08/08/2014 BBC News at One

President Obama orders air strikes against militants in northern Iraq -

but won't send US troops to the country.

He says the strikes are to prevent the potential genocide

We'll have the latest from Washington.

Hostilities resume in Gaza after the three-day ceasefire comes to an end.

The World Health Organization declares

an international emergency and appeals for more help.

Oscar Pistorius was vulnerable and fearful the night he shot his

girlfriend - his legal team say the prosecution have twisted the facts.

India fight back on the second day of the fourth test against England

Nurseries with links to extremism are to have their funding stopped

Work begins to clear an illegal 20-tonne pile of waste in Surrey.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

President Obama has authorised airstrikes against

He said the US would act "carefully and responsibly",

but would be targeting the extremist IS fighters, in order to prevent

The US has already made humanitarian air drops to the tens of thousands

of members of the Yazidi community who have fled IS

and are trapped in mountains, without access to food or water.

Here, the government's emergency co-ordination committee COBRA has

met to discuss stepping up help to the religious minorities in Iraq but

Downing Street has said there will be no UK military action in Iraq.

Our world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge reports.

Still trapped on the bleak and barren Mount Sinjar, but now in the

international spotlight as never before. These are the Yazidi, who

escaped into the mountains above their ancestral town after it was

seized by the advancing Islamic State fighters. Now an operation

being rapidly put together to get food, water and other supplies to

them. In London, the Defence Secretary chairing a meeting of the

Cobra committee on the issue. Downing Street said there would be

no UK military intervention in Iraq. But pledging to act what -- to

prevent what he called a potential act of genocide. When we face a

situation with innocent people facing the prospect of violence on

an horrific scale, when we have a mandate to help, in this case a

request from the Iraqi governorate, and when we have the unique

capabilities to avert a massacre, I believe the United States of America

cannot turn a blind eye. Today, from the mountain, one of the leaders of

this ancient religious community spoke graphically of their

vulnerability in this place of refuge. TRANSLATION: The clash is

now very close from where I stand and there are clashes on the final

line of resistance. There is a small checkpoint in the mountains. It is a

matter of hours whether they manage to capture this last checkpoint by

nightfall. They will kill all of us and we do not think we have enough

time. But it is not just the Yazidis being targeted. Christians

have fled to escape attacks on their towns and villages. That has brought

the Islamic State fighters to the edge of Kurdish territory. President

Obama has ordered targeted air strikes to protect US interests as

well is to safeguard the Yazidis, but he says the US will not fight

another war in Iraq. In a moment we'll talk to

our correspondent Jon Brain about this morning's COBRA meeting,

but first Rajini Vaidyannathan Is there a sense of where you are

that President Obama does not want to get drawn into anything here?

Yes, there is definitely a sense that this is action that President

Obama has taken reluctantly. This was never a decision he wanted to

make in the first place. This of course the president who came into

office promising to end America's involvement in Iraq, and indeed,

never voted for the conflict in the first place. But now he finds

himself authorising military action, in what is America's deepest

involvement in Iraq since troops came back in 2011. He set out his

justifications Fred clearly. Humanitarian reasons and to protect

humanitarian interests and has been very clear again that this is a

limited military action with a limited scope and time frame. But of

course, there are fears and concerns in Washington and beyond America,

that this country could once again be drawn into a long and bloody

conflict. Let's get more from Jon Brain. It was made very clear before

the meeting began that while welcoming the prospect of American

military action, Britain would not be part of that action and that was

confirmed that the Cobra meeting. What the UK will do is give

humanitarian assistance, helping with the aid to rock, for example,

and helping the Americans with technical assistance, refuelling of

their planes, for example, and surveillance. There is a real

appetite to help the Yazidi in the stricken region but no appetite at

all for military action. I think they are stunned by the refusal of

MPs to sanction military action in Syria a few months ago, and of

course, the controversy over the original operation in Iraq in 2003.

