:00:00. > :00:09.Birmingham Children's Services - once described as a national
:00:10. > :00:12.disgrace - are to be taken over by a voluntary trust.
:00:13. > :00:14.The department has been under the spotlight for nearly a decade,
:00:15. > :00:18.following the deaths of several children being monitored
:00:19. > :00:23.Birmingham City Council has a long history of failure, we all know
:00:24. > :00:25.that, but the last two years we've been pushing away from that.
:00:26. > :00:28.But it's a bad move by the city's leaders,
:00:29. > :00:31.according to the man who was Birmingham's Children's
:00:32. > :00:38.A trust will simply divert Birmingham's management and social
:00:39. > :00:42.workers away from the job of continuing to improve services for
:00:43. > :00:48.We'll have details of the new plan, which is meant to put social
:00:49. > :00:55.Also tonight, a report from Fallujah,
:00:56. > :00:58.where Iraqi troops are trying to retake the city from the forces
:00:59. > :01:02.An exclusive report on the NHS doctor from Sheffield,
:01:03. > :01:06.who's gone to join Islamic State in Syria.
:01:07. > :01:10.The American comedian, Bill Cosby, WILL stand trial over an allegation
:01:11. > :01:14.that he sexually assaulted a woman 12 years ago.
:01:15. > :01:17.And the doping scandal involving Russian athletes is growing,
:01:18. > :01:22.with more failing re-tests of samples going back eight years.
:01:23. > :01:25.And coming up in Sportsday at 10.30pm on BBC News -
:01:26. > :01:29.It took him five sets across two days, but Andy Murray
:01:30. > :01:54.is into the second round at the French Open in Paris.
:01:55. > :01:58.Birmingham City Council, the biggest local authority in the UK,
:01:59. > :02:00.is to hand over control of its children's services
:02:01. > :02:05.The department - once judged a national disgrace by inspectors -
:02:06. > :02:08.has been in the spotlight for the best part of a decade,
:02:09. > :02:10.following a series of scandals, including the deaths
:02:11. > :02:15.The authority says that the new model offers
:02:16. > :02:20.But some experts say it's a bad move which could possibly put
:02:21. > :02:29.Our correspondent, Sian Lloyd, reports from Birmingham.
:02:30. > :02:33.Vulnerable children failed by Birmingham Social Services,
:02:34. > :02:38.including seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq, who was starved to death.
:02:39. > :02:44.They were all known to social workers. Keegan Downer is the latest
:02:45. > :02:48.child to have died. She suffered 153 injuries inflicted by her legal
:02:49. > :02:52.guardian. The placement had been assessed by staff at Birmingham
:02:53. > :02:56.Social Services. The Serious Case Review into her death will be the
:02:57. > :03:01.28th to be held in Birmingham in the past decade. In future the job of
:03:02. > :03:05.safeguarding children like Keegan will be overseen by a new
:03:06. > :03:09.organisation. But for Darren Marr who got to know the toddler during
:03:10. > :03:14.her short life, changes should have come sooner. I think it's too late.
