:00:08. > :00:14.There's been significant progress and the peace talks on Syria. It's
:00:15. > :00:19.been agreed some in the battered city of Homs, will be allowed to
:00:20. > :00:28.leave tomorrow. Women and children in the besieged area in the old city
:00:29. > :00:31.are welcome to leave immediately. Opposition groups are yet to respond
:00:32. > :00:37.to the offer. The other main stories, Ed Balls defends Labour's
:00:38. > :00:40.plans to increase the top rate of tax to 50p The Shadow Chancellor
:00:41. > :00:42.denies the move is anti-business, following accusations it will deter
:00:43. > :00:46.investment in Britain. Pro-business, pro-investment, but
:00:47. > :00:50.pro-fairness. Let's get the deficit down in a fairer way. It is great
:00:51. > :00:52.politics but lousy economics because it does not work. In Ukraine,
:00:53. > :00:55.thousands of people pay tribute to a man killed during clashes with
:00:56. > :00:59.police,as protests build around the country And did Chelsea do enough to
:01:00. > :01:04.progress to the next round of the FA Cup? Oscar shoots! He finds the
:01:05. > :01:35.corner. What a stunning goal. At the Syria peace talks in Geneva,
:01:36. > :01:38.there's been significant progress on the humanitarian situation in the
:01:39. > :01:40.country. In the last hour, the United Nations Special Envoy
:01:41. > :01:43.announced the Assad regime has agreed women and children can leave
:01:44. > :01:50.the war torn city of Homs immediately. Our Diplomatic
:01:51. > :01:56.Correspondent Bridget Kendall has the latest from Geneva.
:01:57. > :02:00.War-torn ruins in Homs today in this amateur video. Hundreds are trapped
:02:01. > :02:04.in rebel held enclaves in the city am a besieged by government forces.
:02:05. > :02:13.Desperately hoping that peace talks might secure safe passage for a UN
:02:14. > :02:17.aid convoy. TRANSLATION: We want to Geneva to break the siege and make
:02:18. > :02:25.us safe roads to get out of here. You need an operation on my leg. --
:02:26. > :02:29.I need and operation. We fill our stomachs with stones. We do not want
:02:30. > :02:34.food or water any more. We are worried about the wounded people.
:02:35. > :02:38.The opposition say that their fighters would observe a cease-fire
:02:39. > :02:43.and at the end of the two of the Geneva talks, what sounds like
:02:44. > :02:51.encouraging news. Women and children in the besieged area in the old city
:02:52. > :02:59.are welcome to leave immediately. And the other civilians are also
:03:00. > :03:04.welcome to leave but the government needs a list of their names first.
:03:05. > :03:08.Also on the agenda today, the thousands of people in Syria in
:03:09. > :03:12.prisons, kidnapped or missing. The government delegation has asked the
:03:13. > :03:21.opposition for a list of those they are holding. The opposition asks the
:03:22. > :03:25.same thing. We will see today, with the help of the United Nations, if
:03:26. > :03:28.we can release the prisoners in the jails of President Assad, tens and
:03:29. > :03:32.thousands of them being tortured systematically, many of them are
:03:33. > :03:40.women and children, dying under torture. An imposing venue for
:03:41. > :03:45.talks, which once housed the league of Nations. It is too early for
:03:46. > :03:47.these talks to make history. There have been peace negotiations
:03:48. > :03:52.in this building for decades but this time it is unclear whether the
:03:53. > :03:55.two sides have got past the first hurdle and are really prepared to
:03:56. > :04:00.engage in dialogue. So far, even when they are in the same room, they
:04:01. > :04:04.are trading accusations and talking past each other.
:04:05. > :04:09.Despite today's hopeful sign from Homs, it is unclear what will happen
:04:10. > :04:12.when the rival delegations meet tomorrow to discuss the contents is
:04:13. > :04:21.question of transferring power in Syria. A subject on which they have
:04:22. > :04:24.very different views. The Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has
:04:25. > :04:27.insisted that Labour is pro-business, after criticism of his
:04:28. > :04:30.party's plans to increase the top rate of income tax to 50p in the
:04:31. > :04:32.pound. Some industry leaders have suggested the policy could
:04:33. > :04:34.jeopardise the economic recovery. And today a former Labour Trade
:04:35. > :04:39.minister dismissed the plan as "lousy economics." Our Political
:04:40. > :04:49.Correspondent, Ross Hawkins, is at Westminster.
