30/01/2016 BBC Weekend News

At least 39 migrants have drowned trying to reach Europe -

in the sea between Turkey and Greece.

Coastguards said they were trying to reach the island of Lesbos,

where tens of thousands of refugees, including many Syrians

have arrived in recent weeks.

This latest tragedy comes as members of the main group opposing

the Syrian President flew to Geneva to join UN talks aimed at ending

They had originally boycotted the process.

More on that in a moment - but first Mark Lowen reports

on the latest boat disaster off the Turkish coast.

What remains of a death trap for the desperate.

It carried 120 but was meant for far fewer.

Dozens on-board drowned when the vessel capsized off

Turkey's western coast, just miles from the Greek

Most of the pictures are too graphic to show.

Among those who died were five children.

Don't you have a conscience, he's asked.

I was on board, I had six relatives there too.

Typically the migrant tasked with driving the boat is caught.

The big smuggling bosses are never found.

Over 50,000 have already made the journey to Greece this month.

Here, Italian coastguards spot a group off

Scuba divers are sent in for the rescue.

pulled in, scared but alive.

Strong winds and freezing seas are still not deterring those

who risk their lives dreaming of a new one.

Meanwhile, Britain has welcomed the decision by the main Syrian

opposition groups to take part in peace talks in Geneva.

Today came another stark reminder of the situation inside Syria -

with the reported death of 16 people from starvation in the besieged

Syria's war has lasted five long years.

At least 250,000 Syrians have been killed, 13 million driven

from their homes, the sieges are causing starvation.

Now, after months of trying and a lot of false starts,

the UN has persuaded the Syrian government and the opposition

TRANSLATION: The Syrian people are waiting for rapid

and effective results, especially regarding the human

results, especially regarding the humanitarian

crisis and the delivery of aid supplies to besieged areas.

We also need to solve pending issues like detainees,

These issues are becoming our top priority and we have

The goals for these talks are very ambitious.

A ceasefire, a transitional government and a new constitution,

Previous attempts to bring peace to Syria have collapsed in failure.

The UN is hoping that this time the tranquil surroundings of Geneva

But even if these talks are successful they won't be quick.

We are being told to expect six months of painstaking negotiation.

And even as the talks inched towards their start,

reports came of more deaths from hunger in the besieged

We know that in many of the besieged areas people are living off leaves,

expectancy has fallen from just over 70 years old to just over 50.

Far-right demonstrators clashed with anti-fascist groups over

Earlier, Maidstone service station was closed when coaches on the way

New research suggests a treatment for brain tumours -

known as proton beam therapy - may be as effective as conventional

radiotherapy - but with fewer side effects.

The treatment was at the centre of a high profile medical dispute

in 2014, when the parents of five-year-old Ashya King

removed him from hospital against doctors'

advice - and took him abroad for treatment.

Back home in Wiltshire, three-year world Alexander, he has a

particularly aggressive form of brain tumour and he has just

returned from brain tumour and he has just

treatment in the United States. We couldn't be happier, especially with

Alexander. He took the treatment very well and has had no real

side-effects. He enjoyed every day going to the treatment. Everyone

there was really friendly and very warm. They were like our friends.

Compared with conventional radiotherapy which uses laser

technology proton therapy is highly targeted. That causes less damage to

surrounding tissue, making it especially suitable for children

whose developing organs are delicate. This NHS video shows the

highly context technology being developed in London and Manchester.

Patients will be treated using humans gantries as tall as a

3-storey house and surrounded by concrete 17 feet thick. In London

the whole operation will be cited below an existing hospital. The

treatment will be available in Britain until 2018, but figures

released last year showed that the NHS had helped 400 people receive it

abroad. This treatment hit the headlines in 2014, when five-year

old Ashya King's parents took their son out of NHS care against doctors'

advice to seek proton beam therapy in the Czech Republic. The report

published in the Lancet is based on a survey of 59 children who received

proton beam therapy. Cancer experts say it confirms the value of the

treatment, but they warned that even with greater availability there will

still be hard choices to be made. Proton is about double the cost of

conventional soap those responsible for paying for health care, not just

in the NHS but in all health care systems, are looking closely at this

area to know what criteria to use in order to decide whether to give or

not proton in therapy. Alexander Buttner Vinson's proton beam therapy

has relied on charity rather than at the NHS. There will still be limits

on the numbers that can be treated when the facilities are available in

this country. Tennis - and Jamie Murray has become

the first Briton to win the men's doubles title at the

Australian Open in 82 years. Tomorrow, Jamie's brother Andy

will make his fifth attempt to win Today the women's final

produced a shock result, with the World Number One Serena

Williams defeated by her German Angelique Kerber stepped

into the Rod Laver Arena It didn't show, as

she proved more than Taking the first set

6-4 to her delight. This is a bit of a turn

up, Kerber, first set. Williams was vying to equal

the record of another German, Steffi Graf,

by winning her 22nd Grand Slam. And the world number one fought

back to level the match. Into a third set and many

expected Kerber to cave. Not a bit of it, playing

sometimes sublime tennis, she took it 6-4 and with it one

of the biggest upsets of any Earlier on the outside court,

Britain's Gordon Reid won the men's wheelchair final and the 24-year-old

Glaswegian narrowly failed to make just losing out in the men's

doubles. But Jamie Murray added

to the Scottish spoils, picking up his first Grand Slam

title in the main men's doubles, And among the crowd,

a keen observer. Andy, you should be

in bed, I don't know We will be there to

support you tomorrow. So, another great day's tennis

here in Melbourne and not a bad one for the Brits in what has been

a pretty good tournament for us, and we still, of course,

have got Andy Murray on Sunday up against his old nemesis,

Novak Djokovic. Jon Donnison, BBC

News, in Melbourne.