17/06/2014 BBC News at Six

A breakthrough in relations between Britain and Iran,

as the Iraq crisis deepens. Two and a half years

after it was ransacked, British staff will be sent back

to the embassy in Tehran. We will be reopening our embassy

in Tehran. Initially, this will be with

a small diplomatic team, but it is an important step forward in

our bilateral relations with Iran. In neighbouring Iraq, fierce clashes

between government troops and insurgents just 40 miles from the

capital. our bilateral relations with Iran.

We will be asking what role Iran might play

in tackling the ISIS fighters in Iraq.

Also tonight, a Court of Appeal victory means doctors must now

consult patients if they place a "do not resuscitate" order

on their notes. Inflation falls

to a four and a half year low, but prices are still rising faster

than wages. What's in your sausages?

Warnings that there could be more diseased meat

because of changes at slaughterhouses.

And maintaining Britain's waterways, after the winter floods,

the Government is criticised by MPs for not spending enough

to prevent them. On BBC London, the schoolboy who

died at an illegal rave is named. And guilty of faking her husband's

death, the company sentenced for an insurance scam. -- the couple.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News At Six.

There has been a diplomatic breakthrough

in relations between Britain and Iran, as the Iraq crisis deepens.

The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has announced

that the British Embassy in Tehran is to reopen for the first time

since 2011 as he called on Iran to play a more positive role

in the volatile region. America is sending almost 300

troops to Iraq to protect embassy staff there as ISIS-led fighters

continue to push towards Baghdad. The Islamist insurgents

have now come within just 40 miles of the capital.

There was fierce fighting overnight, forcing many people

to flee their homes. In a moment, the latest from Iraq,

but first this report from our political editor, Nick Robinson.

What a difference three years can make. This was the British embassy

in Tehran in November 2011, a mob ransacked offices, smashed pictures

of the Queen, and chanted deaths to England. The building has been

closed ever since, but that is about to change, along with those -- this

country's relationship with Iran. It is right to rebuild that

relationship. We would be doing that anyway, irrespective of what is

happening in Iraq... But what is happening in Iraq has convinced the

West to improve relations with neighbouring Iran. These are

pictures of the Sunni extremist group ISIS which is now fighting

just 40 miles from Baghdad. This is the most serious threat to

Britain's security that there is today. The number of foreign

fighters in that area, the number of foreign fighters, including those

from the UK who could try to return to the UK, this is a real threats to

our country. And this is the man Britain and the United States hope

they can do business with, the Iranian president, who used his

Twitter account to show he is a different type of leader, a man who

watches his team play in the World Cup and tweets, proud of our boys.

Our top stories, 300 American Armed Forces Day... This morning in

America people awoke to the news that they are having to think the

previously unthinkable. The history of the rift between the US and Iran

goes back to the Islamic Revolution in the capture of 52 American

hostages only freed after 444 days. Even without all that history, there

would be problems, not least this - Iran's nuclear programme. Peaceful,

they say, but others are not sure, and they expressed their doubts

about how far any new relationship should go. While we should welcome

the resumption of diplomatic relations and normalisation, isn't

it necessary to reassure our closest allies in the Middle East that there

are very severe limits for the foreseeable future as to the kind of

relationship we can have with Iran? Is it not going to be the kind of

relationship the West had with the Soviet Union during the Cold War? On

the streets of the Iranian capital, the British embassy Stanza, waiting

for the diplomats to return students here are not protesting today. This

one says good relations with the people in the countries of the world

can have a great positive effect on the advancement of our country. You

know the old saying, my enemy's enemy is my friend. It is a cliche,

of course, but that is because it has so often been proved true. Today

in Iran did not become a friend of Britain's, she certainly became a

little less of an enemy. Nick Robinson, BBC News, Westminster.

In Iraq, the militant offensive has reached the outskirts of Baquba,

a city of around 500,000 people just 40 miles from Baghdad.

