05/08/2014

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:00:00. > :00:00.Don't forget a first look at the papers over on the BBC News Channel.

:00:00. > :00:11.Now on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.

:00:12. > :00:16.Good evening from BBC London News, I'm Riz Lateef.

:00:17. > :00:19.The Foreign Office has changed its advice to British citizens

:00:20. > :00:21.planning on living in the United Arab Emirates.

:00:22. > :00:23.It's warning that they could be subject to Sharia Law in divorce

:00:24. > :00:26.and child custody cases, even if they're not Muslim.

:00:27. > :00:29.It comes after a mother from East London lost custody

:00:30. > :00:33.of her four`year`old son in Dubai to her French ex`husband after being

:00:34. > :00:40.Afsana with pictures of her four`year`old son

:00:41. > :00:47.The impact I'm facing, it's hard to absorb.

:00:48. > :00:51.But I don't even know if my son is dead or alive,

:00:52. > :00:56.I have no communication. Under UAE law he has custody until he's 18.

:00:57. > :00:59.In February she was found guilty of kidnapping her son

:01:00. > :01:03.from her ex`husband after failing to turn up to an access meeting.

:01:04. > :01:07.She claims it was because he was violent ` something he strongly

:01:08. > :01:11.denies. She was given a suspended sentence and eventually had to leave

:01:12. > :01:19.In any modern country, or judicial system, you should be basing

:01:20. > :01:25.decisions made on the welfare of the child, so anywhere else, me having

:01:26. > :01:31.gained friends, or me socialising, or because I'm Westernised,

:01:32. > :01:38.The fact I didn't obey my husband, it shouldn't be a reason to take

:01:39. > :01:43.The Foreign Office says they are aware of a small number of instances

:01:44. > :01:46.where Sharia Law has been applied to the cases of British women and

:01:47. > :01:50.they have now changed their advice for expatriates on the "Living in"

:01:51. > :01:53.section of the website concerning the UAE.

:01:54. > :01:57.It now clearly states that non`Muslim British citizens could

:01:58. > :02:00.face Sharia Law in divorce or custody cases.

:02:01. > :02:04.Campaign group Human Rights Watch is helping Afsana and other British

:02:05. > :02:07.women like her who have lost custody of their children after reporting

:02:08. > :02:11.domestic violence to the police in the United Arab Emirates.

:02:12. > :02:15.It is calling for the UAE to reform its laws to protect foreign women

:02:16. > :02:20.There are two key issues at play here.

:02:21. > :02:23.First, it is the duty of the United Arab Emirates to investigate

:02:24. > :02:26.and prosecute instances of domestic violence and, secondly, they have a

:02:27. > :02:30.duty to provide women in custody hearings with a fair trial and

:02:31. > :02:33.ensure that children, the decisions in those custody hearings are in the

:02:34. > :02:36.best interests of the child. If you don't do the first part of that

:02:37. > :02:40.equation, it is impossible for you to do the second.

:02:41. > :02:42.Human Rights Watch are dealing with three specific cases of domestic

:02:43. > :02:46.violence reported to the police in the United Arab Emirates

:02:47. > :02:50.The group say given the law in the country,

:02:51. > :02:55.We have put that to the embassy here in London,

:02:56. > :03:03.Had the British Government informed women like myself going out there

:03:04. > :03:08.that these are the laws, and it is Sharia Law in these sorts

:03:09. > :03:23.For Afsana, the campaign to be reunited with her son continues.

:03:24. > :03:26.A former Conservative Party candidate for Tower Hamlets Council

:03:27. > :03:28.has been charged with election fraud.

:03:29. > :03:32.38`year`old Jewel Islam is accused of providing a false statement

:03:33. > :03:37.He'll appear before Thames Magistrates later this month.

:03:38. > :03:41.Tributes have been paid to a cyclist killed in an accident

:03:42. > :03:45.Friends say he was a "hugely dedicated colleague" who'll

:03:46. > :03:48.28`year`old Chris Tandy, who lived in Hackney, was

:03:49. > :03:57.So, as we've been hearing, concerns over the Ebola virus has

:03:58. > :04:00.led to British Airways suspending flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

:04:01. > :04:04.With more suspected cases in Africa, our reporter Nick Beake has been

:04:05. > :04:07.speaking to a London doctor who's been treating people with the deadly

:04:08. > :04:13.virus in Sierra Leone ` aware that he's putting himself at risk.

