World International.
Battleground Basra. British troops tell IGV News the city is spiralling out of their control.
We came under attack from the side. What looked like to be an ambush.
Rocket-propelled grenades, small arms fire, blast bombs.
A new crisis in Iraq as our troops face the constant threat of ambush.
Also tonight, up and up, record oil prices to hit us all in the pocket.
Pedal medal, the Britain who raced to victory in the cycling.
And Junior Doctor, how this four-year-old quick thinking saved his mum.
Good evening. An ITV News team has seen firsthand how the British military is losing the battle for control of Basra.
Iraq's second city is in the grip of a violent uprising and armed militiamen have the upper hand.
With three soldiers killed in as many weeks, British troops told us they are frightened by how fast the security situation is deteriorating.
Since June, control of security in Basra has been in the hands of the Iraqis and that's meant the British are not allowed to take decisive action.
To make matters worse, British soldiers are being targeted by militiamen from Maktad Al-Sadr's Medi Army who have infiltrated the city and brought anarchy to the streets.
At times, they control the city centre. For British patrols, there are no-go areas.
Ambushes are constant and so serious, British troops are regularly confined to barracks because of the ferocity of the attacks.
Well, our reporter, Martin Geisler, has had exclusive access to the British forces in Basra and heard from them about a city spiralling out of control.
Flying fast and low, this is now the only safe way into Basra for the British army.
For almost a fortnight, Iraq's second city has effectively been under the control of extremists.
We skirted the streets where, in that time, three British soldiers and scores of members of the self-styled Sadr army have died in fighting described as more intense than anything seen here, even during the war.
Landing at the Shatt al-Arab base, we found a barracks of more than 300 British troops who have been under sustained attack.
This place is regularly hit by mortars and rockets. Even in daylight, it's been too dangerous for teams to venture out of here on anything other than essential patrols.
On the city streets, troops are coming under constant attack from an enemy who are growing in expertise and no longer fear the soldiers they're facing.
Top cover especially, keep your eyes open where we had the previous ambush.
We went with the patrol from the Cheshire regiment as they checked the neighbourhoods around their base.
This is the nervous reality of life on the streets of Basra for British troops. On patrols like this, there is a constant and very real threat of ambush.
But if the soldiers didn't tour the area around their base, the militia would come here and fire rockets in.
And they know that through experience. This waste ground is regularly used as a launching area.
One of them has hit the building. It's penetrated through three walls. Luckily enough, it didn't detonate.
But if it did, if it was to hit one of the main accommodation blocks, obviously we're looking at severe casualties.
These are Basra's old city gates. There's a checkpoint here manned by Iraqi police officers as well as British troops.
We stopped to speak to them but were quickly moved on.
We've just had reports that there might possibly be an attack against that VCP. Therefore we don't want to be around the area.
When we reached this waste ground, the troops got out to search the scrub. The previous evening an army vehicle had been hit by a roadside bomb here.
Well certainly it's a real threat to life. So potentially someone could have died. Fortunately the vehicles that they were patrolling in took most of the blast and saved the lives of the soldiers inside.
It happens on a daily basis.
The end of a two hour patrol and relief for the team. Among them, 18 year old Stuart Grundy.
He became a soldier four months ago. A fortnight later he was in Iraq. He's grown up fast here, patrolling the streets where colleagues have been killed.
It can get hard at times thinking about hearing stories from other places. But you've just got to put that to the back of your mind and do your job.
Are you frightened?
It can be at times. Yeah, it can get hard.
In the past 24 hours, a change in tactic. Warrior vehicles have been sent into the city to assess the level of resistance and make their presence felt.
Through the night, colleagues keep watch from the guard tower.
Flares grow up from other bases in the city as they brace themselves for another night under attack.
This morning, one of the men in charge of the operation told us what they'd encountered.
We came under attack from the side. What looked like to be an ambush. Rocket propelled grenades, small arms fire, blast bombs. The troops reacted well. We returned fire and extracted ourselves out of the situation.
It's an everyday story for the soldiers in Basra. The violence is not isolated or sporadic.
Any patrol entering the city centre can expect to be ambushed. We heard the same testimony time and again.
After two weeks effectively under siege, the British troops are beginning an operation to restore order here.
But that may prove to be a long and very delicate process.
Martin Geisler, ITV News, Basra.
Well, Martin joins us now live from Kuwait on the videophone. Martin, just why are British troops having such difficulty restoring order?
Well, they face a whole series of problems, James. Firstly, the politics. As you said, the issue of security in Basra is now a matter for the Iraqi police.
They would have to ask the troops to come in and help. And the British army think that on the whole, they are an organisation who can't necessarily be trusted.
Secondly, and far more significantly, there are the practicalities here.
