22/12/2015 BBC News at Six

British military personnel are sent back to Afghanistan's Helmand

There's been fierce fighting around Sangin -

where Afghan forces are trying to hold back the Taliban advance.

We will support and help Afghan security forces but not participate

in the military operations. The Union flag was lowered

in Helmand last year after 13 More than 100 British soldiers had

died in the fight for Sangin. We'll be talking to two

families who lost loved ones about their feelings on the latest

fighting that's erupted. More heavy rain brings more flooding

misery for parts of Cumbria Over-indulging - a sharp rise

in the number of people being treated in hospital

for alcohol poisoning. Malala Yousafzai joins forces

with a Syrian refugee in Britain as they continue to fight for girls

right to education And why land on the roof when you

can take the stairs - why a couple of reindeer took

a detour to Wiltshire. The Forth Road Bridge

will re-open to all vehicles A service of commemoration,

one year on from the Glasgow bin Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at 6. British military personnel have been

deployed to Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan,

after reports that the Taliban is close to taking

the key town of Sangin. Heavy fighting is continuing there,

with Afghan soldiers trying The Ministry of Defence said

personnel are there to advise UK combat operations in Afghanistan

ended officially last year. More than 450 British personnel died

during the 13-year conflict - with the heaviest losses suffered

in and around Sangin. Across Helmand province, Afghan

troops are fighting to hold on as the Taliban advance. For years,

British and American troops tried to pacify this area. Now the Afghan

troops are struggling, particularly in Sangin. Nine years ago it was

British troops who were deployed to Sangin to fight off the Taliban. A

small contingent of British soldiers have returned to advise these

forces. Group have been deployed to Helmand province, they will support

and help Afghan forces as advisers and not participate in the military

operations. The fate of Sangin has huge significance for Afghanistan

but also Britain. It lies in the north, on a printable supply route.

It is a centre for the opium trade and is close to a major highway.

Sangin was the deadliest part of Helmand province for British force

is who fought the Taliban between 2006 and 2014. Almost a quarter of

the deaths were as a result of action in Sangin. Some experts fear

that everything which was fought for hangs in the balance. I think you

can give up on hopes for a political solution if Sangin collapses. But if

they do manage to hold on to them, those voices in the movement telling

their own leader that it is time to talk, time to agree how to run the

country, will get louder. The Taliban have many faces. Some are

hardline jihadis. Threatening President Obama in this video ahead

of suicide attacks which killed many Afghans. The Afghan National Army

has suffered huge losses trying to stand on its own, lacking the close

air support which British forces once relied upon. When Britain

withdrew almost all forces a year ago it was a political gamble which

is now being put to the test. Peace talks with the Taliban could open

the way forward for Afghanistan but an Afghan military collapse would be

felt far beyond its borders. Most of the British men and women

who lost their lives during the Afghan conflict died

in Sangin and neighbouring Helmand Our Special Correspondent Lucy

Manning has the story of two families - whose loved ones

were killed in Helmand. James died 7.5 years ago. The grief

never leaves you. Bans corporal James Bateman was killed in

Afghanistan. For his widow, the pain never goes but what has returned is

questions about what he died for. His life was not in vain, his

efforts were not in vain, I fully support him and what the Armed

Forces do, but unfortunately through some bad choices made by people, his

death could have been in vain. The funerals have passed but for the

families, the Taliban's resurgence is hard to bear. This almost takes

me back to the time when it happened. You've had this life

sentence imposed on you, losing the person you were meant to spend the

rest of your life with, and now for you to know that the death did not

mean anything, was not for any particular purpose, now the whole

world sees it. As we've come back full circle, I do believe we are

owed an explanation. The families of the fallen, if they wish it, are

entitled to have the reasons explained as to what happened and

why we are back here. Every year, those who fought in Afghanistan and

those who lost sons and daughters come to the Cenotaph to remember

them. The families are united in their never-ending loss but also

their pride. But they differ somewhat on whether it was all worth

it. Tom was 24 when he was killed in Helmand province six years ago. I

don't think it was in vain. It might have shown that we wanted to change

things for the better and we were not going to stand by and let the

Taliban takeover. With the Taliban threatening to take over again, do

those who lost the most feel the British presence changed little? I

don't think it was a waste of time. Look at the forces that were

deployed from all round the world to try and help suppress the Taliban

and educate everybody. Just two of more than 450 British soldiers who

died fighting, yet the Taliban have returned.

