Newslip Episode 29 26.07.09

Welcome to Newslip. Today is Sunday, 26th July 2009. I'm Wesley Gerrard and here are the stories making this week's news.

David Beckham got involved in an ugly confrontation with fans at his first home game for the Los Angeles Galaxy after returning from Italy. The former England captain attempted to jump over a barrier as he left the field at half-time into a section of the crowd that had been jeering him. He was held back by security staff, members of whom were also needed to restrain an angry fan who left his seat and rushed towards the footballer. The 34-year-old explained afterwards in comments broadcast on Sky Sports News: "I tried to shake one of the guy's hands but he didn't want any of it. That's the way it is." Beckham received a less than friendly welcome at his first home game after returning from a five-month loan spell at AC Milan - the team the Galaxy faced. Earlier this year, Beckham indicated he wanted to stay in Milan rather than return to America, stating that the standard of play was far higher in Italy.

36 children and four adults have been rescued from the sea at Tenby in Pembrokeshire. Lifeguards who rescued them after a sandbank they were on collapsed into the sea say the group could have drowned. All of the youngsters, from Brynaman, Carmarthenshire, are safe and well, but they said it had been "very scary". Two of the group who were on an activity holiday at a nearby caravan park were taken to hospital at Haverfordwest after the dramatic rescue. Jon Johnstone, lifeguard, said: "It was at low tide. The tide was turning, which is the strongest current on the beach. It's only soft sand around here, so basically the sand beneath them all just shifted with the tide which caused a rip current which was dragging them back out to sea.” The lifeguards were straight out to rescue the stranded fully-clothed swimmers and cleverly relayed them all to shore safely, providing immediate first aid prior to the arrival of ambulance teams.

A Russian warship preparing for a holiday celebration accidentally fired a dummy artillery shell into the courtyard of an apartment building in Vladivostok, a port city on Russia's Pacific Ocean coast close to China and Japan on Friday. Nobody was hurt but the shell's impact broke windows and left a small crater outside the nine-storey apartment building. "There were no explosives in the dummy shell," said Roman Martov, a spokesman for Russia's Vladivostok-based Pacific Fleet. He added, “"The reasons why the rocket-assisted projectile flew a greater distance than it had been assigned are unknown," The warship that fired the shell was taking part in rehearsals for Sunday's planned celebrations of the annual Navy Day holiday, which traditionally include a ceremonial procession of warships and mock naval battles.

The United States has urged Syria to co-operate with a peace plan for the Middle East. Speaking after talks in Damascus, Barack Obama's envoy George Mitchell said discussions with Syria's president had been "candid and positive". Mr Mitchell said he had told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Barack Obama was "determined to facilitate a truly comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace". Damascus is a major player in the region, because of its support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, its backing for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its close links with Iran. The move brings an end to Syria’s pariah status as it was under the Bush administration. Presently, US-Israeli relations are unusually strained and the diplomat flew on to Israel to try to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.

England cricket team are 1-0 up in the Ashes series against Australia after chalking up their first win at Lords over their fiercest rivals, for 75 years. They wrapped up the second test before lunch on the final day, to win by 115 runs. Andrew Flintoff was the hero of the hour. Battling against injury he took 3 wickets out of an innings total of five, just the target required to take England into a series lead. The news wasn’t all good for England this week as Kevin Pietersen was ruled out of the remainder of the Ashes after having surgery on an ongoing Achilles’ heel injury. The Third Test begins on Thursday and Australia will be battling against the odds if they do not wish to return home in disgrace, without the hallowed Ashes trophy.

The BBC’s Newsnight program made a freedom of information request to local authorities across the UK about the CCTV cameras they operate. One of the most dramatic revelations is that both the Shetland Islands Council and Corby Borough Council - among the smallest local authorities in the UK - have more CCTV cameras than the San Francisco Police Department. The borough of Wandsworth has the highest number of CCTV cameras in London, with just under four cameras per 1,000 people. Its total number of cameras - 1,113 - is more than the police departments of Boston [USA], Johannesburg and Dublin City Council combined. Although experts estimate the total number of cameras in the country at about 3.5 million which is about a million fewer than previously believed, The statistics confirm the British as the most watched nation on earth. There are that many cameras in this country that it is actually impossible to count them all.

German tourists can now reserve their poolside recliners before they have even left home. The German arm of Thomas Cook, Europe's second largest travel company, has been deluged with inquiries since announcing that holidaymakers at nine hotels in Turkey, Egypt and the Canary Islands can book recliners in advance for a fee. Germans are famous around Europe for rising early to reserve recliners near the pool with their towels, and then going back to bed or eating a lengthy breakfast. The offer is only applicable to applicants booking from within Germany.

Thousands of Chinese steel workers rioted at news of a takeover deal, beating one manager to death, a Hong Kong human rights group has said. About 100 people were hurt in violence in the north-eastern city of Tonghua after workers heard that Jianlong Steel would buy a majority share. They were reportedly frustrated at financial problems during Jianlong Steel's temporary control last year. Jianlong general manager Chen Guojun was beaten to death, the group said. The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said 30,000 steel workers clashed with riot police on Friday in the north-east province of Jilin. The South China Morning Post quoted a police officer as saying the workers would not allow emergency medical staff to enter the building to help Mr Chen.

Firefighters in several parts of the Mediterranean are still fighting wildfires which began days ago and have left eight dead. Thousands of acres of woodland in Spain, France, Greece and Sardinia were destroyed by fires fuelled by high temperatures and strong winds. In Spain, where six firefighters died, two major fires were still burning, but seven were under control, reports said. Arsonists are suspected to be behind many of the blazes and there have been widespread arrests. Temperatures in southern Europe are expected to remain very high and firefighters are watching for new outbreaks.

And this week’s top story…

Liverpool captain and England midfielder, Steven Gerrard, has been cleared of charges of affray after a lengthy court case at Liverpool Crown Court. Liverpool crown court heard that Marcus McGee, 34, was punched in the face by the footballer in a brawl at a bar in Southport last December. Gerrard admitted hitting McGee three times but denied affray, saying he had been acting in self-defence as he thought the other man was about to strike him. During the court case, CCTV evidence from the bar was used to show the incident. Gerrard welled up with tears whilst hearing Liverpool legend, Kenny Dalgleish’s character reference. He described him as "quiet" and "very private". Despite his wealth, Dalgleish said, Gerrard had "never forgotten his roots"."He is a very respectful man who has always behaved to senior players in a respectful way," Dalgleish said. "He is a very humble man." Gerrard left the court to cries of ‘Rocky’ and told reporters how he was glad it was all over and how he wanted to focus on the forthcoming football season.

That's all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again soon. Goodbye.