18/07/2014 BBC News at Six

President Obama says the Malaysian plane was shot

down with a surface-to-air missile, killing 298 people on board.

He says it was fired from an area in eastern Ukraine controlled

An Asian airliner was destroyed in European skies filled with

There has to be a credible international

80 children are now known to be among the dead.

Air crash investigators are heading to the scene.

The faces of some of the ten British victims - students, a former BBC

As international pressure grows on Russia there's still no

confirmation of the whereabouts of the plane's black box.

Israel continues its ground offensive in Gaza as the

number of Palestinians fleeing their homes nearly doubles in a day.

Evidence of a sustained attempt to impose a hardline Islamist agenda

in some Birmingham schools, according to a leaked report.

And Britain basks in the hottest day of the year.

We reveal how some councils are refusing to tax empty properties

And the primary where teachers claim they were forced to buy

President Obama says the Malaysian airlines plane was shot down

by a surface-to-air missile fired in eastern Ukraine

from an area controlled by Russian-backed separatists.

He described it as an outrage of unspeakable proportions

and demanded a ceasefire and a credible investigation.

298 people died when flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur

Ten of the victims were British, among them university students,

a former BBC journalist and two football fans.

President Obama has accused Russia's President Putin of not

He said Russia had given the rebels a steady flow of support,

Our Moscow correspondent Daniel Sandford is at the scene in Grabovo.

You may find some of the images in his report distressing.

The stark horror of the field of debris where flight MH17 crashed to

earth, the place where the bitter war in eastern Ukraine suddenly

ended the lives of people from around the world, this evening still

controlled by rebel fighters. TRANSLATION: There was a very strong

rumble, then a sort of explosion, and then people started falling from

the sky. People were appearing right from the clouds. When we ran out, we

saw part of a plane falling over our house. There are more parts of the

plane in the yard, and papers, too. We also found this piece of a credit

card from an American bank. In the nearby fields of sunflowers,

off-duty miners, searching for the bodies of the passengers and crew

who fell from the sky, almost 300 of them, their dreams and futures

apparently blown apart in midair. The hopelessly inexperienced

rescuers have found about two thirds of the bodies but around 100 are

still missing. The bodies, body parts and debris are spread over

almost ten miles. It is a tragic and devastating scene. People's clothes

and belongings and their life jackets are scattered among the

charred bodies. You can still smell the death and the burning in the

air, but it is going to be a huge challenge for international

investigators to get here and operate here safely. This is the

middle of a war zone. With rebel checkpoints and closed airspace, it

took us around 24 hours to get here from Moscow. There is confusion at

the moment about who has the black box flight recorders, so it is hard

for an investigation to start. The best theory is still that the plane

was shot down by a sophisticated anti-aircraft missile fired by

someone targeting a Ukrainian military plane, but it is not clear

who. The government military plane, but it is not clear

it was the rebels, or even the Russians. It claims these are

pictures of a launch system being taken back from eastern Ukraine into

Russia. We ask all respective governments to participate in this

investigation and to support the Ukrainian government to bring to

justice all these bustards who committed this international crime.

In Moscow, the man Kiev accuses of supplying the rebels with their

sophisticated weaponry was keen to spread the blame.

