08/09/2016 BBC News at Ten


08/09/2016

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Tonight at Ten: Theresa May is expected to announce plans -

:00:00.:00:08.

within days - to open new grammar schools in England.

:00:09.:00:15.

It's a highly controversial move - ministers say it's about enhancing

:00:16.:00:17.

social mobility, but critics say it will have the opposite effect.

:00:18.:00:20.

There'll be no return to simplistic binary choices of the past

:00:21.:00:27.

where school separate children into winners or losers,

:00:28.:00:29.

This policy will not help social mobility but will entrench

:00:30.:00:33.

The proposals are expected to be included in a government

:00:34.:00:38.

A special report from a rebel-held part of Damascus -

:00:39.:00:45.

where people have been under siege for five years.

:00:46.:00:49.

Massive disruption in their lives, huge tragedy, but for the government

:00:50.:00:57.

this is a good day because they are strengthening their hold

:00:58.:01:00.

We report from Switzerland on possible lessons for Britain

:01:01.:01:03.

In Rio - it's a record 12th gold medal for Dame Sarah Storey

:01:04.:01:16.

And why scientists say they've rewritten the biology

:01:17.:01:19.

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News at 10.30pm:

:01:20.:01:25.

Chris Froome is still playing catch up at the Vuelta Espana.

:01:26.:01:28.

Three stages left and three and a half minutes off the lead.

:01:29.:01:51.

The Prime Minister is expected to announce plans within days

:01:52.:01:55.

to open new grammar schools in England.

:01:56.:01:57.

The BBC understands that the proposals will be included

:01:58.:02:01.

in a Government green paper, a consultation document,

:02:02.:02:04.

with an emphasis on enhancing social mobility.

:02:05.:02:07.

The schools would be forced to set aside a number

:02:08.:02:09.

of places for children from poorer backgrounds.

:02:10.:02:12.

Critics of the plans say it would be a return to the days when pupils

:02:13.:02:18.

were divided into winners and losers at the age of 11, as our education

:02:19.:02:22.

The best chance for the brightest kids or a chance for the few at the

:02:23.:02:34.

expense of the many. Grammar schools have never gone away, one of the

:02:35.:02:40.

great battle grounds in education. You can use a calculator. This is

:02:41.:02:44.

where Theresa May's top adviser came to school. Now it could be the model

:02:45.:02:48.

for a new generation of grammar schools. Because you're getting a

:02:49.:02:53.

place is not just about test scores. I think it's hard to find a test

:02:54.:02:58.

which will be immune to practice and tutoring. This group of grammar

:02:59.:03:02.

schools set aside some places, up to a quarter go to children from lower

:03:03.:03:14.

income families. It's about the children, maximising the impact and

:03:15.:03:16.

life chances, the impact they can have on all those children whatever

:03:17.:03:19.

their background. Grammar schools have a history of getting pupils

:03:20.:03:21.

into top universities but some fear this entrenches privilege. Grammar

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schools are proud of their tradition of academic excellence. The problem

:03:27.:03:30.

is that very few have gone as far as this school in making sure that poor

:03:31.:03:35.

pupils get places. It's why the debate about who gets into grammar

:03:36.:03:41.

schools is now going to be crucial. The Education Secretary went to a

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Coprah offensive in Rotherham. Now she will have to push through a law

:03:46.:03:49.

to allow new grammar schools. There will be no return to the simplistic

:03:50.:03:53.

binary choice of the past were schools separate children into

:03:54.:03:56.

winners or losers, successes or failures. The government wants to

:03:57.:04:03.

focus on the future, to build on our successes and create a truly

:04:04.:04:09.

21st-century school system. Labour appointed to research that poor

:04:10.:04:14.

children have lost, not gained from selection. This policy will entrench

:04:15.:04:19.

inequality and disadvantage. It will be the lucky few who can afford the

:04:20.:04:25.

tuition who will get ahead and the disadvantaged will be left behind. A

:04:26.:04:31.

policy for the few at the expense of the many. Skegness Grammar school is

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a part of a group of academy schools. Closer links like this will

:04:36.:04:40.

be expected in future because each grammar school has a knock-on

:04:41.:04:44.

impact. But will that be enough to meet the concerns of senior Tory

:04:45.:04:50.

critics? We don't want to blast back to the past, if we are going to have

:04:51.:04:53.

new selective schools of any type they had to fit in with the system

:04:54.:04:57.

and make sure the blend with multi-academy trusts, the options

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for university technical colleges and so on. A grammar school

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education is still what some families want but many believe it's

:05:05.:05:09.

not the best or the only way to give children the chance to excel.

