13/09/2013 BBC News at Ten

A mother and her three children are killed in a house fire in Leicester.

The police say they're treating it as murder. Emergency crews fought to

save them, but all four were found dead in the bedrooms. Neighbours

could only watch. If you are upstairs, there was no chance of

getting downstairs. Police say they're investigating

whether the fire was a revenge attack.

Also tonight: America and Russia push their talks on Syria into a

third day and suggest a date could be set for wider peace talks to end

the conflict. But meanwhile, inside Syria, new

evidence of atrocities carried out by anti-government rebels affiliated

to Al-Qaeda. How nearly half of children in care

in England are sent to homes far from their family. The government

says it's indefensible. And Twitter plans to launch on the

stock market. In Sportsday: Marouanne Fellaini's

relief at joining Manchester United - he says he wondered if his

transfer would ever happen. Good evening.

Police in Leicester say they're treating the deaths of a woman and

her three teenage children in a house fire in the middle of the

night as murder. Emergency crews fought to save the family but all

four were found dead in their bedrooms. Only their father has

survived. He was away working in Ireland. Detectives say it may have

been a revenge attack linked to the murder of a man nearby several hours

earlier. Sian Lloyd is at the scene. At this stage, police are ruling

nothing out. They maintain a presence here this evening. The

forensic tent has been removed but the investigation is still at a very

early stage and there seems no obvious motive for this horrendous

arson attack in the early hours of the morning.

Family home in flames. This picture taken by an neighbour shows how fire

raged through the terrorist house in a suburban street. It was a fire

that police say was started deliberately and which claimed four

lives. A mother, named locally as Shehnila Taufiq, in her 40s, and her

preteenage children, were found in the upstairs bedrooms. -- her three

teenage children. You could see it blazing and everything. I went to

the front door, just a bit far from it, and you could see the staircase

on fire. If you were upstairs, there was no chance of getting downstairs.

on fire. If you were upstairs, there In the local mosque, prayers were

said to my to remember them and support was offered to a father who

has lost his family. He has been named as Muhammad Taufiq, a

neurosurgeon who worked away from home during the week. Religious

leaders expressed disbelief that a family they described as devout

could be targeted in this way. It must be a case of mistaken identity.

There is no other explanation the community can think of. Officers

have been carrying out a fingertip search of local streets, looking for

any clue. Police do not yet know what caused the blaze, but what

happened on this nearby road yesterday could be connected. A

20-year-old man was attacked in Kent Street last night, and later died.

Police say they are not ruling out a possible link between the crimes. I

cannot confirm that it is a revenge attack. It may be. It may not be.

That lines of enquiry will get to the bottom of that. What happened

here in the early hours of the morning is still unclear. Police say

they need the help of the community in Leicester to piece together why a

quiet, studious family were the subject of an arson attack.

This family were well-known and respected in this area. They moved

to Leicester from Ireland for the local religious schools for the

children. There is a great deal of shock and concern here tonight, and

local people are hoping a clearer pic of what happened will emerge

over coming days. The United Nations General Secretary

said tonight he believes inspectors will produce a report that shows

"overwhelming" evidence that chemical weapons have been used in

Syria. His comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry and

his Russian counterpart said their talks will continue into a third day

about how to secure Syria's chemical weapons. We'll have more on those

talks in a moment. But first, the BBC has seen new graphic evidence of

atrocities being carried out in the civil war, this time by rebels

affiliated to Al-Qaeda. Paul Wood sent this report from neighbouring

Jordan, and I should warn you it contains some strong images.

The family of a 64-year-old man grieve over his body. A civilian,

they say he was killed by a government more tough. A typical

week can see 1000 people die in Syria. But it was the claim that the

regime used chemical weapons that brought Western governments to the

brink of intervention here. The rebel Free Syrian Army was counting

on that. They were left stunned when the West did not bomb.

TRANSLATION: The international community has given a green light to

Assad to commit more massacres. Another 100,000 Syrians will die by

the time the chemical weapons are handed over. So people are turning

to the jihadis. A series of sickening images show what rule by

Al-Qaeda means. In some rebel areas, public beheadings are common. An

independent photographer took these pictures, many too gruesome to

show. Men accused of helping the regime are about to be executed in

front of a crowd. There were four. The jihadis strove from village to

village. They beheaded a man in the public square at each stop.

Jubilation, as the severed heads are held aloft. Parents brought their

children. They watched in shocked silence as the decapitated corpses

were laid out in front of them. Such scenes are, to many, an argument not

to support the rebels. The Free Syrian Army opposes the jihadis.

