser pryce. Fourth gold medal last night was an iconic moment in womens sprinting. Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce became the first woman to win four world 100 metres titles and Dina Asher Smiths silver secured her a place in the british history books. The laps of honour should have been scenes of adoration. Instead, tv pictures painted a stark and confusing picture of white doha was chosen to host these championships. Of why doha was chosen to host these championships. I think the athletes have been let down massively. To watch Dina Asher Smith Walking Around her celebratory lap with not a soul in sight was heartbreaking. Qatar is the subject of a total blockade from four neighbouring countries, which has made travel tricky and many locals have also complained of the sessions being on far too late to appease broadcasters. Tonight, the governing body admitted its been a challenge. We would like more people here, but you have to accept this is a small country. There are, what, some 700,000 residents here in doha and it was always positioned as a celebration of the whole region. And clearly thered be an awful lot more people here if the blockade. So, youre blaming the blockade . No, its one of the factors, its one of the factors. When doha first bid for these championships, they promised no empty seats. But 24,000 of the 48,000 seats in this stadium have been sectioned off. And yet still there are plenty of places to sit. Its not a good look for the sport, but some athletes say they havent been bothered by it. I dont really look at the crowds. I dont really look at the crowds anyway, because itsjust not something that im thinking about, if im being honest. Im here to do a job and thatjob is to come away with hopefully a national record, hopefully a lifetime best and hopefully some bling. She received that bling tonight. Her performance and those of her fellow athletes will live long in the memory. The atmosphere, alas, will not. And with a world cup three years away, fifa will be watching with interest. Natalie pirks, bbc news, doha. Dozens of flood warnings are in place across the uk. The Environment Agency has issued 60 flood warnings and nearly 160 alerts for coastal areas from cornwall to northumberland. Jon kay is in somerset for us. How bad is it looking there . Perfect timing, fiona, for you at least if not for us. Right here next to the bristol channel, the latest wet weather has just arrived. From cornwall to northumberland, they are flood warnings in place tonight on the eastern side of the country, east anglia, there is a precautionary evacuation notice in operation around hunstanton to keep people safe in their homes. By our calculation, there are about 80 flood warnings right now in england and wales. That basically means be prepared, get ready, one notch below a Severe Weather warning. No risk to life expected but there is a suggestion that here in this area they will close flood gates to protect properties. The idea is get your stuff upstairs if you dont live in an area with floodgates was to get your power supply ready if it should happen. 30 50 millimetres of rain is expected over the next 24 hours in some places, quite a lot of wet weather. Not exceptional in its own right but it follows a really wet period and with high tides expected in places like pill it is the combination of those two that could make places vulnerable. We might even get some remnants of Hurricane Lorenzo in our direction as well. Autumn has definitely arrived. Jon, bad luck, go inside and get dry, thanks very much. A National Service of remembrance has been held in paris for the former french president , jacques chirac. A Church Memorial was attended by dozens of current and former world leaders, including bill clinton and vladimir putin. Mr chirac died on thursday, aged 86. Authorities in hong kong say they have doubled the amount of police on the streets, ahead of Chinese National Day Celebrations tomorrow. It follows weeks of violent protests involving pro democracy campaigners, which started after hong kong authorities announced they were bringing in a law to allow the extradition of citizens to mainland china. More than 5,000 police staff in wales have been trained in new ways of trying to keep children out of the criminaljustice system identifying those at risk and intervening early, before an offence has even been comitted. Sian lloyd has been given access to the Pilot Project in maesteg. Extremely distressed in the call. On their way to a family home in the south wales valleys, following reports of an assault. And already, these officers are thinking differently about how theyll respond when they get there. One of our foremost concerns in a situation like this will be sort of the welfare of the children, and to make sure that they are safe and well. Understanding the impact that witnessing Domestic Violence can have on a child is part of their learning about traumatic events, described as adverse childhood experiences. They include suffering abuse and neglect, or growing up in a home where there are drug or alcohol problems. Its been found these experiences can affect a childs behaviour and also their future chances in life. We have to check it every night, we come over here, because you do have the certain people that go down there to do it, which is wrong, i know. Drugs and smokes. Smoke some bad stuff. These children know that their place to play is being used by others to take drugs, but its the only space they have. This estate in maesteg has had a history of anti social behaviour, where police were frequently called. Get over there, boy, run for it now officers are spending time here, getting to know local children and their families on a first name basis, by running training sessions like this one. 12 year old billy and his mum, sarah, are just one family who believe its making a difference to them. They look forward to the Police Coming up. They run to them now, where before they used