13/07/2012 BBC News at Ten

The Chelsea footballer John Terry has been found not guilty of

racially abusing another player. After five days in court, the

former England captain left with his name cleared and an endorsement

from his club chairman. We are pleased that John can now put his

mind to football and go back to training, and do what he has done

for many years. We'll be looking at where the

verdict leaves John Terry and the not-so-beautiful game.

Also tonight: Reports of another mass killing in

Syria - the US Secretary of State condemns it as deliberate murder of

innocent civilians. The banks are given �80 billion but

only on condition that they lend it. From the top down to the bottom.

Rangers Football Club is booted into the Scottish Third Division.

China still building for a prosperous future, but is the

economic boom over? And as HMS Ocean eases up the

Thames to provide security for the Games, how much of a boost will

Britain's David Millar wins his first Tour de France stage for nine

years, as Bradley Wiggins retains Good evening.

The Chelsea football captain, John Terry, has been cleared of shouting

racist abuse at another player. Anton Ferdinand had claimed that

Terry had made a racist comment to him during a Premier League match

last October. The magistrate, giving his verdict, said there was

no doubt that John Terry had used racist and insulting language but

that it was possible the former England captain had merely been

repeating what he believed had been said to him. Dan Roan was in court.

After a ten-month ordeal, John Terry emerged today to the cheers

of his supporters. The former England captain was here because of

what he had been accused of saying. But having finally cleared his name,

he made no comment. It was during this game between Queen's Park

Rangers and Chelsea that Terry admitted using the word black and a

series of obscenities towards opponent Anton Ferdinand, when they

traded insults. The court was shown the footage and the prosecution

claimed Terry was guilty of racist abuse, but he insisted he had

merely been repeating an accusation Ferdinand had made. The chief

magistrate said, except it is possible that Mr Terry believed at

the time and believes now that such an accusation was made. It is

therefore possible that what he said was not intended as an insult,

but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him.

In those circumstances, there being a doubt, but the only verdict the

court can record is one of not guilty. Terry remained impassive

when the verdict was read out, leaving his club to express their

relief. We are pleased that John can now put his mind to football

and go back to training, and do what he has done for many years.

While Terry was leaving court, Ferdinand headed out of the country

on a pre-season tour with his club, left to reflect on what has been a

trial for him, too. Terry has been the epitome of the passionate,

uncompromising leader for club and country for more than a decade,

with the medals to prove it. But he has made headlines for the wrong

reasons, too, losing the England captaincy twice, first over an

alleged affair with the ex-partner of former team-mate Wayne Bridge

and then again, ahead of this case. He has gone through so many things

before. This is another thing that he would have gone through but I

suspect this may be the biggest relief he has ever had. This case

was always going to be of huge importance to John Terry's career

and reputation but the ramifications extend beyond that,

to the FA and Football at large. The fight against racism in

football has made strides in the last 20 years, but for those who

lead that campaign this has highlighted the fact that

challengers remain. We have to attack that with the same vigour,

with education at grass roots, zero-tolerance, application of

sanctions when proven beyond reasonable doubt. And I think it

has not helped the game. It is a sorry day for football, make no

mistake about it. An unedifying week for football ends with John

Terry walking away with his reputation intact, but given who he

is and what was said that day, the sport might take time to recover.

Dan joins us from outside Wembley. Where does this leave John Terry

and the game of football? This might be the biggest result of John

Terry's life, but the story may not be over. Next week, I understand,

the FA will reopen their own investigation into the incident.

Regardless of today's verdict, they may still decide to charge John

Terry. That would involve a lower burden of proof and a potentially

higher punishment if found guilty and then he faced in the criminal

court. For the game and for the FA here this evening at Wembley this

was seen as something of a landmark case, coming as it does as the

latest example in a series of controversy is related to race

relations in the sport. There are many who fear it has gone

significant damage to the efforts to combat discrimination in the

game. It exposed and laid bare insults and abuse in the

professional game at a time when the Respect campaign is trying to

improve the image of football to youngsters up and down the country

this week. There are very few winners.

The Syrian government's use of tanks and helicopters in a reported

mass killing is an "outrageous violation" of UN resolutions,

according to the international envoy Kofi Annan. The US Secretary

of State, Hilary Clinton, has tonight condemned as "deliberate

murder" the deaths in the isolated village of Tremseh. But conflicting

accounts have emerged about what actually happened there yesterday.

Bridget Kendall's report contains some distressing images.