The scars from that have still not fully healed. Moral support, yes,

practical support, yes, but any question of military involvement,

no, not at all. Thank you. A three-day ceasefire

in Gaza ended this morning - Just hours before the truce ended,

Israel accused Palestinian militants of firing two rockets

into southern Israel. Hamas denied the claim,

but now Israel has resumed Our Middle East correspondent

Kevin Connolly sent this report. It was always described as a 72 hour

cease-fire and in the end, it lasted barely a minute longer. This Israeli

family were watching when the first rocket was fired their way. They had

just returned to their home near the Gaza border which they left at the

height of the fighting. The Israeli army reaction was swift. The

instruction from the Israeli government to respond forcefully. As

the bombardment resumed, there was support from some Gazans for the

Hamas position, but without an opening of its tightly restricted

borders, peace talks have no point. TRANSLATION: We should get out of

this situation with dignity. They should be a complete lifting of the

siege. We should get the same respect as any other people in the

world because what we are living is not a life. Israel's Iron Dome

anti-missile system is back in action. Israel's government is

homing in with equal certainty on what it says is the causes of the

political breakdown. Hamas this morning has opened fire on targets

in Israel, on communities across the frontier, and they have

indiscriminately targeted men, women and children. And in so doing, Hamas

is not only shown its total disregard for Israeli life, it has

shown it has no qualms whatsoever about again endangering and bringing

tragedy on the civilian population of Gaza. Israel still has ground

forces on Gaza's borders. Plenty of politicians would like to see them

sent back into Gaza. It is not yet clear if the end of the cease-fire

sees the permanent breakdown of talks in Cairo, but they have

certainly broken down for now. Cycles of violence like this, much

easier to start here than to stop. In the hospitals of Gaza, as the

casualties began to arrive, there was word that 12-year-old boy had

died in the bombardment. After 72 hours of peace, the killing has

begun again. Let's speak to our correspondent

Wyre Davies who's in Ashkelon. It is back to square one

effectively? Indeed. It is best Plex in why this cease-fire has not been

extended -- it is perplexing. This Iron Dome has already intercepted

several missiles this morning. There are two injuries at least in its

trial today. Although many of the missiles are intercepted, perhaps

that is the whole point. Hamas says it wants the Israelis to feel the

discomfort and insecurity that they say Gazans feel. The problem is that

leads onto a never-ending cycle of violence. The big hope is here now

that by the end of the day both sides will realise there is no point

in continuing this fighting because there is nothing to be gained from

continued fighting. As for the long term, that is difficult because the

Egyptian talks have broken down. The two sides are very far apart. The

mass once the Israeli blockade to end. Israel wants Gaza to be

demilitarised. All I can see, after the fourth Garson wore in ten years,

is a resumption of the violence in two or three years time. Thank you.

The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak

in West Africa an international emergency.

The UN agency described the outbreak as serious and unusual

- and it appealed for international help for the countries affected.

So far, nearly 1,000 people have died from the disease in Guinea,

Our world affairs correspondent Nick Childs reports.

