13/07/2012 BBC News at One

The UN envoy to Syria condemns the latest atrocities, accusing

government forces of using heavy artillery in a village where more

than 200 people are thought to have died. Kofi Anann says he's shocked

and appalled by the attack, but state media is blaming the rebels

for what's being called the worst massacre of the conflict.

Two fathers from York - Steve Barber and John Taylor - are named

among the dead after an avalanche in the French Alps. They'd been

raising money for charity. The third Briton to die was Roger Payne

- a well known mountain guide. Friends have been paying tribute.

He's massively experienced. He knew the risks. He would have assessed

the risks. It's a tragic accident. If he had been ten minutes earlier

or later, then the avalanche would have missed him.

RAF typhoons and puma helicopters get ready to patrol the skies over

the Olympic sites, as flying restrictions come into force.

New fears for the global recovery, as economic growth in China slows

even more. And how the cold, wet summer is

causing birds to migrate here months earlier than normal. Later

The M4 re-opens, but motorists are warned to avoid central London from

tomorrow. And the Government approves 34 new free schools for

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. The Foreign

Secretary, William Hague, has joined the UN peace envoy, Kofi

Annan, in condemning reports of a new massacre in Syria. Mr Annan

said he was shocked and appalled bit news while Mr Hague said he

thought the reports were credible given the recent violence.

Opposition activists say pro- government forces killed more than

200 people in the village of Tremseh. Syrian state media has

blamed the opposition. If confirmed, it would be the worst massacre

since the uprising began against President Al-Assad. Bridget

Kendall's report contains some distressing images.

A glimpse of villagers apparently fleeing Tremseh in this unverified

footage. The sound of explosions audible.

A young man, allegedly wounded from random shelling there too and the

grim site of some 15 bodies, also allegedly victims. Sketchy evidence

to back up claims of a major massacre, but activists in nearby

Hama insist a terrible incident took place. This very Smallvilleage

which is no mar than 11,000 people. There is a very big number of

troops and armoured vehicles and tanks, more tan 250 people were

killed. Some of them were killed in, after the village in a kind of

field executions. The UN peace envoy, Kofi Annan, in Syria a few

days ago, said this morning he was appalled and shocked. Britain's

William Hague echoed that dismay. In Damascus, the head of the UN

peacekeeping mission, said his team would investigate as soon as they

can get in. We can verify continuous fighting yesterday. That

was in the area of Tremseh. This involved mechanised units, indirect

fire as well as helicopters. question is - who was doing the

fighting? Syrian state TV today blamed armed groups, they said were

attacking civilians, a claim they've made before with previous

massacres. Where the truth lies, it's difficult to be sure. What is

clear is that the UN Security Council is in the midst of a fierce

debate over what to do next. Also in the mix, a new US intelligence

report that Syria might be moving its chemical weapons, also hard to

verify in this increasingly murky conflict.

Let's speak to our correspondent, Jim Muir, in neighbouring Lebanon.

Very difficult to establish facts, but what can you tell snus Well,

both sides are saying they have had a lot of killing in Tremseh. How

many we can't verify. The UN observers are trying to negotiate a

ceasefire so they can go there safely to find out what happened.

What I can say is that for example at the massacre of Houla a couple

of months ago, we had very clear evidence, very clear documentation

early on from the activists in the shape of gruesome footage showing

many women and children killed. When the UN got there a day later,

it could verify the exact figures put out. On this occasion it's

different. I have seen just one piece of video showing 15 bodies

all of them of fighting age, none of women or children so far. That

would be constant with some reports that are coming out from activist

sources admitting that most of the victims of the killings, or most of

the people who died there were fighters from the Free Syrian Army,

who had been attacking a Syrian Army convoy. The Syrian Army

counter-attacking with some local militia tag ago long. I have to say,

for the most, it doesn't seem too convincing there has been a huge

massacre by state forces of innocent civilians. We have to wait

and see, but the evidence at the moment simply is not there.

Thank you very much. If you want more information on the

conflict in Syria, go to bbc.co.uk/news.

Two fathers from Yorkshire, who were raising money for charity, are

among the nine climbers who were killed by an avalanche in the

French Alps yesterday. John Taylor and Steve Barber, who lived on the

same street on the outskirts of York and had children at same

school - were fundraising for a local hospice. The third Briton who

died was Roger Payne, one of the UK's most respected mountaineers.

