05/02/2012 BBC Weekend News

The Foreign Secretary vents his anger at Russia and China after

they refuse to condemn violence in Syria. Today, more deaths as

President Assad's forces continue their bombardment of Homs.

Heavy snow brings severe disruption across the country. At Heathrow,

half the flights are cancelled. England boss Fabio Capello

criticises the FA's decision to strip John Terry of his captaincy.

The Queen attends church at Sandringham as she prepares to mark

her 60 years as monarch. And in the Six Nations, Wales beat

Ireland with almost the last kick Good evening. The Foreign Secretary,

William Hague, accused China and Russia of "turning their backs on

the Arab world" after they blocked a UN resolution condemning the

Syrian government. The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, also

called their position a travesty. Syrian forces today continued their

offensive on the city of Homs, where dozens were killed and a

major assault on Friday. This report contains images you may find

distressing. The crackdown on the opposition

continues. This is Homs, the epicentre of the Syrian uprising.

The pictures are thought to show the shelling of one district held

by the Free Syrian Army. We have not been able to verify the

casualties, but there are disturbing shops of seriously

injured children being taken to hospital.

TRANSLATION: This is the Russian veto and the Chinese veto. Let the

world see what happens in Homs. is the kind of violence some

Western governments also now want to blame on Russia and China.

what happened yesterday, Russia and China will increasingly be held

responsible for the continuing appalling situation. They did not

cause it, but they are standing in the way of the United Nations

Security Council. Western governments are furious at the

Russians and Chinese still vetoing the UN resolution even after it had

been watered down. The problem is that Russia and China valued their

friendship and lucrative trade with Syria, and they did not want to be

seen to take sides. Nor to pave the way to any possible future foreign

intervention. Russia also aims to do its own police brokering in

Damascus. So what can the international community do now?

Faith East with a neutered security -- faced with a neutered Security

Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside the United Nations

with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people's right

to have a better future. As an by sad today was celebrating the

Prophet Mohammed's birthday. -- President Assad was celebrating the

Prophet Mohammed's birthday. He may be praying that the diplomatic

Hiatus gives him a chance to crash the opposition.

Our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen is here. Jeremy, a significant and

bloody weekend. Where does the international community go from

here? Syria is under a great deal of pressure.

The even its embassies in some places have been picketed and even

attacked. However, the view from the presidential palace in Damascus

at the moment is not as bad as some in the West may think. Firstly,

President Assad's people believe they have been through crises

before and they might be able to weather this one as well. They also

think the UN and the Arab League have had their chance to do their

worst, and it was not that bad for them. Now perhaps force can be used

with impunity. What happens next? Russian diplomacy. Maybe that will

produce something. But the opposition do not see them as Alan

-- honest brokers. So for the time being, we are seeing a process but

I believe will eventually end up with President Assad's regime

falling, but it will be long, difficult and bloody.

Freezing temperatures and heavy snow across most of Britain have

brought disruption to the roads and railways. Many airports were also

hit by the snow. Heathrow says it had to cancel half of its flights

today. Motorists are now being warned of treacherous conditions as

the snow turns to ice. Robert Hall is in Sevenoaks for us tonight.

This was the last place to be hit by the snow tonight. The

temperature is about minus four. Tunbridge Wells will be a couple of

degrees lower. So the snow is going nowhere fast. But a bit of a thaw

during the day has enabled gritting teams to clear more roads. But the

more isolated the area you live in, the more likely you are to have

faced a trying day. Not the start of the quiet Sunday

that many would have wished for. Whilst the first serious snowfall

and England this winter was welcomed by younger members of the

family, it also caused delays and frustration, particularly for those

who needed to travel. Temperatures hovering around freezing preserved

the blanket of snow. And the accompanying hazards on the roads

for much of the day. During our journey across affected counties,

it was clear that the gritting teams had successfully kept traffic

flowing, but there was much still to do. The further we travelled

from major routes, the more lying snow and slush we encountered. In

the East Midlands, even simple tasks like exiting a car park

proved a struggle. All the cars were trying to go up, and they were

going sideways. You can't get to the people living on the side roads.