The World Health Organisation calls it an extraordinary event, the most

serious Ebola outbreak ever. It says there must be a coordinated response

to prevent its spread. The committee's conclusions and my

decisions are a clear call for international solidarity. Countries

affected to date simply do not have the capacity to manage and outbreak

of this size and complexity on their own. The official statistics saying

932 people have died so far. That number will rise. Deeney, Liberia

and Sierra Leone are the countries most affected. In Liberia, troops at

roadblocks trying to halt the spread of a bowler. The Who wants all

countries to declare national emergencies, but they have been

plagued by civil unrest. Their health services are weak and

inexperienced. Here in Guinea, a sick man is left to lie in the

street for hours. The World Health Organisation says fear in the

countries affected and in the wider world is one of the major

challenges. So, it is not calling for a general ban on international

travel or trade. All governments need to be vigilant and ready, it

suggests, but the main focus of concern remains of West Africa. The

outbreak will be brought under control but when that will occur,

none of us can guess. This is an unpredictable outbreak. The affected

countries urgently need more specialist equipment and trained

personnel. But with no proven vaccine, should international aid

also include experimental drugs? I think there is a good case for using

these drugs but we do not know enough about how they work to be

sure we can rely on them. It will take a considerable amount of time

to make enough drugs to treat the affected people. The World Health

Organisation has limited resources. It wants to galvanise aid agencies

in the affected region and beyond. Well, with me is

our correspondent Tulip Mazumder. What actual practical difference

will it make if the World Health Organisation declared is an

emergency? They have already declared it an emergency, not

because they are worried about its spreading all over the world, but

because they want to get the international community involved in

dealing with the outbreak in West Africa. These governments are very

poor and they cannot deal with it on their own. They have asked the

international community to send money, resources, equipment and even

simple things like protective equipment for nurses working on the

outbreak. The way to stop and outbreak is to find people who are

infected and make sure they do not infect anyone else. That has not

been happening because of the fear. People have been hiding instead of

getting help. That has helped to spread the virus. One of the

recommendations has been to restrict the movement of people in the

affected countries. They could bring in the military to do that. They

have not recommended, as we heard, any international travel bans. They

have not recommended any trade restrictions. But what they have

said is anyone leaving these countries should be screened to make

sure they do not have Ebola symptoms and they are not carrying them out

of the country on planes. Thank you. Malaysian police say three of the

four men accused of killing two students in Borneo have admitted the

killing. Aidan Brunger and Neil Dalton were murdered. Police say

three of the four arrested had taken the drug crystal meth.

A drug that can extend the lives of some women with an advanced form

of breast cancer has been rejected for use on the NHS in England,

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says a course

of Kadcyla costs ?90,000, making it "impossible"

Our health correspondent Dominic Hughes reports.

Kim knows what an impressive drug Kadcyla is. Two and a half years ago

she was given six months to live after being told her breast cancer

had spread. But after taking part in a trial of Kadcyla, she has gained

some precious time with her family. I can go to work and spend time with

the family. I have two boys. My goal has always been, I said I wanted my

boys to grow up -- I wanted to see my boys grow up. But Kadcyla is also

expensive. Too expensive, according to the NHS drugs watchdog NICE. The

drug works for one in five breast cancers. At full price it costs

?90,000 per patient. On average, it can extend someone's life by six

months but the price does not offer value for money according to NICE.

We have applied the extra flexibility that we have been able

to in looking at value for money for treatments for cancer. Even with the

extra flexibility, the price of the treatment, ?90,000 per patient per

year, is simply too great to enable us to make a positive

recommendation. The drug is available to patients in

England only via the cancer drugs fund but that will end in 2016. The

manufacturer Roche says it is disappointed and argues the cost of

the drug will reflect the time it takes to develop. When you consider

the 15 years of clinical trials and 30 years of research behind the

technology that makes Kadcyla special, as well as the thousands of

patients who have participated in clinical trials, this is a

substantial investment which has gone into Kadcyla. But some patient

groups agree with NICE, arguing the price of the drug needs to come

down. President Obama has authorised air

strikes against militants in northern Iraq, but won't send US

troops to the country. Still to come: A big increase in the

number of parents fined for taking We speak to Commonwealth Games

winner Laura Trott ahead of Ride London,

this weekend's major cycling race. And how Londoners made Americans

feel at home in the Capital Oscar Pistorius's defence lawyers

have accused the prosecution of twisting

the facts to discredit the athlete. In his closing statement, his

defence lawyer tried to persuade the judge that the sprinter's disability

conditioned him to confront danger Oscar Pistorius denies murdering

his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Our Africa correspondent

Andrew Harding is outside A crucial moment for Oscar

Pistorius. Yesterday, the prosecution insisted it approved --

it had proved the athlete was guilty of premeditated murder. It described

his version as a snowball of lies. Now it is the defence's final

opportunity to fight back. Today, it is his team's last chance

to convince the judge was not murder. Oscar Pistorius arriving at

court this morning to hear the difference sum up its case. He has

always argued he killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by

mistake, convinced she was an intruder hiding in his toilet.

