:00:30. > :00:37.A crisis amid fears of sectarian violence.
:00:37. > :00:42.We have warned long ago, that trim will continue to be acting in Iraq
:00:42. > :00:45.against the Iraqi people unless the political landscape is corrected.
:00:45. > :00:51.Tonight, there have been further attacks, we have the latest from
:00:51. > :00:56.Baghdad. Also in the programme. A new system of adoption on the way
:00:56. > :01:01.in England. Parents say that the current one is painfully slow.
:01:01. > :01:05.It was devastating for the children that we knew and are probably still
:01:05. > :01:09.there. They were not given the chance of a loving, stable home.
:01:09. > :01:13.Fears of job losses as bmi is sold in a multi-million pound deal it
:01:13. > :01:17.British Airways. More democracy protests in Moscow
:01:17. > :01:20.as the President promises to listen and to act.
:01:20. > :01:30.And John Terry's first match for Chelsea, since the news that he
:01:30. > :01:55.
:01:55. > :01:59.Good evening. A wave of bomb attacks in Baghdad
:01:59. > :02:04.has claimed at least 65 lives in the worst outbreak of violence
:02:04. > :02:10.there for several months. It comes a few days after American forces
:02:10. > :02:16.withdrew fully from Iraq and it co insides with the growing political
:02:16. > :02:20.crisis. There are fears that sectarian sectors could plunge the
:02:20. > :02:26.country into greater turmoil. It was a reminder of the horrors of
:02:26. > :02:31.the past and a warning of what may loom ahead.
:02:31. > :02:35.At the height of the morning rush hour, 1 blasts across Baghdad. The
:02:35. > :02:45.targets were commuters, the country's anticorruption agency,
:02:45. > :02:51.
:02:51. > :02:57.In this home, a sleeping family was blasted into wakefulness.
:02:57. > :03:00.TRANSLATION: My baby was sleeping in her bed. Glass was falling on
:03:00. > :03:07.her. But the comfort -- countries are stable, why don't we have
:03:07. > :03:13.safety and security? No group has admitted responsibility, but focus
:03:13. > :03:16.is falling on the Sunni extremists of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Sectarian
:03:16. > :03:25.boundaries dramatically hardened during American occupation.
:03:25. > :03:32.Militias from the Shia majority and the Sunni minority terrorise
:03:32. > :03:36.civilians. The attack targeted areas where they work together, to
:03:36. > :03:41.sow political instability on sectarian fear. It comes as the
:03:41. > :03:46.power-sharing agreement is unravelling, with a demand by the
:03:46. > :03:52.Shia prime minister for the rest of the Sunni vice-president on charges
:03:52. > :03:56.of running hit squads. He, in turn, accuses the Shia leaders of wanting
:03:56. > :04:02.to monopolise power. Today there was this warning from the
:04:02. > :04:05.Government from a former prime minister. We warned long ago that
:04:05. > :04:10.terrorism will continue to be acting in Iraq against the Iraqi
:04:10. > :04:14.people, unless the political landscape is corrected and the
:04:14. > :04:22.political process is corrected, and it becomes an inclusive political
:04:22. > :04:26.The attacks come just four days since the last American combat
:04:26. > :04:32.troops left Iraq, at around insertion from their President that
:04:32. > :04:41.even then sounded like a hostage to fortune. All of it has led to this
:04:41. > :04:47.moment of success. Iraq is not a perfect place. It has many
:04:47. > :04:52.challenges ahead. But we are leaving behind a sovereign, stable
:04:52. > :04:55.and self-reliant Iraq. The attacks were described as an attempt to
:04:55. > :05:01.derail progress by the White House, which called on Iraqi politicians
:05:01. > :05:11.to come together. But that would take a will for compromise that has,
:05:11. > :05:12.
