05/10/2011 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at 10:00pm: As the economy stalls, David

Cameron urges people to adopt a can-do spirit. He tells the

Conservative Conference that Britain must turn this time of

challenge into a period of opportunity. Let's see an

optimistic future, let us show the world some fight, let us pull

together, work together, and lead Britain to better days ahead.

this on the day of a sharp fall in consumer spending figures. It's

Tesco's worst sales performance for 20 years. Consumer confidence is

lowering, we can feel that, every time you open a newspaper, go on

the internet, watch TV, doom and gloom about something. We'll be

looking at the latest signals on the economy and on levels of debt.

Also tonight: The trial begins of two Pakistan

cricketers accused of conspiring to cheat during a Test match against

England. The stem-cell breakthrough which

offers a new tailored approach to fighting serious illness.

And why the self-styled lord and friend of celebrities is starting a

And I will be here with Sportsday later in the owl on a sad day for

cricket, as the England fast bowler Graham Dilley dies at the age of

Good evening. Faced with more evidence of a stalling economy and

a sharp drop in consumer spending, David Cameron has urged people to

pull together and mobilise a can-do spirit to face the problems ahead.

He told the Conservative conference in Manchester that the world

economy could be pushed to the brink by the European debt crisis.

But he said Britain could emerge stronger by showing leadership.

This report by our political editor, Nick Robinson, contains some flash

photography. When the news is bleak, when times

are group, what do we need from a leader? David Cameron's answer

today was belief, in ourselves, in our country, in him. Not long ago,

he, they, we thought this speech would be dominated by the riots. By

Britain's long hot summer. Instead, it was overshadowed by the economic

storm still breaking around our heads. I know how tough things are,

I don't for one minute underestimate how worried people

feel. Whether that is about making ends meet or the state of the world

economy. But the truth is, right now, we need to be energised, not

paralysed by gloom and fear. Let us bring on the can-do optimism, let

us summon the energy and of -- appetite to fight for a better

future for our country, Great Britain. His party listened hard

but rarely looked as if they were energised. Perhaps it was the

realisation that their government is not just struggling with paying

the bills for the last economic crisis, but facing a new one.

threat to the world economy, and to Britain, is as serious as in 2008,

when the world recession loomed. The eurozone is in crisis, the

French and German economies have slowed to a standstill. Even mighty

America is questioned about her debts. It is an anxious time.

anxiety was heightened for some by this morning's headlines,

suggesting the Prime Minister would tell families to pay off their own

credit cards. The words, briefed to journalists last night, were not in

fact delivered. The speech was changed and was no longer an

instruction but a description of what was already happening.

only way out of a debt crisis is to deal with your debts. That is why

households are playing down the credit card and the store card

bills. He did not call on people to save, or stop spending. But he did

claim that was what government had to do, to bail out the mistakes of

the last Labour government. plan is right, our plan will work.

I know you can't see it all feel it right now. Slowly but surely, we

are laying solid foundations for a stronger future. And the vital

point is this. If you don't stick with it, it won't work. Growth

would come, he said, by cutting business regulations here and in

Brussels, by reforming welfare, by launching what he called a Tory

housing resolution. The leader, struggling with a sore throat,

seemed to struggle to rouse his audience. But what released his

passion and theirs was a pledge that children from poor families

should do as well as those from rich ones like his own. That's the

gulf between private schools and state schools should be bridged.

The apartheid between private and state education is one of the

biggest wasted opportunities in our country today. Let it be us, the

Conservative Party, who helped to tear it down. Rigour back in

learning, standards back in schools, teachers back in control. The

Conservatives are back in government. They love that, and the

promise that his friend, the Education Secretary, would end what

he called the scandal of a failing adoption system. His wife laughed a

pledge to legalise gay marriage, to encourage a commitment -- laughter

His opponent, Ed Miliband was not referenced once. But there was this

moment when some booed Tony Blair. In this party, we don't do our

leaders, we are proud of what they have done for our party and our

country. He ended with a sort of national pep talk, a call to reject

pessimism, to embrace the British spirit. Let's see an optimistic

future, let us show the world some fight, let us pull together, work

together, and together lead Britain It was an invitation to keep the

faith. She will, and here at least, they will. This was less a

conference speech, and more a call to arms. The Prime Minister is

saying to the country, we have been grade before and we can still do it

again. Before -- been at great before. Before then, Conservatives

will leave here, preparing for As we heard, Mr Cameron spoke on

the day which brought more unsettling news about the state of

the British economy. It's growing even more slowly than was

previously thought and consumer spending has suffered a sharp fall.

Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco, announced the worst sales

performance in its British stores for two decades. Our economics

editor, Stephanie Flanders, looks Today, the Office for National

Statistics decided the recession had been deeper than we thought,

and the recovery a little bit slower. The changes were small, but

when the economic picture is as gloomy as it is today, every little

birds. Asked Tesco. Consumer confidence is louring. -- every

little hurts. Consumer confidence is lowering. Every time you open a

newspaper, go on the internet, doom and gloom about something. Where

they are really being pinched I think is the fuel prices, the

effect on the utilities. figures show the economy grew by

0.1% in the second quarter. That would mean no overall growth in GDP,

or national income, since the summer off 2010. Spending by

consumers has been falling in real terms. In fact, it is now lower

than in 2005. People are spending less because they have less money

coming in. Either that, or they are trying to pay off their debts.

David Cameron thinks it is crucial for the government to cut back as

well, otherwise the financial markets might lose confidence in

the UK, and interest rates might go up. For that to work, for low

interest rates to support the economy, someone somewhere has to

spend more. This was the scene in Athens today. We had hoped other

countries would do the spending, but with the Greek crisis now

threatening the recovery across Europe, that looks much less likely.

The International Monetary Fund said a recession in Europe next

year was a distinct possibility. The difficulties of the banking

sector may turn into a credit squeeze. That is very damaging in a

situation like the one we find ourselves in at the moment. When

the economy is slowing down, when there is a great deal of

uncertainty, if there is a credit crunch, things might turn really

negative. The IMF said the government to think about slowing

the pace of deficit cuts, if the economy seems to be at risk of

stagnating or shrinking. Some critics think that risk is now very

real. It is a pretty risky policy. It assumes if the economy is going

to work, that the private sector will spend more relative to its

income. Otherwise, all we have is the paradox of thrift. Everybody

tries to save and the economy implodes. Sainsbury's's results

today were a bit better. Their new slogan is live well for less. As

the economic picture continues to darken, David Cameron is one of

many politicians around the world hoping we can do just that.

The latest cause of turbulence on the financial markets this week is

the health of the Franco-Belgian bank, Dexia. The French government

has confirmed that details of a rescue plan will be announced

tomorrow. Activists have been protesting outside the bank's

Belgian headquarters, as the makings of a deal emerge involving

a French government fund stepping in to guarantee deposits and take

over most of the bank's activities. The signs of a deal for Dexia have

reassured the financial markets, along with hopes that European

leaders are considering stronger coordinated action to bolster the

banking system. In London, the FTSE 100 index closed up more than 3%.

In France, the CAC 40 was up more than 4%. And in Germany, the DAX

also closed up, by almost 5%. Our economics editor, Stephanie

Flanders, is here. They have clearly reassured the

markets but surely, the anxiety of a debt is still there. It is

something that was in David Cameron's speech, this is not a

normal recovery and the amount of debt around the world has a lot to

do with that. It has a lot to do with the eurozone crisis, we are

constantly talking about the debts of governments and that banks hold,

and that is why the markets went up to date, with the expectation that

they would get more capital. And it is why it has been difficult to get

a decent recovery in the UK. We have seen today it is even harder

than we thought. Households and governments are sitting on debts

they don't want to have, the appetite for spending is very weak.

The tussle over whether or not the Prime Minister was asking people to

pay off their credit cards got to the heart of the argument. Ed Balls

says the answer is for government to borrow more, to make up the

shortfall when nobody else wants to spend. David Cameron and maybe the

German government say, it is going to be tough, but you don't fix a

debt crisis by running up more debt. How likely is it that the Bank of

England will step in again tomorrow and take action? There has been a

change in the economic weather and a few months ago I would have said

very unlikely. Now I would say it is maybe as good as 50-50. A very

strong chance it will do so, if not tomorrow, maybe next month. We may

even get a rate cut from the European Central Bank tomorrow,

when they were raising rates only a few months ago. Even there, there

is a feeling that even central banks are beginning to run out of

ammunition in the face of this difficult economic situation, and

that is why we heard George Osborne took about completely new ways of

supporting lending for businesses - - small businesses on Monday.

