14/08/2017 BBC News at Six

A humanitarian disaster in the West African

After torrential rain, a mudslide has buried a part of this

Thousands more have been left homeless.

Emergency workers are stretched to the limit.

This is a country still recovering from the Ebola crisis.

Seventy years since British colonial rule in India ended

A nation created - a home for Muslims -

but amidst the celebrations there are memories of a darker past.

The partition into Pakistan and India was followed by violence

I'll be reporting live from Lahore - asking people here whether the high

hopes of independence have been realised.

A fifty per cent increase in the number of air

A sound you won't hear for four years.

From next week Big Ben will be silent while repairs take place.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News...

Police have received complaints about Neil Lennon's conduct

His actions were believed to be inflammatory.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

More than 300 people are feared dead and others remain trapped

after a mudslide near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.

A hillside in the Regent area collapsed early on Monday

following heavy rains, leaving many homes buried

Around two-hundred and fifty bodies have been recovered so far.

As our diplomatic correspondent James Robbins reports.

Snatched video on a mobile phone shows a torrent of mud and water

carrying away everything in its path.

This driver risked his life on a bridge all but overwhelmed

Freetown is an overcrowded coastal city.

it has few defences against heavy rains. They come every year but not

usually with quite such ferocity. Around 250 bodies.

the authorities fear there could be many more trapped in

I went down to the spot myself and you could see people

using their bare hands, pulling up corpses

The road itself is a disaster area, the road is almost impassable.

There are massive rocks and this area, called Mount Sugarloaf,

caved in in the early hours of this morning and it has covered literally

Hundreds of people are feared dead under the rubble.

There are some ambulances parked here, but it is becoming a recovery

The victims in Sierra Leone are among the world's poorest people.

Survivors risking everything to salvage a few possessions,

trying to hang on to whatever they can despite the rising water.

This would be tough enough for any country but Sierra Leone, a few

years ago was battling with the Ebola crisis. This is the country

with the tragic recent history, a civil war in the 1990s and then in

2014, their Ebola epidemic across West Africa but it killed more than

4000 people in Sierra Leone and frankly once again, a very weakened

economy has been struggling to recover from that crisis. According

to the United Nations, about six in every ten people in Sierra Leone to

live below the poverty line, many come to the capital in search of

some sort of living and they often build very fragile shacks from

whatever they can find in the most unsuitable places, on river banks,

on the edges of the city, low-lying land reclaimed from the sea making

them particularly defenceless to a disaster like this. Thank you.

Celebrations have been taking place in Pakistan as the country marks 70

At midnight on August 14th 1947 British colonial rule over India

came to an end and the country was divided into two

independent nations - India and Pakistan.

What followed was a bout of sectarian violence that split

The partition led to the movement of around 12 million people in one

Many Muslims fled east and west out of Hindu-dominated India.

Similarly, millions of Hindus and Sikhs headed the other way.

But today, it's the birth of their nation, that

George, Lahore feels like one giant St party and you can probably hear

it, there are flags and horns and fireworks. Pakistanis are

celebrating two things, the end of British colonial rule and also the

splitting from India. Pakistan was created as a homeland for the sub

continent 's Muslim people but there has been a debate going on about

exactly what sort of country it should be. I have been looking at

the hopes of the country's founding father and looking at how

differently his vision has been interpreted by people today.

In Pakistan's former capital Karachi, Mohammad Jinnah's home is

Jinnah led the creation of Pakistan, but today his legacy

Just what sort of nation did he envisage?

Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's first Governor General.

As the British left colonial India, Jinnah was desperate to secure

The answer was a separate state, Pakistan.

Our objective should be, peace within and peace without.

But peace seems often to have eluded this nation,

Poverty and security remain major issues and the debate over

For this leading politician, Jinnah's vision was for

a secular Pakistan, one that hasn't been fulfilled.

I think Mr Jinnah would still be looking at moving us forward

He made it very clear, it tolerated all religions,

but we haven't been exactly the epitome of total

That's because others see Islam as central to Jinnah's vision.

The constitution, they say, is Islamic in nature and successive

governments have failed to implement it.

What otherwise was the point they ask of creating Pakistan?

Jinnah rebelled and struggled against secularism.

There was secularism already in India with the Hindus

and the British and Muslim identity was at risk.

That is why he made Pakistan, an independent Islamic state.

