Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News at Ten 20240921

As parkrun celebrates its 20th birthday, ive been finding out why the Weekly 5k has become so popular. And, cinnamon the Capybara Recaptured after a week On The Run from a shropshire zoo. And stay with us here on Bbc News, for continuing Coverage And Analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. Good evening. Lawyers representing 37 women, who say they were raped or sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al fayed, say he was a monster and Sexual Predator whose behaviour was enabled by harrods, the Luxury Store he owned until 2010. Harrods� current owners say theyre appalled by the allegations and have a Settlement Process in place for alleged victims. Tonight, a former manager of fulham fc� s Womens Team has told us that female players werent allowed to be left alone with the billionaire when he owned the club, because it was well known that he liked young, blonde girls. It all comes after the bbc aired this documentary yesterday, which heard testimony from more than 20 survivors. Since then, more people have approached the bbc and the metropolitan police with further allegations. In a moment well speak to our Uk Correspondent daniel sandford, and to laura scott, whos at fulhams ground. But first, heres Helena Wilkinson with todays developments. And a warning, this report contains descriptions of sexual violence. Mohamed Al Fayed, the billionaire who was a powerful figure in british society. The former boss of harrods and one time owner of Fulham Football club, he was also the father of Dodi Al fayed, who died in a Car Crash with princess diana. Today, at an extraordinary news conference, more shocking and disturbing details about Al Fayeds behaviour towards female staff at harrods were revealed. Mohamed Al Fayed, my boss, the person i worked for, pushed himself onto me. Ifell to the floor with him still on top of me but i managed to kick free. He just laughed at me. He then composed himself and he told me in no uncertain terms that i was never to breathe a word of this to anyone. I was subjected to an unnecessary and intrusive medical examination. I was never given those results. I was subjected to aids and Std Testing without consent, and now believe in hindsight i was checked for my purity. Lawyers representing Al Fayeds accusers said this was one of the worst cases of sexual exploitation they had ever seen. We will say it plainly Mohamed Al fayed was a monster. 0uraim, and our single aim, is to seekjustice for the survivors. Alongside, American Lawyer Gloria Allred who has represented dozens of victims of high profile powerful men. Mohamed Al Fayed died last year at 94 years old. He died without ever taking i responsibility for what he did to many of his victims. These victims have suffered for years, even decades. I accusations had been made about Al Fayed over a number of years. In 2008 and 2009, the police did get involved in a sexual Assault Case of a 15 year old girl, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided there wasnt enough evidence to prosecute. And then three more times between 2018 and 2023, the police consulted prosecutors for advice on other allegations, but Mohamed Al fayed died before the investigation was complete. Harrods, which has been under new ownership for more than a decade, said today that more accusers have come forward since the Bbc Documentary. They say they are utterly appalled at the allegations and have expressed sympathy for the victims. Theyve also said theyre providing a Compensation Scheme for Ex Employees who say they were attacked by Al Fayed. Highlighted here isjohn macnamara, Al Fayeds then head of security. The former senior met Police Officer was today named as one of those who threatened some of the victims. Speaking to the bbc for the first time, a woman were calling kate said that Al Fayed assaulted her a number of times. She was 22 when she started working at harrods. Hes an absolute monster. He knew exactly what he was doing, as did many other people throughout the organisation. I received threatening Phone Calls after id left harrods, threats not to speak. The police have urged any victims of Sexual Assault to contact them. For Al Fayeds accusers, theres regret that hes no longer alive to face justice. Helena wilkinson, Bbc News. Laura scott is at fulham fc, which Mohamed Al fayed owned from 1997 to 2013. Youve been talking to a former manager of the Womens Team. Tell us more about what he said. Yes, tonight ive been speaking to a former manager of Fulham Football clubs Womens Team who told me that extra precautions were put in place to protect female players from Mohamed Al fayed. He managed the team from 2001 to 2003 said that members of staff became aware that the late billionaire liked young, blonde girls, and as a result the players were not allowed to be left alone with the late billionaire owner, who owns the club for 16 years, from 1997, to 2013. Earlier, we had a statement from fulham, saying they were deeply concerned by the disturbing reports that have come to light about all Al Fayed and they were trying to establish whether anyone at this club had been affected, encouraging anyone with information to come forward, not just to the club but to the police as well and whilst