12/02/2016 BBC News at Six

The dark side of Facebook - the BBC exposes the secret groups

The hidden groups are being used to post and swap obscene

Facebook now says it will look into it.

From what we've shown you, are they doing enough?

Aid deliveries to desperate Syrians could resume within 24 hours

after world powers agree a pause in the fighting.

Turning off the printing presses after 30 years,

as the Independent goes online-only.

Six children are being treated in hospital in Liverpool

after they were hit by a car driven by a woman in her 80s.

Closing the gap - bosses will be forced to reveal any difference

between the salaries of men and women.

And how the North Yorkshire town split in two by the Christmas floods

Shots are fired as police apprehend five men in Arbroath after the theft

We're with fans in Cardiff ahead of Scotland's Six Nations

Facebook says it will look into secret groups on its website,

exposed by the BBC, that are being used to groom

children and exchange obscene images.

The social media company, which has more than a billion users

worldwide, actively promotes family values and takes pride

But the BBC has uncovered, groups invisible to ordinary users,

that have been set up by paedophiles who try to lure in young children.

A warning, Angus Crawford's report contains some disturbing material.

Neil Ivel calls himself a paedophile hunter.

He and his wife pretend to be young girls online to expose the men that

This man, Lee Hardy, pleaded guilty and was sent to prison.

Why would you do that to a 12-year-old?

Hardy was a member of a secret group.

Facebook settings mean these groups are invisible to non-members.

We know there is a dark side of the web.

Everyone thinks Facebook is brilliant.

Put a status update, going to the shops,

We decided to find out for ourselves, setting

up our own fake profile, gaining access to closed

Many of the pictures in these groups are obscene, indecent.

But what is disturbing is that many other pictures appear to have been

stolen and disgusting comments have been written

Facebook actively promotes its family values and takes pride

So surely they would quickly remove this type of material,

So we used Facebook's own report button to tell them about some

But the majority were not taken down.

They did not breach the company's standards.

The picture of this girl in bra and pants wasn't taken down.

Nor was this one, in a group called Cute Teen Schoolies.

We reported a whole group, too, called We Love Skoolgirlz.

We showed what we'd found to the Children's

It would be completely necessary in my view for Facebook to be

seeking out, at very least, the very obvious titles of these

From what we've shown you, are they doing enough?

We asked Facebook for an interview but our request was refused,

so we caught up with the company's head of public policy at an event

When it comes to specific groups, I think it's important

we investigate them, so if you share the details with me

I can work with my colleagues who do the investigations and make sure

we investigate them and remove content that shouldn't be there,

and also deal directly with law enforcement to make sure

they are aware of these groups and we follow that proper process.

That's important that we do that, and we can give you our commitment

The worst that we found we handed to police.

Facebook says it will also investigate.

But how many more such groups exist, and are Facebook's procedures robust

enough to find them and shut them down?

There are a lot of children on Facebook. How worried should parents

be? It is worrying that we need a sense of proportion. Most Facebook

users have a safe and enjoyable experience. But maybe this raises a

warning and the question. The warning is for parents. These

groups, by their nature, are invisible to anyone but members, so

even if you friend your child is to monitor them, you will not see these

groups. What is the solution? Talk to them, explained that their online

life should mirror their real-world life. If a stranger said, come to a

secret place, you would say No. The question for Facebook is, it has 1.6

billion users, 350 million photographs are uploaded every day.

