07/05/2014 BBC News at Six

Britain is to send military experts to Nigeria to help find over 200

kidnapped schoolgirls. As Nigerians call for action against the militant

Islamist group that seized the girls, David Cameron says it's a

matter of global concern. We should be clear this is not just

a Nigerian issue, it is a global issue. There are extreme Islamists

around our world who are against education, against progress, against

equality, and we must fight them and take them on wherever they are.

And reports are emerging that the militants may have killed hundreds

of people in a town in northern Nigeria. Also tonight: Back in

custody - police arrest the armed robber known as the "Skull Cracker"

following a raid on a building society this morning.

Stepping back? President Putin calls on pro-Russian Ukrainians to

postpone referendums on independence.

A scrum outside court as Paul Flowers, former head of the Co-op

Bank, admits possessing Class A drugs.

And life, the universe and everything - a stunning recreation

from NASA of how it all began. Tonight on BBC London, reports that

foreign investment is flowing into London's economy, especially in

technology. And anger at the Met after police

detain a teenager with Down syndrome for nine hours.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. As a growing number of

countries around the world offer help to Nigeria to find its missing

schoolgirls, Britain is to send a small number of military experts to

the country. Over 200 girls were snatched from their boarding school

three weeks ago by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. There are

also reports today that the group may have killed hundreds of people

in an attack on a border town. Our security correspondent Gordon Corera

has more. It is a campaign spreading around

the world, the sign of a deep and growing concern over the fate of the

200 updated Nigerian schoolgirls. Campaigners, celebrities, ordinary

Nigerians, on the street and on social media, or drawing attention

to the plight of the girls and calling for them to be released.

When asked about Nigeria today, the prime minister said he shared the

outrage. I am the father of two young daughters, and my reaction is

exactly the same as every father or mother in this land and the world.

This is an act of pure evil. It has united people across the planet to

stand with Nigeria to help find these children and return them to

their parents. The Foreign Office here has been offering assistance

for three weeks now, and the prime minister today called the Nigerian

president. He accepted that a small team of British officials could come

out to help stop this could include members of the military and

intelligence services. The girls were taken by the violent Islamist

group Boko Haram, whose leader in this video said he intended to sell

them. There were taken from this school three weeks ago. Only three

soldiers were guarding them, despite warnings. A few of the girls

escaped. A campaign into it with them told the BBC about their

experiences. The girls were terrorised. They were made to

believe that if their family members came after them, their family would

we killed and they would not in any way return back. Protesters around

the streets criticised the government for doing too little, too

late. The Nigerians did yesterday accept help from an American team,

and today offered a reward or information. Celebrity campaigners

have also been joining in the calls for action. If the world does

nothing, and they get away with this, they set this horrible

president, so it is extremely portable that something is done

immediately to try to find these girls and bring them home. And I'm a

god forbid, we can't, we still have to bring these men to justice. With

more than three weeks having passed on these girls were taken, even

though the international campaign is now growing, hopes for their room in

and release are fading. Gordon Corera, BBC News.

Our correspondent Tomi Oladipo is in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. Tomi,

is it any clearer there what form this international help that's being

offered will take and what it aims to achieve? Well, as was mentioned

in that report, the UK will be offering some support, but the US is

also sending some military personnel as well as experts in hostage

negotiation and investigations. This will come in handy for the immediate

purpose of looking to rescue these girls from captivity. But at the

same time, Nigeria still faces the wider problem of this Boko Haram

threat. The Islamists have been threatening the establishment of

Nigeria, the state of Nigeria, and this will be the priority for the

Nigerian government, to get the girls back, but also put an end to

this Islamist threat. The armed robber nicknamed the

"Skull Cracker", who went on the run after absconding from open prison on

Saturday, has been recaptured. Michael Wheatley was detained with

another man. Both are now in police custody. Wheatley was arrested

following an armed robbery on a building society in Surrey this

morning. Duncan Kennedy reports. This was the dramatic moment Michael

Wheatley's reef spell on the run came to an end. Filmed by

eyewitnesses, the fugitive, known by his spine chilling nickname, the

"Skull Cracker", is pinned to the ground by officers in east London.

Is that the geezer they are looking for? He does not appear to offer any

resistance as more police arrived. In the top left of the picture, just

a few yards away, is a cemetery. It is here that it is believed Wheatley

was hiding among the headstones and trees when he was spotted, before

making a run for it. He was eventually led away and taken to a

nearby police station. Wheatley's four days on the run have been

brought to an end. The day's fast-moving events began at 10:30am

across London at this building society in Sunbury. A man came in

demanding money and left with a bundle of cash. I think we are

shocked, because Sunbury is quite a peaceful place. By the time the

police arrived at this incident in south-west London, it appeared to be

over. But then come those dramatic developments this afternoon. There

was the arrest of a 55-year-old man believed to be weakly at an address

in east London, some ten miles from here for Wheatley had been in a Kent

open prison until he disappeared on Saturday. Tonight, this convicted

violent robberies back in custody. The hunt, but not the question is,

at an end. Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, in Surrey.

