18/08/2014 BBC News at One

No boots on the ground - the Prime Minister says any British

David Cameron says keeping people in the UK safe is his top priority,

and the mission ahead is clear. Britain is not going to get involved

in another war in Iraq. We are not going to be sending in the British

Army. and the mission ahead is clear.

We'll be getting the latest on the situation on the ground in Iraq.

Also this lunchtime: ?I'll be out soon? - Julian Assange

says he's considering leaving the London Embassy where he's been

avoiding extradition for two years. The US National Guard is called

in after protests escalate over the police shooting

of an unarmed black teenager. A month to go - both sides

in the Scottish independence debate hold events marking

the closing weeks of campaigning. A time-stopping and heart-stopping

moment, as cleaners get to work on the world's most famous clock face.

On BBC London, escaping gang culture, how a job centre scheme is

trying to take London youngsters away from trouble. And people who

claim they are being tricked into paying parking fines on a private

estate. Good afternoon

and welcome to the BBC News at One. David Cameron says Britain will not

get involved in another ground war in Iraq.

However, it's been confirmed that the UK's military forces are now

doing more than just delivering humanitarian aid to refugees.

Meanwhile, Kurdish forces in Iraq have told

the BBC that they've re-taken control of a strategically important

dam near the city of Mosul. We'll be live there in a moment but

first our political correspondent Sean Curran on the Prime Minister's

insistence that there'll be no more British boots on the ground.

On Tuesday night I gave the order for British forces... It was one of

the most controversial political decisions of recent years. Hundreds

of thousands of people took to the streets to oppose military action

against Iraq, as MPs prepared to debate on an invasion to remove

Saddam Hussein. The British experience in Iraq means any

military intervention is a sensitive political issue. Last summer, the

Prime Minister recalled parliament from its summer break only to lose a

vote when MPs rejected possible UK military action against Syria,

following a suspected chemical weapons attack. Now UK forces are

back in Iraq. This time the role is limited with a focus on delivering

aid in the face of a humanitarian crisis. Britain is not going to get

involved in another war in Iraq. We are not going to be sending in the

British Army. Yes, we should use all the assets we have, our diplomacy,

our political relationships, our military prowess and expertise we

have to help others. We should use these things as part of a strategy

to put pressure on Islamic State and make sure this terrorist

organisation is properly addressed. But it is not just a humanitarian

mission. RAF planes are now carrying out surveillance and gathering

intelligence on the extremists of Islamic State, or ISIS. Visiting an

RAF base in Cyprus, the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon made it

clear that the British military could be involved in Iraq for some

time. It is important to understand the nature of the mission, that

British forces are now engaged in, does that remain primarily focused

on the humanitarian effort? What is the nature of the work being

undertaken directly with the Iraqi government and international allies?

I think there is a case for clarity being bought -- brought. The Prime

Minister says it is important to halt the progress of ISIS to prevent

violence on British streets. The UK could an militia forces as the next

step. British boots on the ground.

More now on those reports that Kurdish troops have re-taken

a dam near the city of Mosul with the help of American warplanes.

Our Middle East correspondent, Jim Muir, is in the city of Irbil.

This was the biggest operation the peshmerga forces have embarked

upon. The Kurds see it as a sensitive and vital installation

which cannot be allowed to stay in the hands of the militants. The

Americans clearly feel the same, over the weekend they conducted 25

air strikes in support of the Kurdish air forces. They send their

jets and unmanned drones hit more than 30 Islamist vehicles. Mosul is

Iraq's second city, the dam to the north of it holds back the lake, but

in the wrong hands it could be used to trigger a massive disaster, one

reason why the Americans intervened. In a letter to Congress yesterday,

President Obama said: There have been worries about the

dam for many years because its structure is thought to be on sound.

