27/08/2014 BBC News at One

South Yorkshire's Police Commissioner refuses to resign,

despite calls for him to stand down over "appalling" child abuse

Shaun Wright, who was formally in charge of

children's services in Rotherham, admits that the scale of the abuse

I do not think any of this was my direct fault.

What I take is collective responsibility.

When you are a member of a 63 member council you take collective

responsibility for the actions of that organisation.

We'll have the latest from Westminster.

The UN says crimes against humanity are spreading

in Syria, with civilians attacked by both President Assad's forces

Royal Bank of Scotland is fined more than

?14 million for serious failings over mortgage advice to customers.

Warnings that the rising birth rate means council budgets can't cope.

The couple celebrating 80 years of marriage, so what's

We love each other. The most useful thing is, as long as I agree with

her... The Metropolitan Police Commissioner

calls for stricter controls over The family of a 16-year-old who died

after a hit and run in Hertfordshire Good afternoon

and welcome to the BBC News at One. South Yorkshire's Police and Crime

Commissioner says he will not resign following a damning report on

widespread child abuse in Rotherham. Shaun Wright, who was responsible

for children's services in the town between 2005 and 2010,

admits that the scale of the abuse More than 1,400 children were

sexually exploited by criminal But a short time ago,

Labour said he should step down. Yesterday the full extent of child

sexual exploitation in Rotherham was revealed and today there are many

questions for the Pakistani and Muslim community. Why was this

behaviour not challenged? For the police, why were there so few

convictions? The leader of the council resigned yesterday, but why

were those directly involved in child protection have been -- been

disciplined yet? The contents of this report may be distressing.

1400 victims of sexual exploitation in one town. Today the people of

Rotherham are trying to understand how such crimes could have been

committed and why those in authority ignored all the warnings. It is

shocking it has been going on for so many years. I see all my friends on

the streets at ten o'clock at night and I would be terrified if that was

me. It is a thing that has always been going on. Like it is normal

from when I was growing up. Emma says she was groomed by men in

Rotherham from the age of 12. Sexual exploitation began a year later. She

told police she had been raped several times. These perpetrators

make you think it is just life and that is what it is and you are

worthless and the police response back that up. You feel like you are

overreacting and maybe that is how life is hard what you are worth.

Most of the perpetrators were men of Pakistani origin but some staff at

the council feared speaking up, afraid of being called racist. That

anger is this man who feels that abusers should be treated like any

other criminals. It is like a bomb has been dropped. The community of

Rotherham is broken and will break from if we do not deal with that in

a proper manner. -- further. It has been allowed to happen because of

political correctness. It is ridiculous. Pressure is increasing

on the elected police and crime commission for South Yorkshire who

was the cabinet member for children's services in Rotherham. I

do not think any of this was my direct fault. I take collective

responsibility. I take collective responsibility for the actions of

the organisation. Some of the council such a detailed independent

report would clear the air, but for the victims, all of the many

apologies so far will not be enough. This was a report commissioned by

Rotherham Council which says it has accepted all of its recommendations.

It believes child protection in this town has increased dramatically in

the last five years, but many here are saying that those in charge at

the time, Shaun Wright and others, must be held accountable, given that

so many lives were ruined over so many years by such terrible abuse.

Our political correspondent is in Westminster. Labour have said that

Shaun Wright should step down. Can he survive? His position has become

more tenuous because he has lost the confidence of labour. They have said

that he should step down. Ed Balls has said that he should consider his

position and Yvette Cooper is going to call for his resignation

publicly. If he is determined to stay on, there's very little can do

to host him as the police and crime Commissioner -- oust. Labour would

like to see him step down of his own accord but difficult to force him

out. How embarrassing is this? It is hugely embarrassing because

Rotherham is a Labour stronghold and has a Labour MP. Labour were in

government when some of these allegations were being made so I

think questions will be asked what ministers knew about this in the

past as well. Labour are saying, is it not time that the Home Office got

under way this overarching inquiry into historic child abuse

nationally? That is what is needed and they set sadly it is likely that

other incidents will come to light, not just Rotherham.

