22/02/2018 BBC News at Six

Hell on Earth - the death toll rises

again near Syria's capital

as government forces continue

bombing civilians

in rebel-held areas.

Around 400 have been

killed in just five days -

and hundreds of thousands remain

trapped.

TRANSLATION:

Shame on you.

This is just a little

boy who wants freedom.

Why are you doing this?

I don't know what to do.

The United Nations Security Council

is meeting tonight to try to bring

about a ceasefire to get aid

to those who need it.

Also on the programme:

Senior Ministers gather

at the Prime Minister's country

residence to try to iron out

the Government's strategy on Brexit.

4,000 jobs are to go at Centrica -

Britain's biggest energy supplier -

it says political interference

is partly to blame.

Lecturers walk out at universities

across the UK in protest

at pension changes -

more than a million

students will be affected.

And a leap into the future

for the world's oldest commercial

satellite station in Cornwall -

as Goonhilly turns

its attention to Mars.

And coming up on Sportsday

on BBC News -

Can Celtic make it to the last 16

of the Europa League for the first

time in 14 years as they face

Zenit St Petersburg in Russia?

Good evening, welcome

to the BBC News at Six.

Around 400 people -

many of them children -

are thought to have died

since Sunday on the outskirts

of Syria's capital as government

forces continue their bombardment

of the rebel-held area.

"Hell on Earth" is how

Eastern Ghouta was described today

by the Foreign Office as calls

intensified for President Assad's

forces to halt their bombardment

of the area, where 400,000 civilians

are still believed to be trapped.

Tonight the UN

Security Council will vote

on a resolution calling for a 30-day

ceasefire so that humanitarian aid

can be delivered.

Just a warning, our Middle East

editor Jeremy Bowen's report

contains some very

distressing images.

More air strikes, more bombs and

more casualties, it is not letting

up. Armed rebels in eastern Ghouta

have shelled Damascus. But enormous

damage is being done by the Syrian

Armed Forces and their Russian

allies, deploying much more

firepower in places where civilians

live and die.

Two sisters were in their home when

it was hit.

it was hit.

Warplanes bombed out

building.

building. Now, look at home.

Getting

on for 400,000 people terrified by

the sight and sound of aircraft, are

thought to be in eastern Ghouta,

which is the size of Manchester.

The Syrians insist they are

targeting terrorists but it's clear

many children are among the wounded

and the dead.

and the dead. Improvised hospitals

have been set up in cellars and

basements during the years of war.

Now, though, the medics are at full

stretch. This doctor wanted to send

a message to the people of Britain.

TRANSLATION:

We never wanted the war

and we don't want to live under it.

For the sake of our children who

have been blown to pieces, for the

sake of our children who have died

of hunger, war we have seen every

day has caused us to collapse and

affected psychologically. We don't

have anything more to offer, we are

being led out.

She was treating

12-year-old Mohammed who was dying.

His mother had been cooking

breakfast for her family when three

air strikes came in. TRANSLATION:

I

am here waiting for my son to die.

At least he will be free of pain, I

prayed to God to end his suffering.

Where are the Arabs?

Where are the Muslims?

When my boy goes to heaven at least

he will be free. I want to go with

him.

So many Syrians have died in

the war. The killing is escalating.

And once again the world is watching

from a safe distance.

Jeremy Bowen is with me. Harrowing

scenes. The UN is meeting to agree a

ceasefire to get aid in to those

people. Is there any hope of one?

Let's hope so. The reports out of

New York at the moment are not very

promising. The reports say that the

Russians are indicating that there

is no deal. It's complicated because

of course they are trying to do a

deal for the whole of Syria, not

just that particular, albeit rather

large pocket, just outside Damascus.

The thing about the war in Syria is

that consistently over the years,

and we have seen it so many times

consistently over the last seven

years or so, the violence, killing,

bloodshed, events on the ground have

outpaced diplomacy. I've talked to

many of the diplomats involved in

this. Many of them really are trying

their best, tearing their hair out,

trying to make some progress. But in

a very intractable situation and in

a place too where President Assad

is, I think, from his point of view

clearing a bit of unfinished

business around his capital, you

know, I'm not hopeful that the

pattern is going to change right now

tonight will stop Middle East

editor, Jeremy Bowen, thank you.

