:00:00. > :00:00.suitable chairman of the Co-op. That is all from the BBC News at six. On
:00:00. > :00:09.Tonight on BBC London News. The Mayor defends his record on cycle
:00:10. > :00:19.safety after critics label his policies as flawed and dangerous.
:00:20. > :00:24.The spate of fatalities we have seen over the last couple of weeks must
:00:25. > :00:29.be seen in the context of an overall decline in fatalities. We're out
:00:30. > :00:35.with police in East London as they begin a campaign to improve road
:00:36. > :00:38.safety. Also tonight: In a landmark case, a court in Moscow rules two
:00:39. > :00:42.boys abducted a year ago are to be returned to their mother in London
:00:43. > :00:44.Plus an eyewitness account of the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan from a
:00:45. > :00:48.London charity worker recently returned from the Philippines. I am
:00:49. > :00:55.going to get my children back. And I am so happy! And eyewitness account
:00:56. > :00:58.of the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan from a London charity worker
:00:59. > :01:03.recently returned from the Philippines. And counting down to
:01:04. > :01:05.the West End's most stressful day. The Old Vic prepares to raise the
:01:06. > :01:23.curtain on its 24`hour play. Good evening and welcome to the
:01:24. > :01:26.programme. The Mayor has been accused of pursuing flawed and
:01:27. > :01:31.dangerous policies and being slow to respond to the risks faced by
:01:32. > :01:35.cyclists using the capital's roads. The criticism comes after the recent
:01:36. > :01:38.number of cyclist deaths in London ` six in the last fortnight. At
:01:39. > :01:41.Mayor's Question Time today, Boris Johnson defended his record,
:01:42. > :01:46.accusing his opponents of scaremongering. In a moment, we'll
:01:47. > :01:49.speak to our transport correspondent, Tom Edwards, who is
:01:50. > :01:52.out with police in East London. But first, let's cross to City Hall and
:01:53. > :02:01.join our political editor, Tim Donovan. Six deaths in a fortnight
:02:02. > :02:06.and a fierce debate continues. Boris Johnson insisting the longer term
:02:07. > :02:09.pattering of fatalities shows things have gotten safer. Opponents claim
:02:10. > :02:13.he is ignoring the most damaging evidence. I would like you to
:02:14. > :02:17.apologise to the families of people who have been killed and to the
:02:18. > :02:22.people who have been seriously injured on the roads because of your
:02:23. > :02:30.flawed and quite dangerous policies. I think it is restructuring you sat
:02:31. > :02:35.in this Assembly for... Could you answer the question? When cycle
:02:36. > :02:39.fatalities were running at a higher rate and I do not believe you
:02:40. > :02:43.protested. What is the evidence? The Mayor argues that in the five years
:02:44. > :02:51.from 2003 there were 82 deaths. Which dropped to 68 in the first
:02:52. > :02:53.five years of his mayoralty. Officials have described annual
:02:54. > :02:59.variations in the number of deaths as statistically insignificant. Look
:03:00. > :03:06.at the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured. In the five years
:03:07. > :03:10.until 2007, just over 2000. In the five years with Boris Johnson as
:03:11. > :03:16.Mayor, more than 2500. A rise of 30%. The Mayor claims that more
:03:17. > :03:20.cyclists on the roads means inevitably more accidents. But the
:03:21. > :03:26.Green Party says the rate of accidents has gotten worse. In 2008,
:03:27. > :03:31.one death or injury occurred every 402,000 journeys and in 2011 it
:03:32. > :03:35.happened every 364,000 journeys. Statistics aside, the mayor was
:03:36. > :03:41.under fire over his response to earlier warnings. Two years ago we
:03:42. > :03:46.talked about reviewing dangerous junctions and we have seen a handful
:03:47. > :03:52.of changes. You need to make sure the offices start working at the
:03:53. > :03:57.pace that Londoners want them to. Rather than in their own world,
:03:58. > :03:59.which seems to take years. I must reject what you have said because
:04:00. > :04:04.they think they have worked extremely well. It is very easy to
:04:05. > :04:09.put in substandard or inadequate schemes and then be forced, because
:04:10. > :04:15.they have been badly researched and thought through, to take them out
:04:16. > :04:18.again. He was pressed by even the Conservative group leader on the
:04:19. > :04:22.Assembly to hold a review of the most controversial road, the
:04:23. > :04:26.so`called superhighway to in East London. It would restore public
:04:27. > :04:32.confidence. But the Mayor said it and the other highways are already
:04:33. > :04:36.being reviewed on an ongoing basis. Tim Donovan with that report.
