19/12/2016 BBC News at One

The orphans of Aleppo finally rescued from

of their city, as the evacuations in Syria resume.

All 47 children who'd been trapped in an orphanage in a rebel held

enclave have been evacuated - some are in a critical condition.

And seven-year-old seven year old Bana al Abed -

whose tweets about life in Aleppo gained her a worldwide following -

We endured endless bombardment in Aleppo. We managed to escape the

destruction because our house was reduced to rubble.

But tens of thousands of people

We'll have the latest on the evacuations.

A wave of strikes by thousands of workers gets underway -

hitting trains, post offices and airlines in the

Chaos at Stormont as members walk out in a row over a no confidence

All for footballing home nations are finally ?80,000 by Fifa for

displaying Remembrance Day poppies. Hello darlings, I'm Zsa Zsa.

And Zsa Zsa Gabor - who once boasted she was "famous

for being famous" - has died aged 99.

And coming up in support, can a year makes a triple sentry in Chennai as

India include a record-breaking test score on England. -- Nair hits a

triple century. Good afternoon, and welcome

to the BBC News at One. Evacuations in Syria are underway

again from both East Aleppo Almost 50 orphans who'd been trapped

in a rebel held enclave in Eastern Aleppo for months have

finally been brought out to safety - some are in a critical condition

from injuries or dehydration. And a seven year old girl Bana al

Abed, who gained international attention after she began tweeting

about life in her home city is also among thousands more

who have been able to leave. But tens of thousands

are still trapped in the city. Many in East Aleppo, including

children, waited outside yesterday in freezing conditions. Hoping the

buses would take them away from the hellish conditions of this, the

remnants of the rebel stronghold. But it was only in the early hours

of this morning that finally the evacuations resumed. After a new

deal was struck between the warring factions. Already today, more than

4000 people have got out. For these families, huge relief. Medicine and

food now available. Amongst them was this seven year old girl, Bana al

Abed, whose plight has been followed by hundreds of millions around the

world. Helped by her family, she wrote a series of tweets, she feared

they would all be killed. We endured endless bombardment in Aleppo. We

have managed to escape the destruction because our house was

reduced to rubble. I would like to say thank you to all those who have

been asking about our news. Also able to escape today was this group

of 40 orphans who had been trapped by the fighting, some critically

injured. They are too had used the internet to make a last-ditch appeal

for help. This video going viral. TRANSLATION: Please allow us to

evacuate Aleppo. We wish to leave so we can eat and drink. We love peace.

But it is not just the people of East Aleppo being taken to safety

today. These buses are carrying hundreds of villagers who have been

surrounded by rebel fighters in the nearby province of the glib.

Allowing these people to escape was a key part of the agreement reached

at the weekend. TRANSLATION: This agreement is a humanitarian one.

Those evacuated include injured or sick individuals, as well as elderly

people. Today, there is hope that most of these civilians caught up in

the fighting here will reach safety. But many thousands more weight to be

evacuated, and the ceasefire is very fragile. Richard Galpin, BBC News.

Our correspondent James Longman is in Beirut.

Turkey's Foreign Minister has just said some 20,000 people have so far

been evacuated from eastern Aleppo but there are tens of thousands more

who want to get out. That's right. The numbers are rising very steadily

today because the evacuation is moving so quickly. 20,000 have been

able to leave, according to the Turkish, but another 20,000 or so

probably are still in East Aleppo. We keep getting notifications every

half-hour or so from the Syrian Observatory for human rights, saying

more buses have gone in to get them. This evacuation is certainly moving

at pace. I think really the question is what happens next to these

people, because even if they get out of East Aleppo, which they seem to

be able to do, they get to this holding station, which we saw in

Richard's report, where they are given food and medical care, but

then what happens to people after that? Most of them choose to go to

the last rebel stronghold in Syria, a big province in north-western

Syria. People can go there, they can join up with people that have

previously left other parts of Syria but then what do the Russians decide

to do, what do the Syrians decide to do? We are still no closer to

knowing what happens to them. Thank you.