Environmentalists warn that in radical hands it could be used

deliberately to cause massive damage. This dam was entered --

essentially a weapon of mass destruction and it is a ticking time

bomb. It is the most dangerous dam in the world, it would be like a

tsunami being released. The waves could reach Baghdad within three or

four days. British military jets have joined the Americans in

expanding their role over Iraq though they haven't become involved

in combat, just reconnaissance so far, but pilots have been told they

may be needed for weeks or even months to come as their mission goes

beyond the humanitarian. It will take years for Iraq to cope with the

existing calamity facing it, coping with the fallout from so many people

displaced. The last thing it needs is the kind of massive human

disaster that the breaching of the Mosul Dam would cause.

Our correspondent is at the Mosul Dam in Iraq. Has it actually been

retaken? Kurdish special forces say they are in the dam complex but

moving slowly to deal with car bombs and booby-traps. I am on the lake

now, and at the other end of the lake, that is where the dam complex

is. We have seen explosions going over and almost certainly air

strikes on what seemed to be the end of the dam where the complex is. It

could be that they are hitting villages either side of it. We

understand the Islamic state forces are trying to come up to stop them

moving and stop them reaching the dam complex itself. We went to the

front line about ten miles down the road and watched the Kurdish forces

fire multiple launch rocket system. About two miles further on, there

was a boom in the distance, perhaps another air strike... About two

miles on there was a village in flames which the Kurds so it was the

result of jihadist fighters retreating and setting it alight as

they went. They also said the Islamic state fighters are

retreating. Although the Kurds may say they have the dam complex, this

is a very wide area, fighting is taking place across it and it is too

early yet to save the Kurds have won the battle. Is there clear evidence

the American air strikes are a difference? I think they have is to

make a difference. There were 14 of them yesterday, very effective in

destroying the jihadist advantage. They seized some 300 armoured

vehicles with heavy machine guns, some tanks, that gave them a

tremendous advantage even over the Iraqi government forces. This is the

Americans even in things up. This is a relatively easy battle. There are

few Islamic State forces here, it is open ground. Going to a city like

Mosul will be a different story. For more analysis, visit our website.

You can find an interactive guide that explains how the fighters from

Islamic State have become such a powerful source.

The State Governor of Missouri says he's sending in the National Guard

to help restore order in the town of Ferguson, where there's been more

than a week of violence after police shot dead an unarmed black teenager.

Police have been criticised for a heavy handed response to

the violence. But they say it's because officers

have come under fire and properties have been looted and vandalised.

Mike Wooldridge reports. These were the scenes that prompted

the calling in of the National Guard to restore order. Another peaceful

protest deteriorating into violence. The police using tear gas and smoke

canisters in their efforts to disperse the crowds. There has now

been one week of violent clashes on the street, this latest eruption

according to the police was premeditated, criminal acts designed

to provoke a response. Sunday started with prayers and message of

peace and justice. It took a very different turn after dark. Molotov

cocktails were thrown, there were shootings, looting, vandalism, and

other acts of violence. The state governor justified the deployment of

the National Guard on the grounds that there have been what he called

deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on

lives and property. The trouble followed the shooting of an unarmed

18-year-old, Michael Brown. Police released this video purporting to

show he had taken part in a convenience store robbery. With the

stand-off between police and protesters continuing, Michael

Brown's mother has been speaking within the past hour on American

television. How can peace be restored? With justice. What is

justice to you? Arresting this man and making him accountable for his

actions. And in Ferguson, one of America's leading civil rights

campaigners pitched the tensions between the predominantly black

local community and the mainly white police department as a challenge for

the nation. Ferguson and Michael Brown Junior will be a defining

moment on how this country deals with policing and the rights of its

citizens to redress how police behave in this country. But the

state's governor argued today that the violence was a disservice to the

family of Michael Brown and his memory.

Mike Wooldridge reports. The WikiLeaks founder, Julian

Assange, says he plans to leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London soon.

He's been there for more than two years, after seeking asylum

because he's wanted by police in Sweden over allegations of

sexual assaults against two women. Caroline Hawley reports.

