20/11/2013 BBC London News


20/11/2013

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suitable chairman of the Co-op. That is all from the BBC News at six. On

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Tonight on BBC London News. The Mayor defends his record on cycle

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safety after critics label his policies as flawed and dangerous.

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The spate of fatalities we have seen over the last couple of weeks must

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be seen in the context of an overall decline in fatalities. We're out

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with police in East London as they begin a campaign to improve road

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safety. Also tonight: In a landmark case, a court in Moscow rules two

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boys abducted a year ago are to be returned to their mother in London

:00:39.:00:42.

Plus an eyewitness account of the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan from a

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London charity worker recently returned from the Philippines. I am

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going to get my children back. And I am so happy! And eyewitness account

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of the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan from a London charity worker

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recently returned from the Philippines. And counting down to

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the West End's most stressful day. The Old Vic prepares to raise the

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curtain on its 24`hour play. Good evening and welcome to the

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programme. The Mayor has been accused of pursuing flawed and

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dangerous policies and being slow to respond to the risks faced by

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cyclists using the capital's roads. The criticism comes after the recent

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number of cyclist deaths in London ` six in the last fortnight. At

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Mayor's Question Time today, Boris Johnson defended his record,

:01:39.:01:41.

accusing his opponents of scaremongering. In a moment, we'll

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speak to our transport correspondent, Tom Edwards, who is

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out with police in East London. But first, let's cross to City Hall and

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join our political editor, Tim Donovan. Six deaths in a fortnight

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and a fierce debate continues. Boris Johnson insisting the longer term

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pattering of fatalities shows things have gotten safer. Opponents claim

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he is ignoring the most damaging evidence. I would like you to

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apologise to the families of people who have been killed and to the

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people who have been seriously injured on the roads because of your

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flawed and quite dangerous policies. I think it is restructuring you sat

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in this Assembly for... Could you answer the question? When cycle

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fatalities were running at a higher rate and I do not believe you

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protested. What is the evidence? The Mayor argues that in the five years

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from 2003 there were 82 deaths. Which dropped to 68 in the first

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five years of his mayoralty. Officials have described annual

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variations in the number of deaths as statistically insignificant. Look

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at the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured. In the five years

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until 2007, just over 2000. In the five years with Boris Johnson as

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Mayor, more than 2500. A rise of 30%. The Mayor claims that more

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cyclists on the roads means inevitably more accidents. But the

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Green Party says the rate of accidents has gotten worse. In 2008,

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one death or injury occurred every 402,000 journeys and in 2011 it

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happened every 364,000 journeys. Statistics aside, the mayor was

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under fire over his response to earlier warnings. Two years ago we

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talked about reviewing dangerous junctions and we have seen a handful

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of changes. You need to make sure the offices start working at the

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pace that Londoners want them to. Rather than in their own world,

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which seems to take years. I must reject what you have said because

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they think they have worked extremely well. It is very easy to

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put in substandard or inadequate schemes and then be forced, because

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they have been badly researched and thought through, to take them out

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again. He was pressed by even the Conservative group leader on the

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Assembly to hold a review of the most controversial road, the

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so`called superhighway to in East London. It would restore public

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confidence. But the Mayor said it and the other highways are already

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being reviewed on an ongoing basis. Tim Donovan with that report.

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Tonight, transport police are out in force in East London as they begin a

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campaign to make the roads safer for cyclists and motorcyclists. Our

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transport correspondent, Tom Edwards, is there for us now to

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gauge reaction. Tom? This operation is not far away from the

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superhighway, where a number of cyclists have died. And this gives

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you some indication of the blind spot. In this area, if the driver

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has not got up`to`date mirrors, he cannot see you. If you moments ago

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the police were on the road and they were talking to cyclists and giving

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them advice about lights and high visibility and helmets as part of

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this drive to make the roads safer and make improved behaviour. This is

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what cyclists had to say. At least they are doing something. With the

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number of deaths going on. It is good they are doing something. You

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have been cycling because of those deaths, have you changed behaviour?

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A little bit. A little bit. But I try to be safe and do not take any

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chances. I am also a car driver so I welcome that from both angles. What

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do you make of what has been going on? Has changed the way that you

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cycle? You are on this superhighway? I cycle here every day. I am aware

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of this. Personally, I just followed the Highway code. Some cyclists

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think these operations are widespread victim blaming. This is

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what the Met had to say. If we can do something to prevent death or

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series injury, that is a start and the wider argument is about changing

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legislation, and also changes to infrastructure but that does not

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happen overnight. If you want to build something new, that will take

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months or years. The Met has put over 2000 officers into this

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campaign so we are here to play our part. That is big to Charlie Lloyd

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from the London cycle campaign. And you previously drove heavy goods

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vehicles? What do you make of this operation? It is very important that

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cyclists and motorcyclists are a way of `` aware of the risks. Because we

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have had too many tragic deaths. Is the target too much? Is a victim

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blaming? This is tending towards it being up to the cyclist to do

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everything but they do not understand how Lawrie 's move. They

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do their best but cyclists in collisions say that the Lawrie came

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from nowhere. There are responsibilities on everyone.

