0:00:03 > 0:00:06Tonight at Ten.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09For the first time in over two years, North and South Korea engage
0:00:09 > 0:00:12in formal military talks.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15After months of rising tensions, representatives of North and South
0:00:15 > 0:00:19meet to try to defuse tensions around the border.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23And in a dramatic gesture, both countries agree to appear
0:00:23 > 0:00:27together at the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31I'm live in Seoul on what has been a day of dramatic change
0:00:31 > 0:00:34in the temperature of relations between North and south.
0:00:34 > 0:00:42We'll have the latest on the talks which represent
0:00:42 > 0:00:43Also tonight.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45More women and MPs from ethnic minorities become ministers
0:00:45 > 0:00:47on the second day of Theresa May's reshuffle.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51A court is told that the football coach Barry Bennell was a predatory
0:00:51 > 0:00:56paedophile who engaged in the systemic abuse of young boys.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57The intelligent suitcase.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59We look at the latest applications of technology
0:00:59 > 0:01:05at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Everyone is listening and I am in the same room
0:01:07 > 0:01:09as the Royal couple right now.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11And a Royal visit to a radio station which trains hundreds
0:01:11 > 0:01:16of young people in media and employment skills.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Coming up on Sportsday later in the hour on BBC News,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Manchester City have to dig deep in their League Cup semifinal
0:01:22 > 0:01:32against Bristol City.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Good evening.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52For the first time in over two years, North and South Korea have
0:01:52 > 0:01:55engaged in formal military talks to try to defuse tensions
0:01:55 > 0:01:56between the two countries.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00The South has asked the North to end any hostile acts while the North
0:02:00 > 0:02:02agreed there was a need to guarantee a peaceful environment
0:02:02 > 0:02:04on the Korean peninsula.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The North will also send a delegation to the Winter Olympics
0:02:07 > 0:02:10taking place in South Korea next month.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14It represents a sudden and dramatic change after months of tension.
0:02:14 > 0:02:22Let's join our correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Seoul tonight.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27It was just last week that North Korea's dictator in his new year
0:02:27 > 0:02:31message made the sudden and unexpected announcement that he
0:02:31 > 0:02:34wanted to open talks with South Korea and that he was willing now to
0:02:34 > 0:02:38send a delegation to the Winter Olympic that is begin here in South
0:02:38 > 0:02:43Korea next month. Well, today those talks happened and they produced a
0:02:43 > 0:02:50result that not many people would have predicted just a few weeks ago.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52The skiers on the slopes of PyeongChang today were moving
0:02:52 > 0:02:55a little slower than they will be in a month's time.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00Then, the world's best will be flying down these pistes.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04And now we know that when the Olympic Games open
0:03:04 > 0:03:07here on February 7th, there will be a full
0:03:07 > 0:03:10North Korean team competing.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14They will march in side by side with their South Korean compatriots.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19TRANSLATION:I think with sport, we can put everything aside
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and everyone should do their best to achieve their goals
0:03:21 > 0:03:24in the competition.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30North Korea is just 50 miles away in that direction,
0:03:30 > 0:03:32and the North has really completely overshadowed preparations
0:03:32 > 0:03:34for the Olympics here.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Some teams have threatened to pull out.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Ticket sales have been slow - you can see this place isn't exactly
0:03:39 > 0:03:40humming with skiers.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43So there is immense relief here that the North and the South
0:03:43 > 0:03:46are now at least talking.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48This morning, North Korea's chief delegate, Ri Son Gwon,
0:03:48 > 0:03:54strode across the demarcation line that divides the two Koreas.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57He warmly shook the hand of his South Korean counterpart.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01"The weather is cold", he said, "but despite the cold,
0:04:01 > 0:04:07the people's desire for improving relations is unfrozen".
0:04:07 > 0:04:14It's hard to overstate how dramatic and rapid this shift has been.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19It's only a month since North Korea test-fired this huge new missile,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23boasting that it could hit any city in the United States.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Off the coast of Korea, US aircraft carriers massed,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31their decks swarming with supersonic strike aircraft.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37It felt like this region was teetering on the brink of war.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41So is Pyongyang's sudden change of heart real,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44or just a tactic to avoid war with America?
