21/01/2014 BBC News at One

Thousands of images - said to be of dead prisoners - have been examined

by former war crimes prosecutors. They have said it's systematic

killing. The allegations come on the eve of peace talks in Geneva aimed

at ending the conflict, which began almost three years ago - we'll be

asking what chance they have of success. Also this lunchtime...

Utter complacency - energy distribution bosses are criticised

by MPs over the power cuts during the Christmas storms. A boost for

the British economy - the IMF is expected to name the UK as one of

the fastest-growing of the world's leading economies. Dog owners are

warned about a disease that has killed 16 pets in the UK in the past

year. And west Brom's Nicolas Anelka is

charged over making anti-Semitic gesture - described as an inverted

Nazi salute. Later on BBC London... New plans to

"urgently improve" care for cancer patients in the capital.

And after the floods, how some living along the Thames are still

waiting to get home. Good afternoon and welcome to the

BBC News at One. The Syrian government has been accused of the

"systematic killing" of 11,000 detainees since the start of the

civil war in 2011. The claim comes from three former war crimes

prosecutors who have examined thousands of images of dead

prisoners, said to have been smuggled out of Syria by a defector.

The Syrian government has denied claims of abuse, but the report

comes a day before peace talks are due to begin in Switzerland, from

where our diplomatic correspondent, Bridget Kendall, sent this report.

And a warning - her report does include pictures of bodies some

viewers may find upsetting. Grim new evidence from Syria,

horrific photos of the apparent torture and execution of 11,000

separate victims. Signs of strangulation, emaciated, beaten

bodies, and many other images too distressing to show, all provided by

a defector who was allegedly once official photographer for the Syrian

army. A report commissioned by Kacar, one of the main backers of

the Syrian rebels. But the authors are highly respected former UN war

crimes prosecutors, who say they are satisfied the evidence would support

findings of crimes against you meditate against the Syrian regime,

and could also support findings of war crimes. The injuries are

repeated time and time and time again. Brutal beatings, which is of

starvation. Starvation itself can be used as a means of torture. The

pictures of starved bodies were reminiscent of the pictures once saw

that came out of Auschwitz after the Second World War. It is the latest

dramatic twist to overshadow Syrian peace talks, to be unveiled tomorrow

on Lake Geneva. The timing of this new report of alleged mass killings

is no doubt deliberate, designed to reinforce the claims of the

opponents of President Assad that his regime is criminal, but with who

knows what impact for the peace process which is about to be

launched here, which has already shown itself to be highly fragile?

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, arriving in Switzerland

this morning. But yesterday it looked as though his last-minute

invitation to the Iranians might have scuppered the whole process.

The Syrian opposition threatened a boycott. He was forced to withdraw

the invitation. He was forced to withdraw the invitation just

meanwhile, inside Syria, all this diplomacy is having little effect on

the fighting. This was one of the latest strikes by Syrian government

forces, reported by opposition activists in an eastern region. No

one expects these talks to end the conflict, but any progress, however

small, on reaching the millions of displaced and desperate Syrians

trapped by the fighting would be welcome. Let's speak to our security

correspondent, Frank Gardner. So, delegates are gathering in

Switzerland already for these talks, but what chance do they have

success? I think there is very little immediate prospect of an end

to the conflict in Syria. Let's remind ourselves that even though it

is out of sight of most people here in Britain, it is still raging, it

has killed an estimated 130,000 people plus. We heard today about

11,000 people being tortured and killed in Syrian jails. There are

atrocities being committed by both sides of medieval barbarity. And

that creates such profound imagery that it is very hard to bring the

two sides together. This will be the first time that the secular or

mainstream opposition are going to sit down in face-to-face talks with

representatives of the Syrian government. At their are essentially

three sides to this conflict, it is not just one side against another.

You have got the Syrian government, the most powerful tribe in this

conflict, essentially, backed by Russia and Iran. You have got the

secular or mainstream opposition, who are attending these talks, but

they have very little power or influence on the battlefield in

Syria. And then you have got a really hard-core, Jihadist groups

who do not necessarily want the same kind of Syria alternately as

everybody else wants. They are fighting to create an Islamic state

which extends beyond the borders of Syria. Trying to balance these three

is extremely difficult, and I do not see this week's conference sorting

that out. The aim of it is to try and get an interim transitional

government, which represents all parties. It is unlikely to be

achieved this week. A car bomb has gone off in the

Lebanese capital, Beirut. At least four people were killed in the

blast, which happened in a mainly Shi'ite area of the city. There have

been a series of bomb attacks in Beirut, targeting the Hezbollah

group, which is fighting with pro-government forces in the Syrian

civil war. Power companies have been accused of utter complacency by MPs

over the way they handled power cuts during the storms over Christmas.

