05/08/2014 BBC London News

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Now ` the Foreign Office issues new guidance to British citizens

Would the threat of a ?20 fine get you to switch

We talk to one borough that thinks it will.

Plus, as BA cancels flights to Sierra Leone over concerns about

the Ebola outbreak ` we speak to a London doctor who's there treating

It is a surprise, we see the young healthy guys, one week ago they were

playing football, and they come in and they are declining quite quickly

from the disease. And marking the centenary `

why artists from London were considered perfect candidates for

a regiment in the First World War. Welcome to BBC London News with me,

Riz Lateef. The Foreign Office has changed it's

advice to British citizens planning on living in the

United Arab Emirates. It now warns

you could be subject to sharia law in divorce or child custody cases

even if you're not Muslim. It comes after a woman from

East London lost custody of her 4 year`old son in Dubai to her French

ex`husband after being branded Afsana Lachaux says she can't

see her son until he's 18. Sheetal Parmar has this

exclusive report. Afsana Lachaux at her home, in east

London, with pictures of her son. It is hard to absorb. I do not know if

my son is dead or alive, I have no communication. Under UAE law he is

custody until he is 18. In Fairbridge she was found guilty of

kidnapping her son, after failing to turn up to an access meeting, she

claims it is because he was violent `` in February. She was given a

suspended sentence and had to leave Dubai without her son. In any modern

country or judicial system you should be basing decisions made on

the welfare of the child. Anywhere else, me having gay friends, me

socialising, because I am westernised, should not be held

against me, the fact I did not abate my husband should not be a reason to

take my child away from me. The Foreign Office says they are aware

of a small number of instances where Sharia law has been applied to

British women and they have changed their ad vice on the living section

of the website concerning the UAE. It now clearly states non`Muslim

Brotherhood Touche citizens could face Cherie law in certain cases ``

British citizens could phase Sharia law.

They are now calling for the UAA to reform their laws to protect foreign

women in such cases. `` UAE. Thereat to key issues at play, it is down to

the UAE, to domesticated `` prosecute cases of domestic violence

`` there are two key issues at play. You need to make sure this happens

in the best interests of the child. Human Rights Watch dealing with

three cases of domestic violence reported to the police in the UAE by

British women. The group says given the law in the country, the number

could be far higher. We have put that to the embassy in London, but

they have not yet responded. Had the British government informed women

like myself going out there that these are the laws, it is sharia

law, in these sorts of cases, I would never have done... For her,

the campaign to be reunited with her son continues.

Coming up later in the programme. The waste mountain that's finally

on the move. Relief for residents in Bromley

after the environment agency steps in to help shift the problem.

A London council insists it's not 'anti`motorist' `

after threatening to hand out ?20 fines to drivers who refuse to

switch off their diesel engines whilst they're parked waiting.

Islington says it's aimed at reducing air pollution

which claims hundreds of lives a year in the borough.

Critics have dismissed it as a PR exercise.

Here's our transport correspondent Tom Edwards.

I will ask you to switch off the engine because it is an offence

while stationary, I can give you information. It does not take long

for these officers to find people idling with their engines turned on.

If you are told about it and it has to be done, you do it but if you do

not know, then... You learn something new every day. Islington

says idling engines add to pollution and poor air quality is causing

hundreds of premature deaths every year in the borough. Islington

Council is just the latest to use what is known as the stationary

idling legislation from 2002. While it can give out on the spot fines

they have to warn the driver first and give them the opportunity to

turn off the engine. Actually the legislation around littering is much

tougher. Other authorities like the City of London and Wandsworth have

tried similar campaigns before. Hardly any fines have been given out

though. The only record we could find was four being issued by Camden

since 2011. This is the first, you are given the option to correct your

ways, if only it was true, with other minor offences. On the wider

point we are hearing about drivers, motorists. What about truck

drivers, bus drivers, taxi drivers. All of those vehicles are covered by

the legislation, and Islington Council believes educating drivers

will make a difference. The accusation is that it is a PR

campaign and a gimmick, is this a gimmick? It is not a gimmick because

this is a serious move. In a sense we are the first to launch the

campaign in this way, we are going public and saying we have got this

power and we are prepared to use it. Naturally we do not want to but at

the end of the day we think we can go out and speak to drivers who are

idling at the roadside, they are stationary and they are going

nowhere but the engines are running. It is polluting the air, particular

diesel vehicles. This is an offence to allow your vehicle to carry on.