But others say Pakistan's real problem is not

Its might is on display every evening at the border with India,

with troops strutting and goose-stepping in a full-blooded

Over a third of Pakistan's 70 years have been under military rule.

The military were supposed to be a subordinate

I think he never ever could have imagined that the military

would have played such an important role and would have dominated

He would be turning in his grave if he came to know that.

The military was in ceremonial mode today with an airshow

to mark the anniversary of Pakistan's creation.

It is a public holiday and people were out in force in a mass show

Jinnah's resting place is this magnificent mausoleum

in Karachi, a fitting tribute to the first leader.

He bequeathed to his people self-government and a democracy,

but Pakistan still struggles with what its true identity might be.

Along with independence came partition that brought with it

shocking violence on both sides. Our Pakistan correspondent has been

speaking to those who fought, those who fled and those who helped

shelter potential victims from slaughter.

In 1947 as British colonial rule ended, India was divided

Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who had lived in relative peace

Amongst those involved in the violence was Mohammad Akram,

He helped attack a Hindu politician who had been calling for calm

TRANSLATION: Someone struck him on the head with a brick.

Whoever doesn't hit him, isn't a real man.

Me and the rest of the crowd beat him to death.

Do you ever regret your role in the killing?

TRANSLATION: Our people were being murdered.

Up to 1 million people were killed in 1947.

Many of the most brutal attacks were on the trains carrying refugees

into and out of Pakistan, across the divided

Naseem is the eldest of five generations of her family living

The train she and her five-day-old baby were travelling on to Pakistan

TRANSLATION: We hid under the luggage.

They came on board, slashing everyone, cutting their faces,

There were piles and piles of bodies.

Naseem lost nearly all her immediate family in the unrest.

The horrors she witnessed continue to haunt her.

TRANSLATION: The fear never leaves you.

I still clearly remember how they used to strip

Even now, I feel scared, that any time someone

Atrocities were committed by both sides across the country.

Even here in these peaceful valleys north of Islamabad,

But amidst the horror, there were heroes, too.

Mehboob and his father secretly hid their Sikh neighbours

TRANSLATION: One night, there was a knock on our door.

She said, for the love of God, save us.

Mehboob is proud of what he and his family did.

He remembers fondly the time when Sikhs and Muslims

In Pakistan though, many prefer to look to the future,

But each anniversary of partition, there are fewer left

Sikander Kermani, BBC News, Islamabad.

Well, there is optimism in present-day Pakistan particularly

among the younger generation but there is no disguising the

challenges. Only last month the Prime Minister was forced to resign

over corruption charges and security is a constant issue with two big

bomb attacks in the last few weeks. Tomorrow I will be reporting from

Amritsar in India as that country celebrates its 70th birthday, but

for now, from a very festive Lahore, it is back to you, George. Thank you

very much. NFU mutual sake rounds in the

countryside have risen by one fifth in the first half of the year.

Last year England bore the brunt of rural crime with the cost

Next was Northern Ireland, at ?2.5 million.

And then Scotland with ?1.6 million and Wales, ?1.3 million.

Live now to our Midlands Correspondent Sima Kotecha, who's

on the Warwickshire-Leicestershire border.