It has been two years and counting, the police operation has cost the

taxpayer here around ?7 million. No wonder there has been intense

speculation about the next moves of Julian Assange. There were rumours

he had health problems and was about to give himself up, and suggestions

that he would be leaving the embassy at last. I am leaving the embassy

soon. But perhaps not for the reasons that the Murdoch press and

Sky News are saying at the moment. So how did he come to be in the

Ecuadorian Embassy? In 2010 WikiLeaks published thousands of

secret diplomatic documents, he says he fears being extradited to the US

to stand trial. That year at allegations of sexual assault were

made by two women in Sweden, which he denies. Sweden issued an

international arrest warrant and he made a series of appeals against

extradition, which he lost. In 2012 he took asylum in the Ecuadorian

Embassy. The man who made his career out of exposing state secrets was

less than forthcoming when asked direct questions about himself. No

one is any of the wiser of how this extraordinary saga will end. He was

evasive, even about his health. It is an environment in which any

healthy person would find themselves soon enough with certain

difficulties that they would have to manage. Both Ecuador and Britain say

they want a diplomatic solution to the stand-off. It is difficult to

see how they will manage to find one.

Our legal correspondent Clive Coleman is with me.

If he walks out, nothing has changed, he will be arrested by

police. If he has a health issue, he will be taken to hospital under God.

He will be extradited after a being arrested within ten days. It could

be a little bit longer. But the reason nothing has changed is two

years ago, his appeal went to the Supreme Court. A number of issues

fell away and it came to one simple point, he argued the Swedish

prosecuting authorities were not a judicial authority under the

European arrest warrant legislation on which his legislation was being

placed under. Nothing has been lost bashing a thing has changed since

that time. This will not open up a new avenue of arguments or appeals,

if he comes out of the embassy, he will be arrested.

David Cameron rules out sending ground troops into Iraq,

but said Britain would step up its military involvement.

And still to come: How new players, a new culture,

and a The Canon who has seen the fear of

Iraqi Christians first-hand and he is urging the government to offer

asylum. And breaking their silence, how London's set -- statues have

been given a voice. One month from today, the

United Kingdom could change forever, when four million people answer

the simple, six-word question: "Should Scotland be an independent

country?" And as the referendum approaches,

the search for vote is stepping up a gear. Our Scotland correspondent

James Cook has been on the road with the yes and no campaigns.

Glasgow, cradle of the Labour movement and at the heart of a

struggle. And's soul. 6,000 people call this place home, making it the

key battle ground in the referendum. These Labour Party activists are

trying to stop natural supporters drifting towards a Yes vote. A

couple of questions about the referendum. I am committed to the

Yes vote. This is the Scottish Labour Party. Campaigning for the

Scottish independence referendum. I am just saying No. That is what we

would like to hear! Labour is running a very traditional campaign,

doorstep to doorstep, methodical rather than flashy. We split up into

groups, we just I see if they have mind up -- if they have made their

mind, how they are voting, they are voting. If they are not decided, we

will give them our newsletter and leaflet. A month today, every vote

everywhere will count. This is Murray, SNP territory, but the

campaign here feels less parted political. People are flashing

lights, thumbs up, sounding horns. Chris is touring Scotland in his

fire engine carrying materials from 16 different groups fighting for a

Yes vote. People in Scotland react to each other well and they want to

talk to each other. I would like to answer their questions to the best

of my ability. Campaigners for independence say this is to become

of their campaign. A quirky idea and one which is engaging with

grassroots across the country. Swinging towards Yes. What is making

you feel like Yes? Just the future of these two. I am not voting Yes

because we would never make it on our own, everything that is in

Scotland has been taken away. I hope we can change your mind. No, you

won't. So the campaigns are contrasting and soon we will know

which worked. Here in the as country and across Scotland, a final act is

approaching. Two people are still missing

after a tourist boat sank off the Indonesian coast on saturday night.

Twenty-three people have been rescued, including two Britons.