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Our political correspondent Vicki Young is at Westminster.

:05:14.:05:19.

We know it's a controversial policy, what is the Prime Minister's

:05:20.:05:26.

thinking in pursuing it like this? For Theresa May it's about social

:05:27.:05:30.

mobility, she said that is what she wanted to do when she became Prime

:05:31.:05:34.

Minister and she feels education can be key to that. The problem is that

:05:35.:05:38.

with grammar schools there is little evidence they have actually been

:05:39.:05:42.

achieving that, helping the most disadvantaged pupils to fill their

:05:43.:05:45.

potential. She is not simply bringing in a new wave of grammar

:05:46.:05:50.

schools, she is going to attach conditions. It's going to be done in

:05:51.:06:00.

a different way, a certain number of places reserved for those poor

:06:01.:06:02.

children but also closer ties with local schools. I think that an

:06:03.:06:06.

attempt to raise standards and try to persuade sceptical MPs and the

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House of Lords that they should pass this new legislation. We also

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understand there will be changes to the ways that faith schools select

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pupils, that was said to encourage new Catholic schools to open which

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they regard as very popular and successful. There are many here in

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Westminster who think this talk of a few grammar schools in England is a

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distraction from a much broader issue about raising standards in

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senior schools across the state sector, the schools that the

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majority of pupils go to. Thank you very much.

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Diplomatic efforts to build a peace settlement in Syria are intensifying

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as the United States and Russia prepare to hold talks

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Both sides have agreed that any deal would involve a meaningful ceasefire

:06:45.:06:55.

and humanitarian access to parts of the country worst affected

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One of those heavily affected areas is Mouadamiya a rebel-held suburb

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From there, our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen has sent this report.

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This road is paved with guns, tears and loss.

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These families in the UN's words have faced four years

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Children starve, starving people eat grass, amid fighting

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Many of the children here are too young to remember peace.

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The departing families had fled from a neighbouring enclave emptied

:07:43.:07:45.

at the end of August in an evacuation

:07:46.:07:47.

For the regime, both places were nests of terrorists.

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Local men said they were just defending themselves.

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These are forced evacuations, siege and starvation

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Children were dressed in their best clothes for the journey.

:08:17.:08:22.

TRANSLATION: We've left behind tragedy.

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Two of this woman's sons were killed and so were two grand daughters.

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TRANSLATION: My heart was broken for my two children.

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They went looking for food and they never came back.

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My two grand daughters, ten and 15 years old,

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Those are my memories of the last four years.

:08:59.:09:10.

Look at the faces of some of the civilians, you can see

:09:11.:09:17.

the strain they have been living under for such a long time.

:09:18.:09:22.

Now, massive disruption in their lives, huge tragedy.

:09:23.:09:27.

But for the government, this is a good day because they are

:09:28.:09:30.

strengthening their hold on the area around the capital.

:09:31.:09:35.

For President Assad, that counts as an important step forward.

:09:36.:09:41.

For the rebels, all this adds up to a defeat.

:09:42.:09:46.

Syrian Army soldiers searched everyone leaving.

:09:47.:09:51.

They seemed to respect the opposition fighters who emerged

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After a few minutes, the two groups warmed up enough

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He's there, he has a picture of Assad on his uniform?

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He's a person, he's a Syrian man, I don't hate him.

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For me, I want all people who killed us, who killed our children,

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who attack us, to be judged and put in jail.

:10:22.:10:23.

Some rebel fighters could follow the civilians out if they're

:10:24.:10:37.

This war might have years left in it, but in this part

:10:38.:10:42.

of the the capital suburbs for now, it looks to be over.

:10:43.:10:44.

Four men from Birmingham and Stoke on Trent have been charged

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They were all arrested on 26th August.

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On that day an army bomb disposal van was called a business

:10:59.:11:01.

All four men will be now be brought to London and will appear

:11:02.:11:05.

at Westminster Magistrates Court tomorrow morning.

:11:06.:11:13.

In Paris, a woman has been shot and wounded as she was arrested

:11:14.:11:16.

along with two others by police investigating the discovery of a car

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containing gas canisters near Notre Dame Cathedral

:11:22.:11:23.