:05:12. > :05:17.so far, been absent. There is now a Well, there are reports of a new
:05:17. > :05:26.tax tonight. A short while ago I asked our correspondent in Baghdad
:05:26. > :05:31.Yes, there were three more attacks in Western Baghdad this evening, at
:05:31. > :05:37.least two people were killed and 13 injured in those attacks. So, that
:05:38. > :05:42.would be added to the death toll of this series of attacks that struck
:05:42. > :05:46.Baghdad this morning. We know that at least 14 different
:05:46. > :05:52.neighbourhoods, all around the Iraqi capital, were targeted in
:05:52. > :05:57.this wave of attacks this morning. What is your sense of the deepening
:05:57. > :06:01.political crisis there in the wake of these attacks? The Iraqi Prime
:06:02. > :06:06.Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, issued a statement accusing parties of
:06:06. > :06:10.having political goals behind the attacks, after they pledged that
:06:10. > :06:16.the attackers will not succeed in derailing the course of the
:06:16. > :06:20.political process in Iraq. But we know very well that the cause of
:06:20. > :06:24.political process in Iraq is a matter of deep disagreement between
:06:24. > :06:33.the Prime Minister, who is a Shi'ite, and the leaders of the
:06:33. > :06:38.Sunni factions in his government. Our correspondent in Baghdad,
:06:38. > :06:41.talking to me a short while ago. Now, the process of adopting
:06:41. > :06:47.children in England is painfully slow and many potential parents are
:06:47. > :06:49.put off. That is the Government's view, and ministers are planning a
:06:49. > :06:53.complete overhaul of the current system. But experts say while the
:06:53. > :07:03.system does need improving, checks must be robust so that vulnerable
:07:03. > :07:04.
:07:04. > :07:07.Our children languishing in care because the adoption system is too
:07:07. > :07:09.slow and unwieldy? The Government thinks that they are. Although
:07:09. > :07:13.numbers in care have gone up, figures for those adopted have gone
:07:13. > :07:23.down, with just over 3000 children in England going to a permanent
:07:23. > :07:23.
:07:23. > :07:27.home last year. Francesca is the proud mother of a one-year-old and
:07:27. > :07:30.another child or three, both adopted from Mexico. Her and her
:07:30. > :07:33.partner had originally wanted to adopt British children, but they
:07:33. > :07:37.were turned down because they were white and their local council said
:07:37. > :07:41.they had reached their cap of white couples adopting ethnic minority
:07:41. > :07:46.children. The fact we were turned down purely based on skin colour,
:07:46. > :07:51.before even being given the chance and the option to actually go
:07:51. > :07:57.through a home study or face-to- face interview, that was both
:07:57. > :08:06.devastating and quite infuriating, actually. The Government wants more
:08:06. > :08:09.people to adopt. But it also thinks that too many potential adopters
:08:09. > :08:16.are rejected because they are not the right ethnic match, or for
:08:16. > :08:20.other reasons like being overweight. It is creating a panel to make the
:08:20. > :08:25.system more bureaucratic. Although it is very long, I don't think that
:08:25. > :08:28.the process is very analytical. I am sure the panel are an impressive
:08:28. > :08:32.group of people and I am sure there will come up with something that is
:08:32. > :08:36.shorter, but as rigorous that we need. It takes, on average, two
:08:36. > :08:39.years and seven months for a child to be adopted. Protective --
:08:39. > :08:44.prospective parents had checks on health and whether they have a
:08:44. > :08:50.criminal record. There are reports of people being asked if they have
:08:50. > :08:55.fire drills at home, and three pages of assessment devoted to pets.
:08:55. > :08:59.But research suggests that, despite this detail, one in five adoptions
:08:59. > :09:03.still breaks down, leaving some wary of convincing the process.
