28/07/2014 BBC News at One

The Government opens the bidding process for new licences

to extract shale gas using the controversial fracking process.

About half the UK is open to exploration -

but restrictions will apply in areas of outstanding beauty.

We'll be looking at where the fracking might happen.

Also this lunchtime, after three weeks of death and

destruction in Gaza, the UN calls for an "immediate and unconditional

humanitarian ceasefire". As fighting intensifies

around the crash site of the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, its black

box is reported to reveal a ?massive explosive? loss of pressure

after it was hit by shrapnel. Flash floods bring Monday morning

chaos to parts of the south east. I am at a packed Hampden Park on day

five of the Commonwealth Games where the youngest competitor of all is

now an overnight star. The 13-year-old from Shetland who took

bronze in the pool for Scotland. chaos to parts of the south east.

I knew there were only seven of us in the event, so I knew I had

a chance but I didn't expect it. Later on BBC London, officers to

patrol London's West End as the Met learns lessons from New York.

And people rescued from homes and cars after flash floods

in west London. Good afternoon,

and welcome to the BBC News at One. Vast areas of Britain could be

opened up to fracking under plans being set out by the Government.

It's inviting companies to bid for new licences to extract oil and

gas from shale, but stricter rules would apply to national parks.

Supporters say it's a chance to reduce our reliance

on imported energy. But opponents say fracking is

dangerous to the environment. John Moylan reports.

The East Midlands was once at the heart of Britain's call industry.

There has also been oil produced in these parts for decades. But it is

the shale rocks deep underground here and in other parts of Britain

which I now the focus of the fracking industry. We have been

producing oil and gas from many decades. We are still producing oil

and gas. That is licensed. We know there is oil and gas in the ground

in this region. Just behind me to my right, we know there are rocks which

generate oil and gas. They are shales. It is a prospective area to

be considered. There are thought to be vast quantities of oil and gas in

shale rocks across the North of England, the South and Central

Scotland. Some of these areas are already licensed. Now the Government

is offering companies the rights to drill across vast areas of Britain,

stretching from Scotland to the south coast. We think it is very

important that we take advantage of this opportunity to explore the gas

that may be under our soil, in order to increase the domestic security of

our energy supplies, because over recent years we have had to start

importing oil and gas. Fracking happens deep underground. Water,

sand and chemicals are injected at high pressure into shale rocks to

release the oil and gas. But opponents say it will harm the

environment. In recent weeks, hundreds turned out to protest

against fracking in Beverley in East Yorkshire. There were also angry

demonstrations in Northern Ireland. To allay fears, the Government is

tightening rules around exploration in national parks and Areas of

Outstanding Natural Beauty. There will be no outright ban and fracking

will only go ahead in exceptional circumstances. The government will

have a veto. That is not enough for some. If they are serious about

protecting national parks, why not make those out of bounds to fracking

completely? I don't think too many people will be reassured by Eric

Pickles having an optional veto. The government hopes fracking will lead

to thousands of jobs and end our reliance on imported gas.

John Moylan reports. There have been sporadic attacks

by both Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza this morning,

amid a relative lull in the violence of recent weeks.

There were no Israeli air strikes overnight,

though the military fired at targets in Gaza after a rocket hit the

southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. Both sides criticised a demand

from the United Nations Security Council for an immediate

and unconditional ceasefire. Martin Patience reports from Gaza.

Even amid the ruins, people in Gaza marked the end of Ramadan. The start

of a three-day festival is supposed to be a moment of joy and

celebration. But there is only bitterness and sorrow here. More

than 150,000 Palestinians have been forced out of their homes by the

fighting. Most are staying at the UN schools. There were no gifts for the

children here, only desperation from their parents.

TRANSLATION: We have fled from our homes. There is no festival of Eid

here. The situation is miserable. I do not have one second to give my

son and daughter. We have nothing. This has been the quietest period

since the military operation began three weeks ago. There is

international pressure on Israel and Hamas to exact a long-time

cease-fire. Hamas say it will only accept it if there are international

guarantees that the blockade is lifted on Gaza might.

-- Gaza. We are asking for a full cease-fire to stop the killing and

give us the right to freedom and open the borders. The Israeli

military continues to destroy tunnels used by Hamas to stage

cross-border attacks. They also want an end to the rocket fire. We are

not willing these rockets will come over. If Hamas sees rockets, we will

not necessarily respond. -- cease. We want to safeguard the state of

Israel. Israel says that until the security of its citizens is

guaranteed, it has the right to continue this offensive.

Martin Patience reports from Gaza. A group of Dutch and Australian

police have called off another attempt to reach

the crash site of flight MH-17 in eastern Ukraine.because

of fighting in the area between government forces and rebels.