Once the most powerful rebel group, a southern commander admits they are

losing ground to Al-Qaeda. TRANSLATION: The jihadis gained

strength right from the beginning because of the world's failure to

intervene. The Syrian people would welcome any support if the world

continues to fail us. This, then, is how the Free Syrian Army gets its

bombs. The Americans have promised to send weapons. One senior

commander told me, though, that all to send weapons. One senior

he had had so far was roots and jackets. In the camps of

neighbouring Jordan, they feel betrayed, angry. Rebel commanders we

have spoken to here say that, contrary to reports, they are

getting hardly any military support from the Americans and others, just

a trickle of small arms and ammunition. That is far from the

game changing strike they hoped for and may not be enough to alter the

battlefield at all in their favour. In fact, the only effect may be to

prolong Syria's Civil War. So the refugees keep coming. Many have

decided that even the misery of the refugee camp is better than the

horror of what the Civil War in Syria has become.

Back to those talks in Geneva between America and Russia about

putting Syria's chemical weapons beyond use. The US Secretary of

State, John Kerry, said the talks had been constructive. But the

practical details of how to take possession of Syria's entire

chemical arsenal amid all the fighting, and then dispose of it,

will not be easy to resolve. James Robins is in Geneva.

James, what are you hearing there tonight? We are hearing from an

American official that progress is being made, that the talks will run

deep into the night and will resume tomorrow. But, as this American put

it, we would not be here if we were not making progress. But still, the

candles burning behind me because the negotiations are still going on.

It has been a long day of talking. John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov are

said to get on well. They have even been looking ahead with the top UN

official on Syria to the possibility of providing wider peace talks. But

first, they have to resolve differences over the chemical

weapons issue, not least the right to threaten military strikes. I

think we would agree that we had to threaten military strikes. I

constructive conversations regarding that, but those conversations are

continuing and both of us want to get back to them now. President

Putin has been meeting fellow leaders, including his counterparts

from China and Iran. Mr Putin, as the architect of the chemical

disarmament plan, sounds bullish. TRANSLATION: The initiative to

establish international control over Syrian chemical weapons is underway,

and we attach much significance to it and hope for positive results

which should lead to a peaceful, or create conditions for a peaceful

settlement. The UN secretary general has let slip that his inspectors do

confirm that chemical weapons were used in last month's attacks. Ban Ki

Moon appeared unaware that UN TV was live as he spoke. Our team will come

out soon with the report. But I believe that the port will be an

overwhelming report that chemical weapons were used. Even though I

cannot publicly say at this time, before I received this report. In

Geneva, weak against the Russian Foreign Minister on the phone in a

break from the search both for political and practical agreement

with the Americans on ways to deal with President Assad's chemical

arsenal. The United States and Britain are among countries which

have disposed of chemical weapons. America has already spent many years

and billions of dollars to dispose of its own stocks. Stripping Syria

of chemical weapons will not end the Civil War. The new diplomatic

momentum might change things, but any failure could be catastrophic.

And it is the fear of failure, of course, which means both sides here

really want success from these talk is. One small but important

indication of the narrowing gaps is that American officials are briefing

that when they went into these talks Russian and American estimates of

Syria's go weapons stocks differed by 40%. That gap is coming down. If

they can agree on that, perhaps they can agree on other things.

Official figures released today reveal that thousands of children in

care homes in England are being housed outside their local area. The

new Department of Education report also reveals some councils are

placing all their children outside their own local authority areas. The

Education Secretary described the practice of sending troubled

children to what he called "far-flung" homes as "indefensible".

Reeta Chakrabarti reports. For this young man, the term care

home is a contradiction in terms, because he says he received no

care. Between 11 and 16, he was moved eight times, far from his

family home in London, on one occasion to Scotland. I hated the

world, and that was because of the way I felt I was raised. I did not

feel love or care from anyone. That made me bitter and angry and number

inside, and I showed it to people. I was itching for fights, and I felt

suicidal. He spent time in prison for robbery. He will not use his

childhood as an excuse but he wonders what life might have been

like otherwise. That experience might not be uncommon. Figures

released for 2012 show that of the 4980 children in homes in England,

46% were placed outside their local authority. 16 local authorities

placed all of their children in care outside their area.

