20/01/2012 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at ten: We're inside the only town in Syria

under the control of opposition forces. We've gained exclusive

access to Zabadani, just outside Damascus, where the Free Syrian

Army is now in charge. These people are effectively in control of their

town, able to walk in the main square unmolested by President

Assad's security forces. It is a sign that his regime is feeling the

strain of the uprising. The fall of the town has boosted the morale of

protesters who now hope President Assad's time is finally up.

We'll be exploring if the Assad regime will allow this freedom to

last. Also tonight:

Dissident republican Brian Shivers is jailed for the murder of two

soldiers in Antrim. Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey were shot dead

outside their barracks. Their families say their quest for

justice goes on. There are more people involved and we want them

sentenced. Please help the police before these people destroy more

families. A rare bacterial infection claims

the life of a third baby in a Belfast hospital.

Millions of hits a day but one of the biggest file-sharing websites

is shut down in a battle over And Etta James has died at the age

Coming up in sport, Amir Khan is in limbo over his world title rematch

to regain the titles he lost in his disputed contest with the American

Good evening. Ten months into the uprising

against President Assad in Syria, we have an exclusive report tonight

from the only town under the full control of opposition forces.

Zabadani, which is just outside of the capital, Damascus, has been the

scene of intense fighting in recent days, but government forces have

now pulled out, leaving the Free Syrian Army in charge. Today

protests continued across Syria, with activists saying eight people

were killed by security forces. Jeremy Bowen spent the day in

Zabadani. He's just sent this report on what its victory could

There is a ceasefire in Zabadani, after 10 months of trauma for local

people. The army has a few outposts, but they are not shooting now. The

regime was forced into the truce because their men could not

dislodge the rebels. Zabadani is half-an-hour's drive from the

centre of Damascus. Since Wednesday, most of it has been in the hands of

the rebels. Eyesore pockets of damage from the fighting with a

local activist who said he would be in more danger if his face was

shown. What about the future? What are you going to do next week and

the week after that, because Assad is still in power in Damascus?

will still go without protest every day. Until the regime falls down.

And we will defend ourselves from the Assad regime, from a sad's

troops. Zabadani's main square is now dominated by what Syrian score

the independence flag. Protesters want to revive old national symbols,

like Libyans did in their revolution. The fact that these

people are effectively in control of their town, that they are able

to walk in the main square unmolested by President as a's

security forces is a sign that his regime is feeling the strain of the

uprising. This moment may not last that long, because President

Assad's forces are still camped on the outskirts of this town. These

are the local heroes, for writers from a Free Syrian Army. --

fighters. They are celebrating a victory, but some worry that the

President's men have only pulled back because of pressure from the

Arab League. The fighters say they will be ready. He has heavy weapons,

you have rifles. How can you win? TRANSLATION: God willing, we will

win. And he says, we are ready to dive for the women and children,

and to defend our honour. -- to die. They chanted, good to salute the

Free Army. The truce, even if it too short, is the regime's first

acknowledgement that the rebel fighters are changing the balance

of power in Syria. The fireworks were to tell people it was time for

the evening protest. Zabadani is not the only town near Damascus

seething with rebellion, but it is the only one where the President

has ceded power to the protesters. It is enough for me to have these

two days of freedom. And it doesn't matter if I die tomorrow. It is

enough that I feel free for hours. The regime's forces are

overstretched enough to take a step back here, but they are still

powerful. This could be a pause, not a new beginning for this town.

A special report from our Middle East editor who is in Syria.

Newsnight tonight as an undercover report on how the free Syrian army

are operating inside Damascus, at 10:30pm on BBC Two.

A dissident republican has been jailed for life for the murder of

two soldiers outside the barracks in Northern Ireland. 46-year-old

Brian Shivers was found guilty over the killing of Sapper Patrick

Azimkar and Mark Quinsey in 2009. They were shot dead as they

collected a pizza outside their barracks. Another man, 44-year-old

Colin Duffy, was cleared of taking part in the ambush. This report

contains flash photography. The moments before the murders of

the two young soldiers were caught on CCTV. Dressed in army uniforms,

five soldiers came out of their base to collect a pizza delivery.

