:00:00. > :00:08.Tensions rise in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia executes 47 people
:00:09. > :00:18.In the kingdom and beyond, there are protests after a prominent
:00:19. > :00:27.Some British soldiers who served in Iraq from 2003 could face
:00:28. > :00:30.prosecution for war crimes, including unlawful killing.
:00:31. > :00:34.Parts of Scotland prepare for more flooding, as heavy rain moves in.
:00:35. > :00:38.And England make a solid start to the Second Test
:00:39. > :00:58.against South Africa, in Cape Town.
:00:59. > :01:02.There's heightened tension across the Middle East tonight
:01:03. > :01:06.after Saudi Arabia executed 47 people for terrorist offences,
:01:07. > :01:09.including a high-profile Shia cleric.
:01:10. > :01:12.Nimr Al-Nimr was involved in anti-government protests
:01:13. > :01:15.during the Arab Spring and had criticised the rulers
:01:16. > :01:21.His death has sparked an angry reaction in Shia majority countries,
:01:22. > :01:26.including Iran, while the US State Department says his execution
:01:27. > :01:29.risks exacerbating sectarian tensions.
:01:30. > :01:33.Our Middle East correspondent Kevin Connolly has more.
:01:34. > :01:37.As news of the execution of Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr spread,
:01:38. > :01:41.protesters took to the streets in Saudi Arabia's Shia city
:01:42. > :01:46.of Khatif, an act of defiance in a kingdom where public dissent
:01:47. > :01:55.And Shia anger is spreading in the Middle East.
:01:56. > :02:00.In neighbouring Bahrain, the protests were angry
:02:01. > :02:06.Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr was a leader of the Shia religious minority
:02:07. > :02:10.in Saudi Arabia with the Royal Family see themselves
:02:11. > :02:16.Rivalry between the two branches of the faith is ancient and it
:02:17. > :02:21.dangerously divides the Middle East to this day.
:02:22. > :02:26.As the Saudi authorities cracked down during the Arab Spring on Shia
:02:27. > :02:29.attempts to bring pulls for political reform
:02:30. > :02:35.into the kingdom itself, Sheikh Al-Nimr was arrested.
:02:36. > :02:40.He had defied the Saudi authorities to prove their charge
:02:41. > :02:44.that he was acting on behalf of Iran, the leader of Shia Islam
:02:45. > :02:49.and regional rival for power to Saudi Arabia.
:02:50. > :02:55.Tehran said Saudi Arabia supported extremism abroad while suppressing
:02:56. > :03:02.And from the website of the country's Supreme Leader,
:03:03. > :03:06.Ayatollah Khomeni, came this comparison between official
:03:07. > :03:11.execution in Saudi Arabia and the murderous beheadings
:03:12. > :03:17.This ancient faultline is a dangerous division
:03:18. > :03:24.Sunni fighters are pitched against Shia in conflicts from Syria
:03:25. > :03:30.TRANSLATION: I think Saudi Arabia made a big mistake when it executed
:03:31. > :03:32.Al-Nimr as it will fuel existing sectarian violence in
:03:33. > :03:39.Saudi Arabia's execution of Nimr Al-Nimr will deepen those
:03:40. > :03:49.The BBC understands one of those executed in Saudi Arabia
:03:50. > :03:53.was involved in the murder of freelance Irish cameraman,
:03:54. > :03:58.Mr Cumbers had been on assignment working with the BBC's
:03:59. > :04:01.Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner who was seriously
:04:02. > :04:08.Adel Al-Dhubaiti was originally sentenced to death in 2014
:04:09. > :04:12.for his role in several Al-Qaeda attacks.
:04:13. > :04:15.Some British soldiers, who served in Iraq from 2003,
:04:16. > :04:18.are being warned they could face prosecution for war crimes,
:04:19. > :04:24.The head of a Ministry of Defence unit, which is looking
:04:25. > :04:28.into allegations that some civilians were mistreated during the conflict,
:04:29. > :04:31.says there'll be discussions with prosecutors about whether there
:04:32. > :04:39.Claims of mistreatment of Iraqis by British personnel have been rife
:04:40. > :04:43.in the aftermath of the Iraq war, so much so the Government set up
:04:44. > :04:48.a team to investigate historic allegations and today its head said
:04:49. > :04:57."There are serious allegations that we're investigating
:04:58. > :05:00.which incorporates homicide, where I feel there's significant
:05:01. > :05:04.evidence to be obtained to put a strong case before the Authority
:05:05. > :05:13.This historic allegations team is costing a total of ?57 million
:05:14. > :05:17.and is examining more than 1,000 cases.
