05/02/2016 BBC News at Ten

This programme contains repetitive flashing images.

At least 15,000 people fleeing the fighting in Syria are stuck

on the border with Turkey - desperate to be let in.

The refugees are escaping fighting in northern Syria,

where government forces have made gains.

Turkey says it is giving them assistance.

TRANSLATION: We gave them supplies that needs, there maybe thousands on

the way. But as yet the border

has remained closed, This is a victory

that cannot be denied. The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

demands the government respect a UN ruling that he's been

arbitrarily detained. The moment shooting breaks out

at a boxing match in Dublin - one man is killed,

and two are injured. He leaned over like this

here and I said, "Don't At this point I'm looking down

the barrel and I thought How to save ?5 billion a year in NHS

hospitals in England - a report says medically fit patients

taking up beds is a real problem. And celebrating England's

greatest gardener - Capability Brown -

on his 300th birthday. Later on BBC London: The capital's

hospitals are ?600 million in the red - a review says

efficiency is the answer. And barbers are trained in mental

health support to try to help hard At least 15,000 refugees fleeing

fighting in northern Syria are tonight gathered

on the border with Turkey. The exodus follows advances

made by the Syrian Army, backed by Russian air power,

on the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Turkish Prime Minister said

he believes tens of thousands more refugees may be on their way -

and that his country would not leave the thousands of displaced people

"without food or shelter". But as yet the refugees have not

been allowed to cross From the Kilis crossing

on the border between the two countries, our correspondent

Mark Lowen reports. On the move, again, thousands

fleeing Syria's second city, Aleppo, the focus

of intense fighting. They carried what they could

and walked north towards the Turkish border and what they hoped

was safety from Russian air strikes and from the forces loyal

to President Assad. This boy blames the Russians,

Iranians and Lebanese Shia group Hezbolla, all of them

siding with Assad. Turkey's president must

let us in, he says. We have the Russians from one side,

Iranians from another and then And this is the hell

they are escaping, Aleppo and its surroundings,

pummelled by the regime, supported by hundreds

of Russian strikes. The rebels are losing

their territory, their supply line If Aleppo is surrounded,

hundreds of thousands could be trapped and it could mark the end

game for the opposition. The Turkish Prime Minister said

15,000 refugees are now at the border with Turkey and tens

of thousands might follow. And he took aim at

Turkey's opponents. TRANSLATION: Aleppo was first

flattened by the planes of the regime and then

its collaborators, the Russians. They fired mortars

on the people of Aleppo. But those escaping it still aren't

being allowed to cross the border. The Turkish authorities

instead building shelters Thousands of lives on hold

while a solution is found. The Turkish government still talks

of an open door policy towards Syrians and yet for now

the gates remain closed, The warning from Turkey is that

unless a political solution can halt the fighting, this will be the next

influx of refugees into Turkey and then quite possibly

on into Europe. The joint Russian and regime

onslaught has given Assad leverage over the opposition,

just in time for this week's peace The advance on Aleppo,

designed to show who is in charge. The talks, unsurprisingly,

breaking down. What I have seen is that the intense

Russian air strikes, mainly targeting opposition groups

in Syria, is undermining efforts to find a political

solution to the conflict. Politics fails, fighting goes on,

and thousands of Syrians bed down in their new tent city,

not knowing where they will go and if their country, ripped apart,

will ever unite again. Mark Lowen, BBC News

on the Turkey-Syria border. The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

has claimed "a sweet victory" after a UN panel decided

he was being arbitrarily detained. Mr Assange has been living

in the Ecuadorean embassy in London since 2012 to avoid being extradited

to Sweden, where he's wanted The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond

declared the UN's Caroline Hawley's report contains

some flash photography. Still officially on Ecuadorian soil.

Still threatened with arrest. Julian Assange emerged onto a balcony this

afternoon, triumphantly holding up the UN report. How sweet it is. This

is a victory that cannot be denied. It is a victory of historical

importance, not just for me, for my family, for my children, but for the

independence of the UN system. Julian Assange, who went into the

busy in 2012 claiming asylum, is now claiming the moral high ground. But

the self-styled champion of free speech and accountability wasn't

keen to be questioned by a heckler on how long he might stay. And that

will happen. Can someone close that person off question mark he was much

happier to heed the UN's findings, that his confinement amounted to

arbitrary detention that was disproportionate and unnecessary.