President Putin has urged pro-Russian activists in

southeastern Ukraine to call off a series of independence referendums

planned for this weekend. In what looks like an attempt to calm the

growing tension in the country, he says it will create better

conditions for dialogue. The Russian president also claims to have pulled

back his troops from the Ukrainian border, though NATO says it can see

no sign of this. Our Moscow correspondent Daniel Sandford

reports from Moscow. Moscow has been in military mood

this week, preparing to celebrate 69 years since it defeated Nazi

Germany. And all against the backdrop of Russia annexing Crimea

less than two months ago, and the fighting in eastern Ukraine. But in

the Kremlin today, President Putin showed his first sign of wanting to

de-escalate the tensions in Ukraine. In a meeting with the President of

Switzerland, he insisted that Russia had pulled back its troops from the

border, and then he called on the armed pro-Russian activists in

eastern Ukraine to delay their controversial referendum.

TRANSLATION: We call all the representatives of southeast

Ukraine, the supporters of the federalisation of the country, to

postpone the referendum scheduled for May 11. It could be a

significant breakthrough, although a source close to President Putin told

me Russia would only support presidential elections in Ukraine

this month if the government in Kiev engaged in serious talks with the

East. And the key question, as Mr Putin left the room, was whether the

pro-Russian activists will do as he asks. It is a dramatic move by

President Putin, wrongfooting everyone just four days before the

referendum was due to be held. So with the situation in Ukraine

deteriorating by the day...President Putin may just have it. -- he may

have been to. But if so, why? One answer could be the Russian economy.

People's lives have been transformed in the last 15 years as oil money

has paid for Western consumer goods. But it could all be put at risk by

further sanctions. The consequences could be dire. I would say that if

Russia breaks down, it may break up. Spring is just arriving in Moscow,

but it has been overshadowed by the fighting over the border. President

Putin may have calculated, but it is now time to consolidate his gains,

rather than risk everything by going for broke in Ukraine. Daniel

Sandford, BBC News, Moscow. The former chairman of the

Cooperative Bank, Paul Flowers, has been fined after admitting

possessing Class A drugs. Flowers, who left the bank last June, has

also been suspended by the Methodist Church. As Ed Thomas reports,

Flowers was surrounded by journalists outside Leeds

Magistrates Court. Paul Flowers came to court prepared

all stopped three minders by his side, ready to face justice. But

justice was not ready for him. The court doors were locked. With

nowhere to go, the former Co-operative Bank chairman had this

message for the journalists outside. But this is why he was in court. He

was secretly filmed last November. At the time a serving Methodist

minister, buying cocaine and ketamine. Then there was this, his

disaster of a performance in front of MPs, the bank boss whose numbers

did not add up. What is the total asset value? Just over 3 billion.

Your accounts showed 47 billion. Indeed they did. Today he walked out

of court with a fine, and into chaos and the questions. Anything to say?

Anything to say to your former colleagues at the Co-op, Mr Flowers?

Any apology 's his criminal case may be over, but the questions of how

Paul Flowers got to the very top will not go away.

Meanwhile, there's been another scathing report into the way the

Co-op Group is run. The former Labour Minister and Co-op director,

Lord Myners, has published a report in which he says the current

management structure is not fit for purpose. Our business editor Kamal

Ahmed is here. He also went on to say the Co-op could reverse the

decline, but he is not confident that it would choose to do so? Well,

it never rains, but it pours for the ball rolled Co-op. This whole

caravan now moves to make the 17th, the key date for the Co-op's annual

general meeting, when the membership can vote on Lord Myners'

performance. You will remember that last week, we had the report from

Christopher Kelly, also on the Co-op, that time on the collapse of

the bank. Today we had Lord Myners' report with strong language about

the problems of the Co-op Group all stop that is what will now be voted

on. I have looked at the actual solution that will be put in front

of the membership. It does not mention Lord Myners

of the membership. It does not So you wonder, it is a rather broad

and vague set of principles. Has the Co-op really got the stomach for

change? Some I have spoken to have said that they have already moved on

from Lord Myners, that they have done some reforms and things are

getting better. But the key test will be that may the 17th date.

Our top story this evening. Amid growing concern for the fate of

200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls, Britain sends in military experts.

