17/01/2014 BBC News at Ten

"criminal act". Hundreds of police officers helped by local volunteers

continue the search in Edinburgh as concerns grow. Mikaeel Kular has

been missing since Wednesday night when his mother put him to bed. He

is in my son's class. I can't imagine going through that, getting

up and not finding him. It is just awful. It seems surreal that little

boy could walk out of his house. My son is the same age and there is no

way he could get his coat and shoes on.

Officers say there was a possible sighting of him yesterday morning

but it's not confirmed. Also tonight: Ed Miliband says it's

time for a "reckoning" with the big banks, and plans to break them up if

Labour win the next election. Ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics,

President Putin tells gay athletes to leave children in peace.

The otter pups and other wildlife struggling to survive, as flooding

continues to devastate parts of the UK.

And can Manchester United's manager reverse the slump in their Premier

League fortunes? In Sportsday, it's being reported

West Brom's shirt sponsors are threatening to pull out if the club

continues to play Nicolas Anelka. Good evening and welcome to the BBC

News At Ten. Police say they are investigating

the possibility that three-year-old Mikaeel Kular may have disappeared

following what they call a criminal act. He's been gone for over 48

hours now and hundreds of police officers, on foot, on horseback,

with sniffer dogs and helicopters, all helped by local volunteers, have

spent the day searching for him. There was a potential sighting of

the boy at 8.30am yesterday morning but it's not been confirmed as him.

The police say the fact that the little boy has been missing for so

long is of "grave concern". There has been no confirmed sighting of

Mikaeel since he was put to bed by his mother two days ago at their

home in Edinburgh. In the hunt for the little boy, all police forces

and ports have been put on alert across the UK. Our Scotland

correspondent Lorna Gordon has the very latest for us in Edinburgh now.

Yes, a nationwide alert but the focus of the search still remains

very much here on this estate and the surrounding areas in the north

of Edinburgh. And police say the support of the local community

continues to remain vital. Day two in the search for Mikaeel

cooler. Hundreds of volunteers responded to an appeal for help. The

young, those with families, mothers with their prams. If that was

yourself, you would hope everybody else would be doing the same for

you. And with mums, it hits home when it's go missing. Searchers,

standing shoulder to shoulder, dressed for the weather, some doing

their job, others donating their time and energy. Police have

organised locals into this systematic search of the Edinburgh

shoreline. It was checked carefully for clues yesterday, but once again

they are sweeping the area, slowly, carefully looking for any signs, any

indication as to where Mikaeel has gone. On one side, the city, on the

other, the sea. Fanning out, searching scrubland and trees. I was

out nine hours yesterday and I will stay for as long as I'm needed

tonight. To find the little boy. Sad. What we know so far? Mikaeel

Kular was last seen in his mother put him to bed in the family home at

nine o'clock on Wednesday evening. When she went to wake in the next

morning, ye had vanished. Police began searching shortly afterwards

and by yesterday afternoon a UK -wide appeal for him was issued.

Police are investigating claims that a child matching Mikaeel's

description was seen on this street the morning after he disappeared,

and they are keeping an open mind about why he went missing. It is,

however, entirely possible that Mikaeel has become the subject of a

criminal act, and our investigation has been established as a twin track

to ensure that that eventuality is being and will be fully explored. At

Mikaeel's Nursery, parents expressed their shock. He is in my son's class

and I just can't imagine going through that, getting up and not

finding him there. It is awful. It seems surreal and observed that a

little boy could walk out of his own house. My son is the same age and

there is no way he could get his coat and shoes on and things like

that. From fliers handed out locally to digital billboards across

Britain, Mikaeel's images everywhere. There is grave concern

that this little boy has not been seen now for more than 48 is. His

family are desperate to get him home. More information coming from

the police over the last few hours and a slight change in tone. They

have firmed up more of Mikaeel's movements over the last few weeks,

saying he has not been a nursery since the Christmas break because he

has been ill. They will be trying to work out exactly what he was up to

in the days preceding his disappearance and of course what has

happened over the last 48 is. They also say there is nothing to confirm

either way white Mikaeel has vanished, and they will be trying to

work out whether indeed a three-year-old can get dressed,

perhaps in the middle of the night, and leave his home on his own, or

whether someone else was involved in his disappearance.

The Labour leader Ed Miliband has set out his plans to break up

Britain's high street banks if his party wins the next election. He

says it's time for a "reckoning" with the industry, one of a number

which he claims are not working in the best interests of the public.

Our political editor, Nick Robinson, reports.