0:04:44 > 0:04:51North Korea would like to gain time in order to avoid a potential
0:04:51 > 0:04:57immediate retaliation by the United States against its WMD
0:04:57 > 0:05:01facilities and eventually re-engage in the provocation cycle
0:05:01 > 0:05:04so that it can threaten the United States with nuclear action.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07The Winter Olympics may be a cover for Kim Jong-Un,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10a convenient excuse for him to step back from the brink.
0:05:10 > 0:05:16But here in the South, any chance to talk is better
0:05:16 > 0:05:21than the terrifying alternative.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Let's pick up on the final point, what do you read into the wider
0:05:25 > 0:05:30significance of what's happened here?Well, I guess the big question
0:05:30 > 0:05:33here is can these talks lead anywhere down the road to North
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Korea getting rid of its nuclear weapons? At this stage it's very
0:05:37 > 0:05:43hard to tell what is going on in the mind of Kim Jong Un. He has stated
0:05:43 > 0:05:47that he wants his country to be recognised as a full nuclear state.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51South Korea and its ally the United States have insisted that its
0:05:51 > 0:05:55nuclear weapons programme must be on the table if negotiations are to
0:05:55 > 0:05:59succeed. So, this is very, very early days. It will be a very long
0:05:59 > 0:06:05road. But I think the situation here in the last year has been so tense,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08so frightening for people here in South Korea and the whole of this
0:06:08 > 0:06:15region, that the feeling is these talks have to be given a chance and
0:06:15 > 0:06:20that in a process that will take years, if there is any success at
0:06:20 > 0:06:24all, then that nuclear weapons programme has to be on the table and
0:06:24 > 0:06:29has to be up for negotiation from the North Korean side. If it's not,
0:06:29 > 0:06:35then these talks will fail.Rupert, many thanks.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38The Government reshuffle carried out by Theresa May has resulted in more
0:06:38 > 0:06:40women and MPs from ethnic minorities being appointed ministers.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44The Prime Minister said the changes meant the Government would look more
0:06:44 > 0:06:47like the country it served and gave opportunities to a new
0:06:47 > 0:06:53generation of ministers.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Several long-standing ministers have lost their jobs
0:06:55 > 0:06:57as our deputy political editor John Pienaar reports.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Allowed through the door at Number Ten today for a quick peek
0:06:59 > 0:07:01at the new look cabinet.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Nobody moved.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Almost nobody moved yesterday, because Theresa May
0:07:06 > 0:07:07couldn't make them.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Where is she?
0:07:09 > 0:07:10There she is.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, was in the way and wouldn't budge,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15just like yesterday.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18The new faces in the top team were happy enough, though.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21There's lots of energy, lots of ideas.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24It was a really important meeting this morning,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27with a sense of renewed vigour.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28And the losers?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30I did what I thought the right thing to do was.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Justine Greening, now ex-Education Secretary, had no regrets.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35She wouldn't switch jobs.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Now she's jogged off.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40You have to be careful about who you alienate.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42You can't make too many enemies?
0:07:42 > 0:07:44No, you can't.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46That is the simple truth of all reshuffles.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51But I do think the Prime Minister has balanced it well.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55We have stability at Cabinet level, and we have new blood coming
0:07:55 > 0:07:57through into the other layers of government.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00So the balancing act, she's got right.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Bringing the Tory Party closer to people was today's mission,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07making government look more like the electorate and somehow
0:08:07 > 0:08:11retrieving old loyalties that were junked by potential voters.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Excited about the prospect of joining the government?
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Very.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18So for those judged the brightest and the best,
0:08:18 > 0:08:19the guessing game was over.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22You live in hope these days.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Are you pleased with your new job?
0:08:24 > 0:08:27They left Number Ten happier than they went in.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Some couldn't bear to wait for the official announcement before
0:08:29 > 0:08:30passing on the news.
0:08:30 > 0:08:38Congratulations, what have you got?