lawyers representing women who have accused Al Fayed of Sexual Abuse say they are currently representing anyone who previously worked here, they said their own investigations are ongoing and wherever Al Fayed went there would be victims. Tomorrow, Al Fulham are playing here and we know many fans asking for the chance about him to be brought to an end. Daniel sandford, previous Police Investigations have got nowhere, what are the options now . He was investigated what are the options now . He was investigated four what are the options now . He was investigated four times, what are the options now . He was investigated four times, the what are the options now . He was investigated four times, the last l investigated four times, the last only ended because he died but most significant investigation was that allegation by the 15 year old girl. Police struggled to corroborate her story, which is perhaps not surprising when you consider that the Bbc Documentary was told by one woman who says she was herself raped that when she was interviewed about the 15 year olds allegations a Harrods Lawyer was present. Either way, the metropolitan police when they put the file to the Crown Prosecution Service, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Crown Prosecution Service said there wasnt enough evidence to bring charges. The head of the cps at that time was sir Keir Starmer. Downing street says the file didnt cross his desk. That brings us to today, whether there is any chance of getting criminaljustice for getting Criminal Justice for these women, Mohamed Al fayed is dead and cant be put in the dock but because so many women have come forward now i think it would in theory be possible for detectives to go through their accounts and look for patterns and see if there was anybody that seemed to be facilitating a lot of these assaults and rapes, and that does open up the possibility of somebody having a Conspiracy Charge or a Trafficking Charge brought against them, but i have to say at this stage this is just a theoretical possibility. Daniel sandford, thank you. And just a reminder you can see the full story on the Bbc Documentary Al Fayed predator at harrods. Thats on the iplayer and theres also a Podcast On Bbc sounds. The Prime Minister sir Keir Starmer, deputy prime Minister Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel reeves wont accept any further donations for clothing, says Downing Street. The Prime Minster has been embroiled in a growing controversy after it emerged he and his wife had accepted gifts, including sunglasses, tailoring and personal shopping, from a labour peer. 0ur political Correspondent Leila Nathoo has the story. Dressed for the topjobs. But at whose expense . Now the Prime Minister, his deputy and his chancellor will have to pay their own way to look sharp after Downing Street said theyd no longer accept any further donations for clothing. It was during the Election Campaign that Keir Starmer was spotted wearing more expensive looking outfits. Then a donation to his office was noticed, from this man, the influential Labour Donor Lord alli, of £16,000 for Work Clothing and multiple pairs of glasses. But pressure began building when it emerged that he had also given money towards the wardrobe of the Prime Ministers wife, lady victoria starmer. Ministers spent the week fending off questions about whether this was really necessary. Successive Prime Ministers, unless youre a billionaire like the last one, do rely on donations, political donations, so they can look their best. Im afraid im not responsible for decisions the Prime Minister makes. But anything that stops me talking about all of the work that we are doing in government to try and make things better. For whoever it might be, i of course, that annoys me. I have to say, this does seem like a bit of a distraction. Tonight, the deputy Prime Minister, angela rayner, and the chancellor, rachel reeves, were also dragged into the row, after the financial times reported they too received donations for clothing but didnt declare them as such. You dont need this. It gives the impression that almost, you know, your Mp Today is sponsored by armani or something. It just looks cheap. And also the hypocrisy of it. You know, in opposition they were saying theyre going to be, you know, change the nature of politics, be whiter than white. And it turns out, actually, theres no such thing. Number ten appears now to have realised all of this isnt a good look. As the Labour Party gathers for its annual conference this weekend, Keir Starmer will hope the focus will be on Su Bsta Nce over style. Downing street has spent this week fire fighting, trying to hose down pretty awkward and uncomfortable issues, first a row at the top of government over the Role And Influence of the Prime Ministers most senior adviser, sue gray, Keir Starmer has had to insist he is still in control of his team. And he faced this criticism over the tens of thousand pounds worth of freebies that he hath accepted since becoming the labour leader. Now, on that, number ten insists everything has been declared in the proper way, but i think it this week leading up to the Labour Partys first conference since winning power it should be a moment of huge celebration for the party, this at the very least has been