:04:37. > :04:40.Tonight, transport police are out in force in East London as they begin a
:04:41. > :04:41.campaign to make the roads safer for cyclists and motorcyclists. Our
:04:42. > :04:51.transport correspondent, Tom Edwards, is there for us now to
:04:52. > :04:54.gauge reaction. Tom? This operation is not far away from the
:04:55. > :04:59.superhighway, where a number of cyclists have died. And this gives
:05:00. > :05:05.you some indication of the blind spot. In this area, if the driver
:05:06. > :05:11.has not got up`to`date mirrors, he cannot see you. If you moments ago
:05:12. > :05:18.the police were on the road and they were talking to cyclists and giving
:05:19. > :05:23.them advice about lights and high visibility and helmets as part of
:05:24. > :05:31.this drive to make the roads safer and make improved behaviour. This is
:05:32. > :05:36.what cyclists had to say. At least they are doing something. With the
:05:37. > :05:41.number of deaths going on. It is good they are doing something. You
:05:42. > :05:48.have been cycling because of those deaths, have you changed behaviour?
:05:49. > :05:55.A little bit. A little bit. But I try to be safe and do not take any
:05:56. > :05:59.chances. I am also a car driver so I welcome that from both angles. What
:06:00. > :06:07.do you make of what has been going on? Has changed the way that you
:06:08. > :06:13.cycle? You are on this superhighway? I cycle here every day. I am aware
:06:14. > :06:24.of this. Personally, I just followed the Highway code. Some cyclists
:06:25. > :06:32.think these operations are widespread victim blaming. This is
:06:33. > :06:36.what the Met had to say. If we can do something to prevent death or
:06:37. > :06:41.series injury, that is a start and the wider argument is about changing
:06:42. > :06:44.legislation, and also changes to infrastructure but that does not
:06:45. > :06:49.happen overnight. If you want to build something new, that will take
:06:50. > :06:52.months or years. The Met has put over 2000 officers into this
:06:53. > :06:59.campaign so we are here to play our part. That is big to Charlie Lloyd
:07:00. > :07:05.from the London cycle campaign. And you previously drove heavy goods
:07:06. > :07:11.vehicles? What do you make of this operation? It is very important that
:07:12. > :07:18.cyclists and motorcyclists are a way of `` aware of the risks. Because we
:07:19. > :07:28.have had too many tragic deaths. Is the target too much? Is a victim
:07:29. > :07:31.blaming? This is tending towards it being up to the cyclist to do
:07:32. > :07:37.everything but they do not understand how Lawrie 's move. They
:07:38. > :07:41.do their best but cyclists in collisions say that the Lawrie came
:07:42. > :07:46.from nowhere. There are responsibilities on everyone.
:07:47. > :07:51.Driving 30 tonnes of truck, you have to take extra care. Has a wider
:07:52. > :07:58.debate moved away from infrastructure? Onto behaviour? Both
:07:59. > :08:04.elements are very important. We were standing beside this superhighway.
:08:05. > :08:08.And this is a failure in design. This is a failed project. The
:08:09. > :08:14.emphasis is very much on the infrastructure and that needs to be
:08:15. > :08:18.sorted. Today we told the Mayor that 10,000 people have contacted him
:08:19. > :08:25.asking for this rich to be sorted. Briefly, what do you make of the
:08:26. > :08:30.Mayor and his reaction? He has obviously been concerned about this
:08:31. > :08:34.and one thing he said was that the interventions should be based on
:08:35. > :08:38.evidence and we agree. When you look at behaviour of cyclists and trucks
:08:39. > :08:42.and infrastructure, look at what is causing problems and sort that.
:08:43. > :08:46.Thank you. You can expect to see many more operations like this one
:08:47. > :08:56.over the coming weeks. John, thank you. Coming up later in the
:08:57. > :09:00.programme: I would not be sitting here if I do not learn and get
:09:01. > :09:03.things right. England and Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen looks to put
:09:04. > :09:14.past controversies behind him as the Ashes get underway later tonight.
