09/02/2018 BBC News at Ten

The two British jihadists captured

in Syria, families of their victims

call for them to be tried in court.

The two men belonged to a group

within so called IS,

infamous for executing

Western hostages.

The daughter of one

of their victims wants justice.

If it goes to trial,

I'll certainly be there.

I certainly want to look them

in the eye and let them know that

I am who I am and they have

destroyed a big part of my life.

We'll be looking at how

useful their capture could be

and where they're likely to end up.

Also tonight...

The EU's chief negotiator warns

the UK will get no transition period

without agreement on key

issues up front.

A spectacular opening

to the Winter Olympics sees

a historic handshake between North

and South Korea.

Is building on brownfield

sites the answer to

the UK's housing crisis?

COMMENTATOR:

Here she is,

the first woman to referee a Pro14

professional men's game.

And she was told it couldn't

happen in her lifetime.

Joy Neville makes history

on the rugby pitch.

Coming-up on Sportsday

on BBC News...

We look ahead to tomorrow's big

Six Nations game as England take

on Wales at Twickenham.

Good evening.

The families of some of the victims

of two British jihadists,

belonging to the so-called

Islamic State group and captured

in Syria, have called for them

to face justice in court.

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee

Elsheikh were part of a team of four

British IS members, who US officials

say executed 27 hostages.

Bethany Haines, whose father David

was one of those hostages,

has told the BBC the men should be

forced to look in the eyes

of the people whose

lives they'd destroyed.

Our home affairs correspondent,

Daniel Sandford, has more.

They became the most infamous

gang of foreign fighters

in the self-styled Islamic State.

Callous torturers and public

executioners of hostages.

Jihadi John, his real name,

Mohammed Emwazi - now dead.

Aine Davis - in prison in Turkey.

And the two men we now know

were captured last months,

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee

Elsheikh.

The gang are suspected

of beheading Alan Henning,

a driver and aid worker from Eccles,

and David Haines, a long time

aid worker from Perth.

His daughter now contemplating

what punishment his newly captured

suspected killers should face.

They should die a long, slow,

painful death and I think quite

a lot of people will understand

that, that they should

be allowed to live.

But, realistically, that's

not going to happen,

and you have to come

to terms with that.

The best thing for them is to be

locked up and throw away the key.

They should never be allowed back

in society because they will just

recruit people and they will just

do this again.

And for the sake of her father,

if they end up in court,

she will go to watch.

If it goes to trial,

I'll certainly be there.

I certainly want to look them

in the eye and let them know that

I am who I am and they have

destroyed a big part of my life.

And, hopefully, there will be

some sort of justice.

Some of the gang's hostages

were freed, including former French

reporter Nicolas Henin.

He wants them to have

the fairest trial possible.

I would not be happy

if they were just sent

to Guantanamo Bay because this

is denial of justice.

El Shafee Elsheikh arrived in Syria

from Britain in 2012.

Alexanda Kotey left the UK on an aid

convoy to Gaza in 2009

and also ended up in Syria.

Their gang is accused by the US

of beheading at least 27 hostages,

including Alan Henning,

David Haines and Americans

James Foley, Peter Kassig

and Steven Sotloff.

They're also suspected

of waterboarding, mock

executions, crucifixions

and electric shock torture.

Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee

Elsheikh grew up close to each other

in quite a small area of west

London, near to the A40 flyover.

It became infamous as

an IS recruiting ground.

As well as Mohammed Emwazi,

Jihadi John, some half a dozen other

men from these streets died fighting

for IS in either Syria or Iraq.

Elsheikh and Kotey had already

had their British citizenship

removed by the Home Secretary,

now a trial, possibly

in the United States,

seems the most likely outcome.

Daniel Sandford, BBC

News, west London.

With IS on the run in Syria,

how useful is the capture of these

two British jihadists

and what information

could they provide?

Our Middle East correspondent,

Quentin Sommerville, reports.

They called it home

and Raqqa was their capital,

but their caliphate is now a ruin.