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Altogether, 14 MPs were given jobs, eight of them women
0:08:41 > 0:08:43and five from ethnic minorities.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Meanwhile, another plan went wrong today.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Toby Young, appointed to the board of a new university regulator,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50resigned under pressure.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53He had helped set up free schools, but past inflammatory comments
0:08:53 > 0:08:58and tweets forced him to step down before he could start his new role.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00An embarrassment to the Government, but a relief to critics,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02including Tories.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Clearly, due diligence wasn't done.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09I made it clear I thought it was the wrong thing to do
0:09:09 > 0:09:13because of some very extreme things that Toby Young had said
0:09:13 > 0:09:15in the past on eugenics, on the disabled and the way
0:09:15 > 0:09:19he described working class people.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Newly appointed and promoted ministers are looking happy tonight.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23They always do.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26But this reshuffle, the ministers Theresa May couldn't move or sack,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29has been as much a mark of her political vulnerability
0:09:29 > 0:09:31as the sign of strength her party wanted.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Tory MPs can only hope for a tighter grip at the top
0:09:34 > 0:09:36in what will be a defining year.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39British politics is as volatile as it's been in modern times.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Unpredictability is the new normal.
0:09:41 > 0:09:49John Pienaar, BBC News, Westminster.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Steve Bannon, the former White House advisor to President Trump,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54has resigned as executive chairman of Breitbart News,
0:09:54 > 0:09:59the right-wing news organisation.
0:09:59 > 0:10:08Mr Bannon has recently been quoted in a new book
0:10:08 > 0:10:09criticising President Trump's son.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Breitbart said that Mr Bannon was a valued part of its legacy
0:10:12 > 0:10:13and they'd always be grateful for his contributions.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Our North America editor Jon Sopel joins us from Washington now.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21What do you make of it, Jon?One of the things it means is this is an
0:10:21 > 0:10:23elegant lesson in what happens when you cross the Trump family, if you
0:10:23 > 0:10:30look at what Steve Bannon was quoted as saying in Michael Wolff's book
0:10:30 > 0:10:33published last week, he said Donald Trump Junior had been treasonous in
0:10:33 > 0:10:38a meeting he held at Trump Towers with a number of Russians with links
0:10:38 > 0:10:45to the Kremlin. Ivanka Trump, he said she was as dumb as a brick. Now
0:10:45 > 0:10:51Steve Bannon was the chief strategist of the White House. And
0:10:51 > 0:10:54the intellectual underpinning of Donald Trump's Make America Great
0:10:54 > 0:10:59Again and America First policies. He was promising that later this year
0:10:59 > 0:11:04in the mid-term elections he would be running a raft of populist
0:11:04 > 0:11:06candidates against established republicans, he was going to burn
0:11:06 > 0:11:11down the republican party. Well it looks like he has burned himself
0:11:11 > 0:11:14down by giving these quotes. Now what's happened was over the past
0:11:14 > 0:11:19week that donors have been pulling money out of Breitbart News. When
0:11:19 > 0:11:23the book was published Donald Trump said he not only lost his job, he
0:11:23 > 0:11:28has lost his mind. Well, now he has lost his platform as well.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34Many thanks, Jon. The latest there at the White House.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The trial of Barry Bennell, the former football coach, has been
0:11:37 > 0:11:42told that he was a predatory and determined paedophile whose job
0:11:42 > 0:11:45had given him unfetterred access to large numbers of boys.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Bennell, who's now known as Richard Jones, has already
0:11:47 > 0:11:50admitted seven charges of indecent assault between 1979 and 1991.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53He's pleaded not guilty to a further 48 counts of historical child sex
0:11:53 > 0:11:56offences as our sports editor Dan Roan reports.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00A successful former coach in the 1980s, Barry Bennell worked
0:12:00 > 0:12:02with some of the most promising young footballers in
0:12:02 > 0:12:04the northwest of England.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Youth team coach at Crewe Alexandra, he also had links with
