25/04/2014 BBC News at Ten


25/04/2014

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Pro-Russian separatists seize a group of international military

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observers in Ukraine. As Russia puts on a display of firepower, Ukraine

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says it fears an imminent invasion and accuses Moscow of wanting to

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start a new world war. As the tension escalates, Western powers

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are warning Russia it faces fresh sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

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Also tonight: The Chancellor, George Osborne, tells the Royal Bank of

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Scotland to reduce the size of planned bonuses for its staff.

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An insult to the dead - the Government vows to find out who used

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Whitehall computers to change the Hillsborough Disaster Wikipedia

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entry. To me what an utter disgrace that

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is, for anybody, for anybody to be spoken to about like that.

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A rose from a refugee - the children fleeing Syria forced to sell flowers

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on the streets of Lebanon to survive. We have a special report.

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And, bye bye baby - Prince George and his parents head home at the end

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of their tour of Australia and New Zealand.

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In Sportsday: Manchester United's interim manager Ryan Giggs vows to

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bring passion, excitement and flair back to Old Trafford.

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Good evening. Russia is being warned that it is facing a new wave of

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sanctions from America and Europe over the crisis in Ukraine. It comes

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after pro-Russian separatists detained a group of international

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military observers in the town of Sloviansk as they were travelling

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across Eastern Ukraine. Earlier, two Ukrainian military aircraft were

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destroyed at the Kramatorsk Airport in what Kiev called an act of

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sabotage. And, as the tension continues to grow, the Ukrainian

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Prime Minister has claimed that Russia is keen on starting a third

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world war. Our Correspondent Daniel Sandford is in Eastern Ukraine.

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Powerful rockets roaring into the sky in southern Russia today as the

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Kremlin publicly flexed its muscles again. As the Russian Foreign

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Minister accused Europe and America of making a land-grab for Ukraine.

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TRANSLATION: The West wants, this is how it all began, to seize control

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of Ukraine because of their own political ambitions and not for the

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interests of the Ukrainian people. But on the ground in eastern Ukraine

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it is the pro-Russian militia that are causing the problems. Here in

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Sloviansk the most militant town, they took a group of seven

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international military observers prisoner, claiming they were

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travelling with the Ukrainian spy. In response, the Government in Kiev

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has been setting up checkpoints close to Sloviansk in an attempt to

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restore some order. The Ukrainian army say they're trying to close the

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net around Sloviansk, to try to prevent the armed revolt spreading.

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But Russia immediately called on Kiev to halt all military action in

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eastern Ukraine. At the nearby airport, the armed pro-Russian

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militia seemed to have scored another success, a helicopter was

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destroyed on the ground causing troops to fan out across the

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airfield. America said the unrest was an attempt by Moscow to

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discredit next month's presidential election in Ukraine. Russia has

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instead chosen an illegitimate course of armed violence to try and

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achieve with the barrel of a gun and the force of a mob, what couldn't be

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achieved any other way. They've tried to create enough chaos in the

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east to delay or delegitimise the elections. Kiev has a problem in

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eastern Ukraine beyond the pro-Russian gunmen. Kicking a ball

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around after work this evening was one 25-year-old who summed up the

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general disquiet here. TRANSLATION: The people want more

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lights, no one is listening to us. The Kiev Government isn't listening

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to us. They're sending in the army. This region has a proud history of

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coal mining and agriculture. With the Ukrainian Prime Minister

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accusing Russia of wanting to start world war three, and America

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threatening Moscow with further sanctions, this beautiful landscape

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has suddenly become the frontline in the old rivalry between east and

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west. Although much of this region is

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separate separating -- operating normally the situation has

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deteriorated badly the last few days. Not only have those military

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observers been detained but several other people have been taken

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prisoner and many journalists were threatened with guns today. All the

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while, the Ukrainian army is closing in, though it seems unlikely that

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they'll try to storm the town. Diplomacy seems to have completely

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stalled. Only over a week ago America and Russia were sitting

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around the negotiating table in Geneva. Now they're just berating

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each other from opposite sides of the world.