Let's face it, the British army with all their firepower and all their manpower could pretty easily sweep through the streets of central Basra and take care of this group of maybe 500, perhaps 1,000 extremists.
That's all it is, 500, perhaps 1,000 at most. But that would result in significant amounts of what people in the forces describe as collateral damage, apparently a more acceptable way of describing the deaths of innocent people.
And that would turn large sections of the population of Basra against them.
I have to say that in the main, the people of Basra are perfectly happy with the way the army are going about their business.
This is the work of a small, very violent and increasingly efficient group of fighters.
The army are doing absolutely everything they can in very difficult circumstances, but it's an extremely difficult balance they have to find and it may be some way off.
Tim, thank you.
The man who appears to be responsible for the deteriorating situation in Basra is himself at the centre of a fierce fight tonight.
Supporters of Maktadda al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric, are reported to be resisting attempts to prise them out of the holy shrine in the city of Najaf.
The situation there is confused. The latest in a series of clashes over a period of months which have terrorised the people of that city.
Harry Smith reports now on what could be the decisive battle for Najaf.
Latest reports from Iraq say fighting continues in the centre of the holy city of Najaf, despite claims that the two-week rebellion is over.
An American military spokesman said a short time ago they were unable to confirm claims that Iraqi police had entered the Imam Ali mosque and arrested 400 militia men.
Fighters loyal to the cleric Maktadda al-Sadr have been holed up in the mosque and involved in fierce fighting with the Americans.
Today's developments come after a night of fierce bombardment by US warplanes firing into rebel strongholds near the mosque.
Throughout the battle for Najaf, the Americans have insisted they would never storm the holy shrine and that only Iraqi troops would enter it.
Earlier this week, a deputation from the Iraqi government visited the shrine in an unsuccessful attempt to take the mosque away.
When that failed, interim Prime Minister Iyad Al-Awi threatened to retake the mosque by force, but today he withdrew that threat.
And a senior aide to Maktadda al-Sadr told reporters in Najaf the rebels had agreed to hand the mosque over to Iraq's religious leaders.
Meanwhile, kidnapped US journalist Micah Gharan has appeared on an Arab television station urging the United States to stop the attack.
As it looks as if they may be doing that, leaders of al-Sadr's rebellion have urged the kidnappers to release him because they say his reports have told the truth about the fighting.
Harry Smith, ITV News.
And the worsening situation in Iraq is having a major impact back here.
Oil prices were driven to a record $49 a barrel this morning, a price hike that will be felt in petrol forecourts across the land.
Well, what that means here is that petrol prices look as though they will top the £4 a gallon mark.
That's a depressing 88 pence a litre.
Chris Choi is at a filling station tonight. Chris?
Yes, and when you come to a forecourt like this, what you're actually doing is plugging into one of the world's most vital and yet vulnerable supply chains.
Any problem in the international pipeline to you and you pay more.
And not just on the forecourt, things like CDs, videos, many textiles contain oil derivatives.
Most things we consume rely on transportation. It's all now subject to oil's relentless rises.
In three main areas, consumers will be hit, perhaps hit hard.
First concern is here, at the pumps.
Some believe it's time to brace for a new wave of oil.
And that's on top of rises that mean annual motoring costs have already gone up £150 this year.
It's very difficult to call because the crew prices are going up, but the petroleum industry is holding back on increasing at the forecourts at the moment.
We don't know how long they can absorb that.
Next comes another early impact, affecting holidaymakers.
Airlines are already increasing charges to allow for oil price rises.
BMI Long Haul passengers pay £12 extra for each return trip.
BA, KLM, Air France and some tour operators have pushed up prices.
It is true to say that when airlines are involved, their second highest cost is in fact fuel for the airlines.
So obviously prices of oil, if they go up, then obviously the price of holidays will be affected.
But most important is the widespread impact on industry right across the board.
Oil is vital for manufacturing and transport.
Domestic and industrial users of energy will be hit because much electricity is oil generated.
Yet economic optimism isn't extinguished.
The global economy is in a much better condition to cope with higher oil prices at the moment.
It's growing reasonably quickly, it's fairly healthy.
In the big developed countries we use a lot less oil now than we used to back in the early 70s and 80s.
When New York trading closed today, crude oil hit a 21-year high.
Closer to home, the impact is likely to hit us all and hit soon.
Chris Choi, ITV News.
Police are tonight investigating the possibility that a series of violent attacks against women in southwest London could be linked.
It follows a brutal attack which left a 22-year-old woman dead in a park.
Our crime correspondent, Dan Rivers, is at the scene.
Dan.
As you say Andrea, police are describing this as a brutal attack.
The body of the 22-year-old French woman was found just where the forensic tent is in the middle of this green behind me.
She'd been here for just two months to learn English.
She'd been out for a drink with friends last night.