France's interior minister has described the three women

:11:24.:11:26.

aged between 19 and 39 as 'radicalised fanatics'.

:11:27.:11:29.

A policeman was stabbed during the arrests.

:11:30.:11:32.

The Prime Minister has held her first formal face-to-face

:11:33.:11:36.

meeting with Donald Tusk, president of the European Council,

:11:37.:11:38.

on the preparations for the UK's exit from the European Union.

:11:39.:11:42.

Mrs May said the aim was to make the process as smooth as possible.

:11:43.:11:46.

And she said the UK would take time to prepare for the negotiations,

:11:47.:11:49.

repeating that Article 50, the mechanism for Brexit,

:11:50.:11:52.

would not be triggered before the end of the year.

:11:53.:11:59.

The former president of Switzerland has added her voice to the debate

:12:00.:12:02.

on Brexit; she told the BBC that Britain should work with the Swiss

:12:03.:12:05.

to try to secure a new deal with the EU maintaining access

:12:06.:12:09.

to the single market while changing the rules

:12:10.:12:11.

Switzerland, which is not a member of the European Union,

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is currently trying to renegotiate its relationship with the EU

:12:17.:12:19.

after the country rejected free movement of people in 2014.

:12:20.:12:22.

Our economics editor Kamal Ahmed has been to see if Switzerland has any

:12:23.:12:25.

It's a country viewed as quiet, serene.

:12:26.:12:33.

But beneath the picturesque exterior Switzerland has been split

:12:34.:12:36.

Concerns so strong, in 2014 it voted against freedom

:12:37.:12:43.

This small country, wholly surrounded by EU member states,

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has suddenly discovered it could be a player in Britain's Brexit debate.

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This is the beautiful town of Bremgarton.

:12:58.:13:00.

It's in the heart of an area of Switzerland which voted most

:13:01.:13:03.

It might not look much like Britain, but the concerns here are very

:13:04.:13:09.

Worries about who exactly controls the border with the European Union.

:13:10.:13:20.

Micheline Calmy-Rey is the former president of Switzerland and well

:13:21.:13:24.

knows how hard it is trying to negotiate with the EU.

:13:25.:13:27.

She says it's time for her country and Britain to join forces.

:13:28.:13:34.

The European Union is very rigid on the question of freedom

:13:35.:13:37.

of movement and I think if the European Union doesn't

:13:38.:13:41.

integrate diversity inside its institution it

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Ladies and gentlemen we are now arriving at Zurich main station.

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From Geneva to Zurich to talk to the man who negotiated

:13:58.:14:00.

Switzerland's major trade deals with the EU.

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Could there be movement on the freedom of movement?

:14:03.:14:06.

I think the basic problem is what I call the binary problem.

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You are either fully in or you are fully out.

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And this does not serve the interest I think neither

:14:14.:14:16.

of the European Union nor of the outsiders.

:14:17.:14:20.

I am sure that Brexit is sort of a catalyser

:14:21.:14:24.

for contributing to the debate, whether the European Union has

:14:25.:14:27.

Theresa May knows she's going to need allies

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if she is going to get the best Brexit deal possible

:14:35.:14:37.

and here in Switzerland she has a willing partner.

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I have been told that Swiss diplomats have already been

:14:42.:14:45.

dispatched to London to look at opening lines of communication.

:14:46.:14:48.

There is a willingness ro cooperate on limiting the freedom of movement,

:14:49.:14:53.

on retaining legal sovereignty and working on those

:14:54.:14:55.

When it comes to tackling the European Union, it does

:14:56.:15:02.

appear that two voices may well be louder than one.

:15:03.:15:05.

There will be difficult issues to bridge.

:15:06.:15:08.

Yes, demands for flexibility, but the EU knows that

:15:09.:15:10.

If the EU is too soft with the UK other countries might

:15:11.:15:18.

This might be the end of EU integration as we know it now.

:15:19.:15:23.

So it's a very important political problem, not only economic.

:15:24.:15:25.

It's been a long time, two years since Switzerland voted

:15:26.:15:30.

for immigration quotas, and the EU has yet refused to budge.

:15:31.:15:37.

But that was before a possible new ally decided it had had enough

:15:38.:15:40.

