:00:11. > :00:14.and Wales. Last minute preparations for this couple's big day, after MPs
:00:15. > :00:27.approved a change in the law last year. God never made two same-sex
:00:28. > :00:32.people to live together like that. Man and woman. Everyone has to
:00:33. > :00:34.live. No problem in it at all. Each to their own.
:00:35. > :00:37.Tonight, David Cameron said same-sex marriage will send a "powerful
:00:38. > :00:40.message" about equality in Britain. Also on the programme: Air crews
:00:41. > :00:43.spot more objects in the Indian Ocean.
:00:44. > :00:45.A ship is heading to the search area to find out if they're from the
:00:46. > :00:48.missing plane. Teenagers with tales of torture at
:00:49. > :00:51.the hands of Egypt's military-backed government. We have an exclusive
:00:52. > :00:54.report. Unhappy fans plan to take to the
:00:55. > :01:03.skies to complain about Manchester United's manager and the club's
:01:04. > :01:06.flagging fortunes. And hearing for the first time -
:01:07. > :01:13.tears of joy for this woman who was born deaf.
:01:14. > :01:18.In Sportsday, the last two unbeaten teams in rugby league's Superleague
:01:19. > :01:42.battle it out as St Helens take on Leeds.
:01:43. > :01:47.Good evening. In just two hours' time, gay men and
:01:48. > :01:50.women can be legally married in England and Wales for the first time
:01:51. > :01:53.in history. Some couples are preparing to tie the knot at
:01:54. > :01:57.midnight, wanting their wedding to be one of the first same-sex
:01:58. > :02:01.marriages. The Prime Minister called it an "important moment" in
:02:02. > :02:05.Britain's history. A BBC poll on the eve of the change finds most people
:02:06. > :02:11.are in favour of same-sex marriage - 68% of those surveyed.
:02:12. > :02:14.26% remain opposed. Younger people are more likely to
:02:15. > :02:21.support gay marriage, with 80% of that age group backing it, compared
:02:22. > :02:25.to 44% of people over 65. But the poll also found some, 22%, are so
:02:26. > :02:29.against it they'd refuse an invitation to a gay wedding. Our
:02:30. > :02:40.correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti reports.
:02:41. > :02:44.We put put one across the back. It is a day they thought would never
:02:45. > :02:49.come, but in a few hours, Terry 's and Helen will be part of a ritual
:02:50. > :02:53.that millions of heterosexual couples take for granted. They are
:02:54. > :02:57.getting married. The option of a Civil Partnership Act is not for
:02:58. > :03:03.them. They wanted full equality and now they have got it. I did not want
:03:04. > :03:07.anybody to devalue my marriage that way. I wanted to be equal on all
:03:08. > :03:12.levels, with my mum, my dad and everybody I know that has a
:03:13. > :03:16.marriage. They will have a humanist ceremony after the registry office,
:03:17. > :03:20.but they could not have had a church wedding, even if they wanted one.
:03:21. > :03:24.After major resistance from religious groups, it was made
:03:25. > :03:28.illegal for both the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches to conduct
:03:29. > :03:33.same-sex marriages. It means from tonight there will be two legal
:03:34. > :03:37.definitions of marriage, that recognised by the church and that
:03:38. > :03:40.recognised by the state. Senior clergy acknowledge it is messy but
:03:41. > :03:46.they say traditional beliefs run deep. The traditional belief of
:03:47. > :03:50.marriage as the union of man and woman for life. It is untidy for the
:03:51. > :03:54.law to have two definitions because the canon law of the Church of
:03:55. > :04:00.England is part of the law of the land. But we can live with
:04:01. > :04:05.untidiness. The church is not alone, a BBC survey suggests one in five
:04:06. > :04:10.adults would turn down an invitation to a same-sex marriage, a sizeable
:04:11. > :04:15.minority. People's divided opinions were loud and clear today. God never
:04:16. > :04:21.made two same-sex people to live together like that. Man and woman.
:04:22. > :04:27.Everyone has to live, no problem with it. Each to their own. But if
:04:28. > :04:31.the battle to have equal marriage rights in law has been won, a new
:04:32. > :04:35.confrontation is opening within the church. The Church of England will
:04:36. > :04:40.not conduct same-sex marriages, and last month it made clear that it
:04:41. > :04:42.will not tolerate its clergy marrying their same-sex partners
:04:43. > :04:47.either, but some vicars are now getting ready to defy the church.