a distraction to the new government trying to get on with the job. Leila nathoo, thank you. As a survey shows Consumer Confidence fell in september. With Government Borrowing rising, Christian Fraser will be discussing what that means for the economy, on newsnight, on Bbc Two shortly. Through this window is one of the countrys busiest high streets but new figures out today suggest we are spending less, more cautious, amid warnings of the pain still to come. Is it the right message . We get a view from our panel of experts, newsnight, 10 30pm, view from our panel of experts, newsnight,10 30pm, Bbc Two, Bbc Newsnight,10 30pm, Bbc Two, Bbc News and on the iplayer. Newsnight, 10 30pm, Bbc Two, Bbc News and on the iplayer. News and on the iplayer. Thank you, christian. Lebanon says 1a people have been killed In Beirut, what the israeli military says was a targeted strike which killed a senior hezbollah commander. The militant group, proscribed as a terrorist organisation, was targeted in recent days when pagers and Walkie Talkies used by their fighters exploded, killing at least 37 people. Israel hasnt commented on those attacks. Todays strike came amid the latest Cross Border Exchange of fire, with hezbollah launching more than 100 rockets into israel. In a moment well talk to our international editor jeremy bowen injerusalem, but first, this report from beirut from our chief international correspondent, 0rla guerin. Explosion. This footage captures the moment of the attack, in the heartland of hezbollah. Explosion. The skyline looks like a city at war. Israel hit hard, without warning, in the Densely Populated Residential District of dahiya. Calling this a precision strike, the target was the Veteran Hezbollah military leader ibrahim aqil. Israel said he had been eliminated, along with about ten commanders of an elite unit. At the time of the strike, aqil and the commanders of the radwan forces were gathered underground under a residential building in the heart of the dahiya In Beirut, hiding among lebanese civilians, using them as human shields. They were in the middle of planning more Terror Attacks against israeli civilians. Aqil had plenty of enemies. The us had put a 7 Million bounty on his head, accusing him of involvement in the killing of americans In Beirut in the 1980s. Day after day now, hezbollah is being hit and being weakened by warfare from a distance. We were repeatedly prevented from reaching the scene by locals and the lebanese army. Well, Emergency Vehicles have been coming and going. Weve counted at least ten ambulances coming up and down the road, going to pick up casualties. The dead are still being counted. Theres a lot of anger here, a lot of tension. This was another major strike on hezbollah here in its stronghold in south beirut. Tonight, Rescue Workers still digging in the rubble for people who lived here. Among the missing four year old naya ghazi, a threat to no one. 0rla guerin, Bbc News, beirut. Lets go tojeremy, whos injerusalem. Jeremy, your Thoughts Tonight about the State Of Play at The End of another grim week . The State Of Play at The End of another grim week . Well, first of all, i can another grim week . Well, first of all. I can tell another grim week . Well, first of all, i can tell you another grim week . Well, first of all, i can tell you that another grim week . Well, first of all, i can tell you that live another grim week . Well, first of all, i can tell you that live in all, i can tell you that live In Beirut have issued a statement confirming that that man is dead, a greatjihad is, they said, sacrifices, risks and achievements. So, after a week of, well, Exploding Pages and radios and now this rate on a meeting that the hezbollah leadership clearly thought was secret, in a basement in their stronghold in the southern suburbs of beirut, a disastrous week, and they must be wondering what else israel has in store for them. However, this remarkable tactical victories by the israelis do not bring them closer to their strategic objectives, which are first of all to stop the fire across the border into israel from lebanon, which has intensified, and to get 60 plus thousand israelis back to their homes in good border towns, which had become ghost towns. There are more lebanese on The Other Side who have had to leave their homes because of what israel has been doing in return. So whats been happening this week is, i think, israel trying to break out of the Status Quo and do some real damage to their enemies. They have done the damage but they havent changed the Status Quo, and thats why there are fears, and quite a bit of talk as well in israel, about the prospect of a Military Incursion by israel into lebanon, and that is something that israels western allies are against, but it may happen, and its part of what is looking like a very dangerous light towards all out war in the region at really one of the most dangerous moments in the last 12 months. More than 70,000 People Fighting in russias military have now died in the war in ukraine, according to new research by the bbc. Working with the independent website mediazone, Bbc Russia has analysed the names of the dead published on Social Media, in obituaries and official publications, and theyve discovered that more russian volunteers are dying on the battlefield than soldiers. 