:05:18. > :05:20.It's not due to finish its work until the end of 2019.
:05:21. > :05:23.Lawyers representing alleged victims say it's taking too long
:05:24. > :05:39.They were established in 2010 and we're now at the beginning
:05:40. > :05:42.of 2016 and there's not been a single prosecution as a result
:05:43. > :05:47.So when we look at it like that, there isn't much to indicate that
:05:48. > :05:50.we're going to get very far any time soon in terms
:05:51. > :05:56.The Ministry of Defence says it takes all allegations of abuse
:05:57. > :05:59.or unlawful killing very seriously, but the vast majority of those
:06:00. > :06:01.in the armed forces conduct themselves professionally
:06:02. > :06:09.Some have expressed frustration at continued claims against military
:06:10. > :06:12.personnel and doubt over the sheer numbers.
:06:13. > :06:15.The British Army has an incredibly effective disciplinary system,
:06:16. > :06:19.chain of command, which makes sure this kind of thing does not happen
:06:20. > :06:25.Occasionally, it will happen, but our system prevents
:06:26. > :06:31.That's why I say that thousands of cases just couldn't happen.
:06:32. > :06:35.Critics say fear of future prosecution could prevent soldiers
:06:36. > :06:39.The Defence Secretary has criticised ambulance-chasing law firms.
:06:40. > :06:42.Two previous public inquiries have already looked at claims against UK
:06:43. > :06:47.Now, almost 13 years since the war there started, the military
:06:48. > :06:52.is still having to confront this dark side of its involvement.
:06:53. > :06:54.Increases in rail fares came into force today in England,
:06:55. > :06:57.Scotland and Wales, with prices rising by an average of 1.1%.
:06:58. > :07:00.That's the lowest increase since 2010, but campaigners say
:07:01. > :07:05.the service is so poor in some places customers may be surprised
:07:06. > :07:13.Happy new fare, rail users travelling today after recent
:07:14. > :07:16.festivities and paying slightly more after the annual price hike.
:07:17. > :07:20.It's the smallest increase in fares since 2010,
:07:21. > :07:24.regulated tickets, which account for around half of those sold
:07:25. > :07:28.and include season tickets, go up by the rate of inflation, 1%.
:07:29. > :07:32.But some leisure fares can go up by more.
:07:33. > :07:37.It's good that the railway now does go up broadly from revenues,
:07:38. > :07:40.from ticket revenues, the day-to-day running cost
:07:41. > :07:46.So what that means is that the money from Government is able to go
:07:47. > :07:48.to investment, continuing to renew the infrastructure,
:07:49. > :07:52.but also to deliver better and better improvements
:07:53. > :07:54.in the capacity for passengers and freight users.
:07:55. > :07:57.The rise means an annual season-ticket between Guildford
:07:58. > :08:00.and London, which was ?3,400 last year, goes up by ?32.
:08:01. > :08:03.One of the largest fare rises is on the Cheltenham Spa to London
:08:04. > :08:07.route, going up by almost ?100 to ?9,800.
:08:08. > :08:13.This year's increase has also pushed the price of a season-ticket over
:08:14. > :08:18.the ?10,000 mark for the first time, for workers travelling
:08:19. > :08:22.between Birmingham and London on Virgin Trains.
:08:23. > :08:26.It the service was better then it would be more acceptable,
:08:27. > :08:31.but we travel quite a lot on the train and it's the bain
:08:32. > :08:34.of our lives them being incredibly expensive, especially
:08:35. > :08:41.They do go up every year and it's hard to understand why all the time
:08:42. > :08:43.because the service doesn't get any better.
:08:44. > :08:46.I think they're a bargain, quite frankly.
:08:47. > :08:50.I mean, it's easy to get about, either within the city or from city
:08:51. > :08:53.to city, I wish we had the same thing in the United States.
:08:54. > :08:56.1%, I guess, given overall growth in inflation doesn't seem that bad
:08:57. > :09:04.The Government says it's done away with inflation-busting price rises
:09:05. > :09:07.until 2020 and points to new stations and new carriages
:09:08. > :09:12.But many commuters, preparing to pay more for their return to work
:09:13. > :09:15.after the Christmas break, say that any price rises
:09:16. > :09:19.Phillip Norton, BBC News at Paddington Station.