:04:14. > :04:16.Sierra Leone may be more than 3,000 miles away,

:04:17. > :04:21.but Londoners are on the frontline there tackling a deadly virus.

:04:22. > :04:24.28`year`old Dr Oliver Johnson and his colleagues were already

:04:25. > :04:28.trying to improve healthcare in the capital Freetown

:04:29. > :04:34.Earlier, during a break from treating patients, he spoke to us

:04:35. > :04:37.about how devastating the virus can be.

:04:38. > :04:40.A lot of them look young and healthy when they come in, so it

:04:41. > :04:43.was a surprise to us when we see the young, healthy guys who, a week

:04:44. > :04:46.ago, looked like they might have been playing a football, coming in

:04:47. > :04:50.and declining quite quickly from the disease.

:04:51. > :04:52.A disease which causes internal bleeding and has killed more than

:04:53. > :04:57.800 people in West Africa in this latest outbreak.

:04:58. > :05:00.It is less contagious than flu, but more than half

:05:01. > :05:04.of the patients infected with Ebola have died and it can be easily

:05:05. > :05:10.As a doctor and as a human you want to hold the hand of your patient,

:05:11. > :05:13.you want to sit with them, you want to be there with them and when you

:05:14. > :05:17.are wearing the full bodysuit with goggles and masks and helmets, it

:05:18. > :05:21.is such a barrier to really having that human connection that we would

:05:22. > :05:26.be used to with health workers. That makes it harder in a way.

:05:27. > :05:29.It separates us and I think almost a sense of guilt that we can't do

:05:30. > :05:34.How concerned are you that you will contract Ebola?

:05:35. > :05:36.We know we are making an informed choice by being here.

:05:37. > :05:40.We might get sick. It is hard for us. It's probably harder for our

:05:41. > :05:42.families back home. All of us have been giving getting phone calls and

:05:43. > :05:46.texts and emails from relatives and family members who are worried

:05:47. > :05:50.and concerned and it is hard for them, too.

:05:51. > :05:53.Obviously, you are in the eye of the storm where you are,

:05:54. > :05:56.but for Londoners, how worried should we be that we might

:05:57. > :06:02.It is very unlikely to be a risk to the UK more broadly.

:06:03. > :06:05.There's just a slim chance that someone comes back who has travelled

:06:06. > :06:08.around West Africa who gets sick, but I'm sure they will be isolated

:06:09. > :06:13.in London and I don't think it is a cause for concern that way.

:06:14. > :06:18.Public Health England says the risk to us here remains very low.

:06:19. > :06:22.But for the London medics fighting a disease with no known cure, this

:06:23. > :06:29.That's it from me, so I'll wish you a very good night.

:06:30. > :06:36.And hand you over to Wendy Hurrell for the weather.

:06:37. > :06:41.Something a bit different for us tomorrow. We will get a wet rush

:06:42. > :06:45.hour. It will gather pace as we go through tonight. We have the clear

:06:46. > :06:48.sky at the moment. Then, we will see it being replaced by some cloud. The

:06:49. > :06:51.breeze will pick up as well. That will keep it stirred up nicely so it

:06:52. > :06:56.will be quite a warm and muggy night. 14 or 15 Celsius at the

:06:57. > :07:00.lowest. 16 or 17 degrees in many places. The rain is with us by the

:07:01. > :07:03.early hours of the morning. There will be some heavy bursts through

:07:04. > :07:08.rush hour so watch out for some spray, some puddles and some

:07:09. > :07:12.clashing umbrellas on the way to the Tube. Then it will move away to the

:07:13. > :07:15.east leaving us with dry and sunny conditions. There will be a few

:07:16. > :07:21.showers dotted around so you might still need your brolly for the

:07:22. > :07:25.evening rush hour. On the outlook, we have a fine day on Thursday as

:07:26. > :07:29.well. There could be some showery outbreaks of rain on Friday. That

:07:30. > :07:39.unsettled tone continues into the weekend.

:07:40. > :07:44.There's been a fair bit of talk about what weather is heading our

:07:45. > :07:48.way for the weekend. We will touch on that at the end of the forecast.

:07:49. > :07:53.In terms of the weather here and now, it is a lot of rain on the way.

:07:54. > :07:55.So plenty of rain already affecting south-western parts of