06/01/2013 BBC Weekend News

Defiance from President Assad. In a rare speech he urges Syrians to

fight to save the nation. To applause from supporters, he

calls op popts "western puppets and -- opponents western puppets and

enemies of God. The war in the country continues.

The British Government dismisses his speech as beyond hypercritical.

David Cameron defends changes to child benefit, which come into

force at midnight. He says the coalition has a full tank of gas.

We have travelled a long way down the road. There's a lot more to do.

Far from running out of ideas, we have a packed agenda. Patient

deaths and mistreatment at Stafford Hospital, ahead of an inquiry's

findings. Failing managers could lose their jobs. In sport, more

Good evening. President Assad has made a di fined address, calling

his opponents puppets of the West. Mr Al-Assad called for Syrians to

defend their country from what he called terrorists, backed by

foreign powers. The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, dismissed

the speech as "beyond hypercritical."

60,000 Syrian dead, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands more

wounded. Millions driven from their homes. But the end of Syria's civil

war is nowhere close. President Assad is embattled. This was his

first public speech in six months, to an audience of supporters.

Predictions of his regime's imminent collapse have all been

wrong. One reason, he has important foreign friends. TRANSLATION:

thank all these countries, at the forefront, Russia, China and Iran,

and all the countries that have stood with Syria against

interference in our affairs. We salute and we are grateful for the

stances of these countries. The President delighted his

supporters. He called for dialogue and a referendum on the future.

Rebels he called traitors, could, he said have no part in it.

He told them that terrorists who have embraced Al-Qaeda and

Jihadists from around the world are trying to destroy Syria.

Syrian refugees in Jordan watched the speech. The shoes were waved as

signs of contempt. TRANSLATION: He's calling for a

political solution?S a sad needs to stop the air strikes -- Assad needs

to stop the air strikes. The people will not accept this speech. What

seemed to be pictures of protests are appearing on the web. The only

thing the enemies want to hear in his speech is his resignation -

Britain included. It is a very disappointing speech. It is

hypercritical, because it suggests no part of the regime in the death

and destruction which has been raged against the Syrian people. It

suggests it is from outside, when it is the Syrian people who have

taken against their own regime. And outside President Assad's

security bubble, Syria's war goes on. There are no good scenarios

here right now. There have not been for a while. A US peace envoy

struggling to make progress, partly because blood is being split.

-- spilt. His supporters try to skiss him. His enemies want him

dead. No wonder the diplomats are struggling. We have seen the

President with all his supporters. How much strength does he have in

the country as a whole? I have spoken to diplomats who got pulled

early last year out of Damascus, who said they thought they would be

back before Christmas under a new regime and they haven't been. He

has an Air Force. He has an officer core. He has control of the south-

west of the country, of the centre of the capital, a Mediterranean

coast, of important roads. That is important parts of territory.

Although the rebels have a lot of the north. I think there are people

in Syria who buy his argument, who are not necessarily his supporters,

but buy the argument that after him there could be something worse.

Some kind of serious chaos, some kind of extreme Islamist, Jihadist

solution. I have to say that this is all going in One Direction. The

opposition is getting stronger. The regime is getting weaker. It is

just a slow process. Thank you. The Prime Minister has defended

Government policies on the eve of what the coalition calls its mid-

term review, insisting the Government has begun the New Year

with a full tank of gas. Mr Cameron said the decision to remove child

benefit from better off families, which takes effect at midnight, was

the right approach. Labour called the changes perverse.

First there were the proud smiles when the coalition Government was

born. Then a business-like approach from David Cameron and Nick Clegg.

We are closer to the next election than we are from the last one. The

coalition is officially middle aged. David Cameron is determined to

prove the Government is not slowing down and certainly is not thinking

of retirement. What you are going to see tomorrow

is a coalition Government, with a full tank of gas, full steam ahead.

We travelled a long way down the road. There is a lot more to do.