Today, his lawyer tried to capture the disabled athlete's state of

mind. You are trained

as an athlete to react to sound. You train...

Take all those factors into account. And he stands now with his

finger ready to fire if necessary. And he stands there and then...

BANGS THE TABLE. The defence compares his lifelong

disability with the experience of an abused woman. In relation to an

abused woman, that slow burn effect. It was perhaps a clumsy

comparison and Judge Masipa interrupted. You spoke about the

slope burn, I understand when you speak about an abused woman, how

does it apply to be accused in this case? You are a little boy without

legs. You experience daily that disability. And the effect of that.

These are the last hours of evidence before the judge considers her

verdict. The families of the accused and victim both in court today.

Yesterday, Oscar Pistorius was repeatedly called a liar by the

prosecution and today the defence tried to build up a detailed

timeline of events. We know for a fact the second shot... The team of

Oscar Pistorius insisting their backs should outweigh what they see

as the prosecution's lies and distortions.

His lawyer Barry Roux is still on the witness stand attacking the

prosecution. He has got maybe an hour, two hours to finish making his

case to Judge Masipa and in essence, this trial will be over. Only at

that point will we hear from Judge Masipa how long she plans to take to

consider her verdict and when she will come back and announce that

decision to the world. Thank you.

The first female commander of a major Royal Navy warship has

been removed from her post, after allegations that she had

Commander Sarah West took charge of HMS Portland in May 2012,

A Royal Navy spokesman said Commander West would be assigned

Downing Street has announced the appointment of 22 new peers, despite

all three main party leaders calling for a smaller House of Lords.

The list is made up mainly of party donors,

local councillors and wealthy businessmen and women, including

Karren Brady and former Marks and Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose, who

There has been a sharp rise in the number of fines issued to

parents who have taken children out of school during term time.

According to research by the BBC, there's been a 70 per cent increase

since new government regulations came into force in September, which

removed discretionary powers for head teachers to grant absences.

Our education correspondent Alex Forsyth has more.

In the South coast, families are enjoying the seaside. In the school

holidays, a UK break does not come cheap but since September,

government rules mean parents are more likely to be fined for taking

children away in term time which these parents to not ink is fair. It

is extortionate. Ash think. Parents should be able to choose. Parents

cannot afford to pay fines as well as take children on holidays because

the prices are so different in the summer holidays in term time. BBC

research from around three quarters of councils in England shows almost

64,000 fines have been issued to parents since the new regulations in

September. A 70% rise in the previous year. Some fines would have

on for truancy and repeated poor attendance but many were related to

holidays. Thousands of parents who disagree with term time holiday

fines have signed a petition to get the rules changed but many teachers

say it is important to put the songs before the sun cream. If parents

realise the harm they can do to a child's education if they miss out

mathematics or something foundational, it is hard to catch up

with the rest of the class. The government says fewer pupils are

missing lessons some more are getting the chance of a good

education and they have given schools the power to set their own

term dates which could help parents avoid peak prices for summer breaks.

A British business investigator and his American wife have gone on trial

in China, accused of illegally gathering private information.

The couple had been working for the British pharmaceutical

giant GlaxoSmithKline, to try to identify a whistleblower who had

accused the company of bribing Chinese doctors and hospitals.

Our Shanghai correspondent John Sudworth sent this report.