Still to come: how the EU affects our daily lives, down to the food on

our plates, head of the coming Euro elections.

Later on BBC London, is it the Titchmarsh effect? This year,

tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show are being resold for hundreds of

pounds. And from Kilburn to the West End and

Broadway, how the tricycle theatre is going from strength to strength.

In Syria, hundreds of opposition fighters have left the centre of the

besieged city of Homs under an evacuation deal brokered by the

United Nations. The old city of Homs was one of the first places to rise

up against President Assad, and has been blockaded by the government for

two years. It is now in ruins after months of almost daily bombardment.

It marks a significant defeat for the rebel forces ahead of next

month's presidential election. Paul Wood reports.

The uprising in Homs is over. Smoke hangs over the old city, signifying

defeat for the rebels. They set fire to the buildings before they left

for the last time. The rebel fighters moved out, demoralised and

Hungary after two years of siege. Officers in President Assad's army

called it surrender or staff. But this is not capitulation. Each

fighter took a backpack and a rifle. They leave for the countryside,

ready to continue the armed struggle. TRANSLATION: We thank God

for this. We are leaving with dignity, but we will be back to

Homs, and God willing, we will liberate Homs. Alongside the

bravado, there is bitterness. The rebels say they feel betrayed, by

the international community, by their own political leadership, by

others who did not come to their aid. The opposition called Homs the

capital of the revolution. As we saw in the siege of another enclave, the

government tried to crush resistance in Homs from the start. The shelling

is constant now. We hear the impact every few seconds. And in reply, you

can also hear a little bit of Kalashnikov fire. It is a pretty

futile gesture. Now they have finished the job in the old city. It

is a symbolic and strategic victory for President Assad. In places, the

rebels are making games, in Aleppo for instance. This is not a simple

picture. But resident Assad is winning more than he is losing.

Perhaps the real significance of Homs lies in what it tells you about

the rebels' morale. For some, three years of love and sacrifice with

little to show for it is enough. -- blood and sacrifice.

The jury in the trial of veteran broadcaster Stuart Hall has been

hearing how he repeatedly raped two young girls, one just ten years old

at the outset, in his dressing room at the BBC in Manchester during the

1970s. Hall is accused of 15 counts of rape and five of sexual assault.

He denies the charges. Our North of England correspondent, Judith

Moritz, has been in court. Judith, some distressing evidence heard

today. Yes, Fiona. Inside courtroom number

one here at Preston, Stuart Hall spent today in the dock with his

head bowed for much of the time is just yards away from him in the

witness box, one of the women who alleges she was abused by him began

to give her evidence. She told the jury that this has been something

she hasn't thought about over many years, much less spoken of, and has

only recently come forward. She said to them that it is something which

had affected her for many years, at that Stuart Hall had told her after

the first time he'd raped her that it should be their secret. Each

morning, Stuart Hall is brought to court from prison, where he is

serving a 30 month sentence. His conviction for historic child sex

offences last year was well publicised. Today, the former

broadcaster listened as the jury heard that two more women have since

come forward. Prosecuting, Peter Wright QC said they had been

repeatedly raped by Stuart Hall in the late 1970s, when they were under

the age of 16. He said: The prosecution say that the girls

were abused at two former BBC studio buildings in Manchester. Stuart Hall

is said to have plied them with drink and then raped them in his

dressing room. One of the girls said it happens so often, she lost count,

but thought it had been at least 30 times. Stuart Hall admits that he

did have intercourse with the two girls, although his defence

barrister has told the court that he denies rape, claiming that they

consented to having sex. Crispin Aylett QC cross-examined the first

alleged victim. He asked, is that right? Was it consensual?

