21/08/2014 BBC News at Six

New details emerge about the death of an American

journalist in Syria - he was held captive by three British jihadis.

MI5 is leading the British hunt for the man responsible for the killing.

There'd been an attempt to rescue James Foley by US Special Forces,

but he couldn't be found. The British jihadis heading for

Syria and Iraq - there's renewed concern about radicalisation online.

And on the ground in Iraq, intense fighting against

Islamic State forces - we have a special report from the frontline.

It is believed James Foley's captors had demanded a ransom of ?80

million. special report from the frontline.

Also tonight: There's a rise in the number

of good GCSE grades overall, but a sharp decline in English.

A rise in the number of homes with a water meter,

and an increase in bills. And remembering the heroes of

Bomber Command - work begins on a new memorial in Lincolnshire.

On BBC London, how safe is the capital?

We look at the threat imposed by homegrown extremists.

And the undercover officers accused of starting sexual relationships

with women, won't face charges. Good evening and welcome to the

BBC News at Six. More detail has been emerging

about the murder of the American journalist James Foley

at the hands of an Islamist militant in Syria thought to be British.

The journalist was guarded by three British jihadis,

and at least 20 more hostages are being held by Islamic State.

In a moment, new fears about the number of Britons being

radicalised on the internet, and the latest on the fight with Islamic

State forces on the ground in Iraq. But first, Frank Gardner's report

on the murder investigation contains pictures which you may

find disturbing from the start. Clues from a Not much to go on but

every detail is being studied from Islamic State's gruesome video of

their murder of James Foley. A seasoned reporter who had survived

an area kidnapping in Libya, Foley was held for nearly two years in

Syria. Reports say his captors demanded a massive ransom and later

sent his parents an angry e-mail telling them he was about to be

killed. This former French hostage spent months with Foley. He got out

because a ransom was reportedly paid. Being an American, he was

probably more targeted by the kidnappers. He was some kind of

scapegoat. Many countries do negotiate. I don't know if it is

money, I don't know if it is prisoner exchange. Some countries

like America and the UK do not negotiate. The manhunt will be

zeroing in on this Syrian stronghold of Islamic State. Most of their

foreign hostages are believed to be held in an area under IIS control.

There are believed to be at least 20 others held, including this US

journalist, Steven Sotloff. It is only a matter of time before MI5 or

the FBI identify the man who killed James Foley. Pinpointing where he is

now in the Middle East will be harder. And bringing the suspect out

of the country that is already torn apart by war will be almost

impossible. The area where most foreign hostages are believed to be

held as become a magnet for British jihadists. One is suspected of being

James Foley's killer. I think it is very likely we will discover his

identity in the next few days. We have a lot more means of finding out

who that guy is then we used to have 20 or 30 years ago. For example,

maybe 80% of the foreign fighters are involved in social media. They

have Facebook accounts, Twitter accounts, that give away a lot of

clues in terms of height, build, and in some cases their voice. Last

month the US sending commanders like these in a failed attempt to free

its captured citizens in Syria. Those left behind will remain a

massive propaganda tool. find disturbing from the start.

Here, there's been criticism of the Government's approach to

preventing extremism, amid growing concern about the

numbers of young Britons heeding the call to join Islamic State forces.

Mark Easton has this assessment of what's being done to stem the

flow of British jihadis - and the threat they pose if they return.