One item on the agenda now is the removal of child benefit from

better off families. The Prime Minister insisted it was fair,

given the state of the country's finances. He added the UK should

stay in the European Union. He said the Conservatives would offer what

he called a real choice on the issue at the next election and...

Should we look at arguments about should it be harder for people to

come and live in Britain and claim benefits? Yes, frankly, we should.

Tomorrow, the focus will switch to the Government's next set of

priorities, amongst them is thought ideas on how to pay for new roads,

funding long-term care for the elderly and improving childcare

could feature. Labour claim a bigger promise has been broken,

because the economy is still sluggish.

The Prime Minister said, judge us on the economy. The economy is flat

lined. It has hardly grown. Unemployment is higher than two

years ago. They are not getting the deficit down. Reviving the economy

remains the big challenge, but looming before long will be the

awkward business of how the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats

untangle themselves from each other before the next election. Both

sides already pointedly took up their own successes.

We want to show at the next election that we didn't runaway

from being in Government. That is what people said in the past. Why

should we vote for you, you are never in Government. We did not

runaway. We stepped up to the plate. We have been willing to take

difficult decisions. But, we have been determined to make a fairer

Britain, at the end of the day. now, the aim is to project a United

Front, and an agenda the two men who brought their parties together

can agree on. And Chri is at Downing Street. Is

this the coalition pating itself on the back? I think this is the

equivalent of the coalition hitting control, alt, delete and re-booting

themselves. It will give them an opportunity to say, this is what we

have done so far and this is what we'll do in the future, to mark

their own homeworks, as critics will see it. It will be

symbolically significant T two who set the coalition up, coming back

together, to set up what they hope will be a common agenda. There may

not be a huge amount of detail coming our way in policy-terms

tomorrow. That is likely to be fleshed out in the coming weeks.

Expect big themes - childcare, for instance, road building as well and

care for the elderly. Big themes that the two leaders will hope

their parties can agree on. Thank you. The Health Secretary,

Jeremy Hunt, has warned NHS managers in England that they

cannot expect to keep their jobs if there are failings under their care.

A second report into the deaths and mistreatment of patients at

Stafford Hospital will be published within the next couple of months.

Writing in a Sunday newspaper, Mr Hunt hunt said proper

accountability is needed in the health service. What happened at

Stafford Hospital will be remembered in the NHS for a long

time. Appalling failures of care that came to light four years ago.

A public inquiry is due to report on how it was allowed to happen.

Bella Bailey went into Stafford Hospital for a routine operation.

After a fall and poor care she died. Her daughter, Julie, has been

campaigning for change. She says it is still too hard for

whistleblowers in the NHS and they find themselves put under pressure.

Each nurse and each doctor should be able to go into their hospital

and know they will be allowed to care for their patients in a way

they want to care for their patients. Doctors and nurses are

tortured just for speaking out about the poor care that they are

witnessing day in and day out. Unfortunately, the NHS has become a

bullying culture, and that needs to stop.

The Government is trying to anticipate the findings of the

public inquiry, introducing a friends and family test, where

patients are asked about their experience, funding more training

for health care assistants and calling for managers to be held to

account for any failings. It may be less keen on an overhaul of

regulation, as the NHS in England is already in the middle of a

reorganisation. The Health Secretary knows this inquiry could

raise awkward questions. Could it happen now? Can staff speak out?

Since last year, he has been talking about making the NHS

accountable. I need to say this to all managers - you will be held

responsible for the care in your establishments. You wouldn't expect

to keep your job if you lost control of your finances. Don't

expect to keep it if you lose control of your care.

Stafford Hospital has made many changes, including increasing the

number of experienced nurses. The report won't just be tricky for the

Government. Labour were in power when things wept wrong here. This

inquiry could influence every hospital in England. All under

pressure to find big financial savings, without allowing another

major failing of care. Politicians and church leaders in

East Belfast held a three-hour meeting today to try and find a way

to end the violent protests sparked by the city council's decision to

restrict the flying of the Union flag. The chairman of Northern

Ireland's Police Federation has said the situation is being

exploited by paramilitaries. In parts of Belfast, the Union flag

has become a symbol of protest. Roads were blocked again tonight.