It's not known yet how

long Alexanda Kotey

and El Shafee Elsheikh stayed here,

but Kurdish and Arab fighters fought

in these streets for months

and more than 650 died,

freeing the city from

the so-called Islamic State.

The corpses of foreign fighters

littered the alleyways,

but even then we knew that

plenty had escaped.

In a ceasefire deal,

hundreds of IS fighters

were allowed to leave the city.

Across Syria, IS members began

to flee, through Kurdish

regime and rebel lines.

The two British men,

part of an IS cell from west London,

were picked up by Kurdish forces

trying to flee to Turkey.

The two are a significant prize,

they may be able to answer questions

about what happened here.

This is Dabiq, where

Mohammed Emwazi, Jihadi John,

murdered aid worker

Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig.

The same cell killed

Britain's Alan Henning

and David Haines, their bodies have

never been recovered.

The west London cell were seen

as the worst of the worst.

IS superstars, who had an air

of invulnerability, but no more,

now all are dead or in captivity.

They may also have information

on the missing British

journalist, John Cantlie.

Kidnapped by IS, he's fronted

some their propaganda videos.

This was his last appearance,

from Mosul, before it too

was taken from IS group.

And do they know the whereabouts of

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the IS leader?

Despite repeated claims

that he is dead, he was last heard

from in September last year.

The captured men have served one

significant purpose, though.

A new front has opened in Syria,

Turkey is attacking Kurdish forces,

it calls them terrorists.

But the coalition sees the Kurds

as vital and effective allies

against IS and it wants the world

to know those allies

have just captured two

of the caliphates most wanted.

Quentin Sommerville,

BBC News, Beirut.

Our security correspondent,

Gordon Corera, is here.

What is likely to happen to these

two men next in

A White House

official told me the US was still

considering options. Kurdish forces

captured them weeks ago. They may

still technically have custody

although US intelligence and perhaps

also British intelligence has had

access to them they may have wanted

to keep that as secret as possible

for as long as possible so they

could gather as much intelligence as

they could from those men. Now it's

public they have to work out what to

do. The US officials said they were

working with coalition partners to

look at those options. What are the

options in trial in the US. If they

think they have enough admissionible

evidence. Trial in the UK theshg

have had their citizenship stripped

by the UK Government. Some kind of

tribunal perhaps involving the

Kurds. That would be new. Or of

course Guantanamo Bay, fulfilling a

Donald Trump campaign pledge.

Washington will lead on that

decision. With this administration

it's hard to know which way they'll

go.

Gordon, thank you.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator,

Michel Barnier, has issued

a stark warning to the UK,

effectively telling

the British Government -

"You can't have your cake

and eat it".

He warned a transition

period is not a given,

and that the UK's decision to leave

the EU single market

and customs union meant border

checks at the Irish border

were "unavoidable", something both

the UK and the EU have said

would be unacceptable.

The Brexit Secretary, David Davis,

said he was surprised

by Mr Barnier's remarks.

Our deputy political editor,

John Pienaar reports.

Brexit is coming and

time is running short.

Just 13 months before

Britain is officially out

of the European Union,

and today the EU had a sharp warning

- sort out key sticking points,

or there will be no deal

and no transition.

Britain's Brexit Secretary met

the EU chief negotiator

in Downing Street on Monday.

Friendly enough, but there's just

weeks to thrash out the shape

of a Brexit transition.

Today, in Brussels, with a big

EU summit next month,

Michel Barnier had a blunt message,

in terms easy to understand.

If these disagreements persist,

the transition is not a given.

So much to sort out,

and talks are getting prickly.

On the rights of migrants

who arrive after Brexit day,

will Brussels block trade if Britain

breaks EU rules?

The Brexit Secretary

called that discourteous.

Oh, no, it isn't, said Mr Barnier.

"My attitude hasn't been

in the least discourteous

"or vindictive", he said.

"We never wished to punish the UK.

"It's foreign to my state of mind".

And how to leave the EU

without bringing back a hard

north/south Irish border.

