17/10/2016 BBC News at Six

Iraqi forces begin the decisive battle to drive the Islamic State

group from its stronghold in the country.

Troops and militias converge on the northern city of Mosul.

They are up against thousands of extremists.

We're now at a distance of around 300 metres

British fighter jets have been in action -

the US led coalition is backing the operation

The UN is warning of the worst humanitarian disaster in years.

25 years after Ben Needham disappeared in Greece,

police say he probably died in an accident.

Ukip's Steven Woolfe ended up in hospital

following a row with a colleague - he says the party is in a death

There is something rotten at the heart of Ukip.

I don't think that, at this stage, Ukip is governable.

A new NHS compensation scheme for babies injured during childbirth.

We hear from a family who fought a ten year legal battle.

A Manchester reception fit for sporting heroes -

tens of thousands cheer Team GB's Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Sam Burgess says he has no regrets about his ill-fated

spell in Rugby Union, as he is made captain

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

British fighter jets have been in action today, supporting Iraqi

forces in what's being described as the most decisive battle yet

30,000 Iraqi troops and Kurdish fighters are taking part

in the offensive on the northern city of Mosul, the last remaining

Our correspondent Orla Guerin joined Kurdish fighters

here's her report from the front line.

At first light, the advance on so-called Islamic State.

Zero hour had finally come, bringing an offensive that

could decide the fate of the extremists and,

We joined Peshmerga fighters from the autonomous Kurdish region.

Their name means "those who face death", and they were ready

Well, the offensive is now well under way.

The Kurdish forces have been moving forward steadily, and we've been

We are now at a distance of about 300 metres

But this is really just the first stage of what is expected

It could take months to drive the IS fighters

First, they have to be flushed out of the villages up ahead.

There were only a handful of IS remaining, but the Peshmerga

Here's what happened when one attacker approached

Before he could reach them, his vehicle exploded.

Two more attackers were stopped by air strikes from

The Peshmerga say they are fighting a global battle.

They are not just fighting the Kurds or the Shia, says this Colonel.

We want to defeat them for everyone's sake.

And this is the territory IS has been forced to abandon.

Any civilians were already long gone.

There was little enough resistance here, but it will be a very

The Kurds are supposed to clear a path to the city,

But as they drive out IS, they've been adding to their territory,

and what they have captured, they intend to keep -

just one of the ways in which the battle for Mosul

Orla Guerin, BBC News, on the front line.

When so-called Islamic State overran Mosul in June 2014, it became a

symbol of its growing power. Its leader chose the city to proclaim a

caliphate. As our world affairs editor

John Simpson reports, liberating the city would have huge

implications for the Middle East - though the battle itself

could provoke a massive Back in June 2014, they seemed

unstoppable, driving a far bigger force of Iraqi soldiers out of

Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced he was setting up a Muslim

caliphate, covering large parts of Iraq and Syria. But their extremism

quickly alienate it people, especially given the public

brutality of the constant executions they carried out, often for trivial

offences. These men were shot at the weekend. How serious is this for

so-called Islamic State? This was the area IS controlled at the start

of last year. Now, 21 months later, it is in retreat almost everywhere.

But because Mosul is Sunni dominated, the operation will be

extremely sensitive. Kurdish troops make up a sizeable proportion of the

attacking force. The Iraqi army has a Shia majority, and there's been a

history of bitter hostility between them and this Sunnis in the region.

The force is being backed by Western air strikes against IS positions.

There are around 30,000 Iraqi and Kurdish troops altogether against

between 3000 505,000 IS fighters. But the defenders have had time to

prepare. They have dug networks of tunnels and will have planted plenty

of booby-trapped bombs. They may have chemical weapons. Britain is

involved in the Mosul campaign. As recently as yesterday, our typhoons

and unmanned aircraft were attacking positions on the outskirts of Mosul,

and our army has been helping to train the Iraqi and Peshmerga

forces. We are not putting troops on the ground in this operation. The

real danger is the attack on Mosul could result in a humanitarian

disaster. 1 million inhabitants may need food and shelter, and be used

as human shields. If things go wrong, Mosul could turn into an

Iraqi version of Aleppo, and Russia could then claim that its voracious

tactics there are entirely justified.