:09:20. > :09:23.A hacking group that targets so-called Islamic State websites,
:09:24. > :09:27.says it was behind the cyber-attack on the BBC this week.Many
:09:28. > :09:31.of the Corporation's services were taken offline for several
:09:32. > :09:37.A group calling itself New World Hacking,
:09:38. > :09:42.In parts of Scotland, England and Wales, people
:09:43. > :09:45.are bracing themselves for yet more flooding,
:09:46. > :09:47.as another belt of wet weather moves in.
:09:48. > :09:51.A warning of heavy rain has been issued for central
:09:52. > :09:54.and North East Scotland until Monday night, along with dozens of flood
:09:55. > :09:58.Ballater in Aberdeenshire was badly flooded over Christmas,
:09:59. > :10:05.Catrina Renton is there for us tonight.
:10:06. > :10:10.Are they preparing for the worst where you are? It's not the
:10:11. > :10:14.intensity to have rain this time but its prolonged nature that is causing
:10:15. > :10:18.concern with more rain falling on what is already saturated ground.
:10:19. > :10:23.It's communities like this one here that were so badly hit by Storm
:10:24. > :10:27.Frank earlier in the week that could be affected again. Around 200 homes
:10:28. > :10:33.here were flooded on Wednesday into Thursday last week. So you can
:10:34. > :10:36.imagine today there have been massive preparations, enormous
:10:37. > :10:40.sandbags been put out around the town, almost waist height, the
:10:41. > :10:45.sandbags, in the hope of minimising any damage that could happen this
:10:46. > :10:48.time. Now, behind me, you can see where the efforts are being
:10:49. > :10:52.coordinated this evening, between the emergency services, the council
:10:53. > :10:58.and electric companies. They are preparing for the worst, but of
:10:59. > :11:03.course, hoping for the best. Now, that Met Office amber be prepared
:11:04. > :11:08.warning is in place until 9 o'clock on Monday evening and there are 22
:11:09. > :11:11.flood warnings in place from the Environment Agency across the
:11:12. > :11:14.north-east of Scotland and Perthshire. So people here once
:11:15. > :11:16.again bracing themselves for what the weather might throw at them this
:11:17. > :11:24.time. Many thanks. Here is Olly Foster
:11:25. > :11:27.with the day's sport. We'll start with cricket
:11:28. > :11:30.because England have made a good start to the second Test
:11:31. > :11:33.against South Africa in Cape Town. They are already 1-0 up in the four
:11:34. > :11:37.match series and ended the first Ben Stokes will return to the crease
:11:38. > :11:50.tomorrow morning on 74. In Cape Town, plenty of
:11:51. > :11:53.awe-inspiring sites. South Africa once towering giants of the game,
:11:54. > :11:58.but their peak it seems almost behind them. Little wonder 12,000
:11:59. > :12:01.England fans made the trip. The hosts still rated the world's best
:12:02. > :12:05.but England here finding little to fear.
:12:06. > :12:11.That was until Alastair Cook found an edge. Rabada, one of South
:12:12. > :12:16.Africa's next generation. Having dismissed the England captain,
:12:17. > :12:19.others were proving rather more sub born, this took Hales to a half
:12:20. > :12:23.century. South Africa needed inspiration and it was Rabada once
:12:24. > :12:28.again providing them with the lift. This time to see off Compton. That
:12:29. > :12:32.was the ball before the tea break, this the ball after.