:04:50. > :04:53.A 50p top rate of tax, a way to make dealing with the deficit fairer. Or,
:04:54. > :04:59.as one former Labour minister says, lousy economics. It might play to
:05:00. > :05:05.socialism and tribalism and if you are in a zero hours contract on the
:05:06. > :05:10.men and wage, it is going to be very attractive indeed. -- the minimum
:05:11. > :05:14.wage. But the economics are that it does not actually raise the money
:05:15. > :05:19.that people hope. Ed Balls does not accept that. Digby Jones was never a
:05:20. > :05:25.Labour member. The party says it is not going into battle with business.
:05:26. > :05:31.It is not anti-business. It is anti business as usual. When we have such
:05:32. > :05:34.a big deficit and such a problem with the cost of living. What impact
:05:35. > :05:39.would be 50p rate have on the deficit? When the rate was cut from
:05:40. > :05:44.50p, it meant ?100 million less money for the Chancellor, according
:05:45. > :05:48.to an estimate that the independent office for budget responsibility
:05:49. > :05:51.says was reasonable. But they also say that there were uncertainties
:05:52. > :05:55.about the sums because there is no way of knowing how taxpayers will
:05:56. > :06:01.react. When Labour said they would bring in the 50p rate, people
:06:02. > :06:09.arrange to have an estimated 16 billion pounds of income paid early
:06:10. > :06:14.to avoid paying the tax. Labour think that a 50p rate now might
:06:15. > :06:17.raise more than expected because top ratepayers paid more than was first
:06:18. > :06:20.thought when it was in place. And the Chancellor who put the tax up
:06:21. > :06:26.last time says that doing it again make sense. Ed Balls is right. This
:06:27. > :06:32.is the last full year before the election. It is right to lay out a
:06:33. > :06:35.proposal immolation to deficit reduction. One poll suggests that
:06:36. > :06:44.voters like be 50p idea but in Leeds, mixed views. I'd pay 40% tax
:06:45. > :06:49.and I am just a welder. Why should they not get higher tax on higher
:06:50. > :06:56.earnings? I agree that it is right that people who make more pay more.
:06:57. > :07:01.In France, they tend to move abroad so they pay no revenue. I don't
:07:02. > :07:07.know. In the 90s, Labour would the city. Not any more, says the
:07:08. > :07:11.Tories. Ed Balls is sending the signal that if this was a Labour
:07:12. > :07:14.government, we would go back to high spending and high borrowing. That is
:07:15. > :07:18.an anti-business, anti-job creation agenda.
:07:19. > :07:22.Those are the opening shots of a fight over a 50p rate that is
:07:23. > :07:27.starting now and will not finish any time before the general election.
:07:28. > :07:32.And a key question tonight, our labour worried about the business
:07:33. > :07:36.critics? Rachel Reeves has told five live this evening that some of those
:07:37. > :07:43.critics are not representative of the business community. Labour will
:07:44. > :07:46.live with this but the question is, will that concern voters or impress
:07:47. > :07:49.them? In Ukraine, thousands of people in
:07:50. > :07:51.the capital Kiev have been holding prayers for a 25-year-old man,
:07:52. > :07:57.killed during the on-going violence between police and anti-government
:07:58. > :07:59.protesters. In other parts of the country,it's being reported
:08:00. > :08:01.thousands of people have besieged government buildings and clashed
:08:02. > :08:07.with the security forces.Our correspondent in Kiev, Steve
:08:08. > :08:14.Rosenberg, has the latest. This report contains flash photography.
:08:15. > :08:24.In Kiev, they paused their protest. To honour the dead. The dead man was
:08:25. > :08:28.one of two protesters who died on Wednesday from gunshot woodlands. As
:08:29. > :08:35.his coffin passed through Independence Square, the crowds
:08:36. > :08:39.shouted, revenge. Ukrainians are praying that there will be no more
:08:40. > :08:46.victims. But there has been more violence. During the night,
:08:47. > :08:52.protesters the siege and exhibition centre near Independence Square.