Senior ministers are meeting

at the Prime Minister's country

residence to try to reconcile

their differences over Brexit.

They're trying to reach

agreement on their vision

of the UK's future relationship

with the EU after Brexit.

From Chequers - here's our political

editor Laura Kuenssberg.

What could break the calm of the

country? Birdsong twittering across

the Home Counties Valley. Spring's

plucky early buds bravely making

their way. The zooming arrival of

the cabinet's cars. That's what.

Darting into Chequers, hoping

perhaps the rural piece might

provide inspiration. For more than a

year, this group have been

attempting to hammer out a

compromise. But for decades,

arguably, the Tory party has been

trying and not always succeeding.

So, can they find one today? They

are not just here to enjoy the

outdoors. But for vital talks. In a

week the Prime Minister wants to

tell the rest of the world more of

her plan for Brexit. The committee

inside disagrees over how closely we

should stick to the EU once we have

left. Some compromise, not a

dramatic breakthrough, is what to

expect.

If you look at what happened

back before the December European

summit there was lots of speculation

that the Cabinet would not reach

agreement. We all agreed a position,

the prime Minster took to Brussels,

and got a successful outcome and all

of us in the Cabinet are determined

to get the best possible deal for

every part of the United Kingdom.

Every modern Tory who has had the

keys to this place has had to deal

with splits over Europe. Government

insiders suggest, though, it's only

Boris Johnson who is really likely

furiously to dig in. One minister

told me the Brexiteers today will be

reminded firmly of the consequences

of failing to agree. But there are

nerves and suspicion on both sides

in the Tory party and their outside

arrivals don't expect much.

It won't

last and what our problem is is that

in trying to deal with the

government and being responsible as

an opposition we never know from day

to day who is in charge and what the

policy is.

The fact the committee

has hidden away for hours tells you

how sensitive this is and how hard

it might be to find a deal. One

former minister told me if

everyone's happy at the end it's a

fudge. For something genuinely to be

decided someone will have to be

unhappy. But there is a sense at the

top of government now some political

sacrifices needed in order to make

progress with Brussels, even though

Theresa May well knows there are

some in her party who don't want to

tolerate her giving any ground. Yet

whatever is decided here it is then

time to persuade the European Union.

Any negotiation needs compromise.

The choice for government to knight

is who has to give and who will

take.

And, Sophie, if this all feels as

remote as this countryside location,

two very important things to

remember. These meetings are about

whether or not the government can

actually stick together when there

are such divisions inside its own

party. It's not likely but it is

possible that one minister or two

might be so cross about the

decisions that they end up flouncing

out. But more importantly than that,

the decisions that are made or not

made in the next few hours and the

next few weeks on Brexit will shape

the future of our economy, our jobs,

and our livelihood, and our

relationship in future with the rest

of the world.

Laura Kuenssberg, thank you.

The number of EU citizens leaving

the UK reached its highest level

for a decade last year.

But official figures also

estimate that overall,

there are still more people coming

to Britain than leaving.

Our home affairs correspondent

Daniel Sandford is here.

Ever since the Brexit vote as Mrs

and politicians have been keeping a

close eye on the number of EU

citizens coming to and leaving

Britain and today's figures did

reach something of a milestone. In

the year to September the number of

EU citizens leaving Britain for good

reached 130,000, that is the highest

figure for a decade, the highest

figure, in fact, since the financial

crash. However, it is worth saying

that at the same time in that same

year, 220,000 EU citizens moved to

Britain to work, and so the figure,

the number of people who are moving

here still out stretches the number

of people leaving by around 90,000.

Although, that 90,000 overall figure

is the lowest since September 2012.

Why? The Office For National

Statistics warns that the reasons

people move around the world are

quite complicated but Brexit may

well be a factor and people we have

spoken to who are leaving sake they

are doing so partly because the

pounds they are earning are worth

less on the international market and

partly because basically feel less

welcome here.

Daniel, thank you.

Britain's economy grew more

slowly than first thought

between October and December.

The Office for National Statistics

says the economy grew

by 0.4% rather than nought point 5%.