:09:15. > :09:17.More than 500 cases of child abduction were reported last year
:09:18. > :09:20.across the UK. Today, in a landmark ruling, a court in Russia decided
:09:21. > :09:29.that a mother from North London should have her two children
:09:30. > :09:32.returned to her. Her ex`husband took them to Moscow on holiday last
:09:33. > :09:39.December but refused to bring them back. Guy Smith reports. This is the
:09:40. > :09:45.moment that Rachel find out that her boys were coming home. It is almost
:09:46. > :09:51.one year and a Moscow court has finally ruled in her favour. It was
:09:52. > :09:54.a positive verdict. They are going to take on intervention and I am
:09:55. > :10:00.going to get my children back and I am so happy. Before she left, I
:10:01. > :10:07.visited her at her home in North London. This is a bedroom that her
:10:08. > :10:12.sons shared. It has been empty for 11 months. There are painful
:10:13. > :10:18.memories. They slept here and here. Last December, Rachel, who has sole
:10:19. > :10:22.custody, allowed her ex`husband to take them on what was supposed to be
:10:23. > :10:26.a two`week holiday to Russia, but they never returned. This is Daniel
:10:27. > :10:32.and Jonathan in England before they left. I think that day my heart
:10:33. > :10:37.started racing and it has not stopped. Because every day I think,
:10:38. > :10:41.what can I do to help bring them back? Rachel was given custody of
:10:42. > :10:47.all three boys. The oldest, no inrush, went to a local primary
:10:48. > :10:52.school in north`west London. The UK High Court has repeatedly ordered
:10:53. > :10:58.her husband, who is a former lecturer, to return them. Each time
:10:59. > :11:03.he has refused. They were living in London, they had London accents.
:11:04. > :11:08.They studied in a London school. They loved it here. They liked their
:11:09. > :11:17.life. It is very confusing for them, they have been told so much that was
:11:18. > :11:22.totally wrong. But your mother no longer loves you, for example. How
:11:23. > :11:29.can you say that? And not damage the child. Earlier this year, Russia
:11:30. > :11:32.signed up to the Hague Convention, recognising the legal orders of
:11:33. > :11:36.other countries. Today's hearing in Moscow was the first time it was
:11:37. > :11:41.truly put to the test. Rachel's lawyers spent out the significance.
:11:42. > :11:44.It is important because we have so many families where parents from
:11:45. > :11:50.different nationalities come together and we have a lot of cases
:11:51. > :11:53.where the parents refused to allow the children to have contact in a
:11:54. > :11:57.different jurisdiction. This afternoon in Moscow, the ex`husband
:11:58. > :12:01.said he would talk to his lawyers about making a further appeal. We
:12:02. > :12:08.will finally reach an amicable solution based on compromise and not
:12:09. > :12:14.one possible actions that could be completely against the interests of
:12:15. > :12:18.the children. For Rachel, this is the best chance to reunite her
:12:19. > :12:24.family. She is due to have oldest boys handed back to her within one
:12:25. > :12:27.week. Joining me now is Lady Catherine Meyer, the founder of the
:12:28. > :12:34.charity Parents And Abducted Children Together. Good evening. We
:12:35. > :12:38.heard them say that she would be reunited within one week. Good news,
:12:39. > :12:43.legally. Does that mean automatically she will be?
:12:44. > :12:47.Unfortunately not. It is excellent news because it has set a precedent
:12:48. > :12:51.and this is the first time that Russia is trying a case like this
:12:52. > :12:56.because of the Hague Convention. But unfortunately, it is not automatic.
:12:57. > :13:00.This is only the first step and there has been an appeal and this
:13:01. > :13:05.can take many months. This is not automatic. You have got personal
:13:06. > :13:09.experience of being separated from your children. How widespread is
:13:10. > :13:13.this in London? Very widespread. We don't have exact figures but the one
:13:14. > :13:17.thing I can say is that the foreign office said that in the last ten
:13:18. > :13:22.years there was an Eddie 8% increase in the number of abductions. And
:13:23. > :13:25.this is for very obvious reasons, international marriages, more
:13:26. > :13:29.divorces and in London, because there are many more international
:13:30. > :13:34.marriages, that President is much higher than anywhere else. It is a
:13:35. > :13:38.very difficult issue because it is as important for a child to spend
:13:39. > :13:41.time with both parents but whenever one parent lives in a different
:13:42. > :13:46.country, how can we minimise the risk of these things happening? The
:13:47. > :13:51.law should be more Draconian, cases should be automatically tried very
:13:52. > :13:55.quickly because a longer any child is away, the more difficult it is.