Sapper Patrick Azimkar was in front. His colleague, Mark Quinsey, was in

the middle. Seconds later, they came under attack. 63 shots were

fired at them in less than one minute. The security guard found

21-year-old Patrick Azimkar from north London was killed. So was 23-

year-old Mark Quinsey from Birmingham. Two men later went on

trial, charged with the murders. Colin Duffy from Lurgan and Brian

Shivers. The trial was told that their DNA was discovered inside the

getaway car found near the murder scene. Brian Shivers, who has been

diagnosed with a terminal illness, was today found guilty of the

murders. But his co-accused, Colin Duffy, seen here in the beard, was

acquitted and walked free from court. The judge said the case

against him had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt.

REPORTER: What is your reaction? A small crowd of loyalists heckled

him, but police intervened to stop any clashes. It is not the first

time Colin Duffy has been acquitted on a murder charge. He was accused

of killing a soldier and two police officers in the 1990s but was

ultimately cleared on all charges. He denied any link to the two

soldiers killed in Antrim. They were shot dead the day before they

were due to leave Northern Ireland for Afghanistan. Patrick Azimkar

was well aware of the dangers of a military career. He told his

parents that if anything ever happened to him they should not let

it spoil the rest of their lives. His father will often say, in the

last year or two, when it has been so difficult sometimes to get

through the day, he will say, you know, remember what Patrick said.

We have got to get on with our lives. It is difficult for Mark

Quinsey's family, too. My world has been torn apart. I cannot change

that. But please help the police before these people destroy more

families. The dissident republican group the Real IRA killed the two

soldiers as part of their campaign to try to wreck the peace process.

Support for violence in Northern Ireland is now very, very low. The

dissidents only have small pockets of support. But groups like the

Real IRA remain armed and dangerous. Last night, two bombs exploded in

Londonderry. Although no one was hurt, it showed the threat which

still exists. Police say they are making inroads against the

dissidents and they are determined to ensure that all of those

involved in the killing of Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey will

eventually be caught. Thousands of form of Woolworths

employees have one up to �67 million in compensation after their

trade union won an employment tribunal. USDAW claimed it had not

been properly consulted over redundancies. Nearly 30,000 people

were made jobless after Woolworths went into administration in 2008.

Staff at larger stores will be entitled to 60 days back pay,

funded by the taxpayer. The scale of the infection outbreak

which has claimed the lives of three newborn babies at a hospital

in Belfast became clear tonight. A total of seven babies have been

found suffering from a bacterial infection at the Royal Victoria

Hospital. One is still being treated, two have recovered.

Another baby is said to have recovered but died later from

unrelated causes. Dominic Hughes reports from Belfast.

Hard to eradicate and potentially deadly, pseudomonas is one of the

most common types of hospital acquired infections, targeting the

most vulnerable. At Belfast's Royal Maternity Hospital it has now

claimed the lives of three premature babies being cared for in

the neonatal unit. Staff are preparing to deep clean the unit to

stop further infections. We have spent the last couple of days

trying to support the parents who are in this situation, because

obviously it is a very difficult and stressful time for them, as it

is also for the staff in the unit. So, what is pseudomonas? It is a

common but tough type of bacteria infection that has little effect on

healthy people cut -- but Ken Gude did lead to some patients. -- can

cause diddly. Last year there were more than 3800 cases reported in

England and Ireland. It can be catastrophic for vulnerable babies,

affecting the chest, causing pneumonia and can lead to urinary

tract infections. This is a bacteria which likes a warm, moist

environment. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the conditions

these babies have we often ventilating them and they require

moist air through the ventilator, so it is an ideal breeding ground

for this particular bacteria. families have already suffered a

devastating loss as a result of this bacterial outbreak, but these

are also desperately anxious times for more than 20 other families

whose children were being treated in the same unit. They must now

wait to see if their children are also infected. Gary McCann knows

what the parents may be going through. His daughter, Katie, born

with cerebral palsy, was infected with pseudomonas last year but

recovered after being treated with antibiotics. My heart just went out

to the parents, because I know how we felt when Katie was in intensive

care, to watch her drain away. I am deeply concerned that the health

service is putting children through this. The immediate task is to

isolate and eradicate the source of this pseudomonas outbreak. Longer

term, questions will have to be asked about how it could have been

prevented in the first place. A minister in charge of benefit

reform has denied that people are suffering as a result of welfare

cuts. Iain Duncan-Smith says the proposed cap on benefits would hope

to make families more independent and change their lives for the

Should there be a cap on how much benefits anyone can claim?

