:00:09. > :00:19.Six weeks since the Syrian government declared a ceasefire,
:00:19. > :00:23.the violence continues. We'll be reporting from inside a town under
:00:23. > :00:28.siege from government tanks and troops. Children are caught in the
:00:28. > :00:33.crossfire. They had a big battle lasting three days this week. They
:00:33. > :00:36.now believe they have pushed back government forces. We will be
:00:37. > :00:39.looking at how the violence in Syria is now spilling over into
:00:39. > :00:42.Lebanon. Also tonight: No regrets. David Cameron stands by his
:00:42. > :00:44.embattled Culture Secretary and insists he was the right man for
:00:45. > :00:52.the job. The graduate daughter of a
:00:52. > :00:56.millionaire is jailed for two years for her part in last summer's riots.
:00:56. > :01:02.A showbiz launch for the first day of the yes campaign for Scottish
:01:02. > :01:09.independence forced off great job. And space - the private frontier.
:01:09. > :01:14.The first commercial rocket docks at the international space station.
:01:14. > :01:24.Coming up in Sportsday: England's bright start is deemed by the West
:01:24. > :01:39.
:01:39. > :01:41.Good evening. The UN has delivered a bleak assessment of the ceasefire
:01:42. > :01:43.in Syria tonight, saying the army is still using heavy weapons,
:01:43. > :01:48.humanitarian conditions are deteriorating and only small
:01:48. > :01:55.progress has been made. It comes after reports of more deaths in the
:01:55. > :01:57.country today. The town of Rastan, held by rebels, has witnessed days
:01:57. > :02:01.of heavy fighting, with dozens of people, including civilians,
:02:01. > :02:07.reported to have been killed. Our correspondent Paul Wood and
:02:07. > :02:14.cameraman Fred Scott have been to the town and sent this report.
:02:14. > :02:23.Rastan has been fought over many times and bears the scars. The town
:02:23. > :02:33.is now defiantly in rebel hands. But they are bracing themselves for
:02:33. > :02:34.
:02:34. > :02:42.the next assault. This is the daily routine in Rastan. GUNFIRE.
:02:42. > :02:46.EXPLOSION. Just around the corner, a family. The father is too afraid
:02:46. > :02:51.of arrest to show his face, as he tells me about living on the
:02:51. > :02:58.frontline with children. What is the effect on them?
:02:58. > :03:07.TRANSLATION: It is very difficult. There is shelling day and night. We
:03:07. > :03:12.have no where else to go, so we submit ourselves to God. The Free
:03:12. > :03:18.Syrian Army did the last government post just over a week ago, killing
:03:18. > :03:28.dozens of soldiers. GUNFIRE. They had to fight for every inch of
:03:28. > :03:28.
:03:28. > :03:34.ground. All this is happening during a UN sponsored truce. The
:03:34. > :03:39.government says Free Army attacks never stopped. The rebels say they
:03:39. > :03:44.are under constant pressure from the regime. In Rastan, they are
:03:44. > :03:49.surrounded. We are in the middle of what is supposed to be a ceasefire
:03:49. > :03:54.but these men have been skirmishing with a tank all morning. They had a
:03:54. > :04:04.big battle lasting three days this week. GUNFIRE. They now believe
:04:04. > :04:06.
:04:06. > :04:11.they have pushed back government forces 100 metres. The rebels
:04:11. > :04:16.insist they back the UN peace plan, although it calls a halt to their
:04:17. > :04:26.insurgency. TRANSLATION: The soldiers still
:04:27. > :04:27.
:04:27. > :04:33.serving in the Free -- Syrian army are brothers, sons, relatives. We
:04:33. > :04:39.hope the regime six because then it will fall without any more
:04:39. > :04:47.bloodshed. In Rastan, you are always waiting for the next shell.
:04:47. > :04:53.This is the press centre. EXPLOSION. They fall every few minutes. And
:04:53. > :04:59.they are getting closer. The rebels cannot match the army's heavy
:04:59. > :05:06.weapons. Towns like this are hanging on, just, in the face of
:05:06. > :05:13.massive you superior firepower. So the blood continues to slow and
:05:14. > :05:20.most victims are civilians. -- continues to flow. The UN is
:05:20. > :05:26.sending a ceasefire monitors to Syria. But it does not so much has
:05:26. > :05:34.to monitor a truce as create one. And you from here, the odds for
:05:34. > :05:37.that are not good. -- and viewed from here.