The number of people going to hospital in England

because of alcohol poisoning has doubled in six years,

with many more young women aged between 15 and 19 being admitted

often after binge-drinking on a night out - according

Emergency admissions - due to long-term damage caused

by alcohol, such as liver disease - were highest among men aged

Overall - drinking levels in the UK have fallen -

but worryingly those who do drink seem to be consuming more

Our Health Editor Hugh Pym joins us now.

Yes, of course, millions of people every week have a drink or two in a

pub or bar and do it perfectly responsibly but it seems the small

minority who don't are now causing problems for hospitals. One head of

an emergency department told me last week had been ghastly because of the

fallout from the Christmas party drinking season. You cannot do that,

my dear. Filmed through a police camera. Alcohol clearly causing

trouble in the streets in the run-up to Christmas. It is not just the

challenge for the police. Today's figures show how much of a problem

drunkenness has become for already busy accident and emergency

departments. At one city Centre Hospital leading consultant said it

was getting worse every year. We have busy emergency departments but

the addition of a group of patients of whom the main problem is acute

alcohol poisoning makes it a very unpleasant place to work. Hospital

staff are not just dealing with binge drinkers. The report also

shows the number with longer term alcohol problems admitted to

hospital has risen rapidly. It cost me a marriage, at home, the lot of

my children. Matthew, not his real name, is a recovering alcoholic. He

remembers frequently ending up in hospital. Sometimes I went myself,

sometimes I injured myself by falling, stumbling. Sometimes I was

taken, I remember my family, friends, other times I woke up in

hospital. I did not know how I got there. With major hospitals feeling

the strain of dealing with patients suffering from alcohol related

problems, the question remains, what is happening at Westminster? The

government says it has cut down on sales of very low price drink but

some campaigners say more needs to be done. There have been demands for

minimum unit pricing for alcoholic drinks. The Scottish Government

wants to do that but was challenged in court by the drinks industry. It

has gone all the way to the European Court and the key judgment is

expected tomorrow. It will be watched closely around the UK.

Some homes and businesses in Cumbria are flooding for the third time this

The River Eden has burst its banks in the village of Appleby.

Our correspondent Ed Thomas is there.

This is the River Eden, and all this is the last thing people wanted to

see here. This is one of the main streets through this small town. The

water has reclaimed this land, and not for the first time. Inspector

Neil Thompson, thank you for taking time out to speak to us. It was only

yesterday you were speaking to Prince Charles, now all this again.

Correct. Sadly we are back here with more flooding in Appleby. There have

been 30 houses damaged and about five people rescued from premises.

Very quickly, what is the advice for people across Cumbria tonight? I

would advise people to adhere to road closure signs, we have had

vehicles start, to think about their journeys, are they necessary, and to

remain safe. Thank you for talking to us. We have time to show you some

pictures of what was happening in daylight. This should be the River

Eden bursting its banks, flooding the town. This was after the

torrential rain that fell here and it fell really quickly. Nobody here

was expecting this to happen. But 30 homes have been damaged here. Sadly,

not for the first time, I'm so sorry it has happened to you guys again.

That's your house there. Were you expecting any of this? We thought

there was a probability with the volume of rain that has fallen in

the last 24 hours, the land in the surrounding area has not managed to

get rid of the water. There is no absorption left in it. At seven this

morning we got the text message from the Environment Agency, we got to

work and were advised there might be around a foot of water. It did come

but it was followed by a lot more. Charlotte, very quickly, how are you

going to cope with all of this in the run-up to Christmas? We will

just get back to cleaning up, it is what we do. You cannot give in.

You've got to get back on top. It leaves a mess. There is going to be

hard work. But what do you do? Thank you for saving time to speak to us.

That is the view from Appleby. Streets are flooded and many people

are hoping the worst has been done and these waters will quickly

recede. There was a sharp rise in Government

borrowing last month compared to this time last year,

it was up 10% at ?14.2 billion. With four months to go until April,

borrowing has now almost reached the total amount the Chancellor had

planned for the whole But the Treasury says the big rise

is down to "one-off factors" as our business editor,

Kamal Ahmed, reports. It's that time of year when we maybe

spend a bit too much and which we earned a bit more. It is feeling the

same for the Treasury after today's public finance figures, Whiteley

described as disappointing. Borrowing was up, spending was up,

and some big bills to the European Union and the World Bank were due.