Providing they are capable of work. The government says years and the

figure should be 26,000 per family, per year. -- says yes. The

government estimates 50,000 households will have their benefits

reduced, losing on average around �93 a week. Welfare is about

changing your life, about taking you from dependency and moving you

to independence. If that means saying there is a limit to what the

state is prepared to pay, I think taxpayers are marginal and low

incomes want to know there is a limit. The government are keen to

talk about their idea of putting a cap on benefits of �26,000 a year.

They know, frankly, it is pretty popular. What are their critics say

it is, they are trying to distract attention from other, much more

serious benefits cuts which affect many more people.

Sandra, who lives on this estate in south London, won't be affected by

the benefits cap, but nevertheless, she is packing up to move out of

the flat she shares with her 5- year-old son. She will soon be

officially homeless. The reason: cuts, which have already been made

to housing benefit. The rent goes up and the benefit goes down, and

you can't find the money to pay the extra bits. That means you have to

pack your boxes and get out? leave your area, leave your church,

your school, everything. doesn't want to leave a community

where she chairs the local residents' association, and was one

of those named London of the year. What will you say to someone who

says, it is a nice flat, a nice area, it is tough, but in the end,

the country can't afford to pay for it. I will say when I moved here,

it was not very expensive. Things changed. Cuts already made not just

to housing benefit, but to other benefits, are causing more and more

people real concern. The minister in charge of welfare reform is

confident the public is on his side. Politically it appeals to taxpayers.

What they don't like hearing about is the many thousands of people who

are now really suffering. It is a way of distracting them. But they

are not suffering. The point about this is, what makes you suffer is

the state that plunges you into dependency on the state. It does

two things. It means bigger bills for taxpayers and it means your

life and your children's life will be blighted by being dependent on

me, the Secretary of State, to give you the money to live. On Monday,

the House of Lords will debate proposals to exclude a child

benefit from the new benefits gap, lessening its impact on large

families. The Lord's have defeated the government before, and this

time, a bishop is leading the opposition. There is a very real

risk that these reforms in the Bill will cause suffering to the most

vulnerable in our society. What we are hoping to do on Monday is to

less than that suffering for children in families where parents

are unemployed -- lesson that suffering. That will undermine the

whole point, says that minister, who will fight to reverse any

change in the Commons. Next week, the parliamentary battle may be

about a benefits cap. The war is about something much bigger.

Tributes to the jazz singer, Etta James, who has died aged 73.

Some people are in one area, that is what they are known for. She did

There is another key moment tomorrow in the battle between the

Republicans, who hope to challenge President Obama for the White House.

When the state of South Carolina gets its chance to vote. The former

House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, is the latest to face uncomfortable

questions after his ex-wife claimed he wanted to have an open marriage.

Beyond the personalities, there are deep ideological divides.

South Carolina clings to its heritage, even as the South changes

all around it. Here in a land of churches, religion is a powerful

force. Evangelical Christians are in a majority and cannot decide

elections, when they are united. But when Christians look at the

candidates who want to take on President Obama in this autumn's

election, they are no more in agreement and other republicans.

The man they have the most agreement with his Mitt Romney.

This pastor worries that he was not always anti- abortion, but the real

sticking point is his religion, he is a Mormon. The issue evangelical

Christians will have with Mitt Romney will be his Mormonism as a

face. When you look at the doctrinal beliefs between Agenda

local -- evangelical Christianity and Mormonism, there is a

separation in believes of who got his, who chooses his, or Kevin will

be, what -- who Jesus is, what heaven will be. Redemption is that

their heart of their face but they may not be keen on the claims that

Nick Gingrich had wanted and open marriage. He exploded in righteous

fury when that was put to him. think the destructive, vicious,

negative nature of much of the news media makes it harder to govern

this country, harder to attract decent people to run for public

office. I am appalled you would begin a presidential debate on a

topic like that. Morality isn't all that matters. The candidates make

sure they visit at this fast-food joint, where the orders are

hollowed in blues style. The customers keep coming, but South

Carolina's economy is hurting. The tea party, which wants to cut

government spending, is strong. They see Mitt Romney as lukewarm

but could not agree who is hot. did not have the one candidate who

had the complete package of conservatism, a good history. A lot

of these candidates are carrying baggage. Somebody who has taken tea

party values and applied them in the way that they governed their

state or how they spoke on the floor of the house in the Senate.