Analysis of the black box flight recorder 's show it was damaged by

shrapnel, according to Ukraine. A Ukrainian separatist tank, it seems,

shelling Ukrainian government forces. Intensified fighting has

brought a new expression of alarm from the UN. It has erupted not far

from the crash site of MH-17. It has frustrated the efforts of

international inspectors to get there. More footage apparently of

the pounding of a town. The UN says both sides have been using heavy

weapons in built-up areas in the latest fighting and that more than

1100 people have died in this conflict since mid-April. The

diplomatic exchanges have intensified, too. Russia has again

rejected international in fear -- interference and denounced

sanctions. TRANSLATION: I am sure we will be

able to overcome the difficulties that may occur in some sectors of

the economy, and maybe we will be more independent and more confident.

But I hope the situation will change. At the moment it is the will

to punish Russia that prevails among Western partners.

The charges and counter charges go on over the deadly downing a flight

MH-17. The latest from the Ukrainian government is that the black boxes

record a massive explosive decompression caused by shrapnel

from a rocket. For now, the Australian and Dutch police have

been held up for another day by the fighting in their efforts to get to

the crash site. However this conflict now unfolds, it continues

to bring suffering on the ground and its grim repercussions, personnel

and diplomatic, continued to reverberate around the world.

government forces and rebels. Here, Downing Street say EU talks on

tougher sanctions against Russia are "moving in the right direction".

Norman Smith is in Westminster. Does that mean they may actually

happen? There has been exasperation in Downing Street at the failure of

other leaders to agree tougher measures against President Putin. We

are on the cusp of a meaningful package of economic sanctions which

could be agreed as early as tomorrow in the area of defence, energy and

banking. The government wants this will mean economic pain for the

European Union. Germany will be hit by a bar on the export -- exports to

Russia's booming energy sector. We will be hit by the City of London in

effect having to close its doors to Russian banks. The criticism will be

it has taken an awfully long time to get to this point. Multi-macro

things have changed. One, the downing of the Malaysian airliner.

-- two. In the long-term, doing nothing would be more economically

damaging. Why? It is argued because Russian actions undermine the

international rule of law which trade is based. They destabilised a

European country and undermined confidence in the markets.

Norman Smith is in Westminster. Parts of London and south east

England suffered freak hail storms and flash floods this morning.

In the United States, one man has died and at least 14 others have

been taken to hospital, after being struck by lightning in Los Angeles.

They were caught on Venice Beach as rare summer thunderstorms swept

through Southern California. Richard Lister reports.

This was the scene minutes after a violent electrical storm caused

panic on one of America's most famous beaches. The emergency

services responding to reports that several people had been injured by

lightening. Beach-goers said the only warning they had was when the

sky suddenly darkened. I said this was not a good place to be. I do not

feel like getting killed today. And then, moments later, all hell broke

close. It was the loudest thunder I have ever heard. It was like a scene

out of Jaws. Club like somebody punched me on the back of my head

and it went down the right side of my body. I fell over. This man,

lying stunned on the shoreline, was one of at least a dozen people

treated at the scene. Most of those affected have been in the water when

lightning struck. They have been packaged and sent away. Most of them

are doing well. One person received serious injuries. They have been

transported to a local facility. Others were taken to hospital. -- of

those taken to hospital one is critically injured, another has

died. Helicopters patrolled the shoreline looking for a more

casualties. Lifeguards make sure nobody had been missed. The storm

was a brief interruption on a sunny afternoon. But for a least one

family had meant a day at the beach ended in tragedy.

Richard Lister reports. Parts of London and south east

England suffered freak hail storms and flash floods this morning.

Lightning strikes and torrential rain also disrupted

travel across Sussex. Rail passengers in Hove, Brighton

and Worthing were delayed and the police issued a warning to drivers.

Laura Trant is at Worthing station. The battering large areas of the

South East woke up to this morning. Freak lightning struck along with

thunderstorms and hailstorms. The torrential rain had nowhere to

drain, causing localised flooding and travel chaos to thousands of

commuters. Lightning hit and electricity hope in Hove, Consett --

causing cancellations. This meant chaos for the start of the working

week. In London, some central stations were knee deep in water.

Flooding on the motorways cost long delays. -- cause. For many, the rain

has eased off. The Environment Agency has issued further flood

warnings in part of Sussex and Kent. The top story this lunch time: The

bidding process is open for new licences to extract shale gas using

controversial fracking. Still to come, England's batsmen find their

form against India on the second day of the third test.

Later on BBC London, singer Tulisa says she has been given another shot

at her career. And we speak to the London rabbi who has taken part in

an Islamic tradition. The war in Syria is now into its

fourth year and is thought to have claimed more than 150,000 lives.

Millions more have been displaced and many of them are living

in refugee camps. But those left behind

in Syria are also suffering and none more so than the children

caught up in the conflict. The BBC's chief international

correspondent, Lyse Doucet, has been to several cities

across the country to meet some of them and sent this report.