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The Government has blocked plans by Royal Bank of Scotland to pay its

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staff bonuses up to twice the amount of their salary. The bank, which is

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mostly owned by the taxpayer, made a pre-tax loss of ?8.2 billion last

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year - the highest since the financial crisis began. The

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Chancellor, George Osborne, says it's right to restrict bonuses when

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RBS still has a long way to go. Our business editor Kamal Ahmed has

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more. It has been a day when big banking

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and powerful politics clashed and powerful politics came out on top.

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RBS wanted to be allowed to pay executives bonuses of up to twice

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their salary. The Government, which owns 80% of RBS, rejected the

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proposals, demanding a lower cap. At a visit to a new Science Centre in

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Cambridge the Chancellor told me why it was so important to keep a check

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on bankers' pay. The new team at RBS have done a huge amount to repay

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what went badly wrong. But there is still a long way to go. Therefore,

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we made it clear that in circumstances it was not right to

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increase the bonus cap. I am glad that RBS have agreed with that. I am

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also glad that total pay at RBS is coming down.

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Within the bank, they believe the decision will make it harder for RBS

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to complete its rescue plan. The bank argues if you cannot pay as

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well as competition, performance will suffer. Won't RBS be made

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weaker by the fact it will be less competitive in the market for the

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top executives? It's clear that RBS can not only keep the key people it

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needs but hire people it needs and the overall pay approach that the

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board have set out today is one that I support.

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This clash has been coming for a while. It was the beginning of the

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year when the leader of the opposition first raised the issue of

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RBS's pay. RBS are talking to parts of the Government about the proposal

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to pay over 100% bonuses. The taxpayer will foot the bill. Will he

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put a stop to it right now by telling RBS to drop this idea?

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Leaving the Government with a tricky problem, if it agreed to the

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increase. It is right this cap is applied on bonuses to RBS. The irony

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is George Osborne's been forced to do it because of public pressure and

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pressure from Labour while at the same time he has a legal case in

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Brussels to stop these rules applying. The Government says there

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is no contradiction. It doesn't agree with the EU rules to cap

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bonuses, but it is going to use the powers while they're available. Here

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in the City tonight, some argue the constant focus on pay is missing the

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bigger picture, how to make RBS valuable enough so the Government

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can sell its stake. The share price has risen by 1% in the last year,

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still below where the taxpayer could get value for money. Many think

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today's announcement has pushed a sale even further into the future.

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RBS says the business is getting better but five years on from the

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financial crisis, it is still a bank in the headlines for all the wrong

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reasons. New tougher rules are being

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introduced from midnight which could determine build you -- whether you

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could get a mortgage. Here is our personal finance

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correspondent Simon Gompertz. Applying for a mortgage used to be

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so simple, do little more than fill in your name, age and salary and you

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would get a loan worth four times that. Not any more. From tomorrow,

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mortgage applicants will face questions on their spending on

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everything from childcare and travel, to going out, food bills,

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even gambling. It will all affect how high your borrowing can go.

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Lenders have been phasing in the new system so it's already had an impact

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on borrowers like Clare in London. Tougher questioning resulted in her

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mortgage offer being cut by thousands of pounds. I had to take

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out a loan from the bank. The mortgage - the application was going

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through and they discovered that and it threw a spanner in the works. It

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resulted in less money and delaying the process even further. Clare's

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mortgage broker complains questions being asked about haircuts, milk

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bills and going to the gym are too intrusive. Gym membership is a

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lifestyle choice. It could be cancelled at any time. Therefore,

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why should the lender see that as a commitment when really all it is is

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someone choosing how they spend their surplus funds on themselves?

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Mortgage interviews will then home in on a big what if. What if the

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mortgage rate shoots up to 7%, more than double what most people are

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paying? Will you be able to meet the bill? The man who oversees mortgage

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lending says he is just making sure buyers don't overstretch themselves.

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We would all love to live in expensive mansions in Chelsea, I

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expect, but this is about getting people into homes they can afford.

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There are already worries about another housing bubble. More careful

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lending might skim off some of that froth from house prices.

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The Labour Leader, Ed Miliband, has urged the Scottish people to vote

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against independence insisting that only Labour can deliver social

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justice for everyone in the UK. Speaking in Glasgow, where the

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Shadow Cabinet was meeting, Mr Miliband accused the Scottish

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National Party of trying to pump up the idea of another Tory Government

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in order to win votes. Here's our Scotland Correspondent Lorna Gordon.

