:00:10. > :00:13.50p top rate of income tax. The party says those with the broadest
:00:14. > :00:18.shoulders should pay a fairer share of the burden. The next Labour
:00:19. > :00:22.Government will reverse this Government's top rate tax cut so we
:00:23. > :00:27.can finish the job of getting the deficit down fairly. Business
:00:28. > :00:34.leaders warn the move would threaten economic recovery. The other
:00:35. > :00:39.headlines: No let-up in the fighting in Syria as the first face-to-face
:00:40. > :00:43.peace talks take place in Geneva. The French President announces he's
:00:44. > :00:51.to split from his long-term partner, after allegations of an affair. The
:00:52. > :00:57.COMMENTATOR: Will he make them pay? He does. No giant killing in today's
:00:58. > :01:16.fourth round of the FA Cup. The big boys brush aside the minnows.
:01:17. > :01:22.Good evening. Labour have pledged to bring back the 50p top rate of
:01:23. > :01:27.income tax, if they win the next election. The higher rate would be
:01:28. > :01:31.introduced for those earning more than ?150,000 a year. In a keynote
:01:32. > :01:36.speech, the Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, said "those with the broadest
:01:37. > :01:41.shoulders should bear a fairer share of the burden." The announcement was
:01:42. > :01:43.quickly condemned by the Conservatives. Our political
:01:44. > :01:49.correspondent Ross Hawkins is at Westminster for us tonight. Plenty
:01:50. > :01:52.of politicians go into an election campaigning hinting they will keep
:01:53. > :01:56.taxes down, Ed Balls promised to put one up because, he argued, it would
:01:57. > :02:03.be a fairer way of dealing with the deficit. Should high earners pay a
:02:04. > :02:08.top tax rate of 50p in the ?1? That question is certain to loom over the
:02:09. > :02:13.general election campaign after Ed Balls said this. It cannot be right
:02:14. > :02:17.for David Cameron and George Osborne to have choosen to give the richest
:02:18. > :02:22.people in our country a huge tax cut. That's why, for the next
:02:23. > :02:26.parliament, the next Labour Government will reverse this
:02:27. > :02:32.Government's top rate tax cut so we can finish the job of getting the
:02:33. > :02:39.deficit down fairly. No surprise it went down well with this friendly
:02:40. > :02:41.audience. Because in 2009 a lane r Labour Chancellor, Alistair Darling,
:02:42. > :02:48.announced the top rate for those earning over ?150,000 a year would
:02:49. > :02:53.go up from 40p to 50p. Just in time for the general election, perhaps
:02:54. > :02:58.guessing that three years on, a Conservative Chancellor, George
:02:59. > :03:01.Osborne, would bring it down to 45p. Letting Labour accuse him, as they
:03:02. > :03:06.have ever since, of cutting taxes for the rich, the Tories say they've
:03:07. > :03:10.heard it all before. What we've heard from Ed Balls today is the
:03:11. > :03:15.same old Labour. Their reaction to almost every economic problem is
:03:16. > :03:19.more borrowing and more taxes. Today's no change from that.
:03:20. > :03:23.Business groups are critical, so too is one businessman who supported
:03:24. > :03:26.George Osborne's policies in the past. We've been through a very
:03:27. > :03:30.tough time in the economy over the last couple of years. I know we're
:03:31. > :03:34.recovering from that. Why would we want to jeopardise it. I think it's
:03:35. > :03:39.a dangerous move. Tories say official figures show cutting the
:03:40. > :03:43.rate cost just ?100 million, not much in tax term. Labour dispute the
:03:44. > :03:47.judges. Either way the numbers aren't huge. In terms of tax
:03:48. > :03:52.revenue, on the most optimistic view, this will make no difference
:03:53. > :03:55.to the amount of money available for publicpublic services. Could make a
:03:56. > :04:01.big difference to the politics though. Ed Balls promised to spend
:04:02. > :04:07.less on day-to-day outgoings than he does on taxes. Politicians campaign
:04:08. > :04:11.with symbols, not spreadsheets. Labour will hope this one looks fair
:04:12. > :04:17.and not the sign of a party poised for too much tax and spend. Others
:04:18. > :04:27.have doubts as well. Lord miers in, the former Labour city minister,
:04:28. > :04:31.warned about predatory (inaudible) A Labour peer said he thinks it is a
:04:32. > :04:35.bad idea for the party and the country. The debate has started
:04:36. > :04:41.already within Labour's ranks. Thank you very much. Ed Balls will be
:04:42. > :04:47.among Andrew Marr's guests tomorrow morning on BBC One at 9.00 am.