They said his deprivation of liberty was continuous since 2010, when he

was initially arrested and held in jail, and he has a right to

compensation. From the UK Government, the response was utter

disdain. He is not being detained by us, but he will have to face justice

in Sweden if he chooses to do so. And it's right that he should not be

able to escape justice. This is frankly a ridiculous finding by the

working group, and we rejected. These policemen were here this

afternoon for crowd protection. But the police operation to prevent

Julian Assange escaping has cost over ?12 million. This evening the

lawyer for the alleged rape victim put out of statement in Sweden

saying she was glad call for his release was not legally binding. It

is time, she said, that he begins to cooperate with the police. But he

says he fears being extradited on from Sweden to the US and he has won

backing from the UN that he should be free to go to Ecuador. Julian

Assange's supporters are relishing this moment. It's been a dramatic

day in an extraordinary international saga. But it doesn't

end this long-running stand-off. So Julian Assange headed back into his

diplomatic home and we still don't know when he will come out.

A UN official acknowledged to me that this was a controversial

decision in a highly unusual case. It isn't legally binding, but UN

officials say it certainly does have weight because it was based on

international law. Now the British government is saying that it will

contest the decision. We don't know what Swedish prosecutors are going

to do. They certainly could go on and on. -- this certainly could go

on and on. There's been a powerful earthquake in southern Taiwan,

measuring 6.7 magnitude and at a shallow depth. The quake struck at

8pm this evening. There are reports of two residential buildings

collapsing but there are no reports yet of casualties. The city's

government has set up an emergency response Centre and we will bring

you more information when we get it. A man has been shot dead at a hotel

in Dublin by gunmen thought to have been dressed in police uniforms

and carrying AK-47 assault rifles. The gunmen appear to have targeted

boxing fans at a weigh-in. Amongst them was a BBC reporter,

who pleaded with the Let's go now to Shane Harrison,

who's outside the hotel. This normally busy hotel behind me

is about a ten minute drive away from the city's airport, but this

afternoon it was the scene of a murder. Widely thought to be part of

Dublin's long-running criminal gang feuds.

It was meant to be a normal boxing weigh-in for a fight tomorrow night,

Up to four gunmen entered and started shooting.

Frightened sports fans and journalists fled,

But once outside, more gunshots rang out.

I leaned over like this and said, "Don't shoot, don't shoot".

At this point I'm looking down the barrel of the gun and I thought

He mumbled something, said something and left again,

and it was quiet after that, as far as I remember.

The whole experience was so utterly surreal and terrifying.

Tonight, the police in Dublin released more details

Two of the individuals were wearing what was described

It was described as a Swat uniform with metal helmets,

similar to what you would see on crime dramas.

We are also looking for two other individuals who may be involved.

One is described as possibly being a male, disguised as a female,

wearing dark clothing and wearing what was described as a blonde

The remains of the dead man were moved.

The two injured men are being treated in nearby hospitals.

Although the police investigation is at an early stage,

it's widely believed the murder is linked to Dublin's feuding gangs

Shane Harrison, BBC News, Dublin.

Billions of pounds a year could be saved by hospitals in England

through better staff management, and more efficient operating costs.

An independent review by the Labour peer Lord Carter was examining how

?5 billion might be saved annually in the NHS by 2020.

Lord Carter's study also found that nearly one in ten beds is taken

by medically fit patients - so-called bed blocking -

and he said the practice was costing the NHS close

He's got experience in business and health, and Lord Carter

was the man chosen by the government to look at how hospitals might make

better use of their money at a time of intense pressure on NHS

He says greater efficiency is achievable.

It's not as if this is an NHS problem.

This is how individual hospitals, who aren't as good as the best,

At the Guys and St Thomas Trust in London, doctors and other staff

are shown the cost of each item as they take supplies,

encouraging them to draw only the minimum required.

This hospital trust, which covers two major sites,

spends ?40 million a year on clinical supplies.