:04:48. > :04:51.Reverend Andrew Caine has been with his male partner for many years, and
:04:52. > :04:56.they are determined to get married this summer. He describes himself as
:04:57. > :05:00.a faithful Christian priest, but by having a same-sex marriage, he will
:05:01. > :05:05.bring himself into direct conflict with the church. It is more
:05:06. > :05:09.important to do what is right than to be frightened into not doing what
:05:10. > :05:14.I believe to be true. And I want to be frightened by what the possible
:05:15. > :05:19.consequences might be. What might they be? I could lose my job,
:05:20. > :05:26.absolutely. My job, my home and my place. I have worked for the church
:05:27. > :05:30.for 25 years. For the country, this is a huge moment in society's
:05:31. > :05:33.concept of what marriage is, celebrated with the flying of the
:05:34. > :05:39.rainbow flag, representing gay pride, over Whitehall. At the heart
:05:40. > :05:46.of the establishment, a gay symbol heralding what is a new era.
:05:47. > :05:50.As you said, an important moment. Is the legislation settled? This is a
:05:51. > :05:54.defining change and it is hard to get a perspective on it right now.
:05:55. > :05:58.It may come to sit alongside the big liberalising moves in the 1960s,
:05:59. > :06:03.including decriminalising homosexuality. Legally, there are a
:06:04. > :06:08.few loose ends. What will happen to civil partnerships, which have been
:06:09. > :06:12.available to gay couples since 2005? Will they just be closed to future
:06:13. > :06:17.couples and become a historical quirk, or will they be extended to
:06:18. > :06:20.heterosexual couples? This is something the government is
:06:21. > :06:23.consulting on. For couples now in a civil partnership who want to
:06:24. > :06:28.convert a marriage, they have to wait until the end of the year. And
:06:29. > :06:33.worries remain about what this does to the definition of marriage. There
:06:34. > :06:37.is a sizeable section of the population that is not convinced by
:06:38. > :06:40.same-sex marriage, because of religious reasons. But some of them
:06:41. > :06:44.because they believe marriage is about procreation. They accept that
:06:45. > :06:48.not all heterosexual marriages result in children but they say that
:06:49. > :06:53.is the basis for the formal recognition of that union in law.
:06:54. > :06:57.Despite the dissenters, it is worth reflecting that, if you look at it,
:06:58. > :07:02.there is political unanimity about this issue. If you look at the three
:07:03. > :07:06.main parties, they are united in support of same-sex marriages. That
:07:07. > :07:10.was unthinkable ten or 15 years ago, and that is a momentous change.
:07:11. > :07:13.Five search planes have spotted more floating objects in the Indian Ocean
:07:14. > :07:16.that could be debris from the Malaysian airliner that went missing
:07:17. > :07:19.three weeks ago. Search efforts had focussed on an area around 1500
:07:20. > :07:23.miles off the south-west coast of Australia.
:07:24. > :07:25.But the focus has now moved to a narrower area 700 miles to the
:07:26. > :07:32.north-east, after new data suggested the plane ran out of fuel earlier.
:07:33. > :07:37.But it's still 200,000 square miles, bigger than the size of Britain. The
:07:38. > :07:38.BBC's Jon Donnison spent the day with Australian air crews looking
:07:39. > :07:55.for the plane. Three weeks on, and still looking.