Yes, at this farm they have several vehicles like this one. They have

tractors, a combine harvester, sprayer but earlier this year

several pieces of their equipment were stolen, leaving the former here

feeling isolated and nervous, something other farmers across the

country can identify with. For farmers, it's an added pressure

- having to constantly think about their vehicles and animals

being stolen by criminals targeting So this was the dome

that was stolen. Just weeks ago, Will had his GPS

systems stolen off his tractors, It makes you feel sick that someone

has been in your shed. But they can just get

in and take everything. And it is stolen to order

as well, I would say. Because you're not going to sell it

at your local car boot. Today's crime report says theft

in rural parts of the country has been worse this year

than in the first six We're seeing gangs of very

well-organised thieves targeting tractors and equipment that's worth

hundreds of thousands of pounds. It is easily

transportable to Europe. They can get there in a matter

of hours, and also it is being As this form of crime increases,

there are concerns that thieves And that is putting more pressure

on farmers to remain one step ahead So now they are installing

multiple CCTV cameras, electronic gates and,

in some cases, they are using DNA markers on their sheep

to protect them from rustlers. David is a dairy farmer

who makes cheese. Last year, equipment

was stolen from his workshop. Do you think farmers are doing

enough to keep their farms safe? You shouldn't have to do so much,

should you, but we are certainly I think we just need more police

on the ground, really. And I know that is probably a tall

order under the current climate. We can only protect ourselves

to a certain extent. We have been broken into twice

and we have had a horse trailer You know, how can you protect

yourself against that? Ask any farmer and they will

tell you life is tough. But the additional threat of theft

makes that burden even A humanitarian disaster

unfolding in the West African state of Sierra Leone -

as hundreds die in a mudslide Better late than never -

President Trump finally condemns violence committed

by far right extremists. Cristiano Ronaldo has picked up

a five-match ban after Real Madrid's Spanish Super Cup

win over Barcelona. It's after he reacted

to being sent off by pushing It may be something you've already

experienced this summer as you headed off on holiday -

drunken air passengers. Now a BBC Panorama investigation has

revealed nearly 400 people were arrested on suspicion

of being drunk at UK airports or on flights

in the year to February - The Home Office is "considering"

calls for tougher rules It is what some UK passengers

are getting up to on An investigation by BBC Panorama has

revealed arrests of those suspected of being drunk at UK

airports and on certain flights has risen

by 50% in the past year. And half of 4000 cabin crew

who responded to a survey for the programme said they had

experienced or witnessed verbal, physical or sexual abuse

by drunk travellers. They just see us as

barmaids in the sky. They would touch your breasts

or they would touch Ally has recently quit

her job as cabin crew. I guess I never reported it

to the police because sadly, and this is completely wrong

and only really occurring to me now, you kind of just accept

it as part of the job. Diverting flights because of drunk

passengers can cost He's already banned

alcohol sales before 8am and wants airports

and retailers to do more. Two litre steins of beer in bars,

mixers and miniatures in duty free shops, which can only be

there for one reason. A voluntary code of conduct

was introduced last year, which most big airlines

and airports signed up to, including making it clear

to passengers there could be fines or charges

for disruptive behaviour. Coconut rum, it's

a bit early, but... The organisation running airports

says the code does work but it's people drinking

to excess that's the problem. Despite this, there are calls

for airport licensing to be brought into line

with pubs and bars. The government is expected to make

a decision on that this autumn. And you can see more on this

on tonight's Panorama. To America now and the aftermath

of the violence that surrounded the weekend's rally by far right

groups in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the last few minutes, President

Trump has condemned as repugnant the violence perpetrated by those he

called white supremacists and neo-Nazis. It follows criticism from

Democrats and many in his own party for failing to speak out over the

actions of the far right in his first comment after the weekend's

events. As our north America

Editor Jon Sopel reports. The president has returned to

Washington from holiday this morning to meet the director of the FBI and

the Attorney General following weekend violence in Charlottesville.

Meanwhile in the University of Virginia town, there were scuffles

outside the court where James Alex Fields appeared this morning on

murder charges after a car ploughed into antiracism protesters. Oh, my

God! Badly hurt! The President's everyone's to blame response and

silence since led to a firestorm of criticism so why has Donald Trump

been so unusually calm tide over this? Well the number of fully

paid-up white supremacists may be relatively small but the number who

have sympathies is probably far larger. They were among the most

vociferous supporters of his last November. Certainly, his surrogates

have condemned the far right but Donald Trump reluctantly so. Today,

48 hours on, a marked shift in language from the battle president.

Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals

and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and

other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as

Americans. We are a nation founded on the truth, that all of us are

created equal. We are equal in the eyes of our Creator. We are equal

under the law and we are equal under our Constitution. But this was too

little, too late for Ken Brazier. Today, the boss of one of America's

pharmaceutical companies resigned from the President's industry Forum,

saying" for -- saying:. Within minutes, Donald Trump fired

back at this prominent African-American:.

Donald Trump is bent to criticism, something that has not happened

often, but it has left many asking, why didn't he deliver these remarks

two days ago? We will get more on this with Jon

Sopel in Washington. I said before better late than never but the

question is has he done enough to satisfy his critics? If we just look

at the words themselves, they were very unequivocal, the kind of

language Donald Trump has never used before in his condemnation of the

far right that I have heard, the white supremacists, the neo-Nazis

and the KKK. In that sense, no one can then say to him, "Hang on, he

did not really give it full throttle". I think he did in the

remarks he addressed but that said, why didn't he do that two days ago?