Around three quarters of a million homes and businesses were affected

by strong winds and heavy rain as storm after storm battered the UK.

This morning, the bosses of the UK's energy distribution companies were

questioned by MPs over why it took so long to get properties

reconnected. Our industry correspondent, John Moylan, reports.

December was one of the stormiest periods in decades. Hundreds of

thousands of households were without power over the festive period. So

today, the bosses of the companies that own the electricity networks

came to be grilled by MPs over why so many homes were hit and why it

took so long to restore supplies. But it did not start well. As the

trade body, we are now three weeks after this problem, you cannot tell

us how many customers were without power for more than 24 hours? I will

have it buried in my head, I will tell you that figure as soon it

comes into my head. Apologies, I just do not have it on the top of my

head. What they did know was that they had been dealing with some of

the most severe conditions in years. I have heard it quoted elsewhere

that it was the most stormy since 1969. We have certainly not seen

damage like this in the south, going back to the 1990s, even back to

1987. It was the severity of the storm, the national nature of the

storm... So you had a plan in place and you feel that it worked?

Absolutely, yes. Customers lost power right across the UK, but most

460,000 households had supplies interrupted in the south-east and

eastern regions. There were a further 338,000 in central and

southern England, and 134,000 households were hit in the

south-west of England, south Wales and the Midlands. In the aftermath,

firms struggled to find engineers to repair the network. An emergency

information number was promised by the Energy Secretary, but there was

confusion over when that would happen, and also over levels of

compensation. ?27 for a customer who was without power for 48 hours. It

is an absolute pittance. In my view, it is a miserly amount, it is an

insult to those people who are suffering greatly. There are several

reviews under way into the Christmas power cuts. The firms that own these

networks are highly profitable, but they have escaped much scrutiny so

far. That is about to change. I have two conclude that you are exploiting

your privileged position. You have displayed a neglectful customers

which I personally find absolutely astonishing. But thank you all for

coming in. Britain is expected to be named as

one of the fastest-growing of the world's leading economies later

today. It is thought the International Monetary Fund will

increase its growth forecast for the UK's economy from 1.9% to 2.4%.