:07:56. > :08:01.But a new search zone. We were invited to fly with the stray alien
:08:02. > :08:05.air force on an 11 hour round trip. -- the Australian air force. The
:08:06. > :08:15.crew were energised and hopeful that today could be the day. Here, they
:08:16. > :08:21.are dropping flares to try to pinpoint where several objects were
:08:22. > :08:26.spotted in the water below. We have seen several orange items. We have
:08:27. > :08:31.also seen several items that appeared to be blue in colour,
:08:32. > :08:35.slightly below the surface. The orange items are those that we are
:08:36. > :08:39.going to concentrate on at this time, trying to get some good photos
:08:40. > :08:46.that can be further assessed after the flight. We were on one of five
:08:47. > :08:50.planes that reported seeing dozens of objects. So far the only photo
:08:51. > :08:55.released is this one from the New Zealand search team. What we have
:08:56. > :08:59.seen today is that even when the air crews do spot something, it is
:09:00. > :09:04.pretty difficult to find it again. That is going to apply to any ships
:09:05. > :09:09.heading out here to try to pick whatever it is out of the water so
:09:10. > :09:13.it can be identified. That task could fall to a Chinese patrol
:09:14. > :09:18.ship, which was the first to arrive in the new search zone. And until it
:09:19. > :09:25.is confirmed that any objects are indeed part of the wreckage, some
:09:26. > :09:30.are refusing to believe the worst. Until there is concrete proof that
:09:31. > :09:38.those passengers are dead, I can't let go of that. Sarah's partner was
:09:39. > :09:45.a passenger on MH370. Without proof, she maintains hope he is
:09:46. > :09:48.still alive. Because the only alternative to that scenario is that
:09:49. > :09:53.he is still strapped in a seat at the bottom of the ocean, and I am
:09:54. > :09:58.not sure I want to live with that. The search teams are working until
:09:59. > :10:09.the light gives up. It is almost midnight by the time they are back
:10:10. > :10:15.home. They will fly again at dawn. It has emerged in the last hour that
:10:16. > :10:19.Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has telephoned President Obama to
:10:20. > :10:23.discuss the US position on the situation in the Ukraine. Mark
:10:24. > :10:28.Mardell joins me. Do we know what was said? It appears that President
:10:29. > :10:33.Putin phoned President Obama, who is in Saudi Arabia, and according to
:10:34. > :10:37.the White House he was seeking a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine
:10:38. > :10:42.crisis. The White House made the president sound very tough. He told
:10:43. > :10:46.them Russian troops would have to withdraw from the eastern Ukraine
:10:47. > :10:51.border, and that there have to be proposals put by President Putin in
:10:52. > :10:57.writing. They agreed that their foreign ministers should meet. The
:10:58. > :10:59.Kremlin readout is different. It has President Putin talking about
:11:00. > :11:05.extremists rampaging over the Ukraine. But he is also talking
:11:06. > :11:10.about a global resolution to find to the crisis, finding a solution. It
:11:11. > :11:14.is pretty early days. The call has only just happened, but it sounds as
:11:15. > :11:22.though the Russians are backing away from further conflict and looking
:11:23. > :11:24.for a diplomatic solution. The Government insists its policy of
:11:25. > :11:27.cutting the housing benefit of claimants with at least one spare
:11:28. > :11:31.room "remains on track". Critics have called it the bedroom tax but
:11:32. > :11:34.ministers say the aim is to reduce the housing benefit bill. They also
:11:35. > :11:37.want to encourage those living in homes bigger than they need to move
:11:38. > :11:40.to smaller ones, freeing up much needed social housing stock. But
:11:41. > :11:43.figures obtained by the BBC suggest that so far the policy is only
:11:44. > :11:49.having a limited effect. Our social affairs correspondent Michael
:11:50. > :11:56.Buchanan reports. If you go five minutes down there
:11:57. > :12:00.you will find some shops. June Dennis feels lucky. She likes her
:12:01. > :12:03.new neighbourhood in Hull and her new home. She has downsized to this
:12:04. > :12:08.one-bedroom flat from a three-bedroom house where she was
:12:09. > :12:12.building up rent arrears. I have a smaller place so it is easier to
:12:13. > :12:17.clean and keep on top of things. You don't need a big place when you are
:12:18. > :12:24.on your own. And you don't have to worry about rent. Know, so I am not
:12:25. > :12:28.getting in rent arrears. Encouraging people like her to come here from an
:12:29. > :12:33.under occupied homes was a key aim of last year's housing benefit cut,
:12:34. > :12:39.as social housing benefit claimants do not move as often as those of --
:12:40. > :12:47.as often as those in the private rented sector. Her previous flat was
:12:48. > :12:50.a three-bedroom flat above an alleyway. Turning these into