Air quality campaigners have welcomed this initiative but they

say London needs far more radical moves to solve the capital 's poor

air quality. A former Conservative Party

candidate for Tower Hamlets Council has been charged with election

fraud. 38 year old Jewel Islam is accused

of providing a false statement He's been bailed to appear before

Thames Magistrates later this month. Tributes have been paid to

a cyclist killed in an accident on London Bridge. Friends

and colleagues say he was a "hugely dedicated colleague"

who'll be dearly missed. 28 year old Chris Tandy,

who lived in Hackney, was British Airways has said it's

suspending flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone until the end

of August over concerns With more suspected cases in Africa

` BBC London has been speaking to a London doctor who's been treating

people with the deadly virus Dr Oliver Johnson and his team

from King's College London are aware they're putting themselves

at risk to help those affected. Sierra Leone may be more than 3000

miles away, but Londoners are on the front line their tackling a deadly

virus. 28`year`old Doctor Oliver Johnson and his colleagues were

already trying to improve health care in the capital Freetown. When

the IBO the crisis took hold. Earlier during a break from treating

patients he spoke to us about how devastating the virus can be `` the

Ebola disease. It is shocking, you can see these healthy guys coming

in, they declined quite quickly from the disease. This disease causes

internal bleeding and has killed more than 800 people in West Africa

in the latest outbreak. It is less contagious than the flu, but more

than half of the patients infected with the disease have died. It can

be easily transferred to medical staff. As a doctor and a human you

want to hold the hand of the patient and sit with them and be there with

them and you are wearing the full body with the goggles and masks and

helmets, it is a barrier to having the human connection we were used

to, and it makes it harder. It separates us. There is a sense of

guilt we cannot do more. How concerned are you that you can

contract this disease? We are making an informed choice, we could get

sick, it is hard for us and harder for our families, we have been

getting phone calls and text messages from worried family

members. It is hard for them. You are in the eye of the storm where

you are, but for Londoners, how worried should we be that we might

see the disease coming to the country? There is just a slim chance

that somebody comes back from West Africa, and they could get sick but

they would be isolated straight away and I do not think it is a cause for

concern. Public`health England says the risk to others here remains very

low but for the London medics fighting a disease with no known

cure this is a mission fraught with danger.

Well, Nick joins me now. We've heard about BA cancelling

flights to Sierra Leone and Liberia ` the concern is mounting?

British Airways say they have taken the decision because what they call

the deteriorating health situation in those countries. They say the

safety of their passengers and their staff and ground crew is the number

one priority. They will be keeping these routes under review. We do not

know to what extent their decision has been influenced by what happened

in Nigeria, eight suspected cases. They have been linked to a man who

died from the virus last year. He flew back into Nigeria from Liberia,

clearly one of the two places British Airways say they are not

flying to at the moment. Worth stressing, the risk to us here in

London in the UK is said to be very low. The risk may be very, very low

but nevertheless there will be people who are concerned. People

will be, lots of people have been on guard for any potential signs of the

spread of the disease. Over the weekend an elderly woman who

travelled to Gatwick from the Gambia, sadly died. She was tested

for the disease and it came back negative, the focus remains in

Africa, Sierra Leone, where the doctor we saw is doing his work with

his fellow Londoners. Thank you for joining us.

how do you join two boroughs together?

With the help it seems of the world's largest crane.

The capital's newest bridge was hoisted into place this morning `

joining Newham and Tower Hamlets together.

It's part of a new development in Canary Wharf as Charlotte Franks

The biggest crane ever to be used in the UK. Spanning 138 metres, it has

been working hard all day in this part of east London, to provide the

capital with its newest pedestrian crossing. It will link Tower with

Newham, it is a part of infrastructure and we are very

excited. There are plans to build what they are calling a mini

Manhattan, surrounded on three sides by the river, there will be

apartments, restaurants, shops and a school. This is the footprint of an

apartment block, one of 14 buildings to be constructive on this 12 acre

site. Residents that move into the blog will look out to the river lead

to the east, and they will be closest to the pedestrian

footbridge. The island is in its very early stages, so developers do

not yet know what it will cost to buy a property here. But they insist

there will be affordable houses. Relatively affordable in comparison

to other areas, west London, places which are more central. Homes are

more affordable than other areas. It will be mainly pedestrianised with

road markings kept to a minimum, so does the idea of living on an island

appeal to the residents in Canning town? It is not very sociable, they

will live on their own island, what about everybody else. Not something

I would like to do in London, I would not mind living on an island

in Scotland somewhere. But not here. Although the bridge has been put in

place today members of the public will not be able to use it until

construction is completed on the rest of the development in 2016.