As a result of this new stock control system, it's managed

Lord Carter's report suggests this sort of system could be used much

The report looks at a range of other areas where savings could be made.

It says better procurement could save hospitals ?700 million

a year, heating and lighting bills could be cut by ?125 million

It looks at variations in care, with prices paid for new hip joints

It says delays discharging medically fit patients costs the NHS

?900 million a year - what some call bed blocking.

The report praises initiatives like this, in effect a halfway house

for older patients at a Birmingham hospital.

They are fit to return home and waiting for care plans to be put

in place, but getting them home from here isn't always straightforward.

It can be extremely challenging to discharge people from hospital.

We're seeing a real effect of the cuts in social care having

a direct impact on the back door of the hospital,

and it's not the fault of our social workers.

They are doing the best that they can do, but with

Some point out the ?5 billion plan set out today is only one step

towards the ?22 billion of annual savings which NHS England says

This report is about doing the same thing more efficiently.

What increasingly we need to do is just to fundamentally change

More care at home, more self supported care for people

In Scotland and Wales, social care funding has not been

cut to the same extent, but for the NHS the debate

about saving money on the front line in hospitals is the

David Cameron was in Denmark and Poland today

trying to win support in advance of the EU referendum.

Poland, which has been critical of plans to tighten welfare rules,

said a proposal to limit benefits for EU migrants

But the Prime Minister's proposed reforms were strongly backed

This report from Katya Adler contains flashing images.

Warsaw's charming, old city centre was built almost from scratch

It's a must see for tourists, but not on the regular beat

Yet this is the second time in a matter of weeks that

Poland is being tricky when it comes to his EU reform proposals,

which he needs all EU leaders to sign up to.

Real negotiations take place behind closed doors.

In public, it's often what's not said that's significant.

Poland's Prime Minister politely praised three out of David Cameron's

She didn't mention cutting EU migrant benefits -

Is he hinting here at what Britain could offer Poland?

We want to see a full strategic partnership between Britain

and Poland, and that is because of the shared interests and shared

Shared interests in strong defence and in supporting NATO,

in standing up to Russian aggression, shared interests

But improving finances for many Poles, particularly the young,

Hundreds of thousands have come to the UK.

Cutting their in-work benefits isn't a popular idea.

In Poland, it's not really easy to find a good job.

But salaries aside, Poles also fear for their security -

with aggressive Russia just next door.

Last week, the British Government pledged 1000 troops to take part

Valuable military support for Poland whose goodwill is vital

for David Cameron to get his EU deal.

David Cameron wants to have Poland's support because Cameron probably

believes that Poland can actually get all other Central Europeans

Shuttle diplomacy is intensifying for the Prime Minister ahead

His EU reform proposals are welcome here.

And most importantly, from the Danish Prime Minister...

I support all the elements on access to welfare benefits.

It's no coincidence that the Prime Minister chose

to hold a press conference here in Denmark and not to take any

press questions in Warsaw, where things could have got

David Cameron's EU reform proposal is a political hot potato.

He hopes it will be signed off at an EU summit in two weeks' time,

Expect a roller coaster of headlines between now and then predicting

Nearly 30 whales have washed up along the North Sea over the last

A brief look at some of the day's other news stories.

The family of the police officer who was shot and blinded

by Raoul Moat in 2010 has lost a court case

against Northumbria Police and been ordered to pay ?100,000 in costs.

The family of Constable David Rathband had argued that the force

had been negligent because it didn't immediately warn staff that Moat

The social media site Twitter says it's suspended more than 125,000

accounts over the past eight months for promoting terrorist activity.

The company said the majority of material related to the group

Nearly 30 whales have washed up along the North Sea over the last

few weeks, six of them on the east coast of England.

Today, tests were being carried out on one which died

Danny Savage has been finding out why the mammals are coming ashore.

It's been a traumatic couple of days on this North Norfolk beach.

A sperm whale was stranded here yesterday, alive

There was a glimmer of hope as it showed signs of moving as the tide

But last night it died, the latest in a series of whale

Initial findings were that it was starving and dehydrated.

All the whales we examined, at least at our end,

There has been what we call bile staining the intestine and that

indicates it's gone through a period of a lack of feeding and starvation.