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Driving 30 tonnes of truck, you have to take extra care. Has a wider

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debate moved away from infrastructure? Onto behaviour? Both

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elements are very important. We were standing beside this superhighway.

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And this is a failure in design. This is a failed project. The

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emphasis is very much on the infrastructure and that needs to be

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sorted. Today we told the Mayor that 10,000 people have contacted him

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asking for this rich to be sorted. Briefly, what do you make of the

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Mayor and his reaction? He has obviously been concerned about this

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and one thing he said was that the interventions should be based on

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evidence and we agree. When you look at behaviour of cyclists and trucks

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and infrastructure, look at what is causing problems and sort that.

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Thank you. You can expect to see many more operations like this one

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over the coming weeks. John, thank you. Coming up later in the

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programme: I would not be sitting here if I do not learn and get

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things right. England and Surrey batsman Kevin Pietersen looks to put

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past controversies behind him as the Ashes get underway later tonight.

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More than 500 cases of child abduction were reported last year

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across the UK. Today, in a landmark ruling, a court in Russia decided

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that a mother from North London should have her two children

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returned to her. Her ex`husband took them to Moscow on holiday last

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December but refused to bring them back. Guy Smith reports. This is the

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moment that Rachel find out that her boys were coming home. It is almost

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one year and a Moscow court has finally ruled in her favour. It was

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a positive verdict. They are going to take on intervention and I am

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going to get my children back and I am so happy. Before she left, I

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visited her at her home in North London. This is a bedroom that her

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sons shared. It has been empty for 11 months. There are painful

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memories. They slept here and here. Last December, Rachel, who has sole

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custody, allowed her ex`husband to take them on what was supposed to be

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a two`week holiday to Russia, but they never returned. This is Daniel

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and Jonathan in England before they left. I think that day my heart

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started racing and it has not stopped. Because every day I think,

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what can I do to help bring them back? Rachel was given custody of

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all three boys. The oldest, no inrush, went to a local primary

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school in north`west London. The UK High Court has repeatedly ordered

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her husband, who is a former lecturer, to return them. Each time

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he has refused. They were living in London, they had London accents.

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They studied in a London school. They loved it here. They liked their

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life. It is very confusing for them, they have been told so much that was

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totally wrong. But your mother no longer loves you, for example. How

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can you say that? And not damage the child. Earlier this year, Russia

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signed up to the Hague Convention, recognising the legal orders of

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other countries. Today's hearing in Moscow was the first time it was

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truly put to the test. Rachel's lawyers spent out the significance.

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It is important because we have so many families where parents from

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different nationalities come together and we have a lot of cases

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where the parents refused to allow the children to have contact in a

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different jurisdiction. This afternoon in Moscow, the ex`husband

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said he would talk to his lawyers about making a further appeal. We

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will finally reach an amicable solution based on compromise and not

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one possible actions that could be completely against the interests of

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the children. For Rachel, this is the best chance to reunite her

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family. She is due to have oldest boys handed back to her within one

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week. Joining me now is Lady Catherine Meyer, the founder of the

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charity Parents And Abducted Children Together. Good evening. We

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heard them say that she would be reunited within one week. Good news,

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legally. Does that mean automatically she will be?

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Unfortunately not. It is excellent news because it has set a precedent

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and this is the first time that Russia is trying a case like this

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because of the Hague Convention. But unfortunately, it is not automatic.

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This is only the first step and there has been an appeal and this

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can take many months. This is not automatic. You have got personal

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experience of being separated from your children. How widespread is

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this in London? Very widespread. We don't have exact figures but the one

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thing I can say is that the foreign office said that in the last ten

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years there was an Eddie 8% increase in the number of abductions. And

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this is for very obvious reasons, international marriages, more

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divorces and in London, because there are many more international

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marriages, that President is much higher than anywhere else. It is a

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very difficult issue because it is as important for a child to spend

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time with both parents but whenever one parent lives in a different

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country, how can we minimise the risk of these things happening? The

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law should be more Draconian, cases should be automatically tried very

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quickly because a longer any child is away, the more difficult it is.