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We have a matter of a referendum... Bringing together its grass roots

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and big guns. Labour out Canavans to convince supporters that the party

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and the union are worth sticking with. Ed Miliband brought his Shadow

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Cabinet here too to announce plans to protect workers on zero hours

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contracts. It's the sort of policy Labour hopes will install its leader

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in Number 10, and help keep Scotland within the union. If we win the

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election next year, on zero hours, energy prices, show how we can

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create a better life for working people in Scotland. There's been a

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perception there aren't Labour activists campaigning for the union,

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would you conceive there's been a perception problem? We care deeply

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about what happens to Scotland and the decision it makes. I don't have

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a vote in that referendum. It's a decision for the people of Scotland.

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I think if we are going to deliver social justice across the United

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Kingdom, including for the people of Scotland, then we are better off

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together. Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, thinks differently.

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That only independence would give the country the power it needs to

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protect workers' rights. September's referendum on independence could

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well be won or lost in places like Glasgow which have tradely favoured

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Labour. Now voters here are being targeted by both sides. --

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traditionally. There are still a lot of people undecided about which way

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to vote. Alex Bell has supported Labour since he was 15. He is at

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odds with the party over Scotland's future. How are you going to vote

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and why? I am going to vote yes. The reason for me is to get rid of New

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Labour. The New Labour experiment has failed Scotland. The chance for

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independence gives the Labour Party a chance to reinvent itself in

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Scotland, maybe get back to being the party it used to be and still

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wants to be. The party's leader was given a reminder that not everyone

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is happy with his approach. You come here and try to tell people we are

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better together, you should be ashamed. While Labour is a force to

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be reckoned with in Scotland, this September's vote may be its toughest

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elect ram test. -- electoral test. Three years of

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conflict in Syria have had a devastating impact on the lives of

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many Syrian people. It's estimated that over 2.5 million people have

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fled the country. Nowhere has been more affected than neighbouring

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Lebanon, where more than a million people, a quarter of the population,

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are now Syrian refugees. As our correspondent Paul Wood reports from

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Beirut, Syrians are sending their children onto the streets to make a

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living. On a beautiful day like this,

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families come out to enjoy the Beirut sunshine. But five-year-old

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Narmine is working. If she doesn't sell her roses, her family won't

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eat. She pedals them with a cousin, Bilal, who is ten. Their families

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fled Aleppo, they can get aid but not enough to pay the bills. So, the

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children work a ten hour day on the streets. TRANSLATION: Am I happy?

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Does it matter? We are a family of eight. I have to support my brothers

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and sisters. I accept my fate. TRANSLATION: I used to love going to

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school. I hope the war ends in Syria. I want to go home. For now,

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home is a squalid single room. Narmine's father says that on the

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street is always out of sight, watching the children. He does that

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much for them. TRANSLATION: This eats me up inside, but we have to

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find food and rent. When Narmine gets tired, I take over. But I don't

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sell as much as her. People buy more from a child.

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Of course, begging and street children didn't arrive in Beirut

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with Syria's civil war, but there are a lot more of both here now. And

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the few aid agencies which are working in this area say that the

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overwhelming majority of families who send their children onto the

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streets are Syrian refugees. Flowers, flowers, he says. This

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11-year-old is out until the early hours every night. No family member

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comes to keep an eye on him. He is alone here. Most people don't buy.

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The rose sellers get arrested, robbed, preyed upon by pimps. The

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streets are no place for a child. This boy and thousands like him have

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little chance of getting back to school. Their stunted lives are

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casualties, too, of Syria's civil war.

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The United States says the Israeli Palestinian peace process needs to

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take a pause while the two sides decide on their next move. But

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America is refusing to accept it will fail to meet its goal of a

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peace deal this month. Yesterday, Israel suspended the talks, after

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Fatah, the Palestinian faction in the West Bank, announced a unity

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deal with Hamas, its rival which runs Gaza. Our Middle East Editor

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Jeremy Bowen is in Israel for us. Jeremy, what's America's Plan B?

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You know, I don't think they have one, particularly. Mr Obama is in

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his second term and is running out of time to make the big changes

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which, as a candidate, he really wanted to make in the Middle East.