:09:04. > :09:09.There should not be any short cuts with the process of assessment. If
:09:09. > :09:14.you do not get that right, then you serve children very badly. Or you
:09:14. > :09:18.will produce is further adoption breakdowns in the future. That is a
:09:18. > :09:23.disaster that we should really try to avoid. Today's plans only deal
:09:23. > :09:27.with one part of a complex system. Delays in the Court slow things
:09:27. > :09:35.down as well. Adoption has become a political priority. Ministers want
:09:35. > :09:41.to make the process friendlier to The owners of British Airways have
:09:41. > :09:46.announced a deal to buy the airline bmi. They have warned they could be
:09:46. > :09:52.job losses as a result. IAG said it would also be able to launch long
:09:52. > :10:00.haul routes, using extra landing slots at Heathrow. Virgin Atlantic
:10:00. > :10:05.has warned it would amount to a Bmi is one of Britain's best-known
:10:05. > :10:09.brands. But not, perhaps, for much longer. The sale to the owners of
:10:09. > :10:13.British Airways means a makeover might be on the way. This will give
:10:13. > :10:19.us the opportunity to expand a long haul, international network from
:10:19. > :10:24.Heathrow. I think it will reinforce the position of Heathrow, as one of
:10:24. > :10:29.the leading international airports. At first glance, the deal looks
:10:29. > :10:35.like a risky one for IAG, which has spent more than than �72 million on
:10:35. > :10:40.a company which lost more than �150 million last year alone. But the
:10:40. > :10:43.jewel in the crown is its 56 landing slots at Heathrow. Getting
:10:43. > :10:50.those gives IAG control of more than half of all of the landing
:10:50. > :10:54.slots at the airport. That makes Virgin Atlantic see red. It had
:10:54. > :10:57.also bid for bmi and it says that the new deal will tighten what it
:10:57. > :11:01.calls the British Airways stranglehold on Heathrow. Sir
:11:01. > :11:04.Richard Branson said, we will fight this monopoly every step of the way,
:11:04. > :11:10.as we think it is bad for the consumer, bad for the industry and
:11:10. > :11:13.bad for Britain. Virgin may be able to delay the deal, but AIG says
:11:13. > :11:16.other big European airlines have an even greater hold of a landing
:11:16. > :11:23.slots on the Continent. It is confident that regulators will
:11:24. > :11:29.approve the sale, despite Sir Richard Branson's objections. IAG
:11:29. > :11:32.accuse Richard Branson of being a sore loser. It says that key bmi
:11:32. > :11:36.routes like to Belfast will be maintained and there will be a
:11:36. > :11:40.greater choice of long-haul destinations. But they admit there
:11:40. > :11:43.will be job losses. We don't have the detail, all we have is the
:11:43. > :11:46.headline announcement. It's one of the reasons we are pressing for an
:11:46. > :11:50.early meeting with I A G and Lufthansa, to find out what the
:11:50. > :11:54.plans are. Bmi will keep its colours for now. But IAG hopes that
:11:54. > :12:02.the sale will go through with the next three months. Then they expect
:12:02. > :12:05.The Ministry of Defence has announced the death of a Royal
:12:05. > :12:09.Marine in Afghanistan. He was fatally wounded south of Kabul,
:12:09. > :12:17.when the vehicle he was travelling in was caught in an explosion there.
:12:17. > :12:20.His family has been informed. At the Old Bailey, the jury in the
:12:20. > :12:24.Stephen Lawrence murder trial has been told it must not be swayed by
:12:24. > :12:27.the immense public significance of the case. A barrister representing
:12:28. > :12:35.one of the two men, who denied murdering the black teenager in
:12:35. > :12:39.south London in 1993, has urged the jury to try to remain objective.
:12:39. > :12:43.Now, the economy grew slightly faster than previously thought,
:12:43. > :12:48.between July and September, according to revised figures. But
:12:48. > :12:50.it is still a fragile economic picture according to the Office for
:12:50. > :12:53.National Statistics. Stephanie Flanders examines the latest
:12:53. > :12:58.evidence in the state of the economy, and the prospects for
:12:59. > :13:02.growth as we prepare to under 2012. The letters stand for gross
:13:02. > :13:06.domestic product, the sum total of everything produced in the UK.
:13:07. > :13:11.Today, we found out that it grew slightly more than we thought in
:13:11. > :13:15.the three months to September, by 0.6%. That was the good news. But
:13:15. > :13:18.growth in the previous quarter was revised down and more up-to-date
:13:18. > :13:24.surveys suggest that the economy has weakened since the summer.
