05/02/2016 World News Today

that cannot be denied. And from this, to this. A classical

take on the Manchester 80s dance scene.

Welcome. At least 15,000 people in Syria have gathered at the Turkish

border after heavy fighting in the city of Aleppo. So far they are not

being allowed to cross the frontier, but Turkish aid walkers have gone

into Syrian territory to give them assistance. The Turkish Prime

Minister says he believes tens of thousands more refugees may be under

way. Aleppo is just 60 kilometres from Turkey. Paul Adams reports.

Aleppo, yesterday, the aftermath of an air strike in a neighbourhood

under rebel control, the scene now numbingly familiar.

While world leaders in London have pledged billions of pounds to help

Syria, the country's devastating civil war seems to have intensified,

Sending tens of thousands of desperate civilians fleeing

to the nearby Turkish border, perhaps as many as 70,000 people

The crossing is a bottleneck as entire families wait

Turkey has already taken in 2.5 million refugees

The Turkish president sounded frustrated.

Our European friends ask us to halt the influx of refugees,

said Mr Erdogan, but I want to ask them how can we stop this flow

when they are living amid such tragedy?

But in two Syrian villages loyal to the government and besieged

Government forces and their militia allies breaking through rebel

Four months of Russian air strikes have tipped the military balance.

The rebels are stretched, fighting newly energised government

Does President Assad still think he can win this war with Russian

support, or strengthen his hand in future negotiations?

Either way there is mounting international concern.

What you have seen is the intense Russian air strikes,

mainly targeting opposition groups in Syria, undermining efforts

to find a political solution to the conflict.

And adding to a refugee crisis that seems impossible to contain.

With Turkey struggling to cope, some of these people may keep

With me now is a professor from the London School of Economics. What do

you think we can read into this in terms of what it means for how the

conflict in Syria is developing? Obviously, the balance of power has

shifted in favour of President Assad. The Syrian army has

accumulated many tactical gains in the last few months. The Russian

intervention has allowed the Syrian army to move its fence. The Syrian

army is marching to Aleppo and is trying to encircle Aleppo and it is

a matter of hours before it is encircled. You have a million people

in Aleppo and the city is spread between the Syrian army forces and

the opposition. We are talking about 500,000 people who are besieged in

Aleppo. In Syria we are talking about 168 people who live in

besieged areas. If Aleppo is besieged, we are talking about

500,000 people and that is why more and more people are escaping the

city before the noose is finally closed on the city by the Syrian

army. They are heading for the Turkish border, how well-placed is

Turkey to handle these sort of numbers? For your viewers, there are

more than 2 million in Turkey and 2 million in Lebanon and 1 million in

Jordan. Turkey has got open borders and I am surprised Turkey has

decided not to open its borders. The Turkish leader is sending the

message, particularly to the European powers and the United

States saying, look what you are doing, look what Russia has done.

There is the fact that Aleppo is part of Turkish spheres of influence

and in the North the Army has made strategic gains. This is a major

blow for Turkey. The President is saying, you are responsible, this is

your responsibility, why do I have to take more in the next few days?

Thank you very much. We are getting reports of an

earthquake in southern Taiwan. The US geological survey said it struck

about 31 kilometres south east of the city with 2 million people. It

was initially measured at 6.7 and at a shallow depth of ten kilometres.

One report from Reuters says a building has half collapsed in the

city. It says the Fire Department is on its way to the scene and

authorities have formed an emergency response team. People in Taiwan

posted on Twitter saying, the posted on Twitter saying, the

earthquake had felt strong. New research suggests the seeker

virus has been detected in saliva and other bodily fluids. It is

spreading rapidly in South America and health experts believe it could

lead to babies being born with abnormally small heads. More than

4000 babies have been born with the condition since October. The

research has not changed the current strategy to fight the spread of the

virus. The strategy remains focused on tackling the mosquito and

eradicating the mosquito that transmits the seeker virus. It is

not clear yet at all if this finding means that the virus can be spread

through saliva or through your in. The only new fact about the spread

is the fact that the virus is found in these fluids in its active form.

That is the potential of it being transmitted to other people, but the

next step is to investigate whether it can be transmitted to other

people and there are lots of variables that have to be studied to

assess if that is possible or not. The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

