21/04/2014 BBC News at Six

South Korea's president strongly criticises the captain and crew in

the country's ferry disaster. As pictures emerge of the captain

receiving treatment after the vessel went down, the President says his

actions in abandoning ship were tantamount to murder.

President Assad calls snap elections in Syria despite the ongoing civil

war. Teachers vote for strike action, in

a row with the Government over pay and working conditions.

Russia accuses Ukraine of violating the Geneva accord after three people

were killed, at a checkpoint in the east of Ukraine.

And Two's company. Celebrating 50 years of the BBC's second channel.

Good evening. South Korea's president has strongly criticised

the captain of the ferry that sank - and some of his crew - saying their

actions in abandoning ship were tantamount to murder. Her comments

came as another four crew members were arrested, after yesterday's

release of the last audio conversations with the coastguard

before the ferry sank. Divers have now removed 64 bodies from the

vessel, but 240 people - mainly teenagers - are still missing. Lucy

Williamson reports from the town of Mokpo in south Korea. The weather is

no longer clouding the painful truth here. The growing body count is a

sharp reminder of who survived and who didn't. With different actions,

different responses, how many of them might have lived? TRANSLATION:

This is a 100% man-made disaster. If the government acted quicker, all of

the children would have been saved. The president today pointed the

blame elsewhere. The conduct of the captain and some crew members is

unfathomable from the viewpoint of common sense and it was like an act

of murder that cannot and should not be tolerated. Footage like this of

the captain of the ferry, rescued while his passengers drowned, has

fuelled bitter but as yet unproven accusations. And this, in interview

from several years ago, where he tells the camera... Passengers are

safe with me if they follow the instructions of my crew. What did

the crew cause this disaster? The shipbuilders of south Korea are some

of the best in the world, but 300 people are now presumed dead. How

could a routine passenger trip go so badly wrong? So far, the spotlight

has been on a sharp turn in steering, ordered by a 25-year-old

novice while the captain was away. But blame may not be that neatly

defined. There are multiple factors involved. Why was such a sharp turn

ordered in the first place? That is the trigger, but then the cargo may

not have been securely fastened, which can make a sharp turn very

dangerous. Also the ship was modified which changes the centre of

gravity. If you took away the other factors, the cargo and the height,

and made the same turn, would the ship have capsized? No. To some this

is a national disgrace, and the divisions looks set to widen as the

sea slowly gives up its dead. A presidential election is to be

held in Syria in June despite the civil war. President Assad is

expected to seek a third, seven-year term. The uprising against him has

left an estimated 150,000 people dead, and forced millions from their

homes. Jim Muir is in Beirut. What is your reading of this move? I

think it shows the growing confidence on the part of President

Assad. He said recently he thought the situation in Syria was turning

around and his forces on the ground are making slow but steady

methodical progress in establishing control over the central areas of

the country. While a few months ago people were talking about him may be

being extended for a couple of years while some kind of transition could

be negotiated, he is now signalling clearly that he intends to stay for

another seven-year term. Let's look at the context of the announcement

today. The announcement about the elections was made by the Speaker of

parliament, it came just hours after the parliament building itself came

under mortar attack with bombs exploding nearby and several people

killed. If that can happen in the centre of the capital, can credible

elections really be held in worst hit areas? But the announcement made

it clear elections would go ahead on June the 3rd as though the situation

were normal. It called on candidates to register within ten days.

Everybody knows they will only be one serious contender, President

Assad. He has been out and about as rarely before, showing a new

confidence. He visited a Christian town to the north of Damascus which

was recently won backed by government troops, continuing their

drive to secure supply routes to the capital. The town has changed hands

several times as the battle has ebbed and flowed over months. It has

become one of the symbols of the war, now in its fourth year, and it

shows that at present the tide is flowing in the favour of the regime.

The war is still far from won, rebels still control much of the

countryside in the north, east and south, but the regime is

consolidating in the key central areas. With these elections, it is

signalling that its future is no longer up for negotiation.