TRANSLATION: I express my condolences on behalf of the Russian

Federation and I want to underline that this tragedy would not have

happened if this land was at peace, or combat operations had not been

resumed. It is obvious that the state on whose territory this

happened bears the responsibility for this. But the US president said

that Vladimir Putin was not doing enough. There has to be a credible

international investigation into what happened. The UN Security

Council has endorsed this investigation and we will hold all

members, including Russia, to their word, in order to facilitate the

investigation. Russia, pro-Russian separatists and Ukraine must adhere

to an immediate cease-fire. Ukraine and Russia have been at Bagger is

drawn since Russia took over Crimea in March. Things have only got worse

since then and now almost 300 people, none of them Ukrainian or

Russian, have paid the price with their lives. Daniel Sandford, BBC

News, Grabovo. Throughout the day stories

have been emerging about those Two-thirds

of the victims were Dutch. And there were dozens

of international delegates heading to an AIDS conference in Australia,

families heading off at Among the ten British victims,

a university student heading to Australia for six months and two

Newcastle football fans on their way These pictures so passengers

settling down on board flight MH17 yesterday, a familiar routine. --

show passengers. Four hours later, everyone on board was dead, their

lives cut short in an instant over Ukraine. In a back garden in

Newcastle today, the father of one of the victims told me about his

28-year-old son who he will never see again. Liam Sweeney grew from a

schoolboy who loved Newcastle United to a young man who was on his way to

watch them in New Zealand, on the trip of a lifetime. Ringing up the

emergency lines, whatever, hoping, to be honest, that one of those nine

Britons was not my son. Horrible towards somebody else, but you do

think of your own one when something has happened. I would rather it was

me sitting on the plane. Liam was travelling with fellow lifelong fan

John Alder. Friends left tributes to him at the club. John was there in a

suit, cheering the team on, showing his passion. The club has set aside

this dedicated area for the two fans who they say were known to thousands

of supporters. Newcastle United have said the loss of the two fans is

truly devastating. Also on board, 49-year-old Glenn Thomas from

Blackpool, a press officer for the World Health Organization travelling

to an aids conference in Australia. Other British people on the plane

included Ben Pocock from Bristol, a student at Loughborough. And Richard

Mayne, also a student, who studied in Leeds. But it is the Dutch who

bear the brunt of the death toll. These two were heading off on their

holidays. She ran a flower shop in a town north of Amsterdam. The grief

here is obvious. We can do nothing. All we can do is lay down flowers

and think about them. We know them very long. It's a tragedy. I don't

know what to say. Little shrines are popping up around the world now to

remember the lives snuffed out yesterday. This is the grief of

family and friends which will last for the rest of their lives. Danny

Savage, BBC News. The plane's flight path took it over

Donetsk in the troubled region of eastern Ukraine,

a route some airlines had chosen to There are also concerns

about the whereabouts of the plane's Richard Westcott looks at what

the investigation will focus on. Investigators will be desperate to

secure the crash scene as soon as possible. Right now there is no

guarantee evidence hasn't been moved, or even taken away by the

people there. It won't be an easy investigation. The Ukrainians would

normally take charge but the crash site is in an area controlled by the

people they are fighting. However, one former investigator who worked

on the Lockerbie bombing says that once experts arrive it should be

full of clues. If you have a missile warhead explosion, or an explosion

of something on board an aircraft, the surfaces that get washed by the

blast tend to have traces of explosive left on them. So it is

then possible to swab the surface, send that to a laboratory, and

relatively easy to identify the actual explosive. It is a missile

from a launch are like this one that they will be looking for, a Russian

made launcher. It is radar guided and easily able to reach the

aircraft. The maximum range is more than double the altitude of the

airliner. Expert operators, are trained to identify what they are

aiming at before firing, but in the wrong hands it is easy to make a

mistake. They may have had enough training to get a lock on a target

and scan for targets, but not enough to understand the full intricacies

of the system. For example, telling between different transponder codes,

which would indicate a civil aircraft, rather than military.

There are now questions about why airliners were flying over a

conflict zone. These radar tracks show that Malaysia had been using

the same route for some time because it had been officially declared safe

over 32,000 feet, and they want a loan. Look at Lufthansa, using it,

too, along with dozens of other airlines. But British airways

decided to avoid Ukraine altogether. Incidentally, this is the radar

picture from earlier today. You can see the aircraft now skirting around

the danger zone. So, where does the investigation go from here? As ever,

recovering the black boxes is vital. One of them records sounds in the

cockpit and you would hear an explosion. Anyone with a stake in

the flight will want to be involved. It is a Malaysian airline, an

American aircraft, with British engines, made by Rolls Royce, and

there were at least ten nationalities on board. It will be

one of the most controversial aircraft investigations ever, and

one of the most closely watched. Our Transport Correspondent Richard

Westcott. In a moment we'll talk to our

diplomatic correspondent, Bridget Kendall in Moscow but first let's go

to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam This tragedy is being felt

particularly in the Netherlands, where so many of the victims were

from. Yes, almost 200, we believe, Dutch nationals on board this

flight. One newspaper said the country is being submerged under

grief. Right across the country, not just the flower shop you saw

earlier, but right across the country outside the houses of

victims, in town centres and elsewhere, outside one house where

we now know six family members, the whole family was wiped out, there

are candles, there are flowers, as, really, a nation begins to come to

terms with what has happened. The Dutch prime minister cut his holiday

short. He said that if it does turn out the plane was brought down by a

missile strike, he vowed to bring the people who fired that missile to

justice. We owe it to the victims, he said, and their families.