They were part a group climbing one of the highest peaks in France when

they were hit by falling sheets of snow and rock.

Chris Morris sent this report from Chamonix.

Three British climbers among the nine who died. One of them was this

man, Roger Payne, a hugely experienced mountaineer and guide.

The other two men who were climbing with him were this man, John Taylor,

and his friend, Steve Barber, both from Yorkshire. This is the

aftermath of the avalanche that killed them, a massive wall of snow

and ice which hurtled down the mountain in the early hours of

Thursday morning. And this is one of the survivors a French mountain

guide, who said he started his climb a few minutes late and was

lucky to avoid the full force of the impact.

TRANSLATION: It was still dawn, so we couldn't see much. We took the

force of the snow, but we could resist. Then big chunks of snow

fell on us, so we were south-west away. We all fell together. --

swept away. We all fell together. Anyone caught directly in the path

of the avalanche like Roger Payne would have had little chance of

survival. Roger always had a smile on his face. He was always wanting

to help people. He was a people person as well as a mountain person.

Hidden in the clouds behind me are the peaks of Mont Blanc where this

avalanche took place. The cable car running up the side of the valley

has been closed all morning because of high winds, an indication of how

quickly treacherous conditions can develop in Europe's highest places.

All experienced climbers know there are always potential dangers, every

time they take to the slopes. And each climb is accompanied by

careful preparation. I think if it had been a single team that had

gone on when everybody else had turned back, there might be more

questions to ask, perhaps. But the fact that so many people were

climbing the mountain, including qualified guides, makes you believe

that this is just a tragic accident. It was the deadliest avalanche in

this region in recent years. A memorial service will soon be held

in the local church and climbers will be heading back to the high

mountains again. Our correspondent Danny Savage is

at the school near York where John Taylor and Steve Barber both have

children. The two men were there in the

French Alps to raise money for a local hospice. They were. They were

on a fundraising expedition. This is Upper Poppleton about three

miles outside York, a commuter village where most people work

further afield. When those details emerged of two men from this

village both being caught up in the avalanche, sadly the coincidences

don't stop there. They live in the -- lived in the same street and

have children at the same school. The head teacher said "It is with

great sadness that I write to inform you that two of the climbers

killed yesterday were parents from the school. Steve Barber was the

father of Frankie in year five and John Taylor the father of Emma in

year five and Louise in year three. Our thoughts and prayers go to

Donna Rogers and Corinne Taylor, who have lost their life-long

partners."Er this were on an expedition for a hospice here. They

were fund raidsing for that. The hospice has said it's devastated at

the news that both of the men lost their lives. One of the counsellors

here, who lives in this village, he has grandchildren at the school,

says that devastated doesn't go far enough. It doesn't sum it up. The

reality is that two men, with young families, will not be returning

from their summer climbing expedition to this village.

Thank you. The Bank of England and the

Treasury have announced the details of how they plan to make �80

available to banks to encourage them to lend more money available

to businesses and households. The funds will be offered to the banks

at a cheap rate provided they guarantee to pass them on. How will

it work? The idea is to make money available to the banking system

which is finding it hard to access credit so they can lend it on. It's

called Funding for Lending launched bit Bank of England and Treasury.

Let's look at the details: First, the High Street banks will pay in

effect an interest rate of 0.75% on their borrowings, as long as at the

end of next year they'll have maintained or increased lending to

the wider economy. If they haven't done that, if they've ended up

cutting their lending by a certain amount, they'll pay a penalty on

top. They'll then pay 2%. The theory is there's a powerful

incentive to take the money from the Bank of England and lend it

onto businesses and consumers. likely is it that this will work?

The Bank of England are saying it's almost a no brainer. Why not borrow

cheaply and lend it on to make money. There's no guarantee they

will. They may not decide to take part in the scheme. They may just

lend this to large businesses. There's no guarantee it goes to

small businesses or say first-time buyers. The Bank of England can't

specify where it goes. So at the end of this, there's no actual

guarantee that it ends up in the right place. The Bank of England

can only provide incentives and penalties to make sure it does.

Thank you. Apologies for problems with the sound there.