It is a long way from this moment, George Osborne insisting public

finances were in robust shape. Fixing the roof when the sun is

shining. If the Chancellor was hoping for Christmas cheer from the

borrowing figures, those hopes have not been fulfilled. Last month the

government set up borrowing target of ?68.9 billion, which it said it

would hit by April of next year. Last month it announced it had

already borrowed ?54.3 billion and that number has increased

substantially to ?66.9 billion. That means for the next four months, the

government can only borrow ?2 billion more if it is to hit that

target. November's figures were

extremely disappointing. Borrowing was higher than economists

had expected and higher than last Although things should start

to improve over the next few months they would have to improve by a lot

in order for him to meet his target This time last year,

the banks were helping paying out ?1 The man who passes judgment

on the Government's finances and spending on schools,

hospitals and our pensions said We think there are a number

of reasons to expect the fall in the deficit to be larger over

the remainder of this financial year Things could become more bullish

with the Treasury likely to see When it comes to the ups and downs

of the economy, Mr Osborne knows he will need a run of very good

figures in he is to British military personnel

are redeployed to Afghanistan to help local forces trying to hold

back a Taliban advance. Still to come: Top of

the table at Christmas, but could Leicester City ever

be crowned champions? Coming up on Reporting

Scotland at 6.30pm. The ?1 million fine after Total

admits failings that caused one of the North Sea's

biggest gas leaks. And, we follow the controversial

Beauly Denny power line They're teenagers from Pakistan

and Syria and both are determined that girls like them should

have the right to go school. Malala Yousufzai became world famous

after the Taliban tried to kill her for daring to campaign

for girls' education. This is Mazoun Almellehan,

who met Malala in a Jordanian The pair became friends and today

have been reunited in the UK after Muzoun's family

was granted refugee status. They've been talking to our chief

international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, about their struggle

to make sure girls can go to school. Nice to see you. Hello. For two

teenagers, fighting to educate girls, a library perhaps a perfect

place to meet. To catch up on each other's lives. Which subjects are

you doing now I don't know. After Christmas choose. The biggest news

for 17-year-old Mazoun is that her family are being resettled here in

Newcastle, a long way from home. The happiest moment was when I heard

Mazoun was here. I remember seeing the refugee camp and the situation

in which she was living there. Now we can work together. Both of you

have been watching how hundreds of thousands of refugees, migrants, a

lot of them Syrians are fleeing towards Europe. How does that make

you feel? Some of us could not understand it because we have not

seen the situation. If you think of what is happening in Syria, those

people need our help right now. If we are not welcoming to them, if

these countries are not welcoming to them, then these people have nowhere

to live. If ever country, for example, decides to take 50,000 and

there are 80 countries at the decide, I took a calculator and said

- this is how many refugees are there. If each country take 50,000

or 25,000 this number can divide. It's not a big problem. Malala was

in Jordan this summer to visit Mazoun in her refugee camp. They

called her the Malala of Syria. The teenager who urged parents to

educate their daughters, not marry them off. A third of marriages in

these camps now include a child bride. More people in the camp stop

education and they think education not important and more parents they

think because they customs and traditions they think when I will

marry my daughter I will help her to get good future. They think

education not important. Is the problem getting worse? Yeah. Two

young girls with big dreams. Much Now that they're both in Britain,

they'll work more closely on their new project to educate Syrian girls.

There is also a lot of homework to finish. Lyse Doucet, BBC News,

Newcastle. A remembrance service has been held

to mark the first anniversary of the Glasgow bin lorry crash

which left six people dead. Bereaved families, survivors

and members of the emergency services were among those

who attended the service at Glasgow The lorry veered out of control

in the city centre after the driver, Harry Clarke, blacked

out at the wheel. A senior athletics world governing

body figure was planning to delay naming Russian drug cheats

in the run-up to the 2013 The BBC has obtained

an internal email from the Iaaf But the man who sent it -

the deputy secretary general, Our Sports Editor,

Dan Roan, reports. The eyes of the athletics world

turned to Moscow, hosts of the 2013 World Championships. With the

build-up overshadowed with a series of Russian doping scandals within

the governing body there was a secret plan to minimise the damage.

