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tv   BBC News  BBC News  February 20, 2024 1:45pm-2:01pm GMT

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we start with more on that breakthrough in the search for a man wanted over a brutal chemical attack on a mother and her children in south london. police believe his body has been recovered from the river thames. detectives previously said they believed abdul shokoor ezedi — a 35—year old refugee from afghanistan — went into the river, and died, hours after the attack. on monday afternoon, a boat reported seeing a body in the water at tower pier. the body was then recovered by the met�*s marine policing unit. detectives working on the investigation said they strongly believe it's ezedi — based on the distinctive clothing he was wearing at the time of the attack and the property found on his body. let's speak to charlie rose in the newsroom. thank you for your time, charlie. what is the latest? figs thank you for your time, charlie. what is the latest?— what is the latest? as you say in the ast what is the latest? as you say in the past hour— what is the latest? as you say in the past hour and _ what is the latest? as you say in the past hour and a _ what is the latest? as you say in the past hour and a half- what is the latest? as you say in the past hour and a half or - what is the latest? as you say in the past hour and a half or so . what is the latest? as you say in| the past hour and a half or so the metropolitan police have released a
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statement basically saying that the man they believe, they suspect of carrying out that horrific chemical attack in clapham three weeks ago, they believe his body has now been found. it was three weeks ago on the evening of 31st of january when a woman, 31—year—old mother, and her two young daughters aged three and eight, were doused with a corrosive chemical alkaline substance. one of the daughters and the mother were taken to hospital. the injury to one of the young girls was eventually thought not to be as serious as first thought. but the mother is still in hospital. she has been sedated but her condition is said to be improving. this attack launched a huge, widescale manhunt involving three police forces, the metropolitan police, the british
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transport police and northumbria police because the suspect abdul shokoor ezedi has links to newcastle. police have spent many hours scouring lots and lots, hours and hours of cctv, tracking his movements after the attack to clapham underground station, tower bridge station, king's cross, the victoria line, and eventually they tracked him to chelsea bridge and that's where the trail appeared to end. he was seen making his way onto chelsea bridge on the cctv, apparently pacing up—and—down the bridge and leaning over the bridge. but there is no cctv to suggest he left chelsea bridge. this is four hours after the attack on 31st of january. this is why police believe he then fell into the river and their latest theory was that he was in the water and they launched a
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major search of the river thames to find the body of abdul shokoor ezedi. and he has now been found yesterday at four o'clock a little further downstream in the city of london. his body was discovered by a passing boat. police say it is his distinctive clothing and the items on his person which leads them to believe strongly that it is the body of their suspect in this case, abdul shokoor ezedi. mil of their suspect in this case, abdul shokoor ezedi.— shokoor ezedi. all right, charlie, thank ou shokoor ezedi. all right, charlie, thank you for— shokoor ezedi. all right, charlie, thank you for that _ shokoor ezedi. all right, charlie, thank you for that update. - shokoor ezedi. all right, charlie, thank you for that update. police have also said they believe it will be a considerable amount of time before they can officially confirm that it's his body, given the amount of time he has spent in the water. now in the past few minutes — yulia navalnaya — the wife of russian opposition leader alexei navalny has had her social media account reactivated on x, formerly twitter. the account was blocked just one day after she created it — following the death of her husband. the account @yulia—navalnaya is now accessible again, less than an hour after it was
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suspended without explanation. now — an update on the nottingham attacks in which barney webber, grace o'malley—kumar and ian coates were stabbed to death by valdo calocane. he was sentenced to detention in a high—security hospital after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. the attorney general has decided that the sentencing was unduly lenient and that it should now be referred to the court of appeal. the mother of barnaby webber has just given her reaction. i'm pleased to say it wasn't what we expected, so we have met with both the attorney general and the solicitor general this morning who have reviewed the referral for the unduly lenient sentence that was handed to valdo calocane. find unduly lenient sentence that was handed to valdo calocane. and what was the conclusion? _ handed to valdo calocane. and what was the conclusion? the _ handed to valdo calocane. and what was the conclusion? the conclusion | was the conclusion? the conclusion
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was the conclusion? the conclusion was effectively _ was the conclusion? the conclusion was effectively they _ was the conclusion? the conclusion was effectively they agreed - was the conclusion? the conclusion was effectively they agreed with - was the conclusion? the conclusion was effectively they agreed with us | was effectively they agreed with us and that having reviewed all of the papers, they feel that it is appropriate that it now gets referred to the court of appeal which will go to the royal court of justice with three high courtjudges who will review all of it and assess if they are also an agreement which could mean the sentencing also will change. labour is calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in gaza. that's the first time the party leadership has used those words since israel began its military operation in the territory, last october. previously labour had called for a �*sustainable ceasefire'. the new phrase is part of an amendment that will be debated by mps on wednesday. here's the shadow foreign secretary david lammy. keir starmer and i have been calling for weeks for the fighting to stop, for weeks for the fighting to stop, for aid to get in. the situation has evolved and on the ground it is intolerable.