It's taken 25 years, but now police investigating

the disappearance in Greece of toddler Ben Needham believe

Speaking in Kos - where they've been carrying out an extensive search -

South Yorkshire Police say an accident remained "the most

probable cause" of Ben's disappearance.

Danny Savage recently spent time on Kos following the investigation

He was the little boy who vanished on a Greek

25 years on, police are now certain that Ben Needham was accidentally

For the last three weeks, British police have been conducting

a new search on Kos for any trace of him, working on the theory

that Ben was run over by a bulldozer and buried

It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result

of an accident near to the farmhouse here in Iraklis, where

The police have unearthed a vital item, indicating

It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben's

possession at or around the time that he went missing.

The recovery of this item and its location further adds

to my belief that material was removed from the farmhouse

on or shortly after the day Ben disappeared.

The last time I saw Ben, he was playing just

Ben Needham's grandad telling reporters in 1991 about the last

The family searched for him for weeks.

I've just got to keep that hope, for Ben's sake, cos we love him

And so began a campaign that took over Kerry Needham's life,

but when police returned to Kos this time, she reluctantly accepted

I don't think the police would have given this information if it

The new leads in this investigation proved to be correct,

but this will shatter Ben Needham's family, who always hoped

It seems nearly certain now that Kerry Needham has endured 25

14 teenage migrants from the so-called Jungle camp

in Calais have arrived in the UK under a new Home Office fast-track

The children - aged between 14 and 17 -

were taken to a visa and immigration centre in Croydon, where

they were to be assessed before being reunited with relatives

The Ukip MEP Steven Woolfe - a one-time leadership hopeful -

has told the BBC that he is leaving the party, saying it is

It follows an altercation with a Ukip colleague in Brussels.

The party has been beset by controversy and infighting ever

since the vote to leave the European Union in June.

This was Steven Woolfe ten days ago, in hospital after an altercation

with a fellow Ukip MEP. He says he ended up here after a meeting in the

European Parliament became heated. He asked a colleague to step outside

to talk man-to-man, but he told me he never meant for it to get

physical. He he rushed at me, and a blow to my face forced me backwards.

It was a blow that impacted me in the face, as medical reports will

show. I was pushed back into the room and hit my back head against

the back of one of the walls that was there. Contrary to this account,

the other MEP involved, Mike Hookem, has denied assaulting Mr Woolfe,

saying he didn't punch or hit him. He says he was defending himself. Mr

Woolfe later collapsed. I had had two seizures. I'd been unconscious

for some time, and there was partial paralysis down the side of my face.

You were in hospital for three to four days. What has this been like

for you? It's been a horror story. It's been quite emotional. First and

foremost, when your family have no idea what's happening to you and

they see a picture like that, you get the full impact of that. Prior

to this incident, you were the first person to say you wanted to be

Ukip's next leader. What now for those hopes? There are no hopes. I

will be withdrawing my application to become leader of Ukip. I am

withdrawing myself from Ukip. I'm resigning from the party with

immediate effect, which fills me with a huge amount of sadness. Mr

Woolfe says infighting and is in factions makes Ukip ungovernable.

There is something rotten at the heart of Ukip. Is it over for them?

I think they have a spiral, some suggested it was a death spiral, of

the rainmaking. Unless someone came very quickly and wrestled with the

issues they've got, we will see the loss of something I think shouldn't

be lost. The loss of the party? May be, their influence that they have

and the goodwill of the British public. They have let themselves

down. How are you feeling? I'm shattered. Emotionally,

intellectually it's been an incredible challenge. I feel that...