Another Communist party show trial, but this time, the man in the dock

is not a Chinese dissident but a British businessman facing the

Shanghai court with his American wife Yu Yingzeng. Their case has

generated intense media interest and outside court, security was tight. A

protester hoping to grab a bit of publicity for her cause was Greg

clique -- quickly bundled away. Not guilty verdicts are rare in Chinese

justice and in the years since as rest, Mr Humphrey has been paraded

on state television apparently confessing his guilt. The couple are

accused of breaking the law I paying for personal information. For the

past decade, they ran their corporate investigation company from

Shanghai doing background checks to help foreign clients navigate

China's business landscape. Last year, Mr Humphrey was passed in

GlaxoSmithKline to investigate a smear campaign at the heart of its

China operation. The company suspected a former senior manager

who it has been widely reported happens to have high-level Communist

party connections. Not long afterwards, the British

pharmaceutical giant was accused of corruption and Peter Humphrey and

his wife were arrested. The woman has denied any involvement but in an

extraordinary demonstration of Chinese justice, today's proceedings

shed little light on the matter and they have made no mention of her

name. Peter Humphrey's son Harvey has been allowed to attend the trial

and he said he believes the case is central to his father's indignant. I

do not hold the Chinese authorities responsible for this. --

predicament. From where I am sitting, it seems clear whatever

GlaxoSmithKline contracted my parents to do, it made them tread on

some very powerful toes. Questions are being asked about the increased

scrutiny of foreign businesses in China and their ability to get

justice when things go wrong. England's batsmen have been battling

their way to a first innings lead on day two of the fourth test,

but once again, India have taken some

wickets this morning. From Old Trafford, our sports news

correspondent Joe wilson reports. Old Trafford delivered a big crowd

on Friday, this match is still travelling at a frantic pace. As

Jordan was batting. He had been promoted up the order the night

before to protect England's senior batsman. Ian Bell can look after

himself and he got to 50 within the first ten minutes of play,

easy-going! In his first test, this player conceded a world-record 179

runs without taking a wicket, this was the second test, relentless,

luckless, wicketless. Kumar comes in and Jordan whacks it. Well held, the

ball was travelling, a bit like catching a tram. Ian Bell departed

in classic fashion tempted to prod at a ball he might have ignored.

Umar had struck again. Dark skies after midday, that is Manchester.

England had taken the lead, overtaking India's first innings

total of 152. Mind you, they lost five wickets in the process. Ali

uprooted before lunch. 170 six. A cricket ball moves in mysterious

ways and Old Trafford crowd. He may wish he can bowl here every week but

if keeping that all under control is a challenge, the wicket keeper is

your Captain, do not make him stretched too far. Easier to predict

a tram's journey and this match is heading in England's direction.

Well, just about! We have been flagging this up for

several days and we are confident there will be significant impacts

from the weather by Sunday. This is Hurricane Bertha and the jet

stream is carrying it across the Atlantic. It is the interaction of

the jet stream along with the remnants which affect how long it

will be when it reaches us on Sunday. What is nailed down is the

has-been -- there have been intense storms across Northern Ireland.

Western Scotland and later this morning, we saw heavy torrential

thunderstorms bringing flooding to part of Lincolnshire. Warnings have

been issued from London across eastern England and through the

spine of northern England and to eastern Scotland. Storm is expected

to continue into the evening and night. Elsewhere, things will settle

down into the night ends it will call off. Down into single figures.

-- cool off. Tomorrow, a nice day for most. Enjoy it is my advice.

Fine and dry for most of us, bright and breezy. Showers initially along

the north-western coast. These will move through quickly and behind will

be plenty of sunshine. In the sunshine, it will feel pleasant with

temperatures in the low and possibly mid 20s. Saturday is a nice day,

Sunday is probably not. This is the low pressure by Saturday evening

towards the south-west. There is still uncertainty about the track of

this but The Met office thinks it will move into more Southern and

central parts of the UK, throwing rain across much of England and

Wales and later eastern Scotland. One ends have been issued. It will

be a wet day across these areas will stop assistant heavy rain. The risk

of severe gales and exposed places so expect significant impacts on

Sunday. -- in exposed places. Later into Sunday, heavy wind and rain

across the far North East. A blustery day for everybody on Monday

and the winds could cause significant impact. My advice is to

stay tuned because the detail could change.

Now a reminder of our top story this lunchtime:

President Obama has authorised air strikes against militants in

northern Iraq, but won't send US troops to the country.

That's all from us. Now on BBC One, it's time for the news where you