Royal Bank of Scotland has been fined ?14.5 million for failing to

ensure customers were given proper advice about their mortgages.

The City watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority, says the bank,

which is largely owned by the taxpayer, did not fully consider

people's budgets, and did not advise them on a suitable mortgage term.

Our Business Correspondent Emma Simpson reports.

This is how Royal Bank of Scotland sells its services when it comes to

buying a home. It is one of the most important financial decisions you

can make, but the bank has been fined for the way it sold mortgages

to those in customers. The Financial Conduct Authority says RBS and its

retail division NatWest failed to give suitable advice, for instance

failing to take full account of the customer's budget. Only two out of

164 sales reviewed were considered to have met the required standards.

RBS has agreed to contact the 30,000 customers given advice. It is

another blow to this bank's reputation. It took place after the

financial crisis. After RBS was bailed out by the taxpayer. The bank

says lessons have been learned. We did not do enough job of designing

the process correctly so that our staff could help our customers. That

is at the heart of this. We have redesigned our sales process, the

steps we ensure our advice is go through to help our customers, we

have retrained all other advisers. The bank thinks that only 1200

customers have lost out financially and says it is prepared to pay

compensation to put things right. United Nations investigators have

published graphic details of atrocities they say are being

carried out by the Islamic State The report says

the jihadists have carried out frequent public executions, forcing

adults and children to watch. The UN also says Syrian government

forces drop barrel bombs The mag years of intense fighting

has laid waste to many of Syria's men cities and towns -- three.

Thousands of people have died. The conflict goes on. United Nations

investigators say with all sides committing war crimes what is

happening in Syria should be referred to the international

criminal court. In their latest report, the UN investigators

highlight the deteriorating situation. Saying that government

forces have dropped barrel bombs containing chemical agents on at

least eight occasions this year. There has been systematic torture

and deaths in Syrian jails. On the other side, Islamic State is forcing

boys to join training camps. Public executions by Islamic State are

commonplace in the area under its control. According to the UN

investigators, those responsible for all these atrocities must ultimately

be held to account. Our work is based upon the pursuit of justice.

One important element is to document the violations with well check

evidence -- checked. We have computerised thousands of victim

interviews. It is the particular brutality of the Islamic State

militants which is singled out in this report. The group is growing in

strength, having already seized control of parts of Syria and Iraq.

There have been celebrations in Gaza after a long-term ceasefire

between Israel and the Palestinian group, Hamas, came into effect.

The truce, brokered by Egypt, aims to end weeks of fighting

that's claimed more than 2,000 lives, most of them Palestinians.

Israel has said it will now ease its blockade of Gaza to allow

More than 130 senior business leaders have signed a letter saying

the case for Scotland's independence from the UK has not been made.

They argue that "uncertainty is bad for business".

Today, the campaign for a Yes vote has moved to the

Northern Isles, where there have been calls for more independence

Our Scotland correspondent James Cook is on Shetland.

Good afternoon. We are closer to Oslo than London. Proof that the

campaign is touching every part of Scotland. We are three weeks away

and the campaign here as elsewhere is getting under way.

