:00:25. > :00:27.The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, has welcomed
:00:28. > :00:30.a decision by the main opposition groups in Syria to take part
:00:31. > :00:32.in peace talks in Geneva, the first in two years.
:00:33. > :00:34.They boycotted the launch of the negotiations yesterday
:00:35. > :00:36.but now say they have received assurances about their
:00:37. > :00:43.From Geneva, Imogen Foulkes sent this report.
:00:44. > :00:44.Syria's war has lasted five long years.
:00:45. > :00:48.A least 250,000 Syrians have been killed, 13 million driven
:00:49. > :01:00.This last winter, sieges have caused starvation.
:01:01. > :01:02.Despite months of planning by the UN, on the first day
:01:03. > :01:09.of the talks, only a Syria government team showed up.
:01:10. > :01:12.The opposition pointedly stayed away.
:01:13. > :01:14.Now, after days of deliberation, the opposition says it will travel
:01:15. > :01:20.Our top agenda is the humanitarian, lifting the sieges.
:01:21. > :01:22.We have 18 places in Syria that are starving.
:01:23. > :01:25.To have this in the 21st century, it's a disaster.
:01:26. > :01:29.On the table for discussion are: a ceasefire, a transitional
:01:30. > :01:35.government and a new constitution, and finally, UN-supervised
:01:36. > :01:40.elections, so the Syrians can choose their own government.
:01:41. > :01:43.Of course, that is a very ambitious list, and no-one here at the UN
:01:44. > :01:48.expects this process to be quick or easy.
:01:49. > :01:52.These negotiations will start very modestly, proximity talks,
:01:53. > :02:01.Maybe some small measures to begin with, a local ceasefire or access
:02:02. > :02:08.But those little things could lead to much bigger prizes -
:02:09. > :02:16.And anything which allows Syria's people to hope that their future
:02:17. > :02:20.lies at home and not on a risky, rickety, smuggler's boat to Europe,
:02:21. > :02:30.Meanwhile, in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya,
:02:31. > :02:33.16 more people are now understood to have died of starvation,according
:02:34. > :02:39.Earlier this month, a UN convoy was allowed to deliver some
:02:40. > :02:42.emergency supplies to the town, where up to 40,000 people
:02:43. > :02:48.New research indicates that a brain tumour treatment,
:02:49. > :02:51.known as proton beam therapy, may be as effective as conventional
:02:52. > :02:54.radiotherapy but with fewer side effects.
:02:55. > :02:57.The treatment was at the centre of a high-profile medical dispute
:02:58. > :03:00.in 2014, when the parents of five-year-old Ashya King
:03:01. > :03:02.removed him from hospital, against doctors' advice,
:03:03. > :03:08.Here's our health correspondent, Adam Brimelow.
:03:09. > :03:10.His report contains some flash photograpy.
:03:11. > :03:14.Ashya King's case highlighted the complex and often agonising
:03:15. > :03:18.progress behind decisions over treatment for malignant brain
:03:19. > :03:22.tumours, when survival is uncertain and side effects may be severe.
:03:23. > :03:26.His parents insisted he should have proton beam therapy.
:03:27. > :03:30.Eventually the NHS in England paid for him to have the treatment
:03:31. > :03:32.in the Czech Republic, though new facilities
:03:33. > :03:38.The Lancet study followed 59 patients with the most common kind
:03:39. > :03:40.of malignant brain tumour in children.
:03:41. > :03:45.After five years, survival was similar to conventional radio
:03:46. > :03:48.therapy, but with fewer side effects, with no sign of damage
:03:49. > :03:50.to the heart, lungs and digestive system.
:03:51. > :03:56.you don't get as many side effects, therefore you improve the quality
:03:57. > :03:58.of life of the people who are undergoing this
:03:59. > :04:04.An accompanying editorial in the Lancet says this trial sets
:04:05. > :04:07.a new benchmark for treating this type of tumour in children,
:04:08. > :04:12.but some experts point out the findings relate to only one type
:04:13. > :04:15.of tumour in a specific age group and much more research is needed
:04:16. > :04:18.for the full understanding of the merits of proton beam therapy.
:04:19. > :04:24.David Bowie left an estate valued at about ?70 million,
:04:25. > :04:27.according to his will, which has been filed in New York.
:04:28. > :04:30.Half will go to his widow, Iman, along with the home they shared
:04:31. > :04:35.The rest is to be shared between his son and daughter.
:04:36. > :04:38.It was also revealed that the rock star requested that his ashes
:04:39. > :04:40.be scattered in Bali in a Buddhist ritual.
:04:41. > :04:44.The singer died of cancer earlier this month.
:04:45. > :04:47.A survey suggests that, for the first time, more Anglicans
:04:48. > :04:50.in the UK support same-sex marriage than oppose it.
:04:51. > :04:53.The poll, of more than 6,000 people across Great Britain,
:04:54. > :04:56.indicates there's been a significant increase in support in recent years.
:04:57. > :04:59.The Church of England's official stance is that marriage can be only
:05:00. > :05:07.Our religious affairs correspondent, Caroline Wyatt, reports.
:05:08. > :05:10.The church's official position on same-sex marriage was made clear
:05:11. > :05:13.again, when leaders from the Anglican communion met
:05:14. > :05:18.Despite an apology from the Archbishop of Canterbury,
:05:19. > :05:21.the hurt caused by the church in the past, to the faithful
:05:22. > :05:30.Protesters outside the meeting called on the church to set
:05:31. > :05:33.an example in fighting homophobia in Africa and elsewhere
:05:34. > :05:36.and change its doctrine on same-sex marriage.
:05:37. > :05:39.Now a new poll shows that, for the first time,
:05:40. > :05:42.more of the faithful approve of same-sex marriage
:05:43. > :05:47.45% are in favour, compared with 37% who believe it's wrong.
:05:48. > :05:52.A similar survey three years ago showed almost half opposed.
:05:53. > :05:55.There are also generational differences.
:05:56. > :06:01.The lowest level of support for same-sex marriage,
:06:02. > :06:06.at 24%, were among Anglican men aged over 55, the group that dominates
:06:07. > :06:12.The YouGov poll was commissioned by a leading gay activist
:06:13. > :06:19.The spokesperson for the church said it was holding what it calls "shared
:06:20. > :06:21.conversations" on the issue and would continue to do
:06:22. > :06:33.There'll be highlights of the Australian Open coming up on BBC
:06:34. > :06:35.One, so if you don't want to know the results of the women's final,
:06:36. > :06:41.look away now. Tennis, and there was a shock defeat
:06:42. > :06:43.for the world number one, Serena Williams, at
:06:44. > :06:46.the Australian Open in Melbourne. She was beaten by Germany's
:06:47. > :06:48.Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Williams went into the match
:06:49. > :06:50.as the heavy favourite and was hoping to equal
:06:51. > :06:58.Steffi Graf's record of 22 More on today's stories on the BBC
:06:59. > :07:08.News channel. The next news on BBC One is at 5. 40pm. Bye for now.
:07:09. > :07:15.Hello. Quite a bit calmer today across most areas of the UK after
:07:16. > :07:17.yesterday's storm. But not completely calm. Still blustery,
:07:18. > :07:18.showers about