has welcomed the UN ruling which says he has been arbitrarily

detained. He says he should be allowed to walk free from Ecuador's

embassy in London. He has been there since 2012 after an extradition

request from Sweden. Still officially on Ecuadorian soil,

still threatened with arrest, Julian Assange emerged

on to a balcony this afternoon for the first time

since 2012, the year he sought This is a victory that

cannot be denied. The UK and Sweden have had this

judgment for the past two weeks. They did not file an appeal

in their two-week period. Julian Assange now says he has

international law on his side. But the self-styled champion of free

speech and accountability didn't He did want to hear the UN's

findings, that his detention was arbitrary, meaning

it was excessive and unnecessary. It had been continuous since 2010,

the UN said, when he was arrested They decided he has an enforceable

right to compensation The opinion in itself

is an opinion and it is legally binding to the extent

that it's based on international From the UK Government,

a furious response. He can come out

on to the pavement any time he chooses, he's not

being detained by us. But he will have to face justice

in Sweden if he chooses Today, these policemen outside

the embassy were for crowd protection but the police

operation to prevent The lawyer for the

alleged rape victim put out a statement

in Sweden saying: Julian Assange's supporters

are relishing this moment. It's been a dramatic

day in an extraordinary international saga, but it doesn't

end this long-running stand-off. For now, he's back inside and still

no-one knows when he'll come out. A man has been shot dead

at the weigh-in for a championship The shooting happened

in a Dublin hotel. The gunmen were dressed

as police officers and armed More than 200 people

were in the room when It's understood the police are

investigating whether the shooting was connected to a feud

between criminal gangs. The boxing event -

due to take place on Saturday - Britain's proposed EU reforms have

been strongly backed The British Prime Minister David

Cameron's been in Copenhagen, trying to gain support ahead

of a referendum on whether the UK He also held positive talks

in Poland - but the Prime Minister there said plans to limit

benefits for EU migrants Here's our Europe

Editor Katya Adler. Warsaw's charming, old city centre

was built almost from scratch It's a must see for tourists,

but not on the regular beat Yet this is the second time

in a matter of weeks that David Poland is being tricky

when it comes to his EU reform proposals which he needs

all EU leaders to sign up to. Real negotiations take place

behind closed doors. In public, it's often what's not

said that's significant. Poland's Prime Minister politely

praised three out of David Cameron's reforms, she didn't mention cutting

EU migrant benefits, Is he hinting here at what Britain

could offer Poland? We want to see a full

strategic partnership between Britain and Poland

and that is because of the shared interests and shared

ideals that we have. Shared interests in strong defence

and in supporting NATO, in standing up to Russian

aggression, shared interests in terms of

growing our economies. Improving finances for many Poles,

particularly the young, Hundreds of thousands

have come to the UK, cutting their in-work benefits

isn't a popular idea. In Poland, it's not really

easy to find a good job. Salaries aside, Poles also

fear for their security with aggressive Russia

just next door. Last week, the British Government

pledged 1,000 troops to take part Valuable military support for Poland

whose goodwill is vital for David Shuttle diplomacy is intensifying

for the Prime Minister ahead His EU reform proposals

are welcome here. And most importantly,

from the Danish Prime I support all the elements

on access to welfare It's no coincidence

that the Prime Minister chose to hold a press conference

here in Denmark and not to take any press questions

in Warsaw where things could have David Cameron's EU

reform proposal is a political hot potato,

he hopes it will be signed off at an EU summit in two weeks' time,

a long time in politics. Expect a roller coaster of headlines

between now and then predicting triumph,

concession and even defeat. Could those rave anthems

from the 80s be making a comeback Here in the UK a new report into

the way the National Health Service is run has found that delays

in discharging patients could be costing the NHS in England

?900 million a year. The review found that nearly 1 in 10

hospital beds were taken up by someone medically fit

enough to be discharged. The government's opponents say

that the delays are caused by cuts If you cannot get people out of

hospital, they become gridlocked and it makes it difficult to get people

into hospital. Some of the problems with care outside of hospitals, we

have got big cuts in money and we have not got enough staff in

community and primary care. Hospitals have been left to solve

this on their own rather than working with local government and

with primary and community care. There are things hospitals are doing

to set up their own step-down unit to move people into an area where

they get care, but it frees up beds for more patients to come in.

but it frees up beds for more patients to come in.

Hello, the latest headlines. At least 15,000 Syrian refugees who

have fled fighting in Aleppo have gathered at a border crossing with

Turkey. There are new fears over how the seeker virus might be

transmitted after it was found in human saliva.

We are getting reports of an earthquake in southern Taiwan. It

struck 31 kilometres south east of Tainan, a city of 2 million people.

It was initially measured at the magnitude of 6.7 and at a shallow

depth of ten kilometres. One report from Reuters says a building has

half collapsed in Tainan. It says the city's Fire Department is on its

way to the scene and the authorities have formed an emergency response

We will bring you more details as we go.

Almost 30 have washed up on beaches along the North Sea over the past

few weeks - why are so many sperm whales dying?

They've been found stranded on beaches in the UK,

Holland, France and Germany, and tests have now been carried out

on the latest arrival here in Britain to find out why

Our Correspondent Danny Savage has been investigating.

It's been a traumatic couple of days on this North Norfolk beach.

A sperm whale was stranded here yesterday, alive

There was a glimmer of hope as it showed signs of moving as the tide

But last night it died, the latest in a series of whale

Initial findings show that it was starving and dehydrated.