Thousands of workers have begun a wave of strikes in the run-up

to Christmas affecting rail and postal services.

3,000 staff at hundreds of Crown post offices

are on strike today, Tuesday and Saturday in a dispute

over pension changes, job security and closures.

But the Post Office says fewer than 300 branches

Up to 300,000 Southern Rail passengers face more misery

as conductors begin two more days of strike action.

Here's our business correspondent, John Moylan.

Postal workers brought a special delivery for the government today.

Outside the department for business, mail bags containing 70,000

postcards from the public, backing a campaign to fight closures of

flagship post offices. We are defending postal services across the

UK, the very future of high Street post offices is under threat. We

know the government and the company are lining up to make further

announcements in January to close and franchise more of our high

Street Post offices. The timing of the day's strike is designed to put

maximum pressure on the post office. This week is by far its busiest for

handling parcels and letters, and Christmas cheer would appear to be

in short supply elsewhere as well, with a number of strikes. Planes and

trains are also at the heart of this Christmas of discontent. Southern

Rail passengers face more disruption as 400 conductors walk-out today and

tomorrow. Airline travellers will also face double trouble this week,

as baggage handlers for Swiss Port are set to strike this Friday and

Saturday. This will mainly affect regional airports. And talks got

underway this morning to try and head off a strike over pay involving

thousands of airlines of British cabin crew. -- British Airways cabin

crew. But why is it all happening now? The reality is that management

is not listening to them, they need to do something that shows they are

serious about the issues that matter to them. The post offers claims it

is business as usual, while dozens of city centre sites are closed,

post-office insists its modernisation plans will go ahead.

What we can't do of course is change a strategy which is about improving

post office services for customers in an increasingly competitive

marketplace, with changing lifestyles. The Post Office needs to

change and is changing. Some say that union laws should be tightened

to prevent this disruption. Government says it keeps these

issues under review. Norman Smith is in Westminster. Downing Street said

people's lives are being disrupted in a completely unacceptable manner

but is there much the government can do? There is a lot of talk and

pressure. People can't post the Christmas parcels, worried about

flights over Christmas, now it has been announced that Weetabix workers

are going on strike. We have had Tory MPs demanding emergency

legislation to curb the strike threats. Some senior Conservatives

say it is all part of a political campaign to damage Theresa May. She

needs to fight back. The language as you suggest coming from number ten

is pretty tough. But when the mist clears, I don't see any real

appetite in government to intervene, and the reason is, if Mrs May was to

introduce new anti-strike laws, that would take months and months and

months. So it is going to be no use whatsoever in terms of these

disputes. More than that, there is a worry it could sour the atmosphere

between the trade unions and employers, making it even harder to

get a resolution. And the government has only just passed fresh

anti-strike laws which are meant to come into force next year. But there

is another reason, and it is our old friend Brexit. You may wonder what

has Brussels got to do with Christmas chaos? The reason is

Theresa May knows she is going to need all her strength and energy for

the political and Parliamentary tussles ahead over Brexit. She

absolutely does not want to get sucked into a fist fight with the

trade unions and the labour movement. So the view in Downing

Street is negotiation not legislation and confrontation is the

way to get this sorted. Norman Smith in Westminster, thank you.

There've been chaotic scenes at the Northern Ireland Assembly

as politicians from most of the main political parties

The First Minister, Arlene Foster, had been about to make a statement

over a controversial green energy scheme.

But under Norther Ireland's rules, she's never allowed to operate

without the support of her deputy, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness.

And that created turmoil this morning at Stormont, from where our

Ireland Correspondent Chris Buckler now reports.

