27/01/2018 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon.

The Director of Public Prosecutions

Alison Saunders has said

all current rape and serious sexual

assault cases in England and Wales

are to be reviewed as a matter

of urgency following the collapse

of several recent trials

because evidence was not

disclosed to defence lawyers.

Today the Attorney General told

the BBC there was no evidence

of widespread malpractice

or dishonesty in the

prosecution system.

Our legal affairs correspondent

Clive Coleman reports.

Disclosure of evidence in some

recent highly publicised rape cases

has gone badly wrong.

But how widespread is the problem?

In December Liam Allan was acquitted

of six counts of rape and six

of sexual assault when it emerged

evidence on a computer disk

which police had examined showed

messages from the alleged victim

pestering him for casual sex.

And the number of prosecutions

in England and Wales that collapsed

because of a failure by police

or prosecutors to disclose evidence

has increased by 70%

in the last two years.

Now the Director of Public

Prosecutions, Alison Saunders,

has ordered an urgent review

of all rape and serious

sexual assault cases,

and conceded it's likely a number

will be dropped.

It's very apparent that in some

cases mistakes have been made that

simply shouldn't have been.

It is important that when you look

at that kind of case

that the prosecutors

and investigators look

at social media traffic,

look at text messages that have

passed between the two individuals,

because they can put

what's happened in a very

significant different light.

A National Disclosure Improvement

Plan has been published.

It includes a review

of disclosure training,

developing a group of specialists

in every police force,

and all multimedia evidence to be

provided to the defence digitally.

Yesterday, here, a people

trafficking case on a rape or sexual

assault trial collapsed

because prosecutors failed

to disclose critical

evidence to the defence.

The judge has demanded an urgent

explanation in a case made even more

shocking by the fact that one

of the young female defendants

was held in prison for 13 months,

during which time she gave birth.

This problem is systemic

and endemic throughout

the criminal justice system.

It's been known about for many years

and it's a result of chronic

underfunding of police,

the prosecution service and

particularly defence lawyers

who have suffered years

of cuts to legal aid.

If public confidence in our fair

trial system is to be

maintained, fixing disclosure is now

the criminal justice system's

biggest challenge.

Clive Coleman, BBC News.

At least 63 people have been killed

and 150 injured in a bombing

in the Afghan capital,

Kabul.

The device was hidden

in an ambulance and exploded

at a police checkpoint.

The Taliban said they carried out

the attack.

Chi Chi Izundu reports.

An ambulance packed

with explosives driven into crowds

on their way to work.

The force of the blast shook windows

of buildings at least a mile away.

Some low-rise structures collapsed

and plumes of smoke could be seen

from around the city.

TRANSLATION:

I was sitting

in my shop when a powerful

explosion rocked the area.

All the windows

of my shop shattered.

The attacker drove the vehicle past

one police checkpoint claim

to have a patient inside.

When guards at a second

checkpoint became suspicious

he detonated the bomb.

The area is home to foreign

embassies and the city's

police headquarters.

The road had been closed

to public transport.

The Taliban have claimed

responsibility, this the second

deadly attack in Kabul in the space

of a week.

20 people were killed

after a bombing on the

Intercontinental Hotel last week.

The Afghan military,

backed by US air power,

has intensified its campaign

to drive out the Taliban

from its rural strongholds.

But as today's strike proves

they are still able to mount deadly

attacks against civilian targets

in the heart of the

country's major cities.

Chi Chi Izundu, BBC News.

Three teenage boys have been

killed after they were hit

by a car in West London.

It happened last night in Hayes.

A man aged 28, who was in the car,

has been arrested.

Live now to our correspondent

Anisa Kadri, who's at the scene.

Anisa, what can you tell us?

Well, all morning a steady stream of

people have been coming here to

leave tributes for the three

teenagers, all believed to be around

16, who lost their lives. Inside

those floral tributes they have been

named as George, Josh and Harry.

They were right by the bus stop

behind me when they were hit by the

car. A 28-year-old man inside the

Audi was arrested and taken to

hospital. It is not known if what

happened was an accident, but police

have ruled out terrorism. They are

now appealing for any witnesses.

Thank you very much.

Paris is on alert as the level

of the River Seine has

continued to creep higher,

with forecasters warning

the river could stay high

throughout next week.

Leaks have started to appear in some

basements, while many residents

on the city's outskirts have been

forced to travel by boat

through waterlogged streets.