0:12:08 > 0:12:09Manchester City and Stoke City.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11But today, Liverpool Crown Court was told the 63-year-old,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13who now calls himself Richard Jones, was also a predatory,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17determined and devious paedophile.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21For the prosecution, Nicholas Johnson QC told
0:12:21 > 0:12:23the jury that Bennell, who appeared via video link
0:12:23 > 0:12:25because of ill-health, engaged in a course of conduct over
0:12:25 > 0:12:27many years involving systematic and persistent sexual abuse of pre
0:12:27 > 0:12:32or peri-pubescent boys.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35He had pretty much unfettered access to large numbers of young
0:12:35 > 0:12:39lads who dreamt of life in professional football.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Although it seemed that Mr Bennell was a skilled
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and relatively successful coach, he said, he had a much darker side.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48The court was told that Bennell had previously served
0:12:48 > 0:12:52two prison sentences, both here and in the United States
0:12:52 > 0:12:54for serious sexual offences against junior footballers,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57but that he insisted the current complainants were maliciously making
0:12:57 > 0:13:02up stories about him, seeking attention or compensation.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04The court was told that Bennell subjected boys to hundreds
0:13:04 > 0:13:07of assaults and even carried out some of his crimes here,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10in one of the changing rooms at the ground of Crewe Alexandra.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13But several alleged victims also played for clubs
0:13:13 > 0:13:16linked to Manchester City.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19One alleged he was abused when aged between 11 and 13 more than 100
0:13:19 > 0:13:22times after Bennell introduced himself as a scout for the club.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Another claimed he was abused at Bennell's house and on football
0:13:25 > 0:13:28tours, where horror movies would be played to soften up his victims.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31And one complainant, who threatened to report the abuse,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35said Bennell told him that nobody would believe him and that,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37"I've got people playing professional football now that I've
0:13:37 > 0:13:42done these things to - you're nothing".
0:13:42 > 0:13:44The jury was told they would have to decide between Bennell's version
0:13:44 > 0:13:47of events or believe the prosecution's case that he'd
0:13:47 > 0:13:49committed sexual offences on a large scale against very vulnerable lads.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52The trial continues.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Dan Roan, BBC News, Liverpool.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Five men and a woman have appeared in court charged with belonging
0:14:00 > 0:14:02to the banned far-right group National Action.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05The six who were arrested during raids across England last week
0:14:05 > 0:14:09appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13They'll appear at the Old Bailey later this month.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The Director-General of the BBC has been asked to appear before MPs
0:14:16 > 0:14:19to answer questions about gender and pay at the Corporation.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Lord Hall will face questions by the Culture
0:14:21 > 0:14:23and Media Select Committee.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26The request comes after the BBC's former China editor Carrie Gracie
0:14:26 > 0:14:30resigned from her post, complaining about unequal pay.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36She's also been asked to appear before MPs.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The number of people waiting more than four hours in Accident &
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Emergency departments in Scotland reached a record high
0:14:40 > 0:14:44in the last week of 2017.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47New figures show only 78% of patients were seen
0:14:47 > 0:14:49within the Government's four-hour target, the lowest proportion
0:14:49 > 0:14:52since weekly data started being published three years ago.
0:14:52 > 0:14:58Our Scotland editor, Sarah Smith, reports.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59Busy Accident & Emergency departments in Scotland
0:14:59 > 0:15:01mean patients are facing record waiting times.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04In the last week of the year, over 20% waited for more
0:15:04 > 0:15:08than four hours to be seen.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Nearly 300 waited longer than 12 hours, figures described
0:15:10 > 0:15:17today as a "disgrace."