The question for them is, has Facebook got too big to police its

own content? The UN says aid deliveries to some

besieged areas in Syria could begin within 24 hours, after world powers

agreed to press for a pause The agreement, reached in Germany,

came shortly after President Bashar al-Assad said he intends to fight

on until he's brought the whole Syria's biggest, most

beautiful city now This month tens of thousands

are fleeing Russia's bombing there. Moscow says it is striking

terrorists from so-called Islamic The West says it's mainly bolstering

the Syrian military in its fight But now, in Munich

in the early hours, the world's most powerful diplomat

emerged to say they had finally agreed a truce among

the warring sides. We have agreed to implement

a nationwide cessation of hostilities to begin

in a target of one week's That's ambitious, but everybody

is determined to move as rapidly And Russia's Sergey Lavrov spoke

of a return to peace In the bright light

of day, the doubts Most of all about

Russia's intentions. It is possible the Russians

had limited military objectives and, actually,

over the last month or so they've largely achieved them,

and that they genuinely are now ready to see a scaling down

of military activity. But we won't know that for sure

until we see the Russians delivering Today Syria's rebel leaders

are raising objections. So is Syria's President

Assad, who spoke TRANSLATION: We have fully believed

in negotiations and in political action since the beginning

of the crisis. However, if we negotiate,

it does not mean we will The two tracks are

separate from each other. Syria's war is also a major

humanitarian crisis. Munich's deal means

government and rebel forces must let aid enter besieged areas

where people are starving. Imagine that we have several convoys

for several days and repeat it any time we operate, would that

not make a difference? Do you think this

is a turning point? Strong words have

emerged here in Munich. The next week will make it clear

whether this was a major breakthrough that could help ease

the suffering of Syrian civilians or whether it's another

major setback that will make The printing presses

at the Independent newspaper will fall silent next month as it

becomes the first national paper The Independent was launched 30

years ago, but the latest circulation figures show it's now

only selling around 50,000 David Sillito examines

the paper's demise. 30 years ago, it was set up with a

vision to be bold, innovative and above all independent of the

political tribes. Over the years, its front covers have been

startling. It was the first broadsheet to switch to tabloid, and

now with a heavy heart, it is the first to give up on print. It has

been a tough day, and lots of people have had a painful day. Having said

that, as I said to staff, think it is the right thing for the

Independent. We are going to wear our readers are, embracing a digital

future, and this transition is completely necessary. The

announcement about selling its sister paper was made yesterday.

Today's announcement was hardly a surprise. At its peak, the

Independent was selling 425,000 copies a day. 25 years on, weekday

sales are closer to 30,000. This has gone further and moved faster than

elsewhere but every newspaper is travelling in the same direction. No

one has found a way of making money out of digital in the way they used

to have to print. And remember, when it was set up, this was not just a

journalistic adventure. This was the cutting edge of new technology. 30

years on, going digital seems inevitable to its joint founder and

first editor. Not only are all newspapers across the world losing

circulation, but they are losing advertising income very seriously.

So it's a double whammy. The only question is, when do you come to

terms with it? And so on its website today, news of the Independent's new

future. Goodbye to print, and also more than half the 200 staff.

Digital news may be the future, but paying for it is the problem.

The entertainer Rolf Harris has been charged with seven more counts

The youngest alleged victim was 12 years old at the time.

Harris, who's 85, is currently serving a six-year sentence

The latest charges date from 1971 to 2004 and relate to seven people

"Unfair" and "unreliable" - that's how teaching unions describe

tests for four- and five-year-olds as they start primary school.

Pre-primary assessments have been piloted at some schools

in England, with a further rollout planned in September.

The NUT and ATL unions warn that the measure is damaging

for pupils, but ministers say there has to be a baseline

We are going to make a rocket ship for the toys in space to be rescued.

For a reception teacher, observing children is part of her job. Now,

that assessment is becoming more formal and will be used to judge

what difference the school makes by age 11. Baseline testing involves

assessing a child's skills on a given day, including social skills

like listening or taking turns, literacy skills, such as using words

and naming letters, and in maths, things like counting or very simple

sums. Today, parents with children going into reception next year said

it was all about how it is carried out. I don't necessarily feel

comfortable with the idea but I recognise that it's quite an

important thing for a child to have an assessment, to establish whether

they are performing at the level they should be. I know they are a

bit young to have it very formal, but as long as it does not add

stress, think it is OK. It depends on the level of assessment and what

kind of pressure that may put on the children. At the age of four, it is

important not to put any pressure on children. This school, like many

others in England, has chosen a kind of assessment which involves

observing children whilst they do an activity. But there are two other

kinds being piloted which are much more formal, and it is quite

possible that those may be the ones the Government favours. Many

teachers are uneasy about testing children to judge school

performance, but Baseline tests already exist in Wales. Scotland

plans to introduce something similar. The headteacher here told

me it is essential that ministers in England learn from the pilots. It is

going to be here to stay, so it is important for the profession to

speak up and speak about the good things that come out of Baseline

assessment, and the models that actually work in the classroom.

Our top story this evening: which every stage is tracked.