Our correspondent

Kevin Connolly reports.

On patrol on the rising

waters of the River Seine.

A police launch on the front line

of the flood defences of Paris.

Water levels are expected

to peak this weekend.

Tourist boats are tied up.

They can't pass under the bridges

on the swollen waters,

leaving tourists to make

the best of things.

It's scary, because you don't know

when it's going to stop.

I'm not really worried.

I think we have reached

the maximum for the moment.

I mean, it's natural,

for the moment you have strange

things going on on the planet.

For me, that's natural and I don't

think it will go to a higher level.

Parisians have been bracing for this

high water mark for weeks.

It's only rained this heavily over

the New Year period in France three

times in the last 100 years.

They measure the river level

here by this statue of a soldier

that commemorates the Crimean War.

In the worst flooding in history,

it reached up to his beard.

It's been raining relentlessly

in France for weeks,

but it's eased off today.

And it does now seem that there's

a chance that the River Seine

will reach its peak without quite

flooding into the streets

of Paris around it.

We should know by

the end of the day.

Kevin Connolly, BBC News, Paris.

Now, with all the big sports

news here's Mike Bushell

at the BBC Sport Centre.

Thank you.

It was a tremendous final

at the women's Australian Open.

Look away now if you are planning

on watching the highlights

which follow the news on BBC One.

It was always destined to be a first

time Grand Slam winner

as Caroline Wozniacki

took on Simona Halep.

And it was the Dane Wozniacki

who won in three sets.

It means she will also replace Halep

as world number one.

A double prize, really.

No sign of an upset in the first

macho the fourth round. Peterborough

are hosting Leicester.

Leicester went ahead early on thanks

to this goal from Foussemi Diabate

just ten minutes into his debut.

And it was soon comfortable

for the Premier League side,

Kelechi Iheanacho made it 2-0.

In fact, he has just made it 3-0

after 36 minutes gone. They are

cruising, Leicester.

Ben Stokes has been

snapped up this morning

for nearly £1.4 million

in the auction of players

for the Indian Premier League.

He's been bought by

the Rajasthan Royals.

That's despite facing a charge

for affray, after an incident

outside a nightclub in Bristol.

The all-rounder was the most

valuable player of the Twenty20

tournament last year.

Rory McIlroy went into

the third round of the Dubai

Desert Classic leading.

The world number 11 finished a fog

delayed second round on Saturday

with five birdies in

his last seven holes.

Quite a remarkable run. He has a

view holes left to go.

An eagle

at the tenth took him to 16 under.

England's Andy Sullivan is also 16

under after shooting a nine

under par round of 63.

Team GB will be sending

their largest-ever team

to a Winter Olympics next week

and amongst them will be

the snowboard cross athlete

Zoe Gillings-Brier.

It'll be her fourth Games,

but first as a mother.

Nick Hope has been to meet

her and daughter Lea

at their base in Austria

Boarder cross is among the most

dramatic and unpredictable winter

Olympic events. Zoe Gillings-Brier

has had her fair share of ups and

downs. But life away from the slopes

now has its own little challenge as

well. Lea arrived in 2016. It is

clearly a case of like mother, like

daughter!

Lea is awesome. I love

her, of course. I'm her mum, so I

would think she was the best kid in

entire world. She had her first go

when she was one year and three days

old, I think it was. Had a little go

on the snow in Argentina. 15 months

old now. She can't turn, but...

Give

her time!

Yes.

Who does the early

mornings and late nights? An athlete

needs her sleep!

Funnily enough,

I've heard that a few times!

I would

be lying if I got up in the morning

as much as Dan does.

We always

thought we could have Lea while she

trained and competed, I want to

allow her to train and compete

properly as she always has done.

A

lot of people asked if I would feel

more scared on the mountain now that

I'm, but I don't seem to be. If it

has changed me at all, I think it

has made me more confident.

Pyeongchang 2018 would be her fourth

Olympics, and although a medal has

always eluded her so far, success at

these games would arguably be more

than at any point in her career.

The

more successful I am at

snowboarding, the better my career

goes, the more successful I will be

and the more I can give Lea a good

future. I'm doing it for me, but

also for here at the same time.

The

cutest thing you will see all-day!

That is all for now.

You can see more on all of today's

stories on the BBC News Channel.

The next news on BBC One is at 5:25.

From me, for now, goodbye.