:12:51. > :12:53.comfortable one-bedroom flat as a positive outcome from the welfare
:12:54. > :12:56.change but the bottom line is there simply are not enough smaller
:12:57. > :13:03.properties for people to move into, so they are not moving. We have
:13:04. > :13:07.gathered data from over 200 local authorities and over 100 housing
:13:08. > :13:11.associations. Information from councils in Scotland, England and
:13:12. > :13:17.Wales suggests 6% of council tenants whose benefit was reduced have
:13:18. > :13:20.moved. If you have the figures from housing associations, 28% of tenants
:13:21. > :13:24.who were debt free a year ago are now in rent arrears. While the
:13:25. > :13:29.government gave councils money to help tenants in need, millions
:13:30. > :13:34.remain unspent. Ministers say the benefit cut was necessary and is
:13:35. > :13:39.saving taxpayers over ?1 million a day. We are working with people,
:13:40. > :13:43.making sure that people build the right size of properties because for
:13:44. > :13:45.too long they have not. We are still seeing some housing associations
:13:46. > :13:52.building three-bedroom accommodation. Marion Smith would
:13:53. > :13:57.love a three-bedroom house. Her family squeeze into this two bedroom
:13:58. > :14:02.flat in Aberdeen. They hoped the bed -- the benefit changes free up a
:14:03. > :14:06.larger home but it has not. We are 36 in line for a house, and there is
:14:07. > :14:10.maybe one being filled every year. We have been told it will be
:14:11. > :14:15.decades, so we have had to accept that we are stuck here. Most people
:14:16. > :14:21.who had their benefit cut have stayed in paid, but one year on, the
:14:22. > :14:23.policy remains controversial. In Egypt, supporters of the banned
:14:24. > :14:26.Muslim Brotherhood have been protesting against the decision by
:14:27. > :14:29.the country's defence minister to stand for the presidency. Field
:14:30. > :14:31.Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen as part of a military backed
:14:32. > :14:35.government which has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of people
:14:36. > :14:38.since President Morsi was ousted. Thousands have also been held in
:14:39. > :14:40.custody and, as Orla Guerin has been finding out, some are emerging with
:14:41. > :14:57.allegations of torture. Coming together to break bread. A
:14:58. > :15:03.family north of Cairo. Back in their midst, 15-year-old Ahmed, a
:15:04. > :15:09.schoolboy who said he was taught a lesson in torture. He told us his
:15:10. > :15:14.ordeal began in late January, when he was detained near an Islamist
:15:15. > :15:20.protest and held for a month. With his father by his side, he described
:15:21. > :15:28.being electrocuted repeatedly at a local police station. TRANSLATION:
:15:29. > :15:35.They electrocuted me insensitive places like my spine, on my arms and
:15:36. > :15:44.sensitive areas like between my legs. When they electrocuted me, I
:15:45. > :15:50.used to fall down on the ground and I couldn't stand up. At the same
:15:51. > :15:55.time, they were beating me. Sometimes they would throw water, to
:15:56. > :16:03.increase the voltage. We tracked down another former detainee with
:16:04. > :16:06.and horrific story of police abuse. 19-year-old Yassin is a democracy
:16:07. > :16:13.campaigner. He says he is speaking out for the sake of others who are
:16:14. > :16:22.still being tortured. TRANSLATION: I was surprised when they took off my
:16:23. > :16:29.trousers. Then they put the wires on me. I felt like I was screaming and
:16:30. > :16:36.shouting. You feel that's it, you are going to die. Yassin says his
:16:37. > :16:47.torment also included sexual assault. His account is too
:16:48. > :16:52.disturbing to broadcast. 19-year-old Ayat told us when she was arrested
:16:53. > :16:58.she suffered a similar fate. In this conservative society, it is a rare
:16:59. > :17:02.admission. TRANSLATION: It was physical. I don't dare to explain
:17:03. > :17:09.more. But they harassed me and another girl in a very, very
:17:10. > :17:18.humiliating way. The aim was to break our spirits. Her fellow
:17:19. > :17:22.student was detained separately. She says she was publicly shamed when
:17:23. > :17:29.she was brought to hospital in handcuffs and forced to have a
:17:30. > :17:34.pregnancy test. It is easy to get detained in new jet these days. Just
:17:35. > :17:40.go to a protest, or even passed by. -- Egypt. Once in police hands,
:17:41. > :17:47.human rights groups say, an increasing number are suffering
:17:48. > :17:55.barbaric abuse. We asked the authorities for their response to
:17:56. > :17:59.the growing allegations of torture. TRANSLATION: I categorically deny
:18:00. > :18:05.that there is any such thing as a electrocution or torture in prisons
:18:06. > :18:10.or police stations. Are you honestly saying that there has not been a
:18:11. > :18:15.single abuse within a police station or prison in recent months?