ISIS fighters and other armed groups are understood

to have attacked some of the suburbs overnight before being pushed back

by government forces. From Baghdad,

Jonathan Beale reports. Iraqi forces are taking the fight

to the Sunni extremists. In Kirkuk, they were using tanks

to target ISIS fighters, but even heavy armour can't halt

the violence spreading through swathes of the country.

We travelled out of Baghdad, north towards the city of Baquba,

the new front line for the ISIS jihadists and 60 kilometres away.

This is one of the main routes into Baghdad,

and behind me, about 30 kilometres in the distance,

is the city of Baquba, and we're told that ISIS forces

have already entered parts of the city.

And, off course, if they take Baquba, then it's a clear route

into the capital. We went as far as we were told

it was safe to go, to meet Ali, who lives in Baquba.

So you're running away from ISIS? And he's witnessed the fighting.

He told me it was going to be a bloody fight

between Sunni and Shia, and he warned it would soon

be happening in Baghdad too. Ibrahim also had a narrow escape.

Now back home with his family, he is a policeman injured

while fighting the Sunni extremists in Samarra, thankful that,

unlike some of his comrades, he's lived to tell the tale.

He says ISIS are ruthless. TRANSLATION: They shot at

the convoy, all civilians. One of them shot at the tyres of

the bus and killed everyone in it. The bus was carrying 24 men,

and they killed them all. Ibrahim doesn't believe that ISIS is

strong enough to take Baghdad, but today another bomb went off in the

city centre, killing three people. Even if ISIS have not yet

reached the city, there are signs that

their sympathisers are already here. Jonathan Beale, BBC News, Baghdad.

Our world affairs editor, John Simpson, is in Baghdad now.

What role can Iran play in trying to tackle the ISIS fighters in Iraq?

Well, I think it is true to say, Sophie, that Iran is the only

external country that can do anything here. It already

influencers the government in Iraq a great deal, too much, many people

say. By comparison, Britain, the United States are past players who

aren't doing anything here really very much, and all they can do is to

try to co-ordinated their views and put a little bit of pressure on Iran

to get it to do what they want. -- co-ordinated. But Iran is running

this as its game, and not as a British or American game. This city

doesn't really feel now quite so much as though it is about to fall.

I mean, last week was really difficult with three battalions of

the regular army just running for it. Things have stabilised now, and

although Baquba is only 35, 30 seven miles away, it nevertheless does

seem to be stabilising there a little bit. -- 37 miles away. And as

we heard, Baghdad is a very different and much more formidable

proposition, so people here are starting to hope that ISIS won't be

coming down this far. John Simpson in Baghdad, thank you.

John Simpson, is in Baghdad now. The Court of Appeal has ruled that

a woman with terminal cancer had her human rights violated

because she was not consulted about a "do not resuscitate"

order placed in her medical notes. 63-year-old Janet Tracey died

at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge three years ago.

The ruling means that patients in England, or their families,

should be consulted about whether or not to try to resuscitate them.

Here is Jon Brain. Everyday at hospitals across the

country, doctors face the dilemma of whether to resuscitate a dying

patient. Often they decide it is kinder not to even try. Admitted

with a broken neck and already suffering from terminal cancer,

Janet Tracey was well aware she might never return home. But she was

devastated to discover that staff at Adam Brookes had put a "do not

resuscitate" notice in her records without consulting her. --

Addenbrooke's. Today her family went to the Court of Appeal to hear three

judges ruled that the hospital had reached her human rights. It was

extremely distressing for my wife, she was in tears, and nobody should

have to go through that in hospital. You know, any hospital.

When Mum found out that the decision had been made without her

consultation, she was very upset, and the hospital also told her that

we have said it was OK for them to put the note in her file, and we

didn't. So it's very difficult to explain how upset she was. As she

lay in her hospital bed here, Janet Tracey had problems with her

breathing and found it difficult to talk, but she did write a note to

doctors showing she wanted to be consulted about her treatment.

Please don't exclude me, it said. The hospital trust says it will now

carefully considered the implications of the day's judgment.