:05:37. > :05:39.The violence in Syria has now spilled over the border into
:05:39. > :05:44.neighbouring Lebanon, increasing fears of a return to the violence
:05:44. > :05:46.of the past. Clashes between supporters of President Assad's
:05:46. > :05:50.government and those supporting the Syrian opposition have resulted in
:05:50. > :05:54.the deaths of two people in running gun battles on the streets of the
:05:54. > :05:58.capital, Beirut, this week. 11 people were killed in similar
:05:58. > :06:01.fighting in the northern city of Tripoli last week. Jeremy Bowen
:06:02. > :06:09.reports on the fears in Lebanon of a return to the dark days of the
:06:09. > :06:14.civil war. The route sparkles on an early
:06:14. > :06:18.summer evening. -- they route. Billions has been spent
:06:18. > :06:22.reconstructing the city since the civil war 20 years ago, but in
:06:22. > :06:30.small and violent incidents this week, Lebanon's fragile political
:06:30. > :06:34.instruments are once again being shaken. Power in Lebanon be split
:06:34. > :06:38.between religious sects and some Lebanese are reaching for their
:06:38. > :06:44.guns again because of the shockwaves coming from Syria's
:06:44. > :06:49.descent into sectarian civil war across the border. The gunfire on
:06:49. > :06:55.the street in the capital was between Lebanese Sunni Muslims.
:06:55. > :07:00.When the smoke cleared, it emerged that one faction was for the
:07:00. > :07:07.President Assad regime in Syria, the others supported the Sunni
:07:07. > :07:11.rebels. Different Lebanese factions all have different foreign backers.
:07:11. > :07:19.Hala Sahli fears stronger countries might want to use them to fight
:07:19. > :07:25.proxy wars here again. For the sake of Iran, Saudi Arabia, lots of
:07:25. > :07:33.things. We didn't learn the lessons from the Civil War. 20 years, we
:07:33. > :07:36.are still the same, nothing at all. That is why Lebanon's leaders are
:07:36. > :07:46.working hard to calm their supporters.
:07:46. > :07:47.
:07:47. > :07:51.From the big screen, the country's most powerful man, leader of
:07:51. > :07:56.Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, went out of his wake to praise the
:07:56. > :08:02.leaders of the Sunni Muslims to avoid the sectarian crisis. The
:08:02. > :08:08.kidnap of 11 Shias apparently by Sunnis. As the missing men's
:08:08. > :08:13.supporters waited at the airport, they cheered their own Shia leaders
:08:13. > :08:17.and their ally, the Syrian President. The other half of
:08:17. > :08:25.Lebanon's sides with the Syrian rebels. Beirut was peaceful today,
:08:25. > :08:29.as this week's crises were subsiding. Trouble in Syria would
:08:29. > :08:36.always mean trouble in Lebanon at some point Matt Le because the two
:08:36. > :08:42.are so close. Lebanon is fragile. It can't take too many more of the
:08:42. > :08:44.nasty surprises coming from Syria. David Cameron defended his Culture
:08:44. > :08:47.Secretary today saying he had no regrets about giving Jeremy Hunt
:08:47. > :08:52.the power to decide on News Corporation's bid for full control
:08:53. > :08:56.of the satellite broadcaster, BSkyB. The Prime Minister's comments came
:08:56. > :08:59.after it emerged that Mr Hunt had sent him a memo supporting the
:08:59. > :09:01.takeover. Today, the Leveson Inquiry released dozens more texts
:09:01. > :09:08.and e-mails between News Corp and government advisers, as Norman
:09:08. > :09:12.Smith reports. The contacts and ties between News
:09:12. > :09:16.Corp and the government have already entangled the Culture
:09:16. > :09:21.Secretary over his links to James Murdoch, but now the Prime Minister
:09:21. > :09:26.is facing questions. Challenged today, he defended his appointment
:09:26. > :09:31.of Jeremy Hunt to the key role overseeing News Corp's bid 2 by
:09:32. > :09:35.BSkyB. I do not regret giving the job to Jeremy Hunt. It was the
:09:35. > :09:45.right thing to do it in the circumstances and the crucial point
:09:45. > :09:46.