And the downward revision was due

to slower growth in production.

Britain's biggest energy supplier,

Centrica, says it's cutting 4,000

jobs over the next two years.

The company - which owns

British Gas - saw a big drop

in profits last year.

It says political interference

in the energy market

was partly to blame.

Our business correspondent

Emma Simpson reports.

It's been a difficult year for

Centrica. Today, the hard numbers.

Group profits down 70% to £1.25

billion. British Gas has lost 1.4

million customer accounts and

another round of cost-cutting, or

thousand jobs to go, which the boss

told me is partly down to the

Government's looming price cap on

bills.

It is about competition and

more customers but there is a third

reason, there is a link between our

cost efficiency programme and

preparing for any price cap in the

UK. We have got to be competitive

and this measure means that we have

got to drive more efficiency.

And

that's on top of 5500 job cuts they

have already made.

We need to have a

long and serious look at this

because we can't carry on losing

these sorts of jobs, often in

economically deprived areas at this

rate of knots.

The government says

Britain's energy market isn't

working. Customers are being

overcharged. That's why it wants to

cap the most expensive energy bills.

Millions of British Gas customers

are still sat on so-called standard

tariffs and paying through the nose

for their energy bills as a result,

and so whilst today's results have

been bad overall, I think those

customers will be surprised that

British Gas made a profit on their

domestic supply business.

It may not

feel like it when you are paying the

bills but the energy industry is in

the midst of change from government

intervention to new suppliers

offering cheaper deals, savvy

consumers have been switching, all

putting pressure on the traditional

big players. British Gas has already

reduced the number of customers on

its most expensive default deals.

But will that be enough to keep its

core customers happy? Emma Simpson,

BBC News. The former boss of Save

the Children Justin Forsyth has

resigned tonight from his current

role as deputy director of Unicef in

New York. He was twice subject to

investigation at Save the Children

after concerns were raised about his

conduct between 2011 and 2015.

Our diplomatic correspondent

James Landale is with me now.

Why has he decided to resign?

Justin

Forsyth was a very senior figure

within the British aid world, a

former adviser to Downing Street, he

was Chief Executive of Save the

Children and now in this senior role

in Unicef in New York which he has

just left. Earlier this week it

emerged he had been subject to

complaints by female member of staff

when he was at Save the Children for

what they called inappropriate

behaviour and he says those

complaints would love with in a

formal process and he apologised

then and apologises now. He says he

is resigning now because of the

coverage around this case which was

damaging Unicef and Save the

Children, and what's more he goes on

to say, and I quote, there is no

doubt in my mind that some of the

coverage around me is not just to

rightly hold me to account, but also

to attempt to do serious damage to

our cause and the case for aid. The

key question of course is, has he

gone before any other action taken

by Unicef? They have some decent

night in a statement, we are

grateful to Mr Forsyth for his work

over the past years and the way he

has advocated for vulnerable

children.

James Comey thank you. The

time is 6:15pm.

Our top story this evening...

The bombardment near Syria's capital

city continues as the death toll

rises to almost 400.

The UN is meeting now.

And still to come:

Anti-depressants do work,

that's according to scientists.

We speak to one man who says

they've changed his life.

Coming up on Sportsday on BBC News:

No medal for Dave Ryding

but he makes history with Team GB's

first top-ten finish in alpine

skiing in 30 years at

the Winter Olympics.

More than a million students

at dozens of universities

across the UK face massive

disruption for the next month

after their lecturers walked out

in a dispute over pensions.

The university lecturers say changes

to their pensions could leave them

£10,000 worse off every

year when they retire.

But thousands of students,

who pay more than £9,000 a year,

say they will demand compensation

if their studies are disrupted.

Our education correspondent

Elaine Dunkley reports from Leeds.

At Leeds University, lecturers out

on the picket lane. Thousands of

lectures have been cancelled across

the UK, the message is gives us the

pensions we paid into or there will

be mass destruction.

We are

expecting things to grind to a halt

really. Forms won't be signed,

classes won't be taught, research

deadlines won't be met. We are

likely to use about -- lose about

£10,000 a year. Vice chancellors

earn up to £280,000 a year so I have

questions about why the money

shouldn't be coming out of their

salaries and not out of our

pensions.