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He says he doesn't think they will be able to make the hard choices

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necessary for a deal within six months. More than six months, they

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have been talking about this, about trying to build a Palestinian state

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alongside Israel for more than 20 years and they have not got

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anywhere. It is a long record of failure. That is one reason I think

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that Fatah went for the unity deal with Hamas, because they are not

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getting what they want out of talks and there is a current within the

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PLO that says they have to try a different strategy. Welding eternal

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unity and also what they call non-violent resistance, which

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includes the movement for the boycott, disinvestment and

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sanctions. In other words, trying to isolate Israel in the way that South

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Africa was isolated in the 80s. As for the Israelis, Mr Netanyahu seems

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happy with the status quo, keeping a lid on things, expanding

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settlements, Israelis are making good money. But he is warned that,

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long-term, if there is no Palestinian state, he may be forced

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to... Ultimately Israelis might be forced to give Palestinians who live

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under their control the vote. Since most likely Palestinians would be in

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the majority, that would open up a whole new range of electoral

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possibilities which many Israelis would certainly fear. A 42-year-old

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woman accused of murdering her three young disabled children broke down

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in tears at her first court appearance today. The children's

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father, Gary Clarence, seen here leaving court, also as his wife was

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remanded in custody. Ben, Max and four-year-old Olivia were found at

:19:19.:19:20.

the family home in south-west London on Tuesday. The Cabinet Office has

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said it may be a challenge to find out who was responsible for using a

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computer in Whitehall to make offensive remarks about the

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Hillsborough disaster. Alterations were made to the Wikipedia entry

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about the tragedy in which 96 people were killed. The Cabinet Office said

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it was sickened by the unacceptable comments.

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The pain of the Hillsborough families continues, as they search

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for justice for the loved ones who died 25 years ago. Now they have to

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deal with what the government has described as sickening insults about

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those foot of funds. The Liverpool Echo revealed that changes had been

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made to Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia which anybody can

:20:05.:20:12.

edit. A sentence added in 2009 red, blame Liverpool fans. Then the

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phrase you'll never walk alone was altered, to you'll never walk again.

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To me, what an utter, utter disgrace that is, for anybody to be spoken

:20:22.:20:27.

to, about like that. The Wikipedia entries were posted from so-called

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IP addresses used by computers on Whitehall's secure network.

:20:35.:20:40.

Officials have launched an investigation and say they are

:20:41.:20:42.

treating the matter with the utmost seriousness. They admit that

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identifying the culprits could prove challenging, because hundreds of

:20:47.:20:49.

thousands of civil servants have access to the computer system.

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Labour MP Andy Burnham has been an avid campaign on behalf of

:20:55.:20:56.

Hillsborough victims. He will be able to view all of the relevant

:20:57.:20:59.

material found during the investigation. It is sickening and

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appalling to think that this kind of abuse was being aimed at the

:21:06.:21:07.

victims, their families and Liverpool supporters in general from

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the heart of Government. It actually shows what we were up against when

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we first confronted the Government and establishment over Hillsborough.

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The Government has assured Liverpool fans it is exhausting every option

:21:22.:21:25.

to get to the truth. It's been a turbulent week for one

:21:26.:21:28.

of the world's most famous clubs. Now Manchester United's new interim

:21:29.:21:31.

manager Ryan Giggs is preparing to take charge of his first match

:21:32.:21:34.

tomorrow after David Moyes was sacked. Speaking for the first time

:21:35.:21:38.

since he was appointed, Ryan Giggs said it was the proudest moment of

:21:39.:21:42.

his life. Giggs was part of the famed Class of 92, the players who

:21:43.:21:45.

contributed to much of the club's success under Sir Alex Ferguson and

:21:46.:21:48.

who now dominate the team's coaching staff. Here's our Sports Editor

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David Bond. Meet the new boss. Ryan Giggs. The

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eternal winger turned temporary manager. For the next couple of

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weeks, it's his job to try and lift the gloom surrounding Manchester

:22:04.:22:08.

United. Facing the media today for the first time since David Moyes'

:22:09.:22:11.

messy sacking, we were told we could ask no questions on his dismissal.

:22:12.:22:16.