Setting sail for Shetland, 12 hours across the North Sea to a land which

was once part of Norway. Over the next three weeks politicians will

cross the country trying to win over every floating voter. I am not

entirely sure how good my sea legs are. It seems no opportunity is

wasted. This was on the overnight ferry. How would the islands

benefit? Nicola Sturgeon said a yes Ford would mean more powers for the

islands. -- Yes vote. We want powers to move closer to the people they

match the mag affect. Many voters are as sceptical about rule from

Edinburgh as from London. The Liberal Democrat represents the

islands as this gorgeous parliament says the SNP are all talk. -- at the

Scottish Parliament. We have had seven years of nationalism and they

have removed powers from our responsibility to I do not think

anyone will believe the campaigners promising something which may happen

with independence. The main demand here is more say over island

affairs. We want our own powers. Whether it comes from Edinburgh or

London, we want to be able to do our own thing. It does make you wonder

why so many politicians are coming up, because they are worried about

the Shetland vote, and I think we should get more independence. It is

uncharted waters, sailing towards a vote which could change the face of

these islands and this nation. What about this letter, business

leaders saying uncertainty is bad for business? How much impact is

that likely to have? It is certainly interesting. It is published in the

Scotsman newspaper. It has just arrived here. Most of the people who

have signed this letter, the most prominent figures, it is not a

surprise they are signing against independence, but they reflect a

variety of sectors in Scotland including oil and gas and whiskey,

so they said there are problems ahead and the other side say they

will come up with answers, particularly on currency.

A nine-year-old girl in America has accidentally killed

her shooting instructor while he was showing her how to use

The child's parents were filming the lesson as the 39-year-old man

showed her how to use the submachine gun at a firing range in Arizona.

But when she pulled the trigger she lost

Just nine years old with a loaded machine gun in her hands.

The little girl is shown how to fire the lethal weapon.

Moments later, unable to control the gun's recoil, she accidentally

Charles Vacca, a 39-year-old former soldier,

who was married with a young family, was airlifted to hospital

The shooting range is known as Bullets and Burgers and is marketed

as a family day out to include lunch and the choice of more than 20

It has been defending the policy of allowing children to handle guns.

When a nine-year-old gets an Uzi in her hand...it is within the criteria

of eight-years-old to shoot firearms.

They are under the supervision of their parents

The tragedy has reignited controversy over gun control

Many Americans cherish their right to bear arms

but the debate over whether that right should be shared by the

South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Shaun Wright,

insists he will not resign - despite mounting pressure

following a report into widespread child abuse in Rotherham.

and what it means for the future of the sheepdog.

calls for greater care - as a quarter of blind

and partially sighted people say they've been hit by bikes.

And Hackney launches the UK's first food assembly -

allowing local suppliers to offer the convenience of online shopping.

The rising birth rate is creating so much demand for school places

that council budgets cannot cope - that's according to the

It says councils in England have had to meet

a ?1 billion shortfall, and are cutting back on school repairs

That's despite what the Department for Education is calling

Four-year-old Elliott is so excited about starting school next week he

is trying on his uniform. But it has been a struggle to find him a

suitable place. His mum's first choice was full and she felt class

sizes in the second option were too large for Elliott, who has The

government says it has poured billions into helping local

authorities creates school places. We have provided ?5 billion of

capital, double what was spent by the last government, and that has

created 260,000 places already with 300,000 in the pipeline, so we are

tackling a problem we inherited. The government says it is working hard

to ensure pupils like Elliott are not in large classes. It claims

fewer pupils are in overcrowded schools. As these children grow up

and go on to secondary school the pressure on places will grow with

them. California has been hit by its worst

drought in a century. Authorities are drilling deeper and more often

in search of ground water but with little success and it looks as if

the problem is going to get worse. Two months ago, this woman's taps

run dry. The ground water level dropped beyond the reach of her

well. Only air comes out. She is one of hundreds of households affected.

