16/06/2014 BBC London News

That's all from us. There is a first look at the papers on the news

look at the papers on the ndws channel. Now it's time for the news

where you are. A very good evening from BBC London

News. A Green Party peer and form`l

mayoral candidate is demandhng answers from Scotland Yard `fter she

discovered she was tracked on a database for extremists. Jenny Jones

has criticised the force. She is pursuing legal action. Here is our

home affairs correspondent, guy Smith. She is a prominent mdmber of

the Green Party, a former ddputy Mayor of London and now a B`roness

in the House of Lords. Jennx Jones is not shy of coming forward and

expressing her political vidws. Seen here demonstrating at St Patl's

Cathedral. She's been a member of the police watchdog, scrutinising

the Met. Closing down... I feel proud of being there... Now we know

for more than a decade Scotland Yard recorded her activities on ` secret

database set up to track dolestic extremists. Anyone can applx to see

their police file if they think they have got one. You pay ?10 and fill

out a long form. When I got mine I was shocked to find it was three

pages of essentially gossip. She does not have a criminal record but

the Met kept a record of her political movements. There hs a

record of a post on social ledia about a pro cycling protest. Are you

a political extremist? Well, I suppose as a Green Party politician

I probably am. This morning, we asked the Met if there were any

other bol tigss on the list `` politicians on the list and if so,

who? No answer. What about the media. As a BBC journalist, am I on

this database? No answer. Wd asked if it was appropriate to have

details of an elected polithcian on this database. They said thdy were

unable to discuss individual cases. Last year there were 9,000

individuals on the anti`extremist database. Following a review that is

down to just under a quarter, after it was thought some intelligence

records were unjustified. Wd don't know if Baroness Jones's details

have been deleted. Well, to reassure the public, the

Metropolitan Police say thex do have a new policy on what intellhgence

they keep on the database. They only keep records that are necessary

proportionate and justified. A 15`year`old boy has died in hospital

after he was taken ill at an illegal rave in East Croydon in the early

hours of Sunday morning. He was at the event at a disused sorthng

office. There's been mixed reaction from

business leaders in London over a decision which will continud to make

it easier for Chinese visitors to come to the UK. A new strealline

visa service, launched last year, will now be extended T annotncement

was made to coincide with the start of a four`day visit by Chin`'s Prime

Minister. Pomp, pageantry and tourists.

European, American and Indi`n visitors, but only a handful of

Chinese, most from Hong Kong. Like this woman and her family. @s the

city used to be British, thdy have UK passports and do not havd need a

visa. The shops in Paris. They are very famous, more than London. In

fact I have been to France lore than 20 times. This is my first time for

the UK. For France I get a visa in two days. For the UK I get ` visa

normally in 15 days. 90% of tour groups to Europe miss out all

together. 71% will put the TK on their it tinker inries if the it is

imsimplified. `` if it is simplified. The Government has

promoted tourism in China. @ pilot scheme which combines applications

for European and British visas in one is to be rolled out. Instead of

two separate forms, two different visits to two offices, we c`n order

that in a one shop now. It hs fantastic news. Retailers are

pleased too. Chinese visitors spend three times more than the average

tourist. That is why they w`nt to change that perception that London

has the history, Paris the shops. The Chinese have an old fashioned

view of the UK, thinking it of as the city of fog and Paris as the

city of light. That came out in some research we did. Rather than doing

more to favour Chinese monex, others warn this is a blatant double

standard and it is not without risks. The risk of illegal

immigration. Ultimately the moment somebody crosses the bored tler is

the risk of overstaying. Thd e`` the border, there is the risk of

overstaying. For those who make their money from

tourism, those concerns are exaggerated N what was a culbersome

visa process is now in step with the rest of Europe. Today, they are

celebrating. We can join Chris, who is in central London. Some business

leaders don't think it goes far enough. The extension to thd relaxed

visa scheme for Chinese vishtors is not just about tourism and our

attractions boosting the economy, it is about smoothing over polhtical

differences, to increase tr`de. Both countries need that. That is why the

Prime Minister and Boris Johnson have been to China recently and one

of the reasons why the Chindse Prime Minister is here in London. Human

right groups have told me ignoring the human rights record is too high

a price to pay. A consortiul of business leaders, including Harrods

and the owners of British ahrways, say without further relaxathon of

regulations, the British economy stands to lose another ?1 bhllion

every year. That is the amotnt of money we are missing out on.

Many thanks. Time now for md to wish you a very good night and h`nd you

over to Wendy for a look at this week's weather.

This week, we'll have high pressure. It will be mostly dry.

We did see a lot of cloud. Ht is conceivable we could get a spot of

rain from that cloud. Temperatures should stay up at 11`12 Celsius

under that cloud. If you ard up early tomorrow it will still be with

us. Towards the end of the rush hour we will have some sunny spells

breaking through. Some the afternoon, I think the skies will be

more blue than grey and temperatures will respond nicely. We will get up

to 23 Celsius in central London The cloud will make a return through

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with one or two showers around and with

more across the UK, here more across the UK, here is John

Hammond. A lot of dry weather this week. Some

important variations from day-to-day and place to place. The cloud will

come and go and the warmth