Come to the lands of jihad. Live amongst us. Young British Muslims

are being radicalised in their own homes. Online recruitment videos

appeal to a subculture of jihadi cool. The government says it has

removed more than 47,000 items of terrorist propaganda from the

Internet. As fast as it is taken down, Moore gets posted up. There

has been one of the most appalling videos that has been posted to

YouTube. It was immediately taken down. YouTube operates as a

community. We have more than 100 hours of video uploaded every

minute. We are swimming in an ocean of content. After the appalling

murder of Drummer Lee Rigby last year, the prime ministers set up a

task force which promised to support Muslim groups tackling

radicalisation. Confronting extremism is a job for us all. Today

the Government is being criticised for cutting the funding for such

community work. There is a disconnect in terms of the

mainstream organisations and the Government. Some feel they can

connect with the community. This has not really work. The Home Office

said today its priority was to dissuade people from travelling to

conflict areas such as Syria or Iraq. They have a range of powers at

their disposal to disrupt travel. Identifying the jihadi recruit among

thousands of legitimate travellers is a huge challenge. 23 people are

their passports confiscated on the order of the Home Secretary, often

on the basis Internet evidence. Today a man from east London,

accused of glorifying terror online, was remanded in custody by

Westminster magistrates, also charged with preparing acts of

terrorism. In the last year there has been a fivefold increase in the

number of arrests, amid fears that hundreds of British citizens

brutalised by the violence of the battlefield may be about to return

to the UK, posing a very real threat to the safety of people here. Not

everybody goes out a committed, hardened jihadist. Some go out for

humanitarian reasons. The longer they spend out there, the more

hardened and more brutalised they become. As a parent to have a son or

even a daughter in Syria, you do not have a life any more. A group called

families against stress is trying to distribute a different message. If

there is one issue that keeps police and security services awake at night

is is the veterans of Syria disappearing to British suburbia.

Frank Gardner is with me. Can we have any confidence that

radicalisation is being brought under control? No, to be blunt. It

has been a problem for some time. The government reaction to it has

been quite slow and reactive. It has built up speed gradually. This is a

big problem. The Syrian conflict has gone on for so long and is drawing

in so many thousands of recruits to jihadist extremist groups from all

over Europe, so the problem is pretty big. The difference this year

is that it has got much bigger. There is an actual address for jihad

ease to go to. It is called Islamic State. This is a charismatic

military organisation drawing in people. It is taking land. That is a

real worry for people. Now of course the other difference is that because

US air strikes have held back the jihad ease from taking over Kurdish

villages and the West has been reluctantly drawn into the conflict,

essentially Islamic State is now at war with the West. That is

demonstrated by the beheading of James Foley. Frank, thank you.

threat they pose if they return. Despite threats

by Islamic State to murder another American hostage, there were another

six US air strikes today. Iraqi forces are also understood to

have attacked the jihadists in Anbar Province, and they're battling

Islamic fighters in Tikrit. Jeremy Cooke sent this report

from Kirkuk. It is time to fight back. The Iraqi

army in full retreat a few weeks ago, now taking on Islamic State

with maximum firepower. These special forces are near Tikrit and

facing fanatical Islamic fighters. But there is fresh determination.

Victory will not come easy. Outside Kirkuk, the front line is hardening.

Here, we meet the Kurdish Peshmerga, who fought their enemy to a

standstill. Look down the barrel. Across the river just 50 metres over

the bridge. There, the black flag of Islamic State.

standstill. Look down the barrel. Across the river just 50 And

everything it stands for. The staggering thing here is just how

close the front lines are. We have clearly seen movement on the other

side. The Peshmerga fighters say they are determined to protect their

people, to protect their homes. Several attacks have already been

repelled. Their commander says his troops are ready to give their blood

and their lives. But they need help. TRANSLATION: We are asking the

international community and European countries for weapons. Our enemy has

sophisticated weapons. Hours are good but we need better.

In Kirkuk, there is no panic. The people have faith in their fighting

men who defend the city. The governor told me he remains

confident that the Islamic State will be defeated. It is a dangerous

enemy. It is not only the enemy of Iraq or Syria. It is the enemy that

can go anywhere in this world. It may be a global issue. But for now

the future of the Islamic state will be determined on the battlefields of

Syria. And Iraq. Ireland's former prime minister

Albert Reynolds has died, at the age of 81. Albert

Reynolds played a key role in advancing the Northern Ireland

peace process. His signing of the Downing Street

Declaration in 1993 led to the IRA ceasefire the following year.

He led his party, Fianna Fail, in two coalition governments,

and served as Taoiseach between 1992 and 1994.

Four undercover police officers accused of starting

relationships with women will not face sexual offences charges.

The Crown Prosecution Service says there is insufficient evidence to

prosecute the officers for offences including rape and sexual assault.

The men are alleged to have deceived political activists

in having relationships. There's been a fall in the number

of pupils getting a good pass in English GCSE.

But the overall A to C pass rate has risen slightly,

with a sharp improvements in Maths. GCSE results came out today in

England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Alex Forsyth has the details.

There were shrieks of joy from some as pupils opened envelopes which

held the key to their future. I am shaking. I'm sweating. Amid the

delight, there was some disappointment. For others, relief.