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We turned should be more automatic than they are. The one thing that

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people forget and the onus is really on the child. And children suffer

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enormously in cases like this. Children need both parents. You talk

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about the significance of this because of Russia signing up to the

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convention. Are they still countries that you are concerned about the

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children being taken there because they have not signed up? There are

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many countries, unfortunately. There are only 53 countries that have

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signed up to this convention in 1980. Some more have signed up in 19

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86 but many more countries, like India, Pakistan, we hear about child

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abduction there, other countries such as in the southern region, Arab

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countries, there is no convention. Except for Morocco. In a lot of

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countries are basically dangerous. Murray the boy next door ` less

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problems. The RMT union is warning what it calls unprecedented cuts to

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the Tube could have an impact on passenger safety. It says a decision

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to be announced by Transport for London tomorrow will result in job

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losses. TfL says the underground carries passengers more safely than

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ever before. Maternity and paediatric unit at

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Chase Farm Hospital will be closed today as part of the reorganisation

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of the NHS in north London. The departments are being moved to

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Barnet and North Middlesex hospitals. The A unit is due to

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close next month. A rape victim from Essex has spoken

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out about her ordeal in the hope of catching the man who raped her. It

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was a year ago today she flagged down a car in Basildon for a lift

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home and was attacked. Police believe the man may be from Eastern

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Europe. Michelle, not her real name, says the biggest mistake of her life

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was hitching a lift home from a stranger. I begged him to stop all

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the way through. He sped into a residence car park and locked the

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doors. Her rape lasted 20 minutes. He destroyed my faith in anything. I

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cannot trust anyone. I cannot be in a room with more men than females.

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Like even in a restaurant or a cinema. The police have his DNA and

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a man's description. She remembers his large nose and hands. The car he

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was driving was eight five door Ford focus. We have got the DNA profile

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and we have circulated the photograph to Interpol countries,

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focusing on Eastern Europe. So far we have had no positive hit back.

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One year on Michelle is not just waiting for justice, but the

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reassuring to other girls in Basildon are safe. I will not be

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able to rest until justice has been served and he cannot hurt anyone

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else. Still to come: I will be at the Old Vic where they are counting

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down to the 24 most stressful hours London theatre season this year. And

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the weather is pretty lively. Overnight you might see some hail

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and sleep. The full details later on.

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As the international aid effort to help millions of people in the

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Philippines continues, one charity worker from East London who has

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recently returned from the country says he has been to disaster areas

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around the world, but this was the most challenging. 33`year`old Zaid

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Al`Rawni has been helping to deliver food and supplies, travelling from

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island to island. You get there and it is very normal and you suddenly

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know the typhoon has hit. Roofs are the wrong way up, homes are

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completely or partially flatten. There is a weird stench. You see a

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lot of people in grief because of family members, a lost livelihood or

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a lost home. It is a traumatic scene. Tell me about the challenges

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you face getting the aid effort. It was a huge typhoon. It did not have

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the best infrastructure in the world before the typhoon. It had been

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completely dissipated. There was built airport and there were no

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roads, so everything that you would use normally had been destroyed so

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we had to go Dunkirk style and find existing fishing boats and say, can

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you help us? But because wheat and sugar and flour in that quantity is

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quite heavy, you can only take so much at times, so it takes 15 hours

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to get aid from one island to the next in these banana boats. What

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makes you get up from your sofa in East London and go and do it? If I

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can, I should. I feel a sense of duty to people who need help. We are

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very privileged here, even in the hard times we are facing. How much

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of a difference did it make? I have not made a big difference, but

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collectively we have made a difference. That is where the real

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difference comes. I am incredibly happy where I am in my career right

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now, the words of cricketer Kevin Pietersen. The England and Surrey

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batsman will be making his 100th test appearance at the ashes in

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Australia late tonight. It will be a special moment for a man who has had

:20:15.:20:20.

a turbulent career. Kevin Pietersen, England's ten and most controversial

:20:21.:20:26.

centurion. These are the headlines that greeted him in Brisbane. The

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man who left South Africa aged 20 to start again in England says he has

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seen it all before. When you get to Nottingham and one of the first

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things you hear is, I have never met a nice South African and you hear it

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day in and day out, that was a lot of stick and I had to have the self

:20:49.:20:53.

drive and ambition and confidence to achieve what I wanted to achieve. It

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was here at the Oval that England finally ended their ashes jinx in

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2005. Kevin Pietersen scored his maiden century and has gone on to

:21:06.:21:10.

play a key role in England's dominance ever since as they seek a

:21:11.:21:15.

fifth Ashes triumph in six. Since he walked in he has been a breath of

:21:16.:21:19.

fresh air. He has helped old and young players. His attention to

:21:20.:21:24.

detail and how he goes and performance is a credit to him. He

:21:25.:21:29.

is one of the most professional cricketers I have come across. Not

:21:30.:21:36.

everyone would agree. He lasted six months as the captain, and last year

:21:37.:21:41.

lost his place in the team because of text messages. When I bump my

:21:42.:21:47.

head I have learned. I would not be sitting here if I had not learned

:21:48.:21:53.

and got things right. Where I am now in my career I am incredibly happy.