The opening day of the Paralympic games have been getting under way,

:15:41.:15:54.

and tonight there has been success for Team GB on the cycling track

:15:55.:15:57.

as Dame Sarah Storey has won her 12th gold medal.

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She's has now become Team GB's most successful female paralympian.

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Our sports correspondent Andy Swiss reports.

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So would the fans come? Well, this was the answer.

:16:11.:16:16.

After all the worries over ticket sales, thousands flocked to the

:16:17.:16:20.

Paralympic Park hoping for a dramatic day. After a dramatic

:16:21.:16:24.

night. Among the opening ceremony's

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highlights, American winter paralympian Amy Purdy dancing the

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Samba with a robot. It wasn't a total celebration. The booing of the

:16:33.:16:37.

Brazilian President a reminder of the country's problems. But this was

:16:38.:16:42.

the true Paralympic spirit, torch bearer and former athlete Marcia

:16:43.:16:47.

Malsar slipped on a rain-soaked floor, but the stadium rose in

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support as she picked herself up and carrying on, her determination to

:16:55.:16:59.

succeed which Rio will hope the Games can emulate. With the first

:17:00.:17:03.

day of action bring a moment of history? The fastest Dame on two

:17:04.:17:10.

wheels, Sarah Storey chasing a place in the record books. She was up

:17:11.:17:15.

against Lane. The 3,000 metre pursuit was over in a flash. So what

:17:16.:17:21.

no British woman's ever achieved, a 12th Paralympic title for Stoerye

:17:22.:17:26.

and a new pinnacle in an extraordinary career. Born without a

:17:27.:17:31.

functioning left hand, Storey started out as an outstanding

:17:32.:17:35.

swimmer before becoming an even better cyclist, a world beater

:17:36.:17:39.

across two sports and the woman whose record she's surpassed told me

:17:40.:17:45.

it was richly deserved. For Sarah and Sport Cycling to win 12 golds is

:17:46.:17:50.

amazing and well deserved. She did incredibly well as a swimmer,

:17:51.:17:54.

transferred to cycling. There's a bit of me that wished she started

:17:55.:17:58.

cycling earlier because that's her sport. She is looked up to and

:17:59.:18:01.

respected because she's an incredible person. Earlier,

:18:02.:18:07.

Britain's first gold of the Games went to Megan three years after

:18:08.:18:12.

taking up cycling after a stroke. She proved untop jab, catching her

:18:13.:18:15.

opponent with ease. Britain's medal tally off the mark in emphatic

:18:16.:18:21.

style. The day's biggest cheers came for the hosts in the visually

:18:22.:18:28.

impaired long jump, Ricciardo Costa leaping for glory. Brazil's first

:18:29.:18:33.

gold of the Games after a difficult build-up, already plenty to

:18:34.:18:37.

celebrate. A great moment for Brazil and it's

:18:38.:18:41.

turning into a great night for Britain. In the last 20 minutes or

:18:42.:18:46.

so, there's been more British success, another gold in the

:18:47.:18:52.

velodrome for Steve Bait and Adam Doubleby in the tandem, gold in the

:18:53.:18:58.

pool, Olly Hind winning the 400 metres in a new world record time

:18:59.:19:02.

and more chances in the swimming somewhere John Fox and Bethany Firth

:19:03.:19:07.

both with real prospects. So four golds already, it seems another

:19:08.:19:11.

British gold rush is under way here in Rio, Huw. Thank you very much.

:19:12.:19:13.

We'll talk again tomorrow. The Labour leadership contender

:19:14.:19:17.

Owen Smith has confirmed that he would favour

:19:18.:19:20.

a new referendum on the terms of Brexit

:19:21.:19:24.

negotiated by the government. He was facing questions -

:19:25.:19:27.

alongside the leader Jeremy Corbyn - from voters in Oldham this evening

:19:28.:19:30.

in a special edition Our political correspondent

:19:31.:19:37.

Alex Forsyth is there. I mentioned the debate, but who came

:19:38.:19:48.

out on top, if either did? We are approaching the final stages of this

:19:49.:19:51.

leadership contest and, despite weeks of such debates, it doesn't

:19:52.:19:55.

really seem to have moved much. Jeremy Corbyn's still deemed to be

:19:56.:19:59.

the front-runner among party members, Owen Smith is still

:20:00.:20:02.

commanding the majority of support from MPs and tonight, there was

:20:03.:20:06.

familiar territory on domestic policy issues, the two candidates

:20:07.:20:10.

largely agree on the need for investment in Public Services, on

:20:11.:20:14.

opposing austerity. Their differences on the EU once again

:20:15.:20:18.

clear, Owen Smith saying he thinks we should fight against Brexit.