Malaysian airlines has said it will try to fly the relatives of the

victims, those who wish to go, to the crash site. Some of them are

being looked after at a hotel not far from where I am standing. The

overwhelming feeling here in the Netherlands this evening is one of

profound shock and anguish at the immensity of their loss. Let's speak

to Bridget Kendall in Moscow. The Americans are piling on the pressure

on President Putin. How is he likely to respond? We have heard from him

and his Foreign Minister a bit. In some way 's, their remarks sound as

though they do want to cooperate. They do want a cease-fire and an

international investigation. And they have held back from directly

accusing the Kiev government of possibly being responsible directly

for shooting down the plane, which has been aired in the Russian media

and some of the rebel fighters have said. More broadly, they say that

Kiev has to bear responsibility and there is no hint from any Russian

official that they are conceding the point that heavy armoury and

fighters have gone across-the-board and this might be what is

responsible for what has happened. But why would they? People in the

outside world are talking about criminal responsibility. Why would

Russia admit that? The key is what they do. President Obama asked

President Putin to close the border, and will they accept the outcome of

any international investigation? Thank you.

The other main news tonight, less than 24 hours after Israel

began a ground offensive in Gaza the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu says he's prepared for a significant expansion into Gaza.

The UN says the number of people who've fled their homes

in Gaza in the past 24 hours has almost doubled to 40,000.

Lyse Doucet reports from Beit Hanoun.

Late last night, Israeli soldiers crossed into Gaza on foot, backed up

by tanks and artillery. A major escalation in its military campaign.

This morning, families are on the run. Beit Hanoun sits next to the

Israeli border. run. Beit Hanoun sits next to the

they can carry they are run. Beit Hanoun sits next to the

as they can. We were sitting run. Beit Hanoun sits next to the

houses, she cries, they started shelling us. We went to a

relative's house and they started shelling there. Israel says its

forces are searching for tunnels used by Palestinian militants for

cross-border raids. Are there tunnels used by Hamas? Why is this

area targeted? TRANSLATION: There are no tunnels.

There is nothing in our area here. That is just what they want to tell

the other countries to justify this. This is one of the key areas of

their targeting. The drones are in the sky. We have heard tank shells

being fired and artillery, and we have seen families on the run,

running in every possible direction, not sure where the military

operation is going, not sure where they should go for safety. In Israel

this morning, the Prime Minister convened his security cabinet.

TRANSLATION: We chose to start this operation after exhausting other

options and out of an understanding that without the operation, the

price could be much higher. Israel is already warning it could

significantly widen its military operations. More reservists have

been called up. Israel says it is not seeking to topple Hamas, which

controls Gaza. But today we witnessed another air strike

targeting its leaders. Hamas says it won't destroy them. Lee's Doucet,

BBC News, Gaza. President Obama has described

the Malaysia Airlines plane disaster as an outrage of unspeakable

proportions and called for And lighting up the night sky, 3,000

lightning strikes leave a trail Why the Essex couple who took

their children out of school to go on holiday so facing prosecution is

a breach of their human rights. And heading to Glasgow,

we catch up with the Reading man There have been passionate

and personal testimonies in the House of Lords today during a debate

to change the law to allow Under the proposals, a terminally

ill patient must be judged to have Two independent doctors would be

required to agree that the patient had made an informed

decision of their own free will. And the patient would be required to

administer the lethal dose Our medical correspondent, Fergus

Walsh has been following the debate. You do not want people to have the

choice! Powerful views on both sides. This is a debate which has

polarised opinion. They charged atmosphere with a record number of

peers wanting to speak. One Briton a fortnight goes abroad for an

assisted suicide. Supporters say it is time to change the law here. The

current situation leaves the rich able to go to Switzerland, the

majority relied on amateur assistance, the compassionate

treated like criminals, no safeguards in respect to an due

pressure now and many people caring so much for those they leave behind,

dying earlier and alone because they fear implicating their loved one in

a criminal enterprise. But Baroness Campbell, who has a serious

life-threatening disability said the proposals were frightening. The bill

purports to offer choice, the ability to face death rather than

disempowerment. But it is not a choice. Pain, suffering and

disempowerment are treatable, I have to believe that. There is a profound

gulf between those who see assisted dying as the right for the

terminally ill and those who feel it could become a duty for the

vulnerable and disabled. This law would change the moral fabric of the

country. We believe that this current time in society, where there

are cuts to the NHS, social welfare is being cut, this is not the time

to have assisted suicide legislation. There were moving

stories from campaigners for and against. Many who had lost loved

ones. My wife wanted to die with dignity. She was denied that. She

had excruciating constipation and was down to six stone. She said she

was so tired and poorly and this was no life. Realistically, there is no

chance that the bill will become law but this issue will keep re-emerging

and both sides will have their arguments ready.

Millions more adults in England could now be offered

cholesterol-reducing drugs to protect them

It comes after the health regulator NICE recommended

statins should be extended from high-risk to low-risk patients.