:04:48. > :04:51.Syria's government and opposition have finally met face-to-face at the
:04:52. > :04:56.UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva. Today's talks were aimed at getting
:04:57. > :04:59.agreement for local ceasefires to allow humanitarian aid to be
:05:00. > :05:03.delivered. Tomorrow, they will discuss the issue of prisoners. Our
:05:04. > :05:09.World Affairs Correspondent, Paul Wood, reports now from Geneva. The
:05:10. > :05:16.Geneva has brought no relief yet from the Agnes of Syria's civil war.
:05:17. > :05:19.This is the latest fight in the Deraa suburb of Damascus. Regime
:05:20. > :05:29.forces are dropping the much feared barrel bomb. It's hoped that Geneva
:05:30. > :05:35.will bring a ceasefire here and in many other places. In coming here
:05:36. > :05:41.the regime was forced to accept the Geneva I declaration for a transfer
:05:42. > :05:47.of power. The Government doesn't accept that means President Assad
:05:48. > :05:51.should go. This is a big lie when we speak about President Assad to step
:05:52. > :05:57.down. This is not part of Geneva I. This is a misinterpretation of the
:05:58. > :06:01.provisions of Geneva I. For the opposition, getting rid of Mr Assad
:06:02. > :06:06.is the entire premise of these talks. A first day of meetings
:06:07. > :06:11.hasn't moved the two sides closer together, or eased the rhetoric. You
:06:12. > :06:17.know dictators usually they don't like to listen, but today they had
:06:18. > :06:23.to listen to us and to the voice of Syrian people that Syrian people
:06:24. > :06:29.they want transition from dictatorship to democracy. For the
:06:30. > :06:34.UN mediator, just getting regime and opposition into the same room was an
:06:35. > :06:39.achievement, he know there is is much more to do. We hope they will
:06:40. > :06:46.exercise their influence on all sides inside Syria and in the region
:06:47. > :06:53.to, you know, get out of the ditch that they're in and work with us.
:06:54. > :06:57.These discussions have been inching forward, but so far only because
:06:58. > :07:03.they've avoided the main issue, that is the future of President Assad and
:07:04. > :07:06.of his regime. The as many as 130,000 people have lost their lives
:07:07. > :07:13.over that question. It won't be solved quickly or easily here. Paul
:07:14. > :07:17.Wood, BBC News, Geneva. Here, a senior police chief has warned
:07:18. > :07:21.Britons returning to the UK from Syria that they'll be stopped at the
:07:22. > :07:25.border and face arrest. Sir Peter Fahy, who's the Chief Constable of
:07:26. > :07:29.Greater Manchester Police told the BBC there was "huge concern" that
:07:30. > :07:33.Britons arriving back after fighting in Syria could return as terrorists.
:07:34. > :07:37.There are very extreme groups now, so people may well have seen things,
:07:38. > :07:41.may have been subjected to terrorist training. May be traumatised. May
:07:42. > :07:44.have been radicalised. Therefore, we are saying anybody coming back, who
:07:45. > :07:47.we believe has been in Syria, they will be stopped. They will be, they
:07:48. > :07:50.may well be arrested. We need to find out what they have been up to.