0lga Ivshina has this report. The faces of russian fighters killed in ukraine are changing. Now, more and more men in their 40s, 50s and even 60s are volunteering for the front line. 62 year old Rinat Khusniyarov was one of them. Before he volunteered, he had two jobs. Fighting for russia, he earned seven times what he did before. Russian authorities have repeatedly increased sign up bonuses to attract men like rinat. He died in february this year we dont know where exactly, but thousands of kilometres away from his home in russia. Last month, russian forces faced a ukrainian offensive in kursk, the first on russian territory. The kremlin claims this attack has encouraged more volunteers to sign up to fight. There are no official figures on the numbers of russians killed so, since the start of the war, the bbc and its partner, mediazona, have been trying to build a picture of what is happening on the front lines. We have been using photos of graves, Social Media posts and News Articles to uncover the scale of russian losses. This graph shows the extent of russias weekly Battlefield Deaths we have been able to verify since the start of the war 70,000 lives lost. But real figures will be significantly higher. It tails off a bit in recent months because were still gathering the data. It doesnt necessarily mean that fewer people are dying. Lets now bring the numbers of volunteers we have been able to identify that have died. At the start, the numbers were pretty low, as losses were inflicted on regular soldiers and convicts. But the number of volunteers dying has dramatically increased, shown with a spike last october. Since then, more than 100 volunteers have died each week, and in some weeks that has more than doubled. The spike in the number killed coincides with a russian offensive on avdiivka in the east of ukraine, one of the war� s deadliest confrontations. They are fighting a battle where they are not prepared and might not have the needed equipment to fight. There isnt sufficient preparation, and there are also Equipment Shortages or nonexistent equipment for which they havent prepared. 0ur Account only shows deaths reported publicly. The true figure of losses is likely to be higher. Asked for comment, the russian government did not respond. Earlier this year, ukraine went public with its losses, acknowledging 31,000 of its soldiers had been killed. Us intelligence suggests that number is higher. Moscow continues to push on, willing to exchange thousands of lives for small pieces of scattered land. 0lga Ivshina, Bbc News. The leader of reform uk, nigel farage, has told his Party Conference in birmingham that its come of age after Teenage Tantrums during the general Election Campaign. He said it now needs an army of supporters at constituency level. Joe pike reports from the conference. This party wants to professionalise. Where is he . Is he not here . But today began with confusion, with reform officials not entirely sure where their leader was. How are you feeling, Mr Farage . Happy, joyous. It was Third Party lucky for nigel Farages Westminster ambitions. He now wants to build a Slicker Election winning machine. It means weeding out candidates that are totally inappropriate and damage the work of thousands of others. You had a few of those. Oh, i mean, lets face it, the last election, a lot of those candidates hadnt been vetted at all. We are about building branches, we are about fielding candidates. And you actually think you can win the next election . I think, if ever theres going to be a seismic Sea Change in politics, its in the next few years. With you as pm . Me or somebody younger and better looking. Reform uk claim this conference is their biggest, and the members seem to be enjoying it. I have been a lifelong conservative voter, from the 1970s. To me, theyve let the country down. Its wrong. People have been brought to our country to take cheap jobs, if you like, and the only people who benefit from it are the people at the top having a cheaper labour force. Reforms support may be substantial, but it is not focused enough to take advantage of the first past the post voting system. Nigel farages party won 4. 1 million votes at the general election, considerably more than the liberal democrats, but ended up with just a 14th of their number of mps. 0ne perennial challenge, there seems to only be a single star in this political solar system. Our first big test of fire comes on the first thursday in may next year. We will need over 2,000 candidates. We will need you, organised, behind them, helping them. I genuinely believe that, if we get next may right, we can produce a result that is truly astonishing. Reform uk may be on a high, but labours massive majority means their big battle is to stay relevant. Joe pike, Bbc News, birmingham. The food Standards Agency has warned people with a Peanut Allergy to avoid eating foods which contain mustard, because they may be contaminated with peanuts. Many products, such as dips, sauces, salads and Pre Packed sandwiches, are among those which contain mustard ingredients. The actor David Graham best known for providing the voice of some famous Childrens Tv characters, has died at the age of 99. He was the voice of parker in thunderbirds and Grandpa Pig in peppa pig. Colin paterson