The government collected the data after the jailing last year of nine

The government collected the data men from Rochdale and Oldham for

child sexual exploitation. One of the victims was in a home having

been relocated from Essex, but local the victims was in a home having

authorities say sometimes there are good reasons for sending children

away. Councils will often look to break the cycle of abuse by sending

children away from home, perhaps to get a child away from a paedophile

who may be grooming them, a gang that maybe -- may be trying to draw

them in. By moving them away, you give them a chance for a fresh

start. Ministers accept that but suggest the scale of children being

start. Ministers accept that but moved far away has been hidden by

officials using data protection as an excuse. The Secretary of State

said observed rules prevented the details from being shared. --

absurd. How society deals with vulnerable children was put under

scrutiny after the trial in Rochdale. Some accused authorities

of hiding behind the rules to prevent examination of how children

are being treated. Time and time again you come up against the fact

that the rules that are there to protect children's identities are

being used and distorted by the public authorities who do not want

scrutiny of their actions, and they are not fully accountable to the

taxpayer, who is spending a fortune. Summer have been scarred by the care

system. The government says it wants to improve life for those still

there, but just how is not clear. A court in Delhi has passed the death

sentence on four men who wrecked and murdered a student last December in

a case which outraged the country and made headlines around the

world. The men's lawyers had pleaded for clemency, but the judge ruled

that the case fell into the category of the rarest of the rare. After the

crime that traumatised India, celebration.

This was the mood outside court, as all four men were sentenced to be

hanged. Their pictures now released for the first time. The rape and

murder so gruesome that the judge said it had shocked India's

conscience. The death penalty was the news the student's family had

been waiting for. TRANSLATION: Today is like Christmas for me. It is a

very big day, not only for me, but the whole of India. Last December,

the 23-year-old was beaten and gang raped on this Delhi night bus. Dying

two weeks later of her injuries. It sparked weeks of protest, and a

shaken government made clear that it supported the death sentence. There

will be many Indians who will agree with this crowd saying that the four

men are getting what they deserved after the outrage that crime is

provoked. But there are also many critics who say this will not be any

kind of deterrent as long as rape and other crimes against women are

not taken more seriously across the whole of India. There are signs of

change in Delhi, with more women prepared to press charges than

before, with 1000 reported rate so far this year. But even those who

welcomed today's sentence doubt much will change as well. No, because our

system is very corrupt and very poor. All the political leaders are

involved. Everything is very bad. The system needs to be changed on

the law needs to be amended. Some laws have been tightened, but

campaigners say India's men have to respect women more. A death sentence

in one high profile case is not going to change that.

Now, it has revolutionised parts of the internet to become a global

cultural force in its own right. Twitter famously allows users to

post messages, or tweets, on the web of 140 characters or less. That

happens 500 million times every day, making the site a big draw France

ties us. Now it is to be floated on the stock exchange, valued at an

estimated eye watering £6.3 billion. From presidents to pop stars, from

footballers to Royals, they have all decided that a tweet is the best way

to speak to the world to publicise your latest album or maybe to

to speak to the world to publicise announce an impending birth. It is

the instant news channel to spread the word about what they are doing.

It allows them to connect to their fans, build a huge fan base

following and ultimately sell stuff. Through pictures of the plane which

made an emergency landing on the Hudson River to the hunting down of

Osama Bin Laden, Twitter has become the place where news often breaks

first. And of course, it was in a tweet that the company unveiled its

plans to float on the stock market seven years after it was born. It

was a simple idea which at first did not look like a money spinner. Here

was how it started in 2006, with the first tweet and first typo by one of

Twitter's founders, Jack Dorsey. The years, they just concentrated on

growing the audience from that one user. By 2008, there were a million

of them, and that has now reached 200 million. Only recently has

Twitter thought about making money. This year, it is on course to learn

£370 million in revenue. John Kimble shows companies how they can use

Twitter to promote their products. Twitter have been clever in that the

advertising on the site is very subtle. Many users don't even know

there is advertising there. That is one of the appeals to both

advertisers and consumers. I think that is going to change, and the

advertising will become more intrusive. Last year, Facebook's

arrival on the stock market saw share prices plunge over concerns

over whether advertisers could place adverts on mobile phones. Investors

are interested in mobile advertising as a possible revenue system, and

Twitter is well placed to do that. But there are issues over whether

Twitter can maintain its popularity with users and advertisers at once.

