:00:25. > :00:30.The Conservative Party Conference has got under way
:00:31. > :00:32.in Birmingham with the Prime Minister admitting it's not
:00:33. > :00:36.The Tories have been hit by the resignation of a minister,
:00:37. > :00:40.and the defection of a second MP to UKIP in the space of just a month.
:00:41. > :00:42.David Cameron described Mark Reckless's decision to leave
:00:43. > :00:43.the Conservatives as counter-productive and senseless.
:00:44. > :00:49.Our Political Correspondent Ben Wright reports.
:00:50. > :00:57.It has been a testing start to the conference for the Tory faithful,
:00:58. > :01:03.the defection of Reckless and a reckless selfie. UKIP crows.
:01:04. > :01:08.Yesterday Mark Reckless became the second Conservative MP in one month
:01:09. > :01:13.to leave for UKIP but this morning David Cameron try to dismiss the
:01:14. > :01:16.deflection. These things are frustrating and counter-productive
:01:17. > :01:21.and rather senseless. If you want to have a European referendum and
:01:22. > :01:29.immigration controlled, if you want to get the deficit down, if you want
:01:30. > :01:34.to build a stronger Britain we can be proud of, there is only one
:01:35. > :01:38.option and that is to have a Conservative government after the
:01:39. > :01:42.next election. David Cameron said a vote for UKIP would let in Labour,
:01:43. > :01:44.but Tory divisions on Europe continue to fester. The
:01:45. > :01:47.Conservatives have promised a referendum if they win the next
:01:48. > :01:52.election. Today David Cameron was pressed on whether he thought
:01:53. > :01:59.Britain would ever leave the EU. If I thought it was not in Britain's
:02:00. > :02:08.interests to be in the EU, I wouldn't argue to be in it. I do
:02:09. > :02:11.this job because I love my country, I care about its future. David
:02:12. > :02:16.Cameron has always said Britain is better off in the EU but some in his
:02:17. > :02:21.party want to spell out the cancer -- the circumstances in which it
:02:22. > :02:27.might leave. It is by focusing on the economy and reform that the
:02:28. > :02:30.party thinks it can win. Today the Conservatives said they would create
:02:31. > :02:33.an additional 1 million apprenticeships in the next
:02:34. > :02:37.Parliament, funded by cutting the maximum level of benefits household
:02:38. > :02:43.can claim to ?23,000 per year. There would also be a new youth allowance,
:02:44. > :02:50.and after this people would have to do community work to get benefits.
:02:51. > :02:55.The evidence is that the cap is too loose, particularly in some parts of
:02:56. > :02:59.the country, so bringing it down to ?23,000 saves money. That is what
:03:00. > :03:01.the Tories want to be talking about rather than defections and the march
:03:02. > :03:03.of UKIP. Joining us
:03:04. > :03:12.from Birmingham is Assistant These are the last conferences
:03:13. > :03:17.before a general election and the Prime Minister has been working hard
:03:18. > :03:25.to get over a dreadful start. Yes, don't be confused by the diplomatic
:03:26. > :03:30.niceties about Mark Reckless's decision, there is rippling fury
:03:31. > :03:35.here about it. Just two weeks ago they said he assured their
:03:36. > :03:41.executives he was going nowhere, and listen to David Cameron this morning
:03:42. > :03:46.saying he was the sort of Tory who didn't vote much with the Government
:03:47. > :03:55.anyway. The reason there is such anger is because this is a critical
:03:56. > :04:00.party conference. It was meant to be a launch pad for the next general
:04:01. > :04:03.election and they wanted to be focused on their plans for more
:04:04. > :04:06.apprenticeships. That has now been knocked off course by Mark
:04:07. > :04:10.Reckless's defection. It seems a really liked John Major circa 1990s
:04:11. > :04:13.when every conference seemed to begin with some sort of bust up over
:04:14. > :04:14.Europe. Thank you. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon
:04:15. > :04:15.has said Islamic State forces are now under pressure, thanks to air
:04:16. > :04:18.strikes in Iraq and Syria. This weekend British warplanes were
:04:19. > :04:20.involved in their first combat missions in Iraq
:04:21. > :04:22.since MPs approved military action, Clive Myrie is in the Iraqi city
:04:23. > :04:36.of Irbil. The British involvement so far has
:04:37. > :04:41.been minimal but strikes have been taking place for weeks now, is there
:04:42. > :04:46.any evidence they are making a difference? There have been
:04:47. > :04:50.individual battlefield successes. We are hearing that overnight for
:04:51. > :04:59.instance the Iraqi forces have managed to retake a dam that had
:05:00. > :05:03.been held by Islamic State for some time and water supplies in that area
:05:04. > :05:08.were under strain for the local population. Air strikes have helped
:05:09. > :05:12.disrupt operations in that area and the Iraqi security furnaces --
:05:13. > :05:17.forces are now in control of that. We understand that some were killed
:05:18. > :05:23.in air strikes overnight in Mosul Dam, so there are individual
:05:24. > :05:28.battlefield successes. Overall the air strikes have managed to stop
:05:29. > :05:32.Islamic State in their tracks but they haven't been successful in
:05:33. > :05:35.driving Islamic State away, and that is where the thorny issue of boots
:05:36. > :05:40.on the ground comes in. Thank you. At least 30 people are thought to
:05:41. > :05:43.have died in Japan following Hundreds of hikers were trapped
:05:44. > :05:47.near the summit of Mount Ontake when Rupert Wingfield Hayes reports
:05:48. > :05:57.from Tokyo. This morning the Japanese military
:05:58. > :06:03.managed to get a helicopter close enough to the top of Mount Ontake to
:06:04. > :06:08.start winching off a handful of survivors, but with the mountain
:06:09. > :06:15.covered in a thick layer of choking ash it is still too dangerous to
:06:16. > :06:21.land. When rescue teams finally reached the top of the mountain on
:06:22. > :06:26.foot at lunch time today, they found a grim scene. At least 31 people
:06:27. > :06:30.were dead and another 30 or more are still missing. Hundreds of hikers
:06:31. > :06:33.were on the mountain on Saturday lunch time when it suddenly erupted
:06:34. > :06:39.without warning. Videos shot by survivors shows a massive cloud,
:06:40. > :06:43.rolling down the mountain at great speed, enveloping everything.