Please welcome Ed Miliband. A movie star entrance for the Labour leader

today, staged by a party determined to present him as man enough to

stage a showdown with Britain's vested interests. We need a

reckoning with our banks, not for retribution but for reform. That

word, reckoning, is the one they use in the movies when there is a whole

list of misdeeds to avenge. Mr deeds Ed Miliband listed. Insecure jobs,

house prices out of reach, the bill still too high, the banks not

serving the real economy, and George Osborne and David Cameron want much

relation to how well they are doing. If they really believe that a few

months of better statistics are going to solve the cost of living

crisis, they only go to show they have absolutely no clue about the

scale of the problem, or the scale of the solutions required. And

today's beat Labour solution is a plan to break up written's biggest

banks. -- today's big Labour solution is to rake up Britain's

biggest banks. It is one of the most concentrated patterns of ownership

in the world. So what is Ed Miliband's plan for that reckoning

with the big banks? A Labour government, he said, would order an

immediate enquiry by competition authorities, a new cap would come on

the size any bank could reach, the aim would be to create two big new

challenger banks. Watching the Labour leader in Essex, the boss and

workers of a small IT firm which struggled to raise the funds they

needed to expand their business. He talked a lot of sense today as to

what he would do, and tackling the banks and tackling lending to small

businesses is crucial, very crucial. I think a lot of it could be

rhetoric, just giving us what we want to hear. And I'm quite

sceptical. The Prime Minister, on a visit to a road scheme in Norfolk,

insisted that the coalition was already acting to produce more

banking competition. We have been clearing up the Walls and sorting

out our banking system, and it is much stronger than the mess we

inherited from Labour. But what we really need is a whole economic

plan. Last year, the TSB open for business again as a separate

stand-alone bank after Lloyds was ordered to shed branches and more

than 4 million customers. I agree we need more competition in banking,

new banks, particularly to support business in the recovery. But he is

in danger of reinventing the wheel. At this small London brewery, Ed

Miliband heard a welcome for his tanking plan. Perhaps he will raise

a glass to one more eye-catching policy announcement, which he will

hope the electorate like the taste of. Great. Really nice. Given the

anger of many voters, the next election is sure to be what they

call at the movies a day of reckoning. The fight is over who

with. Will it read, as the Labour leadership hope, with powerful banks

and the energy companies, or as the Tories wish, with Labour's record?

No more eavesdropping on the mobile phone calls of foreign leaders and

no more mass storage of telephone records - just two of the pledges

President Obama has made to restore the image of America's National

Security Agency. The NSA has been the subject of numerous leaks from

the former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. Our North America

editor, Mark Mardell, reports. It could be you, or it could be

him, you just can't know. But information about millions of

innocent phone calls and e-mails has been collected by US intelligence,

swept up as part of a vast operation that has shocked many at home and

abroad. President Obama says now there will be some changes. The

bottom line is that able round the world, regardless of their

nationality, should know that the United States is not spying on

ordinary people. We take their privacy concerns into account in our

policies and procedures. This applies to foreign leaders as well.

President Obama has ordered that spying on friendly foreign leaders

should stop unless there is a compelling national security

purpose. He has instructed that the privacy of people at home and abroad

should be treated with dignity and respect, and he will appoint an

official responsible for privacy and Civil Liberties to work with

intelligence agencies. With the fate of the -- but the fate of the

intelligence trawl exposed by Edward Snowden is far from clear. The

president said the collection of bulk data must continue but not in

its current form. There will be some curbs, and a report on a new way

forward in 60 days, and then Congress will get to vote. The

danger here is that we could take steps that, if not carefully carried

-- carried out, could limit the flexibility and the agility and the

speed with which we can detect and process intelligence material in

order to prevent plotting and attacks, in order to disrupt

terrorist activity. That is the danger. The president's new

directive is very clear dash privacy shall be integral. And private

interim -- private information should not be misused or mishandled.

But much of it is left up to the intelligence agencies. It will have

a knock-on effect. The British Government says we have strong

protections but others are not so sure. If Washington changes, so much

Britain, according to Conservative MP David Davis, who has been

gathering information on the debate. We cannot do things the Americans

will not do. The implications for GCHQ, they receive about $100

million a year from the NSA to help the NSA do what they are now being

stop from doing. Some protesters had a simple demand.

Other Civil Liberties groups gave a cautious welcome to the tiring but

said bulk election should be ended, not mended. The president has

ensured this debate is far from over.