Still to come. I am live in Leicester Square at a busy premier.

lives in Bromley three years, today there was news that a 20,000 tonne

mountain of waste which towers over local homes is finally to be

cleared. The Environment Agency is beginning preparation work planning

to clear the site completely. Rebecca Williams is in Orpington

now. It is good news for residents? home for two years now. Some can't

open their windows because of the smell. Others said it made them ill.

One man said he is thankful something is being done. How do I

feel about it going? I will speak to you in six months' time when it's

gone. I will be very happy. It will put our life back in proportion. At

the moment it's just terrible. The idea was to turn the waste here into

renewable energy. That never happened. The people that own this

site Waste4 Fuel said they needed a cash injection to remove. It the

Environment Agency have entered this site. They say waste should be at

safe levels by the end of this week. The local MP has also spoken out,

Bob Neil described the site as "outrageous" he said it needs to be

removed as soon as possible. Thank you.

They're the boys from London whose teenage exploits

and schoolboy humour helped make the series, The Inbetweeners.

Not just a tv hit, but a big screen success as well.

Tonight, the guys from Croydon, Chelmsford, Greenwich and Guildford

are in Leicester Square for the premiere of their second film.

Victoria Hillins is there for us too.

As you can hear, it's a lively Leicester Square this evening. I

think if you told the cast of The Inbetweeners in 2008 when they were

on E4 they would walk up the red carpet for the second time for their

own film they would vn been surprised `` have been very

surprised. They were surprised when their first film was the highest

comedy film in the UK. We are are into the second film now. Let's have

a quick look. I can't wait to get training dolphins. Did you know all

they feed them is raw fish. That is grim. I would puke if all I ate was

fish. Bang out of order. Imagine it, just raw Their diet fish. Is fish

That is because that is all they are given. Because that is what they

eat. So cruel. How would you like it? If all I ate was fish, I

probably wouldn't mind it. The How would you like to just eat raw fish,

yes or no You can't compare. Yes or no. The Only raw fish, yes or no?

No! I'm pleased to say that the gentlemen, or the boys, not sure how

to refer to them. Now Australia. The Inbetweeners have come a long way.

Did you expect to be this successful? We never expected to be

this successful. It was a tiny show on E4. The first series got less

than 100,000 viewers. To be here now with thousands of people here. Lots

of people pre`booking their tickets for the film, which comes out

tomorrow! It's really exciting for us. Smooth plug. I didn't notice

that. Seamlessly done. I'm a pro. I heard the directors/writers

described as "creating monsters" what would you say to them? Monsters

is fair enough. For them! They have created these monsters. That is what

we would say. They directed this film having written the series and

the first film, not directed them. They encourage a juvenile

atmosphere, I think we can say. We took advantage of that. They choose

to take the reins we treat as a joke. The joke was that they had won

a competition to director. We did that for months. We did a lot of

that. A lot of patting well done. With why would they. They are adult

men we are stupid boys. You are 20, 30 somethings now. Is it a big leap

going back to a teenage mind set When you are altogether and on set,

with the writers as well, we all just act like idiots it's easy to

do. Thank you for joining us. Congratulations on the film. We

wanted to show you a little bit more of the film. For a 6.00pm audience

it might be risque. Back to you. I think that is fair to say. Thank you

very much. Now, something different. You may have seen this striking

image of the Tower of London. Thousands of ceramic poppies `

one for each British and colonial soldier who died ` which form part

of an art installation to mark the First World War.

Well, BBC London has teamed up with the Imperial War Museums to mark

the centenary and the impact the conflict had on people here.