Facebook has said it will investigate claims made by BBC

News that paedophiles are using secret groups on the site

And, coming up: living longer. Why 70 is now the new 50. At 6:30pm we

are taking to the slopes. Scotland's ski resorts are gearing up for their

busiest weekend of the year. Car engine parts, a carpet and an

aeroplane propeller, or part of this weekend's British Art show which

opens in Edinburgh. 20% is how much less on average

women earned than men in the UK. Many employers are worried, saying

it is too crude measure and would take into account the many reasons

people have different pay packets. Emma Simpson, business

correspondent. The busy lunchtime canteen. These

days it's almost a 50-50 split between men and women. Not so equal

when it comes to paper. At this financial firm they already

published the difference in earnings between the sexes and they think

forcing all big companies to do the same will be good for women and

business. This is a really big moment, as big as the publication of

the equal pay act in 1970. Its big because transparency will really

drive greater accountability for closing the gender pay gap. Is it

going to be difficult for businesses to do? Initially, but once the

processes are set up its easy. How big is the gender pay gap problem?

Overall women earn on average nearly 20% less than men. It includes

part-time women. That gap costs full-time women around ?100 a week.

The gap can widen according depending to the sector. In finance

it as big as 35%. In health care women earn nearly a quarter less

than men. I spoke to one group of women, two of them senior managers,

about the reasons why. Some men are better at saying what their

contribution and impact was, which can help drive the level of bonuses

they get. Women are more likely to talk about how the team works to

succeed, more collaborative approach. There could be something

around the opportunities available for women, the choices they make,

how they put themselves forward. I work in a big diverse team and I

haven't had any problems. I see females who are up for career

ladder. It's less intimidating for me to ask what I think I deserve.

Campaigners reckon the government could top up the gap. We would like

to have seen the government forcing employers to explain the reasons

behind the gender pay gap in the workplace and set out what action

they plan to take to narrow the pay gap. The changes won't take effect

for another two years. By then the government hopes there

for another two years. By then the nowhere for big employers to hide

the gender pay gap. The school girls are being treated in hospital after

being hit by a car in Liverpool. Two of the girls are said to have

been critically injured. The accident happened outside

a school this afternoon. Our correspondent Andy Gill

is at the scene. What more can you tell us? The

yellow Peugeot car said to be involved in this accident is still

at the scene, straddling the pavement and the road about 100

yards behind the police cordoned you can see. The police to ask the

driver was a woman in her 80s. Witnesses described seeing the car

hit a group of pedestrians. This happened at 3:20pm, just at the time

when pupils from the nearby Belvedere School would have been

leaving at the end of the week. We don't know the identities of the

people involved in this accident yet. Police say six girls aged

between 11 and 13 were injured. Two critically, two seriously. Two have

been taken to older hey Children's Hospital, a seventh person, possibly

the driver of the car, taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital.

Eyewitnesses told the BBC the scene at the time of the accident looked

like carnage, victims lying in different parts of the road. The

road here is likely to stay closed for some time while investigators

continue into this accident. Police have charged the partner

of the former EastEnders actress, Sian Blake, on suspicion of

murdering her and her two children. Arthur Simpson-Kent was detained

at Heathrow Airport this morning after he was

flown back from Ghana. The bodies of Ms Blake and her sons

were found in the garden of their home in south-east

London in December. A coroner says a new born

baby died of sepsis, following a series of failures

in the care he received at the Royal Cornwall

hospital in Truro. The parents of Charlie Jermyn say

they feel let down and angry by the medical care

given to their son. Sepsis kills around 37,000 people

every year in the UK - that's more than bowel

and breast cancer combined. From the inquest in Truro,

Duncan Kennedy reports. Charlie Jermyn was just 30

hours old when he died. The result of a sepsis infection

which attacked his immune You just sit there and think,

why the hell did it happen? reminders of his short

time in their lives. Kind of let down,

really let down and Specialists like Doctor James Gray

told the inquest Charlie's The coroner in this case said

all the midwives were caring and compassionate,

but that Charlie had died as a result of a sequence of

failures on the health care system. She said if he had been taken

to hospital he would have been treated and his life

would probably have The hospital where Charlie's

maternity care was based Clearly we are deeply

saddened by Charlie's death and would like to apologise

unreservedly on behalf of the trust The government already says

the NHS should improve For Charlie's mum and dad,

his already fragile first hours of life were devastated

by this cruel infection. A brief look at some

of the day's other news stories. Thousands have gathered in Coventry

to celebrate the life of the former footballer and match of the day

presenter Jimmy Hill - The event was held at the city's

cathedral and was attended by people Farmers in Scotland -

hit by delays to EU payments after IT failures -

will be offered loans from a ?20 million fund set up

by the Scottish government. So far only 40 per cent

of farmers have received their Common Agricultural Policy

claims since the new system came Hundreds of thousands of households

in Northern Ireland will see electricity bills fall by more

than 10% from April. Power NI - the country's

largest supplier - say a fall in the price of wholesale

gas means they'll be able to pass on an average annual

saving of around ?50. The NHS in Wales is performing

as well as the rest of the UK - according to a major

international report. Wales' first minister says

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt should apologise for claims that Welsh