But Giggs knew he had to say something. It has been a difficult

:22:17.:22:21.

week for the club. Obviously it was a shock to me on Tuesday, when I

:22:22.:22:25.

spoke to Ed. He informed me that David was leaving. And then asked me

:22:26.:22:33.

to take over. It's just been a bit of a whirlwind week for me. One of

:22:34.:22:36.

the reasons for Moyes' departure was his sterile brand of football. Giggs

:22:37.:22:41.

has a different vision. Well, it's going to be my philosophy. You know,

:22:42.:22:44.

obviously Manchester United's philosophy because I've been here

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for all my career. I want the players to play with passion, speed,

:22:49.:22:55.

tempo, be brave, imagination. All the things I expect of a Manchester

:22:56.:23:01.

United player. This has been a dreadful week for Manchester United.

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While Ryan Giggs has lifted the spirits around the place, that's

:23:06.:23:09.

just a temporary fix. They now have a huge decision to make. They know

:23:10.:23:13.

it's one that they have to get right. So, who could be the next

:23:14.:23:19.

chosen one? The Netherlands coach, Louis van Gaal, has been sounded out

:23:20.:23:23.

and seems to be the favourite. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho

:23:24.:23:26.

appeared to rule himself out today. But could he still be tempted? The

:23:27.:23:31.

Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, could offer the best solution. One

:23:32.:23:36.

United legend says the club need a safe pair of hands.

:23:37.:23:40.

I think they'll probably go with an experienced type of coach, who's

:23:41.:23:43.

been at big clubs and done it at big clubs. I would have thought that's

:23:44.:23:53.

the kind of manager they'd go for. For now, it is up to Giggs and the

:23:54.:23:57.

team around him to try and end the season on a high note. But this has

:23:58.:24:01.

been a bruising year. And, for United, there could still be

:24:02.:24:02.

difficult times ahead. It's been a royal tour rich in

:24:03.:24:13.

pictures, Prince George's crawl about in New Zealand, the Duke and

:24:14.:24:16.

Duchess of Cambridge being taught to DJ and a spectacular visit to Ayers

:24:17.:24:22.

Rock. Now it's over and the royal couple are on their way home from

:24:23.:24:25.

Australia. So what impact has their visit had there on feelings about

:24:26.:24:29.

the monarchy? Our Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell sent

:24:30.:24:31.

this report, which does contain some flash photography.

:24:32.:24:39.

A final, solemn duty in the predawn darkness of Australia's national day

:24:40.:24:46.

of remembrance, Anzac Day. At the end of a three week tour of

:24:47.:24:49.

Australia and New Zealand, which is being described in Australia as the

:24:50.:24:52.

most memorable royal visit for years. There's no question who the

:24:53.:24:57.

star has been. From the moment Baby George was carried off the plane in

:24:58.:25:00.

New Zealand to his appearance at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, his

:25:01.:25:03.

photogenic appeal has eclipsed even that of his mother. But what of

:25:04.:25:09.

Catherine? She has tackled the tour with an ever-changing wardrobe, but

:25:10.:25:12.

also with a willingness to join in, whether it be cricket in

:25:13.:25:19.

Christchurch... Or having her go at being a DJ in Adelaide.

:25:20.:25:23.

Both she and William have dealt with the intense levels of attention with

:25:24.:25:29.

patience and good humour. So, where does this all leave the monarchy

:25:30.:25:33.

down under? Bill Shorten is the leader of Australia's opposition

:25:34.:25:35.

Labour Party, which wants an Australian as head of state. Times

:25:36.:25:41.

have changed, he says. But the monarchy question is ducked. We will

:25:42.:25:48.

continue the relationship, not so much a mother country, but

:25:49.:25:51.

continuous, oldest friend. With a monarchy in 50 years' time, say? Oh,

:25:52.:25:56.

I can't even pick the winner on race five on Saturday, so I won't start

:25:57.:25:59.

throwing my crystal ball about that debate. Insofar as these things can

:26:00.:26:04.

be deciphered, the Australia from which they're departing seems, like

:26:05.:26:07.

New Zealand, to be broadly content to leave constitutional matters like

:26:08.:26:16.

the monarchy unchanged. This trio represent the monarchy's long-term

:26:17.:26:20.

future. After this visit, there is a renewed confidence among monarchists

:26:21.:26:22.

that Australia and New Zealand will wish to be part of that future.

:26:23.:26:30.

That's all from us, don't forget a first look at the papers over on the

:26:31.:26:35.

BBC News Channel. But

:26:36.:26:37.

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