05/08/2014 BBC London News


05/08/2014

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Don't forget a first look at the papers over on the BBC News Channel.

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Now on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.

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Good evening from BBC London News, I'm Riz Lateef.

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The Foreign Office has changed its advice to British citizens

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planning on living in the United Arab Emirates.

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It's warning that they could be subject to Sharia Law in divorce

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and child custody cases, even if they're not Muslim.

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It comes after a mother from East London lost custody

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of her four`year`old son in Dubai to her French ex`husband after being

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Afsana with pictures of her four`year`old son

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The impact I'm facing, it's hard to absorb.

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But I don't even know if my son is dead or alive,

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I have no communication. Under UAE law he has custody until he's 18.

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In February she was found guilty of kidnapping her son

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from her ex`husband after failing to turn up to an access meeting.

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She claims it was because he was violent ` something he strongly

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denies. She was given a suspended sentence and eventually had to leave

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In any modern country, or judicial system, you should be basing

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decisions made on the welfare of the child, so anywhere else, me having

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gained friends, or me socialising, or because I'm Westernised,

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The fact I didn't obey my husband, it shouldn't be a reason to take

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The Foreign Office says they are aware of a small number of instances

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where Sharia Law has been applied to the cases of British women and

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they have now changed their advice for expatriates on the "Living in"

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section of the website concerning the UAE.

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It now clearly states that non`Muslim British citizens could

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face Sharia Law in divorce or custody cases.

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Campaign group Human Rights Watch is helping Afsana and other British

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women like her who have lost custody of their children after reporting

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domestic violence to the police in the United Arab Emirates.

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It is calling for the UAE to reform its laws to protect foreign women

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There are two key issues at play here.

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First, it is the duty of the United Arab Emirates to investigate

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and prosecute instances of domestic violence and, secondly, they have a

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duty to provide women in custody hearings with a fair trial and

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ensure that children, the decisions in those custody hearings are in the

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best interests of the child. If you don't do the first part of that

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equation, it is impossible for you to do the second.

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Human Rights Watch are dealing with three specific cases of domestic

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violence reported to the police in the United Arab Emirates

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The group say given the law in the country,

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We have put that to the embassy here in London,

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Had the British Government informed women like myself going out there

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that these are the laws, and it is Sharia Law in these sorts

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For Afsana, the campaign to be reunited with her son continues.

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A former Conservative Party candidate for Tower Hamlets Council

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has been charged with election fraud.

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38`year`old Jewel Islam is accused of providing a false statement

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He'll appear before Thames Magistrates later this month.

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Tributes have been paid to a cyclist killed in an accident

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Friends say he was a "hugely dedicated colleague" who'll

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28`year`old Chris Tandy, who lived in Hackney, was

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So, as we've been hearing, concerns over the Ebola virus has

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led to British Airways suspending flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

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With more suspected cases in Africa, our reporter Nick Beake has been

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speaking to a London doctor who's been treating people with the deadly

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virus in Sierra Leone ` aware that he's putting himself at risk.

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Sierra Leone may be more than 3,000 miles away,

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but Londoners are on the frontline there tackling a deadly virus.

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28`year`old Dr Oliver Johnson and his colleagues were already

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trying to improve healthcare in the capital Freetown

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Earlier, during a break from treating patients, he spoke to us

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about how devastating the virus can be.

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A lot of them look young and healthy when they come in, so it

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was a surprise to us when we see the young, healthy guys who, a week

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ago, looked like they might have been playing a football, coming in

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and declining quite quickly from the disease.

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A disease which causes internal bleeding and has killed more than

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800 people in West Africa in this latest outbreak.

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It is less contagious than flu, but more than half

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of the patients infected with Ebola have died and it can be easily

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As a doctor and as a human you want to hold the hand of your patient,

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you want to sit with them, you want to be there with them and when you

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are wearing the full bodysuit with goggles and masks and helmets, it

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is such a barrier to really having that human connection that we would

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be used to with health workers. That makes it harder in a way.

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It separates us and I think almost a sense of guilt that we can't do

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How concerned are you that you will contract Ebola?

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We know we are making an informed choice by being here.

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We might get sick. It is hard for us. It's probably harder for our

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families back home. All of us have been giving getting phone calls and

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texts and emails from relatives and family members who are worried

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and concerned and it is hard for them, too.

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Obviously, you are in the eye of the storm where you are,

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but for Londoners, how worried should we be that we might

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It is very unlikely to be a risk to the UK more broadly.

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There's just a slim chance that someone comes back who has travelled

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around West Africa who gets sick, but I'm sure they will be isolated

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in London and I don't think it is a cause for concern that way.

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Public Health England says the risk to us here remains very low.

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But for the London medics fighting a disease with no known cure, this

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That's it from me, so I'll wish you a very good night.

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And hand you over to Wendy Hurrell for the weather.

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Something a bit different for us tomorrow. We will get a wet rush

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hour. It will gather pace as we go through tonight. We have the clear

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sky at the moment. Then, we will see it being replaced by some cloud. The

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breeze will pick up as well. That will keep it stirred up nicely so it

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will be quite a warm and muggy night. 14 or 15 Celsius at the

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lowest. 16 or 17 degrees in many places. The rain is with us by the

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early hours of the morning. There will be some heavy bursts through

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rush hour so watch out for some spray, some puddles and some

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clashing umbrellas on the way to the Tube. Then it will move away to the

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east leaving us with dry and sunny conditions. There will be a few

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showers dotted around so you might still need your brolly for the

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evening rush hour. On the outlook, we have a fine day on Thursday as

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well. There could be some showery outbreaks of rain on Friday. That

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unsettled tone continues into the weekend.

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There's been a fair bit of talk about what weather is heading our

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way for the weekend. We will touch on that at the end of the forecast.

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In terms of the weather here and now, it is a lot of rain on the way.

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So plenty of rain already affecting south-western parts of

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