Let's speak to our business editor, Robert Peston. It is quite a

turnaround? Yes, we should be clear that the IMF is slap bang in the

middle of forecasting for most economies, including the

Government's own forecast, which also says 2.4%. But it is a

turnaround in the attitude of the IMF. Only a year ago, they said that

the Chancellor was, in its words, playing with fire with his programme

of spending cuts, austerity. It was worried that actually, that would

continue to dampen growth. Well, not just the IMF, but actually the

statistics show right now that the UK is one of the faster growing of

the developed economies, and we are probably, as of this particular

second, because these things do not last all that long, the

fastest-growing of the rich economies. So, the Chancellor will

take quite a lot of satisfaction from the IMF having to eat some

humble pie here. But the Chancellor himself concedes that there is a

long way to go before we can be confident that this recovery is

entrenched and sustained. And we can expect Labour to point out that the

recovery is not yet feeding through to people's pockets with regards to

living standards. Lord Rennard is understood to be

taking legal advice on weather to take the Liberal Democrat Party to

court. The party's former chief executive is threatening to sue

after being suspended from the party for refusing to apologise to several

women whom he denies harassing. Our chief political correspondent,

Norman Smith, is at Westminster. All very difficult and damaging for

Nick Clegg, and no sign of this going away at the moment? And that

is the real difficulty. Nick Clegg will want this to be over, to be

able to draw a line under it. But I think I can safely say that this is

the one thing which is not going to happen. Why? Because Chris Rennard

is seriously considering taking his party to court, and we will get a

statement on that later today. As we know, the courts rarely do anything

quickly, so it opens up the as ability of a long and protracted and

potentially bloody court case, on top of which the party is poised to

begin a fresh investigation into Lord Rennard, which could go on for

about six weeks, finishing, unhelpfully, just before the Lib Dem

spring conference. On top of that, one of the women who has complained

is not ruled out taking civil action against Lord Rennard. So, if you are

a learning member of the judiciary, I would pay attention, because this

may well be coming your way. All of the indications are that no one is

in any mood to compromise. Those around Nick Clegg say Chris Rennard

must apologise or face the consequences. Those around Chris

Rennard say they have nothing to apologise for and are ready to see

Nick Clegg in court. I would be tempted to describe this as a

political car crash, but a political car crash ends in a resounding

thump. This has not ended. The Lib Dems are still swerving and skidding

all over the place. Dog owners are being warned about a

mysterious disease that has killed 13 dogs across the UK in recent

months. The illness, thought to be a condition called Alabama rot, causes

kidney failure. The highest number of cases has been in the New Forest,

where signs have been put up by the Forestry Commission warning owners

about the outbreak. Our correspondent Duncan Kennedy is

there. Well, it is hard to believe that

something as tragic as losing a family pet could take place in an

area as beautiful as this. The ground about a dozen or so dogs have

now died from this mystery disease, not only here in the New Forest, but

also in other parts of the country. And whilst vets have just found out

what that disease is, we still do not know what the source of it is.

There could hardly be a more tranquil or natural setting -

walking the dog in the forest. Thousands do it every week as part

of their cycle of fitness and routine. I lost my little boy in 11

months ago... John was one of them. But like more than a dozen other

owners, his dog was struck by a mysterious disease. Within five

days, he was dead. I was heartbroken. He was the most

precious thing in the world to me. And I miss him. Like most owners,

they miss their dogs, and you have got to love a lot to hurt a lot. And

he is irrepressible, for me. -- irreplaceable. Vets now believe they

know what the disease is, something called Alabama rot, first seen in

the United States 25 years ago. They say it has a devastating effect on

dogs who pick it up. We are trying to develop new tests to do some of

the testing which they are currently doing in human medicine, to get to

the bottom of this. The answer will hopefully come, but it could take

many months or years. Reports of the disease surfaced a year ago, when

vets noticed a cluster of dogs dying around the New Forest. But they have

now recorded cases elsewhere, in Cornwall, Dorset, Surrey,

Worcestershire and County Durham. But whilst the vets now think they

know what the disease is, this thing called Alabama rot, they have no

idea where it is coming from. Some of the owners we have spoken to say

they believe it is coming from the water supplies in the ground and in

the rivers here. But the Environment Agency say they have tested the

water around these parts and they cannot find any contamination. As a

precaution, the New Forest authorities today started putting up

signs to warn dog owners to be careful. If a dog owner feels that

their dog is under the weather, the tequila leak if they have lesions on

the muzzle or on the feet are a few days after walking in the forest,

they should go to the vet and tell them they have been walking in the

forest. Those vets say they cannot yet advise dog owners on where to

walk their pets. Everything relies on the tests they are now carrying

out. The key thing to remember here is that thousands and thousands of

dogs walked in places like the New Forest, and in those other places we

saw on the map. The word from vets is that if owners are worried, and

they see little lesions, tiny cuts, on the legs or face or feet of the

dog Tom then they should go and see the vet. It is most likely nothing,

but in these places, they are warning people just at the moment,

until they identify where it is coming from, to play safe and go and

see the vet, to have peace of mind. The time is 1:16pm. Our top story

this lunchtime: The Syrian government is accused of torturing

and executing 11,000 people since the beginning of the civil war. And

still to come: Why more and more level crossings are closing for

good. Later on BBC London: the coroner

says there is strong evidence that the Russian state was involved in

the murder of a former spy. And giving us a glimpse behind the

mask. The new BAFTA exhibition capturing the stars of the screen.

Ten people were killed accidentally at level crossings in the UK last

year. The number of deaths over recent years has led Network Rail to

close around one in ten crossings in an effort to improve safety - that's

around 750. And there are plans to close a further 500 over the next

five years. But, as Jon Brain reports, the new measures haven't

stopped drivers and pedestrians risking their lives.

At a rail level crossing in Wales, disaster narrowly averted. It is

unjust motorists who take chances. Pedestrians also put their lives and

those of others at risk -- it isn't just motorists. This is a view of

some cyclists passing meters in front of a train driver. The

consequences can be tragic. Seven people were killed in Berkshire when

a train ploughed into a car park on the track. But for years campaigners

have argued it is not people 's behaviour that is the main problem,

it is that level crossings themselves are intrinsically

dangerous. Charlotte Thompson and Olivia died in else and in Essex

nine years ago. The children walked through an unlocked crossing gate

when the train had passed through, unaware that a second train was

following close behind. Olivia's mother said the closure of hundreds

of crossings confirms today is a start but it's not enough. If you

are hit with a glancing blow you might lose an arm or a leg, but if

you get hit, you have had it. For me, the most terrible thing was the

fact that my daughter died that day and I never got to see her again and

hold her because it's such a catastrophic way to be killed. It is

just awful. Network Rail who released this advert says it's

investing ?100 million to improve safety and will close 500 more level

crossings over the next five years. The safest crossing is a closed one,

so local authorities, residents, we need your help to close as many of

these crossings as we can and make it safe for everybody using the

railway. But even when the next phase of the closure programme has

been carried out there will still be more than 6000 level crossings on

British Railways, critics say it is far too many.

