:00:00. > :00:08.On the front line against Islamic State extremists in northern
:00:09. > :00:12.Syria - a first hand glimpse of how Kurdish fighters
:00:13. > :00:17.A BBC team has reached an area liberated from IS -
:00:18. > :00:22.but still threatened by its truck bombs.
:00:23. > :00:27.The Kurds got lucky - they found it, they stopped it
:00:28. > :00:33.It sent debris for hundreds of metres across these fields.
:00:34. > :00:36.Elsewhere in Syria, as a partial truce holds the UN says it's ready
:00:37. > :00:43.Also on tonight's programme: After a week of Cabinet division
:00:44. > :00:46.over Europe - a growing row over access to government papers
:00:47. > :00:52.The red carpet is ready for tonight's Oscars -
:00:53. > :00:59.but controversy rages around this year's awards.
:01:00. > :01:05.They are making the final checks here but for the second year in a
:01:06. > :01:14.row all the acting nominees are white.
:01:15. > :01:16.25 years on - a memorial to the British service personnel
:01:17. > :01:20.And Manchester City win the Capital One Cup -
:01:21. > :01:43.The Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, says the success
:01:44. > :01:46.of a truce in Syria depends on Russia, with concern
:01:47. > :01:50.about how its air strikes may derail a fragile process.
:01:51. > :01:54.Tonight, the truce appears to be largely intact.
:01:55. > :01:58.The battle against so-called Islamic State goes on however,
:01:59. > :02:01.and in northern Syria Kurdish fighters backed up by air strikes
:02:02. > :02:05.have been retaking territory from IS.
:02:06. > :02:14.Our correspondent Quentin Somerville is live tonight in Northern Syria.
:02:15. > :02:20.While we have been here, there have been air strikes, there have been
:02:21. > :02:24.car bombs and there have been shootings, but there's been a
:02:25. > :02:27.change. This conflict has pivoted, because the battle now appears to be
:02:28. > :02:33.mainly not solely concentrated on the so-called Islamic State and
:02:34. > :02:36.al-Nusra Al-Qaeda. There is some haute amongst Syrians here, they are
:02:37. > :02:41.beginning to use a language almost unfamiliar to them and a word
:02:42. > :02:44.unfamiliar to them, and that word is calm. But there's also a lot of
:02:45. > :02:46.caution. My report which follows contained some images which some
:02:47. > :02:50.viewers may find distressing. But, so, too, still is the fight
:02:51. > :02:56.against the so-called Islamic State. In Shaddadi, air strikes
:02:57. > :03:03.and the Kurds drove out IS. Here on these streets,
:03:04. > :03:05.the militants once held a slave Now, around the corner,
:03:06. > :03:12.an IS fighter lies dead in the dirt. But Islamic State
:03:13. > :03:26.can still surprise. American jets help repel
:03:27. > :03:30.a jet in Talabiad. This town was taken months ago
:03:31. > :03:34.by the Kurds but IS snipers and commandos attacked in droves
:03:35. > :03:40.an hour before the truce. And across a long
:03:41. > :03:45.stretch of territory. The IS attacks have transformed
:03:46. > :03:47.the security situation Security is a lot
:03:48. > :03:51.tighter along the road. In fact, it is impassable
:03:52. > :03:54.from the west. This wasn't just an attack,
:03:55. > :04:01.ground troops and snipers, they also deployed typical
:04:02. > :04:05.IS tactics, massive truck bomb. They found it, they stopped it
:04:06. > :04:11.and they detonated it. It sent debris hundreds of metres
:04:12. > :04:21.across these fields. Can you imagine the damage that this
:04:22. > :04:24.would have done to local So, the Kurds have control
:04:25. > :04:30.here but it is an absolute and, of course, there is no truce
:04:31. > :04:34.with the Islamic State. But elsewhere the ceasefire
:04:35. > :04:40.of sorts is mostly holding. It's not a return to normal
:04:41. > :04:44.life, but it's a start. "Today the jets flew over,
:04:45. > :04:48.but they didn't bomb, us we hope that they stick
:04:49. > :04:51.to their word and that calm will continue to prevail and we want
:04:52. > :04:56.them to stop the regime." Back in Shaddadi, it is a defeat,
:04:57. > :04:59.not a ceasefire that's making The Islamic State has gone
:05:00. > :05:05.but their markings "We'll all come back
:05:06. > :05:13.here to recover our lives taken This time there is
:05:14. > :05:20.a place for the whole nation, Arabs, Kurds, Christians,
:05:21. > :05:22.we all live together. The men with guns won't
:05:23. > :05:26.be disappearing here. And for Syria right now,
:05:27. > :05:46.that's good enough. Who wouldn't be cynical after nearly
:05:47. > :05:51.five years of war? But who also wouldn't be desperate for hope?