:03:15. > :03:19.I think that should have been done way before. No-one's really standing
:03:20. > :03:23.up and having a responsibility for what failed. This social worker was
:03:24. > :03:27.part of the team for Birmingham for many years. She wants to remain
:03:28. > :03:30.anonymous, because she still works in social care elsewhere. I no
:03:31. > :03:34.longer work at Birmingham, because I wasn't able to do any job properly
:03:35. > :03:39.as a frontline social worker there. The case loads are too high. There's
:03:40. > :03:42.not enough support for frontline staff. There's not enough resources
:03:43. > :03:47.to properly support the children we work with. They're the same issues
:03:48. > :03:51.repeatedly highlighted by Ofsted inspectors. The department's been in
:03:52. > :03:55.special measures since 2009. Improvements have been made, but
:03:56. > :04:01.today, the Department for Education said they hadn't gone far or fast
:04:02. > :04:05.enough. The 700 social workers based at Birmingham City council were
:04:06. > :04:08.informed by e-mail that in future a trust will be running Social
:04:09. > :04:14.Services. We've obtained a copy of it. It was sent just before 9am this
:04:15. > :04:19.morning, but after the story had broken on social media. The council
:04:20. > :04:23.says now staff will be consulted about the proposed changes. It also
:04:24. > :04:27.informed staff that today's announcement had been brought
:04:28. > :04:30.forward in advance of a Channel 4 under cover documentary to be aired
:04:31. > :04:33.on Thursday. The council stresses the decision to move Children's
:04:34. > :04:37.Services to an external trust is voluntary. We've come a long way in
:04:38. > :04:42.two years, but we haven't gone far enough. That's why we're looking at
:04:43. > :04:45.the trust model, specifically, so we can provide the very best to the
:04:46. > :04:49.children and the families that rely on us every day. Will this model
:04:50. > :04:51.make the difference? Are you confident that vulnerable children
:04:52. > :04:55.will be protected in Birmingham? I think there's some really exciting
:04:56. > :04:59.opportunities with the trust model to make children safer in
:05:00. > :05:03.Birmingham. Birmingham Council has resisted relinquishing control of
:05:04. > :05:09.its Children's Services in the past. Some are questioning why the council
:05:10. > :05:13.is opting for a voluntary trust now. When I left Birmingham after my
:05:14. > :05:18.period of Children's Commissioner, we discussed the idea of a trust and
:05:19. > :05:20.we abandoned that in order to let Birmingham complete the
:05:21. > :05:25.implementation of their improvement plan. I can see no reason for
:05:26. > :05:28.actually changing that direction. The council says it will still be
:05:29. > :05:34.directly involved in protecting children in the city in the future.
:05:35. > :05:37.It faces another Ofsted inspection next week. It's anticipated that the
:05:38. > :05:42.new trust will have its work cut out.
:05:43. > :05:47.With me now is our social affairs correspondent, Alison Holt.
:05:48. > :05:52.We heard Lord Warner say clearly why he thought this wasn't a good move,
:05:53. > :05:58.how controversial is it? We have seen trusts in operation in places
:05:59. > :06:03.like Doncaster and Slough where there have been problems and we know
:06:04. > :06:07.that this is a model which the Government is pointing Children's
:06:08. > :06:11.Services to when they continue to fail. So it is a model that is being
:06:12. > :06:18.used and we will see it used increasingly. There is an advantage
:06:19. > :06:22.to putting a clean break in to give a fresh start to a troubled
:06:23. > :06:24.department and that may be one of the reasons why Birmingham feels it
:06:25. > :06:29.should go for it. It would allow experts to come in and just
:06:30. > :06:34.concentrate on improving Children's Services rather than the noise that
:06:35. > :06:39.can go on in a council administration. The disadvantages or
:06:40. > :06:43.concerns is that it's another reorganisation. Many will say that
:06:44. > :06:48.takes the eye off the ball of actually improving services on the
:06:49. > :06:51.ground for children. There are still many questions which haven't been
:06:52. > :06:55.answered about how this will work in Birmingham and in the end, the real
:06:56. > :06:58.test is going to be whether or not it makes a genuine difference on the
:06:59. > :07:01.ground for children who need protection. OK, Alison, once again,
:07:02. > :07:03.thanks a lot. The group which calls itself
:07:04. > :07:06.Islamic State is being targeted in two separate military operations
:07:07. > :07:11.in Syria and in Iraq. Kurdish groups are advancing
:07:12. > :07:14.on the IS stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria,
:07:15. > :07:16.and they're being backed In Iraq, the army is attacking
:07:17. > :07:21.the city of Fallujah, where fears are growing
:07:22. > :07:23.for tens of thousands Our correspondent, Jim Muir,
:07:24. > :07:27.has been to the front line Pounding away at the self-styled
:07:28. > :07:33.Islamic State in Fallujah. Day two of this offensive saw heavy
:07:34. > :07:42.bombardments being meted out as ground forces pushed forward