:20:19.:20:22.

Jeremy Corbyn saying that democratic referendum result should be

:20:23.:20:25.

respected. What this really boils down to is, who is the best man to

:20:26.:20:30.

lead Labour. That is where some of the more heated exchanges came

:20:31.:20:35.

tonight, Owen Smith questioning Jeremy Corbyn's leadership

:20:36.:20:37.

credentials, Jeremy Corbyn saying he's the man who can unite the

:20:38.:20:41.

Labour Party. Owen, I don't fully understand what the problem is. You

:20:42.:20:45.

obviously have enormous talents. Why can't we work together?

:20:46.:20:48.

APPLAUSE. Well, I've said it several times,

:20:49.:20:53.

Jeremy. And I'll say it again to you. If I felt that you were going

:20:54.:20:58.

to lead Labour back to power, then I would work with you in the Shadow

:20:59.:21:02.

Cabinet. But I feel that you are satisfied to lead us in opposition.

:21:03.:21:08.

The audience tonight was made up of two thirds of Labour supporters and

:21:09.:21:12.

perhaps one of the most striking things was the tangible frustration

:21:13.:21:17.

from some audience members at both candidates, one saying they had

:21:18.:21:21.

rendered Labour unelectable, another saying it was a sad situation, a

:21:22.:21:26.

third saying quite simply, it was disgraceful. Perhaps that is a sign

:21:27.:21:30.

that no matter who wins this leadership contest, and we'll find

:21:31.:21:33.

out in just over two weeks, they have a mountain to climb, not just

:21:34.:21:38.

in terms of uniting Labour, but more importantly, getting into power.

:21:39.:21:40.

Alex, thank you very much. Millions of pounds will be invested

:21:41.:21:44.

in new flood barriers in England and more accurate forecasts will be

:21:45.:21:48.

developed following the floods of last Christmas when thousands

:21:49.:21:51.

of people were forced from their homes in

:21:52.:21:55.

Cumbria and Yorkshire. Critics say the Government's

:21:56.:21:58.

approach is not Our science editor David

:21:59.:22:00.

Shukman has more details. It was a winter that saw storms

:22:01.:22:04.

bringing terrible destruction. The bridge at Tadcaster

:22:05.:22:07.

just crumbling. The record rainfall

:22:08.:22:10.

swamped 16,000 homes. The sight of families being rescued

:22:11.:22:13.

was repeated week after week. So questions were raised

:22:14.:22:17.

about our flood defences and the government

:22:18.:22:20.

promised a review. Today it unveiled a new weapon

:22:21.:22:23.

against flooding. Temporary barriers which can be

:22:24.:22:26.

assembled where they are most The Army has units ready for the job

:22:27.:22:29.

and ministers say this should help. At the end of the day we don't know

:22:30.:22:36.

exactly where the rain is going to fall, I can't promise

:22:37.:22:39.

that no home will ever be not flooded again but I can say

:22:40.:22:42.

we are in a better place than we were last winter

:22:43.:22:45.

in being able to All these barriers are ready to be

:22:46.:22:47.

deployed to hold back the next big flood and there are six other sites

:22:48.:22:52.

like this across the country. It looks a lot until you read

:22:53.:22:55.

the detail of this report into last winter's flooding and see just how

:22:56.:22:59.

many vitally important pieces of infrastructure -

:23:00.:23:02.

water supplies, electricity networks, telecommunications -

:23:03.:23:05.

are still vulnerable to flooding. The report investigated exactly how

:23:06.:23:08.

many sites are at risk. It found that across England 820

:23:09.:23:13.

are vulnerable to flooding. Of those 290 are kept

:23:14.:23:17.

safe with good defences. And the potential impact

:23:18.:23:21.

of that is all too obvious. Even now the bridge at Tadcaster

:23:22.:23:27.

is still being repaired. Local people have long said

:23:28.:23:30.

the government is not doing enough for them and this was

:23:31.:23:33.

the reaction to that investment ?12.5 million, thank you for that,

:23:34.:23:37.

that's great but let's really get We need to be spending a lot

:23:38.:23:44.

more on the defences. Emergency repairs by

:23:45.:23:53.

helicopter last winter. The government has committed

:23:54.:23:56.

to ?2.5 billion to flood defence over six years but that

:23:57.:24:01.

won't protect everyone. Matthew Brown runs two pubs in

:24:02.:24:15.