The universities say a £6

billion deficit in the scheme means

it is not sustainable and can only

be maintained by making cuts to jobs

and research. Universities say they

have offered a good deal but

lecturers are not convinced.

Currently we have a defined benefit

scheme which means we put money in

and we will definitely get a certain

amount back when we retire. The

defined contribution scheme means

what we end up with in the pot will

depend on the vagaries of the market

and other things and it means we

can't be certain of what we will

have.

Left unresolved, more lectures

could be cancelled and exams

affected. You're paying over £9,000

in fees, do you feel short-changed?

The students support their lecturers

but are also worried about their

future. More than 80,000 students

have signed for petitions calling

for fees to be reimbursed.

When we

signed up to university it was

specified

in the curriculum we would have a

certain number of hours of contact

time with our lecturers. Anything

short of that is a breach of the

contract, of the £9,000 repaid. I

think we should be compensated for

that.

I think it works out at over

£1000 lost in contact time.

How this

is resolved will have a significant

impact on the retirement of

thousands of lecturers and the

future of millions of students.

President Trump says

he will consider a proposal to allow

some school teachers in America

to carry guns in the wake

of the school shooting in Florida

last week which left 17 people dead.

The idea is being backed

by the head of America's

National Rifle Association.

But Wayne LaPierre also accused

those calling for tougher gun laws

of exploiting last week's shooting

for political gain.

Our North America editor Jon Sopel

is at the White House.

Plenty of pressure from both sides

over this.

Yes, if you are in

Britain and hearing the idea

teachers could be harmed you would

think that most crazy idea you've

ever heard but Donald Trump said if

the potential sicko shooter knows a

school has a large number of very

weapons talented teachers and others

who will be instantly shooting, the

sicko will never attacked the

school. That has received strong

support from the National Rifle

Association and it's been a debate

going on in the US for some time but

of course probably horrifies the

young students protesting in Florida

yesterday because what they want to

seek is comprehensive gun control

measures being taken. Donald Trump

has also tweeted today that he

favours improving background checks

on those buying weapons, banning

bull stocks, the semiautomatic

rifles that can suddenly be turned

into machine guns via this device,

and also wants to raise to 21 the

age at which people can buy a rifle.

They may seem like baby steps to

people who want massive gun control

but in the context of American

politics they are radical measures

and will run into strong opposition

from the National Rifle Association.

So whichever way Donald Trump moves,

he will find opposition on either

side of him. He has a difficult

tightrope to walk.

Jon Sopel, thank

you.

Anti-depressants do work

and more people could

benefit from taking them,

that's the verdict of a major study

led by Oxford University.

Scientists analysed data from more

than 500 trials and looked

at more than 20 drugs,

and found they all helped patients

manage their condition.

Our correspondent Sima Kotecha spoke

to one man about his

struggle with depression.

There were times, you know, I felt

really low, to the point I didn't

want to be around anyone or anybody

or have any interaction

with family or friends.

There were times when I didn't

understand my position in life.

Jon needed help.

He was struggling to cope.

His doctor prescribed

antidepressants.

I still think there's a lot

of stigma around it, as to,

you know, are you weak

because you take them?

Are you are a nutnut

because you take them.

I had an image of Jack Nicholson

in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

at the end when he's a complete

and utter zombie and you lose

something about yourself,

something that makes you you.

And that's what I was concerned

about, you'd turn into zombie

without any feeling.

But the only way I can describe

it is that it gives you a kind

of buffer around some

of the negative thoughts

and your mind racing.

Today's report found that 21 of some

of the most common antidepressants

were more effective at treating

anxiety and depression

than dummy pills.

Those behind the report

as well as other GPs say the results

show that these tablets could help

more people cope with low moods.

For too long, healthcare

professionals have been denigrated

and slated for prescribing drugs

that they know will work.

So many patients tell us they work.

We only want to do this

for the best of our patients.

It is not about fobbing people off,

it is genuinely trying to help them.

In 2016, 65 million prescriptions

for antidepressants were issued

and the numbers are rising.

But some critics say

depression can be solved

through positive mental attitude.