Members, having been given notice by both the... Northern Ireland's First

Minister Arlene Foster went to the storm on the assembly yesterday in

an attempt to take control of what has become a financial mess. But

proceedings began with chaotic scenes. Opposition parties walked

out and the First Minister was left alone with her party, the DUP, while

outside their partners in power-sharing, Sinn Fein, could

pressure for a full independent enquiry into a badly thought green

energy scheme. We need to establish all the facts are many to know who

benefited from this failed scheme. The First Minister should stand

aside to allow the investigation to take place. The controversial

renewable heat incentive scheme originally worked like this. For

every ?1 of fuel a company uses, they are paid around ?1 60, to

encourage them to buy environmentally friendly boilers.

But because initially there were no caps all events, in the scheme's 20

year life it is expected to go ?400 million over budget, money which

storm want is responsible for. These last week the former DUP enterprise

Minister Jonathan Bell accused officials from his own party of

delaying crucial changes to try to stop the scheme running out of

control. That is being denied by the DUP, and he says has since been

suspended either party but the scheme was badly flawed. A

confidential report seen by the BBC suggests those errors have allowed

some firms to abuse it by heating buildings just the profit. Northern

Ireland's First Minister was the enterprise minister when the scheme

was set up, which is why she is a politician under pressure. I am

sorry that the initial scheme did not control cost control measures

and there were fundamental flaws in this design. This is the deepest

political regret of my time in this house. But storm on's other parties

were not here to hear the First Minister explain why she wants to

try to sort this out. They had walked out the assembly again, a

sign of the sheer political heat about this issue in Northern

Ireland. MPs have begun taking evidence in an

enquiry into combating doping in sport. The culture media and sport

committee are putting questions the Team Sky, British cycling and the

world anti-doping agency. Richard Conway is in Westminster for us now.

It has been a difficult morning the key members of British cycling. They

have been called before the culture media and sport select committee to

answer questions affectively revolving around two big issues. The

first is about their medical package that was delivered to Team Sky back

in 2011. Team Sky have been responsible for some of the big wins

in British cycling over the years, with Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris

Froome amongst them. Back in 2011, it has been reported that a package

was delivered to them at the end of a race, and the contents of that

package will yet to have been disclosed. UK Anti-Doping is

currently conducting an investigation into that. Speaking

this morning to bon Howdon, the president of British cycling, they

said they were unable to speak about it because UK Anti-Doping had denied

them permission to do so. That was disputed by the committee. Some

terse exchanges, and as you can hear now between Bob Howdon and Damian

Collins, the chair of the committee, in the end what they have decided to

do is eventually the right to the committee and give them information

about what exactly was that package. But we are certainly not aware of

any doping products that would be in there. It has not come across our

viewpoint. I didn't say it was doping products, I just wanted to

see if you knew what was in it, because I find it extraordinary that

you don't necessarily know what evidence British cycling has given

to you get with regards to this. Service Shane Sutton, currently

giving evidence, and the issue of therapeutic use exemption is,

medical certificates within the sport, the ethical and moral use,

that is up for discussion as well. Said Dave Brailsford will also be

talking to MPs as well, the head of Team Sky.

The orphans of Aleppo finally rescued from the ruins of their city

as the evacuations resume but thousands remain trapped.

Could this be the answer to the UK's housing crisis?

Plans are unveiled to build thousands of flat pack houses.

Leicester appeal Jamie Vardy's red card from Saturday's

They're arguing he was knocked-off balance before making

Britain's housing problem is well known - not enough homes,

and many of them so expensive they're beyond the reach

One solution could be so-called "flat pack" houses -

affordable homes that are quicker and cheaper to put up,

and can even be taken apart and moved somewhere else.

In fact, the companies behind a new ?2.5 billion housing venture

say that by the end of the decade, one in seven houses will be

partly built in a factory, then put together on site.

Britain's first factory made show house, remote type of the half

million... British relationship with factory built houses is coloured by

the prefact, then they were only available in magnolia and had a

shelf life of ten years but technology has moved on since then,

these houses in Manchester were built in a factory 70 miles away.