:05:52. > :05:55.There is a desperation, a hope that this ceasefire of sorts continues
:05:56. > :06:00.will stop it is only 48 hours so far. Perhaps peace talks will
:06:01. > :06:04.restart. There has been some good news tonight. The BBC has learned
:06:05. > :06:09.from the United Nations that tomorrow, humanitarian aid convoys
:06:10. > :06:12.will start going in to those towns and cities across Syria which have
:06:13. > :06:15.been besieged, where people are starving, where people are suffering
:06:16. > :06:20.malnutrition, where they are in desperate need of medical help. An
:06:21. > :06:25.indication, perhaps, that these 48 hours have been special and
:06:26. > :06:31.important, and that for the 150,000 or so people who in the next five
:06:32. > :06:35.days are going to receive UN aid, are beginning to make a difference.
:06:36. > :06:38.Quentin Somerville, in northern Syria, thank you.
:06:39. > :06:42.There's a growing row over the use of civil servants and the access
:06:43. > :06:45.to government papers in the coming EU referendum campaign.
:06:46. > :06:47.The head of the civil service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, will be grilled
:06:48. > :06:50.by MPs over claims ministers campaigning to leave the EU will be
:06:51. > :06:53.treated differently to ministers who want to stay in the union.
:06:54. > :06:56.Let's go to our political correspondent Alex Forsyth.
:06:57. > :07:06.This referendum is exposing profound differences across the political
:07:07. > :07:10.spectrum, but they are being felt most keenly within the Conservative
:07:11. > :07:14.Party. This latest row is over the role of the civil service. The
:07:15. > :07:17.government says the work of its officials can be used to support the
:07:18. > :07:21.case for the UK staying in the EU, because that is the government's
:07:22. > :07:25.official position, and ministers who want the UK to leave should have
:07:26. > :07:28.restricted access to some documents and briefings about the referendum.
:07:29. > :07:32.But some Eurosceptics think that doesn't make for a fair fight. So
:07:33. > :07:37.the most senior civil servant has been summoned before MPs to answer
:07:38. > :07:41.questions later this week. What this shows is how these deep divisions go
:07:42. > :07:47.to the very heart of government. They are between Cabinet macros
:07:48. > :07:49.Cabinet colleagues who sit side-by-side, the Work and Pensions
:07:50. > :07:53.Secretary Iain Duncan Smith at today accused those who want the UK to
:07:54. > :07:56.stay in of scaremongering, of downplaying Britain's ability to
:07:57. > :08:00.stand on its own. He didn't name names but he referenced comments
:08:01. > :08:04.made by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, who say leaving the EU
:08:05. > :08:09.was a risk, a leap into the dark. Conservatives on both sides of this
:08:10. > :08:12.debate want to keep it civil, they want to keep it respectful for the
:08:13. > :08:14.sake of their party, but the tensions between them are growing
:08:15. > :08:18.and we are only in week one of this campaign. There are still four
:08:19. > :08:23.months to go. Alex Forsyth at Westminster, thank you.
:08:24. > :08:25.President Robert Mugabe has celebrated his 92nd birthday
:08:26. > :08:27.with a party costing hundreds of thousands of pounds in a part
:08:28. > :08:31.Three million Zimbabweans are facing starvation in the worst drought
:08:32. > :08:34.since the 1990s, but tens of thousands turned out for a lavish
:08:35. > :08:38.party attended by Mr Mugabe, who's been in power for 36 years.
:08:39. > :08:45.Our correspondent Nomsa Maseko reports.
:08:46. > :08:49.The worst drought to hit Zimbabwe in three decades.
:08:50. > :08:53.A quarter of the country's population is facing food shortages.
:08:54. > :08:56.President Robert Mugabe declared a state of disaster,
:08:57. > :09:03.paving the way for international donors to help out.
:09:04. > :09:12.If the situation doesn't change, we will also die.