:13:56. > :14:00.We turned should be more automatic than they are. The one thing that
:14:01. > :14:05.people forget and the onus is really on the child. And children suffer
:14:06. > :14:08.enormously in cases like this. Children need both parents. You talk
:14:09. > :14:14.about the significance of this because of Russia signing up to the
:14:15. > :14:16.convention. Are they still countries that you are concerned about the
:14:17. > :14:25.children being taken there because they have not signed up? There are
:14:26. > :14:28.many countries, unfortunately. There are only 53 countries that have
:14:29. > :14:33.signed up to this convention in 1980. Some more have signed up in 19
:14:34. > :14:41.86 but many more countries, like India, Pakistan, we hear about child
:14:42. > :14:48.abduction there, other countries such as in the southern region, Arab
:14:49. > :14:54.countries, there is no convention. Except for Morocco. In a lot of
:14:55. > :15:04.countries are basically dangerous. Murray the boy next door ` less
:15:05. > :15:09.problems. The RMT union is warning what it calls unprecedented cuts to
:15:10. > :15:13.the Tube could have an impact on passenger safety. It says a decision
:15:14. > :15:18.to be announced by Transport for London tomorrow will result in job
:15:19. > :15:25.losses. TfL says the underground carries passengers more safely than
:15:26. > :15:29.ever before. Maternity and paediatric unit at
:15:30. > :15:35.Chase Farm Hospital will be closed today as part of the reorganisation
:15:36. > :15:39.of the NHS in north London. The departments are being moved to
:15:40. > :15:44.Barnet and North Middlesex hospitals. The A unit is due to
:15:45. > :15:48.close next month. A rape victim from Essex has spoken
:15:49. > :15:54.out about her ordeal in the hope of catching the man who raped her. It
:15:55. > :15:58.was a year ago today she flagged down a car in Basildon for a lift
:15:59. > :16:04.home and was attacked. Police believe the man may be from Eastern
:16:05. > :16:07.Europe. Michelle, not her real name, says the biggest mistake of her life
:16:08. > :16:14.was hitching a lift home from a stranger. I begged him to stop all
:16:15. > :16:21.the way through. He sped into a residence car park and locked the
:16:22. > :16:27.doors. Her rape lasted 20 minutes. He destroyed my faith in anything. I
:16:28. > :16:32.cannot trust anyone. I cannot be in a room with more men than females.
:16:33. > :16:40.Like even in a restaurant or a cinema. The police have his DNA and
:16:41. > :16:45.a man's description. She remembers his large nose and hands. The car he
:16:46. > :16:53.was driving was eight five door Ford focus. We have got the DNA profile
:16:54. > :16:58.and we have circulated the photograph to Interpol countries,
:16:59. > :17:04.focusing on Eastern Europe. So far we have had no positive hit back.
:17:05. > :17:06.One year on Michelle is not just waiting for justice, but the
:17:07. > :17:12.reassuring to other girls in Basildon are safe. I will not be
:17:13. > :17:19.able to rest until justice has been served and he cannot hurt anyone
:17:20. > :17:24.else. Still to come: I will be at the Old Vic where they are counting
:17:25. > :17:30.down to the 24 most stressful hours London theatre season this year. And
:17:31. > :17:33.the weather is pretty lively. Overnight you might see some hail
:17:34. > :17:44.and sleep. The full details later on.