She called a bus home but as she was driving through the park,
she was savagely beaten to death.
The post-mortem this afternoon has found she died from severe head injuries.
Police are now looking at attacks going back 18 months in this area,
including the murder of Marsha McDonald.
She was killed in February last year.
Police thought they had her killer behind bars.
A man was arrested and put in custody under the Mental Health Act.
But now detectives aren't so sure.
They are looking into the possibility that there is a serial killer on the loose in the area.
Thank you very much.
Well, of course, calmer on the evening news.
Strike Talks, the latest on negotiations to avert a bank holiday stoppage at BA.
And how little Bradley knew just what to do when his mum lost consciousness.
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But first, the Olympics now, and Britain is celebrating another gold tonight,
thanks to the pedal power of cyclist Chris Hoy.
He broke the Olympic record in spectacular style to take first place in the 1-kilometer time trial.
Today also saw the real start of the athletics, with Britain's Denise Lewis beginning her bid for a medal.
Well, our sports editor, Tim Ewarts, is in Athens. Tim?
Andrea, Denise Lewis, I'm afraid, faces an uphill struggle in her event.
She's in 14th position after the first two events in the heptathlon,
but the night here, without any doubt, belongs to Chris Hoy.
He rode triumphantly today. His wheels really were on fire.
Chris Hoy rode last, knew the time he had to beat, and did it in blistering style.
There had been injury worries after he fell off his bike in the Olympic Village,
but there were no doubts in Hoy's mind this was the flying Scotsman.
He put in four devastating laps and a sensational finish.
His family and friends went wild. Hoy had won by barely a tenth of a second.
It was a new Olympic record and the fastest ever time at sea level.
But those details hardly mattered to Chris Hoy. All he wanted was gold.
And so, a week after the games began, they finally played the national anthem.
Hoy is Britain's second gold winner, but the first to receive the medal.
The ceremony for the victorious sailing team won't happen until tomorrow.
The day began on the turbulent waters of the Canoe course,
with Britain's Campbell Walsh leading the field and hoping to hang on for gold.
It didn't happen, Walsh coming in third, but then discovering he'd been promoted to silver
after a French rival was given a delayed two-second penalty.
It cheered me up a bit, but at the time I was just disappointed.
I didn't feel I'd really done my best on my second run.
What a right hand, look at that! 14 points!
And what price 17-year-old Amir Khan for a medal.
Britain's lone boxer at these Olympics crushed Bulgaria's European champion Dimitris Dilianov today
to progress to the last eight. He's now strongly favoured to reach the final.
Well, Tim, great news about the British gold today,
but of course there's been more scandal at the Games as well.
Yes, I'm afraid another Greek competitor has failed a drug test
and is facing expulsion from the Olympic Games after the B-test results come out tomorrow.
His name is believed to be Leonardo Sampanis.
He was competing in the weightlifting on Monday, got a third place.
That medal looks as though it's going to be stripped from him.
There are other weightlifters, two women weightlifters, one woman weightlifter, I'm sorry, who's been sent home,
an Indian and also a shot putter from Uzbekistan who's failed a drug test has been sent home as well.
So the shadow of drugs still does hang over these Games, I'm afraid.
Still, Tim, there is actually plenty to look forward to this weekend.
Yes, there are some more medal opportunities for Great Britain this weekend.
We'll see Paul Radcliffe in the marathon on Sunday and tomorrow Matthew Pinson
and his four-man rowing team should get a gold medal, or we hope they'll get a gold medal.
That would be Pinson's fourth Olympic gold if he pulls it off.
Good, we'll look forward to it. Thanks very much indeed, Tim.
Here, talks have been going on all day to try to stop next week's strike
by British Airways check-in staff and baggage handlers.
Hundreds of thousands of people are depending on some kind of breakthrough
if their holidays aren't to be ruined next Friday.
Well, Lauren Taylor has been at the talks. Lauren, what's the latest from that?
Well, some last-minute brinkmanship here, but we are expecting that they have reached a deal.
British Airways management and the unions are expecting to make a statement shortly,
literally within the next few minutes, and I don't think they would be coming out
standing shoulder to shoulder if they hadn't managed to resolve this
and avert the threat of a strike.
Now, the big sticking point over this has been over pay and absenteeism.
British Airways wanted to link part of a pay rise to cutting the numbers of days off sick
taken by BA staff, and the unions didn't want that link to be made.
Now, it seems they've managed to resolve that, so I think, barring any last-minute developments here,
I think we can say fairly confidently that British Airways passengers hoping to travel next weekend
look like they're in the clear.
Well, even if the strike is averted, Lauren, will there still have been long-term damage
done to BA through all this?
I think it certainly doesn't help BA's reputation to have the idea that the unions can hold them
to ransom over the busiest period of the year, and certainly they have had to prevent people
from booking within the last few days over the bank holiday as a precaution,
just in case the strike goes ahead.