Now add cats say you can't tell the difference in quality between them

and conventional new housing but the prices aren't that dissimilar

either. One of the partners involved in this deal says that one

production is substantially increased economies of scale will

kick in, prices will fall, and the housing supply will rise and be more

affordable. I think this is a game-changer, in the overall

landscape. The housing deficit can only be addressed through an

industrialised process s it is like the car manufacture, and until you

are in that situation where you are producing volume, can you drive down

costs and truly achieve savings. Last year the Government set a

target of building one million homes by 2020. That is roughly 200,000

homes a year. If these plans go ahead, the joint venture won't just

be building more than 10% of the new homes the country needs every year

but creating job, and living, breathing communities. But the

housing charity Shelter says Britain's housing crisis is about

more than cost Modular housing could be part of the solution but it is

only a part. We have to have Government stepping forward and

providing more land at affordable prices otherwise it is trying to

solve the blockage at the wrong end of the problem. The companies

involved say they will start deliver affordable homes within the next two

years. A convicted paedophile has become

the oldest person in Britain ever Ralph Clarke is 101 years

old and last week he was found guilty of carrying out a string

of sexual offences against young Today he was sentenced

to 13 years in prison. From Birmingham Crown Court,

Phil Mackie reports. On the surface he is a frail old

man, but Ralph Clarke was a serial sex offender who abused three very

young children 40 years ago. After suffering in silence for decade,

last year, they found the courage to tell the police, and to come to

court to face the man who attacked them. He saw it as his God given

right. It wasn't. He has damaged so many lives. So many lives, in such a

massive way. And he has no remorse. Even now he can't see he has done

wrong. He is evil. He deserves to be in prison. He deserves to die in

prison. He deserves to rot in hell. They got me a Hank you card, all I

it says they are happy to be believed. That is all they wanted,

was people to believe them and to listen to him in court and know he

is lying. Clark never showed any remorse, he shook his head. His

victims were in tears as they saw him for one last time. Ralph Clarke

used fear and intimidation to control the victims t and sexually

abuse them. He took full advantage of their young age, and the

situation in order to carry out the offences. The judge said even though

it was a deeply upsetting experience for the victim, he said the case

sent out a message, he said that those who were sexually abused even

in the distant past can rest assured that any complaint will be treated

with sympathy and compassion and the victims who I spoke to after their

left court said they before glad Ralph Clarke was going to jail. He

should have been in prison 40 years ago. Ago. People like him should

never come out. Never come out. We have been in our own prison for the

last 40 years. And he has lived his life. He can't be released on

license until he has served half his sentence when he will be 108. So it

is likely the man who abused three little children decades ago will die

in jail. The oldest man ever sent to prison.

The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon will make a statement in the house

of commons on this evening on reports that British-made cluster

bombs may have been used by Saudi forces in Yemen.

The weapon releases multiple smaller bombs over a wide area,

and it's illegal to supply them under British law.

Our security correspondent Frank Gardner reports.

Amid the horror of Yemen's two-year-old war, there are some

weapons that won't go away. Along with landmine, the cluster bomb

poses an extreme risk to civilians. Banned in Britain since 2010, some

of these bombs sold by the UK to said -- Saudi Arabia before the ban

have been used in Yemen The six has been difficult for the British

Government. Saudi Arabia is hugely important to the UK and to the

British defence industry, but just as relevant as that is considering

what would be the consequence of restricting arms deliveries to Saudi

Arabia. Saudi Air Force Tornado jets were

fitted to carry cluster bomb, the Saudis say they don't use British

cluster bombs as they have all expired. Whitehall officials say the

Saudis have destroyed their British stocks, and yet, evidence of their

use has been found on the ground in Yemen. We know many years ago the

British Government sold cluster bombs, they are now illegal. What we

are clear about at amnesty, they are now turning up in Yemen. We told the

British Government this in May this year, when our researchers

discovered cluster bombs being used. We had the evidence.