:13:24. > :13:28.There is still a long way to go from where we were. We are now at
:13:28. > :13:34.about 3.8% below the peak level that we reached just before the
:13:34. > :13:38.financial crisis hit. That was in the first quarter of 2008. We
:13:38. > :13:42.expect it will take until the beginning of 2015 until we reach
:13:42. > :13:46.that level again. There was another small piece of good news in these
:13:46. > :13:51.figures. They show that, overall, the disposable income of households
:13:51. > :13:55.actually went up slightly in real terms, in those three months to
:13:55. > :13:59.September. Perhaps unsurprisingly, consumers did not spend that extra
:13:59. > :14:03.cash. They saved it. Retailers have been hoping they will spend it now.
:14:03. > :14:07.That is if we are not too depressed. According to a new global survey,
:14:07. > :14:12.Britain is now one of the gloomiest nations on earth. Fewer than one in
:14:12. > :14:15.10 of us, 9%, thinks the economy will get stronger in the next six
:14:15. > :14:19.months. People are much more upbeat in India, where growth, until
:14:19. > :14:23.recently, has been very strong. They are positively ecstatic in
:14:23. > :14:29.Brazil. But even the hard-pressed Italians are more than twice as
:14:29. > :14:33.upbeat as the Brits. We do tend to get seriously groovy -- blew me
:14:33. > :14:36.sometimes. There is a lot to be gloomy about, unemployment is at a
:14:36. > :14:41.15 year high. We also need to remember that, sooner or later, the
:14:41. > :14:45.economy will recover. Maybe 2012 will be the year. By the time of
:14:45. > :14:49.the Olympics, the City is betting that inflation will be close to 2%,
:14:49. > :14:53.less than half what it is today. If the crisis in the eurozone doesn't
:14:53. > :14:57.get any worse, that should mean the average household starts to feel a
:14:57. > :15:07.little better off. Or at least they should stop feeling any worse. Here
:15:07. > :15:08.
:15:08. > :15:18.Coming up: The stars gather in Salford. But which one was voted
:15:18. > :15:18.
:15:18. > :15:22.After weeks of demonstrations in Russia, the President has promised
:15:22. > :15:26.to reform the political system. Thousands have protested after the
:15:26. > :15:29.recent parliamentary elections, claiming they were rigged.
:15:29. > :15:33.President Dmitry Medvedev, in his state-of-the-nation address, said
:15:33. > :15:43.he was listening to those demanding change. But there is another big
:15:43. > :15:47.
:15:47. > :15:51.Backed into a corner by recent massed protests, the Russian
:15:51. > :15:56.political establishment made its move today.
:15:56. > :15:59.Responding to the concerns about unfair elections, President
:15:59. > :16:03.Medvedev came out promising comprehensive political reform.
:16:03. > :16:06.Abandoning some of most frustrating obstacles for the opposition
:16:06. > :16:09.parties. But he also blamed foreign
:16:09. > :16:17.countries for in siting the protests.
:16:17. > :16:21.-- in citing the protests. He attempts to manipulate Russian
:16:21. > :16:29.citizens, that have occurred, are unacceptable, he says, that Russia
:16:29. > :16:32.needs democracy, not chaos. There was an eruption of anger
:16:32. > :16:37.after the much-criticised parliamentary elections and the
:16:37. > :16:41.government knows it has to win back public confidence quickly before
:16:41. > :16:49.the Prime Minister, puet put puet, runs for President in March.
:16:49. > :16:53.-- Vladimir Putin, run for President in March, but the veteran
:16:53. > :16:57.Deputy Prime Minister, Boris Nemtsov says that their time is out.
:16:57. > :17:01.There is no confidence from the Russian people, zero. The Russian
:17:01. > :17:05.people don't trust them. The movement for fair elections has
:17:05. > :17:09.emerged with breathtaking speed, driven by the internet. From this
:17:09. > :17:15.Moscow flat we found five people who had never been involved in
:17:15. > :17:19.politics before, preparing tens of thousands of white rib ops, the
:17:19. > :17:21.symbols of the protests. They had been inspired by the massed
:17:21. > :17:25.demonstration for democracy two weeks ago.
:17:25. > :17:28.That was amazing to see and very positive. So that is what it felt.