:09:46. > :09:49.is, de Jeremy Hunt carry out his will probably -- did Jeremy Hunt?
:09:49. > :09:54.The top civil servant in his department insisted Jeremy Hunt
:09:54. > :09:58.followed proper procedures. understood him implicitly in
:09:58. > :10:01.meetings, and particularly with the regulators, to say that it was
:10:01. > :10:06.important that they took as much time as was needed to properly
:10:07. > :10:12.consider the issue and that he wanted for them most was clear and
:10:12. > :10:15.unambiguous advice, regardless of what that advice was. And yet
:10:15. > :10:21.although Jeremy Hunt believes such words of support have significantly
:10:21. > :10:24.bolstered his position, a welter of new e-mails and text messages
:10:24. > :10:29.released tonight underline just how close key government figures,
:10:29. > :10:33.including Mr Hunt, had become to the Murdoch camp. On the day MPs
:10:33. > :10:39.debated the hacking of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler's telephone,
:10:39. > :10:44.Mr Cameron said this. It is absolutely disgusting. Everyone at
:10:44. > :10:49.News International has got to ask themselves some searching questions.
:10:49. > :10:54.However, documents released tonight show that same day, his press
:10:54. > :11:00.secretary text did News Corp lobbyist, Fred Michel, another hard
:11:00. > :11:04.core day, with a kiss. Fred Michel replied, yes, we need to get
:11:04. > :11:09.through this. The same day, Mr Cameron's head of communications
:11:09. > :11:16.had dinner with Fred Michel and text did him: Are we still on so
:11:16. > :11:23.dinner? Mr Oliver replied, looking forward to it. Other text messages
:11:23. > :11:28.showed Jeremy Hunt calling Fred Michel "my friend" in French. Today,
:11:28. > :11:33.Jeremy Hunt's former adviser backed Jeremy Hunt but conceded that
:11:33. > :11:36.relations with News Corp had appeared to close. Do you accept it
:11:36. > :11:42.could lead to the perception that you were on site with Fred Michel?
:11:42. > :11:46.I can see how that perception would have been created. Next Thursday,
:11:46. > :11:49.Jeremy Hunt himself will appear before the inquiry. The key
:11:49. > :11:53.question, did he and other government figures allow their
:11:53. > :12:01.closeness to the Murdochs to influence their handling of the
:12:01. > :12:06.The daughter of a millionaire who drove looters around during the
:12:06. > :12:09.riots has been sentenced to prison. The judge said that she had shown a
:12:09. > :12:12.weaker side to her character and taken advantage of an escalating
:12:12. > :12:16.situation. The court heard that Laura Johnson
:12:16. > :12:20.led a privileged life and a caring family. She was brought up near
:12:21. > :12:26.Orpington. She worked hard and was at university. That life changed
:12:26. > :12:31.last August as rioters went on the rampage in Woolwich. She drove a
:12:31. > :12:34.group of looters around areas nearby. She was arrested at this
:12:34. > :12:38.Comet store in Greenwich and convicted last month of burglary
:12:38. > :12:42.and handling stolen goods. She claimed she had been forced to
:12:42. > :12:46.drive them by one of those involved. CCTV at a petrol station shows a
:12:46. > :12:51.moment when the prosecution said she could have called for help. But
:12:51. > :12:54.she did not. Laura Johnson's barrister described her as a bright,
:12:54. > :12:58.intelligent, articulate young woman and said what she had done was
:12:58. > :13:01.completely out of character. The judge said she had gone out
:13:01. > :13:06.willingly eat that night, knowing what she was going to get involved
:13:06. > :13:12.in. Another involved was 17-year- old Christopher Edwards. He was
:13:12. > :13:22.sentenced to 12 months at a young offenders' attrition. --
:13:22. > :13:26.