No one wants that but...

It is important to tell the truth.

A UK decision to leave

the single market and to leave

the customs union would make

border checks unavoidable.

It's not just a political

problem at this shoe shop

in Newry, Northern Ireland.

These shoes are meant for walking,

on both sides of the border.

Customs and tariffs could mean

a business like this

running into trouble.

What we need is easy access

from the factory to our shop floor.

If there is a hard border, then

there will be hold-ups all the way

along that we cannot predict.

The Government wants

to keep allies on side.

Brexiteers who say stand up

to Brussels, and unionists who say

Britain and Northern Ireland must

leave the customs union as one.

The bottom line is this,

that Northern Ireland will leave

the European Union with the rest

of the United Kingdom.

We would not countenance a situation

where there would either be

political constitutional barriers

within the United Kingdom,

and economic barriers

within the United Kingdom internal

market would be catastrophic

for Northern Ireland.

We're not prepared to accept

that we become rule-takers

from the EU when we have no

say over it.

That would be the worst

of all worlds.

Yes, business wants certainty

and to know they have time

to get ready for things

like customs changes.

That is what the implementation

period is about.

It is not about having the EU try

and dictate to us in a way that

would be unacceptable to us

and to businesses as well.

Tonight, the Brexit Secretary

is saying he is surprised Mr Barnier

is not clear that Britain just wants

to go on trading as now

during a transition.

The Government is hoping

for compromise in negotiations,

but if there is no transition deal

next month, ministers will have

to prepare Britain and British

business for the real possibility

of a cliff-edge Brexit.

Every month, every week,

every day a new problem.

If there's a transition deal, then

comes deciding ambitions for Brexit,

which split MPs and ministers.

The next date with potential crisis

always closer and closer.

John Pienaar, BBC News, Westminster.

An elaborate Opening Ceremony

for the Winter Olympics

in South Korea has also marked

a political first.

A handshake between the South Korean

president and the sister

of the North Korean

leader, Kim Jong-un.

She is there as part of the most

senior North Korean delegation

ever to visit the South.

Laura Bicker reports

from Pyeongchang.

The vibrant beat of the jangu

drum took the audience

on a fairytale adventure.

A celebration of South Korea's past,

and its hopes for the future.

But there was a yearning, too,

as the ceremony highlighted this

country's quest for peace.

Korea!

These athletes have been divided

by a war that never truly ended.

They carry the flag of a unified

Korea, and in one stadium,

for one night, decades of rising

tension and suspicion ebbed away.

In the VIP box, a moment most

thought they'd never see,

a member of the Kim dynasty,

the sister of the North Korean

leader, shaking hands

with the South Korean President.

The arrival of Kim Yo-jong has

surprised this tiny town, just miles

from the militarised border.

TRANSLATION:

It's nice

to have the high level delegates

from the North and it also feels

strange and wondrous.

TRANSLATION:

Of course I welcome

them but I don't know why

the South Korean government

is bending over backwards

to appease them.

I don't like to see

the South serving the North.

TRANSLATION:

My heart is melting.

The South and North have been

divided and now it feels

peace is coming to us.

But America is beginning to wonder

whose side South Korea is on.

The only moment the US vice

President looked comfortable

was as he welcomed his team.

He refused to acknowledge

the North Korean guests behind him.

It's a note of caution many

in the diplomatic community share.

There's a real sense of pragmatism.

Nobody's over optimistic

because we've seen too many

false starts before.

But of course, we all hope that this

will turn out for the good

and the Pyeongchang Olympics will be

membered as the Peace Olympics.

The political drama has loomed over

these mountains but soon attention

will turn to the sport and the medal

hopes of thousands.

And we welcome Great Britain.

Team GB is aiming for its most

successful Winter Games with a medal

target of five or more,

a challenge in this frigid climate.

But some didn't seem

to mind the cold.

As many in the crowd bundled up

in their heated seats,

they gave a warm welcome

to the bare-chested

flag bearer from Tonga.

