27/05/2013 BBC News at One

arms embargo on Syria. How long can we go on with people

having every weapon devised dropped on them, while most of the world

denies them the means to defend themselves? Three people arrested

over the murder of Lee Rigby remain on bail. The main suspects remain in

hospital and are yet to be questioned. If you can hold them

here and keep them steady for me. Doctors treating stroke victims with

stem cell therapy have found small signs of recovery in their patients.

A century for Cook, as England build Hello. Good afternoon. The Foreign

Secretary, William Hague, is in Brussels in lunch time trying to

persuade the European Union to ease sanctions against Syria so weapons

can be supplied to some opposition fighters. He says the move would

send a signal to President Assad that he has to negotiate. Our

correspondent is in Brussels for us. Matthew?

Yes, as one British diplomat put it to me, Syria is a country awash with

weapons, it is just they are in the hands of the wrong people. Now,

Britain wants to change that. It believes with the war intensifies in

Syria and in some neighbouring countries, some spillover effect,

now is the time to change that. The only problem is many of the

countries in the European Union are very weary of doing so. Syria's war

is spreading. The pressure to end it is intensifying. Tens of thousands

have been killed. Hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

Neighbouring countries like Lebanon are being dragged into the conflict.

In Brussels, with Foreign Ministers gathering, the worsening war is

forcing some to re-think current policy. At the moment, the arms

embargo forbids EU countries from exporting lethal weapons to Syria.

Now Britain and France believe it is time to think about arming the

Syrian opposition. We also have to think about what is happening to

people in Syria, how long can we go on with people having every weapon

that's ever been devised dropped on them, while most of the world denies

them the means to defend themselves? Who would the weapons go to? These

are Free Syrian Army opposition fighters, in training. Britain says

it is the moderate forces they wish to be able to supply with better

weapons, to help them defeat President Assad's forces. Most

countries here though are weary. Their fear is any weapons sent from

the EU could end up in the wrong hands. The opposition is not a

coherent block. Some are not moderates. Al-Qaeda elements are

known to be involved in the fighting. Britain believes a game

changer is needed, but most here don't want to risk it. I think the

European Union has to hold the line. We have always been in conflicts,

not on one or the other side, concerning developing weapons.

Weapons were directly supplied to opposition forces in Libya two years

ago. The US supported that, and crucialally it now says it too would

like to see the EU allowing the supply of such weapons to Syria. For

the moment, Britain wants simply to have the option to send weapons to

the opposition. It believes that will put more pressure on President

Assad to attend planned peace talks. It is a high-stakes gamble, in a war

so far without end. One senior source in Brussels said

both sides in the argument have some merits to their argument. I

understand that at the senior, the very top level, there is concern

about the British position, not least for some people it has some

echoes of 2003 and the Iraq war, military involvement in regime

change. There is concern about that, but also there is a realisation that

something has to be done to try and stop the current bloodshed in Syria.

Another problem to throw into the mix - the sanctions are due to

expire, if they cannot agree on them and they need that by the end of the

week - there was a suggestion from William Hague that if Britain cannot

get what it wants it might be prepared to leave the sanctions to

expire and go it alone. Matthew, many thanks.

Now, three men who were arrested in connection with the murder of Lee

Rigby have been released on police bail. The two main suspects remain

in hospital under police guard. Our correspondent is at Woolwich for us

this lunch time. Yes, to summer rise where that investigation is. So far,

nine people have been arrested in what has been described as a complex

and fast-moving inquiry. Of those, two have been released, four have

been given bail, one man who was arrested yesterday in North London

is still being questioned and of course the two suspects who were

arrested here, shortly after the killing, after they were shot by

police are still recovering in hospital and Scotland Yard has said

it will not be questioning them until they have been discharged from

hospital by doctors. Elsewhere, there is tension in the aftermath of

the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby. In Grimsby a mosque has been

fire-bombed. In Park Lane, central London, two war memorials have been

vandalised, one the Animals in War memorial and the other to Bomber

Command. Both were dubbed with red graffiti at some point burg the

night. Here in Woolwich people are coming to lay their floral wreaths

and pay respects. And perhaps to show the community here, certainly

while shocked, remains united. Ben, thank you.