:07:43. > :07:46.towards the outskirts of the city. This footage, which the militants
:07:47. > :07:52.said was filmed on the other side of the line, inside Fallujah,
:07:53. > :07:56.shows their fighters defiantly The campaign against them
:07:57. > :08:03.was the result of Thousands of army and police troops,
:08:04. > :08:09.backed by Shia militias and Sunni tribal irregulars,
:08:10. > :08:12.all massed against the militants. They come from Nasiriyah
:08:13. > :08:15.or other cities in Baghdad The Shia militias, who are playing
:08:16. > :08:28.a prominent back-up role, are in jubilant mood
:08:29. > :08:31.after the initial advances. One of their leaders
:08:32. > :08:37.was also upbeat. TRANSLATION: It is going according
:08:38. > :08:40.to plan and we have In a few days, we expect to have
:08:41. > :08:46.Fallujah completely surrounded, then we may pause a little
:08:47. > :08:49.because of the real problem, the presence of so many civilians
:08:50. > :08:52.in the town being used The frontline advance has seen
:08:53. > :08:58.thousands of regular troops and militias all pushing
:08:59. > :09:01.in towards the town being defended by, at most,
:09:02. > :09:04.a few thousand militants, but also there are an estimated
:09:05. > :09:10.50,000 civilians. You can see, behind that factory
:09:11. > :09:12.there, smoke going up because there's a battle
:09:13. > :09:15.going on there as these forces move in on Fallujah from
:09:16. > :09:17.different directions. The next phase would be a major
:09:18. > :09:20.assault on the town itself and that's when it's believed
:09:21. > :09:24.that the civilians, if they cannot get out,
:09:25. > :09:26.would be at most risk and they're rather hoping that IS will be under
:09:27. > :09:30.such pressure that it will let It's not yet clear how much of
:09:31. > :09:35.a fight the militants will put up. If they do fight to the death,
:09:36. > :09:39.there are fears that not much As we've heard, the Syrian city
:09:40. > :09:49.of Raqqa - home to thousands of Islamic State fighters -
:09:50. > :09:51.is also being targeted. Does this suggest the group
:09:52. > :09:55.is losing influence and territory? Our security correspondent,
:09:56. > :10:02.Frank Gardner, has this assessment. An army on the move
:10:03. > :10:05.in northern Syria. This is part of a 30,000 strong
:10:06. > :10:08.Kurdish force, backed by the US, aiming to take back control of Raqqa
:10:09. > :10:11.province from so-called Islamic The US is preparing air strikes
:10:12. > :10:18.in support, Russia has offered its help and back here,
:10:19. > :10:24.the man who controversially sent British forces into Iraq,
:10:25. > :10:27.13 years ago, admitted today he'd underestimated the forces
:10:28. > :10:30.unleashed by that invasion. Now he wants the West
:10:31. > :10:33.to intervene in Syria. Air strikes are not
:10:34. > :10:35.going to defeat Isis. They've got to be tackled
:10:36. > :10:38.on the ground now. It doesn't mean to say that
:10:39. > :10:41.it's our forces all the time. Our forces can be in support,
:10:42. > :10:44.but do not be under any doubt at all, if you want to defeat these
:10:45. > :10:48.people, you're going to have to go and wage a proper ground
:10:49. > :10:54.war against them. Kurdish and Arab units
:10:55. > :10:59.are being trained up. They fought well, when supported
:11:00. > :11:02.by air strikes, but they lack the suicidal fanaticism
:11:03. > :11:06.of the jihadists they're facing. The advance of US-backed forces
:11:07. > :11:10.towards Raqqa is an important step, but for the moment they're only
:11:11. > :11:14.in northern Raqqa province and at least 30 miles
:11:15. > :11:17.away from the city. Raqqa is the de facto capital
:11:18. > :11:20.of Islamic State, where hostages have been held
:11:21. > :11:23.and atrocities carried out. Crowds have often been
:11:24. > :11:27.ordered to attend public But now coalition leaflets have
:11:28. > :11:32.been dropped on Raqqa, warning residents to leave,
:11:33. > :11:35.an assault is coming and there are fears
:11:36. > :11:39.about just how IS will react. Isis itself has, in effect,
:11:40. > :11:44.been a reaction over the last two years to a political vacuum
:11:45. > :11:46.in the region. So if they're pushed back too much,
:11:47. > :11:53.their whole rational of creating a caliphate will actually incite
:11:54. > :11:57.them further, I think, to try and attack targets
:11:58. > :12:04.within Europe, outside the region. Taking on targets in the open
:12:05. > :12:07.countryside is relatively easy Going into Raqqa itself
:12:08. > :12:13.is a different matter. There'll be tunnels, booby traps,
:12:14. > :12:30.die hard defenders and a terrified David Cameron has insisted the
:12:31. > :12:36.Conservatives will come together after the EU referendum despite
:12:37. > :12:39.divisions on the European questions and despite claims some Conservative
:12:40. > :12:42.MPs might call a vote of no confidence after the referendum is
:12:43. > :12:45.over. The Prime Minister rejected suggestions that he's engaged in a
:12:46. > :12:49.campaign to frighten people into voting to remain in the EU. Our
:12:50. > :13:14.deputy political editor has the latest the
:13:15. > :13:17.Here it comes right on schedule, we've been told a one-way ticket out
:13:18. > :13:21.Staying in might mean migrants in their millions.