Depending on neighbours to sheer if they cannot afford to dig deeper

wells -- share. It is hard for farmers. This rate is digging a well

400 metres deep. It costs nearly $0.5 billion. Without rain, tapping

ground water is the only way to keep crops alive. With unregulated

drilling, nobody knows how long it will last and a lot of farmers want

wells. California's Central Valley is one of the most productive

agricultural areas on the planet. Around 80% of the world's Hollands

grow year. -- almonds. They have done a great job of increasing the

population but have paid no heed to the infrastructure that it takes to

support doubling the population. I cannot tell you if there is climate

change or if this is a new normal. I cannot predict it. I do not think it

is. I will not make any decisions based on guessing what the weather

is going to be. Satellites tracking ground water reserves, data shows

that California is in trouble. It is really bad because we are having a

tremendous loss of ground water in the Central Valley. I expected will

accelerate over the next year -- expect it will. I expect this will

become the new normal. Where I am standing should be underwater. This

reservoir is a fraction of its capacity. It is a third lower than

it would normally be at this time of year. Until these reservoirs fill up

again, the farmers of California's Central Valley will continue to rely

on precious ground water to feed their crops until there is nothing

left. Sheepdogs, farmers have used them

for centuries, and scientists have been looking at whether robots could

do the job just as well. Scientists have said they have solved the

mystery of how sheepdogs get sheep to move in the same direction, and

it comes down to two basic mathematical rules. This report

contains flashing images. How does a ship with a whistle and one dog

control a flock of unruly sheep? Scientists believe they have

unravelled the mystery. This collect data every second, it tells me where

the sheep are located. They use this to form a mathematical model. It

says there are two rules. The dog must gather the sheep together and

keep the flock tightly packed in order to move forward. It is a

simple algorithm that could have far-reaching uses. If we can take

what's the dog is doing and apply it in a broader sense, maybe we could

use it for the environment. Maybe you want to get robots to come back

to a certain location. Or people in a smoky room and cannot use other

cues, you could use able but. -- a robot. The power of the Shepherd has

fascinated scientists and the public for years. 8 million people used to

watch one man and his dog. It takes two years to do basic training.

These are just nine weeks old. It is their curiosity and intelligence

that could help scientists to develop robots. To stop him, I say

stand. Some shepherds are sceptical. This blog is four. -- dog. It is

done through my contact. Sometimes the sheep will challenge the dog, if

they think there is weakness, they will get someone else to come along.

Many will still wonder whether man-made machines could replicate

such instincts. A couple are celebrating their 80th wedding

anniversary today. A lifetime spent having the time of their lives.

Boris and Helen knew they had been dealt the luckiest of hands,

celebrating eight decades of marriage. Did you think this could

last 80 years? I did not think it would last a week. Helen, 101,

Morris, 102, first met in 1929. After about three hours my mother

said to me, who is going to throw him out, you or me? That was the

beginning. It was love at first sight. They married on this day in

1934. What is the secret? We do not know. We are very tolerant of each

other and we do love each other. The most useful thing is that as long as

I agree with her... 80 years ago, bread was tuppence, wages ?3 per

week. They never once forgot their anniversary and shared everything.

You must not be hard on each other and if you have to give in a little

bit, you get then a little bit. -- give in. Four generations of family

have come from 80 years of marriage, known as an oak wedding

anniversary. They have the longest of roots in the deepest of

affection. Do you still love each other? Yes. Do you? Watch it!

The cloud is closing in and we have some rain across Devon as court --

and Cornwall. Let us look at the sunshine, which is likely to be a

cross Scotland. Northern Ireland clothing over a little. Sunny spells

for northern England. The cloud tending to thicken over the

south-east of England and we will continue with outbreaks of rain on

and off through this afternoon but it will be this evening when the

weather front brings heavy rain for a time. It is keen to get across the

British Isles. Some of the heaviest of the rain towards the end of the

night towards Scotland and northern England. It will be a grey and wet

start but the front is off into the North Sea. Many areas becoming drier

and brighter. Look out for sharper showers across northern Scotland and

the south west through the second half of the day. In the sunshine a

pretty pleasant story. Friday sees an area of low pressure. Tightly

packed isobars are the first clue to the fact it will be a pretty windy

day especially in the north-west. Some showers possible for Northern

Ireland and Scotland. England and Wales should CDs and sunshine.

Saturday we will tend to see showers in eastern areas. More persistent

rain in the far north-west, but of the two days this weekend I think

Sunday will be better. It should feel pleasantly warm. If it is the

warmth you are missing, next week could turn out to be promising.

Settling down midweek on words and then it looks as if we could see

some warmth returning for the start of September. Temperatures into the

low 20s. Hopefully we're not done with some.

South Yorkshire's police and crime commission says he will not quit

despite calls from the Labour Party for him to resign.