Stem cell treatment may be able to help patients recovering from a

stroke. A small-scale study has found five seriously disabled stroke

patients have shown some signs of recovery following the treatment. It

involved injecting stem cells into the damaged parts of the patients'

brains. The doctor leading the clinical trial says he is surprised

by the results, but he has stressed it is early days.

Frank was signing in his choir when suddenly he had a stroke. It

paralysed his left side. His wife, Claire, cares for him. Following an

injection of stem cells to his brain, Frank has regained some

movement. It has made an improvement to my recovery.

It was three years after his stroke, and you know, as they say, most

improvements happen within the first six months. He is among the first in

the world to receive the treatment. When a person has a stroke, an area

of the brain is damaged. Sometimes irreversibly. With the new

treatment, doctors inject the stem cells into the damaged area. The

hope is that the cells regenerate the brain, and so restore some

speech and movement. He is one of five patients to have

shown a small improvement after the treatment. It seem seems odd that it

would all just be chance and a placebo effect. We are seeing things

which are interesting and somewhat surprising. Over the past two years,

nine patients in their 60s, 70s and 80s who have been seriously disabled

by a stroke have had an operation involving an inj jektion of stem

cells to the damaged part of their brain. A clinical trial has shown no

adverse affect so far. Five have shown some improvements. The doctor

in charge of the trial stresses there's no evidence yet that the

stem cells are responsible. The treatment is controversial because

these stem cells were originally made from nerve cells that had been

taken from an aborted foetus and genetically modified. Doctors will

see whether stem cells can really benefit patients.

Two men have appeared in court charged with endangering an aircraft

after a passenger jet from Pakistan to Manchester was diverted to

Stansted Airport on Friday. Simon, what happened in court this morning?

Well, Mohammed Safdar and Tayyab Subhani appeared here in chelmentes

ford as the charge was -- chelmentes ford, as the charge was read out.

It is alleged that information endangered or was likely to endanger

the safety of the aircraft. This all relates to PK 709, which set off

from Lahore in Pakistan on Friday, bound for Manchester. It was

diverted to Stansted. RAF jets were sent up to escort the plane in. Mr

Subhani and Mr Subhani confirmed their names and addresses. Mr

Subhani is 41 and Mr Subhani is 30 from Nelson. The pair were remanded

in custody. They will appear again in August. Simon, many thanks.

The head of the Catholic Church in Australia has apologised to victims

of child abuse by some priests. Questioned at a Government inquiry

he admitted there had been a cover-up in the past. He said he had

had no role in it. The Catholic Church in Australia says more than

600 children were abused by priests over the past 80 years.

Only a matter of months ago the Cardinal was in the splendour of the

Sistine Chapel electing a new Pope. Today he faced five hours of

questioning by a parliamentary committee in Victoria looking at the

problem of child sex abuse. I am fully apologetic and sorry. That is

the basis for everything on which I will say. The ro The Roman Catholic

Church in Victoria accepts over 600 cases of child abuse since the

1930s. The Cardinal admitted that there have been some instances of

cover-ups. The fear of the scandal led to the cover-up, didn't it?

did. Do you agree that it allowed paedophile priests to prey on

children? Yes. That is... You have to say there is significant truth in

that. The foster family has suffered. Two daughters were victims

of sexual abuse. Emma committed suicide, Katie is now disabled after

drinking heavily and being hit by a car. The Cardinal, they allege,

showed what they showed a lack of empathy. He just spoke over us,

cutting us off with these lies, you know, we will take your evidence to

court. Prove what you are saying in court. Well, I don't listen to this,

because it is all gossip until it is proven in court. What's he on about?