I had so much hope, I had so much expectation and inspiration to

achieve so much more. Mr Woolfe will now be an independent MEP, while the

party he is left behind seeks a new leader and a way to overcome its

inner turmoil. British fighter jets have been

involved as a major military offensive is underway to

drive so-called Islamic State And still to come -

it will be the world's most advanced and it was almost called

Boaty McBoatface. And in sport on BBC News,

it's a big night at Anfield. Liverpool against Manchester United

with Jurgen Klopp preparing to lock for the first time

in the Premier League. Thousands of people have lined

the streets of Manchester to cheer on Great Britain's

Olympic and Paralympic teams, Between them, the two teams

won a record 214 medals, both of them coming second

in the medal tables. Athletes will take part

in another celebration Our Sports Correspondent

Natalie Pirks reports. After a summer spent basking in the

Rio Sunshine, it seemed Manchester had got the weather memo. With the

fruits of their labours around their necks, photos were the order of the

day with the nation's stars. I'm loving every minute of it. It's been

a hard four years, training, injuries, it's been nice to stand on

the podium and think it was all for that moment. But this is Britain and

the weather was bound to play its part. The crowd in places not as big

as hoped. Those who made it had a simple message for the athletes.

It's been hard to find your way around and not see people who are so

excited, wearing the flags. It's brilliant. It's amazing. And it got

me out of school. Supporters had done their maths. 140 medals had

come from Paralympics GB. Similarly, Team GB smashed Olympic records,

beating their London tallied by Bosse. The first team ever to do

that after home games. For some it was the first experience of a parade

and for others the last. Jessica Ennis-Hill retired last week after

winning heptathlon silver at the Rio Olympics. I knew this was the right

decision and the right time to do it but it's still very difficult to

make it public and say it. The messages and the support I've had

over the years has been incredible so I can't thank you all enough.

It's been very special. For some, those experiences are still

beginning. Ellie Simmonds inspired GB's youngest medallist, friends

they may be but rivals to. She beat me in some of the races and I am not

happy about that but hopefully it will change in Tokyo but I support

my team-mates all the whole of Paralympics GB and Olympics GB. We

are a great team and proud to be British. Britain, it seems, is

equally proud. Manchester was chosen to reflect the contribution from all

over Britain but some locally trained stars couldn't be here

today, like Laura and Jason Kenny who won five golds between them in

Rio, they are still on their honeymoon. Tomorrow in Trafalgar

Square there will be a parade for medallists. Then a reception at

Buckingham Palace. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be there.

It's a more formal, dryer, way of saying thank you to the stars that

made history this summer. Thank you very much.

In her first interview, the new chair of the child sex abuse

inquiry has told the BBC she has no intention of reducing

Alexis Jay is the fourth chair of the inquiry, which was set up

to look into claims that institutions in England and Wales

She was speaking to our Home Affairs Correspondent Tom Symonds.

What went on here is one of the reasons for the public

So, this is what we are talking about...

He grew up in one of the houses making up Saint Leonard's

children's home in Essex, now occupied by families,

They used to pay visits to the children in the dormitories

But he is pessimistic that the public enquiry will ever

The way it is now, it is never going to come out to its final

10-15 years' time, ?150 million, of taxpayer's money,

To find out most of the people you are going after are now dead.

Its chair, Professor Alexis Jay, is under pressure

Today, she gave her first interview in this job and this response.

We have no intention to propose that any aspect of the terms of reference

But we do intend to use different models and ways of working

That means fewer public hearings, like this one.

The details yet to come but it may anger some groups.

The enquiry occupies a floor of this London office block and is currently

made up of 13 mini enquiries and reports, covering

all of these topics, from churches to children's homes.

The enquiry has to act a bit like a court, questioning witnesses

and establishing facts but also like a therapist,

supporting victims as they give evidence and, like a think tank

There's so much to do that some of its critics say it should

I treat with some scepticism the calls to forget the past

because only by understanding the lessons we can learn from that

and the possible feelings and cover-ups that might have taken

place in certain institutions will we go forward with confidence.

But the enquiry is increasingly haunted by its own past problems.

The resignation of Dame Lowell Goddard, as chair in particular.

