08/11/2013 BBC News at Ten

A Royal Marine is found guilty of murdering an Afghan insurgent in

cold blood. Evidence from a helmet camera showed

how the injured Afghan was shot in the chest. Senior commanders condemn

what happened. It was a truly shocking and

appalling aberration. It should not have happened, and it should never

happen again. Two other Marines also accused of

murder were acquitted. Also on the programme, after years

of stalemate over Iran's nuclear threat, could America be on the

brink of a deal with its old enemy? One of the strongest storms ever

recorded tears through the Philippines, hundreds of thousands

of people are forced to flee their homes.

How the NHS in England spends ?700 pounds for every baby born on

insurance against medical negligence.

And the BBC's voice of politics during the Thatcher years, John

Cole, has died aged 85. In Sportsday on BBC News: Andy

Murray shares his opinion on doping in tennis and criticises some for

being unprofessional. Good evening and welcome to the BBC

News At Six. A Royal Marine has been convicted of

murdering an injured Afghan insurgent, shooting him in the chest

at close range. A military court heard how the Marine admitted to his

colleagues he'd just broken the Geneva Convention and urged them to

keep it secret. Three Marines, whose identities have not been revealed,

were on trial, all charged with murder. In court they were referred

to only as Marines A, B, and C. They are all from 42 Commando, which lost

seven men during its tour of duty. While Marine A was found guilty of

murder, the other two were acquitted. Graphic footage and audio

from one of the Marines' helmet camera was played in court, showing

how the Afghan died two years ago. Caroline Wyatt is at the court for

us now. Without the camera mounted on the

helmet, what happened in this field would have buried forever. The

insurgent's body has never been found, his identity known only to

the villagers who left a memorial in these fields. These stills from the

video that ultimately convicted the 39-year-old Sergeant, known as

Marine A, of murder. What we have heard over the last two weeks is not

consistent with the ethos, values and standards of the Royal Marines.

It was a truly shocking and appalling aberration. It should not

have happened and it should never happen again. This audio was a small

part of what the board, or military jury, heard in court, as all three

Royal Marines discussed what to do with the wounded enemy fighter, by

now a prisoner of war, as they dragged him across the field.

The camera switched off and back on again, and then a shot could be

heard, fired by Marine A. Marine C, who was found not guilty,

also kept a journal in which he revealed how he felt about the

killing. The military jury was made up of the men's peers from the Royal

Marines and Royal Navy, who decided only the man who fired the fatal

shot was guilty of murder, not the two more junior Marines, who now

return to their units. That was the incident a one-off, or only unique

in being captured on film? British troops pride themselves on

maintaining high standards of discipline, and in general that is

true. One of the problems is that it is not just a slip on behalf of one

or two people. Increasingly, the conditions of modern

counterinsurgency make these events would be more frequent than we would

like to believe. British forces have been fighting a counterinsurgency

campaign in Helmand for many years, against an enemy that takes few

prisoners. It is a one-off, in historical terms, and it should be

seen as that. Furthermore, what it should also be seen is that due

process of law has been applied, and those standards, of which we are so

proud, have been maintained, because of the prosecution. On that tour of

duty, the men saw seven comrades killed, and this Sunday the nation

will remember all of those who fought and died in Helmand. But

today, the jury was clear. What happened that September in

Afghanistan was murder. We can talk to Caroline now. What

are the likely repercussions of the verdict for the Armed Forces? In

practical terms, Marines B and C have gone back to their units and

what happens to them will be up to their commanders. The anonymity the

dash the anonymity orders have still not been lifted. Marine A E will be

sentenced. For the Armed Forces more generally, I suspect even more

training on prisoner handling, what to do with prisoners of war, the

Geneva Convention and all of that, following this particular case,

which I think shocked many in the Armed Forces, who believed they had

the training right, until they saw the video map but also a video which

brought to people back here at home some of the more brutal realities of

the war on the front line in Helmand.