Janet Tracey's family say they hope that no one else will have to go

through the same experience. She would have expected us to do

something in the light of her death to put things in place for others,

that was the person she was, she cared for others all her life.

Today's reeling does not mean that relatives will have the right to

demand that resuscitation of their loved ones has to be attempted, it

will be a decision for doctors alone, but it is a decision they

will have to convey to those affected. Jon Brain, BBC News,

Cambridge. Inflation has fallen to its lowest

level for four and a half years. It stood at 1.5% in May.

Supermarket price wars helped to push down on food prices,

and cheaper airfares also contributed to the lower rate.

But prices are still rising faster than wages,

as our economic correspondent, Simon Jack, reports.

After the races, the going for the economy seems officially good to

firm with further evidence that is not pushing prices up to fast. In

fact, thanks to cheap travel and food, inflation in May fell to its

lowest level in four and a half years, but is that being felt in

punters' pockets? We struggled in 2007 and 2008, but things are better

now. Up the economy is picking up, it is very positive, people have got

a few quid. Whether it is in Ascot or Aylesbury, prices are still

rising, just less quickly. The economy is growing at a rate we have

not seen before the big downturn, unemployment has fallen sharply, and

inflation is low, but prices are still rising more than wages, so is

it too soon to say that the big squeeze is over? I don't think the

pay rises are going up with inflation, I don't feel like I am

getting my money back in my wages. Everything seems to be high, bills

and everything, but wages don't go high. Last week, the Bank of England

warned it may raise interest rates this year to head off inflation, so

what would it make of these numbers? It is a bit of a pinch, but it is

low to be concerned, so interest rates will probably rise in the next

six to 12 months, but slightly later than we thought previously. One

thing, getting much less affordable is housing. Prices rose 99% on

average across the country, and by more than inflation in every part of

the UK. -- 9.9%. The betting is the Bank of England will tell us how it

intends to rain that in next week. The Chinese government has said it

wants to invest in a number of the UK's major infrastructure projects,

including high-speed rail and nuclear power stations. The

announcement was made as the Chinese Prime Minister signed a series of

trade deals in London. He is here on a three-day visit and met the Queen

at Windsor Castle this morning. Simon Jack, reports.

The United States says it has captured one of the key suspects

in the attack on its consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi

two years ago. Gunmen stormed the diplomatic

compound and set it on fire, killing four Americans, including

the US ambassador, Chris Stephens. The Pentagon said that Ahmed Abu

Khatallah was captured on Sunday and is now in American custody

outside Libya. An investigation team has been

set up in Scotland to try to help parents whose babies died find out

what happened to their remains. It follows the scandal

at a crematorium in Edinburgh, where for decades staff secretly buried

or scattered the ashes of babies. The Scottish Government also says

new laws will be brought in to improve the way

remains are dealt with. But a BBC investigation has revealed

that the practice has been occurring across the UK,

as Lorna Gordon reports. the cremations of young and new-born

babies. In 2008 more than 1,000 sets of ashes were not returned to

parents. What has become clear is are the inconsistencies in the way

different crematoria deal with infants who have died. Sian

Marshall's son was stillborn. She got to hold him for a few hours,

dress him, tell him he was loved. She was also told there would be no

remains from his cremation and recently discovered ashes had

existed and were scattered without her knowledge. I was the one who

carried him and felt every niggle and gave birth. I wanted to decide

where his ashes went in the end. It's awful. There are moves no

change practices here in Scotland and a suggestion the law elsewhere

in the UK is also clarified in the hope no more families have to suffer

the same ordeal. Our top story this evening:

More than two years after it was attacked, Britain is to re-open

its embassy in Iran following a breakthrough in relations.

And still to come: At the World Cup, England insist

they're ready for the challenge and can beat Uruguay on Thursday.

Serving up a meal deal - the Surrey primary leading the way in how new,

healthier school lunches are prepared.