The boat was on its way from Lombok island to Komodo island when it is

thought it struck a reef. Many of the survivors had to swim

for hours before being found. An Italian woman

and a Dutch man are still missing. Karishma Vaswani is in Jakarta.

A dream holiday turned into a torturous ordeal. Imagine heading

off on a picturesque sailing trip through the Indonesian islands and

swimming for seven hours to save your life. Tired, traumatised, but

relieved, these shipwreck survivors are back on solid ground. Injured

and roost, all they want now is to go home. Very tired. Looking forward

to going home. -- roost. I will stay for a day to recuperate. I will try

to rearrange my flight to get back to New Zealand. The foreign tourists

were first picked up a local fisherman and handed over to your

varieties. That vote ran into a Coral wreath and started leaking,

forcing them to run into the ocean. -- reef. They were travelling from

Lombok island to Komodo island, a journey that can take up to three

days. Search and rescue teams are still looking for two other foreign

tourists who have yet to be found. An inquest into the deaths

of two medical students stabbed in Borneo starts here in the UK today.

Neil Dalton, from Derbyshire, and Aidan Brunger, who was from Kent,

were killed after a row in a bar. They were both 22 years old and

working at a A mother, who only found out last

year that the son she had given up for adoption was killed

in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, has made an emotional visit to

the spot where he died. Carol King Eckersley travelled from

the United States to pay tribute to her son Kenneth, one of the 270

people killed when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky.

Our correspondent, Glenn Campbell, has the story.

It is a story of love and loss. As a young unmarried woman,

Carol King Eckersley gave birth to a boy and gave him up for adoption.

For decades, she longed to know how his life turned out.

But when she searched for him online last year, she found

his name on a memorial website. I just said, my God.

My baby is dead. Her heartbreaking story prompted

some who knew Ken to share their memories of him with Carol.

That is a cracking picture. Isn't that wonderful?

Mike Nicholas, who took this picture, was one of

Ken's best friends at high school. We would stay up all night talking.

Whether it was music or jazz, I don't know if any

of us needed sleep. Meeting people who knew her son

means a great deal to Carol. It makes him real.

And when you have a real person, you can really grieve.

And when you have a real person, you can really grieve.

When Pan Am flight 103 was blown up over Southern Scotland, Ken Bissett

was one of 270 people killed. Carol is the last person

in the world to learn of a loved one lost here in Lockerbie.

And now she has come to the town to see the spot where her son fell.

A local police officer called out on the night

of the disaster is her guide. This was an area where many

of the passengers kind of fell. In Lockerbie's remembrance garden,

Carol is able to pay a tribute for the very first time.

Flowers for her long-lost son, found again.

Glen Campbell, BBC News, Lockerbie. It is the most famous clock face

in the world and, today, it is time for a clean.

Big Ben will still be ringing out its world-famous chime,

but the hands will be stuck at midday until the work is finished.

Arif Ansari watched the operation get under way.

Abseil is descended on time, just after ten o'clock this morning, they

began cleaning Big Ben. -- abseil is. Washing 310 individual pieces of

glass. No wonder this delicate operation will take at least four

days. Very methodical and the Opal Glass has to be cleaned very

carefully because it is very then so a lot of caution is taken and making

sure it is in good condition when they have finished.

The great clock tower at Westminster which houses the world's most famous

now Big Ben is a sight to the coronation crowds can hardly mess so

the four enormous bases are having a wash up...

In 1953, so Winston Churchill was Prime Minister, the clock was being

cleaned for the coronation and health and safety was less of a

concern. Each face takes about three map --

about three days to be washed and you can take it on the Queen as they

are glad they do the job more than once.

It is one of the world's most like chronic ill doings and tourists

photograph the others but tower, Big Ben as the bell inside and it is the

four faces getting a face-lift. The hands have been closed to 12

o'clock to keep them out of the way. This will allow the internal

workers to work on the inside of the clock.