Twitter has been under growing pressure to police offensive

behaviour on the site. From now on, as it tries to keep users,

advertisers and investors happy, it is about to find out what it is like

to be a grown-up company. It has emerged tonight that the

government wants to introduce a 5p charge for plastic bags in England

to try to discourage their use. But it will not come into force until

after the election. Nick Clegg will unveil the proposal at the Liberal

Democrat conference this weekend. Plastic bag use in Wales, where the

Liberal Democrat conference this weekend. Plastic bag use in Wales,

Liberal Democrat conference this whether 5p tariff has been in place

for two years, is said to be down by around three quarters. She is most

successful politicians. In just over a be up for re-election

as Germans head to the polls. Germany's strong economy and Mrs

Merkel's reputation as a safe pair of hands has kept her approval

ratings high, even after eight years in power. She is now looking likely

to get another term as Chancellor. Just hands, no words, not even a

face. Everyone knows this is Angela Merkel's election message, that

Germany is safe in her hands. Her supporters, defying the Bavarian

rain, believing their leader's instinctive caution. The warm-up

date dancers might give the impression that the German

Chancellor is trying to pump up the electorate. She is not. Europe's

most powerful politician is avoiding controversy, selling herself as an

GB manager who has protected Germany from the worst of the Eurozone

crisis. TRANSLATION: We have shown that despite the international

financial crisis, despite the Euro crisis, we have had four good years

for Germany. Years where unemployment fell to its lowest in

two decades. Germany is really good during this time in Europe. We have

almost no unemployment. Her campaign is built around herself, her

personality, a rather private politician has been happy to see

pictures published of herself as a child with a doll. And as a

teenager, camping. The election campaign passes through Dresden. Her

main opponent is the Social Democrat, Peer Steinbruck. He

campaigns for a minimum wage and against low pay, but struggles to

attack Angela Merkel. TRANSLATION: Everything is going round in

circles, but where is the direction 's the Chancellor has the power to

set policy. Mrs Merkel can determine policy guidelines, but she doesn't

issue any. It has not helped him that in the past 24 hours, this

picture emerged, taken a month ago, when he was asked how how you would

respond to his critics. However hard the opposition campaigns, many say

that the only undecided question is who Angela Merkel will go into

coalition with. It tells you something that of them -- often, the

sharpest criticism of her is when she is accused of putting the

country to sleep. There has been a narrowing in the polls, but Angela

Merkel remains the firm favourite to be returned as Chancellor. But she

has given few details of her vision for either Germany or Europe.

The leader of the Green Party, Natalie Bennett, has told supporters

at their annual conference in Brighton that the Greens are the

only alternative to the indistinguishable big Westminster

parties. She used her opening speech to attack the government's welfare

reforms and condemned the involvement of private firms in the

Royal Mail and the NHS. The NHS is a national jewel that must be grabbed

back from the jewel thieves, polished and set back again in pride

of place. The profit motive has no place in the health care system, and

we will not rest we have expelled every last corporate bloodsucker

from our NHS. The man in charge of the 2022

football World Cup in Qatar insists that his country is the right place

for the competition, despite concerns about extreme temperatures

during the tournament. FIFA is now expected to stage its during the

winter months to avoid the heat. Our sports correspondent went to meet

Hassan Al-Thawadi at the world's oldest football club, Sheffield FC.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is Qatar! Nearly three years on from being

unexpectedly awarded the 2022 World Cup, Qatar are fighting back against

their critics. In his first major interview on his country's plans,

the head of Qatar's World Cup told me that having won the bid, they

will not give it up. Someone is going to take the World Cup away

from us? No. There is no reason for it. Every promise we have provided

during the bidding stage, we have worked hard to ensure that we are

within the rules of hosting agreements. But concerns are

mounting. This week, the head of world football, Sepp Blatter, said

holding the tournament during a Qatari summer is not the right thing

to do. Greg Dyke, chairman of the Football Association, said FIFA can

either move it timewise, or to another location. But Premier League

executive Richard Scudamore believes chaos would be caught across world

football if it got moved. Those views stem from the extreme heat the

tiny Gulf state experiences in June and July, but Qatar insists that it

can welcome the world at any time of year. I would like to assure

everybody that it is not impossible to host the World Cup in the

summer. Everybody thinks it is 50 degrees. That number has been

plastered on. 50 degrees is the extreme. Whether it is in June, July

or November December, at any time, we are ready to host it. As the

first World Cup to be held in an Islamic state, many fans will

first World Cup to be held in an experience radically different

social attitudes in Qatar. Hassan Al-Thawadi must now deliver a

successful event. During a visit to Sheffield FC, the world's oldest

football club, the newest figure in the game agreed to meet a group of

supporters to answer their questions. As a fan wanting to

visit, what are the issues with alcohol? Alcohol is available right

now. Not as readily available as in England, because it is not part of

our culture. The current laws within Qatar are such that gay men are not

allowed to be themselves if they want to come to the World Cup. We

have our own beliefs, but it does not mean we will restrict anybody.

If anybody who comes in respects our beliefs. Qatar may be small, but it

is big on ambition. There is a desire to exceed expectations. The

World Cup brings football together, but a tournament that is still nine

years away is threatening to divide the game.