And for over 100 years it's been where Londoners have their say

- now Speakers Corner gets a makeover.

MPs have accused the Government of getting

its spending priorities wrong and not doing enough to maintain flood

defences in England and Wales. Record levels of rain fell

on parts of England and Wales last winter, making it

the wettest in more than 200 years. Around 7,000 properties were

flooded, with parts of Somerset under water for three months.

Although the Environment Agency says they did protect more than a

million properties, the MPs' report says current levels of maintenance

funding is at a "bare minimum". Our Science Editor, David Shukman,

joins us from Datchet in Berkshire, one of the areas worst affected.

Thank you, when the weather is this good, it is very easy to forget that

dreadfulp winter and all the flooding. It is this very spot,

beside the River Thames a few months ago, at the worst of the flooding

that the waters reached up about this high. The MPs on the Select

Committee want the Government to learn some lessons from this. In

particular, that it is not enough just to spend money on new flood

defences, you also have to look after them as well.

In the battedle against flooding, clearing even a small screen can

make a small difference. Up and -- a big difference. Twaems are at work

up and down the country but the Select Committee says not enough is

being done. It is hard to believe a stream like this can possibly cause

any trouble but if it gets blocked and there is heavy rain, the water

level rises and causes flooding nearby. The MPs say while it is

vital for the country to keep investing in flood defences and

barriers, it is just as important to spend more money on work keeping the

waterways flowing freely. The flooding of recent months came

during the wettest winter on record but a key factor was where flood

defences had been built in previous years and how well they had been

maintained. Had there been regular maintenance

and dredging of caught courses, over a period of time, the last 15 to 20

years, not just the last three or four years, then it would have had

quite dramatic impact on resisting flooding. Over this current

five-year period, the Government has committed ?3.2 billion to preventing

flooding but spending on maintenance, which was ?170 million

two years ago, fell last year to 174 million. In the Somerset levels,

under water, the one thing people called for was for the rivers to be

dredged. under water, the one thing people

called for was for Experts said called for was for the rivers to

this wouldn't have helped much but the work has now started. People's

lives are so on edge at the moment. One drop of water and, you know, it

raises all hell of concerns. The water outside is always going to be

a major problem, so it is still a long way off from being sorted out.

The Government says it is spending as much as it can on flood

prevention despite fight Financial Times and is planning for the

climate to become more extreme. The fact is, though, there is no single

easy answer to floods. Cleaning streams won't be the answer on its

own but every option comes with a price too, which seems expensive, if

the sun is shining. The supermarket chain Morrisons is

to cut thousands of management jobs as part of a restructuring

of the way it runs its stores. 2,600 jobs will go,

many of them department managers. But Morrisons says it will create

4,000 jobs in new and smaller stores.

The chain posted an annual loss of ?176 million

in the year to February. in the year to February.

MPs have voted introduce mandatory jail terms for

people caught twice with a knife. adults would reef a minimum

six-month jail term on their second conviction for carrying a knife. The

measure was backed by most Conservatives and Labour MPs. The

Liberal Democrats voted against the change.

people caught twice with a knife. Hygiene inspectors have told the BBC

that more diseased meat could end up in sausages and pies because

of changes to EU rules governing safety checks in slaughterhouses.

The new regulations are supported by Britain's Food Standards Agency

- but opposed by many of its 1,100 frontline inspectors.

Our Environment Correspondent, Claire Marshall, reports.

Another day at the office for the meat inspectors.

One medium-sized abattoir in Suffolk.

They examine each pig manually to see if it should be eaten.

But this method is now changing. It's not a pretty site.

We can't show you most of the process here.

But what happens in abattoirs is key.

Inspectors have always handled the meat but now they're being told

to stand back and try to spot disease just by looking at it.

It's unusual to be let inside a place like this, but

the owner wants to make a point. He believes that disease

will be missed. You could have

an abscess or arthritic joints missed, any lesions and abnormal

glands could end up in sausages and we don't want that to happen.