That would make the animal more compromised.

Why have so many of these huge animals, all young males,

Experts say bachelor pods are normally found

in the North Atlantic, feeding off deepwater

But they've ended up in the waters of the North Sea,

which are on average, 98 metres deep and too shallow

Over the last few weeks, 29 have been found stranded

on beaches in the UK, Holland, France and Germany.

This is the German operation to move them.

They can become a health hazard if left on the sands or mud flats.

Experts say collectively, this is the worst series of whale

And the concern is that more of these will turn up on North Sea

But how much detail is really known about what's going on underwater?

An incident like this almost heightens the need for us

all to learn more about these enormous and fantastic creatures.

This may look like a scene from the days of whale hunting,

but these animals have to be examined if answers about why

they end up in the wrong sea are to be found.

For European rugby, it's time to forget the embarrassment of last

year's World Cup, as tomorrow sees the start of the Six Nations

A new-look England, led by new captain, Dylan Hartley,

And for the first time, all four home nations

will have a coach from the Southern Hemisphere.

From Murrayfield, Joe Wilson reports.

This is Europe's rugby union trophy, reserved for the six Nations,

all relieved there won't be any others.

At last year's World Cup, none of these teams even

In a rugby planet topped by New Zealand, Europe seemed

But in Edinburgh, Scotland's players begin the Six Nations with a burning

Haunting images hang in their memory.

They were knocked out of the World Cup by Australia

after a refereeing error and a last-minute penalty.

I will take that to my grave with me.

You put your life's work into stuff and for it to end

But again, we can't feel sorry for ourselves.

We don't deserve anything, nobody is going to give us anything

easy and nobody is going to feel sorry for us in the Six Nations.

Murrayfield in the Six Nations, with all the passion that entails

Eddie Jones, new coach, has stuck with England's

Last week, England invited fans to watch them train.

They need to re-engage with their audience,

although the coach needs them to change.

Why does Roger Federer every year develop a new stroke?

Because he wants to stay at the top of his game.

No one needs to tell him to do that, and that is what our players

Well, Ireland are trying to win the Six Nations for a record third

time in succession, although man mountain captain

Plenty of talent and experience in their team this time.

The Welsh coach comes from New Zealand.

It is Europe's trophy, but like never before,

the Southern Hemisphere are still here.

The landscape architect Capability Brown has been described

He designed the grounds of some of the country's finest stately

Now, as part of celebrations marking the tricentenary of his birth,

a group of volunteers is trying to complete his final,

unfinished work of art, as Robert Hall reports.

They are among Britain's most famous views, mile upon mile of rolling

countryside meticulously created on an immense scale.

Today, well over half of Capability Brown's 260 landscapes

He wanted to make a huge impression when you first came in.

Nicky Applewhite is head gardener at Beaver Castle in Leicestershire.

Here, below the mullioned windows lies one of Brown's favourite

illusions, a lake skilfully constructed to resemble

It is said that Lancelot Brown gained his nickname from his habit

of praising the capabilities of the landscape.

It is a list of the great and the good.

His imagination and enthusiasm delighted the clients listed

Everyone from the King downwards queued for his attention.

His Grace the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim.

And when you tot up all of the money that he's taken, it comes

You can calculate that as about equivalent of ?35 million.

When he had time, Brown did stray from the great country houses.

You can see how he's closed the planting off.

Jilly Drummond looks out on one of his smallest commissions.

On the edge of the New Forest, carefully planted gorse and copses

give tantalising glimpses of passing ships.

The landscape winds out and it's all in miniature.

Now, if he could go from 1000 acres, which he did, if not more,

at Beaver, down to eight acres here, the man is an absolute genius.

Back in Leicestershire, work is underway to complete

New dams to extend his artificial river.

Capability Brown's passion is clearly infectious.

250 gardens, I think he did, and they are all still there,

and we are all re-establishing them, looking after them.

I don't know, does it speak for itself?

In 1783, just before he died, he wrote to the Duke saying,

"Since it is denied us to live long, let us do something to show

And how could we forget the man dubbed England's greatest gardener?

Robert Hall, BBC News, Beaver Castle.

Now it's time for the news where you are.