Many buildings in the capital were taken over to service

the war effort and in one corner of London the renowned Artists'

Rifles Regiment set up a camp. We sent an East London

artist to find out more. I'm the artist Bob Andrew Bert ya

Smith, my work hangs in the Tate's collection. It seems hard to

imagine, but artists, people like me, were considered perfect

candidates for a regiment called the Artist' Rifles. Their main training

ground used to be right here in the open fields and estates in Romford.

Who were they? They were volunteer regiments largely made up of

artists, hence the name. They tended to be people who had a public school

education, often been to university. They were the right sort, as far as

the military were concerned. They were well`known for their officer

training, weren't they? Once the camp was established. New recruits

for the Artist Rifles were sent over for training. It's estimated by the

end of the war they had trained for officers for the Army than they had

at Sandhurst during the duration of the war. The it's here, in this

school building, up the road, where some of the trainee officers were

housed. Sue, this is a rather special room, isn't it? Yes, Wilfred

Owen, one of the most famous war poets, was here during his time in

1915 he would have slept in this room with his fellow officers. It 's

a school now, isn't it? Is that part of your teaching? They are

fascinated to know that someone so famous, who has books written about

him, and poems that people still read today, was actually here. They

do blame him for anything that goes missing. They say that Wilfred

Owen's ghost has taken it. Others included the artist behind the Lord

Kitchner poster ` your country needs you. The poet Edward Thomas. 15,000

men passed through the regiment during the war. More than 10,000 of

them trained in Romford before graduating to become officers to

lead other battalions. That had a devastating impact on the regiment's

alum nigh. As officers they would have led their men out of the

trenches into the onslaught of the artillery. No wonder then, more than

2,000 were killed in action. In the words of Wilfred Owen, "they faced

the monstrous anger of the guns." I wonder, like Owen, who wrote so

beautifully about the futility of war, what I would have done in his

position. Would I have felt expelled to join up and fight? What I do

know, many artists and writers would have been attracted to the Artist

Rifles Regiment. We can only guess how many great artists, including

Owen, lost their lives on the battlefields.

The artist Bob and Roberta Smith. To find out more,

just go to bbc.co.uk/WW1 and click on the link to World War I

at Home. It's that time of the evening

for a check on the weather. Wendy's here with the forecast

for us. We haven't seen that much rain,

apart from showers. Wet morning rush`hour. Something we haven't seen

of late. This is the satellite picture showing where it is coming

from. This great swathe of cloud working into the west country at the

moment, pushing rain across the country. For the time being, we

still have the fine conditions. There will be sunny spells still to

be had out of today. Eventually, that cloud will arrive on the scene.

In addition, the breeze is going to pick up a little bit. That will keep

everything mixed up and it means it will be quite a warm night while

some parts of the Home Counties will get down to a relatively comfortable

14`15 degrees, there will be some spots in the urban areas that will

be nearer 16`18 degrees. You can see how the rain moves in as we get

towards dawn. It will be a muggy sort of starlet start to the day as

well. There will be some spray on the roads, puddles, it won't be nice

travelling off to work tomorrow. It will be clashing brollies. It works

away from us. The parks and gardens need it all. By lunchtime there will

be largely dry conditions. One or two showers dotted around. 23

degrees in St Albans. London might reach 26 degrees for a time. Apart

from one or two showers around, into the afternoon and evening, most of

us will get home on a dry conditions. As we go through

Thursday. We have pretty decent spells of sunshine and it will be

warm as well. It turns more unsettled towards the very end of

the week. Spells of rain for Friday as well. Outbreaks here and there.

At the moment it looks as though Saturday is the calm before the

storm. You have heard about Bertha has been downgraded from hurricane

to tropical storm. She is crossing the Atlantic. It will be the

remnants of the hurricane. What that does on Sunday, we will keep you

posted. Please do. The Foreign Office Minister,

Baroness Warsi, has resigned in protest over

the Government's policy on Gaza. She said its position was

"morally indefensible." David Cameron has come under

increasing pressure to take Meanwhile, in Gaza,

a three`day ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas,

is holding. Israel has withdrawn its troops

from the Gaza Strip and the fighting, which started four

weeks ago, is temporarily over. A man has been arrested on suspicion

of making a hoax bomb threat. Military jets were called to escort

a passenger plane into The Qatar Airways flight from Doha

landed safely. More on the day's stories

on our website. I'll be back with the latest

during the 10.00pm news. From all of us here, thanks for

watching and enjoy your evening.