Hebden Bridge. Both flooded on Christmas Day. He's worried they are

:24:16.:24:19.

still vulnerable. I don't believe to my knowledge there's anything

:24:20.:24:22.

stopping it. I'm still concerned it could happen.

:24:23.:24:23.

The floods tore through Northern England, Wales,

:24:24.:24:25.

And Met Office analysis has come up with a worrying conclusion;

:24:26.:24:31.

that there could easily be bigger storms to come.

:24:32.:24:35.

A mentally ill man stabbed a university lecturer to death

:24:36.:24:41.

in North London just days after prosecutors dropped charges

:24:42.:24:43.

against him for possessing knives and assaulting a policeman.

:24:44.:24:46.

Dr Yuroon Ensink was killed as he left home to post cards

:24:47.:24:50.

announcing the birth of his daughter.

:24:51.:24:52.

23-year-old Femi Nandap admitted his manslaughter by reason

:24:53.:24:56.

Bristol Crown Court has been hearing evidence in the case

:24:57.:25:02.

of Christopher Halliwell, a former taxi driver accused

:25:03.:25:06.

The court was told that Halliwell, who's defending himself,

:25:07.:25:10.

is already serving a life sentence for murdering another woman.

:25:11.:25:13.

Today he cross-examined Steve Fulcher, a former police

:25:14.:25:17.

office who arrested him for that murder.

:25:18.:25:19.

On the day of his arrest five years ago it is claimed that Halliwell led

:25:20.:25:23.

police to a field where the body of Becky Godden was discovered.

:25:24.:25:26.

He denies murdering Becky Godden; the trial continues.

:25:27.:25:30.

Public Health England has been asked to investigate high numbers

:25:31.:25:34.

of deaths among drug and alcohol users on the Wirral in Merseyside.

:25:35.:25:37.

BBC News has learned that investigators were called

:25:38.:25:40.

in by the local authority after 74 deaths were reported

:25:41.:25:43.

Official figures on deaths related solely to drugs in England and Wales

:25:44.:25:48.

Last year they were at record levels, as our social affairs

:25:49.:25:53.

correspondent Michael Buchanan reports.

:25:54.:25:59.

Plaid was ravaged by heroin in the '80s, Liverpool the first city in

:26:00.:26:05.

Britain to suffer a mass epidemic -- Merseyside. At one time, the highest

:26:06.:26:09.

rate of heroin abuse among teenagers was to be found here on the Wirral.

:26:10.:26:14.

Some of those who managed to survive are now dying off rapidly. Thinking

:26:15.:26:19.

back to the last funeral, you are thinking, I have to live... Frances

:26:20.:26:24.

has lost several friends in recent months. Like him, they were former

:26:25.:26:30.

heroin addicts reliant on rehabilitation report. He feels

:26:31.:26:33.

short comings in care contributed to the deaths. If they'd come in and

:26:34.:26:38.

worked in the spirit of openness and sharing and listening to what the

:26:39.:26:48.

users wanted, needed, then things could have been so different. Drug

:26:49.:26:52.

and alcohol services on the Wirral are provided by this organisation.

:26:53.:26:58.

Over the past 18 months, we've learnt 73 of their clients have died

:26:59.:27:02.

-- 74. The local council's asked public health England to

:27:03.:27:05.

investigate. Most die of long-term health problems, rather than drug

:27:06.:27:09.

overdoses, says the charity running the service. They say they are

:27:10.:27:13.

collaborating with inquiries and are not under investigation. They say

:27:14.:27:16.

they provide good support to service users. It's an opportunity to see

:27:17.:27:21.

can we prevent and intervene earlier to help people access the right

:27:22.:27:24.

treatment. We are not physical health treatment provider. It's not

:27:25.:27:28.

necessarily in our gift to make sure people get the respiratory care they

:27:29.:27:30.

need, for example. You could pass them on? Entirely. And it's not been

:27:31.:27:34.

happening? Not as much as it should do. On this street in Birmingham, we

:27:35.:27:40.

found plenty evidence of the city's enduring heroin problem. A number of

:27:41.:27:44.

users declining across the country, many still need support. The rehab

:27:45.:27:49.

budgets are being cut here, as elsewhere, this former GP spent deck

:27:50.:27:53.

aids working with drug users has significant concerns. Anything

:27:54.:27:57.

people can do to put more resources in in terms of people and trained

:27:58.:28:05.

helpers and time, we'll move towards getting a safe drug treatment

:28:06.:28:08.

service again. At the moment, it doesn't feel safe. Many former

:28:09.:28:12.

heroin users rely on methadone to survive. But in recent years,

:28:13.:28:18.