So they will have certainly lost some travel over that period, and I know that the unions
are saying that they're happy, and if they've resolved a deal here, they're happy,
but they're still prepared to go on strike in the longer term, so it's not over yet.
Lauren, thank you.
Well, whatever happens with BA, there will be some travel chaos this bank holiday weekend.
Eurostar workers today voted to stage a 24-hour walkout next Saturday after rejecting a pay offer.
The RMT, the union representing the workers, want employees at the Ashford terminal in Kent
to be paid the same as staff working at London's Waterloo station.
The company called the action pointless and insisted their services would not be affected.
Torrential rain is still causing misery for many people across the country.
Heavy rain in Durham overnight led to rivers bursting their banks and hundreds of homes being flooded.
Firefighters were also called to rescue seven people who were trapped by rising floodwaters.
Another England team footballer joined the Spanish Giants' Real Madrid today.
Jonathan Woodgate looked around his new grand today after signing up from Newcastle for 13.4 million.
The move was confirmed when the 24-year-old passed medical.
He'll be formally unveiled tomorrow and joins David Beckham and Michael Owen at the club.
Now, that long-running saga of Princess Diana's memorial fountain took another twist today.
It was officially open to the public for the second time.
Seven years in the making, it was originally opened in July but then closed because people kept getting hurt when they paddled in it.
Emma Murphy has the latest instalments in the Fountain Fiasco.
It was supposed to be an inclusive, interactive tribute.
The ever-changing waters capturing the joy and turmoil of Princess Diana's life.
Yet in the seven weeks since its official opening, the Diana Memorial Fountain has been no stranger to turmoil of its own.
Closed after two weeks when three people were injured paddling in the waters, it was reopened today.
Less inclusive and much less interactive.
Under the new rules, you can dip or dabble but paddling is out of the question.
So too is the chance to walk or run through these waters.
So what else has been done to remedy the Fountain Fiasco?
The granite surface has been roughened to improve grip and stop people slipping.
A paddle patrol is in operation with wardens stopping anyone walking in the water
and a fence has been put up to help manage the vast number of visitors.
The Fountain costs £3.6 million and these improvements will cost an extra £100,000 a year.
However it seems even that isn't enough to stop some people.
It should have resigned for children and adults to walk around. That's what Diana was like.
Well I'm slightly disappointed because I think that the memorial was meant for the people to be able to use it as it was intended.
Yet despite the restrictions the visitors still come.
The challenge is to make them stick to the rules ensuring calmer waters ahead for the Diana Memorial.
Emma Murphy, ITV News, Hyde Park.
A reminder now of tonight's top national and regional news.
British forces in Basra have told ITV News that they face a worsening security situation
as fighters loyal to the Iraqi cleric Mukhtar al-Sadr infiltrate the city.
In Najaf there's confusion over whether militants loyal to Sadr have left Iraq's holiest Shia Muslim shrine.
And higher petrol prices look inevitable as the unrest in Iraq pushed oil prices to a new record today.
Over $49 a barrel.
Music
Finally for his mum, four-year-old Bradley Davis is nothing short of a hero.
When mum Joanne went into a diabetic coma, Bradley took control.
Yes, he calmly gave her a glass of milk and biscuit and then he dialed 999.
Today it wasn't only his proud family who were full of praise for his quick thinking.
Our medical correspondent Sue Saville reports on a very special junior doctor.
In an emergency, four-year-old Bradley Davis knows exactly what to do.
He dials 999 for an ambulance.
This was his conversation with the operator.
Are you buying with me now?
Yes, because mummy's sitting on the chair and I'm buying but I'm a little bit far away.
Bradley's mother Joanne is diabetic and fell unconscious when her blood sugar levels plummeted.
Well I was coming downstairs and I just started shaking and stuff and I thought, oh, sugars are going low.
Bradley went and got me milk and me biscuits and then I was just kind of drifting in and out all the time.
I don't remember anything really.
As a true professional, Bradley put on his medic's outfit while waiting for the ambulance.
He modestly recounts what he told the operator.
Mummy's shaking. I need an ambulance.
The ambulance crew were very impressed.
For a four-year-old to call a control room and to deal with his mum and to convey all that information to the call takers at the same time is a remarkable achievement.
He's passed on a really heroic thing.
But the NHS can't count on his services in years to come.
Bradley has other plans.
Be fine mum.
Sue Saville, ITV News.
Great little boy.
Well that is this evening's news next on the ITV News Channel.
After a week of wild weather in Britain, we'll be asking the experts what the future has in store.
I'll be back with the news at 10.30 but from ITV newsrooms across the UK and from us, goodbye.
Goodbye.
The worst part was the pressure. Phone calls at home.