The National Union of Teachers have voted to stage further strikes in

their long-running dispute over pay, pensions and conditions. At their

annual conference in Brighton, delegates overwhelming supported

further industrial action in England and Wales for the end of June unless

significant progress is made in talks with the Government. From

Brighton, our education correspondent, Reeta Chakrabarti

reports. If it's Easter it's a teachers'

conference and another call for strike action. The NUT could now go

out on its fourth national strike in three years with the potential for

it to last more than a day. The motion does not exclude us from

taking strike action with other unions that will be coming out, and

if that means more than one day, there is nothing that precludes that

from happening in this motion. We have got to send the message out

loud and clear. Gove must go! Gove must go! The conference is now

committed to strike action in June if there is no progress in talks

with Government. This union has been at loggerheads with the Coalition

from the outset and there is no resolution in sight. The ongoing

dispute is over pay, pensions and workload. The Department for

Education said further strikes would only disrupt parents and children

and damage the reputation of teachers, so why do it? What else

can we do? We have tried campaigning, we have tried talking.

Parents are very supportive. We had a stall in Oldham not so long ago,

and everyone was very supportive. We believe that teachers are very

reluctant at taking strike action but unfortunately, because of the

persistent failure of Mr Gove to actually engage in meaningful

dialogue, we are left with no other option. The union went out just last

month and it's threatening even more action in the autumn and next year.

Strikes could be averted if there is progress in talks but that, at the

moment, doesn't look likely. Russia has accused the Ukrainian

government of breaking the terms of an agreement, forged in Geneva last

week, aimed at resolving the crisis in Ukraine. Sergey Lavrov says the

authorities have failed to disarm illegal groups despite agreeing to

do so. His comments follow a shoot out at a checkpoint over the

weekend, near the eastern town of Sloviansk. Russia has blamed

Ukrainian nationalists for the incident, in which at least three

people were killed. Our correspondent Daniel Sandford is in

Donetsk. Another flash point on the ground, what have the Russians been

saying? You may remember that here in eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian

protesters hold police stations and armed men hold the town of

Sloviansk. What the Russian foreign minister said today was that armed

militants are ruthlessly opening fire without warning, and there has

been a surge in appeals to Russia from people here to help them, and

that Russia has been put in a difficult position. He said those

pursuing a civil war, Russia would cut them short. Very worrying words

this evening from Sergey Lavrov, being seen as a threat for Russia to

take military intervention. And the west preparing more sanctions

against Russia. Where do you think this leaves Geneva, the deal that

was done? It is in a very poor state now. The people have not left the

buildings and the police stations as they were supposed to. It will need

pressure from Russia to persuade them to leave the buildings, and

Russia is putting pressure on the Kiev government, accusing them of

not reining in their own extremists. David Cameron's comments about

Christianity and Britain's status as a Christian country have come under

attack, from a group of more than 50 prominent figures. In a letter to

the Daily Telegraph, organised by the British Humanist Association,

they accuse the Prime Minister of fostering division in society. This

report from our Religious Affairs correspondent, Robert Pigott,

contains flash photography. In the weeks before Christians celebrated

Easter, the most important moment in the Church's calendar, David Cameron

spoke several times about his own Christian faith. Mr Cameron said

Christianity really mattered to him and said Easter was a time to

reflect on the countless acts of kindness carried out by those who

followed Christ. He said he found moments of peace in his own church

in Kensington and said Britain should be confident of its status as

a Christian country. Now comes a letter from 50 leading secularists

in the Daily Telegraph, claiming that characterising Britain as

Christian is harmful to society. The letter's organiser claimed there

had been a disturbing trend among politicians referring to Britain as

a Christian country. Religious faith is something that you should feel

that is private and important to you. It's not something you want to

inflict on others. The Prime Minister can be Christian, there is

nothing wrong with that, but to say the rest of us live in a Christian

country is outmoded and I think a lot of people would feel very

uncomfortable about that. Some have seen David Cameron's repeated

endorsements of Christianity as being aimed at a Conservative

heartland, bruised by his support for same-sex marriage. But Downing

Street insists that David Cameron has said on many previous occasions

that while Britain is strengthened by being a home to many different

faiths, it shouldn't be afraid to identify as a Christian country.