There is hope of a breakthrough in talks about Iran's nuclear programme

after the US Secretary of State, William Hague and other foreign

ministers arrived in Geneva for discussions with their Iranian

counterparts. John Kerry has played down the chances of striking a deal

after decades of hostility, but there is increasing optimism that

Iran might limit its nuclear ambitions, which it insists are

peaceful, in exchange for lifting of sanctions. Jeremy Bowen is in

Geneva. Is a deal likely? If the Iranians get the kind of assurances

they want about their right to enrich uranium at a certain level,

they might be able to get a deal. That certainly appears to be the

direction of travel. When the newly elected President of Iran was waging

a charm offensive at the UN in September in New York, a lot of

people said the proof of the pudding would be these negotiations about

the nuclear issue, which would show if the Iranians were serious. As far

as people we are talking to on the western side are concerned, they

believe they are serious about doing a deal. The Israelis are very

sceptical. President Obama has been reassuring the Israelis, saying he

would not allow Iran to get a nuclear weapons. But the fact that

they are even talking is enough to make the Israelis worried.

This was the confirmation that the talks were serious. Foreign Minister

is of the big Western powers, led by the US Secretary of State, John

Kerry, diverted aeroplanes and cancelled meetings to fly into

Geneva. They came because there seems to be a real chance to end the

slow burning but attention a catastrophic face-off over Iran's

nuclear plans. At times in the last you years, it has looked close to

causing another Middle East war. Now, there are hopes of an

agreement. But given this history of Iranians relation is with the West,

this is a sensitive issue, and the Americans, conscious of deep

suspicion at home and in Israel about Iran's motives, are doing all

that they can to manage expectations. I want to emphasise

there are still some very important issues on the table that are

unresolved. It is important for those to be properly, thoroughly

addressed. I want to emphasise there is not an agreement at this point in

time. The Iranians Foreign Minister, sitting next to the EU's Lady

Ashton, is making breakthroughs here partly because Iran's supreme leader

has authorised more flexibility. Any deal in Geneva, if it happens, might

just be a first step to a wider agreement. The West wants

restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment programme. Iran says it

is for peaceful nuclear energy. The West says it could be used to make a

bomb. Iran wants an end to economic sanctions, which have caused

hardship and political this content. Optimists say diplomatic success in

this quiet town might help break the international deadlock over Syria.

An attempt to mount a Syrian Geneva peace conference has just failed. In

Israel, the Prime Minister, who compares Iran's rulers to the Nazis,

leads the pessimists. They are not reducing their nuclear enrichment

capability, so it Iran of the century, and the international

community got a bad deal. -- Iran got the deal of the century. But

that did not punch of a mood. Iran's Foreign Minister was driven

off to an evening of meetings. Talks go on. If they do manage to make an

agreement, and it is not a certainty by any means, then it will have to

be sold to domestic publics as well, especially in Iran and the United

States, and especially in the US Congress, where they are very skip

to call about Iran's intentions and what it might do for Israel's

Security in particular. But the talks go on and will go on through

Saturday and perhaps even through the rest of the weekend as well.

One of the strongest storms ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan, has torn

through the central islands of the Philippines, causing massive damage.

Its winds reached up to 200mph, and, according to the Filipino

authorities, 12 million people are at risk. When it hit land it whipped

up a storm surge that inundated coastal villages, downed power lines

and cut off communications. Jon Donnison reports from the capital,

Manila. This could be the most powerful

typhoon ever to hit land. From dawn, wind up to 200 mph started to batter

the Philippines central islands. In the eastern province of Leyte, the

coastal town of Tacloban was swamped by storm surge. Streets turned into

rivers of debris. Satellite images tracked the typhoon's relentless

progress. It is now heading towards Vietnam and southern China. Millions

of people had been urged to seek shelter. Some, though, had chosen to

stay put. Filipinos are well used to typhoons. They have had more than 20

this year, but none of this strength. And the country is still

recovering from an earthquake last month which left hundreds dead and

tens of thousands of people living in temporary shelter. Today, those

same people had to face a super tight in. The president called for

the country to pull together. TRANSLATION: Snowstorm can bring the

Filipino people to its knees. -- knows storm. It is my hope we stay

safe in the coming days. Large parts of the Philippines are without

power, with phone lines also down. After such heavy rain, there remains

a high risk of landslides. The ball across the Philippines are facing a

difficult night. The capital, Manila, has largely avoided the

brunt of the damage, but elsewhere, aid agencies are saying the damage

could be unprecedented. One United Nations official told me hundreds of

thousands of homes could have damaged or destroyed. Already, many

families here have lost everything, but it may be days before we know

the full extent of the damage and the number of lives that have been

lost. Almost a fifth of the NHS maternity budget in England is being

spent on insurance for clinical negligence, the equivalent of ?700

for every baby born, according to figures from the spending watchdog,

the National Audit Office. It called for more midwives, but the

Government insists the NHS is still a safe place to have a baby.