And so to the moment of truth.

As ice-skating gold medallist

Yuna Kim lights the flame,

South Korea has challenges ahead,

including fears that it's falling

victim to a fake charm

offensive from the North.

This is a public relations

coup for North Korea,

to have its athletes appear

on this global stage.

It gives what's been an isolated

regime a human face.

But critics also fear it

will allow them to portray

this image of a normal,

peace-loving nuclear power.

As with all shows, this one

must come to an end.

The Olympic flame will only burn

in Pyeongchang for two weeks.

It will take more than warm sporting

gestures to lead to permanent change

on this Korean peninsula.

Laura Bicker, BBC News, Pyeongchang.

We'll be back with more on what's

expected in the first

day of sporting action,

but first to Washington

where President Trump has sparked

controversy by praising a former

White House aide who resigned

earlier this week amid allegations

he abused two former wives.

Mr Trump said Rob Porter

maintained his innocence

and had done a good job.

Jon Sopel has more.

He was the clean cut,

chisel jawed, Harvard Law,

Oxford-educated rising star of this

White House, in charge

of controlling the flow of paper

across the President's desk.

But after three days

of confusion and chaos,

he has quit amid a swirl

of domestic abuse allegations.

But today, the President seemed

to be more concerned

about Porter than his victims.

It's a tough time for him.

He did a very good job

when he was in the White House.

And we hope he has a wonderful

career, and hopefully

he will have a great career

ahead of him.

That, despite this photo emerging

of one of his ex-wives with a black

eye after allegedly being punched

by Porter, and reports that senior

staff in the White House

have been aware of these

allegations for months.

General Jon Kay, the chief of staff,

when this story erupted

in the middle of the week,

initially said that

Porter was "a man of true

integrity and honour.

By last night that had changed,

sending a memo to White House staff

All of this is made more complicated

by the role of Hope Hicks,

the White House communications

director.

She drafted the initial statement

supportive of Porter,

even though she's reported to be

romantically involved with him.

And that, yesterday,

brought a rare concession

from the White House podium.

I think it's fair to say

that we all could have done better

over the last few hours,

the last few days, in dealing

with this situation.

Donald Trump is angry on two counts.

Angry about the way this

has all been handled,

but angrier still that his press

spokesman admitted as much.

This hasn't been the best couple

of days for the White House.

Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington.

The United Nations has called

for an investigation into violence

against Rohingya Muslims

in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

It comes after the news agency

Reuters revealed details

of an investigation into a mass

execution of Rohingyas

by soldiers and villagers.

The two journalists who investigated

the story have been

detained in Myanmar.

Can the UK build the houses it

needs without developing

on the green belt?

In Greater Manchester,

where there have been numerous

protests against green belt

development, the mayor has announced

he'll use his powers to encourage

building on brownfield sites,

land that's been used

for construction before.

But is it the answer?

Mark Easton reports.

Could the old mill towns

of Greater Manchester hold

the answer to the housing crisis?

Places like Stalybridge,

where the industrial revolution took

root along the banks of the River

Tain.

Instead of building on precious

green belt, why not use brownfield

sites in struggling town centres?

Greater Manchester's Mayor,

Andy Burnham, was elected

on a promise to protect the green

belt and now plans to promote

brownfield hotspots

in six rundown towns.

We have had an approach where it has

been developer led greenfield first,

because it has been easier

for developers to go over

there and I am saying, no,

let's come back to our town centres,

breathe new life into them

and build higher density

residential development there.

Among sites identified

in Stalybridge, the former police

station, an old pub,

the Pineapple Inn and what

was once a local shop.

The plan is to turn these plots

into luxury flats aimed at young

professionals who can

afford market prices.

Some are already under construction,

build-to-rent apartments

with a coffee shop and gym,

Friends-style loft living

on the site of what was once

an 18th-century woollen mill.

Jasmine and Josh will be

moving in this summer.

It is our first home together, so...

This is the perfect thing.

It is brand-new, it is modern,

it is a big step for us.

And we are really excited.