0:15:17 > 0:15:19The figures out today are for the week ending in Hogmanay,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21a very, very challenging week for our health service,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24flu really beginning to kick in that week.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28For example, 40% increase in calls to the Scottish Ambulance Service
0:15:28 > 0:15:31on Hogmanay alone.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Of course, our staff are working extremely hard on the front-line
0:15:34 > 0:15:38to keep patients safe.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41In the week between Christmas and New Year, only 78% of people
0:15:41 > 0:15:46visiting A&E were seen within the target of four hours.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51That's compared to 92% for the same week the year before.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54The delays are not because of increased patient numbers,
0:15:54 > 0:16:00only 635 more people attended A&E departments.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02One reason given for the increased waiting times
0:16:02 > 0:16:04is a surge in flu infections.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Cases of flu in Scotland are running at more than double
0:16:07 > 0:16:09the rate in England, more than twice as many
0:16:09 > 0:16:13as there were last year, and that's now a significant concern.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17I just wasn't sure.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Patients with flu take longer to assess and require treatment
0:16:19 > 0:16:21in individual rooms, as staff try to minimise
0:16:21 > 0:16:24the spread of infection.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The team have had to work extremely hard all the way over Christmas
0:16:27 > 0:16:28and the New Year period.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29Worse than before?
0:16:29 > 0:16:30I would say so.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34I've been doing this job for many years and I think it's probably one
0:16:34 > 0:16:35of the busiest times we've had.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37The Health Minister, visiting a hospital in Perth,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40insists the Scottish NHS is performing well overall,
0:16:40 > 0:16:45with far fewer cancelled operations than south of the border.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47In Lanarkshire, some of the NHS admin staff have been volunteering
0:16:47 > 0:16:49on the wards to help the overstretched nurses.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52I was a bed buster.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53What's a bed buster?
0:16:53 > 0:16:57It was basically going and helping the ward staff to strip down
0:16:57 > 0:17:01the beds after a patient had been discharged, so that it's cleaned
0:17:01 > 0:17:05and made up and ready for the patient to come into,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and do that as quickly as possible, to save the nursing staff
0:17:07 > 0:17:10doing it themselves.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13NHS spending is significantly higher in Scotland, about £160 more
0:17:13 > 0:17:17per person than in England.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Greater integrated health and social care is meant to mean
0:17:19 > 0:17:23fewer delayed discharges, less bed-blocking, but today's
0:17:23 > 0:17:26figures show that the winter health crisis has hit Scotland hard.
0:17:26 > 0:17:32Sarah Smith, BBC News, Perth.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35The Syrian army has accused Israel of launching a series of strikes
0:17:35 > 0:17:38on targets close to the capital Damascus.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40It says both Israeli warplanes and missiles were deployed
0:17:40 > 0:17:44and claims it brought down one plane.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Israel has refused to confirm the military action.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Our chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet,
0:17:48 > 0:17:53is in Damascus with the latest.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57What's your assessment of what's going on?Well I think the reality
0:17:57 > 0:18:05is that Israel's main target was not Syria itself, but Syria's, two of
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Syria's most important rallying lice, that's the hez hez forces that
0:18:09 > 0:18:13happen to be Israel's most important enemies in this region. The Israeli
0:18:13 > 0:18:18jets and the missiles are said to have struck an arms depot north-east
0:18:18 > 0:18:23of Damascus, which is used both by the Syrian military and Hezbollah
0:18:23 > 0:18:29forces. Israel never comments on its air strikes against its neighbours
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Syria. Today the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,
0:18:33 > 0:18:39happened to speak to Nato ambassadors and emphasised Israel
0:18:39 > 0:18:43has a longstanding policy to stop any sign that Syria could be
0:18:43 > 0:18:47transferring what he called "game changing" weapons across the border
0:18:47 > 0:18:51into Lebanon. Israel is now striking Syrian territory every few months,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55but the timing of these strikes seems to be particularly
0:18:55 > 0:19:00significant. They come just two-days after what was regarded as a very
0:19:00 > 0:19:04important meeting of the Israeli security cabinet and the main item
0:19:04 > 0:19:08on the agenda - the growing threat along the Syrian-Israeli border.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13Because that border now is largely controlled by Syrian rebels. But the
0:19:13 > 0:19:18Syrian army is gaining ground. That doesn't just mean the Syrian army
0:19:18 > 0:19:24will be closing to Israel's borders, but also its allies, hez hez and