:18:16. > :18:19.TRANSLATION: There might be some mistakes, or transgressions in
:18:20. > :18:25.police stations. However, they don't reach the level of torture. Many
:18:26. > :18:30.would disagree, including these protesters. They are demanding the
:18:31. > :18:35.release of thousands detained under Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt's former
:18:36. > :18:40.army chief and likely next President. Human rights campaigners
:18:41. > :18:50.fear that torture could tighten its grip under General Al-Sisi.
:18:51. > :18:52.David Cameron appears to have won over a significant ally in his
:18:53. > :18:55.efforts to protect British interests in Europe. The German finance
:18:56. > :18:59.minister has said EU countries that don't use the Euro as a currency
:19:00. > :19:02.must be consulted with and legally protected from any major policy
:19:03. > :19:08.changes within the eurozone. Let's speak to our Political Correspondent
:19:09. > :19:13.Ben Wright who's in Brussels. Explain what it all means. Well,
:19:14. > :19:22.this is significant. Proof, I think, that Britain's recent efforts
:19:23. > :19:25.to butter up Berlin are paying off. The consequences this, as a
:19:26. > :19:27.consequence of the eurozone crisis, countries that have the euro are
:19:28. > :19:32.being bound much more tightly together. Germany, the most our full
:19:33. > :19:36.country in Europe, is driving that process. Howard will work is being
:19:37. > :19:38.discussed in endless negotiations now. The concern of countries
:19:39. > :19:43.outside the eurozone, including Britain, is that their access to the
:19:44. > :19:47.single market will suffer as a result. Today, in an article he has
:19:48. > :19:51.written with George Osborne, the German finance minister has said in
:19:52. > :19:56.a new treaty that could emerge to put this economic union in place,
:19:57. > :19:59.countries outside the eurozone would be guaranteed fairness. That is
:20:00. > :20:03.going to be pretty reassuring to Britain, to the City of London in
:20:04. > :20:07.particular and to Downing Street. Politically, the timing of this is
:20:08. > :20:11.very interesting. It helps David Cameron, because as Nick Clegg and
:20:12. > :20:14.Nigel Farage argue about if we should be in or out of Europe, it
:20:15. > :20:17.allows the Conservatives to say these are things we are getting out
:20:18. > :20:22.of Europe now in Britain's interests. But what we are talking
:20:23. > :20:24.about today is a long way from the sort of things David Cameron is
:20:25. > :20:31.promising in terms of ringing powers back to Brussels -- bringing powers
:20:32. > :20:35.back from Brussels, which is what he wants to put to voters in a
:20:36. > :20:39.referendum in 2015 if he is still Prime Minister. He has shown that
:20:40. > :20:42.Berlin is still an important ally and friend of David Cameron, but
:20:43. > :20:45.getting that transfer of powers is going to be a far harder battle to
:20:46. > :20:56.win. Some of the day's other news
:20:57. > :20:59.stories: The financial watchdog is to investigate the way details of
:21:00. > :21:03.its inquiry into ensuring schemes were made public. Shares in somewhat
:21:04. > :21:06.Britain's biggest financial institutions fell sharply today,
:21:07. > :21:10.after the other already said it was looking at whether some policies set
:21:11. > :21:12.up between the 1970s and 2000 still represented good value for money.
:21:13. > :21:14.A nurse has been arrested again in connection with the poisoning of
:21:15. > :21:17.patients at Stockport's Stepping Hill Hospital. Victorino Chua was
:21:18. > :21:20.arrested on suspicion of three counts of murder, 18 counts of
:21:21. > :21:24.causing grievous bodily harm and poisoning offences at the hospital.