:13:22. > :13:25.Today's scary warning - vote to quit the EU and you'll pay
:13:26. > :13:29.If we were to leave and the pound were to fall,
:13:30. > :13:31.which is what most people expect, and what the Treasury forecast,
:13:32. > :13:34.that would put up the cost of a typical holiday for a family
:13:35. > :13:36.of four to a European destination by ?230.
:13:37. > :13:41.No-one knows whether or for how long the pound might drop.
:13:42. > :13:44.But now the campaigns are accusing each other of lying,
:13:45. > :13:46.bare faced lying the In campaign said about a minister,
:13:47. > :13:48.who claimed Britain couldn't stop Turkey joining the EU.
:13:49. > :13:52.Do you stand by that accusation, and if you do, what do you say
:13:53. > :13:54.as Prime Minister about a Government minister lying to the country
:13:55. > :13:56.on a matter as serious as this European referendum?
:13:57. > :13:58.I'm not accusing anybody of telling lies.
:13:59. > :14:04.It's very important we get the facts straight.
:14:05. > :14:07.He was avoiding the "L" word at all costs, calling a fellow
:14:08. > :14:09.minister a liar, a step too far for the PM.
:14:10. > :14:11.Not that that's held back the In campaign or his
:14:12. > :14:15.Down the road it felt like it was already too late.
:14:16. > :14:27.I think they're giving their version what have they think is best
:14:28. > :14:31.There's probably never been so much apathy and cynicism about politics.
:14:32. > :14:34.It's one reason why both sides have turned the volume up so high,
:14:35. > :14:36.but bare-faced lying, even the accusation, is far rarer
:14:37. > :14:38.than many people imagine, and now we're hearing that
:14:39. > :14:42.It's potentially lethal for David Cameron's relations
:14:43. > :14:51.One senior MP has told me he believes 50 colleagues are ready
:14:52. > :14:54.to sign a demand for a vote of no confidence in their leader.
:14:55. > :15:01.Nigel Farage, appealing to the converted maybe,
:15:02. > :15:03.but also making them more likely to vote,
:15:04. > :15:06.like scary claims about staying in and a little name calling.
:15:07. > :15:08.This Prime Minister, three months ago, to have said
:15:09. > :15:16.To now say if we leave it will cause World War Three,
:15:17. > :15:21.It's not as if the hard sell's not hard enough.
:15:22. > :15:24.Every week we send ?350 million to Brussels.
:15:25. > :15:28.The Leave campaign's stoking fears of strain on the NHS.
:15:29. > :15:31.For the Remain side, it's about putting
:15:32. > :15:36.If we remain in Europe, there'll be more opportunities for
:15:37. > :15:41.All too much for an old Cameron friend and former advisor,
:15:42. > :15:45.What you're seeing is just silly point scoring and phony
:15:46. > :15:49.figures being flung around, and what that does is not just make
:15:50. > :15:52.it hard for people to really work out where they stand
:15:53. > :15:55.on the EU referendum, it actually puts people off
:15:56. > :16:01.Both sides now seem set on their course, and if David
:16:02. > :16:03.Cameron regrets calling this referendum we won't know till he's
:16:04. > :16:08.His danger now, that time may, just may, come sooner
:16:09. > :16:21.The doping scandal involving Russian athletes is growing,
:16:22. > :16:28.with the revelation that 14 of them have failed re-tests of samples
:16:29. > :16:30.that were taken during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
:16:31. > :16:32.The country's government admitted tonight that the news
:16:33. > :16:35.It comes ahead of a crucial decision on Russia's
:16:36. > :16:40.participation in the Rio Games, just three weeks away.