You say you've been

on them for five years...

The research also outlines

which pills work best.

However, the authors are urging

people not to switch medication

before getting advice.

Hopefully it made me an easier

person to be around for my family.

Yeah, the plan is, in regular

consultation with my GP,

to wean myself off of them.

But that's got to be

when the time is right.

Jon Crowther ending that report.

The TV licence fee will rise

for the first time in eight years

Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall

- set up almost 60 years ago -

it's the oldest commercial satellite

station in the world.

And now plans have been announced

to put it firmly on the space map

by turning it into a space

communication base to track missions

to the moon and Mars.

Jon Kay reports from Cornwall.

We are hoping it will be a nice

clear night for stargazing and until

now if we wanted to have a

communication with a mission out

there, we had to use communication

bases that belonged to Nasa or the

European Space Agency, but in the

future if all goes to plan we will

be able to use this dish which will

connect the UK and Cornwall with

outer space like never before.

NEWSREEL: Upon the fantastic dish

aerial of Cornwall's

Goonhilly Downs...

Since the 1960s, Goonhilly has

been making history,

like receiving the first pictures

from the Telstar satellite.

..Goonhilly marks an

impressive step forward in

international communication.

And now this Earth Station will be

the first place in Britain

which can direct missions

into deep space.

This is Goonhilly dish number six.

This antenna is 32

metres in diameter...

Also known as Merlin.

It rotates 360 degrees...

This one was built in the 1980s.

It beamed Live Aid around the world,

but now an £8 million upgrade means

it will be able to do

much, much more.

We will be able to send commands

to spacecraft around the moon

and around Mars, and also receive

data coming back from

the moon and Mars.

So in 2020 when a Mars

rover is on the surface

of Mars and detects life,

we could send that data back and be

received by this antenna here.

Direct to Cornwall?

Direct to Cornwall.

And Cornwall's ambitions to join

the space race don't end here.

Newquay airport.

Today passengers were flying to

Dublin and Manchester, but soon it

could be much further.

Because this county, which relies

on tourism, wants to take

things to the next level.

The airport is bidding

to turn its two-mile runway

into a commercial spaceport,

hoping for a share of

a multi-billion pound industry.

The millions for Goonhilly

are coming from the local enterprise

partnership, and some ask

if it's the best use

of public money right now.

One local baker delivering

space-themed pasties

today believes this poor county

needs to aim for the stars.

The perception of Cornwall

from a lot of people

is that it's a beautiful

place, which it undoubtedly

is, but we also need

a thriving future for people.

It would be great to see better

high-tech jobs being created

in a very much a long-term project.

More customers for you.

That would be nice.

Pasties and a giant dish.

The new Cornwall.

John Kay, BBC News, Goonhilly.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Stav Danaos.

Here's Stav Danaos.

It got really cold again today.

You are right and it's set to get

much colder as we go into next week.

This is the map of Europe. The cold

air pouring out of Siberia will be

reaching our shores as we head into

Monday and Tuesday. It will be

bitterly cold, far colder than it

was today and it will be at the

weekend too. We have high pressure

dominating the scene so it will be

largely dry tonight, so some lengthy

clear spells and temperatures will

plummet away, colder than last night

with a widespread sharp frost. Down

to minus five Celsius. We start

tomorrow morning with a cold, frosty

note but there should be areas of

sunshine, in Northern Ireland, parts

of central and eastern England. A

breeze from the south-east will take

the edge off the temperatures. We

continue with this big area of high

pressure which will be importing the

cold air off the near continent so

things colder still at the weekend,

but this high pressure keeping rain

bearing weather fronts at bay in the

Atlantic. It should be largely dry

and the theme for the weekend is

more in the way of sunshine, and on

into the start of next week too. A

lot of sunshine around, but cold at

four Celsius. That is a similar

picture as we head into Sunday.

Temperatures just a couple of

degrees above freezing, the same on

Tuesday, and the chance of some snow

pushing in from the east as well but

uncertainty as to where that will

fall so stay tuned to the weather

forecast. To sum up, bitterly cold,

widespread frost and the

forecast. To sum up, bitterly cold,

widespread frost and the chance of

smoke too. And that is all