From midnight tonight RAF typhoon jets and puma helicopters will be

ready to patrol the skies over Central London ahead of the Games,

as flying restrictions around the Olympic sites come into force.

However, it won't affect passenger planes heading for Heathrow and

London City airports. Our defence correspondent reports now.

Typhoon fast jets are already on stand by at RAF Northolt. Ground-

to-air missiles have been situated at six sites across London and

later today, the Royal Navy's largest warship HMS Ocean will

return up the Thames. Last time it was just an skier size. This time,

it's for real. From midnight any aircraft that enters a secure zone

above the Olympic site, without authorisation, will be challenged.

We'll guide you away from the airspace. If you do not and you

continue to not comply with our instructions, then ultimately, the

final resort would be the use of lethal force. The secure airspace

around London is designed to protect the main Olympic site from

any aerial threat. The restricted flying zone stretchs from beyond

Luton and Stansted to the north and Gatwick to the south. Any plane

entering will have to first seek approval and stay in contact with

air traffic control. A smaller, prohibited zone surrounds the

Olympic Park, where most planes will not be allowed to fly. This is

what a pilot, who ignores the new rules, which will be if place for a

month, is likely to face. A helicopter with a team of snipers

on board, ready, if necessary, to use their weapons. Pull alongside

the suspicious aircraft. The captain of our aircraft will

contact them. We'll produce some boards and worst case scenario,

we'll have to shoot it down. But it shouldn't be happening. Commercial

flights should not be affected. Passenger jets, which already have

been cleared, will continue to fly in and out of London's main

airports. Unless an event occurs, which requires the response, I

don't anticipate much change to normal operations. This hardware is

as much about reassurance, but it could be used as a last resort.

It's a reminder that the military are sholdering much of the burden

to ensure that the Games are safe and secure. This is the largest

security operation undertaken in Britain since the Second World War.

The main route into London from Heathrow Airport has been re-opened.

The elevated section of the M4 motorway in west London had been

closed since last Friday for emergency repairs. It caused major

congestion on alternative routes into the capital. There were fears

the closure would lead to chaos when athletes and officials fly

into London next week. China, the second largest economy

nlt world, is experiencing its worst slow down in three years.

Growth in the second quarter of this year was 7.6%, down from 8.1%

in the previous three months. A fall in exports to Europe and weak

domestic demand in China are being Rising skywards. This is China

celebrating yet another skyscraper. Acres of them are being built here

on a coastal mud flat. They stand brand new and empty. The plan is to

create a new Manhattan from scratch, but work is slowing. Last year, we

could find work easily, he says. Now we keep being told there is

nothing for us. China's construction frenzy kept it booming

through the downturn, but it has built up problems as well. To do

this, dozens of cities like this have borrowed money, billions upon

billions. They are now deep in debt. If China's economy is slowing, that

raises huge questions. Will this city make a profit or will China's

debts drag it down? The economy has exemplified the miracle, expanding

the 16 % last year, faster than any other part of China. This country's

extraordinary boom may be over. Inside China, already the optimism

has disappeared quite quickly. If you look at the capital flow

numbers, it is clear that wealthy Chinese have been taking money out

of China at a very rapid pace. Creating a nation of consumers to

power the economy is China's new aim. This man is one of the 215

billion in China's middle-classes. Sales are down this year. This man

imports furniture. The slowdown has hit his business and his wife's

decoration firm as well. They are reluctant to spend. TRANSLATION: It

has had a huge impact. Compared to last year, sales are down. It is

off worse in other cities, down 60 %. Other businesses are doing all

right. The Manhattan area is already an attraction. He said he

has never seen a skyscraper before coming here, of course they will be

filled, China is overflowing with people and each year things are

getting better. But every year, it is also getting

harder to maintain the incredible growth rate which made China and

economic superpower. Our top story this lunchtime: The

UN envoy to Syria condemns the latest atrocities accusing

government forces of using heavy artillery in a village where more

than 200 people are thought to have died. Coming up: The British

Library opens its doors to welcome the biggest atlas in the world.

Later on BBC London: Tackling metal theft - a London

MP's bid to introduce tough new laws.