The fifth and final alleged victim of the Coronation Street actor, Bill

Roache, has been giving evidence at his trial at Preston Crown Court. --

Court. She told the court he'd assaulted her after picking her up

outside the Granada television studios in his Rolls Royce and

offering to take her home. Judith Moritz was in court and joins me

now. What else has the cord been hearing? -- the cord been hearing?

William Roache arrived at court this morning with his family, and as you

say, we have seen from the fifth and final woman to make allegations

against the actor. We heard the detail, as you describe, about how

in the late 1960s she was picked up outside Granada TV studios by the

actor, having been there to collect autographs. He offered her a lift in

the Rolls-Royce and it was there he indecently assaulted her, at one

point carrying on assaulting her as they pulled up alongside a

double-decker bus at some traffic lights. When it was all over he had

offered her half a crown and told her to get the bus home. Louise

Blackwell QC put it to the defendant -- the woman that it never happened,

and the woman, sobbing, said it had happened and I'm so sorry to leave

it so late. I know I am telling the truth, and the person you are

defending those I am telling the truth. William Roache denies the

charges he has faced. The prosecution case continues and the

defence will start at the beginning of next week. The man in charge of

the world's leading manufacturer of ejector seats has been giving

evidence at the inquest into the death of a Red Arrows pilot. Flight

Lieutenant Sean Cunningham died when the seat in his Hawk jet fired as he

prepared to take off and the parachute didn't deploy in time.

Danny Savage reports. They are a world-famous aerobatic team,

ambassadors for Britain who are all front line RAF pilots. They trained

relentlessly for months to perform stunts like this, but in November

2011 and a red arrows pilot died not in the air but when his aircraft was

on the ground. Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham was somehow ejected

from his Hawker jet and died from multiple injuries when the parachute

on his ejector seat failed to work. This is his plane on the day he

died. The cockpit canopy is missing from where he was fired up to 300

feet in the air. More than two years on, an inquest in nearby Lincoln is

trying to get to the bottom of why his ejector seat went off. At the

moment the inquest is focusing on a nut and bolt that was part of the

seat, and a safety issue the manufacturers knew about but the RAF

did not. The inquest has heard that over tightening the bolt could have

caused the parachute built into the seat not to deploy properly. The

bolt in the jet of Sean Cunningham was found to be bent, and one expert

told the inquest that could have been because it was vastly over

tightening. Some air forces were told about this potential problem as

far back as 1990. But the inquest has heard the RAF were unaware, even

though the manufacturers have stated they never compromise on safety. The

intricate workings of these fast jets is being poured over in great

detail to establish how a brilliant young pilot died and what lessons

have been learned. There's been more violence on the streets of the

Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Riot police are in a standoff with

demonstrators, who've been protesting at the government's

strengthening political ties with Russia, and have blockaded streets

around government buildings. From Kiev, Daniel Sandford sent this

report. Rebuilding the barricades during the morning lull after a

second night of violence in the very centre of Kiev, with the numbers of

injured mounting on both sides there is no sign of an end to this

political crisis. It may seem extraordinary, but this is the hill

that leads up to Ukraine's national parliament, and now it is a scene of

devastation. You can see the cobblestones on the ground that the

protesters have thrown at police. You can see the remains of gas

masks, bits of petrol bombs strewn all over the place. It is quite

quiet here at the moment but nobody knows when the violence is going to

begin again. Last night protesters hurled petrol bombs at police for

hours on end. They also used fireworks like rocket launchers to

sow confusion in the ranks of the police, although the defensive line

held. Officers then arrested the men who had fired on them, blatantly

beating them in front of the furious crowd. In the middle of it all,

President Yanukovych appeared on national television. When peaceful

actions turn into mass unrest, riots, arson and violence, they pose

a threat not just to Kiev but the whole of the Ukraine. In fact the

serious violence has been restricted to a few hundred protesters in a

small slip where -- small square near Parliament but the president's

remarks only deepened the sense of crisis. What began as a land --

long-running demonstration in favour of Europe -- joining the European

Union was inflamed by laws restricting the right to protest and

is now an anarchic mess with no obvious solution.