:21:54.:21:58.

England are confident they can still count on him.

:21:59.:22:03.

Model turned actor Douglas Booth is more used to appearing in Hollywood

:22:04.:22:08.

blockbusters, but this weekend he will take part in one of the

:22:09.:22:13.

toughest challenges for an actor, the Old Vic's 24 hour plays. The

:22:14.:22:19.

task is for actors to write, perform and rehearse plays in 24 hours flat.

:22:20.:22:26.

One stage, 20 actors, six writers and six directors and 24 hours to

:22:27.:22:32.

make six players. At 10pm the company meets. The Old Vic 24 hour

:22:33.:22:39.

celebrity gala is in its 10th year and it brings in top names in what

:22:40.:22:45.

past participants have said is one of the most terrifying thing is an

:22:46.:22:49.

actor can do. Staring into the abyss. It has given me the

:22:50.:22:59.

determination to end it all. At 11pm the writers start writing. Resources

:23:00.:23:04.

are limited. The actors can bring one prop and demonstrate one

:23:05.:23:10.

particular skill. Douglas Booth is a first timer to the project. His prop

:23:11.:23:15.

will be a hat in the shape of a birthday cake. What about his skill?

:23:16.:23:22.

I played the trumpet when I was younger. I do not know if I am going

:23:23.:23:27.

to volunteer that. I do not want to be standing here sweating, trying to

:23:28.:23:34.

play the trumpet. At 6am the writers deliver their scripts and 8am the

:23:35.:23:40.

company meet again. Each lasts ten minutes. We have an overnight team

:23:41.:23:49.

that can point out things like they are using that prop, they are

:23:50.:23:53.

writing a similar thing, but it is always suggestions as opposed to

:23:54.:24:00.

stop doing that. More than ?1 million has been raised so far,

:24:01.:24:04.

ploughed back into working with schools and new London talent. It is

:24:05.:24:10.

about finding people and nurturing them to give them the support. That

:24:11.:24:18.

is where the money goes to. At nine o'clock the rehearsals start and

:24:19.:24:22.

that goes right through the day with the curtain down at seven o'clock.

:24:23.:24:27.

You can still get tickets, but nobody knows what's in store. Wendy

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is here with a look at the weather which has been very mixed today.

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Yes, it has been everything. It continues to be quite lively as we

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go through the night as well. The latest showers have been trying to

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turn a bit wintry as well. There is a good chance we will see further

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showers and they could be wintry in places. Persistent rain this

:24:57.:25:05.

morning, it was a very soggy rush hour and that was chased through by

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some showers with some hail in the most lively. Then we had some lovely

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sunshine and then there were further showers and there is a bit of sleet

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caught up in some of these at the moment. The temperatures overnight

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are falling and there could be some hail and sleet, but it is not going

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to come to very much. There is a chance we could see some breaks in

:25:34.:25:37.

the cloud and once that happens it will turn pretty cold. That is the

:25:38.:25:46.

air temperature. At the ground level it will be colder than that, so we

:25:47.:25:51.

could have a touch of frost and ice on untreated rural roads as well. It

:25:52.:25:58.

will be lively with the showers on and off and they are still around

:25:59.:26:02.

tomorrow. A really cold day to start with. The showers will fizzle out as

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we go through the afternoon. The thing about tomorrow is that cold,

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north easterly wind. It will be feeling more like one or two degrees

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in the wind. There will be a bit of sunshine later on in the day. Friday

:26:23.:26:28.

is a much better day and it looks as if it will be largely dry with some

:26:29.:26:34.

sunshine as well. It will cloud over gradually over the weekend.

:26:35.:26:39.

Hello winter. A recap of the headlines: The Chancellor is to

:26:40.:26:45.

order an independent enquiry into how Bob Flowers was deemed a

:26:46.:26:50.

suitable chairman of the Co`op bank. He was filmed allegedly by illegal

:26:51.:26:57.

drugs. The enquiry may determine whether the bank's leadership crisis

:26:58.:27:02.

has affected customers. Two women and two children have been killed in

:27:03.:27:06.

a house fire in Chesterfield in Derbyshire. Northern Ireland's

:27:07.:27:12.

Attorney General has proposed an end to prosecutions for killings carried

:27:13.:27:17.

out during the Troubles. More than 3500 people were killed in a 30 year

:27:18.:27:23.

period before the Good Friday Agreement was signed. The Mayor has

:27:24.:27:27.

been accused of being slow to respond to the risks faced by London

:27:28.:27:32.

cyclists. Boris Johnson defended his record, accusing his opponents of

:27:33.:27:41.

scaremongering. More on the website. From all the team, have a lovely

:27:42.:27:43.

evening. I'm Nigel Slater, a cook.

:27:44.:28:09.

And I'm Adam Henson, a farmer.

:28:10.:28:14.

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