From any parents, proud. Very proud. Really pleased. We have been waiting

for this day. The number of A to C grades went up bike .7 percentage

points. There is huge variation in the key subjects. In maths, the pass

rate leapt up by 4.8 points. In English it has dropped by 1.9

points. The biggest fall in years. This volatility is down to sweeping

changes to GCSEs in England. No exams are taken at the end of two

years study, not in modules, there is less emphasis on coursework. Some

courses are tougher and fewer pupils attempted GCSEs early, then take

multiple resits. The system in the past incentivised schools to enter

pupils in different modules as they sought to raise the grades of those

pupils. The consequence was they lost out on a large amount of

teaching time. These students are feeling the effects of these

significant reforms to GCSEs introduced by former Education

Secretary Michael Gove. The point is to make exams more rigorous and keep

standards high. The concern is some students may pay the price for

changes standards high. The concern is some

students may pay the price made midway through their studies. Twins

Holly and Rosie worked hard and said the shake-up of the system did

affect their grades. I am OK with my results. I don't think they should

change it halfway through. Any change at the end of the course

produces a lack of confidence. I think it affected them in that way.

It is pulling the rug from under them really. In Wales, grades have

improved. Overall results were broadly stable. It was the same in

Northern Ireland. Neither system has seen changes like those in England.

And while these students digester today's results, there is further

change in future. For better or worse, it will affect her pupils are

prepared for life beyond the classroom.

MI5 leads the British hunt for the Jihadi extremist responsible

for murdering an American journalist in Syria And still to come:

Why McDonald's is off the menu in Moscow.

And in London: Police vow to crackdown on sexual assaults and cry

lent crime on public transport. And the fight over Green Belt energy on

Green Belt land. Now, do you have a water meter

in your home? The number of properties

which do has risen above 10 million in England and Wales as companies

in drought-prone areas oblige By next spring, 50% of all homes in

those areas will have a water meter. Many people end up paying less,

but some have seen Our Personal Finance Correspondent

Simon Gompertz has more details. Water, the more you wash up with it,

the more it will turn around the meter. The more showers. The more

clothes washing. On it goes. The more baths you have. The more you

will end up paying for it. That is what this family near Southampton

have found. Charged in line with the rateable value of the house before,

now forced to have a meter and amazed by a warning their bill would

nearly double to ?763 year. We knew it would go up. We didn't expect it

to double. We thought it would increase by maybe a quarter. But

doubling the whole amount was a shock. By next spring, around a half

of all households in England and Wales will have meters, because of

compulsory water metering. The company say it is only fair, but it

means that hundreds of thousands of families could find they have a

shock when they look at their bills. Southern Water said 38% of

households are worse off paying ?175 more a year on average. But 62% of

them, the ones with fewer people, are better off by ?159 a year. So

some of the neighbours are celebrating. You're a gainer? Yes

and we are always happy when we gain. It is less than half. You're

paying less than half what you were paying before. Yes. You don't use

much water. Perhaps I'm dirty! Southern Water is putting in half a

million compulsory meters and there will be more from Thames Water and

others. What do you say to people who are ending up with bigger bills?

That has to be a big concern for us... Charge us for what we use,

they say, and we won't waste water. You don't go to garage and fill a

lorry and pay the same amount for your petrol as a family turning up

in the family car. That is how we do things. We are bringing that in down

here in the south for water use. So not every where now, but meters are

spreading. Don't be surprised to see the installers turn up.

The Football Association is investigating claims that

the former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay and Iain Moody, the

club's former head of recruitment, exchanged abusive text messages.

They are said to include racist, sexist and homophobic comments

This report by Natalie Pirks contains some of the content

of the alleged texts which you may find offensive.

When Cardiff city owner Vincent Tan sacked Malky Mackay, as manager, Tan

was cast in the role of villain. Now it is Mackay's reputation that could

be in tatters. Lawyers raided the home of former Cardiff head of

recruitment Ian Moody, looking for evidence of financial

irregularities, but they found discriminatory text between the two.

It is claimed an official was described as:

Smith told me today he is disappointed, but if proven feels

the texts are showing a wider problem. The anti-Semitism feeling

around Europe is frightening. But it is not just about anti-Semitism. It

is anti-everything. The FA have a hell of a job and we have got to

give them every help we can. Here at Wembley, the FA say they're

investigating the dossier. It is not the first time they have had to

investigate comments made in private. Campaigners say it is high

time those in power took action. The FA itself would admit privately it

has shirked its responsibility and has not asserted itself in the way

it should as the body responsible. This is a real key moment for it.