Policy makers are still grasping around for solutions. Thank you.

Two Pakistan cricketers have gone on trial in London, accused of

accepting bribes to bowl deliberate no-balls during last year's tour of

England. The fast bowler, Mohammad Asif, and the former captain,

Salman Butt, are charged with consipracy to cheat and to accept

corrupt payments. They both deny the charges. Our sports editor,

Two of Pakistan's best known cricketers on trial and accused of

accepting bribes to delib ratly bowl no-balls.

Salman Butt, the country's former Test captain and fast bowler,

Mohammad Asif are charged with involved in an international plot

to fix parts of last year's Test Match against England at Lords. The

pair showed no emotion in the dock today as the prosecution told

Southwark Crown Court that their charges represented a depressing

tale of rampant corruption at the heart of cricket.

It is alleged that this man, the sports agent, Mazhar Majeed was the

link between the team and betting syndicates worth �40 to �50 billion

a year. He is said to have told an undercover journalist the price for

picksing matches was �10,000 for a no ball. �400,000 for a Twenty20

match and �1 million for a Test Match. He is said to have boosted,

"I have been doing it with them for about two-and-a-half years and

we've made masses and masses of money."

The court also heard that the young bowler, Mohammad Amir was

implicated and was read text messages which appeared to show him

receiving directions of when to fix parts of an earlier Test Match at

the Owe value. These are the first cricketers to face criminal

corruption charges in this country. The prosecution says their

involvement in a plot to bowl deliberate no-balls at Lords not

only contaminate that had match, but was a betrayal of cricket.

Mohammad Asif insists the no-balls were just chance. Butt said they

were freakish occurrencances. This trial is set to put cricket's

Coming up on tonight's programme: Step forward - the self-styled lord

who conned the rich and famous out of millions of pounds. Looking back

I was incredibly naive, but other people were just as naive as me

because all of us got stung the Scientists in New York say they are

a step closer to creating what are called personalised stem cells

which could help treat a range of diseases. The technique involves

taking a human egg and combining it with a cell from another person -

potentially someone who needs treatment. David Shukman explains

Stem cells in close-up. Strange shapes with huge potential, in

theory, able to repair almost any part of the body. The big challenge

is making them. This lab in New York has announced a new technique.

A version of cloning using human eggs. Sensitive work, they wouldn't

let us film, this is their video, but the research published in the

journal Nature spells out what they have achieved. The researchers say

their new approach could lead to tailor-made stem cells. They took

human human eggs and left the human DNA inside. Egg cells were

triggered into multiplying. The result, stem cells with the

potential to develop in different ways. A step forward on a very long

road. We now know that human eggs have

the ability to turn a specialised cell into a stem cell and this stem

cell can give rise to brain cells which is amazing.

The goal in labs around the world is personalised stem cells, to

tackle anything from Alzheimer's to bone disease to heart failure, but

the science is difficult. Progress is uncertain. There is the risk of

hype. This new development is welcomed, but with caution.

The work seems to have been done fine, I have no criticisms, but it

depends on not just peer review, this was peer review, but on

repetition. If other scientists can do it then I'll believe it.

This is a controversial field with very high stakes.

A few years ago this Korean researcher was exposed for faking

results about embryonic stem cells. Finding a reliable way of making

them is inching closer. But science advance is unpredictable. No one

can tell when the work in New York will lead to help for patients, but

it is seen as a significant step In Seattle, the father of Amanda

Knox has told the BBC tonight that she is looking forward to

rebuilding her life following her release from prison in Italy.

Arriving home, Amanda Knox said she was "overwhelmed" after spending

four years in jail for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.