The storms which have battered the country in recent weeks have left

local councils struggling to repair the damage to roads. They've

estimated the bill at ?400 million in England and Wales alone. And

there's no let up it seems. There was more misery for commuters this

morning. These drivers in Essex were struggling through flood water. Now

the BBC has seen the first major study, by the Environment Agency, of

the impact on some of Britain's most important wildlife habitats. Nearly

50 sites of special scientific interest have been severely

affected, the worst damage ever recorded. Our science editor, David

Shukman, explains. Seal pups in a rescue centre,

separated from their mother by a violent tidal surge. Now cared for

by the RSPCA, these pups are lucky survivors. An unknown number were

swept away. Baby otters, found on a road. Also believed to be victims of

flooding. And on the Norfolk coast, the RSPB filmed one of the many

birds that didn't get away. What's emerging is how wildlife has

suffered in this winter of storms. This is worse than anything we have

ever seen before. This impact of this tidal surge was the highest

ever recorded in many parts and the impact to these wildlife sites is,

in some cases, devastating. Up and down the coast, nature reserves have

been ruined. Sea water now flows through breaches in the defences.

Here on the north coast of Norfolk this wrecked embankment is one of

countless examples of the damage. Even now the full extent isn't

known. This is one of many places where the sea has just punched a

hole right through the defences. Salt water now lies in what used to

be a fresh water habitat. There are hundreds of breaches like this

around the country, so tough choices lie ahead about where to repair and

where to give up. A nature reserve like this depends

on fresh water to survive. So, where sea water has flooded in, the

plants, insects and fish that make up the e ecosystem are all put at

risk. The big worry is what this means for the famous birdlife here.

Some birds can adapt. But others rely on the flood chain provided by

fresh water. It is not just about losing some invisible insects. It's

about potentially losing the base of a pyramid that includes all the

other species. Nature has a way of bouncing back but we won't know for

sure how quickly it can bounce back. Repairs to a broken barrier. This is

to guard houses, not wildlife. There is a limited budget and not

everything can be protected. No wonder people are nervous. Marie

Strong is the county councillor for the area. She says the priorities

for flood defence are clear. The first thing has to be homes and

people and businesses. Because that's people's livelihoods. It's

not just saying that shop has to be kept going. It has a knock-on effect

on people's lives but of course so does the wildlife and particularly

around here that has been affect on tourism. It has to follow but it

does need to follow. Wildlife can be resilient but the challenge this

winter has been exceptional and it is not over yet.

The Queen's granddaughter, Zara Tindall, has given birth to a girl.

The new Royal baby weighed 7lbs 12oz and is 16th in line to the throne.

Zara's husband, Mike Tindall, was present at the birth at

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. He took to Twitter to say that today

was "the best day" of his life, adding, "The girls are both doing

great." The Prime Minister, David Cameron, also welcomed the news.

Well, it is wondserful news. I'm delighted for the couple. I know

them a little. I know they will be devoted and delighted parents. So

happy news all round. Ahead of next month's Winter

Olympics in Sochi, the Russian president has announced that

security will be strong, though not too intrusive, but that he will

enforce laws banning homosexual propaganda, adding that gay athletes

and spectators attending the Games should, in his words, "leave

children in peace." The BBC's Andrew Marr was one of just three

international journalists given a broadcast interview with the

president before the games. It's just two weeks to go to the

Winter Olympics and the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi, scene of

the world's largest construction site is almost open for business.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, very rarely gives interviews

to foreign journalists. But this is such a big moment for him and

Russia, that today he's making an exception. Mr Poout poout told me

that this was -- Mr Putin told me this was a turning point in the

story of Russia itself. TRANSLATION: After the collapse of

the Soviet Union, and after the tough, bloody events in the

Caucasus, our society was in a state of depression. We need to shake that

off. We need to understand and to feel that we can do great things.

But after recent terrorist attacks, security remains the number one

concern in Russia. Mr Putin confirmed to us that he's had help

from Western security agencies in throwing an iron ring around Sochi.

TRANSLATION: If we allow ourselves to display weakness, or to show our

fear, then we'll be helping the terrorists to achieve their aims.

The Sochi Games are a huge moment of national pride and prestige,

involving huge investment, new roads, new railways, effectively an

entire new winter resort but the rest of the world has been looking

on and seeing controversy over corruption, over the release of

political prisoners and above all, a bitter, bitter row between the West

and Russia over gay rights. That remains a philosophical divide. On a

day when Mr Putin said gays were welcome at the Olympics but they

should, "Leave the kids in peace." So, was all the money, all the risk,

all the controversy really worth it? It's a huge project and a huge

gamble but already one that Mr Putin thinks he's winning.