:17:28. > :17:35.That we can really change something. That this is really happening for
:17:35. > :17:42.the first time in 20 years. There are now almost daily protests
:17:42. > :17:47.against the elections. That was a flash mob, an impromptu Facebook-
:17:47. > :17:53.inspired demonstration on the Moscow Metro. The internet seeths
:17:54. > :17:59.with angry viral videos, including one by Russia's top crime novelist
:17:59. > :18:03.who despairs at the country's corrupt politicians. -- politicians.
:18:03. > :18:08.Chaelting, it is normal for them, but it is not normal for us any
:18:08. > :18:12.longer. We are fed up. We are not going to take it any longer. This
:18:12. > :18:17.surprise political awakening of so many people in Russia came about
:18:17. > :18:22.because they are tired of being lied to and cheated. President
:18:22. > :18:28.Medvedev's problem is that however good his proposed reforms sound,
:18:28. > :18:32.they just don't believe him anymore. The Americans admit that mistakes
:18:32. > :18:37.were made during an operation near the Afghan border last month which
:18:37. > :18:41.led to the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers. They were killed when US
:18:41. > :18:45.helicopters an jets opened fire on them, believing that they were
:18:45. > :18:49.militants. A US military report said that mapping errors
:18:49. > :18:53.contributed to the incident. It said that both sides were to blame,
:18:53. > :18:58.Pakistan has rejected the findings. Among the biggest challenges facing
:18:58. > :19:03.the United Kingdom in the years ahead is the potential breakup of
:19:03. > :19:08.the union itself, according to Sir Gus O'Donnell, Britain's mogs
:19:08. > :19:11.senior civil servant. He is about to retire as the Cabinet Secretary.
:19:11. > :19:19.His words were taken as a signal that the biggest Westminster
:19:19. > :19:22.parties had not worked out a coherent response.
:19:22. > :19:27.It is a constitutional question that may unpick the union and lead
:19:27. > :19:31.to independence for Scotland. And Britain's top civil servant on
:19:31. > :19:39.the eve of his retirement is warning it could become a major
:19:39. > :19:41.issue and it warrants an honest and objective debate. In an article tor
:19:42. > :19:48.the Telegraph, Sir Gus O'Donnell said over the next few years, there
:19:48. > :19:55.will be great challenges, such as whether to keep the kingdom United.
:19:55. > :19:59.In May's SNP Scottish elections and their promise of independence has
:19:59. > :20:02.thrust the issue of up the agenda. The Scottish government is up for
:20:02. > :20:06.this challenge of independence. I think that the UK parties have
:20:06. > :20:10.their heads firmly in the sand. So I think he was aiming a wake-up
:20:10. > :20:15.call to the Westminster parties. what could a referendum look like?
:20:15. > :20:20.Well, there would be the choice to vote for the status quo. It is
:20:20. > :20:26.possible there could be a maximum devolution option, giving the
:20:26. > :20:29.Scottish Parliament the power to make laws in all areas, accept
:20:29. > :20:33.foreign defence and monetary policy and the chance to vote for full
:20:33. > :20:36.independence in Scotland. Opinion polls show that the majority 6
:20:36. > :20:43.Scots are not in favour of independence.
:20:43. > :20:47.But the SNP have a majority of members from Holyrood and big
:20:47. > :20:51.donors and they are the party in power here in Scotland and they are
:20:51. > :20:57.dominating the debate. We are still trying to recover from
:20:57. > :21:02.the shock of the nationalist win in May. So at the moment in least in
:21:02. > :21:09.terms of how things are going, the SNP are playing the game and
:21:09. > :21:11.playing it effectively, you would imagine the unionists have not been
:21:11. > :21:16.table to demonstrate that effectively.
:21:16. > :21:19.Opposition parties in Scotland, all with new leaders, disagree.
:21:19. > :21:23.I'm looking forward for the opportunity for Alex Salmond to
:21:23. > :21:27.come forward to the referendum to finally get the say that Scotland
:21:27. > :21:32.is better off in Britain. While the parties are opposing in
:21:32. > :21:36.independence, they appear divided in strategies it is weakness that
:21:36. > :21:38.Alex Salmond and the SNP home to exploit as they bring in their
:21:38. > :21:44.argument for independence in Scotland.