Her father said they will need to take things slowly. Our focus is to

allow her to kind of readjust to life outside of prison and let her

do some of the things that she hasn't had an opportunity to do. I

mean some of the simplest things that we take for granted like you

know, just walking on the grass in your bare feet or something like

that. She hasn't had a chance to do The authorities in Bahrain have

ordered a retrial for 20 doctors and nurses convicted of helping

anti-government protesters. It follows an international outcry

after a military court sentenced the group to up to 15 years in

prison for treating those injured during recent unrest. The retrial

In Libya, local leaders in the towns that rebelled against Colonel

Gaddafi are now jostling for position in the new interim

Government. The administration will be formally installed once Colonel

Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte is captured, but there are fears that

the process will be hampered by political infighting. Our

correspondent, Damian Grammaticas, has travelled to three areas at the

heart of the fight for the new Libya and he started his journey in

They have carried the flag of Libya's revolution from the start.

It is mountain's people, proud horsemen and warriors celebrating

their new-found freedom. Zintan was one of the first places to rise up

against Colonel Gaddafi and sacrificed much to oust him.

This town of 50,000 lost 250 of its men and its fighters continue to

die in battles across the country. Now Zintan wants a slice of power

in the new Libya. Its elders say two ministers in the Cabinet should

come from their town. The major rule and the liberation

of the country, you have to have as they used to say a good piece of

the cake. Hundreds of miles away, the

battered city of Misrata believes it too should be rewarded. So

Libya's political battles are beginning.

A lot of people died here in this street.

Abdulbaset Al-Haddad helped lead the revolution this this city. Many

here believe they should have a greater say in Libya's future than

towns that did not suffer as much. 1,500 of Misrata's people died

fighting off Gaddafi's tanks. Misrata is putting forward its own

candidate for Prime Minister and as the arguments begin, it isn't

giving up its weapons just yet. TRANSLATION: It is too early. After

what Gaddafi's troops did, no Misrati wants to give up his his

weapons until there is a united Government.

But in Tripoli there is no national Government. One won be formed until

Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte falls. Libya has weeks of political

uncertainty to come. This is where Libya's tribal

leaders used to meet, deciding who gets what share of the spoils of

the power is not easy. After 42 years of dictatorship, there is a

sense of solidarity here. People want this revolution to work.

They're determined to build a new democracy.

The problem is, they've chased away Gaddafi, but he has left behind a

Libya where no one knows how to share power, even while they are

The former England fast bowler, Graham Dilley, who played an

important role in the team's famous Ashes victories of the 1980s has

died at the age of 52 after a short illness. His career is perhaps best

remembered for the stand of 117 shared with Ian Botham in the 1981

Test against Australia at Headingley. His former team-mate

described him as "a fantastic cricketer" and a "good bloke to be

Tributes have been paid to one of the most influential musicians of

his generation, Bert Jansch. He was Bert Jansch came to prominence

during the British Folk Revival in the 1960s. He was a major influence

on Paul Simon and guitarist Jimmy Page. Johnny Marr, of The Smiths,

said Jansch had set a standard in guitar playing that remained

Edward Davenport, a businessman who conned people out of millions of

pounds while enjoying an opulent lifestyle has been jailed for more

than seven years. The man who styled himself "Lord Davenport",

set up a company that claimed to have 50 years experience in

organising high-value loans, but his customers, despite paying huge

fees, never received their money as Photos from the album of Edward

Davenport who calls himself a lord and loves to boast about the film

stars, rock stars and royalty who have partied at his mansion in

Central London. I'm Edward Davenport. Welcome to my

website. His home was the location for films like the Oscar winning,

The King's Speech. His venture into loans anything but legitimate.

The court heard between 2007 and 2009 alone, Davenport's firm

Gresham offered to loan �0.5 billion in return for a series of

advanced security deposits. Not a single penny was ever paid out. It

is a practise known as advance fee fraud.

In court, the prosecutor said that Gresham's public image was false.

Essentially worthless. Its only business was fraud.

Elizabeth Emanuel, who designed the wedding dress for Diana, Princess

of Wales, was one of Davenport's victims. She lost �5,000 on the

promise of a loan of �200,000. Here is this website with pictures

of Edward Davenport with very famous people. A lot of them very

credible peoplement the list goes on and on. There is nobody that

hasn't been photographed with Edward Davenport.

The Fraud office says she was one of over 50 victims who between them

paid out �4.5 million. We had victims who had nervous

breakdowns. Others resulted in bankruptcy and in short, numerous

people have had their life savings stripped away from them as a result

of this enterprise. The man who promoted his celebrity

connections, was described by the fraud office as cynical, bogus and