There is no end in sight to Syria's brutal war

and the children are not just caught in crossfire, they are targeted.

Syria's war is also a war on childhood.

Their homes are being destroyed, their schools attacked.

They are living through violence no child should see

and they don't forget it. Some children already

want to fight back. On all sides, children's lives are

steeped in the politics of this war. And the youngest are fighting

their own battles just to survive. Tell me what it was like

for you inside. Syria's children tell us a lot

about this war. They also give us a glimpse

into the future. The longer this war goes on,

the harder that future will be for the children, for Syria.

And you can watch Lyse's film, Children of Syria,

tonight on BBC Two at 9pm. The family of a woman who had made

two 999 calls for help before she was stabbed to death

by her boyfriend has gone to the Supreme Court to make a negligence

claim against two police forces. Our legal correspondent,

Clive Coleman, reports. In 2009, Joanna Michael was stabbed

to death by her former boyfriend Cyron Williams. There had been a

history of domestic violence reported to police. On the day she

died, she called 999 and told the operator Williams had threatened to

kill her. The information was downgraded and by the time the

police arrived at her home, Joanna was dead. In 2010, the Independent

Police Complaints Commission found Joanna was failed by Gwent Police,

South Wales Police and the 999 system itself. Every fortnight in

England and Wales, three women are killed by their currently the macro

ex-partner. Every 30 seconds, the police get a call on domestic

violence. Today at the highest court in the land in what could be a

ground-breaking development, Joanna Michael 's's family are challenging

a long established legal principle that grants the police immunity in

claims brought against them for negligence. The family are supported

in their challenge by groups campaigning against domestic

violence. We want to see a strong police response to victims of

domestic violence. We believe the immunity from negligence claims

should be abolished. The courts have traditionally taken the view that

police immunity is any public interest and if they were liable to

claims, it would lead to defensive policing practices. The Supreme

Court will decide if that view now needs to be changed.

Clive Coleman, reports. It was a thrilling weekend at the

Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with the home nations lighting up the

medals table. It's been particularly special for 13-year-old swimmer

Erraid Davies, Scotland's youngest ever Commonwealth competitor, who

won a bronze medal. Today marks day five with a total of 27

gold medals up for grabs across 12 sports. Jane Hill is at

Hampden Park for us. Thank you very much. This morning we

have been treated to more fantastic finishes for our home nations in the

stadium and elsewhere. Our sports correspondent has all of the

details. You can keep your raucous crowds. In

the bowls this morning, a more sedate pace. For Northern Ireland,

gold at stake and things were heating up on the greens. The

skipper won Commonwealth gold 16 years ago. But as the sun broke

through the early morning haze, South Africa raced into the lead and

Northern Ireland were left feeling loo. I reckon he is on the sick! The

gap proved too commanding. Final score was 19-10 to South Africa who

retain the triple Commonwealth crown. Not the end Northern Ireland

were hoping for. It was their first silverware of the games. In this

match between Wales and Australia, things are rather close. In a tight

match that thrilled spectators, Wales eventually won 16-13 to get

bronze. The stadium was filling up. Wales had big hopes in the discus.

Aled Davies said he wanted to deliver a performance the country

could be proud of. His big rival did not get the memo. England's Thrower

got the gold. I was born during the Brisbane games in 1982. My parents

said they were watching during my mother's labour. You can only keep

trying to excel and I think I have done that. The athletics might be

missing nicknames in some events but not any 400m. The Olympic champion

is one of the fastest men of all time over this distance and he

barely had to break site with a seemingly effortless glide to the

finish line before the semis tomorrow.

As you suggested, overnight, 13-year-old Erraid Davies from

Shetland has become the nation's sweetheart. After taking bronze in

the Para-sport 100m brushstroke, our Scotland correspondent Lorna Gordon

has more. She is Scotland's youngest ever Commonwealth Games competitor.

Now the youngest ever medallist too. Erraid Davies, the schoolgirl from

Shetland, wowed the country with her achievement in the pool. Success for

the teenager who started swimming when she was just four to help with

a problem with her hurts. The morning after the night before and

the newest star is having to get used to quite a bit of attention. I

was really scared in the heat. I knew there was only seven of us in

the event so I knew there was a chance, but I did not expect it.

What does it mean, this incredible achievement of getting a medal and

represented Scotland? Really happy and excited. The 13-year-old carried

the pattern on Shetland. At the modest pool where she trains, people

were proud. Says we might be a small community but we can do everything

everybody else can so it is great. Erraid Davies is a swimming

sensation. She has spent all morning doing interviews and there is

considerable media interest in what she has achieved. There is joy for

her parents here supporting their daughter in her new-found success. I

was crying. Shouting and crying at the same time. It was amazing. She

has worked at it as well as having talent. I do not think we will have

any problems keeping her feet on the ground. Erraid Davies says she is

not sure what the future holds. She is now supporting the rest of Team

Scotland before heading back to school in a few weeks time.