For the Prime Minister, Theresa May, seen here meeting gulf rulers this

month. This is an awkward issue, he Government is pushing for closer

ties with the gulf, the Human Rights activists and Jeremy Corbyn are

calling for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia. That is something that

Number Ten will want to avoid at all costs. In the Commons today, the

Defence Secretary is expected to make a statement, clarifying what

the Government knows about the use of British weapons in the Yemen war.

He is likely to face some pressing questions.

Football's international governing body has fined England, Wales,

Scotland and Northern Ireland nearly ?80,000 for displaying poppies

during World Cup qualifiers around Armistice Day in November.

Our sports correspondent David Ornstein is here -

and that's because FIFA says they are a political symbol?

Yes, you may remember in 2011, England wore a poppy on an armband

in a friendly against Spain. So too Scotland, but neither were punished,

but since then Fifa have tightened their rules round what they deem to

be political, so the Home Nations had been warned, they knew they

risked punishment. They hoped they reached a compromise but it hasn't

happened N the case of England and Scotland, England have been fined

round ?35,000, Scotland 16,00 pounds. For their meeting at

Wembley, over both the display of the poppy on an armband. Also by

supporters and the English FA has been punished for displays in the

stadium. Wales from their friendly against Serbia have been fined round

16,00 pounds. Northern Ireland who played Azerbaijan ?15,000, for

similar offencers Fifa say there is only room for sport and nothing else

when inside the stadium and on the pitch but we can expect appeals

pitch but we can expect appeals here.

The broadcaster and rabbi, Lionel Blue, has died, aged 86.

He became a rabbi in 1960 and was a regular contributor

to Thought for the Day on BBC Radio 4.

He revealed his sexuality relatively late in life -

the first British rabbi to speak openly about his homosexuality

Since I couldn't find anyone to love who would love me,

I then began to see people in a different light.

Crushed in a late-night train, I saw God's image in them, and they ceased

to be pushy, crazed cattle, but souls journeying

And when I offered one my seat, I saw how love had blossomed

The Reverend Lionel Blue,OBE who has died at the age of 86

The Hungarian born actress and socialite,

Her age was a closely guarded secret, but she was

Her husband announced her death yesterday evening.

She made more than 70 films, but as one of the first socialites,

she helped invent a new kind of fame from multiple marriages

This report from Nick Higham contains some flashing images.

Zsa Zsa Gabor may have been a great beauty,

I know everything - I heard the verdict.

I must take that risk, and so must you.

Her screen career was undistinguished, though it did

include camp classics like the truly terrible Queen Of Outer Space.

If you must go, promise me you're going to come back to me.

Her greatest role was as herself, one of the first professional

celebrities, famous for simply being famous.

She was rich, she was gorgeous, she was outrageous and she ate

Her last marriage, in 1986, was her eighth,

or ninth, if you include an illegal ceremony conducted at sea.

Women don't even get married any more today.

They said you have to get married, legalised, which was dumb but now

I just leave myself to live in sin, it's wonderful.

You have to look after their house and they cheat on you.

In 1989, she was briefly jailed for hitting a Hollywood traffic cop

She was well into her 70s, though during the court case

she was accused of doctoring her driving licence to disguise her age.

By then, her film career had collapsed into self-parody.

Every time I see you, I get lumps in my throat.

But she never lost a certain innocence, nor her wit.

As she once said, "I'm a marvellous housekeeper.

"Every time I leave a man, I keep his house".

The corner shop has been at the centre of our communities

for more than 70 years and despite the rise of supermarkets

and a change in our shopping habits, the corner shop market is expected

to increase by 17% to ?44 billion over the next five years.

Babita Sharma - herself the daughter of shopkeepers - investigates

how the corner shop has managed to survive.

With every corner shop across Britain, there is a story.

And that story reflects the changing face and fortunes of the country.