That person did not arise. elegant Charleston, the well-heeled

elite may favour a more moderate candidate like Mick Narnia. -- like

This vote here is important. It is the Conservatives' best hope of

halting Mitt Romney's momentum. If he manages to win here, he will

look almost unstoppable. The British embassy in Baghdad has

confirmed it has received the body of hostage Alan McMenemy. He was a

security guard from Glasgow who was kidnapped in Iraq in 2007, along

with four other men. We can speak to Frank Gardner. This has been a

very long and painful time for the families. It certainly has. This

really draws a line under Britain's longest running hostage crisis for

a generation. Allen McMenemy is the last of five British hostages who

were kidnapped in 20072 finally come home from Iraq. Only one has

come home alive. His family have had to wait far longer than the

other hostage families, more than two tears in their case. He was

kidnapped in broad daylight in Baghdad -- two years. He appeared

in a hostage video. His captors wanted a straight exchange, they

wanted the Americans to release some militants they had. The

British Government refused and one by one, the bodyguards were all

killed. In the case of Alan McMenemy, his captors said he died

trying to escape and overpower his captors. For his family, they will

at last have some closure when his body comes home in the next few

days. Hackers have targeted US government

websites in apparent revenge attacks after one of the world's

biggest music and film Sheering sides was shut down. The founders

of megaupload.com, which had an estimated 50 million hits a day,

were arrested in New Zealand, are accused of making millions from

It was a thriving business with high-profile musicians apparently

happy to promote it as the place to share files on the internet. Now,

Mega Upload has been closed and its executives have appeared in a New

Zealand court. The authorities accusing them of facilitating

millions of illegal downloads in a criminal conspiracy. Homes

belonging to the site's German-born founder have been raided, with

police seizing luxury cars and $10 million in cash. Hackers retaliated,

shutting down some American government websites for a while to

protest against the closure of Mega Upload. It was one of the most

popular sites on the internet, with 150 million people using it to

upload material, most of perfectly legal, according to the company,

and to download music and files. It earned this man, the founder, Kim

Dotcom, �27 million last year. The FBI said it cost copyright holders

half a billion dollars, over �300 million in lost revenue. The battle

over online piracy is hotting up. This band, the The Soundcarriers,

says it is not a victimless crime. Sales of their latest album have

been dwarfed by illegal downloads. We have lost on sales. Over 100,000

sales in the last album, a loan. The albums that we produce, it

costs money to produce them. We have to hire studios, we have a

press agent, we have to pay for these things. But Webber freedom

campaigners warned against an over- reaction. It is important to

remember that file hosts are important and legitimate services,

they are not all havens for copyright infringement. They are

incredibly useful for all internet users and many businesses and we

need to make sure we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Mega Upload, which was based in Hong Kong, may have been put out of

business, but a site promising something similar has already

surfaced in Belize. The celebrated jazz soul and blues

singer, Etta James, has died in hospital in California. She was 73

and had been suffering from leukaemia. During her long career

she won six Grammys and battled heroin addiction. Among her best

known songs were I'd Rather Go Blind and At Last. Nick Higham

looks back at her life. # At last... My laugh -- My Love

has come along. Etta James, singing At Last. More than any other, it

became her son. Played at countless Weddings and son at President

Obama's in operation. Her own life as well was like a son, but an

often sad and bitter one. She spent decades battling heroin addiction

and obesity, in and out of rehab and jailed. Yet she never stopped

singing, even if crossover pop success eluded her. She did what

she wanted to do. She was a very strong person. I don't think

anybody could have said... Maybe we could... She did it because she

wanted to sing it. Not because somebody suggested she would go

mainstream. She was her own person. She had been effectively abandoned

by her 14-year-old mother, something that always troubled her.

I don't really know what to say, other than a wish my mother had