Three days old, this baby and his mother, Daniela, are enjoying a

little moment of tranquillity. He was born on a typically busy

maternity unit at Liverpool women's Hospital. In England, the number of

births has increased by almost a quarter in the last decade and is

currently at its highest level in 40 years. More births, with more

complications. We have an increased complexity of the mothers

delivering, some through patient choice, they are choosing to deliver

when they are older. Some, it is through a more obese population.

Some women with complex medical problems that would never have

successfully had a pregnancy before. Failures of care in maternity

services can have catastrophic and expensive consequences. Each birth

in England costs the NHS around ?3700. Of that, ?700 is spent on

insurance against claims for medical negligence. Individual claims have

increased by 80% of the last five years, a similar picture to the rest

of the NHS. For Louis Rodriguez, who lives in Kent, litigation was

essential. Medical staff missed crucial danger signs during his

birth, leading to a critical brain injury. His family nanny to give him

a round-the-clock care. Night-time cover alone costs ?50,000 a year.

Ten, 20, 30 years from now, as an adult, the care cost would increase,

everything rises in price. The amount of money that you had asked

to last a lifetime. Mortality rates are improving. In 2011, one in 133

babies in and was stillborn or died shortly after birth. But that is

still not as good as other parts of the UK. Negligence lawyers say that

the NHS must invest in staff. I think they need more midwives, I

think more consultants need to be on the ward to deal with difficult

cases. I also think lessons need to be learned. More than 80% of women

say the care they received during birth and maternity is excellent or

very good. But there are still unexplained differences in the

quality of care between different trusts. Ministers say more midwives

than ever before are being trained. But they accept there is still too

much variation between the very best and the rest. Giving birth is not

without risk. But it is worth remembering that the vast majority

of babies are born safely. Tomorrow, China's leaders will meet

in Beijing to set the Communist Party's economic agenda for the next

decade, amid promises of unprecedented reform and profound

change. It is a significant moment for President Xi Jinping, who came

to power last year. The scale of possible change is daunting, and so

is potential resistance. For discussion are opening up China's

financial sector rural land reform. Damian Grammaticas has been to

Yunnan and Shanghai. The skyline of Shanghai. It is where

you see China's incredible rise. An economic story, unique in history.

Enormous wealth created in a shift from communism to capitalism. Now,

the breakneck growth is slowing. So, to reinvigorate it, China's

leader Xi Jinping is promising unprecedented reforms. Outside the

cities where almost half the population live, they are urgently

needed. The job of shedding state controls is only part complete. The

issue here is land. Private ownership of land is still banned,

pitting farmers against the government. This is the South West,

people fighting to stop the land being taken from them. China's

farmers, like here in Guangxi village, can only work the land.

They cannot sell them. They are shut out of the new economy. The

authorities wanted to build a giant tourist village here. Seizing land

is the main way they make money, so the tax system also needs reform.

People from the area soon heard that we were in Guangxi. They hurried to

the village, wanting us to hear that complaints as well. Everyone was

about land rights. It's an enormous problem, it affects hundreds of

millions of people. What is blocking changes the developers and local

governments that benefit from all of this. TRANSLATION: If Xi Jinping

ignores us, what can we do but rise up? If they kill one, there will be

another in their place. Xi Jinping could really help farmers if he

abolished the residence permits that tie them to the land. But in the

cities, they fear a flood of poor migrants will take their jobs and

add to the burden on hospitals and schools. One major reforms are

needed here as well. China's communist leaders still control the

banks and the financial system. The financial crisis in the West makes

them cautious. They say, well, we have seen how well you guys have

done this in Europe and the United States and we are really nervous

about giving too much power to bankers. I think the state is still

going to control all of the significant institutions. They are

just going to keep pushing them to operate more on market principles.

Now China is richer, reforming is harder. Communist elites are wealthy

and powerful. Not want to lose out. So the leaders talk of change, but

they will not be radical, they will tread carefully and relax their grip

gradually. We have often reported on the

so-called glass ceiling faced by British women in the boardroom.