She sharing a wedding breakfast in Uttoxeter, this couple tried, but

failed, to keep their reception going. We decided to pull the plug

to make sure that everybody got home safely. That has to be the

priority. We had our first dance, and then we called it a-day. At a

petrol station in Kent, members of a rock band returning from a

concert were bleary eyed after treacherous road conditions forced

them to spend the night in their van. We have enough duvets and

sleeping stuff in the back. But getting up this morning and having

to dig our way out... Visitors to Heathrow who had first

sight of the airport's new snow clearing equipment might have

expected limited disruption. In fact, half of its flights were

cancelled. The airport said it took the action to avoid the build-up of

delayed passengers in terminals already at the busty. We will have

to see how quickly airlines can get their craft back in the right place.

Once the operation he has disturbed, getting the de-icing done and so

one takes time to get back on track. All affected regions reported

difficulties with rail travel, which may spill over into the start

of the new working week. But as ever, winter sports were a welcome

distraction. Only a few centimetres of snow can provide mass

entertainment. The concerns of adult life could wait until

tomorrow. A couple of other snow statistics

tonight. 400 passengers are stranded at the airport in Ireland.

And in a Yorkshire town, there were more than 60 accidents because

there were 16 centimetres of snow there. We now hear that there will

be ice and fog tonight, so we are not out of the cold snap yet.

The England manager Fabio Capello has criticised the FA's decision to

strip John Terry of his captaincy. The Chelsea defender is facing a

trial over allegations that he racially abused a fellow player.

Our correspondent is at FA headquarters in Wembley. These are

outspoken comments from Fabio Capello? They are. His occasional -

- occasionally hesitant in English, but in Italian, he was trenchant.

He was speaking to the Italian state broadcaster. "I do not agree

with the decision to strip Terry of the captaincy. Civil justice will

rule, whether Terry was guilty or not of the crime he was accused of.

It is right that he should keep the captain's armband". How is the FA

are likely to react? Officially no comment from them this evening, but

I think they are hugely unlikely to rescind this decision. They are

also unlikely to discipline Capello in any major way this close to a

major tournament. Given that he said he will leave at the end of

the European Championships, the bigger question is how this will go

down with the squad which many people feel is already divided on

this hugely contentious issue. The Transport Secretary Justine

Greening has said she will vote against bonuses for Network Rail's

senior executives at the firm's annual general meeting this week.

But the Government says it has limited powers of any payments the

company might make. Network Rail is the latest big

company to see its top executives' bonuses under the spotlight. Next

Friday, its annual general meeting will be asked to approve potential

handouts of up to 60% of salary to senior managers. That could mean

the chief executive, Sir David Higgins, whose salary is �560,000,

getting an extra �336,000 on top. Today the Transport Secretary said

she would vote against the new plan. The structure that the last

government set up means that I can go and vote against it. The problem

is that that will not necessarily change the result. The other

problem is that the members can vote against the bonus package, but

at the end of the day, their vote is only advisory. A Network Rail

gets �4 billion a year from the taxpayer, but last year missed most

of its targets. Labour says ministers have the power to stop

the bonuses if they want to. This is public money. The mood has

changed, times have changed. Network Rail and Justine Greening

need to take that on board and put a stop to the bonus culture.

Network Rail said no one was available to explain the proposed

bonus arrangements, but in a statement they said no decisions

have yet been taken. This is just the latest row over

large bonuses. Last week, the chief executive of the largely state-

owned RBS, Stephen Hester, decided to waive his near �1 million bonus.