:09:13. > :09:17.I will be forced to sell all my cattle to feed my family.
:09:18. > :09:19.There have been downpours in recent days, bringing relief in some areas
:09:20. > :09:24.where farmers are still hoping for modest harvests.
:09:25. > :09:27.But the sparse rainfall patterns may do very little to alleviate
:09:28. > :09:33.By declaring an emergency, Mr Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe
:09:34. > :09:37.since its independence from Britain in 1980,
:09:38. > :09:40.is absolving himself and his government from taking
:09:41. > :09:44.on the responsibility to feed his people.
:09:45. > :09:51.Yes, we need funding, more funding, more money.
:09:52. > :09:58.With the help that we are able to get, no matter how little that
:09:59. > :10:08.help may be, we shall certainly manage to go through this bad patch
:10:09. > :10:22.These bad patches do come from time to time.
:10:23. > :10:25.In the midst of this agricultural disaster,
:10:26. > :10:28.a lavish birthday party for the 92-year-old leader was held
:10:29. > :10:31.yesterday in Masvingo, one of the areas that has been
:10:32. > :10:40.Aid, mainly from the United States and the EU, is being distributed
:10:41. > :10:45.We are looking at a situation now where we are at the tip
:10:46. > :10:49.of the iceberg and come three or four months from now,
:10:50. > :10:56.we could have a serious humanitarian catastrophe on our hands.
:10:57. > :10:59.UN resources are under increasing pressure so it remains to be seen
:11:00. > :11:01.just how much the international community will be willing
:11:02. > :11:06.to help to curb malnutrition and diseases.
:11:07. > :11:14.In Iran, moderate candidates have made sweeping gains
:11:15. > :11:16.in the country's parliamentary elections.
:11:17. > :11:19.Votes are still being counted but early results show hardline
:11:20. > :11:22.conservatives may have lost their majority.
:11:23. > :11:26.Reformers and moderates supporting President Hassan Rouhani have won
:11:27. > :11:34.The picture may be more mixed in smaller towns across the country.
:11:35. > :11:36.Pauline Cafferkey, the British nurse who contracted Ebola
:11:37. > :11:39.while volunteering in Sierra Leone, has been discharged from hospital
:11:40. > :11:42.after being treated for the illness for a third time.
:11:43. > :11:44.The 40-year-old from South Lanarkshire was taken
:11:45. > :11:47.to the Royal Free Hospital in London for treatment earlier this week
:11:48. > :11:51.after developing a complication linked to the virus.
:11:52. > :11:59.Medical staff say she isn't infectious.
:12:00. > :12:01.The awards ceremony for this year's Oscars begins in Hollywood later
:12:02. > :12:04.night after a run-up dominated by controversy over a lack
:12:05. > :12:07.All those in the running for acting awards are white,
:12:08. > :12:12.something likely to be addressed by the Oscars host,
:12:13. > :12:21.Our Entertainment Correspondent, Lizo Mzimba, is on the red carpet.
:12:22. > :12:28.Yes, in just 80 minutes' time the stars will start walking down this
:12:29. > :12:31.red carpet. It is of course a show watched by millions around the world
:12:32. > :12:36.and they have been preparing for months, but the one thing they
:12:37. > :12:40.weren't quite ready for is the storm erupted after for the second year in
:12:41. > :12:43.a row all the acting nominations went to white performers.
:12:44. > :12:46.Rapid change, that is what the Academy is promising
:12:47. > :12:48.as the red carpet is prepared for tonight.
:12:49. > :12:51.But there is a perceived overall lack of diversity.
:12:52. > :12:53.This isn't just talking about diversity for the sake
:12:54. > :12:55.of diversity, this is also bad for business.
:12:56. > :12:58.It is bad for Hollywood to be so behind the times
:12:59. > :13:01.that they are not developing projects for people of different
:13:02. > :13:04.backgrounds and people that look different.
:13:05. > :13:07.Movies reflect our society and should be a reflection
:13:08. > :13:09.of who we are as people and for Hollywood not to make
:13:10. > :13:12.diverse movies really is a big problem.
:13:13. > :13:16.Actors who have long campaigned for greater adversity are welcoming
:13:17. > :13:20.that it has become an issue recognised at all levels.
:13:21. > :13:26.I think it really must start in the boardrooms.