:06:44. > :06:48.Remarkably more than 200 people managed to clamber down the mountain
:06:49. > :06:53.through the choking volcanic ash. The volcanic rocks fell like
:06:54. > :06:58.hailstones, we couldn't breathe so we covered our mouths with towels,
:06:59. > :07:03.we couldn't open our eyes either. Others were forced to take refuge in
:07:04. > :07:09.a series of mountain huts close to the summit. Today some of those made
:07:10. > :07:14.it down the mountain on foot and described a terrifying night. It is
:07:15. > :07:18.not clear why there was no warning of the eruption on Saturday. Japan
:07:19. > :07:24.monitors its volcanoes closely, and any that show signs of activity is
:07:25. > :07:28.immediately closed to hikers, but this time that didn't happen.
:07:29. > :07:30.Clashes have broken out between police and pro-democracy
:07:31. > :07:33.Thousands of protestors have gathered for a campaign of civil
:07:34. > :07:38.disobedience designed to paralyse the city's business district.
:07:39. > :07:42.The protestors want China to allow Hong Kong's electorate to freely
:07:43. > :07:47.choose candidates for its next leader in 2017.
:07:48. > :07:50.Dennis Kimetto has smashed the marathon world record in Berlin
:07:51. > :07:52.after completing the race in a time of two hours,
:07:53. > :07:58.The 30-year-old Kenyan knocked 26 seconds off the previous best,
:07:59. > :08:08.Play is under way on the final day of golf's Ryder Cup in Gleneagles.
:08:09. > :08:11.Europe began the day leading the United States by ten points to
:08:12. > :08:14.six and needing just four points from the day's singles matches to
:08:15. > :08:26.From Gleneagles, here's our correspondent, Andy Swiss.
:08:27. > :08:35.It was a day for drama, decibel is, and even dancing, Europe arriving
:08:36. > :08:41.with a 4-point lead and some fancy footwork. The first hole felt more
:08:42. > :08:48.like football stadium, the home fans filled with optimism. We are going
:08:49. > :08:53.to take the Ryder Cup! Just to be here for this, that is an
:08:54. > :08:59.experience. It is chaos going on behind us, it is amazing. Soon the
:09:00. > :09:03.volume cranked up another notch, and ear-splitting reception for Graeme
:09:04. > :09:11.McDowell who got the Europeans under way with a nervous drive. Moments
:09:12. > :09:16.later, he had a chance to take the lead. Somehow though it stayed out.
:09:17. > :09:23.Early frustration for Europe and instead it was the US that struck
:09:24. > :09:29.the first blow, Spieth edging ahead. Before long Europe's biggest name
:09:30. > :09:35.was making his presence felt. Rory McIlroy taking the early advantage
:09:36. > :09:40.against Rickie Fowler. The visitors have also begun with intent. Hunter
:09:41. > :09:46.may hand with an early nomination for shot of the day. Two years ago
:09:47. > :09:53.Europe turned around a deficit, now it is America hoping they can
:09:54. > :10:00.conjure a comeback. A lot of matches still yet to start but as it stands
:10:01. > :10:04.Europe are leading into matches, the USA are leading into matches. A
:10:05. > :10:07.nerve jangling afternoon could be in store.
:10:08. > :10:10.You can see more on all of today's stories on the BBC News Channel.
:10:11. > :10:13.The next news on BBC One is at half past six.
:10:14. > :10:30.Good afternoon. It is reasonably warm and dry outside for many of us
:10:31. > :10:32.and that is a continuation of the weather we have