:17:45. > :17:47.As the international aid effort to help millions of people in the
:17:48. > :17:51.Philippines continues, one charity worker from East London who has
:17:52. > :17:57.recently returned from the country says he has been to disaster areas
:17:58. > :18:02.around the world, but this was the most challenging. 33`year`old Zaid
:18:03. > :18:08.Al`Rawni has been helping to deliver food and supplies, travelling from
:18:09. > :18:13.island to island. You get there and it is very normal and you suddenly
:18:14. > :18:19.know the typhoon has hit. Roofs are the wrong way up, homes are
:18:20. > :18:27.completely or partially flatten. There is a weird stench. You see a
:18:28. > :18:32.lot of people in grief because of family members, a lost livelihood or
:18:33. > :18:39.a lost home. It is a traumatic scene. Tell me about the challenges
:18:40. > :18:43.you face getting the aid effort. It was a huge typhoon. It did not have
:18:44. > :18:48.the best infrastructure in the world before the typhoon. It had been
:18:49. > :18:55.completely dissipated. There was built airport and there were no
:18:56. > :19:00.roads, so everything that you would use normally had been destroyed so
:19:01. > :19:10.we had to go Dunkirk style and find existing fishing boats and say, can
:19:11. > :19:16.you help us? But because wheat and sugar and flour in that quantity is
:19:17. > :19:21.quite heavy, you can only take so much at times, so it takes 15 hours
:19:22. > :19:28.to get aid from one island to the next in these banana boats. What
:19:29. > :19:34.makes you get up from your sofa in East London and go and do it? If I
:19:35. > :19:39.can, I should. I feel a sense of duty to people who need help. We are
:19:40. > :19:48.very privileged here, even in the hard times we are facing. How much
:19:49. > :19:53.of a difference did it make? I have not made a big difference, but
:19:54. > :19:59.collectively we have made a difference. That is where the real
:20:00. > :20:04.difference comes. I am incredibly happy where I am in my career right
:20:05. > :20:08.now, the words of cricketer Kevin Pietersen. The England and Surrey
:20:09. > :20:14.batsman will be making his 100th test appearance at the ashes in
:20:15. > :20:20.Australia late tonight. It will be a special moment for a man who has had
:20:21. > :20:26.a turbulent career. Kevin Pietersen, England's ten and most controversial
:20:27. > :20:32.centurion. These are the headlines that greeted him in Brisbane. The
:20:33. > :20:38.man who left South Africa aged 20 to start again in England says he has
:20:39. > :20:43.seen it all before. When you get to Nottingham and one of the first
:20:44. > :20:48.things you hear is, I have never met a nice South African and you hear it
:20:49. > :20:53.day in and day out, that was a lot of stick and I had to have the self
:20:54. > :20:59.drive and ambition and confidence to achieve what I wanted to achieve. It
:21:00. > :21:05.was here at the Oval that England finally ended their ashes jinx in
:21:06. > :21:10.2005. Kevin Pietersen scored his maiden century and has gone on to
:21:11. > :21:15.play a key role in England's dominance ever since as they seek a
:21:16. > :21:19.fifth Ashes triumph in six. Since he walked in he has been a breath of
:21:20. > :21:24.fresh air. He has helped old and young players. His attention to
:21:25. > :21:29.detail and how he goes and performance is a credit to him. He
:21:30. > :21:36.is one of the most professional cricketers I have come across. Not
:21:37. > :21:41.everyone would agree. He lasted six months as the captain, and last year
:21:42. > :21:47.lost his place in the team because of text messages. When I bump my
:21:48. > :21:53.head I have learned. I would not be sitting here if I had not learned
:21:54. > :21:58.and got things right. Where I am now in my career I am incredibly happy.
:21:59. > :22:03.England are confident they can still count on him.
:22:04. > :22:08.Model turned actor Douglas Booth is more used to appearing in Hollywood
:22:09. > :22:13.blockbusters, but this weekend he will take part in one of the
:22:14. > :22:19.toughest challenges for an actor, the Old Vic's 24 hour plays. The
:22:20. > :22:26.task is for actors to write, perform and rehearse plays in 24 hours flat.
:22:27. > :22:32.One stage, 20 actors, six writers and six directors and 24 hours to
:22:33. > :22:39.make six players. At 10pm the company meets. The Old Vic 24 hour
:22:40. > :22:45.celebrity gala is in its 10th year and it brings in top names in what
:22:46. > :22:49.past participants have said is one of the most terrifying thing is an
:22:50. > :22:59.actor can do. Staring into the abyss. It has given me the
:23:00. > :23:04.determination to end it all. At 11pm the writers start writing. Resources
:23:05. > :23:10.are limited. The actors can bring one prop and demonstrate one
:23:11. > :23:15.particular skill. Douglas Booth is a first timer to the project. His prop
:23:16. > :23:22.will be a hat in the shape of a birthday cake. What about his skill?