:07:51. > :07:54.There clearly is a concern that people are getting training, in the
:07:55. > :07:59.Syrian conflict, then clearly could come back and pose a threat to this
:08:00. > :08:02.country. 29 people have been killed during anti-government marches in
:08:03. > :08:06.Egypt. Most of the dead were supporters of the ousted President
:08:07. > :08:12.Mohamed Morsi. The violence came as the country marked the anniversary
:08:13. > :08:20.of the revolution in 2 o 011 that swept away Hosni Mubarak. Tahrir
:08:21. > :08:24.Square, three years on. A street party at the birthplace of the
:08:25. > :08:29.revolution. It was here that crowds swept away Hosni Mubarak, a military
:08:30. > :08:38.strong man, but now many are back looking for another one. This may be
:08:39. > :08:41.the face of the future, General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, supporters of
:08:42. > :08:49.the army chief were showing their devotion and urging him to run for
:08:50. > :08:53.the presidency. Across town we found some of el-Sisi's opponents, not
:08:54. > :09:03.kissing his picture here, but tearing it up. They weren't able to
:09:04. > :09:11.protest for long. Three years after the revolution, this is the approach
:09:12. > :09:15.to dissent. Well it didn't take long for trouble to start here. In the
:09:16. > :09:19.last few minutes the police have been using teargas. And they've been
:09:20. > :09:25.using live round. We've seen them being fired. The crowd has now
:09:26. > :09:29.scattered. The heavily armed police are still in the area. The
:09:30. > :09:34.authorities have been cracking down on both Islamist and secular
:09:35. > :09:42.protesters. On what was billed as a day of celebration, Egypt is tense,
:09:43. > :09:46.divided and counting new dead. Orla Guerin, BBC News, Cairo. A murder
:09:47. > :09:50.investigation has been launched by Surrey Police following the death of
:09:51. > :09:53.a 17-year-old girl. Officers were called to an address in Oxted
:09:54. > :09:57.yesterday afternoon after the body of the girl was discovered. A
:09:58. > :10:03.16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in police
:10:04. > :10:07.custody. The French President, Francois Hollande, has announced
:10:08. > :10:10.he's splitting from his partner of eight years, Valerie Trierweiler. It
:10:11. > :10:13.follows intense speculation about their relationship since a magazine
:10:14. > :10:18.published details of his alleged affair with an actress. Fraens First
:10:19. > :10:26.Lady spent a week in hospital after the revelations became public. From
:10:27. > :10:31.Paris, here's Christian Fraser. So, finally officially, it's over. The
:10:32. > :10:35.President's statement tonight was carefully timed for evening
:10:36. > :10:39.bulletins I wish to announce, he said, as a private individual I've
:10:40. > :10:43.ended my relationship with Valerie Trierweiler. Hardly a surprise to
:10:44. > :10:47.anyone. The gossip magazine Closer, revealed for two years Mr Hollande
:10:48. > :10:50.has been in a secret relationship with the French actress, Julie
:10:51. > :10:54.Gayet. There were details of their stolen weekends in the south of
:10:55. > :10:58.France and the nights they'd shared together in a Paris apartment there
:10:59. > :11:02.was a pressing need for the Elysee Palace to clarify the situation
:11:03. > :11:06.before the President's upcoming trip to the White House on February 11th.
:11:07. > :11:12.As for public opinion, well, successive polls suggest the
:11:13. > :11:16.approval ratings are still routed at 22%. Unchanged from a month ago,
:11:17. > :11:20.then the Railtrackings can hardly go any lower. The trouble is, less than
:11:21. > :11:26.two years into his presidency, critics say Mr Hollande's campaign
:11:27. > :11:32.pledges are returning to haunt him. I'll use transparency. I'll never
:11:33. > :11:38.lie. I will never mix private and public life. It is exactly what
:11:39. > :11:43.happened. And there will be endless speculation over Julie Gayet's
:11:44. > :11:46.future position inspite of the president's insistence he will leave
:11:47. > :11:50.along. Valerie Trierweiler heads off tomorrow to India, stripped of her
:11:51. > :11:55.po position, her five staffed and her home. The woman he once called
:11:56. > :12:02.the love of his life, now firmly placed outside it. The Ukranian
:12:03. > :12:05.President, Viktor Yanukovych, has offered top government jobs to the
:12:06. > :12:09.opposition as he tries to he are solve the political crisis which has
:12:10. > :12:13.prompted a wave of anti-government protests across the country. The
:12:14. > :12:17.concessions have been rejected by the opposition and tonight there are
:12:18. > :12:23.more reports of disturbances. Steve Rosenborg reports now from Kiev. It
:12:24. > :12:34.is hard toed believe that this is the centre of a European capital.
:12:35. > :12:40.Earlier today Kiev's streets were a battlefield. Rocks and Molotov
:12:41. > :12:43.cocktails were hurled over barricades towards lines of police,
:12:44. > :12:46.despite reports of fresh negotiations between the President
:12:47. > :12:50.and the opposition. Those talks ended with a surprise offer from
:12:51. > :13:02.President Yanukovych. If the protests stopped, he would give the
:13:03. > :13:08.job of Prime Minister to one of the opposition leaders. The opposition
:13:09. > :13:12.demanded more concessions, constitutional change and fresh
:13:13. > :13:15.elections. Prance a few weeks ago President Yanukovych's opponents
:13:16. > :13:19.would have been persuaded to end their protest by the deal he is
:13:20. > :13:22.offering tonight. Several anti-government protesters have been
:13:23. > :13:27.killed this week in Kiev and the people here are in no mood to
:13:28. > :13:32.compromise. I think it's a tricky move from the power from the
:13:33. > :13:37.President Yanukovych to divide the opposition camp. The only guilty man
:13:38. > :13:43.of all this is Yanukovych. And, people not leaving until he go away.