:16:41. > :16:43.Our sports editor, Dan Roan, reports now from Moscow.
:16:44. > :16:53.This week's modern Pentathlon World Championships here in Moscow,
:16:54. > :16:56.just one of the many global events Russia plays host to.
:16:57. > :16:57.But the action takes place against a backdrop
:16:58. > :17:06.Today, it was revealed that 14 of 31 athletes from the 2008 Olympics,
:17:07. > :17:08.who failed recent re-tests of their doping samples,
:17:09. > :17:13.London 2012 Gold medallist, Anna Chicherova, among them.
:17:14. > :17:19.This afternoon, during rare behind-the-scenes access, granted
:17:20. > :17:22.to us by the Russian authorities, the Sports Minister tried
:17:23. > :17:28.Almost half of that 31 being Russians, not good at all?
:17:29. > :17:30.TRANSLATION: Certainly, it doesn't look good,
:17:31. > :17:33.but take into account the fact that the Russian national team
:17:34. > :17:37.is the second biggest after the USA and represented by many leaders
:17:38. > :17:39.in their disciplines, so this doesn't give a objective
:17:40. > :17:44.picture of the doping situation in Russia.
:17:45. > :17:46.In 2014, a German documentary alleged that 99% of Russian
:17:47. > :17:55.An independent commission then finding the country guilty
:17:56. > :17:58.In November, Russia's athletes were banned
:17:59. > :18:05.Tonight, our sport finds itself in a shameful situation.
:18:06. > :18:13.But the crisis has now deepened, a former drugs testing chief
:18:14. > :18:16.claiming he ran a doping conspiracy at the Sochi Winter Games in 2014.
:18:17. > :18:17.This anonymous looking building is Moscow's
:18:18. > :18:21.1,400 samples were allegedly destroyed here to cover up doping.
:18:22. > :18:24.Its licence has been revoked, but allowing us in here
:18:25. > :18:27.is all designed to show that Russia is cleaning up its act.
:18:28. > :18:31.So this is it, the place where it all happened.
:18:32. > :18:34.This lab, the epicentre of what's alleged to have been
:18:35. > :18:42.a state-sponsored and sophisticated doping programme.
:18:43. > :18:45.With a decision on Russia's participation in Rio looming
:18:46. > :18:50.and less than a month away now, every fresh claim of wrong-doing
:18:51. > :18:52.makes a humiliating exclusion from sport's flagship
:18:53. > :18:57.You can see it from our statistics that we had 150
:18:58. > :19:06.I think that we needed changes and we are open
:19:07. > :19:14.It's wrong to have drug cheats anywhere near the Olympics.
:19:15. > :19:17.If the way to stamp it out and stop it is to this year to remove
:19:18. > :19:20.a country that has been proven to be doing what they're doing then,
:19:21. > :19:24.in my opinion, that hes a the right way to go about it.
:19:25. > :19:30.One of the country'ses most celebrated athletes say Russia must
:19:31. > :19:37.be allowed to compete dm Rio. She told me a ban would be a violation
:19:38. > :19:41.of her human rights. I feel very sad, disappointed and of course very
:19:42. > :19:47.angry because all that is going on now, it's unfair. In my opinion,
:19:48. > :19:52.it's totally unfair. Russia say it is will criminalise doping but with
:19:53. > :19:56.results due of more re-tests of samples taken from London 2012 the
:19:57. > :20:01.country could well lose more medals and any remain chance its athletes
:20:02. > :20:08.have of competing on sport's grandest stage.
:20:09. > :20:11.A BBC investigation has found that an NHS doctor from Sheffield has
:20:12. > :20:13.joined the group which calls itself Islamic State.