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and the rafah attack cannot go ahead. we are following our five eyes partners, australia, new zealand and canada who a few days ago made it clear that there has to be an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. we are mirroring that language, and indeed some of the language and out of the united nations. everyone wants the fighting to stop. but we also want this to be a permanent cessation of violence. it's absolutely clear that that ceasefire has to last and our motion also talks about the circumstances in which we can see a lasting and sustainable immediate ceasefire. that was the shadow foreign secretary david lammy. last summer, the prime minister apologised for the historical treatment of lgbt veterans, who were sacked or forced out of the military for being gay. an independent review recommended the government could award compensation. but seven months on, many of those affected haven't received any money. our lgbt and identity
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reporter, josh parry, has more. i've offered my life for my country, and that's the way they treated us. joe ousalice is no stranger to battles. in the royal navy he fought in the falklands war. came in with a huge pair of scissors and said, "sorry, mate, i need your medal," and just cut it off my tunic. when his medals were taken away because of his sexuality he battled the establishment to get them back and won. but now he faces a battle of a different kind. i don't think i'm going to be here much longer. and i really do want to get this sorted. i've got prostate cancer, chest cancer. and i found out yesterday morning from my doctor that it's possibly moving up into the brain now. so i don't think i'll be the same person in a year's time. when joe's bosses found out he was bisexual, it was the end of an 18 year naval career. disgusting people such as myself, there was no place for us
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in the modern day armed forces. and as such, he would recommend to the admiral that they dismiss me. he's spent the 30 years since campaigning, first to lift the ban on lgbt people in the military and later to get compensation for those affected. the government will say schemes like this take a while to put in. it's at a time when budgets are very tight. what would you say to that? the prime minister said they would make recompense and yet here we are six months later, still waiting for it. i'd like to get it settled now and then that is one part of my life over and done with. it was illegal to be gay in the british military until the year 2000, when this group of veterans took their fight against the ban to the european court of human rights. in 2023, an independent review recommended 49 ways the government should make reparations, including this apology from the prime minister. the ban on lgbt people serving
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in our military until the year 2000 was an appalling failure of the british state. more than six months on and for leigh, an raf veteran from liverpool, things aren't moving fast enough. today, on behalf of the british state, i apologise. when are the reparations forthcoming? what's happening? we know nothing at the moment. an apology isjust not good enough. when he firstjoined the royal air force in 1980, he was still discovering his sexuality. i didn't really know what i was. i had just turned 18. i thought i might be gay, maybe if ijoined the armed forces, it might get rid of it out of me. obviously, that's impossible, ridiculous thing to think. flight lieutenant doyle, i'll never forget his name, lovely guy, he laid the charges out against me. he said, "what do you say to that?" and i said, "yes, sir, it's all true." he says, "i'd like you to go outside the room. you go outside the room now, take five minutes, have a little think, and then come back in and i'll ask you the same question again."
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well, isaid, "no, thanks, sir, i'm not going to change my mind." it was more important for you to be true to yourself? it was, yeah. it was the bestjob i've ever had, it really was brilliant, it was. and it was alljust taken away? snatched, yeah. i was going to say my fault, but no, it wasn't my fault. it doesn't mean you should lose yourjob for what you are. despite his dismissal, leigh looks back at his time in the forces fondly. but now his thoughts are turning to his ill health. do you have faith that you'll ever see any of these reparations? a little, a little, but not very much. i would like the government to take into consideration people who are terminally ill. now, because i'm at this age, i've got a terminal illness, i'd be able to go on my last holiday, i'd be able to pay my bills off. tomorrow couldn't be quick enough for me. it should be done now. the government say they have already delivered a number of recommendations from the independent review and that they're working at pace to deliver the rest. forjoe, leigh, and hundreds of others, it can't come soon enough.
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josh parry, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with stav danaos. hello there. after a quiet start of this week, things are set to turn one settled over the next few days as low pressure systems bring wet and windy weather to our shores but it will be mild for the next couple of days before things turn colder from thursday onwards. this weather front sinking southwards across the country bringing some splashes of rain here and there. ahead of it, cloudy, breezy and mild, behind it brightens up for scotland and northern ireland with sunshine, some blustery showers for western scotland and feeling a bit cooler here behind the front but ahead of it very mild for the time of year, 13—14 or 15 degrees. through tonight, things turn a bit drier for northern, central and eastern areas, temperatures plummeting but it won't last across southern and western areas. wet, windy, milder weather spreads northwards, up to 10 degrees in plymouth by the end of the night,
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touch of frost likely across central and north—eastern scotland. wednesday looks decidedly unsettled, a deeper area of low pressure moving across the country, more isobars on the chart so it will be windy with gales around coasts and the rain will be quite heavy as well, falling on saturated ground, this could cause some issues with localised flooding in places. gales unlikely around irish sea coasts and across northern and eastern scotland but a blustery day for all. the rain takes its time to clear through the morning. into the afternoon it will brighten up with a few showers, northern and western areas, taking its time to clear east and south—east of england. the last of the mild days for now as it has been mild for more than a week now, 12 or 13 degrees, 8—11 across the north. and then into thursday, another area of low pressure crosses the country, bringing another spell of wet and windy weather but you will notice as it pulls away into the north sea late on thursday we opened the floodgates to a colder, west, north—westerly wind and the cold air will be with us for the end of the week into the weekend as well.
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a rather messy picture for thursday, wet, windy, certainly windy across southern britain, a spell of heavy rain spreading from west to east, and again could cause issues with localised flooding, gradually turning more to sleet and snow over the hills in the north as the cold air begins to move southwards but it will be a brighter end to the day across northern areas but chilly, as you will see, 5—9 celsius. the cooler theme last friday into the weekend, sunshine and showers, the showers will have a wintry element in the north and night will be cold with a touch of frost in places.
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live from london, this is bbc news. the mother of russian opposition figure alexei navalny demands president putin release his body. translation: the decision - on the question depends only on you. let me finally see my son. i demand you immediately hand over the body of alexei so that i can bury him. the prince of wales says he wants, "to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible," in a major intervention on the israel—gaza conflict. and labour changes its position on the war, with its shadow foreign secretary calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. the situation now in gaza is intolerable, with a dramatic loss of life, intolerable, with a dramatic loss of life. with _ intolerable, with a dramatic loss of life. with so — intolerable, with a dramatic loss of
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life, with so many people facing starvation. police recover a body from the river thames believed to be

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