This is certainly extreme cleaning. Hinde me, they are at a height of at

least 60 metres on the country's most precious clock ensuring it

tells the time clearly for at least another four years.

Cricket, and England are finally back to winning ways.

After the humiliation of a five-nil whitewash in Australia

and a narrow home defeat against Sri Lanka, England are celebrating

a convincing 3-1 win against India. a convincing 3-1 win against India.

So what's behind the turnaround? Here is our sports correspondent,

Joe Wilson. The Oval, covered up and resting. He

asked Ashley bashes here next year will be a test. Against India, turn

your back and you missed a wicket. England are still driven by James

Anderson and big Stuart Broad but with significant support. Gary

Ballance scored over 400 runs in the series. Yesterday, England swept to

their third consecutive test mass victory after almost a year without

winning one anywhere. Last month, things seemed rock bottom so what

made the Captain carry on? The support I had from my wife. You

convey yourself quite often to Alice and she is good at getting me back

on the straight and narrow and that is what I needed most. As India

rediscovered themselves, India seems to lose interest. England laid

ruthless cricket. The Indians have been pathetic. -- England played. To

be bowled out in 29 overs, it is nothing short of pathetic. At the

Oval, there is still a reminder of England's outsider. Kevin Pietersen

has used heavily for publicity and he sometimes plays for Surrey and

England can say that without him, they have moved on. After the misery

of the winter, the challenge for England was to find new men to play

and few -- to play on the field and to play the cult -- and to change

the culture and the environment, which rested with the coaches. We

have seen younger players coming in and doing well over the summer which

is great. In the second half, we have seen the merging of 18. New

players like Chris Jordan and Moeen Ali combining for the final wicket

yesterday, led by a captain who would not quit.

England's World Cup winning rugby team are arriving back in the UK,

after three successive defeats, they beat Canada in Paris last night to

lift the women's Rugby World Cup. They will hold a news conference in

London later this afternoon. Time to have a look at the weather. It felt

like water was here. You said it! It is my fault!

Exactly! We will be stuck with this all week.

There is a nagging breeze. There is an edge to that breeze. It will feel

cool because of the positions of highs and lows. A big blow over

Scandinavia and a big high with the dry weather in the Atlantic. And the

winds will come from the North. Temperatures likely to be just a

couple of degrees below average for the time of year. With showers, it

has been pretty miserable around Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire. But

we are now starting to see showers developing elsewhere and they are

going to migrate East. So hopefully, it should become drier for a while

in Northern Ireland. Showers across northern Scotland and Southern

Scotland seeing less showers. Only 15 degrees here. An improvement

across the North West of England, Manchester and Liverpool, and

increasing sunshine in Wales and the south-west of England is the showers

are moving into the Midlands and eventually eastern England, some of

those could be heavy and possibly thundery. 19, 20 degrees at the

best. No showers will continue over the evening. The next showers will

arrive in the North West, the degree across Northern Ireland, and they

will cross the Irish Sea overnight. Where the winds drop, it could turn

quite chilly, three or four degrees in some places. Tomorrow starts work

across North West England, showers in Wales and the south-west, and

those will push into eastern areas allowing a scattering of showers and

sunny spells across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Temperatures still

disappointing tomorrow for the time of year. And they will drop further

overnight, temperatures in towns and cities nine, ten. By Wednesday

morning, it could be three, four degrees. Cos the winds will have

dropped, lighter winds by Wednesday. Other than that, sunny spells and a

scattering of showers and temperatures still slightly below

average for the time of year. Toward the end of the week, another area of

low pressure will bring in more cloud and more widespread showers on

Thursday and Friday. A limited amount of sunshine, the top

temperature only 20 degrees. Now a reminder

of our top story this lunchtime: David Cameron rules out sending

ground forces into Iraq, but said Britain would step up

its military involvement. Britain is not going to get involved

in another war in Iraq, we are not putting boots on the ground, we are

not setting -- sending in the British Army.