:23:23. > :23:27.I played the trumpet when I was younger. I do not know if I am going
:23:28. > :23:34.to volunteer that. I do not want to be standing here sweating, trying to
:23:35. > :23:40.play the trumpet. At 6am the writers deliver their scripts and 8am the
:23:41. > :23:49.company meet again. Each lasts ten minutes. We have an overnight team
:23:50. > :23:53.that can point out things like they are using that prop, they are
:23:54. > :24:00.writing a similar thing, but it is always suggestions as opposed to
:24:01. > :24:04.stop doing that. More than ?1 million has been raised so far,
:24:05. > :24:10.ploughed back into working with schools and new London talent. It is
:24:11. > :24:18.about finding people and nurturing them to give them the support. That
:24:19. > :24:22.is where the money goes to. At nine o'clock the rehearsals start and
:24:23. > :24:27.that goes right through the day with the curtain down at seven o'clock.
:24:28. > :24:32.You can still get tickets, but nobody knows what's in store. Wendy
:24:33. > :24:39.is here with a look at the weather which has been very mixed today.
:24:40. > :24:47.Yes, it has been everything. It continues to be quite lively as we
:24:48. > :24:52.go through the night as well. The latest showers have been trying to
:24:53. > :24:56.turn a bit wintry as well. There is a good chance we will see further
:24:57. > :25:05.showers and they could be wintry in places. Persistent rain this
:25:06. > :25:09.morning, it was a very soggy rush hour and that was chased through by
:25:10. > :25:14.some showers with some hail in the most lively. Then we had some lovely
:25:15. > :25:19.sunshine and then there were further showers and there is a bit of sleet
:25:20. > :25:25.caught up in some of these at the moment. The temperatures overnight
:25:26. > :25:33.are falling and there could be some hail and sleet, but it is not going
:25:34. > :25:37.to come to very much. There is a chance we could see some breaks in
:25:38. > :25:46.the cloud and once that happens it will turn pretty cold. That is the
:25:47. > :25:51.air temperature. At the ground level it will be colder than that, so we
:25:52. > :25:58.could have a touch of frost and ice on untreated rural roads as well. It
:25:59. > :26:02.will be lively with the showers on and off and they are still around
:26:03. > :26:10.tomorrow. A really cold day to start with. The showers will fizzle out as
:26:11. > :26:17.we go through the afternoon. The thing about tomorrow is that cold,
:26:18. > :26:22.north easterly wind. It will be feeling more like one or two degrees
:26:23. > :26:28.in the wind. There will be a bit of sunshine later on in the day. Friday
:26:29. > :26:34.is a much better day and it looks as if it will be largely dry with some
:26:35. > :26:39.sunshine as well. It will cloud over gradually over the weekend.
:26:40. > :26:45.Hello winter. A recap of the headlines: The Chancellor is to
:26:46. > :26:50.order an independent enquiry into how Bob Flowers was deemed a
:26:51. > :26:57.suitable chairman of the Co`op bank. He was filmed allegedly by illegal
:26:58. > :27:02.drugs. The enquiry may determine whether the bank's leadership crisis
:27:03. > :27:06.has affected customers. Two women and two children have been killed in
:27:07. > :27:12.a house fire in Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Northern Ireland's
:27:13. > :27:17.Attorney General has proposed an end to prosecutions for killings carried
:27:18. > :27:23.out during the Troubles. More than 3500 people were killed in a 30 year
:27:24. > :27:27.period before the Good Friday Agreement was signed. The Mayor has
:27:28. > :27:32.been accused of being slow to respond to the risks faced by London
:27:33. > :27:41.cyclists. Boris Johnson defended his record, accusing his opponents of
:27:42. > :27:43.scaremongering. More on the website. From all the team, have a lovely
:27:44. > :28:09.evening. I'm Nigel Slater, a cook.
:28:10. > :28:14.And I'm Adam Henson, a farmer.