With me watching all of the fabulous events, Darren Campbell. Olympic

gold medallist. Hello. You have competed at a home Commonwealth

Games of course, Manchester. Is it a really special atmosphere as an

athlete? Very special. You can tell by the performances of the Scottish

athletes how much it means to them. That is the most passionate and

exciting thing about this Commonwealth Games. It started in

the pool and we watched the Scottish athletes swim their hearts out. It

means so much to the athletes, but it means so much to the people of

Scotland. Lots of people talking about the 100m final tonight. You

have competed in that. Who should we be looking out for? Yesterday gave

us good guidance of what will happen. The weather was so cold. It

has changed. It is a little bit warmer. We have to watch out for the

Caribbean athletes because they will perform. Adam Gemili is the English

hope. I think he will make the final. It is whether he can get on

the podium and beat the likes of Richard Thompson, the favourite. He

will be the one to beat. Quick thought about Glasgow, Howard has

performed. This is a morning weekday session and it was packed out. It

means so much to the people of Scotland and two Glaswegians. You

can see that they have turned out in force. They have cheered every

single nation, even the endless. That is the most perhaps surprising

thing of this whole Commonwealth Games. They have even given support

to the endless. By the end of the Games, that will be the thing that

will be remembered the most, they cheered everyone and showed the same

passion for every sports person who has turned up. Pleasure to have you

with us. We will let you go and enjoy another exciting day. Thank

you. That is all from Glasgow for now.

Hampden Park for us. England's batsmen have been piling

on the runs against India on the second day of the third Test

at Southampton. Our sports correspondent,

Joe Wilson, reports. Alastair Cook's burden would have

felt a tonne writer in Southampton on Monday. He was out but he had

made a contribution, his 95 safely stored in England's total. Next

batsman in need of a revival, Ian Bell. His stunning summer of 2013

had started to feel distant. There are fours and Ian Bell fours.

Elegance and balance. Ballance was batting at the other end. Building

on the century he built on Sunday. Gary Ballance has taken to Test

cricket as if born to play it. In Zimbabwe. 34s in an over. If the

first day had been about the captain's redemption, now this was

team expectations, a long time since England had dominated a match. When

Bell bats like this, it makes you wonder why he does not score 100

every innings. Gary Ballance almost ours. Easy. England past 300 with

just two wickets down. Bell's 50 featured his full array of shots.

All just a question of timing. Box ticked. Six. Ballance was out. The

umpire David. The replay revealed the ball hit his leg. He can be

philosophical when he has made 156. All England's batsman will be

fighting down the stairs to get their chance.

Joe Wilson, reports. Time for a look at the weather...

Here's Stav Danaos. A very stormy start. Pretty

torrential thunderstorms around. Flash flooding.

This is the radar picture. Starting off across Essex and East Anglia.

Really intense thunderstorms from South Buckinghamshire through Surrey

into the Sussex area producing phenomenal amounts of rain. Hail and

lightning as well. This is the hourly rainfall totals in a

selection of places. Nearly two inches of rain in Essex in one hour.

You can see why there was so much flooding. For the rest of the

afternoon, still a risk of heavy showers across the south-east. Just

the west of London, some could be on the sharp side. Take care if you are

heading out on the roads. Treacherous driving conditions in

the sharp showers. Further west, it is largely drier with good spells of

sunshine. Not quite as warm as yesterday. There could still be the

odd heavy shower around. In the south-west and for Wales. Maybe over

the Pennines as well. The good-looking day for Northern

England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. After yesterday's rein in

Glasgow, we are looking at sunny spells and light winds. That is how

it is looking for Monday. Tuesday, strengthening westerly wind and it

will feel cool and fresh with outbreaks of rain. This evening, we

start to lose the showers from the south-east. Some could still be

heavy in the evening. Eventually they will retreat towards the

extreme south-east. In the north-west corner of the country,

strengthening winds with outbreaks of rain. In between, drier weather

for the overnight period. Not cold. Fresh in rural spots. Tuesday, we

lose the showers from the south-east eventually. Sunshine is in abundance

for much of England and Wales. Across the north-west corner of the

country, strengthening winds bringing in more cloud. As a result,

cooler and fresher in the north-west corner. Lovely and warm across

Central and southeastern areas. Quite hot. Reaching 27 in London.

Wednesday, looks like the northern half of the UK will be more

unsettled. Stronger westerly winds. In the south, still holding onto the

sunshine. Beyond settles claim sticks with us towards the latter

part of the week. -- the unsettled theme. Is that the end of summer?

Definitely not. The bidding process is open for new

licences to extract shale gas using fracking. That is all from