:13:26. > :13:34.With the time she has already spent on curfew, she could be released in
:13:34. > :13:38.The problems in the Spanish economy have intensified with the country's
:13:38. > :13:42.fourth-biggest bank saying it needs 19 billion euros from the
:13:42. > :13:46.Government to stay afloat. Bankia has suffered big losses because of
:13:46. > :13:52.the Spanish property slump. To add to the pressure, one of the richest
:13:52. > :13:56.regions in the country has also asked for financial help.
:13:56. > :14:00.The writing has been on the wall for some weeks at Bankia. Formed
:14:00. > :14:03.from the merger row of troubled regional savings banks, it was
:14:03. > :14:08.supposed to mark a new beginning for Spain's troubled financial
:14:08. > :14:12.sector. Earlier this month, the Government had to bail it out.
:14:12. > :14:16.Tonight what is, in effect, full nationalisation is about to be
:14:16. > :14:20.pushed through. TRANSLATION: We want to tell everybody to trust
:14:20. > :14:23.this bank. It is strong, it had a future and can always count on the
:14:23. > :14:27.support of the Spanish government. But customers are happy to make
:14:27. > :14:32.their own judgment on how safe their money is in Spain's banks.
:14:32. > :14:40.have a bank account, but I try to keep just the money that I need to
:14:40. > :14:43.pay the rent there. I'm not worried. I sleep, still. With the region of
:14:44. > :14:48.Catalonia saying it is struggling to pay interest rates demanded by
:14:48. > :14:53.lenders, more questions are being asked about the help of Spain's
:14:53. > :14:57.finances. How will this affect the UK? Any ripple effect across the
:14:57. > :15:01.financial markets will hit the City of London. British banks could get
:15:01. > :15:05.caught in the fall-out if the crisis gets worse because of money
:15:05. > :15:09.they have lent two companies, banks and governments in the eurozone's
:15:09. > :15:15.struggling economies. So, what is British banking
:15:15. > :15:18.exposure to public and private debt in those countries? In Greece it is
:15:18. > :15:24.about �2.4 billion after the recent debt write-down. In Portugal it is
:15:24. > :15:30.just under �13.5 billion. Italian loans total about 38.5 billion. In
:15:30. > :15:33.Spain it is bigger, nearly �60 billion. Spain has been a mature
:15:33. > :15:38.economy in the eurozone so it has attracted a lot of investment from
:15:38. > :15:44.around the world, including the UK. But there is also direct exposure
:15:44. > :15:47.because some UK banks actually owned banks in Spain. So, British
:15:47. > :15:50.investors and others will watch anxiously to see how the Spanish
:15:50. > :15:54.government tackles its financial problems, including what could be
:15:54. > :16:04.an escalating bill for bank bail- outs.
:16:04. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:10.Still to come: The England manager on the fears of racist abuse at the
:16:10. > :16:14.European Championships. The official "yes" campaign for
:16:14. > :16:18.Scottish independence got under way today. The Scottish National party
:16:18. > :16:21.was joined by smaller parties at the launch. Organisers have vowed
:16:21. > :16:25.to stage the biggest community- based campaign in Scotland's
:16:25. > :16:32.history. No date has been set for the referendum, but it is likely to
:16:32. > :16:38.be in the autumn of 2014. This report contains flash photography.
:16:38. > :16:42.So, what is on at the movies? Now in production, independence.
:16:42. > :16:49.Produced and directed by Yes Scotland. Starring the Scottish
:16:49. > :16:53.National Party, with supporting cast. Opening? Autumn 2014. That is
:16:53. > :16:58.the movie production these fans of independence have come to witness,
:16:58. > :17:04.queuing up for the campaign launched at an Edinburgh cinema.
:17:04. > :17:09.There is music and merriment. But not too much. Certainly no
:17:09. > :17:13.Braveheart bombast. Instead, Scotland's First Minister project's
:17:13. > :17:18.independence with a message designed to reach beyond the SNP.
:17:18. > :17:22.We unite behind a declaration of self-evident truth. That the people
:17:22. > :17:25.that live in Scotland are best placed to make the decisions that
:17:25. > :17:29.affect Scotland. The first signature on an independence
:17:29. > :17:37.declaration which Alex Salmond hopes will attract 1 million names.