:08:53. > :08:55.They had received information that 200 police officers were stationed
:08:56. > :09:04.inside. They used fireworks and rocks to break-in. The police
:09:05. > :09:07.retreated. Later, citizens streamed into the captured building. The only
:09:08. > :09:15.exhibition on today was a display of people power. TRANSLATION: We wanted
:09:16. > :09:21.a new government. One that will care about the people. President
:09:22. > :09:24.Yanukovych has offered concessions to his opponents. He has offered to
:09:25. > :09:29.make one of the leaders of the opposition Prime Minister. But these
:09:30. > :09:32.protesters do not trust him and they are continuing to take power into
:09:33. > :09:38.their own hands. Earlier this week, men in masks
:09:39. > :09:44.occupied the agriculture ministry. And briefly, the Ministry for
:09:45. > :09:51.energy. The minister there told me that the intruders were terrorists.
:09:52. > :09:55.TRANSLATION: I'll meeting orders from the President, not from the
:09:56. > :10:01.street. -- I only take orders. And the armrest is spreading with town
:10:02. > :10:06.halls and governors offices being attacked and seized in many parts of
:10:07. > :10:14.Ukraine. One of the biggest countries in Europe is in a state of
:10:15. > :10:19.siege. Some customers of the Lloyds Halifax
:10:20. > :10:25.and TSB banks have been unable to use their debit card this afternoon.
:10:26. > :10:32.Our business correspondent Joe Lynam is here. Joe, what do we know? We
:10:33. > :10:39.remember the technical glitches that affected NatWest last year. Now it
:10:40. > :10:42.seems that many thousands can use -- cannot use their debit cards. The
:10:43. > :10:49.company says they can use online services, and the Chief Executive
:10:50. > :10:52.has tweeted this evening saying that he is apologising to TSB customers.
:10:53. > :10:58.He says he is working hard with his team right now and he's coming into
:10:59. > :11:01.the office to do exactly that. Selling electronic cigarettes to
:11:02. > :11:03.anyone under 18 is to be outlawed in England.
:11:04. > :11:06.Ministers are also going to make it illegal for adults to buy cigarettes
:11:07. > :11:14.to pass on to children. Daniel Boettcher reports.
:11:15. > :11:17.Alec Tronic cigarettes are growing in a polarity, designed to help
:11:18. > :11:21.people stop smoking traditional cigarettes. -- electronic
:11:22. > :11:24.cigarettes. But most contain nicotine, although not Tobacco.
:11:25. > :11:27.Health professionals argued that there has not yet been enough
:11:28. > :11:31.research into the long-term effects on the government is now changing
:11:32. > :11:34.the law so that in England they cannot be sold to underrate teens.
:11:35. > :11:40.The change has been broadly welcomed. Tobacco products are
:11:41. > :11:45.already banned from sale to those under 18. E-cigarette is should be
:11:46. > :11:51.considered in the same legislation. -- e-cigarettes. The electronic
:11:52. > :11:53.cigarette industry welcomes the change, saying that manufacturers
:11:54. > :12:00.have been clearer that the products are not for underrate teens. Jodie
:12:01. > :12:06.and her friend are over 18 and buying their first e-cigarettes in
:12:07. > :12:09.Leeds. He thinks that the iconic devices should be available to young
:12:10. > :12:17.people trying to wean themselves off tobacco. If you are already smoking
:12:18. > :12:20.at a young age, then it would be better to be weaned off at a young
:12:21. > :12:25.age. But if you do not smoke and you are buying one, it is pointless. At
:12:26. > :12:27.the same time, tighter restrictions are being brought in to ban adults
:12:28. > :12:33.from buying conventional cigarettes for children. At the moment, shops
:12:34. > :12:39.selling cigarettes to anyone under 18 can be prosecuted but adults
:12:40. > :12:44.buying one on behalf of a child cannot. It has long been argued that
:12:45. > :12:48.the rules for tobacco sales should be brought in line with those for
:12:49. > :12:52.alcohol. But campaigners say that while they support the receptions,
:12:53. > :12:57.they may be difficult to apply. We know that adults buying cigarettes
:12:58. > :13:01.to give to children is a major source of supply to underage
:13:02. > :13:04.smokers. It would be a good idea to do something about that and we
:13:05. > :13:09.support the move in principle but the problem is that you need to make
:13:10. > :13:11.sure that it is enforced. Similar restrictions are already in place in
:13:12. > :13:16.Scotland where the law was changed in 2011.