The most senior Catholic clergyman in Australia denied any involvement

in the cover-ups and said the Church's leadership was unaware of

the extent of the problem. Now, in cricket it is the fourth day

of the second Test at Headingley and England have built a healthy lead

after a century from Cook-and-a-half century from trot trot. There --

Trott. The threat of rain tomorrow meant it was time to get a move on.

Trott began at a quicker canter than yesterday. Captain Cook sailed past

the century mark within an hour. Headingley's eyes would stay

focussed on him. When would he feel his side had a big enough lead? For

New Zealand this is becoming a migraine - a chance flashed before

Taylor's eyes. Trott moved on past 50. Cook chipped William son for

130. Bell followed him and followed him back, trying to accelerate.

It is out of the Kiwi's hands now. Over to Cook to decide when to

declare. Heritage railways up and down the

country are hoping for a busy bank holiday. Many steam engine operators

are struggling due to coal shortages, which have driven up

prices. Many train companies are frantic

franticly scrambling for supplies. Ed Thomas is at Keighley for us.

This is the place of the Brontes, it is where the Railway Children was

filmed. It would not be the same without these. They are running out

of this - coal. It is not just here, it is across the country.

For decades this railway has been home to locomotives and giving

families a day out. But there is a warning that the coal

that fires the engines is running low and that could finally mean the

end of the age of steam. Without coal, oil and water, the steam

engines will not run. If they cannot run, all our passengers here today

will not have the pleasure of having a trip on the railway. Either that

or we run diesel engines, which are not as attractive. The number of

suppliers of coal in the UK are falling. Prices are falling, so is

the risk of losing this unique steam experience. And this is where it all

happens. You can feel the heat come from the engine. Every single bump

as the carriages move along. But none of this would be possible

without this - coal. And this engine uses two tonnes every single day.

There are around 200 historical rail companies across the country, with

millions of people reliving our steam heritage. It is our history. I

think it needs to be preserved for future generations. There are all

these youngsters around these places - it is keeping a huge chunk of

history. For those who dedicate their lives to steam engines, to

lose this part of our past is heartbreaking. We are not getting

the number of volunteers we need to run the railway. I fear in another

generation it will all be finishing. The summer surge of tourists for our

heritage railways is here. Enthusiasts hope it will not be the

last for them to enjoy the sights and the sound of steam.

Yes, many heritage railways are turning to places like Russia and

Poland for their coal. Speak to people here and they will tell you

what they really want is a supply of UK Coal that is affordable and

reliable. Many thanks. Now, the actor bi-Pertwee has died.

He was 86. He is seen here on the left and was best known for playing

Hodges in Dad's Army. Now, with heavy down pours and a

jewellery heist or two Cannes has not run to plan this year. It closed

last night with a controversial French drama winning the top prize.

Blue was the warmest colour for this year's golden Palm. A love story

between two French women took home the greatest trophy. Another French

actress was awarded - the star of The Artist was voted Best Actress

for The Passe. What did you say you played? Folk

songs. This was a year for American excellence proved by this film

Inside Llewyn Davis, taking the Grand Prix - a runner up prize.

me something from in inside Llewyn... It is likely to make a

is a huge lesson for me. There were films about Hollywood. The Bling

Ring, the cult of youth and beauty. Emma Watson transforms into a teen

yiej thief, literally prepared to steal the clothes of a celebrity's

back. She was something I could transform. That was a huge

compliment she paid me. I wanted to pay her back and do it really well.

After the Oscars the Cannes red carpet is the most glittering in the

world. Yet, this year, thanks to events beyond the organiser's

control, some of the sparkle was removed from proceedings. Two luxury

Swiss brands suffered jewellery heists during the fes valuing. If

that was not enough -- festival. If that was not enough, it did rain

continuously. Should the sunshine, it is possible to bask in its glory

until the awards season. The Artist went all the way to win the Oscar.

Hollywood is looking at Cannes once more as a great place to launch an