You can see the full interview with President Putin on the Andrew Marr

Show this Sunday morning at 9.00am on BBC One. A Britain is among at

least 14 people who have died in an attack in a rows student in Kabul.

Two men opened fire inside the restaurant said to be popular with

foreigners and a suicide bomber blew himself outside. The Taliban said it

carried out the attack. And in the last few minutes, West Midlands

Police said two 21-year-old men from Birmingham have been charged with

planning and travelling to Syria for terrorism. The men, both from the

Hanns worth area of the city were detained at Heat Heath earlier this

week. A soldier who killed his 20-month-old daughter has been

jailed for six years. Lance Corporal Liam Culverhouse, who was a

Grenadier Guardsman, had survived an attack in Afghanistan in which five

of his fellow soldiers died. The judge told him that post traumatic

stress had clearly contributed to his actions but could not excuse

them, as Jonathan Beale reports. Liam Culverhouse survived his own

serious wounds serving as a soldier in Afghanistan but today he was in

court for the severe injuries he inflicted on his own baby daughter

and which ultimately caused her death.

After he was sentenced to six years in jail, the police gave this

reaction. Liam Culverhouse was himself a very troubled man. Clearly

unfit to look after a small baby. I hope that the prison sentence

affords him a chance to reflect on his actions and to be truly

remorseful. No photographs of baby Khloe have been released but in

court we heard a long list of the injuries she suffered at just seven

weeks' old. They included multiple fractures to her skull, ribs and

spine. Some injuries consistent with violent shaking. She died, 18 months

later. Liam Culverhouse was shot six times.

This, the rescue after a rogue Afghan policeman opened fire and

left him with multiple wounds and the loss of an eye. He later gave

evidence at the inquest of the five comrades who died in that attack but

his lawyer said his own post-traumatic stress disorder was

never properly treated. Even though research shows there may have been

cause for concern. What we find is that those who are deployed in

combat roles are more likely to violently offend in return and we

also found that post-traumatic stress disorder was a predictor of

violent offending. Summing-up, the judge told Liam culler have shous,

"Despite the effects of your condition, you maintained a

significant degree of cull tab for Khloe's death." Before the assault

he admitted he easily lost his temper and was worried when left

alone with his children. There is now a review as to why the warning

signs were never picked up. Prince Harry is to take up a new

role in the Army as a Staff Officer after completing his current

attachment flying attack helicopters. He'll be based at Horse

Guards in London. Captain Wales' new responsibilities will include

helping to organise major ceremonial events, such as state visits and

Trooping the Colour. Now, he got fined today for

questioning a referee's decision and his two best strikers are missing

for this weekend's clash with Chelsea. It's been another difficult

week for Manchester United's David Moyes. He's not had the best of

starts to his managerial career at Old Trafford, a place, which it

appears, no longer strikes fear into opposing teams as our Sports Editor

David Bond reports. It's only the half-way point of the Premier League

season but already the pressure is beginning to show for Manchester

United and their new manager, David Moyes.

They are 11 points off the top and they face Chelsea on Sunday without

Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. So what does the manager, who was

tipped to take over the club last summer, think of Moyes? He will have

time to build his team. He will have time to recover his players. He will

have budget to buy and to add important players to the club. So, I

think he will succeed. The season after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement

was always going to be one of transition and uncertainty but few

expected it to be this tough. And United's poor performance on the

pitch has led to concerns about their performance as a business.

American owners, the Glazers, floated United on the New York Stock

Exchange in August 2012. The money raised was partly used to reduce the

club's huge debts and with revenues growing at record levels each year,

the company's stocks should be soaring.

When Manchester United won the Premier League under Ferguson last

year, the share price hit a high of $19 in New York, where the club is

listed. Since he handed over to David Moyes,

it's been less buoyant w a sharp dip since the beginning of December to

around $15. It's now fallen more than 15% under the new manager.

Today I asked him what he could do to reassure investors. Well, I would

say, you know, speak to the Board about that. You don't have a view

about the value of the club? No, my job is to work with the players and

get the players right and prepare them. So, you should speak to the

Board about that. Senior United executives tell me they are not

unduly concerned about the share price and insist their long-term

business plan will keep them at the top of the financial league. But,

will that convince the markets? ? Manchester United's profits are

dependent on how well its players perform on the pitch. The more wins,

the more money the company will make, the higher the stock price

should go. Despite the shaky start under Moyes, Manchester United are

still a money-making machine. That financial dominance will only be

threatened if this dip turns into something much more serious.

That's all from us. There is a first look at the papers on the