The West Bromwich Albion footballer, Nicolas Anelka, has been charged by

the FA for allegedly making an inverted Nazi salute during goal

celebrations last year. . Anelka has denied the charge, saying the

gesture, called a quenelle is "anti-system'' not anti-Semitic. Our

sports correspondent, Richard Conway, is at Wembley. It is over

three weeks since Nicolas Anelka made the gesture which sparked fury

both here in Britain and in his native France. The quenelle was

private -- pretty much unheard of here until his actions in the game

in December, but after careful consideration today the FA have

charged Nicolas Anelka, and the French striker faces a potential

lengthy ban from the game. A simple show of support for a friend or a

highly inflammatory anti-Semitic action? Having committed --

considered the matter per 24 days, the FA say the quenelle gesture,

performed after scoring for West Bromwich Albion last month, is an

aggravated breach of its rules. Nicolas Anelka denies the gesture is

anti-Semitic and has retained the support of his club, playing last

night against Everton. I am only the head coach. For me, Nicolas Anelka

is a good professional and a good person. For me, I need him in the

team. The French striker insists religion played no part in his

actions, he was merely supporting a friend. That man, controversial

comedian, is currently banned from performing in several French cities

due to the alleged anti-Semitic nature of his stage show. He is also

the man who popularised the quenelle, with his fans regularly

copying the actions, sometimes in front of Holocaust memorials. The FA

has been under pressure to act in this case and engaged expert counsel

to help them make a decision. After the lengthy and costly racial abuse

cases of recent years involving John Terry and Luis Suarez there is a

feeling at Wembley that action must be swift, and legally watertight.

Nicolas Anelka did make an appearance at the West Brom training

ground this morning but soon departed. He must now decide if he

is to contest the charge. West Bromwich Albion say Nicolas Anelka

is now considering his actions, and the striker has until 6pm on

Thursday to notify the FA if he's going to contest the charge.

Novak Djokovic, has been knocked out of the Australian Open. The

defending champion was defeated by the number eight seed, Stanislas

Wawrinka, in a thrilling five-set match. Britain's Andy Murray plays

his quarter final against Roger Federer tomorrow morning. Time for a

look at the weather. Here's Stav Davaos.

We start with a cold and foggy note this morning, and that fog was dense

in places especially in central and eastern areas but it is slowly

lifting away. It will linger around eastern areas as we had through the

course of the afternoon. Western areas seeing a band of rain pushing

him, and that will be heavily as they move in central and eastern

areas but it is slowly lifting away. It will linger around eastern areas

as we had through the course of the afternoon. Western areas seeing a

band of rain pushing him, and that will be heavily as they, the middle

part of the afternoon, clearance coming in. Central and eastern areas

stay dry until after dark, but the rain will be showing its hand across

southwestern areas and for Wales. It continues to slowly move eastwards.

Behind it, clearance coming in across the country, and with

temperatures falling away overnight we could see some mist and fog

returning, and perhaps even a risk of icy patches as well. Eastern

areas remain wet around the early parts of the day. Through the course

of the morning it remains pretty dismal, wet and dull across the

eastern counties and in Scotland. It takes a long time to push into the

North Sea. Sunshine and showers will develop behind, and some could be

gentle in the north-west corner. A little cold across southern areas.

On Thursday some more showery rain pushing from the west to the east.

It takes a while to clear into the North Sea. But behind that a mixture

of sunshine and showers developing, with a wintry nature across the

course with a wintry nature across the court West -- north-west corner.

Towards the end of the week, a wet and windy finish but there will be

some sunshine in the forecast as we had to the weekend. Looking at what

is going on in the north-east corner in the US, low pressure is bringing

very heavy snow and strong winds to the eastern seaboard. Over the next

few days it hurtles across the Atlantic moving into the direction

of the UK to bring this, for Friday, a spell of wet and windy weather.

There won't be much snow left in it, maybe over the Scottish mountains,

but it looks like a wet and windy day. Saturday, a mixture of sunshine

and showers before the next area of low pressure moves in for Sunday.

So, wet and windy is the scene. Now a reminder of our top story this

lunchtime: the Syrian government has been

accused of torturing and executing 11,000 people since the beginning of

the Civil War. That's all