:20:14. > :20:15.Issam Abuanza left his family in the summer of 2014.
:20:16. > :20:18.His sister has told the BBC his parents will never forgive him.
:20:19. > :20:21.Abuanza's details are part of a set of IS registration documents,
:20:22. > :20:23.completed by British recruits and seen by the BBC.
:20:24. > :20:29.Our home affairs correspondent, Daniel Sandford, has the story.
:20:30. > :20:32.Doctor Issam Abuanza, trained in the NHS, but seen
:20:33. > :20:36.here in surgical clothes and carrying a handgun.
:20:37. > :20:41.Not in Britain, but in Syria, working for so-called Islamic State.
:20:42. > :20:43.Here he is last year, cradling a Kalashnikov
:20:44. > :20:51.Issam Abuanza still uses Facebook from Syria.
:20:52. > :20:53.In one post he wrote about this Jordanian air force pilot,
:20:54. > :20:56.who was burnt to death by IS in a cage.
:20:57. > :21:01."I would have liked for them to burn him extrmely slowly
:21:02. > :21:04.and I could treat him so we could torch him once more."
:21:05. > :21:06.The Security Minister told me Issam Abuanza was an example
:21:07. > :21:08.of IS recruiting highly skilled, intelligent people
:21:09. > :21:16.We're taking down 1,800 of those kind of messages from the internet
:21:17. > :21:21.every week and they do target vulnerable people.
:21:22. > :21:23.They target children, they target young people,
:21:24. > :21:25.but they also target professionals, too.
:21:26. > :21:29.In 2013, just a year before heading to IS,
:21:30. > :21:32.Issam Abuanza had filmed himself at Friday prayers in the doctor's
:21:33. > :21:42.He worked for the NHS for seven years - in Wales, north-west
:21:43. > :21:44.England and Yorkshire - and became a British citizen.
:21:45. > :21:47.The last place Dr Abuanza lived in Britain was on this modern
:21:48. > :21:53.His wife didn't want to give us an interview, but she told us
:21:54. > :21:56.that he left about two years ago and that nobody, not even she,
:21:57. > :22:10.As he crossed into IS territory he filled out one of these,
:22:11. > :22:14.On it he wrote that he was a doctor and regarded himself as a soldier,
:22:15. > :22:18.His is one of 80 forms filled out by IS fighters from Britain,
:22:19. > :22:24.One third of them said they were university educated.
:22:25. > :22:27.Doctor Abuanza has been denounced by his family.
:22:28. > :22:30.His sister, Najla, told us: "I have no idea how he became
:22:31. > :22:36.like this or who showed him the path to terror."
:22:37. > :22:38.Asked about their parents, she said, "they will
:22:39. > :22:42.A doctor, with a wife and two young daughters, it's not even clear
:22:43. > :22:53.Daniel Sandford, BBC News, Sheffield.
:22:54. > :22:55.A judge in Pennsylvania has ordered the comedian, Bill Cosby,
:22:56. > :22:58.to stand trial over an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman
:22:59. > :23:11.Our correspondent, Laura Bicker, is in Norristown.
:23:12. > :23:17.What was the reason given by the judge, Laura, for proceeding with
:23:18. > :23:30.this case? Well, she based her decision on police statements made
:23:31. > :23:34.in 2005 by the alleged victim. She was given three unidentified blue
:23:35. > :23:38.pills which made her dizzy, unable to stand or talk. She said she was
:23:39. > :23:43.in and out of consciousness and that's when she alleges that Bill
:23:44. > :23:48.Cosby molested her. His defence team say sexual contact did take place,
:23:49. > :23:54.but they say it was consensual. Since this claim first came to light
:23:55. > :23:57.a further 58 women have now come forward with similar allegations and
:23:58. > :24:01.some may actually be called to court to give evidence when this goes to
:24:02. > :24:06.trial. As for the entertainer himself, it's worth remembering he
:24:07. > :24:10.was once known as America's Dad, the foremost entertainer in this
:24:11. > :24:14.country. At 78, not only is he facing the inside of a court room,
:24:15. > :24:19.he could face his last years behind bars if he's found guilty. Huw.