The shrouded bodies of the dead, in what is alleged to be a mass

killing in Tremseh, one small enough to be a child's. But the

footage is unverified and it is unclear if the victims were

villagers or mostly opposition fighters. Some of the dead and

wounded seemed to be young men of fighting age. Either way, local

activists claimed the village was bombarded by tanks and helicopters

and then stormed by pro-government militia. This is a very small

village, no more than 11,000 people. It was visited by a very big number

of troops and armoured vehicles and tanks. More than 250 people were

killed. In Damascus, the head of the UN peacekeeping mission

confirmed heavy weapons had been used, but said his team had not yet

been able to go there. If we have a credible cessation of violence and

a local ceasefire, we stand ready to going to verify the facts on the

ground. Syrian state TV blamed armed terrorists for the attack,

although a later report confusingly suggested a Syrian army operation

against opposition fighters. What is clear is that the mandate for

the UN peace mission runs out next Friday and the UN Security Council

is split. The Russians have been objecting to any new peace mission

being tied to the threat of new sanctions against Syria. Whatever

happened in Tremseh, Syria is under mounting pressure. The US Secretary

of State, Hillary Clinton, talked about deliberate murder. The UN

envoy, Kofi Annan, described the violence as an outrageous violation

of his peace plan. And the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon,

said it cast serious doubts on President Assad's commitment to

peace. Tonight, there were new opposition

reports of Syrian government troops firing on protesters in Damascus.

If true, that is something else for the UN peace envoy, Kofi Annan, to

raise with President Putin when he meets him in Moscow on Monday in

what is shaping up to be a crucial week for diplomacy on Syria.

A new scheme designed to stimulate bank lending has been launched

which, the Chancellor claims, will make it easier for families and

businesses to get loans. Up to �80 billion will be made available to

banks and building societies. They will be able to borrow money at a

cheap rate of interest provided they maintain or increase the

amount they lend. Here's our chief economics correspondent, Hugh Pym.

It is a new move to try to boost lending and kick-start the economy.

The aim is around �80 billion of extra loans to be made by banks, 5%

of current lending. It is another business loans initiative from the

Chancellor, visiting a crane manufacturer in Derbyshire today. A

previous policy, project Merlin, had mixed results. He says this

will make a difference. This scheme is very straightforward. The bank's

only get the money if they are lending water businesses and

families. The end result is that a thermite this will see cheaper

loans, families will see a cheaper mortgage, so they will have more

money to spare. Borrowing costs have risen, and the new scheme will

provide cheaper credit to the banks. The Bank of England hopes to lend

around �80 billion to banks and building societies, with an

interest rate of 0.75%, as long as they maintain or increase lending

to companies and households. If lending falls, there will be

penalties, with the borrowing cost rising as high as 2%. The deal is

that Bank of England money should get into the hands of businesses or

consumers, but there is no rule that says there are some of it must

get to small firms or first-time homebuyers. And that raises

questions about how widely the new loans will go across the whole

economy. It has come too late for this motor repair business. A loan

for expansion was refused by banks and the boss had to remortgage his

house to get the money. His frustration is typical of many

small firms. I find it annoying that even with someone's track

record like mine, and the relationship I thought I had with

my bank, there is no loyalty and no common sense applied to help the

small business. To help to judge the success of the scheme, a league

table of banks and their lending totals will be published by the

Bank of England. We will take the unusual step of disclosing bank by

Bank usage of the scheme, how much they draw down from us and how much

they change their lending. That competitive pressure will add to

the economic incentives built into the scheme and make sure that the

banks do their best to achieve what we want them to. Business

organisations have welcomed the scheme. The question is whether

high street banks will take the Bank of England's cheap money and

come up with new loans. Rangers, one of Scotland's oldest

and most successful clubs, has suffered a spectacular fall from

grace and next season will play in the Third Division. The decision

was made after Scottish Football League clubs voted to allow the

newly re-formed Rangers to re-enter the game after it went into

administration, but only at the lowest level. From Glasgow, James

Rangers are Scotland's most successful football club with more

trophies in the Cabinet than any since 1872. But they have been

living beyond their means, buying stars they could not afford and

running up huge debts. Today, the run -- the reckoning. They must

join the Third Division. Today's decision has been the most

difficult for all concerned but it has been taken in the interests of

sporting fairness, which is a fundamental principle of the

Scottish Football League. The new owner of Rangers says that his team

is happy to play where it is told to play. This club maintains a

sporting integrity that Scottish fans have been calling for but it

also affects massively on Scottish football as a whole and only time

will tell what those consequences will be. There could be severe

television -- these could be severe. Television bankrolls much of

football but without the Old Firm derby to being around the world,

the consequences could be catastrophic. Anywhere up to half

of the clubs and SPL are in financial positions that are

precarious. If you influence those clubs, there is a risk to the

stability of those businesses. Lower down the leagues, the smaller

clubs may benefit. Third Division Montrose were founded in the same

decade as Rangers and they have not enjoyed the same success. This week,

they are hosting schoolboys. Soon there will be more famous

opposition. These terraces are rarely packed when Saturday comes.