:17:37. > :17:41.To bolster the appeal, celebrity backing from TV and movie stars.
:17:41. > :17:46.believe independence can only add to our potential and to release a
:17:46. > :17:50.whole new wave of creativity, ambition, confidence and pride.
:17:50. > :17:56.people in Scotland, self- determination is a potent message.
:17:56. > :18:00.Scotland's future, in Scotland's hands. The SNP, one power at
:18:01. > :18:05.Holyrood, a year ago had a similar appeal. Supporters of the union do
:18:05. > :18:09.not in any way dispute that it is Scotland's choice. But the former
:18:09. > :18:14.Labour Chancellor that will head the pro-union campaign says Scots
:18:14. > :18:18.need a pragmatic UK mind set on the economy. The razzmatazz and the
:18:18. > :18:22.music, that is all very well. But people know that what actually
:18:22. > :18:26.matters to job prospects, our future, is what is happening in the
:18:26. > :18:31.economy. That is why I think most people believe that Scotland will
:18:31. > :18:34.be better off in the strength of the UK. By the Union Canal we found
:18:34. > :18:39.Scots with financial concerns over independence. I don't think it
:18:39. > :18:43.would be good for the economy. I don't think it would be good... For
:18:43. > :18:47.Scotland. I don't think we are strong enough. Others believe
:18:47. > :18:50.Scotland would thrive. I think it's a good idea for Scotland to at
:18:50. > :18:59.least attempt to do something. It is distinct, it is different from
:18:59. > :19:03.England. It needs to exist more influence over its own affairs.
:19:03. > :19:13.alongside those tough cash copulations, there is emotion as
:19:13. > :19:20.
:19:20. > :19:25.With most votes counted after the first round of the presidential
:19:25. > :19:28.elections, Egypt looks set for a run-off between the Muslim
:19:28. > :19:32.Brotherhood candidate and the last Prime Minister under Hosni Mubarak.
:19:32. > :19:36.The Brotherhood represent a popular brand of political Islam that was
:19:36. > :19:39.excluded for many years. They say they have started talks with other
:19:39. > :19:43.parties about a future coalition government.
:19:43. > :19:47.The new England manager added his voice to fears among some players
:19:47. > :19:50.about potential racist abuse at the European Championships. Roy Hodgson
:19:50. > :19:54.said he was sad that the families of some players had chosen not to
:19:54. > :20:04.travel to the Ukraine because of concerns about racism. He was
:20:04. > :20:05.
:20:05. > :20:11.speaking in Oslo on the eve of Come on, England! They travelled to
:20:11. > :20:13.Oslo to see the start of a new era for England. When it comes to the
:20:13. > :20:21.European Championships, many fans are staying away ever made concerns
:20:21. > :20:24.over safety. The families of two England players, Theo Walcott and
:20:24. > :20:29.Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, have said they will not go to the Ukraine
:20:29. > :20:33.over fear of racist attacks. They have said that these matters are
:20:33. > :20:37.totally out of our control. We can only have faith and trust in the
:20:37. > :20:41.UEFA that they are aware of these problems which exist, particularly
:20:41. > :20:45.in the Ukraine. Some English players have suffered racist abuse
:20:45. > :20:52.abroad in recent years. Fans heading to the Euros are being
:20:52. > :20:55.warned. The Foreign Office advice for British citizens travelling to
:20:55. > :21:00.the Ukraine at the best of times, never mind during a football
:21:00. > :21:03.tournament, is that British citizens of African heritage should
:21:03. > :21:07.exercise caution. Allegations of racism have been a recurring theme
:21:07. > :21:12.this season. Some fear that the England squad could be divided as a
:21:12. > :21:15.result. John Terry lost the England captaincy after the FA learned he
:21:15. > :21:19.would stand trial for racially abusing the brother of Rio
:21:20. > :21:24.Ferdinand, who has controversially been left out of the squad. The man
:21:24. > :21:28.he replaced Terry as captain insists that team spirit is intact.