Ministers know there is public anger over big payouts,

particularly to big businesses like Network Rail, that get taxpayer

subsidies. The Government rejects the idea that it has the power to

block changes to the bonus system at Network Rail outright, but it

has told the BBC it will put someone on the nine-member

remuneration committee before actual bonuses are decided later in

the spring. Political leaders in Greece have

failed to reach agreement on an austerity programme which must be

implemented if the countries to receive the next stage of its. If

no deal is reached, Greece could go bankrupt by March. Party leaders

are to hold further talks tomorrow with the Prime Minister, Lucas

Papademos. The Queen and Prince Philip brave

the cold this morning to attend church at Sandringham on the eve of

an important milestone in the diamond jubilee year. Tomorrow

marks 60 years since her accession to the throne.

It is an anniversary tinged with sadness, since it marks the death

of her beloved father. But resonant now with the memories of 60 years.

On the eve of accession Day, the day she succeeded to the throne in

1952, the Queen went to morning service at a church near the

Sandringham estate. With her, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Pagett

recovered from the operation before Christmas to clear a blocked

coronary artery. But feeling the cold on a day when Norfolk was not

a place to linger outside. For the Queen, there were flowers and

thanks for for the 60 years of service which had begun so

She had last seen her father, King George VI, at London Airport on

31st January 1952. She was departing for an overseas tour.

Unknown to her, her father had lung cancer. It was a farewell. It was

also, as events turned out, goodbye. Elizabeth was in Kenya when her

father died. She was given the news by her husband. She was now Queen.

She returned immediately to London to begin a reign which she, 60

years later, is now the second longest in British history. It is

that rain which will be marked by the diamond jubilee. It is hard to

imagine it in the depths of winter, but by the spring and summer, a

reign which began the moment George VI died here in Sandringham will be

marked by events in this country Now, Capello was out of the country,

Terry was in the stands, but still the match at Stamford Bridge was a

big talking point tonight. Yes, it was a thrilling match,

proof that the Premier League can be rated the most exciting in the

world. Manchester United staged a stunning comeback from 3-0 down to

earn a draw against Chelsea. He was not even playing today, but

John Terry's presence loomed large at stand for bridge. The home fans

continually booed Rio Ferdinand. Their captain stands accused of

racially abusing him. -- Stamford Bridge. They went two up soon into

the second half. Chelsea looked like they were cruising on three.

Wayne Rooney dispatched the penalty. And when the second presented

itself, unjust was the Chelsea view. Still, they knew the comeback was

on. Chelsea have never govern a past three -- are given up at 3-0

lead in history. Never write off Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

If you have caught your breath after that match, there was also a

crowd stopping moment at St James's Park. Papiss Demba Cisse justified

his �10 million price tag, scoring a stunning goal as Newcastle won 2-

Rangers crashed out of the Scottish Cup, losing 2-0 to Dundee United.

There was a real classic in the Six Nations this afternoon, with

Ireland versus Wales proving an enthralling match. The momentum

swung back and forth between the two teams and it finished in

dramatic style. Wales won with virtually the last kick of the game.

This had the smell of the tastiest clash of the weekend, and so it

would prove. Wales spent a much of the first have camped in Irish

territory. Davies gave them the lead. It was deep into the half

until Ireland had pretty much their first concerted attack. Ireland

went up by five. The difference came down to George North, army a

teenager, smashing the Irish defence and making an exquisite

pass to Jonathan Davies. How different it might have been, then,

had Bradly Davies been given a red rather than a yellow for this.

Ireland took advantage of the extra man, going wide and deep. It would

not be enough. With the team back with 15 players, George North

scuffled over for a try. Leigh Halfpenny made what he would call

the harder stick in his life. Wales were victorious in the Six Nations.

England's cricketers will be to produce one of their best

performances tomorrow if they are to avoid a whitewash against

Pakistan. They need to score 324 in their second innings to win a stop

Azhar Ali threatened to move Pakistan out of sight. Graeme Swann

conceded England have an absolute mountain to climb.

Just before I go, you can watch Great Britain's women's hockey team