But that will change when Rangers are the visitors. As well as the

excitement that the Glasgow giants will bring, it will also mean more

money to help develop the next generation of Scottish footballers.

That is no comfort for Rangers. They have been humiliated, but if

other big clubs go bust as a result, they may yet have their result.

Coming up on the programme: They were neighbours raising money for

charity. Two of the Britons killed in the avalanche in the Alps are

named. From midnight tonight, Typhoon jets

and Puma helicopters well be ready to patrol the skies over central

London protecting the Olympic Park in Stratford. The largest vessel of

the Navy, HMS Ocean, has sailed into place close to the Thames

barrier. Defence makes up one element of the multi-billion-pound

budget spent on hosting the Games. David Cameron says the Olympics

will be a major boost for the British economy, but will it? With

his assessment, our sports editor David Bond.

HMS Ocean sailing into London tonight to help shore up the

capital security plans ahead of the Olympics. It has been a difficult

few days organisers but the increased role of the military has

only underlined how much is at stake. This is a massive project,

which has cost billions of pounds. With the UK economy still

struggling, are the games really worth it? This man certainly thinks

so. As Prime Minister, Tony Blair gave the green light to London's

bid for the Olympics. Seven years on, he says he would do it all

again. The best question to ask yourself is would Paris, Madrid or

New York if they could be the country about to host this be

hosting this now even though they have got financial difficulties,

particularly Madrid? The answer is, yes, they would want to do it

because it would be an enormous opportunity to present their

countries to the world. The budget of �9.3 billion was set by the

Labour Government in 2007. A David Cameron now says the benefits will

be worth �13 billion, in business deals and tourism. It is a

perfectly credible number. You can debate the numbers endlessly. What

is certainly true is that the Olympics brings a big pay back

financially. Putting on the Games and building this a Olympic Park

has cost a lot of public money. But the Government says the UK economy

will get that back and more. How can they be so confident? A closer

look at the Government's claims suggests the figures are not so

certain with talk of potential economic benefit. Projects that UK

businesses have the capability to bid for. And high-value

opportunities. The Prime Minister used the phrase that he was

confident because he said this as an aspiration, and ambition.

you certain? It is not just something in a Government's gift.

We need to work with the private sector, our biggest companies and

small companies and we have to get out there and turn this into jobs

for British businesses. Perhaps people will not be worrying too

much about the cost when the sport gets under way in two weeks. This

is the water polo venue, dressed and ready for the Games. But the

whole country is being asked to put a lot in two London's Olympic party.

The real challenge will be to make sure that we get something out of

it when it is all over. Two of the three Britons killed in

yesterday's avalanche in the French Alps have been named. They were

John Taylor and Steve Barber, neighbours from Yorkshire, who had

been raising money for the local hospice. They had been making the

ascent with the veteran mountaineer Roger Payne who also died. Nine

climbers were killed in total. We report from Chamonix.

Three British climbers among the nine that died. This is Roger Payne

in the Himalayas in 2003. He was a hugely experienced mountaineer and

guide. At today, the other two British climbers who died with him

were named. John Taylor and his friend Steve Barber, both from

Yorkshire. This is the aftermath of the avalanche that killed them. A

massive wall of snow and ice that hurtled down the mountain. It was

in the early hours of Thursday morning. One of the survivors was

lucky to avoid the full force of the impact after beginning his

climb a few minutes late. TRANSLATION: It was still dawn so

we could not see much. We took the force of the snow but we could

still resist. But then big chunks of snow fell on us and so we were

swept away. In a Yorkshire village of Poppleton, tributes were paid

today to John Taylor and Steve Barber. They have been climbing

Mont Blanc for charity. The two men lived on the same street and they

both leave behind young families. Steve's long-term partner said that

both men are loved the outdoors. They were keen walkers and climbers.

There were tributes from the climbing world, too, for Roger

Payne. He was young, immensely energetic, immensely enthusiastic,

a terrific hard worker. That is what he has been all his life.

do we know of the accident? The first of 28 climbers left a

mountain hut above Chamonix at 2 o'clock in the morning. They used

to a route to Mont Blanc passing Mont Maudit. It was three hours

into their climb and roped together that the group was hit. It is

thought that falling ice or possibly climbers themselves set

off the slab avalanche, are falling block of snow 100 metres wide.