:12:33. > :12:37.South Africa's new playing like South Africa of old. But like them,
:12:38. > :12:43.it wasn't to last. Root on his way to 50, Stokes was going even
:12:44. > :12:45.further. Test cricket's most picturesque venue, it was England
:12:46. > :12:47.offering plenty to admire. There was only one draw in today's
:12:48. > :12:49.eight Premier League matches. All the goals are coming up on Match
:12:50. > :12:53.of the Day straight after the news, but if you want the results,
:12:54. > :12:55.then here they come. Arsenal are two points clear
:12:56. > :12:58.at the top of the table. Laurent Koscielny scored
:12:59. > :13:00.the only goal in their win The Gunners had been level
:13:01. > :13:05.on points with Leicester, but they slipped up
:13:06. > :13:06.at home to Bournemouth. Manchester City are only three
:13:07. > :13:10.points off the top after coming Goals from Yaya Toure
:13:11. > :13:15.and Sergio Aguero inside the last 10 minutes secured a 2-1
:13:16. > :13:18.win at Vicarage Road. They had a penalty saved
:13:19. > :13:25.against 10-man Bournemouth. Wayne Rooney scored
:13:26. > :13:27.Manchester United's winner against Swansea, their first
:13:28. > :13:30.victory in six weeks. In the relegation places,
:13:31. > :13:37.Sunderland beat bottom club West Brom beat Stoke 2-1 in injury
:13:38. > :13:43.time and Liverpool went down 2-0 An 89th minute goal
:13:44. > :13:48.from Leigh Griffiths gave Celtic a 1-0 win over Partick to move three
:13:49. > :13:51.points clear at the top In the Tayside Derby,
:13:52. > :13:56.Dundee beat Dundee United 2-1 Nick Ross scored
:13:57. > :14:00.the deflected winner. Dundee are up to seventh,
:14:01. > :14:02.United are 11 points adrift Elsewhere, Inverness
:14:03. > :14:10.beat Ross County. Saracens have stretched their lead
:14:11. > :14:15.at the top of Rugby Union's They made it eight wins out of eight
:14:16. > :14:20.this season with a 26-6 victory over They scored four tries,
:14:21. > :14:26.three of them penalty tries, They are now sox points
:14:27. > :14:35.clear of Exeter. There were also wins for Gloucester,
:14:36. > :14:37.Newcastle and Sale today. In the Pro 12, Edinburgh completed
:14:38. > :14:40.the double over Glasgow to move Phil Burleigh scored
:14:41. > :14:44.the winning try. 14-11 the final score
:14:45. > :14:46.at Murrayfield. A win that also saw them clinch
:14:47. > :14:49.the 1872 Cup that the Scottish Adrian 'Jackpot' Lewis is the first
:14:50. > :14:53.man through to the PDC World Championship darts final,
:14:54. > :14:56.both semi-finals are being played It's the first to six sets
:14:57. > :15:02.and though Barney, a former PDC Champion, fought back from 5-0 down,
:15:03. > :15:04.Lewis came through 6-3. The defending champion,
:15:05. > :15:08.Gary Anderson, takes on Jelle The rival BDO World Darts
:15:09. > :15:14.Championship started today The women's tournament takes
:15:15. > :15:18.place alongside the men's and the defending champion
:15:19. > :15:23.Lisa Ashton, the Lancashire Rose, came through her first round match
:15:24. > :15:25.against Paula Jacklin. You can see more on all of today's
:15:26. > :15:56.stories on the BBC News Channel. Hello there. More wind and rain in
:15:57. > :16:01.the next few days. The heaviest rain not where it's been for the past few
:16:02. > :16:05.weeks. We have an amber rain warning from the Met Office but it's eastern
:16:06. > :16:09.areas of Scotland, the rain really adding up in the next few days and
:16:10. > :16:12.leading to some flooding. Low pressure bringing all the rain.
:16:13. > :16:16.The rain continues in the north-east of England and in Scotland and it
:16:17. > :16:20.will be replaced by a bigger area of low pressure from the Atlantic
:16:21. > :16:31.bringing rain into the south-west overnight. There will be a gap in
:16:32. > :16:33.the rain. We should turn more showery in the
:16:34. > :16:37.afternoon tomorrow. A hint of sunshine for south-west England and
:16:38. > :16:41.Wales. The showers could be heavy and thundery. It stays wet in the
:16:42. > :16:44.afternoon across East Anglia and much of northern England. The rain
:16:45. > :16:50.fall amounts not particularly high across Cumbria. Wet for most of the
:16:51. > :16:54.day for Northern Ireland. Not much again for Northern Ireland and
:16:55. > :16:59.Scotland. The rain continues to add up the
:17:00. > :17:03.risk of flooding which is greater by Monday as it stays wet and windy in
:17:04. > :17:06.eastern Scotland. Snow in the mountains, rain for north-east
:17:07. > :17:10.England. Showery and brighter elsewhere, although a lot of heavy,
:17:11. > :17:13.maybe thundery showers in South Wales and southern England. A very
:17:14. > :17:16.unsettled picture over the week ahead. Lots of showers to begin the
:17:17. > :17:17.week, persistent rain in the week,