Tomorrow, Alexis Jay will be questioned by MPs about that,

the end of this enquiry in 2020 at least, still looks

One person has died, six were injured and six are missing after an

explosion at a chemical plant in western Germany. A spokesman for the

company who run the site said the explosion happened after a pipeline

ignited at the plant this morning. A new system for awarding

compensation to parents in England whose babies die at birth

or face disability for life because of failings

in maternity care more than seven babies are either

born dead, or die soon afterwards. Compensation costs the NHS

half a billion pounds every year. Our Health Correspondent Sophie

Hutchinson has been speaking to one mother who had to fight for a decade

to get compensation 14-year-old Felix Thompson-Bland

was permanently brain-damaged when he was just days

old in hospital after NHS staff It was six years before the NHS

accepted liability for the mistake made with Felix and then ten years

before you got the compensation. I slept with him every night

for about four or five years, getting about 20-40

minutes sleep a night. As soon as we were able to get some

sort of package in place to support him, suddenly

we were able to employ what amounts to 14 members of staff who work

on a rota basis during the day and night to support

him and keep him safe. The government wants to set up

a new voluntary scheme that will speed up investigations

into alleged mistakes by NHS staff It says it wants to get away

from expensive legal battles. This is a new system

where we are going to give doctors and nurses a safe space to talk

openly about what happened To give parents an alternative

to the courts and take another step towards our ambition which is that

NHS care should be the safest, highest quality care of anywhere

in the world. But some are concerned about how NHS

staff will find the time to manage investigations into injured babies,

alongside their other work. I'm not convinced that the NHS has

any idea about the amount of work involved in carrying out

investigations of that type. They already have a shortage

of 3500 midwives and, yet, they envisage this process

being carried out with And Felix's mother says she would be

concerned if cases settled too

quickly before the full extent of a child's

injuries were understood. We never anticipated that his degree

of brain damage and the agonising movements and spasms that causes him

would cause him such The government says the scheme

won't prevent families from taking legal action if they need to

but it hopes it will help reduce Sir David Attenborough has

a new accolade to add to the many he's notched up over a decades long

career in which he's brought the natural world

into our living rooms. He was guest of honour today

at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, where construction

has begun on a research ship named after the

90-year-old naturalist. But as Victoria Gill reports -

the ship could have ended up Just reaching the

Antarctic is tough. But, at a time of rapid

environmental change, So, in a Birkenhead shipyard,

thousands of miles from the icy ocean, a polar research vessel

is under construction. News of this ?200 million UK

investment in polar science was almost eclipsed by the online

vote to name the ship with the public overwhelmingly

opting for the name Boaty McBoatface, despite that,

the vessel has been named Sir David Attenborough

in honour of Britain's If you have any knowledge

of Antarctic exploration, or Arctic exploration, or the Navy,

you can think of some very, very distinguished names

that have been carried by ships. That my name should be among them

now is a very humbling realisation. Sir David took part in a ceremony

today to begin the ship's construction winching a huge section

of its keel into place. But Boaty McBoatface

lives on - this is Boaty. It's a robotic submersible that

will be deployed from the deck of the vessel, carrying out

underwater investigations in places that would otherwise be inaccessible

for scientific research. With the first polar

mission scheduled for 2019, Sir David and Boaty will set out

to explore Earth's frozen Time for the weather now with John

Hammond. It's been a colourful day, as

confirmed by these pictures of rainbows. Sunny one moment, pouring

the next. Confirmation of the rash of showers that Manchester

experienced during the Olympic celebrations. We've got a cold front

pushing down from the North West bringing heavy, squally showers.

More northern parts of western England and Wales will be affected

overnight. By morning time, clearing up to some extent but some more

showers across western Scotland and a touch of Frost is possible in the

eastern glens of Scotland. There will also be showers elsewhere, into

Wales and parts of South West England. It could be a wet start

across the eastern counties. It won't hang around. Skies will

brighten but it will be colder tomorrow than today. You will notice

the difference despite some sunshine. Showery rain moving down

into parts of northern England. And Chile. Even further south,

temperatures down by four or 5 degrees in some places. Interwetten

state, a touch of Frost out west. There will be a few showers. Still

some coming in off the North Sea. It looks as though showers will

continue to affect as for the rest of the week. In places, look out for

some of Frost. Many thanks, John. A major military offensive is

underway to drive so-called Islamic State from its stronghold in Iraq.

British fighter jets are in action but there are fears for civilians

trapped in the city. That's all from the BBC News At Six

- so it's goodbye from me - and on BBC One we now join

the BBC's news teams where you are.