Government policy's been encouraging abstinence. Some pay extra to get

:28:19.:28:23.

users drug free. That approach works for some people but can have

:28:24.:28:27.

unintended consequences. Getting people to stop using drugs increases

:28:28.:28:33.

the risk of relapse into heroin use and illegal drug use and

:28:34.:28:35.

consequently increases the risk of sudden death. Heroin addiction in

:28:36.:28:39.

the housing estates of Edinburgh was the inspiration for a seminal novel.

:28:40.:28:44.

So-called Train Spotting generation are now dying as long-term drug

:28:45.:28:49.

dependence wrecks their bodies. It's led to record levels of drug related

:28:50.:28:54.

deaths in Scotland and England, a heroin epidemic decades ago still

:28:55.:28:57.

killing people. Michael Buchanan, BBC News.

:28:58.:29:00.

One of the most influential names in the arts world,

:29:01.:29:03.

Sir Nicholas Serota, is to step down as the director

:29:04.:29:06.

of the Tate Galleries to take up a new role as chair

:29:07.:29:08.

He was a leading light in the creation of the Tate Modern

:29:09.:29:13.

and over nearly three decades under his stewardship the gallery

:29:14.:29:17.

has expanded and the Tate has opened its first regional galleries.

:29:18.:29:30.

Prince Buster has died at his home in Florida, he was 78.

:29:31.:29:40.

His recordings in the 1906s, including One Step Beyond and

:29:41.:29:45.

madness provided a revival of scar music. Bands including Madness, who

:29:46.:29:52.

took their name from a Prince Buster song, covered a number of classics.

:29:53.:29:57.

Scientists working in Namibia say they've rewritten the biology

:29:58.:30:00.

of the tallest mammal on Earth, the giraffe.

:30:01.:30:02.

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation asked a team of scientists to carry

:30:03.:30:05.

out genetic analysis of giraffes in Namibia and found

:30:06.:30:07.

that the mammals have evolved into four distinct species.

:30:08.:30:10.

The previous assumption was that there was just

:30:11.:30:12.

Our correspondent Victoria Gill reports from Chester Zoo.

:30:13.:30:16.

But these animals are in decline, as their natural

:30:17.:30:22.

That threat was the trigger for scientists to sample giraffe DNA

:30:23.:30:31.

to find out more about these increasingly fragmented populations.

:30:32.:30:34.

What these new results show is that there are actually four

:30:35.:30:42.

different species of giraffe, all very tall and they look very

:30:43.:30:46.

similar, but they're actually genetically as distinct from each

:30:47.:30:49.

other as a polar bear is from a brown bear.

:30:50.:30:52.

So these animals have now been newly categorised.

:30:53.:30:56.

There are articulated giraffes, northern giraffes, southern giraffes

:30:57.:31:00.

It may look like a very tricky game of spot the difference,

:31:01.:31:07.

but to conservationists, it's crucial information.

:31:08.:31:10.

Now understanding there's real genetic differences helps us

:31:11.:31:16.

understand there may well be differences in mating behaviour

:31:17.:31:20.

Those are critical to conserving the species.

:31:21.:31:30.

The wild population of giraffes has declined by 40%

:31:31.:31:35.

So looking deep into their DNA could help conservationists

:31:36.:31:44.

to understand and protect the world's tallest mammals.

:31:45.:31:48.

Victoria Gill, BBC News, Chester Zoo.

:31:49.:31:57.

Tonight, we reveal the contents of the Government green paper which

:31:58.:32:08.

confirms Theresa May wants to make further selection in English

:32:09.:32:11.

education a key feature of her Government. Join me on BBC Two, 11

:32:12.:32:14.

o'clock in

:32:15.:32:15.

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