Now, new research has found numbers are creeping up. Women now account

for 18 cent of ward positions in the 100 largest listed companies. That

is still below target levels. For the top job, there are only two

female chief executives. One company making significant inroads,

particularly in finance, is India. No fewer than eight major banks are

led by women. Reeta Chakrabarti has been to Mumbai to find out why women

there are succeeding in senior roles.

Banking has been one of the engines driving the Indian economy. Its

growth has seen a startling rise in the success of women. Not just on

the shop floor, but right at the very top. Chanda Kochhar heads of

India's second largest bank. She oversees 50,000 people and a network

of thousands of branches. Women like her have done well, so why? The

banks are making a decision based on merit and they are picking what they

think is the best candidate at that time, without any inhibition of

whether the candidate is male or female. As banking has grown, so has

female talent. ICICI, since the 1980s, has nurtured promising

women. There are now eight major banks headed by female executives.

They include Shakka Sharma, boss of a multi-billion pound 's global

bank. She says that Indian women are supported by domestic help and the

extended family. I think family support is a huge distinction for

us. My mum, my mother-in-law, even my father or father-in-law, they

would come by and help me when I was stuck in a situation. These other

corporate bosses of the future. Competition to get into this

management college is unbelievably fierce, with around 1000

applications per place. The girls are determined to succeed. I wanted

to study, I wanted to make sure I was working. What am I going to do

at home? I want to work and make a contribution. Women are surely

breaking the glass ceiling. It is more about the talent you have and

less about social constraints. It is exactly 20 years... India's first

female banking boss was in the 1990s. She said it was a lonely

business being the only woman at the top. Banking was always seen as a

good option for women. Women joined because it was a dream job for them,

you know? The family did not object to them. They went to the office,

they were very happy, meeting so many people. Dealing with money. It

was glamour. Women have always worked in India. But their rise in

the last two decades, in banking at least, has proved a phenomenal

success. All the more remarkable, given the traditional conservative

attitudes towards women in parts of the country. With much of the

population still lacking basic education, those attitudes will not

disappear soon. But the educated middle class is growing fast. It now

equals around 250 million people. With numbers like that, India's

female corporate revolution might only just have begun.

The BBC's former political editor John Cole, one of the best known

journalists on Radeon television during the Thatcher era, has died.

He was 85. A newspaper man turned broadcaster, he led a little

coverage of the Brighton bombing, the miners strike and Margaret

Thatcher's resignation as Prime Minister. Ross Hawkins looks back at

his life and the career of one of the defining journalists on the

1980s. A guide for millions through the dramas and upheavals of the 80s.

The accident and the insight, both instantly familiar. The really

intriguing bit is the position of two people. Sir Geoffrey Howe... Is

Westminster still reverberating from the shock of his departure? A

journalist from the age of just 17, when he joined the Belfast

Telegraph, John Cole was schooled in the ways of politics of the trade

unions, writing for The Guardian and The Observer. He brought that

understanding to the BBC coverage of Thatcherism, union unrest and then

John Major's government, as a Young Conservative advisor from the time

recalls. My strong as memory is of him in the 1992 election. I was

working in the offices, relatively junior. He was this tight and not

the BBC. Everybody respected his word. He was an extraordinary

broadcaster with great insights. After a bomb exploded at Margaret

Thatcher's hotel in Brighton, she sought him out amongst waiting

reporters. You hear about these atrocities, these bonds. You don't

expect them to happen to you. But life must go on, as usual. And your

conference will go on? The conference will go on, as usual. His

tales of Downing Street intrigues... I have resigned from

the Cabinet and I will make a full statement later today. Were not

easily forgotten, even by those at the centre of the story. You cannot

be in front line politics and not remember John Cole. He was a top

class, they do. But then he also had that accent, his own sort of

Hallmark, if you like. Overtime, he began to redefine political

coverage. John really changed the way that politics was covered on the

BBC. He understood, even though he came from print journalism, that if

you were to engage listeners and viewers, you had to be very

personable. He used everything. He used his wonderful voice, his

insight into politics, anecdote, humour, mischief. I appeared on

Radio 4... His fame and his quirks did not go unnoticed by the satirist

's at Spitting Image. They irritated him, but the informal style that

they mocked still influences the way his successors report Westminster

today. John Cole, who has died aged 85.

That is all from us. Newsnight is starting on BBC Two in a moment.

They will be interviewing the director of the Star Trek films and

the man chosen to rehabilitate Star Wars. On BBC One we join