:21:25. > :21:28.22 suspects have been identified by two investigations into the
:21:29. > :21:30.Hillsborough disaster in 1989. The Independent Police Complaints
:21:31. > :21:34.Commission has begun interviewing 13 serving and retired officers. A
:21:35. > :21:44.separate criminal investigation, Operation Resolve, has also
:21:45. > :21:47.identified 13 suspects. Unhappy Manchester United fans are planning
:21:48. > :21:50.to fly a plane over Old Trafford tomorrow, trailing a banner calling
:21:51. > :21:53.for the club's manager David Moyes to step down. It comes after an
:21:54. > :21:56.increasingly troubled season for United, not helped this week by a
:21:57. > :22:03.heavy home defeat to arch rivals City.
:22:04. > :22:09.The message couldn't be clearer. A banner demanding the sacking of
:22:10. > :22:15.Manchester United manager David Moyes, which a group of disgruntled
:22:16. > :22:20.fans have paid ?800 to have flown over Old Trafford when their team
:22:21. > :22:25.play Aston Villa. It mocks this, a banner inside the stadium which
:22:26. > :22:28.refers to David Moyes being Alex Ferguson's hand-picked successor.
:22:29. > :22:33.The manager has endured a torrid first season, but insists that the
:22:34. > :22:37.unprecedented flyby protest will not affect him. I have heard of it, what
:22:38. > :22:44.they are saying about it, but this is a long journey here. This is only
:22:45. > :22:49.the start of the journey. People can do that, they are entitled to do
:22:50. > :22:53.that. But I have to say, I am more driven to succeed more than ever.
:22:54. > :22:59.But success has been hard to come by. A 3-0 loss to archrivals and
:23:00. > :23:03.Chester city this week, the 10th league defeat of a season to forget.
:23:04. > :23:07.When this plane takes off from here tomorrow for its controversial
:23:08. > :23:13.flight above Old Trafford, it will be the latest humiliation this
:23:14. > :23:18.season for David Moyes. A low, for a club so used to success. This time
:23:19. > :23:21.last year, United were top of the table, going on to become Premier
:23:22. > :23:24.League champions for a 20th time. This time they are in seventh and
:23:25. > :23:34.guaranteed to suffered their worst finish in the com petition's
:23:35. > :23:37.history. I can totally understand the feeling of the supporters that
:23:38. > :23:43.got together to put this banner in place. It is a manifestation of the
:23:44. > :23:48.way they feel about the seriousness of the problem. Many fans still want
:23:49. > :23:52.to David Moyes to be given more time and he maintains the support of the
:23:53. > :23:56.club. Tomorrow he will be reminded that some have had enough.
:23:57. > :24:01.Joanne Milne had been deaf since birth and had a never heard a sound.
:24:02. > :24:04.But all that changed this week when, after 39 years of silence, cochlear
:24:05. > :24:07.implants meant she was able to hear voices and sounds for the first time
:24:08. > :24:12.in her life. And it was all captured on camera by her mother, as Danny
:24:13. > :24:17.Savage explains. Monday, Tuesday... A look of shock
:24:18. > :24:27.and disbelief. For the first time in her life, Joanne Milne has just
:24:28. > :24:33.heard another human voice. Medics are switched on cochlear implants
:24:34. > :24:37.that have been put in her ears. A world of sound has just opened up to
:24:38. > :24:41.the 39-year-old. Back home in Gateshead, Jo her mum discuss what
:24:42. > :24:48.it is like for her to hear herself talking. I've had a few days to get
:24:49. > :24:55.used to it now. Back on Monday, it was very, very strange to hear my
:24:56. > :25:06.accent. You know, my Geordie accent. It was just amazing, because I
:25:07. > :25:11.thought all voices sounded very similar. My mum has her own voice,
:25:12. > :25:15.my therapist had her own voice, it was baffling. The charity work also
:25:16. > :25:20.has very poor eyesight, but has been told to get out as much as possible
:25:21. > :25:24.to listen to the world and learn sounds. The noisy kittiwakes and the
:25:25. > :25:29.Tyne Bridge unfamiliar to many people here, but not too Jo. The
:25:30. > :25:34.number of times I have walked under the Tyne Bridge and not realised
:25:35. > :25:48.that there were birds above me. I can hear them now. That's my sound
:25:49. > :25:52.for today. March, April, May, June. November, December. The film of her
:25:53. > :26:02.hearing for the first time has gone viral. It's just been fantastic. Jo
:26:03. > :26:05.turns 40 this summer and says life really is beginning for her.