They point to Mr Cameron's speech three years ago on the 400th

anniversary of the King James Bible in which he said the Bible had given

Britain a set of morals and values that made the country what it is

today. What Britain out there recognises is that we have a

Christian fabric to this country - social, spiritual, moral - that we

want to celebrate. At the time of Easter, the British Prime Minister

putting forward his Christian faith, it seems a natural thing for him to

do and an unnatural un-British thing for the humanists to do. Although

the most recent census showed a sharp fall in the number of

Christians in Britain, 59% of us still identify with the religion.

But today's letter is further confirmation that, far from taking

Christian teaching for granted, many see it as actively harmful.

A year ago, three people were killed and hundreds were injured at the

Boston marathon, when bombs exploded near the finish line. This

afternoon, this year's event got under way amid tight security.

Thousands of runners, unable to finish the race last year, are

competing again. Nick Bryant is in Boston for us.

The marathon has always been Boston's biggest event and this year

it has taken on a much larger meaning and significance. It is part

race, part remembrance and also a demonstration of this proud city's

resolve. The Boston Marathon began with moments of silence and

stillness. The runners contemplated not the pain that awaited them on

the course but the agony that still lingers from last year's race. They

were taken to the start line in a fleet of yellow buses that stretched

as far as the eye could see. The length of this convoy, a measure of

resolve. 36,000 people are taking part, 9000 more than last year. The

mantra of the city is Boston's strong. I will be thinking about the

victims and dedicated my run to them. I am a mother of six and my

heart goes out to the family of the boy who lost his life last year. The

idea is not to set a personal best but to reclaim the finish line at

the Boston Marathon after it was taken away from us last year. Many

have come from Britain, including Sophie Raworth from the BBC. I am

running this for George Alagiah. I wanted to do something for him, when

he rang me and told me he had bowel cancer it was such a shock. The

police formed a ring of steel to guard against another attack. Even

the runners faced restrictions regarding what they could take onto

the course. Ordinarily the marathon is a test of runners' stamina, but

this year it is very much a collective endeavour, a test of an

entire city's strength. Today is the Queen's birthday - she

is 88 - and is spending the day privately at Windsor Castle. There

were gun salutes across the UK to mark the occasion, including this

one at the Tower of London. Finally, 50 years ago, BBC Two was

born. Its arrival, into the broadcasting world, was less than

smooth - a power cut, wiped out much of the first evening's schedule. But

it's gone on to be the home of some of the BBC's most ground-breaking

and influential programmes as David Sillito reports. Good evening. This

is BBC Two. This is how it all started 50 years ago. Sort of.

Because this was, in reality, day two of BBC Two. The problem was that

on the real launch night, a power cut meant the only thing anyone saw

was this. PHONE RINGS.

Excuse me. Just like Channel one. Hello? Unlike Channel one, there's

nobody there! A rather bewildered Gerald

Priestland reading the news, and then nothing. Here is a house. Here

is a door. The first programme arrived without fanfare the next

day. Play School. Hello. I'm Virginia. Hello, I'm Gordon. BBC Two

was considered the serious channel. It was also the something completely

different channel. The opening night line-up promised this.

ANNOUNCER: At 9.35, Arkady Raikin, Russia's top comedian. And at 10.20,

Off With A Bang. It was quirky, and it would try anything. ANNOUNCER: In

Conversations For Tomorrow, JB Priestley entertains... From

philosophy to snooker. From David Attenborough and Jacob Bronowski, to

Whispering Bob and Jeremy Clarkson. It was the beginning of all this.

The line-up this evening. Pamela Donald promised viewers... But at

the end of that first day 50 years ago, they were just glad something

had gone out. Well, that's all from us tonight. We've certainly had

ourselves a ball here. Can we come again tomorrow night? Maybe round

about 7.20? That's