And, the row over working hours at the Olympic village - why one

employee is refusing to take up her It is supposed to be summer but

with all the wet weather we have been having, you might feel more

like putting on your wellingtons than your sunglasses. We are not

the only ones who are confused. The terrible weather has got birds

across Europe in a flap as well. Our correspondent Hywel Griffiths

is at the National Wetlands Centre now.

Unless you know you're greenshank from your redshank really well, you

would probably not be able to tell that many of the birds which have

landed around the coastline here have come much earlier than

expected. In fact, many of them should only be here at autumn but

like many of us, they are confused about the weather and they have

started their migration southwards much earlier than usual. They are

trying to make their way towards sunnier climes.

They are seasoned travellers whose summer has been ruined. Black-

tailed godwits should normally be breeding in Iceland at this time of

year. But hundreds have already started flying south, stopping off

in Wales on the way. They have been joined by dozens of oystercatchers

and curlews, birds which normally arrive in autumn. I have been bird-

watching for 40 years and it is the first time I had seen such large

numbers of these are wading birds staying with us for spring and

summer when they should be breeding in the far north. If it happens

next year and the year after that, it will become a major concern for

us. It is not just the birds which migrate through Wales which seemed

to be having problems. The flock of flamingos they keep here at the

reserve have been laying their eggs two to three weeks later than

normal. The weather seems to have put a dampener on their breeding.

Heavy rain has also made bird watching a bit of an ordeal. Diane

and Andrew John are spending three months travelling around the UK

enjoying the wildlife, if not the weather. It is not nice! We came

prepared for cooler weather but not for three months off to the weather.

It is not very pleasant. Won silver lining is there are more birds than

usual to be spotted. In the long term it is not known where the

population numbers would be affected. Here, they are keeping a

close eye on what the weather brings.

They are confident that there is at least enough food to keep these

early arrivals well-fed and for plenty of birds to join them as

they will make their migration south, the hope is that the weather

will improve so that bird watchers can enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Thank you. In the world of marketing, having your company's

Facebook page liked is big business. Many brands are spending

significant amounts on adverts to persuade social network users to

tick the like button. But a BBC investigation has found that

advertisers may be wasting their money. Rory Cellan Jones reports.

From global celebrities to major companies, everybody wants to be

like Don Facebook, and many businesses big and small are buying

advert to make that happen. But are they getting what they pay for?

This man thinks not. He bought Facebook adverts for small

businesses who wanted people to come to their pages and it worked.

But when the clients looked at him exactly like them, they were not

happy. The individuals who liked our pages were not just liking 100

or 200 pages like you or I might do, they were lacking 3,000 or 5,000

pages. We had 13 year-olds who were managers that global national

companies who said they lived in the US but were placing likes from

remote parts of Indonesia. I set up my own imaginary business called

VirtualBagel and bought an advert targeted at the US, the UK and

countries across the Middle East and Asia. Within three days, 3,000

people liked it, nearly all of them from Asian countries. Among them

was Ahmed Ronaldo. My business was among thousands that he liked. We

have found that some people do click on the adverts and have ended

up liking pages but in a pretty random sort of way. In the short

term, that is good news from Facebook who earn money from every

click but advertisers are beginning to ask questions. Facebook did not

want to be interviewed but told us that poorly targeted adverts like

mine did not work and fake profiles were not a significant problem.

Some marketing firms say Facebook can deliver results if it is used

in the right way. We are all still experimenting. I have no doubt that

clients have spent money and will have had horror stories but in our

experience, clients are finding a lot of commercial benefit. Since

Facebook's stock market debut, investors have worried about its

growth. If companies find they do not like the advertising on which

the network depends, that could spell trouble.

A meeting of Scottish Football League clubs is under way this

lunchtime to decide which division of the new club set-up following

the collapse of Rangers should play in next season. James Cook is at

Hampden Park for us. What is expected to happen? I think at the

moment the most likely outcome from the clubs we have been talking to

is that Rangers will end up in the third division of the Scottish

Football League, having been chucked out of the top tier, the

Scottish Premier League. But that does not a foregone conclusion. 30

clubs are meeting now and they are being asked to consider whether

Rangers should go into the First Division. That is the preferred

option for the administrators of the game in Scotland. They are

worried that if Rangers go right down to the Third Division, the

game could be damaged. There will be less TV money to go around and

with Rangers out for a long time from the Scottish Premier League

and no prospect of Old Firm derbies between Rangers and Celtic, Sky

would not be so interested in paying the money. Therefore there

is a concern that this could damage other clubs in the Scottish Premier

League. Other people think it is the right thing, the right

punishment for Rangers, who they say effectively cheated for many

years by not paying their taxes. Thank you.