0:19:24 > 0:19:30Iran. That is not a threat that Israel takes seriously. When I asked
0:19:30 > 0:19:34a spokesperson about it and said Israel always attacks when its
0:19:34 > 0:19:38enemies, the Syrian rebels are losing ground. He warned, as the
0:19:38 > 0:19:42military did in a statement about a greater escalation of a war in this
0:19:42 > 0:19:48region. What thing is certain, Huw, none of these players in one of the
0:19:48 > 0:19:52region's biggest proxy wars want to be drawn into another major
0:19:52 > 0:19:58escalation. They all know the risks of an accidental tumbling into that.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Lyse many thanks once again for the latest there in Damascus. Lyse
0:20:02 > 0:20:12Doucet there for us.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of murder and two
0:20:16 > 0:20:18others are being sought by police after a shop worker
0:20:18 > 0:20:20was attacked in an argument about cigarette papers.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22The victim, Vijay Patel, died in hospital yesterday.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Our special correspondent, Lucy Manning, reports
0:20:24 > 0:20:25from north London.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27He worked hard in this shop in the quiet suburbs of north
0:20:27 > 0:20:30London, but one punch was to end Vijay Patel's life.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32On Saturday night, Abdullah Rahimzai was working alongside Mr Patel
0:20:32 > 0:20:35when three teenagers were told they couldn't buy cigarette
0:20:35 > 0:20:40papers unless they could prove they were 18.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44They threatened me to break the window, so that's why I ask him.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48I wish I didn't send him to the window, but because of
0:20:48 > 0:20:51the threat the guys made, I asked him only to see.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53When I reached the door, he was already knocked down.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56He was hit one punch.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00The family released this photo of Mr Patel in hospital before
0:21:00 > 0:21:07he died to try to help catch those who killed him.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10For his relatives in Slough, disbelief a night at work
0:21:10 > 0:21:13could end with such violence.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15He was just the greatest man.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20He was innocent, he was kind.
0:21:20 > 0:21:28He loved everyone and that's why we all loved him as well.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29He was the pillar of the house.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32You know how you take out the pillar and the house is not
0:21:32 > 0:21:34there, it's like this.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Everyone is broken down.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Mr Patel had come from India a decade ago, working
0:21:40 > 0:21:46all hours to help his family.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49He came to this country so he could support his family,
0:21:49 > 0:21:57so he could support his children.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00He could give them a better life, so they could get the best
0:22:00 > 0:22:01education as well.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03So they could have better lives ahead.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04A better future ahead as well.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Police say Mr Patel was murdered for trying to make
0:22:07 > 0:22:08others obey the law.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10It was a completely unprovoked attack on a man just
0:22:10 > 0:22:12doing his job here.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15The police have now arrested a 16-year-old and are looking
0:22:15 > 0:22:19for two other teenagers.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Mr Patel's nephew, the same age as the boy arrested,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25can't understand why they attacked him.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28One punch and one family left with nothing but their grief.
0:22:28 > 0:22:34Lucy Manning, BBC News.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38More than 170,000 people are expected to visit this year's
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The tech companies' latest developments include
0:22:45 > 0:22:47driverless taxis and new advances in artificial
0:22:47 > 0:22:48intelligence, including some uncannily human robots.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Our technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, is in
0:22:50 > 0:22:56Las Vegas with the latest.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Every year we see thousands of new products here. We try to spot the
0:23:00 > 0:23:06big trends. A couple of years ago it was virtual reality. This year it's
0:23:06 > 0:23:08very clearly artificial intelligence, trying to make
0:23:08 > 0:23:13products ever smarter. The other trend, the Chinese are everywhere. A
0:23:13 > 0:23:17big Chinese stand behind me, lots of other major Chinese companies who
0:23:17 > 0:23:21are competing with the American giants for dominance of AI - the
0:23:21 > 0:23:25technology of the future.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27A powerful and largely invisible technology is on the march.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29It's learning how to drive, it can recognise individual faces,
0:23:29 > 0:23:34and it knows an awful lot about our personal preferences.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38That technology is artificial intelligence and, in Las Vegas this
0:23:38 > 0:23:43week, tech firms are showing off how far it's come.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Hey, Sophia, can we shake hands?