Stuart Holden eyes 15 charges of rape and five indecent assault. The

trial will continue tomorrow -- Stuart Hall denies. The father of

one of three men murdered during the 2011 riots in Birmingham has called

on the Home Secretary to open a public inquiry into the actions of

West Midlands Police. Earlier the Independent Police

Complaints Commission said it was unlikely any action would be taken

over failings in the investigation. One officer would have faced gross

misconduct charges had he not retired. Tariq Jahan said the

inquiry into deaths of his son Haroon and brothers Shazad Ali and

31-year-old Abdul Musavir a complete shambles. Eight men were cleared

over the deaths last year. From the food we eat to the toys

children play with, how much does being part of the European Union

affect our daily lives? In two weeks' time, voters across Britain

will get the chance to choose their MEP who will then be able to

influence laws made in the EU. Our Europe correspondent Matthew Price

left Brussels for the day and headed to the UK to find out how EU rules

affect us all. Out of Brussels, but not, of course,

out of the EU. Welcome to Banbury, where European laws govern daily

life. Pick anywhere on the high Street. I chose number 21. A full

English, sir. Basically, everything you see on this plague is affected

by EU rules. The way the pigs that produced the bacon are read, the

meat content in the sausage, the seeds and the pesticides used to

grow the crops in the first place. In fact, EU legislation also

regulates how many hours the people who pick the vegetables can work in

the fields. But quite often, British standards are higher than Brussels

standards, so for instance with eggs, most of those that you buy in

this country will be of a superior food safety quality. The EU has

affected the people who serves us, like Lucas, the Polish chef. But not

a currency we use. So what about our children? Again! Do you think EU

rules would have any impact on a place like this? I don't think so.

You would be wrong. All toys sold in Britain have to meet EU safety

standards. And they must carry this mark. I don't think you realise what

the impact would be if it was the UK, Europe, you trust the fact that

there is cover for health and safety for your child, for food standards,

for anything else. As for maternity leave, British women can have more

time off than the minimum set by Brussels. Out of town on the

industrial estate, this company has to comply with EU rules so it can

sell its metal detectors in Europe's single market. The benefit

is the fact that we can trade easily in the EU, weakening is a bit our

products there. The downside is the costs associated with complying to

some of the legislation and red tape. So, back to Brussels, where

British MEPs and ministers help create EU laws, laws that affect

everyone across this land. Matthew Price, BBC News, Banbury.

And there's more on the European and local elections online at

bbc.co.uk/news. It's a view of the heavens as never

seen before. NASA scientists have just released this stunning

recreation of the evolution of the universe, from the formation of the

first atoms to the birth of stars and galaxies. It's all based on the

latest mathematical model of how it all happened, as our science

correspondent Pallab Ghosh explains. This computer simulation compresses

14 billion years into two and a half minutes. Watch how the universe

unravels. First, strands of mysterious material in blue called

dark matter sprawl across the emptiness of space. Like branches of

a cosmic tree. Fast forward a couple of billion years, and the pink

glows show the seeds from which galaxies will one day form. Billions

more years pass, and there are cataclysmic explosions from which, a

little later, the universe as we know it begins to emerge. And around

now, the Earth and our own solar system begins to form. What this

simulation essentially does is tell us how our universe evolves in front

of our own eyes. And what we can see here is how gas and stars and

eventually planets and asked form in this universe, and the amazing thing

about this simulation is it is strikingly close to the real

universe. This is a picture of the universe taken by the Hubble space

telescope. Now compare it with the universe created in a computer,

published in the journal Nature. It is hard to tell the difference. For

hundreds of years, astronomers have used telescopes to see distant stars

and galaxies. But what they saw, they developed their ideas of how

the universe began and how it evolved. As now for the first time,

they are able to recreate the universe in a computer. That means

they can test out new theories and really get to grips with how the

cosmos works. It's a big step forward. It's going to be incredibly

helpful to cosmologistss like me to figure out how the universe works.

This simulation is the best universe yet -- best estimate yet of how the

universe evolved. Time for a look at the weather. I'm

not sure our computer graphics are quite up to that standard! Here's

Nick Miller. The heavens have opened for some of

us, though. More rain in the forecast. Very wet for a time in

Northern Ireland today, and this spell of heavy rain now affecting

southern Scotland and the far north of England. Messi driving conditions

and a few heavy showers to end the day for eastern areas. Then it

starts to quiet down a little bit overnight. Chilly spots here

overnight. Your eyes will be drawn to the next area of rain coming into

the south-west later in the night, and a sign of things to come for

some of us tomorrow. Still very breezy, especially across southern

areas. Further outbreaks of rain heading in, but it is outbreaks, not

raining all the time. A lot of cloud, sunshine and showers. This is

the picture at 4pm tomorrow. Things are starting to improve in Wales in

south-east England. The potential for some heavy bursts, but with gaps

in between just starting to feed into north-west England, south-west

Scotland. North-east England, south-east Scotland, just one or two

showers, but showers in northern Scotland heavy again. Slower moving

showers compared with elsewhere. On Friday, a sunny day in between the

showers. Some of the showers again heavy, hail and thunder possible,

lighter winds and slower moving showers in northern Scotland. And

for the weekend, still looking wet for a time on Saturday, with a band

of rain is willing north. We are dodging the downpours, whether to

keep you fit. Thanks, Nick. A reminder of our main

story. The growing campaign calling for action against Boko Haram to

free the kidnapped schoolgirls. Britain is sending in military

experts to help with the search. And police have invested the armed

robber known as the skull cracker following an armed raid on a

building society. That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye

from me,