But some doctors fear the move could do more harm than

This five side team, mostly men in their 50s and 60s, are mostly fit

and healthy. What will happen when we ask who should be prescribed the

cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins. Under the current guidelines, two

men not currently taking medication would be offered statins. I think we

take too many pills but if it is necessary, it is necessary. If it is

medically proven then I would give it a trial. NICE said over three

years, statins would prevent two deaths, four strokes and seven

nonfatal heart attacks out of 1000 people. That may not sound

impressive but on a population scale of millions, that is tens of

thousands of lives saved. Prevention is better than cure. One of the

mainstays of modern medicine is to use health care treatments including

medicines, to prevent bad things happening in the future. These new

guidelines mean millions of us could soon be offered statins and that has

led to concerns that so many otherwise healthy people could end

up taking a pill every single day for the rest of their lives. A small

but significant number of experts worry about the medicalisation of

society. Almost every man about 60 years of age and every woman 65 is

eligible for statin treatment. To me that is putting statins in the

drinking water. I think we are medicalising a condition which is

manageable. Doctors are divided about how many more could or should

benefit. There is evidence

of a sustained attempt to impose a hardline Islamist agenda

in some Birmingham schools - that's according to a leaked draft

of the official report in It comes on the same day that

the city's council published They've apologised for not

acting sooner for fear of being It is the end of term but the school

cannot escape the spotlight. It is one of five at the centre of claims

of a takeover plot by hardline Muslims, something parents today

said they just don't recognise. It is just to prove a point. The school

is good. But we spoke to one current teacher at the school whose identity

we agreed to disguise, who described an increasingly Islamic ethos. The

other macro first it was a trickle. New staff coming to the school were

more and more Muslim. They seemed to get the idea was an Islamic school.

One member of staff said he wanted to see an Islamic state in the

country. Findings from the Department for

Education were leaked to a newspaper. They said, this could

leave young people vulnerable to radicalisation. A report published

by Birmingham City Council said there was no conspiracy to take over

schools or encourage extremism. They did find some individuals were

promoting a slight practice and it agreed that weakness in governance

and a failure by the authorities at the warnings had allowed this to

happen. There is a culture in the City Council where individuals who

could have taken forward action on matters have not done so, because of

the fear they might be branded a racist or Islamophobic. The

Department for Education will not comment until it has officially

published its enquiry. While what has happened here is disputed, the

focus is now on how to prevent a similar situation in the future.

There were spectacular storms last night as large parts of

This week's heatwave hit a highpoint today,

In Gravesend in Kent, temperatures soared to 32.3 degrees centigrade.

For many, the holidays start here and beaches across the east coast

are filling up with visitors enjoying the sunshine and soaring

temperatures. Hemsby in Norfolk is one of the hottest parts of the UK.

But this is the calm after the storm. At Worthing in West Sussex,

But this is the calm after the the sky was alight. Lightning struck

more than 3000 times in two hours across the UK, generating dramatic

pictures from viewers. The roof of this house in Streatham in London

caved in. In Portslade near Brighton, lightning damage to this

property both inside and out. Luckily, no one was hurt. We were

all looking and we could see the lightning and here it is. Then we

heard a crash. Tony Cross/ through the storms in the early hours to

begin his holiday in Norfolk. His family are heeding warnings about

the heatwave but they will not have any complaints about the

temperatures here. You can never mind about the weather because you

never know when you will get the hot weather, do you? I never moan! We

are experiencing a heatwave but it is lovely on the beach! And there

was a gentle breeze along the shore in Southwold in Suffolk. Apps only a

brief respite with more thunderstorms predicted. -- perhaps

only a brief respite. Hello, in the south we did hit 32

Celsius. But, with more heat available, that means tonight's

storms have more energy and potentially more violence. They are

already brewing in France. They will drift in the Southern counties in

the evening and really expanding overnight. Tonight's storms packing

more of a punch. Yes, more lightning and thunder but also torrential

rain. Even if you do not get the storms it will be a difficult night

for sleeping. Generally dry across Scotland and Northern Ireland. In

the morning, the storms will track across northern England and

Scotland. Then a bit of a mole with more storms developing by the

afternoon. They will be somewhat hit and miss. It may stay grey in

Scotland. Perhaps not too many storms in Northern Ireland. We are

keeping an eye on areas from northern England down towards

southern England. The atmosphere is very volatile. Pinning down the

exact detail is very difficult. The storms may not be in exactly this

position. But please do take note, they are potentially going to cause

some problems. The Met Office has an amber warning in force, torrential

rain and the possibility for travel disruption. They continue on

Saturday night. Generally, dry and brighter start on Sunday. Still warm

and humid.