looks back at his life. We are closing in on him, milady. Good, parker. Generations of children grew up listening to David Grahams voice. In the 1960s, he was parker. Yes, milady. Lady penelopes ever so loyal chauffeur in thunderbirds, basing the way he spoke on a real wine waiter. It turned out that hed been a retired member of the royal household. I think he worked for the duke of windsor. And we asked him, you know, what he thought, and he said he was a real gent. You know, they dont make them like that anymore. And we just embroidered him from then on. Oh, my lady . Is this The End of the daleks . He also voiced the daleks in early dr who alongside his friend peter hawkins. Exterminate him exterminate him last year, at the age of 98, he returned to provide new Dalek Dialogue for a restored colourised version of the original dalek story. You will go ahead of us and follow my directions. Hello but for many, the part for which they will know him best was rather less menacing. 20 years ago, he became the voice of Grandpa Pig in peppa pig. Lets watch some television. David graham said he was thrilled that Voiceover Work had allowed him to extend an Acting Career which had included being a member of sir laurence 0livier� s company at the national theatre, and one that ended giving joy to so, so many. Whee 0h Ho Ho oh, you seem heavier than before. He snorts. David graham, who died today aged 99. If youve spotted a group of runners in your local park every saturday morning, chances are its a parkrun. Its the free five Kilometre Event that began with a handful of friends in london and now sees 200,000 people taking part every week across the uk. As parkrun celebrates its 20th birthday, ive been finding out what keeps the runners and the army of volunteers coming back week after week. Ready . Three, two, one, go well done, guys. Every saturday, across the uk, there are nearly 1,300 parkruns, like this one in southall. But they wouldnt happen without people like jags and tunde, whos volunteered more than 200 times. What is it that you love so much about parkrun, then . I think the benefits really is just a very positive feeling. Its something where you have quite simple tasks so you can contribute and you can benefit, and you can see the effects of what you do. Its a sense of belonging that you have, literally. Meeting people, different walks of life, diverse backgrounds, and you have a common interest. What began as a few friends running together 20 years ago now has more than A Million registered participants worldwide. In southall, everyone has their own reason for being here. Yeah, im doing it for health reasons, but also for social reasons. And i enjoy being here, meeting people, and the sense of achievement is great. Ive been recovering after losing my husband and so i needed to do something with other people, not be isolated. Thanks, marshall. I was 96kg and i started doing the parkruns, and ive come back to 74 now. 22kg in two and a half years. Well done yeah. I am 12 years old and ive done over 100 parkruns. I cheer other people along when im finished. And, yeah, its really nice. You dont really have to think about your pace that much because everyone here is so lovely. Parkrun is now in more than 20 countries and keeps growing. We really wont stop until everyone has got access to a parkrun in their local community. We want to share the joy of parkrun with as many people as possible. Theres no right or wrong way of doing parkrun. And those who prefer to walk the course agree. I Cant Run that much but still we try to walk, you know, yeah. So maybe after some time, over a couple of weeks, we can try more a little bit run. Come on walk, Run Or Volunteer organisers believe this is a winning formula for the next 20 years. After a week On The Run, Cinnamon The Capybara has been found safe and well in a pond. The giant south american rodent, which captured international attention, is now said to be recuperating in her enclosure at Hoo Zoo near telford. Bob hockenhull has the story. The Moment Cinnamon the capybara is finally captured after a week On The Run. Staff at Hoo Zoo in telford finally spotted the elusive rodent at a pond not very far away, and waded in so they could surround her. The taste of freedom has proved highly desirable. Cinnamon was able to elude her keepers by hiding in thick undergrowth. This afternoon, the game was up. If you drew a line from her enclosure to where the pond is located, its about 250 metres, so she really hadnt travelled that far, but she was obviously having too much fun out there and didnt want to bring herself back. So unfortunately, we did have to bring bring her back. We cantjust leave capybaras out in the wild, as much as im sure wed all love that. So yeah, were very pleased that shes now back here. The story of cinnamon the escapee has captured peoples imagination. But for now, the zoo wants her to stay out of The Public Eye so she can recuperate. While cinnamon is resting from her ordeal in the enclosure behind me, the zoo says shell be checked over by vets in the coming days and reintroduced to the public next weekend. Meanwhile, an extra gate is being erected around cinnamon� s pen to make sure theres no repeat of the great escape. Bob hockenhull, Bbc News, shropshire. This programme continues on bbc one