All the whales we examined, at least our end, no evidence

There has been what we call bile staining the intestines and that

indicate it's gone through a period of a lack of feeding and starvation.

That would make the animal more compromised.

Why have so many of these huge animals, all young males,

Experts say bachelor pods are normally found

in the North Atlantic, feeding off deepwater

But they've ended up in the waters of the North Sea,

which are on average, 98 metres deep and too shallow

Over the last few weeks, 29 have been found stranded

on beaches in the UK, Holland, France and Germany.

This is the German operation to move them.

They can become a health hazard if left on the sands or mud flaps.

Experts say collectively, this is the worst series of whale

And the concern is more of these will turn up on North Sea coasts

But how much detail is really known about what's going on under water?

An incident like this almost heightens the need for us

all to learn more about these enormous and fantastic creatures.

This may look like a scene from the days of whale hunting,

but these animals have to be examined if answers about why

they end up in the wrong sea to be found.

Now, it was the music that outraged politicians and had police chasing

Acid House music fuelled illegal parties and drug taking in 1980s

Britain on a scale not seen since the Sixties.

The heart of the high energy, drug fuelled scene was at

Manchester's world famous Hacienda night club.

The club is no more, but the music is enjoying

a bit of a revival - albeit in a slightly

more sedate form - as our Entertainment Correspondent

For a moment in time the Hacienda was the most influential club

The place to be, the place to dance, where whole weekends would get lost

It's almost 20 years since it closed in a blur of drugs, guns and gangs.

Although, it's never sounded quite like this before.

Hacienda classics in a classical style.

The orchestra, classical sound is very emotive.

Rock and roll tends to push you, tends to bite you, tends to make

people, grrr, you know, like dance music.

It's quite funny when I told the conductor about smoke machines.

He went, "Smoke machines, they won't be able

We're going to get him a pair of them ones that light

It's quite a change from podium dancers to a conductor on a podium.

One big difference from the heyday of the Hacienda because tonight

is a classical venue and there is no dance floor.

But with these guys on board, it seems highly unlikely

the audience will remain in their seats.

It shows you the depth and the musicality of the original

I thought we'd try and transform a DJ mix in to a score.

So when you've got one track mixing into another track and two musical

elements coming together, that's what the orchestra

And tonight will be extra special for one regular at the Hacienda

who's graduated from Manchester raver...

To Manchester Camerata's first violin.

Just the whole buzz of going into each different track,

it's like just being there next to the big speaker, dancing.

It's brilliant, absolutely loving it.

There are now plans for a tour, but it remains to be seen

if classical music critics will give it rave reviews.

Rugby Union's 6 Nations Championship gets underway this weekend -

as Scotland take on England in Edinburgh.

England have a new captain and and a new coach and are hoping

this will be the start of brighter things after a dismal World Cup

where Scotland turned out to be the best team from Europe.

Scotland and Murrayfield, we know what it is going to be like, we know

what to expect in the Calcutta cup. The mission is to go out there and

play in the Calcutta cup. There is no pressure, the pressure is for the

team to play well. If we are good enough, we will win the game, if

not, we will not win the game. It is nice to be able to have players who

know each other and to have trained beforehand. There is no guarantee,

There is no guarantee, but given the timescale it helps.

This Sunday - the 50th Superbowl takes place in California

between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.

It's the climax to the American football season and is one

of the world's most popular sporting events.

But as Alex South reports, the Superbowl came from much more

The famous Vince Lombardi trophy was first fought over in 1967, but it

was not even superb back then. Its name was the AFL, NFL World

Championship game. Super Bowl rolls off the tongue a little more easily.

Back then the average player got around $6,000 a year. Nowadays, that

would take the best player just over an hour to make. There are now the

famous half-time shows. In the early days you were lucky if you got a

marching band. But Michael Jackson's performance in 1993 changed all that

forever leading to some of the biggest names in music to gate-crash

the party. Who could forget his sister's wardrobe malfunction in

2004. Players had changed as well. Size really matters. The average

player weighed in at 251lbs and was 6'3" tall. In 2016 that average

looks tiny as the majority of players wait around 310lbs and are

now around six feet five. You cannot teach size, but you can ask for a

decent haircut once in awhile. There have been plenty of disasters over

the years proving money cannot buy you everything. Fascinating, that is

all the spot for now. Let's take you back to the breaking news, an

earthquake in southern Taiwan. It struck about 31 kilometres south

east of Tainan, a city of nearly 2 million people. The quake was

initially measured at a magnitude of 6.7. We are now getting some reports

of multiple buildings having collapsed, among them a residential

building. Those are the latest lines which are getting. We will keep you

updated and bring you the latest on BBC News. For now that is all from

the programme. From me and the rest of the team, thank you for