:13:44. > :13:50.There's no sign that President Yanukovych is ready to agree to
:13:51. > :13:54.that. Steve Rosenborg BBC News, Kiev. To round up all the sports
:13:55. > :13:59.news here's Olly Foster at the BBC Sport centre. Good evening.
:14:00. > :14:05.Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Chelsea's Juan Mata Juan
:14:06. > :14:08.Mata for a club record ?37.1 million. The Spanish midfielder
:14:09. > :14:12.passed his medical and agreed personal terms today. He said he
:14:13. > :14:16.couldn't turn down the chance to join the champions. He could make
:14:17. > :14:23.his debut at Old Trafford on Tuesday night against Cardiff. 12 FA Cup
:14:24. > :14:29.fourth round ties today. No replace were required. No major upsets
:14:30. > :14:33.either. Some of the countries' top teams ventured out of their comfort
:14:34. > :14:37.zone. Football league fans dream of a chance to take on the Premier
:14:38. > :14:41.League's finest on home soil in the Cup. Liverpool faced a potentially
:14:42. > :14:46.tricky trip to Championship Bournemouth. The Moses snuffed out
:14:47. > :14:49.early promise from the home side with a spark of Premier League
:14:50. > :14:56.quality. Bournemouth might have had the chance to draw level from the
:14:57. > :15:02.penalty spot, but Kelly's shirt tug was missed by the referee. They were
:15:03. > :15:09.left wondering what might have been. Three minutes later Sturridge had a
:15:10. > :15:15.clinical finish. Everton were up against a team two leagues below
:15:16. > :15:18.them. Stevenage were unlucky not to get an early breakthrough. It cost
:15:19. > :15:23.them. They couldn't clear their lines and Everton capitalised on
:15:24. > :15:29.their first chance to take a troughy need through Steven Naismith.
:15:30. > :15:33.Everton were shaken when rye their midfielder suffered a nasty leg
:15:34. > :15:38.brake in the first half. The Premier League side remained composed.
:15:39. > :15:47.Stevenage deserved more for that efforts. Everton wrapped up a 4-0
:15:48. > :15:51.victory. Bony scored twice for Swansea to beat Birmingham. Watford
:15:52. > :15:56.were 2-0 up with half an hour to play at Manchester City, an Sergio
:15:57. > :16:03.Aguero hat-trick helped them to a 4-2 win. Cup holders Wigan, now in
:16:04. > :16:07.the Championship, beat Premier League Crystal Palace 2-1. There
:16:08. > :16:12.were four games in the Scottish Premiership. Celtic play tomorrow.
:16:13. > :16:18.Third against second at Fir Park. Motherwell were two one up. Aberdeen
:16:19. > :16:27.stay second in the table after their skipper got an late equaliser. Wins
:16:28. > :16:32.for kill rnock and Hearts. Will Li Na claimed her second Grand Slam
:16:33. > :16:42.title. She won the first set on a tie-break she flew through the
:16:43. > :16:48.second. There was an international athletics meeting in Glasgow today.
:16:49. > :16:55.Great Britain's won the 60m. There was also a Scottish national record
:16:56. > :16:58.for 20-year-old student Laura Muer. Scotland came last in the overall
:16:59. > :17:03.standing stands with a Commonwealth team finishing top. That is all your
:17:04. > :17:07.sport. Thank you very very much. Is it. You can see more of all of
:17:08. > :17:14.today's stories on the BBC News Channel. From all of us here, a very
:17:15. > :17:25.With clear skies it is turning chilly out there at the moment. It
:17:26. > :17:29.leaves us with a risk of ice nor northern England and Scotland.
:17:30. > :17:32.Things are brewing in the Atlantic. This low pressure system will bring
:17:33. > :17:37.rain, strong winds into Northern Ireland for the early hours. Cold
:17:38. > :17:40.air for Scotland. Here some hill snow for a time. We will concentrate
:17:41. > :17:41.on the rain,