Rescuers received the emergency call at 5:20am. And that is why it

happened, somewhere up in the clouds on the other side of the

valley. -- where it happened. The weather here can change in seconds

and all experienced climbers know how treacherous the conditions can

be. It is a calculated risk. But nobody can predict exactly when an

avalanche might strike. The professionals put a lot of

preparation into every climb. fact that so many people were

climbing the mountain, including qualified guides, makes you believe

that this was just a tragic accident. A memorial service will

be held tomorrow in the local church. But climbers are already

heading back to the high mountains again.

Four men aged between 18 and 41 will appear in court tomorrow

charged with public order offences following last night's disturbances

in Belfast. It comes as CCTV footage was released during people

setting fire to a car and rolling it towards the police. 20 police

officers were injured. Violence broke out in the Ardoyne area of

the city following an Orange Order parade.

For years, China has been a global economic powerhouse, but official

figures reveal that the Chinese economy is experiencing its worst

slowdown in three years. Weak domestic demand and problems in

Europe are being blamed. Damian Grammaticas has been to the city of

Tianjin, last year the fastest- growing city in the country.

Reaching skywards. This is China, celebrating yet another skyscraper.

Acres of them are being built on a coastal mud flat at Tianjin. They

stand Brian Pugh and empty. -- brand new. The plan is to create a

new Manhattan from scratch but work is slow. Last year we could find

work easily, but now we have been told there is nothing for us.

China's construction frenzy kept it booming through the downturn. It

has built up problems, too. To do this, Tianjin and dozens of cities

like it have borrowed money, billions upon billions. They are

now deep in debt. If China's economy is slowing, then that

raises huge questions. Will Tianjin ever be able to fill the buildings

and make a profit? Will China's debts drag it down? Tianjin's

economy has exemplified the miracle, expanding 16% last year. Faster

than any other part of China. Now exports to Europe are falling and

China's domestic demand led by its property market is weakening, too.

Inside China already the optimism has disappeared quite quickly. If

you look at the capital flow numbers, it is clear that wealthy

Chinese have been taking money out of China at a very rapid pace.

Things may be even worse than the official figures suggest. Kohl is

piling up in ports, power stations do not need it suggesting factories

are not getting orders at home or abroad. Creating a nation of

consumers to drive the economy. If this is one of the new middle

classes, but sales are down. He imports and sells furniture. The

economic slowdown has hit his business and his wife's interior

decoration firm, too. They are reluctant to spend. TRANSLATION: It

has had a huge impact. Compared to last year, our sales are down 20%.

In other cities it is worse, down 60%.

Some businesses are doing all right. Tourism for one. Tianjin's

Manhattan is already an attraction. This man said he had never seen a

skyscraper before coming here. He says they will definitely be filled

because China is overflowing with people and things keep getting

better every year. Every year it is also getting harder to maintain the

incredible growth rates that have made China an economic superpower.

In the last few minutes, the security company G4S has said that

it has estimated that it will lose �50 million on its contract for the

Olympics. They also accepted responsibility for failing to

provide the security staff that it was due to for the London Games.

He is a cycling man of the moment. Bradley Wiggins has maintained the

Tour de France's yellow jersey for the 5th day in a row. Despite

losing today's stage to fellow Briton David Millar, he has

retained the jersey. Bradley Wiggins is making the Tour

de France look like a piece of Gateau. The race is 20 stages, and

the quickest man overall wins, which is Bradley Wiggins at the

moment. He is proudly in yellow and staying out of trouble today.

Bradley Wiggins has enjoyed remarkable career already in track

cycling. The 4000 metres Olympic champion! He first won Olympic gold

in Athens in 2004. He has been World Champion multiple times. At

the Beijing Olympics to won two gold medals and then stepped up.

This year, he prepared like never before, relentless training to be

at his best when the Tour de France does its worst. I think he just

take day every box. He is going out there to win the Tour. He has

trained it first and now he has touched on it and he is ready and

it will take a good man to beat him. Designer so Paul Smith posts

pictures to celebrate Bradley Wiggins. Paul Weller is on one side.

Spot the difference? Fashion is his other passion. Sideburns are

protected. His colleagues escort their leader like they are guarding

a bar of gold. That is key. Today he reiterated his commitment to

winning cleanly and honestly accepting that scrutiny follows

success. There is so much British success. David Millar won the stage