:24:20. > :24:27.Laura, thanks very much for updating us. Laura Bicker there in
:24:28. > :24:30.Pennsylvania. French police have raided the Paris
:24:31. > :24:32.headquarters of the internet giant. Google have been raided by French
:24:33. > :24:35.police and finance officials. The internet company is accused
:24:36. > :24:37.of owing the French state more Google was co-operating
:24:38. > :24:42.with the authorities. The social networking site,
:24:43. > :24:44.Twitter, is to change some of its long-standing rules
:24:45. > :24:49.to try to attract new users. Despite its high profile
:24:50. > :24:51.and its many millions of users around the world the business
:24:52. > :24:53.has been struggling. The man who sent out
:24:54. > :24:55.the very first tweet, Chief Executive Jack Dorsey,
:24:56. > :24:57.wants to simplify He's been speaking to our
:24:58. > :25:11.North America technology It's the social network used by
:25:12. > :25:15.everyone from battling politicians, celebrities and sports stars and
:25:16. > :25:22.millions of the rest of us tweeting about our daily lives. The business
:25:23. > :25:27.is doing badly. The man behind it is under pressure to put things right.
:25:28. > :25:31.It will be simpler to use, especially around tweeting. We are
:25:32. > :25:37.focussing our energy on making sure when people tweet it makes sense.
:25:38. > :25:42.When Twitter hit the New York Stock Exchange in 2 o 013 they had a
:25:43. > :25:47.valuation of $31 billion. Expectations were sky high. It's
:25:48. > :25:50.quite hard to imagine a world without Twitter, over the past
:25:51. > :25:54.couple of years the company has had a rough time. The value has dropped
:25:55. > :25:59.massively. People are tweeting less, not enough people are signing up to
:26:00. > :26:03.use the service. Twitter hopes making it easier to include more in
:26:04. > :26:06.a single tweet will help as well as other changes to make things a
:26:07. > :26:10.little more straight-forward for newcomers. Others say widespread
:26:11. > :26:14.issues with bullying and trolling on the social network is what's really
:26:15. > :26:18.holding it back. Many people's reluctance to be involved in Twitter
:26:19. > :26:22.is still this sense in many case it is's not a nice place to be on the
:26:23. > :26:26.internet. More so than other social networks, you are seeing abuse,
:26:27. > :26:32.trolling? I don't think the negativity and the abuse and the
:26:33. > :26:35.harassment is unique to Twitter. It's an industry-wide, internet-wide
:26:36. > :26:39.issue that we all need to solve. We did make it a priority for the
:26:40. > :26:43.company and making sure that people feel safe to express themselves.
:26:44. > :26:48.Give them easy tools to mute and to block. It's not exactly difficult to
:26:49. > :26:53.find Twitter users in a city like San Francisco, even here the social
:26:54. > :27:00.network is perhaps falling behind. Do you use Twitter? No, I don't. Why
:27:01. > :27:06.not? I just don't. . I have Facebook and Instagram. They are enough. It's
:27:07. > :27:11.not so easy to use it as people expect. Twitter and Facebook, for
:27:12. > :27:15.that matter, have been trending up in age. The average user of both of
:27:16. > :27:19.those have been increasing in age. Younger people are flocking much
:27:20. > :27:25.more readily to things like snap chat and Instagram. Twitter has had
:27:26. > :27:29.a really hard time. He insists the latest tweaks to Twitter are just
:27:30. > :27:33.the beginning and he has many more ideas to get people coming back to
:27:34. > :27:38.the network. They have a fight on their hands if they are to excite a
:27:39. > :27:47.whole new generation of social media fanatics.
:27:48. > :27:49.Much of the debate in the EU referendum campaign centres
:27:50. > :27:53.A new report by the Wales Governance Centre at Cardiff University
:27:54. > :27:55.suggests that in 2014 there was an overall net benefit
:27:56. > :28:05.The Remain campaign says this would be at risk if Britain left
:28:06. > :28:08.the EU - a claim that is hotly disputed by those
:28:09. > :28:10.Our Wales correspondent, Hywel Griffith, has been sampling
:28:11. > :28:13.From verdant hills to slowly greening slag heaps,
:28:14. > :28:16.a journey across the Heads of the Valleys Road reveals
:28:17. > :28:18.a lot about Wales' past, but what about the future?