Why did it seem he was giving a nod and a wink or just going for a moral

equivalence, saying there were bad things happening in Charlottesville

and everyone was to blame. I think the White House has been shocked by

the level of criticism it has taken from this, particularly from across

the Republican party, leaving the Democrats to one side, Republicans

have been shocked by Donald Trump's seeming silence on this. The other

thing I thought was really telling, we are used to watching Donald Trump

riffing, going off on a tangent when he speaks. He clung to the lectern

tightly, he focused on the camera because there was the teleprompter,

the autocue in front of him, he knew he could not get a word wrong on

something as important as this, which has already caused in the

space of 48 hours so much damage to him. Jon Sopel, thank you very much.

A plan to build a bridge covered with trees over the River Thames

in central London has officially been scrapped.

Almost ?50 million of taxpayer money has already been spent

on the Garden Bridge - but London mayor Sadiq Khan withdrew

funding after a report recommended dropping the project.

The bongs of Big Ben will fall silent for four years next week

so that major conservation work can be carried out on its tower.

The chimes will still be used however, for important national

events such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday,

as our political correspondent Leila Natthoo reports.

These chimes have filled the Westminster air for more

than a century and a half but soon, a four-year pause as the great bell,

Big Ben, is silenced, so crucial repairs can

If you can imagine running your car for 160 years nonstop,

24 hours a day, it will need looking at, so that is what we are doing.

We will be able to at this time, because it is such a long stoppage

period, check absolutely everything on the clock.

Still ticking, for now, but the clock mechanism needs attention.

It is connected to the hammers that strike the bells.

Piece by piece, it will be dismantled.

And because the whole tower is being renovated, too,

the construction workers cannot be subjected to the regular ringing.

It's deafening to be at this close range without these

But from next Monday, Big Ben and all the four smaller

quarter bells will get a rest, depriving Westminster

Repairs on the tower have already started and soon, the scaffolding

Not quite the same sight to come and see.

Big Ben is Big Ben and people want to see Big Ben,

That would definitely be a bummer, for sure, to come all the way

But you have to look at the advantages.

If we are going to secure the tower for the future,

for future generations, that far outweighs the inconvenience

of having scaffolding up to two or three years.

Big Ben will still be able to herald special events like the New Year

and Remembrance Sunday, but in the long break

from its constant ringing, a strange silence will descend here,

in the absence of its reassuring sound.

Leila Natthoo, BBC News, Westminster.

Time for a look at the weather. Here's Ben Rich.

One thing that has not been running like clockwork is the summer this

year. We have seen a real lack of hot days so far this August. In

fact, today, believe it or not, we have recorded the highest average we

have seen all month, all the way up to 25 Celsius at Gravesend in Kent

earlier today. Where we see some sunshine this week, there will be

some warmth but generally quite a cool week for most with some spells

of rain and certainly a few showers around for one of our Weather

Watchers in County Down, Northern Ireland. We have seen some fairly

intense thunderstorms clipping into Northern Ireland in the afternoon,

some rain moving across Scotland and now some heavy rain swarming across

the far south-west, south-west England coming to Wales, the odd

flash of lightning and rumble of thunder as it drifts northwards

across northern England and into eastern Scotland by the end of the

night. Further thunderstorms riff -- returning to the far south-east

later in the night. Skies clearing out West and into the north-west

corner of Scotland, cool and fresh air. Tomorrow, outbreaks of rain in

places but most will clear away quite smartly. We are left with not

a bad day, spells sunshine and showers, yes, some will be heavy and

sundry across Scotland, the far north of England and Northern

Ireland but by the South, not many showers, many places staying dry and

most of us will be pegged back to 17-19 but in the south-east corner

again, we could get 24 - 25 Celsius. A ridge of high pressure building

through tomorrow night into the first part of Wednesday, quite a

cool start and where the high holds an across central and eastern areas

Wednesday, should be largely dry with some sunshine, turning quite

hazy. Out West for Northern Ireland and western Scotland, eventually

Wales and the south-west was the outbreaks of rain, some heavy with

blustery winds as well. For the end of the week, we keep the mixed and

changeable theme with some spells of sunshine, showers as well,

unseasonably cool and perhaps unseasonably windy on Friday so a

mixed week ahead. A humanitarian disaster

is unfolding In the West African state of Sierra Leone,

as hundreds die in a mudslide That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me. On BBC One, we now join the BBC's

news teams where you are.