In a dispute over the flying of the flag in this city. While this

evening has been calm, last night there was anger and violence.

Bitter standoffs between protestors and police ended up on attacks on

officers and even reports of gunfire. Police officers out

protecting the community are being subjected to serious violence. They

are being attacked with petrol bombs, with masonry and bricks.

Close to where some of the worse trouble took place last night,

community leaders and politician met this afternoon inside a church.

So far, no-one has any solution to the month-long flag dispute. The

decision to restrict the flying of the Union flag to a limited number

of designated days was a democratic one, made by the council. The

cross-community Alliance Party supported the vote. Because the

make-up of the council will not change soon, neither is the

decision. In the streets of East Belfast,

which are scarred by the debris of violence, some refuse to accept

that. Put the flag back up. don't have a right to violence. You

cannot justify police officers being attacked and this community

getting wrecked. They should not have taken the flag down in the

first place. There are many, however, angry about the weeks of

destruction and disruption in small pockets of this city. I think for

our generation it is quite shocking because we grew up after the Good

Friday agreement. We are not used to it. Today, for the second day in

a row, there was a special sitting at Belfast Magistrates' Court, to

deal with people charged in connecktion with the rioting. The

police have -- connection with the rioting. The police have made clear

they will do all they can to maintain law and order. The Prince

of Wales says the prospect of becoming a grandfather is spurring

on his environmental beliefs. Prince Charles told This Morning

that he didn't want to be asked by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's

child why he had not done more to tackle issues like climate change.

It is what I have gone on for years about the importance of thinking

about the long-term, in relation to the environmental damage, the

climate change and everything else. In a sensible world we don't want

to hand on a dysfunctional world to our grandchildren. I don't want to

be asked why I didn't do something. Now will have a grandchild it makes

it more obvious. Now the sport. For a full round-up

we join Lizzie. There were no upsets in today's FA Cup third

round matches A controversial Liverpool win, as they swept away

For some, the FA Cup has become a distraction. For Arsene Wenger it

was the chance of much-needed silverware. Swansea brought on

their star striker, Michu. That jump-started Arsenal, their

passing had purpose. They still needed a goal. With ten minutes

left there was this goal. The Gunners were inspired. They took

Swansea apart. That finished from their left-back, Kieran Gibbs. With

Arsenal you should never crump to conclusions. Danny Graham equalised

on 87 minutesment an amazing tie goes to a re-play. In Mansfield it

was a day to say "I was there." The conference side were hosting

Liverpool and keeping them waiting. The Reds were not held up much

longer. Seine minutes into his debut -- seven minutes into his

debut Sturridge spoiled the party. The Premier League side needed a

hand, over to Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan sense of fair play is

sometimes questioned. Despite the touch of his arm, the goal stood.

Mansfield channelled their sense of injustice. The goal they worked for

came from Green. It was not enough to keep them in the cup. They exit

with no regrets, but plenty of questions.

Well, the draw for the fourth round Andy Murray says he is pleased with

his form going into this month's Australian Open after defending his

Brisbane International title today. It is a bit easier being a fan of

Andy Murray these days, with a major monkey off his backs. The

followers can relax a bit. The same cannot be said of the man himself.

Any lack of concentration is always punished.

New faces are always trying to usurp. Grigor Dimitrov has pedigree

- a winner at the US and Wimbledon Championships, but yet to challenge

the best until now. Murray was 5-2 down in the first, but started to

show his superior ritty. The upstart was put in his place. But

not for long. A break from the 21- year-old had the champion telling

himself off. It looks negative when he does it, but perhaps it is what

he needs. From then on he was superb in maintaining the trophy.

would like to dedicate this to one of my best friends. Thank you. You

will get through it. A dedication to a friend, as Murray once again

shows he has tremendous heart to go with his undoubted skill.