0:23:47 > 0:23:50In a Las Vegas university lab, I'm meeting Sophia, a humanoid robot.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52How sophisticated do you think you are as a robot?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55I want people to perceive me as the robot I am.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58However, I wouldn't want to trick people into thinking I'm a human.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I just want to communicate with humans in the best possible
0:24:02 > 0:24:06ways, which includes looking like one.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Sophia, who's had advance notice of my questions,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12has few practical uses right now, but her creators believe she
0:24:12 > 0:24:15represents a big step on the road to artificial intelligence.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Our aspiration is to bring the machines to life,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22to create living, intelligent systems and there you'll see
0:24:22 > 0:24:26the greatest revolution in artificial intelligence.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30As this giant tech show gets under way, China's spending on AI
0:24:30 > 0:24:32and robotics is much in evidence, this suitcase recognises
0:24:32 > 0:24:38and follows its owner.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Here's China's biggest force in AI, the search giant Baidu,
0:24:41 > 0:24:46laying on a lavish Las Vegas event with the slogan - "AI is changing
0:24:46 > 0:24:49the world at China's speed".
0:24:49 > 0:24:53It calls itself China's Google, it's already a leader
0:24:53 > 0:24:55in technologies like facial recognition, and Baidu
0:24:55 > 0:24:57is confident China can challenge America's AI dominance.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01China is quickly catching up and the gap is closing,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05but China has a lot more people, much larger scale.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07It's a big market.
0:25:07 > 0:25:15So I think that's a foundation for China to prevail in the AI age.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Google, which usually keeps a low profile at this show,
0:25:19 > 0:25:25has chosen to put its name everywhere across Las Vegas,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27stressing its leading role in AI.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30We are trying to do our best to stay ahead.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32There's lots of great competition, lots of excitment.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35What it means is that there's a lot of investment going into this area,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37a lot of the best minds working on it.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40So I think you're going to see the field advance pretty quickly.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43It's arriving quite slowly.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Out in downtown Las Vegas, I've booked a ride in
0:25:46 > 0:25:50an autonomous taxi - no steering wheel, no pedals,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52no driver, and it's made by a French transport company.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55It's not just America and China racing to get ahead in AI.
0:25:55 > 0:26:01Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC News, Las Vegas.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03The Government has rewritten its ministerial code of conduct
0:26:03 > 0:26:05following widespread allegations of harassment at Westminster
0:26:05 > 0:26:08which emerged last year.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12The code states that inappropriate behaviour "will not be tolerated."
0:26:12 > 0:26:18The amended code also sets out ministers' duty to report any
0:26:18 > 0:26:19meetings that they conduct overseas.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Thousands of skiers and tourists have been trapped
0:26:22 > 0:26:25in the Swiss Alpine resort of Zermatt because huge falls
0:26:25 > 0:26:31of snow have blocked road and rail links.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The avalanche risk has been raised to its maximum level, forcing
0:26:34 > 0:26:35the closure of the slopes.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38A number of villages in southern Swizerland have been cut off
0:26:38 > 0:26:43after more than six feet of snow fell in 24-hours.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Virgin Trains has said it will no longer stock copies
0:26:46 > 0:26:49of the Daily Mail newspaper on its West Coast route.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53The firm said it made the decision after staff expressed concern
0:26:53 > 0:26:56about the paper's editorial stance on issues such as immigration,
0:26:56 > 0:27:03LGBT rights and unemployment.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06The Daily Mail said the decision, in its view, was "disgraceful."
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Our transport correspondent, Victoria Fritz, has the story.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10They're designed to sell papers, but headlines like these
0:27:10 > 0:27:12are precisely why the Daily Mail will no longer be sold
0:27:12 > 0:27:15on Virgin West Coast Trains.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20Staff at the train operator raised concerns over the paper's editorial
0:27:20 > 0:27:29position on issues like immigration and LGBT rights.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31A memo circulated to staff in November said:
0:27:34 > 0:27:36It was removed from on board shops immediately.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38But was that their call to make?