This isn't about your food becoming more risky to eat.

It's more about knowing if there is something unplesant on your plate.

Ron Spellman has 30 years experience and represents food

inspectors across Europe. Kew I won't be eating pork pies

and sausages from now on because even though it won't make me ill,

in all probability, it may, but probably not, I do not want that

kind of material - puss and parts of abscesses minced into my food.

But the Food Standards Agency says there

is science behind the shake-up. There is more awareness now -

where does our food come from and what exactly is in it?

Kew And you can hear

the full investigation into the slaughterhouse changes on "File

on Four", on BBC Radio 4 at 8.00pm. In Brazil, England are preparing

for their crucial match on Thursday against Uruguay.

There's plenty of speculation about the role that Wayne Rooney

might play - if any - following his performance at the weekend.

but there is growing excitement about radio heap Sterling. It is

said you can often learn more in defeat than in victory. In the race

of Raheem Sterling, defeat was a revelation. Fit to burst with

steepage exuberance, he announced himself on the world stage with a

performance that thrilled a much with aing nation. A performance,

largely responsible for the feelings of opt stitch that followed the

loss. It was obviously a dream come true for any young lad to make an

appearance in such a big tournament. When I was on the pitch I tried to

think of it as a normal game and not really think about the importance of

it and just try to express myself and do my best for the team.

Sterling's story began in jam aica. He moved to London as a child and

grew up in the shadow of Wembley Stadium, dreaming of playing for

England. He always had great skill and balance. To see him playing in

the number 10 role at such a young age, is incredible. I always thought

that would be his position, he can go left or right. I thought it would

take more time. It is amazing the fact he has played for England at

the World Cup. He made his Liverpool debut two years ago, to become their

second-youngest ever player and England coach and former defender

Gary Neville says he is an exciting prospect. If you are watching, you

think you cannot can't stop him, he can go left or right and he has

speed. Italian defenders were some of the best in the world E took them

into uncomfortable places the other night. A tattoo featuring his

two-year-old daughter features on his arm.

He has made his mark. He'll be hoping for a repeat performance.

Elder statesman of the squad, has said that the squad has been crying

out for youthful exuberance. Wayne Rooney has hit back at suggestions

from the press today that he was training away from the first team

yesterday because he is about to get dropped. He said on social media he

was simply doing his own extra training and he sometimes wonders

what the press are getting at. Time for the weather now with John

Hammond. Like Brazil in Scotland today.

Temperatures soaring up to 26. It hasn't been as sunny else where.

Showers in parts of central Scotland now drifting down through the

borders into Cumbria. Most of us will avoid these but it turns damp

later through central and eastern parts of England. A muggy night A

humid night, particularly across northern towns and cities.

Temperatures here staying in the high teens all night. Mo some

mistiness around, too. That muggy feel continues.

Hopefully the brightness developing here but the odd shower too.

Northern Ireland sharing in the sunshine but there could be light

showers in the eastern side of Scotland across the borders down

into the Pennines, maybe the high ground of Wales and south-west.

Fairly isolated but one or two quite sharp ones possible. That's it. Most

of us will avoid them entirely and stay dry with some sunshine. More

cloud around than today across southern and eastern areas. It'll

feel comfortable enough, though, if you are heading off to Ascot, for

example, cloudier skies. It will be cloudy again on Thursday but with

light winds and dry weather it should be OK, I think. Thursday will

be a fairly cloudy day across the country. A breeze come down from the

north. A cooling breeze, too. The odd shower around but again, most

places will be dry. That breeze will carry somewhat cooler conditions

down from the north, as I mentioned. It'll knock temperatures on the head

across northern and central areas. One more warm day across the south.

Temperatures into the mid-20s, potentially, the risk

across northern and central areas. One of the odd sharp shower. Looking

forward to the weekend. Drier weather to come.

A reminder of the main story this evening: More than two years after

it was attacked, Britain is to re-open its embassy in eye rarnings

following a breakthrough in relations. -- in Iran.