:28:19. > :28:25.While it's argued Wales gets more out of the EU than it puts in,
:28:26. > :28:27.the decision facing every voter is far from straight-forward.
:28:28. > :28:36.Bridget Rowlings farms above the Swansea Valley.
:28:37. > :28:40.Every year she receives thousands of pounds in subsidies via Brussels,
:28:41. > :28:44.but she argues the money is really British and shouldn't go
:28:45. > :28:50.So, obviously, the more area you've got, the bigger the payment is.
:28:51. > :28:53.For Bridget, the EU also means a lot of rules and regulations.
:28:54. > :28:57.She's not convinced farmers really benefit.
:28:58. > :29:01.My payment is down considerably this year and, by 2019, it's going to be
:29:02. > :29:09.So the amount of money that I'm receiving, if I'm in or out,
:29:10. > :29:14.it's not going to have a significant impact upon me.
:29:15. > :29:17.Head east and you come to some of the most deprived areas,
:29:18. > :29:20.not just in Wales, but in the entire European Union.
:29:21. > :29:24.Since the turn of the century, millions of pounds have come
:29:25. > :29:29.via the EU to towns like Ebbw Vale, which has lost its steelworks.
:29:30. > :29:31.There's signs of spending everywhere, but that doesn't mean
:29:32. > :29:36.voters here are desperate to stay in.
:29:37. > :29:38.The issues that people have been talking about,
:29:39. > :29:41.when they're talking about the EU referendum, don't seem to be
:29:42. > :29:45.They don't seem to really seem aware of the amount of money that Wales
:29:46. > :29:52.They really seem to be focussing more British wide issues -
:29:53. > :29:54.such as immigration, security and so on.
:29:55. > :29:56.Only 2% of people here were born outside the UK but,
:29:57. > :29:59.for the voters we spoke to, immigration is the key issue.
:30:00. > :30:02.The main concerns are people taking jobs and coming in and,
:30:03. > :30:05.with all the threats at the moment, it's worrying because you don't know
:30:06. > :30:09.who's coming in and they're not being vetted, and stuff like that.
:30:10. > :30:12.I think we're far too lenient and lax with immigration.
:30:13. > :30:22.It probably has an impact but, obviously, you've got to have,
:30:23. > :30:24.you know, immigration and, you know, people coming in.
:30:25. > :30:27.You know, obviously, us going out to other parts
:30:28. > :30:30.of the EU, you know, so we can get jobs.
:30:31. > :30:33.Over in Abergavenny, at the end of the road, they're
:30:34. > :30:40.The boss of this car parts company says he's already had customers,
:30:41. > :30:44.like BMW and Audi in Germany, asking him what's going to happen,
:30:45. > :30:46.just the uncertainty is bad for business.
:30:47. > :30:49.I think it's the fear of the unknown.
:30:50. > :30:51.There's a lot of ideas out there what could happen.
:30:52. > :30:55.But the fact is, we're inside a marriage now
:30:56. > :31:05.which is working and why get divorced when there's no need to?
:31:06. > :31:08.Wales can't choose its own direction in this referendum, it's the UK
:31:09. > :31:11.as a whole that will decide whether staying in or leaving
:31:12. > :31:19.The actor, Burt Kwouk, who played Inspector Clouseau's manservant,
:31:20. > :31:21.Cato, in the Pink Panther series, has died.
:31:22. > :31:31.The actor was a martial arts expert and was famous for keeping
:31:32. > :31:34.Peter Sellers' clueless detective on his toes by attacking him
:31:35. > :31:46.Burt Kwouk also featured in three Bond films and television drama.
:31:47. > :31:56.Tonight we have learnt that the vote Leave campaign has embarked on a new
:31:57. > :32:00.strategy, changing their focus to getting out the core vote and making
:32:01. > :32:02.immigration their main issue. Join me now on BBC Two, 11.00pm in
:32:03. > :32:04.Scotland. Here, on BBC One, it's time
:32:05. > :32:06.for the news where you are.