Britain's Bradley Wiggins has extended his lead in this year's

Tour de France after a dramatic 11th stage through the Alps. After

the defending champion fell off the pace, another Briton, Chris --

Chris Frome finds himself in second place.

This is a race where you cover 3,500 kilometres to win, sometimes

by mere seconds. Bradley Wiggins finished the third stage of the

tour, proudly wearing the yellow jersey of the overall leader. His

team-mate is in second. Friday the 13th brings a new level of

picturesque torture, the longest stage of the entire race with

excruciating mountain climbs thrown in. Sky team mates are there to

protect Wiggins, even at their own expense. It has prompted some

criticisms. Some in France are suggesting Wiggins is not the best

rider in his team. But when needs be, he does his work. If he stays

safe and stays in contention, Wiggins will win, a concept the

rest are starting to understand but they are struggling to respond.

It takes six people to lift it and when opened, measures 9 ft by 6.

The world's largest atlas, the Earth Platinum has arrived at the

British Museum today. Each page has to be opened one at a time. DEC an

app at the end of the book would take around 40 minutes -- to see a

map at the end of the book would take around 40 minutes.

The corridors of the British Library were not designed for

something besides. He takes six people to move it around. Practical,

no. Even opening it requires some strength. But this is a labour of

love. This is a book which started as a dream 25 years ago and now it

is here. This is your atlas? Yes. was allowed to open the cover but

the pages require an expert hand. The publisher feels it is worth it.

If you want to feel the scale of the world, are a computer or smart

phone cannot do what an atlas can. There is a feeling you get looking

at the book this size which is inspiring. With this view that we

get of the Earth, anyone could see it if we were astronauts in a

spaceship. But given that most of us will not get to be an astronaut,

won't get to travel the world on a spacecraft, this is about as close

as you get. And today, it was being measured for the record books. The

previous holder is one created in the 16 60s, an object designed to

impress. Can you or I have a look at this new, giant at this? I we

cannot whippet of the shelf and put on the table but if they leader has

a real need to see the original, we are here to help research and we

would make it possible. But in this digital age, the Atlas business is

struggling. It may be impressive but in many ways, it is a last

hurrah for a dying art. Good afternoon. We will have some

spectacular weather as we head through this evening with some

torrential showers. We have an amber warning from the Met Office

because we will see some heavy rain from thunderstorms. If we look at

our radar, at the moment things are not looking very interesting. A

band of light patchy rain. South of that they have been some heavy

showers in the West. They will become more widespread through the

afternoon, through southern areas of Wales, the Midlands and the Home

Counties. At 4 o'clock this afternoon, beneath a cloud with the

outbreaks of rain, it is staying fairly cool. For Northern England

and Scotland, some dry, bright weather. It is only 12 in Inverness.

A cool day for a day two of the Scottish Open golf. Across Northern

Ireland we had a beautiful morning. Into Wales, we get back into the

showery weather. Eastern areas of showers are prone to pick up these

torrential downpours. Across the south-west of England, we have some

scattered showers, drifting eastwards as we head through the

evening rush-hour. We could see some showers passing through Hyde

Park. Through the evening, for rush-hour, it is not looking great

in the south. The showers continue into the early evening and with an

inch of rain in the early hours, summer -- some destruction to

travel. With the cloud and rain, a mild night. What about the weekend?

It is hit and miss yet again. Sunshine and showers for many but

feeling cooler thanks to a north- westerly breeze. This is how

Saturday looks. At the weather front will finally relinquish its

grip through the afternoon. The southern half of England and Wales

will brighten up. That will trigger heavy, slow moving showers. Further

north, the chance of a few showers. A reversal of fortunes for Sunday.

England and Wales have a better chance of seeing sunshine and

staying dry. Maybe with some sunshine we could get up to 20

degrees. For the next few days, for many of us, it is a story of

The UN envoy to Syria accuses government forces of using heavy