In some cases, housing associations

will sell the luxury homes and use

the profits for building social

and affordable homes elsewhere.

Not everyone is convinced.

I will believe it when I see it.

At the end of the day,

it is basically a slap in the face.

I mean, on average, they want

about £600 per calendar month.

I am on half that.

Working-class mill town,

no one can afford things like that.

The focus on brownfield sites

is politically popular,

but small projects in run down town

centres are not going to be that

attractive to investors

and even if every scrap of land

was used to its full potential,

the brownfield land register shows

there is not nearly enough of it

to fulfil Greater Manchester's

housing needs.

The brownfield register has

identified a number of sites

in Stalybridge and almost 1250

in Greater Manchester,

which could be used for housing,

with a maximum capacity of just

over 100,000 homes.

But, Greater Manchester needs more

than 227,000 homes to meet demand.

Brownfield does not

even get halfway there.

Are you not deluding people, though,

who believe that we can

solve the housing crisis

simply using brownfield?

You can't.

And I would accept that.

This is not about saying,

no, we will never build

on anywhere green again,

but it is about saying, look,

start with our towns,

so that we minimise the take

from the green belt.

There are controversial plans

to build homes on Sidebottom Fold,

green belt on the edge

of Stalybridge, but when it comes

to the general claim that brown

should be the new green,

here, as elsewhere, the numbers

do not quite add up.

Mark Easton, BBC News, Stalybridge.

History has been made

on the rugby pitch tonight,

as Irish referee Joy Neville became

the first woman to take

charge of a Pro14 game.

The former Irish international also

won the World Rugby Referee

of the Year award last year.

Here's Natalie Pirks.

Joy Neville is in charge tonight,

the 2017 World Referee of the Year.

Joy Neville is well

used to making history.

Tonight was yet another

accolade for her CV.

The first woman to referee a Pro14

match, a top-level professional

game, as Ulster took

on South Africa's Southern Kings.

Today is a very historic day that

makes it all so worthwhile.

Neville won the Grand Slam

with Ireland in 2013 as a player,

but after retirement she made

a phone call which changed her life.

I rang a gentleman very high up

in the rugby circles and I said,

"Look, I want your opinion

on something, one question.

"Do you think it's possible

for a female to referee

division 1A in Ireland,

the top level in Ireland"?

He said, "Joy, not in my lifetime".

And that, for me, I was in.

Since then, she's taken

charge of the women's

2017 World Cup final, officiated

the European Challenge Cup,

the first woman to do that,

and was named World Rugby's

Referee of the Year.

Tonight was another step up.

Her ambitions, though,

don't end here.

To be involved in the Six Nations

men's fixture as an official

on the line would be

a dream come true.

Six Nations teams are a little busy

right now but they will no doubt be

watching her career with interest.

Natalie Pirks, BBC News.

Well, you may be thinking about

heading for bed reasonably soon,

but in South Korea it's already

Saturday morning and a full day

of Olympic events beckons.

Our correspondent Andy Swiss

is in Pyeongchang.

Andy, so much to look out

for, and some exciting

prospects for Team GB?

Yes, Fiona. Welcome to Pyeongchang.

Nearly 7:30am. Not long until the

action gets under way. Team GB have

high hopes of success at these

Games. They are targeting their best

Winter Olympics ever, and their best

hope is speed skater Elise Christie,

a triple world champion, who goes in

her first race later today. Also

competing, Lizzy Yarnold, who won

gold in Sochi four years ago,

looking to retain her title. Also

keep an eye on out for 19-year-old

Izzy Atkins, the youngest member of

Team GB, with a real chance in the

slopestyle skiing. The big talking

point ahead of these Games has been

Russia's athletes. Russia is banned

from the Games because of doping but

168 of their athletes had

controversially been allowed to

compete as neutrals. 45 or had their

appeals rejected yesterday. It has

caused a lot of confusion and

criticism for the Olympic

authorities, who will be hoping that

the sport can now take centre stage.

That's it.

Now on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.