:21:44. > :21:48.Police in south Yorkshire, warning of the dangers of drinking too much
:21:48. > :21:53.at Christmas released images of a woman who fell down a narrow gap
:21:53. > :22:00.between the train and at platform at Barnsley station. She was helped
:22:00. > :22:04.by passengers, the police say she escaped with just cuts and bruises.
:22:04. > :22:09.John Terry took to the pimp with Chelsea this evening for the first
:22:09. > :22:15.time he is to be charged with abusing a fellow player. The match
:22:15. > :22:19.ending in a 1-1 draw. We have this report from Tim Franks.
:22:19. > :22:23.The Chelsea team hoping that their journey would take them to third in
:22:23. > :22:29.the takenly, replacing Spurs. John Terry making his first appearance
:22:29. > :22:32.since become charged with racial abuse and among both sets of fans,
:22:32. > :22:36.rare agreement. You are innocent until proven
:22:37. > :22:40.guilty. So, I think he should play. It another issue. Get the football
:22:40. > :22:45.out of the way and deal with it after the game.
:22:45. > :22:53.Inside the ground, the Chelsea captain found the home fans rather
:22:53. > :22:58.less accommodating. Within minutes Spurs had made themselves at home.
:22:58. > :23:01.Bailed torturing Chelsea's defence. Chelsea then woke up, Spurs slum
:23:01. > :23:07.bettered. Ashley Cole controlling the ball with a hint of the hand,
:23:07. > :23:10.but the real crime was the Spurs defence, watching Nicola Sturgeon
:23:10. > :23:17.sturpblg score. Five minutes later and Didier Drogba was left
:23:17. > :23:24.splintering the post. In the second half, there were a few Brazilian
:23:24. > :23:29.dance moves but they Claude the ball away. Then they found space
:23:30. > :23:35.and no sense of direction. Then Gareth Bale, he of speed, split
:23:35. > :23:39.five frantic defenders with the lazy stroke of the foot. The man
:23:39. > :23:43.flinging himself on the line, John Terry. A draw, then. Mitch hand
:23:43. > :23:50.clapping from the Chelsea captain, but Spurs are third and at the
:23:50. > :23:56.moment, the leading London club. The Sports Pesonality Of The Year
:23:56. > :24:01.Award is the cyclist, qav Mark Cavendish. The result is announced
:24:01. > :24:09.live a few moments ago. The way that the shortlist is compiled is
:24:09. > :24:13.to be revised following next year's competition as this list did not
:24:13. > :24:21.contain a woman. The Sports Pesonality Of The Year
:24:21. > :24:25.Award for 2011 is... Mark Cavendish. Not many have got the better of
:24:25. > :24:32.Mark Cavendish this year. Tonight he was simply unbeatable. The top
:24:32. > :24:35.sprinter at the tour defans, world champion on the road and now the
:24:35. > :24:42.Sports Pesonality Of The Year Award, he seemed overwhelmed.
:24:42. > :24:47.I'm absolutely speechless really. I think that a few of the guys, my
:24:47. > :24:51.teem mates, here, would say that is a rare thing, you know, but it is
:24:51. > :24:55.those guys, without those guys, this would not be close to possible.
:24:56. > :25:00.I guarantee you that. Sports Pesonality Of The Year Award
:25:00. > :25:03.is always a glittering event, but this year's has been tinged with
:25:03. > :25:10.controversy because of a short h list of ten contenders, there were
:25:10. > :25:15.ten men and no women. That, despite Britain having several female world
:25:15. > :25:17.champions this year, like Kerri- Anne Payne. Many believe that the
:25:17. > :25:22.profile of women's sport has a problem.
:25:22. > :25:27.Unfortunately, in non-Olympic years you don't read about it, hear about
:25:27. > :25:34.it, see little of it on television. So it is very hard for female
:25:34. > :25:39.athletes, swimmers, jockeys, eventers, hockey players, netball
:25:39. > :25:45.players to make impact on Sports Editors' minds when they are not
:25:45. > :25:49.getting any profile at all. One of the night other big awards
:25:49. > :25:52.went to five times rowing Gold Medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave
:25:52. > :25:57.winning the Lifetime Achievement Award honour and a spine-tingling