patients receive second class care. But the Conservatives pointed out

the review had not looked Since Christmas a town

in North Yorkshire has been divided after its 300 year old bridge

collapsed during the floods. Tadcaster was split in two

and residents wanting to get to the other side had

to make a long detour - That's right, this is something

pedestrians couldn't do six weeks ago here in Tadcaster. Walk straight

to the shops on the other side. The bridge took longer to build than

expected, though, the local brewery didn't want it on its land. The

local MP even asked the Prime Minister to intervene. The solution

was to build it on council land. Now, for pedestrians, the wait is

finally over. For motorists, though, it'll take a little longer while

work continues on the bridge that,. After 300 years, East and West

were separated in seconds. A temporary footbridge

over the River Wharfe. For three weeks contract has worked

12 hours a day seven days a week. And now the moment

they've been waiting for. For that special moment,

Chrissie Wilson on one side of the bridge,

her mother, Babs, on the other. They were separated

that night when the Because I used to

drive to her house. It's a relief for the whole town,

it's just fantastic, And what a great show

of people here today. Yeah, just shows you,

doesn't it, what a fabulous A trip to the supermarket has

involved a muddy one mile detour. You're on an island over

there, there's no buses. It'll make an absolutely

huge difference to the people on this side

of Tadcaster, we'll be able to get to the shops now,

which is wonderful. One lady said she thought

it was a little bit swingy. This footbridge is a temporary

solution while work continues on the historic bridge

a few metres away. It may take a year before

motorists can use it again. But for now, at least,

the town is united once more. Life expectancy in England has risen

to its highest-ever level. Nowadays a 65 year old man can

expect to live until he's 84, while women can hope

to live even longer, The news has prompted some

of you to get in touch to tell us what you're doing

to prolong your life. 67 year old Anthony

Harrison is looking "Two things have got me this far"

he says "My mother fed me with "Secondly, the winters

are much milder now." and three-quarters say he swims 300

to 400 metres six days a week" and still rides motorbikes

all year round." to playing Bridge several times

a week, riding my exercise bicycle On the whole, she says,

I think I am very lucky, Talking of getting old, the weather

with Sarah Keith-Lucas, the birthday goal.

Seeing as it's my 21st birthday again today can I look forward to

another 25 years? Weather has been mixed. A lot of cloud, wintry

showers, equally some sunshine. This was the view across Scarborough

earlier. Huge of blue skies and clear spells persisting through the

evening and overnight. Quite a cold night ahead. We're set to see

further wintry showers some places, too. I risk of icy stretches across

parts of northern England, Scotland as well. This is where we will see

the clearest skies and coldest temperatures. South and west more

cloud and eight bricks of rain. Chilly start to Saturday morning. --

outbreaks of rain. Through the morning, low pressure moving its way

along the English Channel bringing outbreaks of light, patchy rain can

even hill snow across southern areas. Further north bright skies.

Keeping with snow showers across the south-east of Scotland into

north-east England. Swept across Scotland, brighter conditions by

Saturday. Sunny but cold. Northern Ireland is feeling brighter spells.

Snow showers will continue for Northumberland, several more

centimetres accumulating. Brightness through parts of northern England.

Outbreaks of rain. Sleet and snow on the Brecon Beacons and Chilterns.

Through Saturday night into Sunday, cloudy and stamp once again, breezy.

Further north clearer skies, cold night ahead with a sharp frost and

icy stretches into Sunday. Through Sunday we will see the cold

north-easterly wind, some showers, wintry showers across parts of

Scotland and North East England. Rain lingering in the South East.

Chilly wherever you are but snow in the Northeast and Scotland could

cause travel disruption. A reminder of the main story this

evening. The dark side of Facebook. The BBC exposes the secret groups

set up by paedophiles in an exclusive investigation. That's all

from BBC News at Six PM. Back with the latest at 10pm.