Having backed off once, can it move forward now? ? Moody resigned from

Crystal Palace today, but he has been unavailable for comment. Mackay

said he will fight the claims. He had been the forerun foretr

manager's job at Palace. But with allegations suggesting views that

belong in football's fast, the club felt he wasn't the man to take them

forward. That quintessential American export

- McDonalds - is facing Several branches have been closed

in Moscow, because The move comes at a time

of deteriorating diplomatic relations between Washington and

Moscow - as our Moscow correspondent This is Pushkin Square,

in the heart of Moscow, and every time I come here,

I remember the day nearly 25 years ago, when Russia's first McDonald's

opened its door in the USSR. I was studying in Moscow

at the time, and I came down here to join the queue, and the crowds that

day were absolutely incredible. The queue went all

the way round Pushkin Square. It took me three hours to actually

get inside and be served, such was the level of excitement

here, that American burgers had burst through the Iron Curtain,

and were being served up in Moscow. Today, though,

it is a different story. The food inspectors have ordered

three of Moscow's McDonald'ses to be closed, citing Sanitary problems.

This is a signal to the public at large, America is our enemy. Things

are American are suspicious. For food safety or any other reason, we

will not put up with our consumers being exposed to things American. It

is a similar story in the shops. Centre stage now are Russian

products. After Moscow banned imports of meat, dairy, fruit and

vegetables from America and from the EU. It is the cell lip's response --

Kremlin's response to western sanctions. But are people here

bothered about the burgers? I prefer boot root soup and dumplings. This

is 99% politics. Russia's looking for ways to hit back at the west. We

did find someone at McDonald's today. This cow mascot for a Russian

fast food chain. At least someone's happy.

During the Second World War, Lincolnshire was home to thousands

Today, the first turf was cut for a memorial centre

which will tell the stories of those involved in the conflict.

And to mark the event, the final two airworthy Lancasters

flew in formation, along with the last flying Vulcan bomber, over

Through Lincolnshire sky appeared a rare and precious sight. Led by a

Vulcan, the last pair of flying Lancasters roared over RAF

Waddington. Both here to remember those who served with bomber

command. RAF Lancasters of bomber command... 55,000 Lancaster crew

members lost their lives in the Second World War. Their average age

was 22. Jeffrey Whittle knows the story of sacrifice too well. Five of

his crew were killed. We were a happy bunch. We were all young. We

never thought we wouldn't come back. But of course 50 odd thousand

didn't. With only two air worthy Lancasters left, it is hard to

believe that once more than 7,000 were in the skies. In a sense, this

is where the Lancaster belongs. Lincolnshire was nicknamed bomber

county, because so many missions flew from here and today is about

remembering the bravery of the crews on board. Men gave Nair lives during

-- their lives during the war and there were incredible tales of

bravery. And we can use these planes not just for sxhemration, but --

commemoration, but for inspiration. To remember those stories, 70 years

on a memorial to bomber command will be made here in Lincolnshire. A

reminder of the crews who risked everything. Now the weather. Susan

Powell is here. A cool and showery story to finish off our day. The

breeze will ease over night and then the skies clear in Scotland and

Northern Ireland and temperatures down into single figures in rural

areas. In the south some heavy showers in the Bristol showers and

the south-east. There could be some heavier showers around for the likes

of Kent and Sussex for tomorrow morning's rush hour. Elsewhere, a

dry picture with some decent sunshine. Still the north-westerly

breeze, but lighter than it has been. Still feeding in some showers

to Northern Ireland and Scotland. But drier with more sunshine and a

lighter breeze should add up to a warmer feeling day. Up to 21 in the

south-east. But in many areas temperatures still on the low side

for the time of year and that is a theme that will take with us into

the weekend with some chilly nights and if you're lucky to have Monday

off, the stories changes and it would become very wet and windy.

Here is Saturday. Not a bad day. Some heavier showers in the

north-west. But a lot of dry weather and plenty of sunshine. But thanks

to clear skies and the light breeze, Saturday night there is the risk of

a touch of frost. It could be a very chilly night for August as we under

this high pressure. We are are are set for a good looking day on

Sunday. But by the end of the day, things are set to change and an area

of low pressure coming in. I think it will bring some rain into

Northern Ireland through Sunday and then plough across the British Isles

for Monday. And Scotland will be driest and brightest. Thank you. Now

we join our news teams wherever you are.