0:27:38 > 0:27:45I think it represents censorship.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49I think that people should have a choice of what paper
0:27:49 > 0:27:52they want to read on the train, even if it's a paper I don't
0:27:52 > 0:27:54personally want to read myself.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56If you want to buy the Daily Mail, they can buy it outside.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59If you don't like it, don't travel with them, I suppose.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01I don't think it's a terrible thing they've stopped
0:28:01 > 0:28:03selling the Daily Mail, to be honest.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Why not?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I just think it's a terrible paper.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Virgin Trains is not the first to distance itself from the paper.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Last year, Paper Chase apologised to followers on Twitter after users
0:28:12 > 0:28:20complained about a promotional deal that was run on the front page.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22It smacks to me a bit of censorship really -
0:28:22 > 0:28:24we know what's best for our commuters.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26The Daily Mail claims that at the time no other reason
0:28:26 > 0:28:29was given other than to save space, restricting sales to
0:28:29 > 0:28:31just three newspapers - The Mirror, The FT and The Times.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33The Daily Mail is a provocative paper.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36It's a lively paper, it's a very successful paper.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41It sells around 1.4, 1.5 million copies a day.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Some people criticise the fact we may use the word
0:28:43 > 0:28:45"Muslim" in a headline.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50We follow a very strict code set down by the media regulator.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54After all, only 70 copies of the paper are sold a day
0:28:54 > 0:28:57on Virgin West Coast Trains, but this decision speaks
0:28:57 > 0:28:59volumes about how we engage with views that
0:28:59 > 0:29:00are different from our own.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Victoria Fritz, BBC News.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Prince Harry and his fiancee, Meghan Markle, have visited
0:29:07 > 0:29:11a radio station at Brixton, in south London, where they met
0:29:11 > 0:29:14presenters and staff from Reprezent FM, which trains hundreds of young
0:29:14 > 0:29:16people every year in media and employment skills.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Our royal correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, was there.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23His report contains some flash photography.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26They travel with all the paraphernalia of royalty,
0:29:26 > 0:29:28but Harry and Meghan are the new Royal couple
0:29:28 > 0:29:31determined to do things just a little differently.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34So this was a visit to a radio station, housed
0:29:34 > 0:29:35in old shipping containers.
0:29:35 > 0:29:43CHEERING
0:29:43 > 0:29:47Believe it or not everyone is listening and I'm in the same
0:29:47 > 0:29:51room as the Royal couple right now.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54This is Reprezent FM in Brixton, south London, set up 10 years ago
0:29:54 > 0:29:58to help tackle inner city issues, like knife crime.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01It gives young people a purpose and trains them to be broadcasters.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03I can see why your show's so popular because you're
0:30:03 > 0:30:07so thoughtful in the approach, but also so engaging to listen to.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Thank you.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Inside the station, Harry and Meghan were getting to know
0:30:11 > 0:30:17the broadcasting class of 2018.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19Outside it was apparent that royalty's newest recruit is reaching
0:30:19 > 0:30:20new audiences herself.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23The support from Brixton, it was just a lot of people
0:30:23 > 0:30:25of colour that were just cheering her on.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27Obviously you could tell that she was quite surprised
0:30:27 > 0:30:28the reception she got.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30She looked shocked, didn't she? I thought that, yeah.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Yeah, because everyone was shouting for Meghan and not really Harry.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34Get out of the way.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38We want to see Meghan!
0:30:38 > 0:30:41"We want to see Meghan", demanded the crowds in south London.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Expect to hear a lot of that between now and the wedding
0:30:44 > 0:30:45in May, and beyond.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Nicholas Witchell, BBC News.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Here's Evan Davies.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Tonight, Virgin West Coast says it'll stop selling the Daily Mail
0:30:56 > 0:30:58on its trains because it doesn't like the paper's values.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01The decision went down with some, but angered others.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Just today's example from a vicious culture war under way here.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04Is it healthy debate or hateful?
0:31:04 > 0:31:14Join me now on BBC Two.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16That's Newsnight with Evan.