:21:29. > :21:34.We are united, we are together. We are all after the same thing, that
:21:34. > :21:38.is a win. There is no divide. We will make sure there is no divide
:21:38. > :21:42.because it is something we don't need. Roy Hodgson's journey is
:21:42. > :21:46.about to begin against opponents that England have not beaten for 32
:21:46. > :21:51.years. For his players and those that follow them, it is Ukraine and
:21:51. > :21:54.not Norway that is causing most concern.
:21:54. > :21:58.Cricket, and the West Indies batsmen enjoyed themselves in the
:21:58. > :22:02.afternoon sunshine against England at Trent Bridge on the first day of
:22:02. > :22:06.the second Test. After a shaky start, which saw England take three
:22:06. > :22:10.wickets for 42 runs, Captain Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels
:22:10. > :22:13.established a partnership of more than 150. Samuel's got his century
:22:13. > :22:18.minutes before the close of play. The day ended with the West Indies
:22:18. > :22:21.on 304 for six. Plans for the largest radio
:22:21. > :22:26.telescope in the world have been announced. It will be made up of
:22:26. > :22:30.3000 detectors which will survey a billion galaxies. Based mainly in
:22:30. > :22:33.South Africa, it will be capable of detecting signs of extra-
:22:33. > :22:37.terrestrial life 10 times further into the universe than any other
:22:37. > :22:41.telescope. Now, it is being hailed as a
:22:41. > :22:43.milestone in space flight. A privately operated craft, docked
:22:44. > :22:47.with the International Space Station for the first time this
:22:47. > :22:52.afternoon. The Dragon capsule, built and operated by an American
:22:52. > :22:57.firm, is being used to fly cargo to the station after NASA phased out
:22:57. > :23:02.space shuttles. It opens up a new frontier for commercial companies
:23:02. > :23:07.in space. This is mission control. High in
:23:07. > :23:11.orbit, the Dragon capsule, the first in a new generation of
:23:11. > :23:13.spacecraft. It is approaching the International Space Station, at the
:23:13. > :23:19.bottom of the screen. Six astronauts on board were waiting
:23:19. > :23:25.anxiously. Dragon continues to inch closer towards the International
:23:25. > :23:29.Space Station. You can see the 58 foot long arm. For the first time,
:23:29. > :23:33.a privately-owned craft was preparing to dock, something only
:23:33. > :23:41.governments have managed until now. Initiating the caption of the
:23:41. > :23:51.Dragon. Standing by... It looks like we got a Dragon by the tail.
:23:51. > :23:56.Mission accomplished. Jubilation on At the factory that made the
:23:56. > :24:01.spacecraft in California, the workforce celebrates. Commercial
:24:01. > :24:06.space flight is a young industry. The average age here is 30. The
:24:06. > :24:10.boss, an Internet billionaire, is delighted. This really is going to
:24:10. > :24:16.be recognised as a significantly historical step forward in space
:24:17. > :24:19.travel. Hopefully the first of many to come. I think this is a
:24:19. > :24:26.fantastic thing, but there are going to be even better things in
:24:26. > :24:29.the future. The docking, achieved in space, really matters because it
:24:29. > :24:33.is a key step to proving that private companies can operate in a
:24:33. > :24:38.serious way in space. It could pave the way for ferrying astronauts up
:24:38. > :24:42.to orbit, providing a taxi service at a lower price than now. A
:24:42. > :24:46.concept for hotels in space, reached by the rocket used today,
:24:46. > :24:51.starts to look a little more feasible. The plan for asteroids to
:24:51. > :24:56.be mined for precious metals no longer seems quite so outlandish.
:24:56. > :25:02.Today will go down as a milestone in space travel. This was a small
:25:02. > :25:08.step towards a broader idea of private sector operating in space.
:25:08. > :25:12.Just like airlines or hotels, motels on the moon or in orbit.
:25:12. > :25:17.This is an important first step. Last year I met the man behind
:25:17. > :25:22.today's achievement. His real ambition, he told me, is to go to
:25:22. > :25:32.Mars. The docking today is a start. A new space race with companies,
:25:32. > :25:34.
:25:34. > :25:39.I called David Shukman our space editor. I am sure he would like to