:13:27. > :13:29.It is going to take bravery and it is going to take courage
:13:30. > :13:33.and making sure that people aren't fearful to cast black actors
:13:34. > :13:35.and black actresses in roles that may not traditionally be
:13:36. > :13:40.For many, the expectation is that this will be the last year
:13:41. > :13:43.the acting winners are all guaranteed to be white
:13:44. > :13:45.and that the discussion becomes exclusively
:13:46. > :13:50.The numbers clearly indicate there were senior clergy involved.
:13:51. > :13:53.For best film, the Academy loves to reward stories
:13:54. > :13:58.Will the spotlight fall this year on Spotlight,
:13:59. > :14:01.a film about the Boston Globe's investigation of a church
:14:02. > :14:06.When the banks committed the greatest fraud in US history...
:14:07. > :14:09.Or perhaps The Big Short, about the run-up to the global
:14:10. > :14:17.But the narrow favourite is perhaps survival drama The Revenant.
:14:18. > :14:20.Its lead actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, looks almost certain to take Best
:14:21. > :14:24.Even last year's winner, Eddie Redmayne, nominated
:14:25. > :14:28.I think it's pretty match certainly Leo's year
:14:29. > :14:33.I love you, Steve, you know how much.
:14:34. > :14:36.British acting hopes rest with previous winner Kate Winslet,
:14:37. > :14:39.nominated for her role in the Steve Jobs movie,
:14:40. > :14:43.and Mark Rylance, for Cold War drama Bridge Of Spies.
:14:44. > :14:52.In a year where everyone, including of course this year's
:14:53. > :14:54.host, recognises that what has been happening around the Oscars has,
:14:55. > :14:58.to a degree, overshadowed the awards themselves.
:14:59. > :15:07.The actor Frank Kelly, best known for playing Father Jack
:15:08. > :15:13.in the cult comedy Father Ted, has died aged 77.
:15:14. > :15:20.He starred as the foul-mouthed elderly priest between
:15:21. > :15:25.His stage and screen career, which spanned 60 years,
:15:26. > :15:28.included roles on Irish TV comedy shows, as well as a minor appearance
:15:29. > :15:39.With all the sport, here's Olly Foster at the BBC Sport Centre.
:15:40. > :15:41.Manchester City have won the first trophy of the football season
:15:42. > :15:44.after beating Liverpool in the League Cup final.
:15:45. > :15:47.1-1 at the end of extra time, it went to penalties at Wembley
:15:48. > :15:48.where City's keeper was the match-winner.
:15:49. > :15:49.Our sports correspondent, Joe Wilson.
:15:50. > :16:00.You can arrive at Wembley heading in different directions. Manchester
:16:01. > :16:04.City no longer need manager Pellegrini, whatever he wins.
:16:05. > :16:09.Liverpool's whole identity is based on Jurgen Klopp. On the pitch, if
:16:10. > :16:15.there is one man City wanted in this position it was Sergio Aguero. The
:16:16. > :16:19.goalkeeper was better. Having seen a theme and Mignolet at his best for
:16:20. > :16:21.Liverpool, then this -- Simon Munir lake.
:16:22. > :16:32.Oh dear. Space up and -- opened up for City, Raheem Sterling. The
:16:33. > :16:37.Liverpool attacks had been limited but when a chance fell to Coutinho
:16:38. > :16:42.he was ready and watch out, here comes a Jurgen Klopp hug. No goals
:16:43. > :16:48.in extra time, Liverpool managed just one in the penalty shoot out.
:16:49. > :16:52.Coutinho failed. So did Lallana. Cavaleiro the reserve keeper, Ella
:16:53. > :17:00.Greaney had trusted. Fancy more drama? Yaya Toure could barely run
:17:01. > :17:03.but that won it. Of course Manchester City have Champions
:17:04. > :17:08.League ambitions this season but in sport you take you your trophies
:17:09. > :17:12.when you can. Waving goodbye like this is how to ensure you will be
:17:13. > :17:13.missed. Joe Wilson, BBC News, Wembley.
:17:14. > :17:16.With Leicester still leading the way in the Premier League,
:17:17. > :17:17.Arsenal and Tottenham were playing catch-up today.
:17:18. > :17:20.Goals from both their games are on Match of the Day 2
:17:21. > :17:23.after the news or a little bit later in Scotland.