It was laid out in an email sent just before the event by

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Deputy General Secretary,

Nick Davies now the right-hand man of President Sebastion Coe. There is

no suggestion that he was aware of the proposal. Writing to former

marketing consultant he said: -- He also suggested using the

political influence of Coe, then Vice-President, and his market

company for an unofficial PR campaign to stop what he called

"planned attacks on Russia by the British media." It is a damning blow

to the credibility of the organisation. That's shocking

because what the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia should have been

doing is saying - if we know people are cheating we will get them and

expose them come what may and make sure they don't compete. That is our

prime job. Not worrying about the PR strategy to make sure the stories

don't come out in the first place. In a statement Nick Davies denied

wrong-doing and said: Coe was the most powerful figure in

athletics this year, replacing Lamine Diack, the former

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia president now facing

allegations he took bribes to cover-up doping. In October Russia

was banned from international competition for State-sponsored

cheating, and now this. The contents of this email are highly

embarrassing for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Ing for

the Iaaf. It couldn't have come at a worse time. Athletics should have

much to look forward to with the Rio Olympics on the horizon. Instead

it's the shadow cast by Russia that hangs over the sport. Dan Roan, BBC

News. Breaking news for you on that story. In the last few few minutes

the Iaaf confirmed that Nick Davies has stepped aside from his Iaaf

roles pending an Iaaf Ethics Committee investigation into the

email. Last Christmas, they were at

the bottom of the Premier League. This Christmas, they're

right at the top. Leicester City have taken

everyone by surprise, Joe Wilson's been examining

their change in fortunes. In the Leicester City grotto

is the one thing everybody wants, Today, the trophy was just a photo

opportunity for charity. At the end of the season, well,

they believe in Mahrez and Vardy. No-one's scored more

than them this season. COMMENTATOR: Vardy's in.

Jamie Vardy scores again. In Europe's largest outdoor covered

market, suddenly they're talking We've had a lot of stick from other

fans and now we're giving it back. COMMENTATOR: He runs up,

Mahrez, once again. Do you know, this has been

a long time coming. Well, here comes the genial Italian

who's keeping everyone calm. I think you're a bit

like Father Christmas, You make people believe that magic

can happen in Leicester. No, but I'm very happy

they are happy this Christmas days. We don't have the high

quality like City, Arsenal, Well, this is where the Leicester

players emerge from their dressing room and immediately you can see

the kind of impression they're Bottom of the Premier League last

Christmas, top this. Leicester are dismantling

the old order, but now there's When you're top at this time

of year, you're Finally, they may be getting ready

for their busiest night of the year, but Santa's reindeer took some time

out this afternoon and headed And, they weren't just

there to prove they have mastered stairs, they had another job to do,

as Jon Kay reports. Why land on the roof when you can

just use the stairs? Visiting time at the Brookside Care

Home and today it was Cupid Taking care to avoid his antlers,

Edna fell head over hoofs. I've just worked out,

you're only 86 years Cupid had come not from Lapland,

but from a farm in Somerset. The residents could feed

him his favourite moss. How many reindeers have you had

in your room before today? Cupid was joined by Comet to give

the residents a sleigh ride arranged For two hours, this care home

was more like a kindergarten, but then Cupid had

to dash, things to do. Thank you very much. The good news

this evening is the persistent rain has cleared from north-western parts

of the UK where we have seen the flooding in Cumbria. For many of us

there will be rain around this evening and it will be very

blustery. In fact the next few days will remain blustery. For tonight

clear spells as well as showers coming and going. During the course

of the night there might be rain that will rattle our windows. Still

not cold for this time of year, yesterday we were talking about 15

degrees in the south, tonight it's more like eight or nine. #120r78 Eva

is 1,000 miles to the west of us. It will sweep to the north-west of the

UK. We will look at the details in a second. Wednesday a fine day with

lots of sunshine around. It will be a little on the breezy side, but if

you have any plans before Christmas it's not a bad day to do it. 12 in

London, six degrees there in Scotland. Storm Eva will sweep to

the north-west of Republic of Ireland. It will affect the western

isles of Scotland as well as Auckney and Shetland. It will bring severe

winds for a time, gusts of 70mph. Many of us Christmas Eve is going to

be a very blustery day with sunshine, passing showers, the odd

downpour. Quite a gusty, chilly sort of day. Even though temperatures in

some areas up to 13 degrees. That sort of showery weather with clear

spells will continue into Christmas Eve evening. We have some rain on

the way with increasing winds. I think the main story for Christmas

Day is perhaps a bit of frost in Scotland in the north, maybe some

snow, for most a mild one with rain. Thank