:13:17. > :13:22.Now, with all the sport, here's Olly Foster at the BBC Sport Centre.
:13:23. > :13:25.Many thanks, Clive. The Fourth Round of the FA Cup has passed without any
:13:26. > :13:28.major surprises this weekend. Chelsea beat Stoke 1-nil at Stamford
:13:29. > :13:31.Bridge to reach the last sixteen. League One Sheffield United are
:13:32. > :13:39.still in the Cup after they forced a replay against Fulham. Emily Croydon
:13:40. > :13:41.reports. Sheffield United already had one
:13:42. > :13:47.Premier League scalp to their name after beating Aston Villa in the
:13:48. > :13:51.last round. Plenty for the Premier League strugglers, Fulham, to fear
:13:52. > :13:55.in the awful conditions. United looked confident and took a
:13:56. > :13:59.first-half lead. Chris Porter got the finish. But they made things
:14:00. > :14:04.harder for themselves when the captain was dismissed for this off
:14:05. > :14:08.the ball challenge. The ten men resisted well but could not hold
:14:09. > :14:17.out. Hugo Roddy Eger salvaged a replay for Fulham. -- Rodillega.
:14:18. > :14:27.There was a birthday gift for Stoke. Oscar made this stunning free
:14:28. > :14:30.kick, showing why Juan Mata was allowed to leave the club. But a
:14:31. > :14:36.second goal just would not come for the home side. It did not spoil Jose
:14:37. > :14:40.Mourinho's day. A place in the fifth round was his perfect present.
:14:41. > :14:46.The draw for the fifth round has just been made. Chelsea will be at
:14:47. > :14:51.Manchester City. Arsenal have been drawn at home to Liverpool. Full
:14:52. > :14:53.details on the BBC sport website. Celtic have stretched their lead to
:14:54. > :14:55.15 points in the Scottish Premiership after beating Hibernian
:14:56. > :14:58.4-0 at Easter Road. Kris Commons scored twice but Virgil
:14:59. > :15:02.van Dirk's brilliant free kick was the pick of the goals. That's
:15:03. > :15:08.Celtic's 11th straight league win. It's been a bad day for England's
:15:09. > :15:15.cricketers in Australia. They have lost the one-day series 4-1, beaten
:15:16. > :15:19.by five runs. They restricted Australia to 217 49. They appeared
:15:20. > :15:24.on course to victory but collapsed and were all out for 212. Alistair
:15:25. > :15:34.Cooke's one-day future is also in doubt as he revealed he will sit out
:15:35. > :15:42.next month, at the West Indies tour. Stanislas Wawrinka is the new
:15:43. > :15:45.Australian open Champion. He beat Rafael Nadal in four sets to
:15:46. > :15:48.claim his first major title, although Nadal, the World Number one
:15:49. > :15:50.,was hampered by a back problem. Alex South reports from Melbourne.
:15:51. > :15:54.Rafa Nadal's Australian open win was supposed to be a formality. But with
:15:55. > :16:02.the Swiss star as reliable as his country's clocks, he shocked
:16:03. > :16:05.everyone. For fans of the Spaniard, it was painful to watch and then
:16:06. > :16:10.painful for Nadal to play. Medical time-outs to not go down well with
:16:11. > :16:20.the crowd or the brink. It was soon clear that he was in trouble. --
:16:21. > :16:23.Wawrinka. Pride seems to keep Nadal going, or was it the power of
:16:24. > :16:29.painkillers? Somehow, he launched an unlikely comeback. If Nadal was
:16:30. > :16:36.physically at 50%, Stanislav Dyfrig Owen was about the same mentally.
:16:37. > :16:44.But the mind unscrambled enough to make a decisive break and put Nadal
:16:45. > :16:48.out of his misery. That is not the way want to win the match but it is
:16:49. > :16:55.the final. At the end, eye one in four sets and I think I've finished
:16:56. > :17:01.to get the win, and that is amazing. -- I want in four sets. An
:17:02. > :17:06.extraordinary win for Wawrinka in one of the strangest matches you
:17:07. > :17:07.have ever seen. And that is all the