:17:24. > :17:25.But if you want to know what happened, then here
:17:26. > :17:29.Arsenal slipped up, losing 3-2 at Old Trafford.
:17:30. > :17:30.Manchester United's teenage striker Marcus Rashford,
:17:31. > :17:33.who scored twice on his debut in the week, scored
:17:34. > :17:39.Arsenal remain five points off the top of the table.
:17:40. > :17:41.They are three points behind Tottenham in second.
:17:42. > :17:44.They came from behind to beat Swansea, Danny Rose with Spurs
:17:45. > :17:50.2-1 the final score at White Hart Lane.
:17:51. > :17:52.The new Fifa President, Gianni Infantino, is preparing
:17:53. > :17:56.He says implementing reform will be his priority but he doesn't
:17:57. > :17:58.think it will take long to restore the organisation's
:17:59. > :18:13.The reforms need to be lamented now and be implemented from day one,
:18:14. > :18:20.immediately. I will go up to the office and start looking at
:18:21. > :18:21.concretely how to implement these reforms so hopefully we can soon
:18:22. > :18:22.concentrate on football. In the Women's Six Nations
:18:23. > :18:24.Championship, Wales are back in the title race after
:18:25. > :18:26.beating France in Neath. The French were favourites
:18:27. > :18:29.but the Championship is wide open They play England next
:18:30. > :18:36.who are still on for the Grand Slam, Scotland are still waiting
:18:37. > :18:39.for their first win Exeter Chiefs are just three points
:18:40. > :18:46.behind the leaders Saracens That's after they beat Bath
:18:47. > :18:49.26-17 at Sandy Park. There were also big wins for Wasps
:18:50. > :18:56.and Leicester today. There were four matches in the Pro
:18:57. > :18:58.12, Edinburgh are back in the play-off hunt after a narrow
:18:59. > :19:01.victory against third-placed A late Ben Tullis try saw
:19:02. > :19:07.them win 24-23. There were also wins for Munster,
:19:08. > :19:13.Leinster and Cardiff Blues. Sir Ben Ainslie has had a good
:19:14. > :19:16.weekend in Oman as his crew came out on top in the America's
:19:17. > :19:25.Cup World Series. It's the fourth of a series
:19:26. > :19:28.of regattas spread over two years before
:19:29. > :19:29.the America's Cup Points count towards qualification
:19:30. > :19:32.for the main event, with all teams looking to become the sole
:19:33. > :19:35.challenger to take on the holders, Ainslie was part of their crew that
:19:36. > :19:52.won the famous trophy in 2013 That it's all your support this
:19:53. > :19:56.evening. Thank you. 25 years on from the first Gulf War, a memorial was
:19:57. > :19:57.unveiled today to the British service personnel killed in the
:19:58. > :20:00.conflict. They died in the desert
:20:01. > :20:06.a quarter of a century ago. Now their families and friends
:20:07. > :20:13.have a focus for their memories. During the night, hundreds
:20:14. > :20:17.of British and American aircraft have attacked targets in Iraq
:20:18. > :20:20.and occupied Kuwait. A British force of over 50,000
:20:21. > :20:24.fought with the coalition which combined to drive
:20:25. > :20:28.Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. After months of preparation,
:20:29. > :20:30.the ground campaign was over 47 British service personnel
:20:31. > :20:37.were killed, many more were wounded or suffered from
:20:38. > :20:40.post-traumatic stress. Jason Glasgow, filmed
:20:41. > :20:47.at the time, says he will never It may have been naivete,
:20:48. > :20:52.I were young and brave and just had Now I think I would
:20:53. > :21:01.worry a bit more. The new memorial, funded by veterans
:21:02. > :21:04.with the help of the Kuwaiti government, stands above a replica
:21:05. > :21:07.of the medal awarded to all those There is a lot of talk
:21:08. > :21:15.that the first Gulf War We have come here after 25 years
:21:16. > :21:22.to the day to see this magnificent The 1991 war was
:21:23. > :21:31.inconclusive and costly. Tens of thousands of Iraqis
:21:32. > :21:36.were killed and the campaign did not end the bloodshed in
:21:37. > :21:39.the troubled region. But this is one spot where stories
:21:40. > :21:42.of that brief conflict will be told You can see more on all of today's
:21:43. > :21:55.stories on the BBC News Channel. That's all from me,
:21:56. > :21:57.stay with us on BBC1.