to run away from them. They dont now, and he has. You have, come on a lot, billy, compared to what he used to be. They know if they play up, they dont play on sunday. For me, this is my insurance, really. Keeping her cupboards full is a response katiejo still has to going hungry as a child. She grew up in a home where both her parents were addicts, which later affected her own behaviour and led her to self harm. I didnt know how to cope with the emotions that i had and the hurt that id felt growing up. With support, shes put her negative past behind her and is now sharing her childhood experiences with police, as part of their training. If we can give more support to young people who have gone through situations like i did, then perhaps as they get older, they wont be making the mistakes and pressing the wrong buttons and leading themselves down a path that willjust repeat what theyve seen growing up. The project being carried out in wales is still being assessed, but early evidence suggests that by taking preventative action, police and others can play a part in supporting Vulnerable People before their problems escalate. Well done, boys sian lloyd, bbc news, maesteg. Rugby now, and at the world cup injapan, scotland have kept alive their hopes of qualification for the knockout stages. They beat samoa in a convincing win in kobe, as Katie Gornall reports. It may be thousands of miles from home, but injapan, scotlands influence is strong. The two countries have a shared love of whiskey and here theyve embraced a process thats all about patience. Enjoy. But not everyone has the luxury of time. Scotlands fans arrived in kobe showing plenty of spirit but knowing this could be where their journey effectively ends. A damaging defeat to ireland had put their world cup on the line afterjust one game and the heat was on. In sweltering conditions, scotland struggled to get a grip. Commentator it has to be the humid conditions. But after half an hour, they clicked. Sean maitland seizing a gift from above to settle the nerves. Commentator first try for scotland in the world cup. Scotland knew that keeping the dream alive would need tries and lots of them. Greg laidlaw scored their second before stuart hogg launched his own assault on the scoreboard. Now everything was going their way. 20 points up at the break, afterwards they moved further ahead but the job wasnt done yet as scotland chased a fourth try that would secure the bonus point they desperately needed. Samoa strained every sinew to stop them. In the end, they could only do so illegally. That meant penalty try and with it a dramatic victory that revives scotlands fortunes. It was a tough challenge they had to rise up and face. Knowing that if we underperformed tonight, we were out of the world cup. To see the effort and togetherness was excellent. A huge win for scotland under ferocious pressure. And with wins needed from their remaining games against russia and hosts japan, the odds are still stacked against them getting out of the group. But now, at least, they leave here with hope. Katy gornall, bbc news, kobe. Time for a look at the weather. Heres darren bett. We heard about those flood warnings. Over 60 flood warnings in england and wales, river flooding and coastal flooding. More and wales, river flooding and coastalflooding. More rain to come on top of what weve hand and what has been a wet september. Weve seen the rain come in from the south west across south wales, very wet through this afternoon and we got heavy rain crossing wales, heading into the midlands, east anglia as well. Lots of that will clear away but it will hang around across northern england, southern scotland and Northern Ireland. South of that era spells following the rain showers not far away. They will be quite mild. North of our band of rain, cold across northern parts of scotland. A fair bit of sunshine coming in across scotland, showers in the north. It should brighten up for the day across southern scotland and Northern Ireland as the rain peters out and it will become drier later on across the of england but for southern parts of england and wales, lots of heavy and thundery showers which could bring localised flooding. Temperature is between those showers 18 degrees but colder aircoming down those showers 18 degrees but colder air coming down from scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of england. That wet weather we are seeing further south will move away tomorrow evening. And then we are drawing down north to north westerly winds bringing colder air that we are already seeing across Northern Areas across the country. So country. So much so that by the time we get to wednesday morning, it will bea we get to wednesday morning, it will be a cold start. Northern england and scotland could see some frost. Chilly day on wednesday. Some sunshine will be around but those cold winds will draw down some across all scotland and north east england. One or two light showers we re england. One or two light showers were threatened. Not completely dry but it will be cold everywhere with temperatures only 12 14 degrees and complications later on. This deep area of low pressure is the former Hurricane Lorenzo. It may change but it is heading towards the north west of the uk and maintaining this u nsettled of the uk and maintaining this unsettled wet and windy spell, fiona. Thats something to look forward to, thanks very much. Thats it from me. Goodbye. Hello, this is bbc news. The headlines sajid javid tries to steal a march on the labour party by promising a significant rise in the National Living wage. It is clear that it is the conservatives who are at the real party of labour. We are at the workers party. Meanwhile the Prime Minister is forced to deny an allegation that he groped a female journalist at a lunch two decades ago. The saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman accepts some responsibility for the murder ofjournalist Jamal Khashoggi but says he had