And don't bother about the 3p, you can owe it to me.

Britain has often been called a nation of shopkeepers,

a nation built on entrepreneurial drive which dates back to the 1940s.

The corner shop was the social centre of two or three streets.

They talked about interesting things.

It was the social gathering of the area.

It was better than the local BBC, it picked up all the news.

The rise of supermarkets threatened the future

But with a new wave of migration in Britain in the 1960s came

The principle for most Indians were, now we are free of the colonials,

We're not going to work for anyone else.

It's a small emotional and political revolution for an Indian mentality,

to kind of push that through line all the way to becoming

an entrepreneur and being your own boss.

But life for shopkeepers was not easy, and corner shops were under

threat from supermarkets nestling in on the high streets,

with discounted products and bargain deals.

The corner shop had no choice but to diversify.

From here you can see Tesco anywhere, one of the supermarkets.

On the other side you have Sainsbury's.

Four, five years ago I really thought we would have to wind up

and close and forget it, you know.

But Sweetmart now seem to have a winning formula.

Luring customers with bespoke offerings, from local organics

Looking around, I have never seen so many spices and vegetables.

Basically, if you want to create anything exotic and exciting

With Brexit now a reality, the corner shop may face its biggest

But with the emergence of Polish supermarkets and Latvian delis,

And you can see more of Booze, Beans Bhajis: The Story

of the Corner Shop on BBC Four tonight at 10pm.

S, Fifa say there is only room for sport and nothing else when inside

the stadium and on the pitch but we can expect appeals here.

It is not feeling like December. Very mild so far, and bland really

for most of us, in fact this weather watcher's picture illustrates the

story again, a cloudy start, low cloud and following and a grey

story, but things are set to change, it has to be said. So after a quiet

start to the week, it is going to turn wet and windy with gales or

severe gales sandwiched in between the two, we could for a time see

brighter interludes as well. The reason being though, the high

pressure that has been the driving force for so long, that is drifting

further east into Europe and it is opening the floodgates for a series

of low pressures to move in from the Atlantic, powered by a fast-moving

jet stream, the isobars squeezing together. Gales or severe gales

likely, there is one area of low pressure moves away, a brief lull

before another. This fella could arrive perhaps for Christmas

weekend, but let us move back to here and now before we take a look

that the in more detail. A lot of cloud round today, as you can see

clearly, the cloud has been thick enough for light rain, for some.

Look at Northern Ireland an western Scotland. Beautiful afternoon for

you, I hope you are making the most of it because all change for

tomorrow. Lovely spells of sunshine through western Scotland and

Northern Ireland, perhaps the cloud thick enough in eastern Scotland,

down into the Lake District and Wale t odd spot or two or drizzle. A

weather front is steadily drifting westwards out of south-east England,

towards the Midlands and into Lincolnshire for the afternoon. Fair

amount of cloud Jenny in England and Wales and another drab afternoon for

many. That, the band of patchy rain will drift steadily westwards,

further north we see the temperatures falling away, a frost

is likely through Northern Ireland, and Scotland, in towns and city

centres round freezing but perhaps in rural parts as low as minus two

to four, not set to last though, the next area of low pressure will move

in and bring wet and windy wester, heavy rain through Northern Ireland,

gales or severe gale, maybe storm force in the extreme north-west of

Scotland, so a wet and windy afternoon, by contrast for many

central and eastern areas the cloud should break up and we will see

glimpses of sunshine. Temperatures fairly uniform at six to eight

degree, as we move out of Tuesday, into webs, that front pushes

steadily south. The isobars still squeeze together, still windy,

plenty of frequent squally showers in the far north-west. Some heavy

with hail, even know, it stays wet and mild to the south, much colder

further north. Our main story. The orphans of

Aleppo, they are among 20,000 people who have been rescued from the ruins

of their city as the evacuations in Syria resume. Thousands remain

That's all from the BBC News at One, so it's goodbye from me,