31/08/2012 BBC News at Ten

Calls for an inquiry into this year's GCSEs after England's exam

watchdog admits there was a problem. The grading system did change

between January and June for some English papers. Students are being

offered a resit. That is not enough, say many head teachers. We will not

be fudging this matter. We are strident and clear in our view that

this needs to be sorted out. We will have reaction from students

and parents. Her also tonight: the battle of the

billionaires - Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich wins a legal marathon

against fellow Russian Boris Berezovsky.

Her delight and despair at the Paralympics - Mark Colbourne breaks

his own world record to win his individual pursuit. But a

devastated Jody Cundy is disqualified after a false start.

His family vent their frustration. This was the most important race of

his life. He spent four years training for this, and they have

taken it away. I can't believe they were doing to him.

And wildfires on the Costa del Sol. Hundreds of Britons are evacuated

near the holiday resort of Marbella. Coming up on the BBC News Channel,

where will Clint Dempsey end up? We will have the latest on the

transfer deadline moves in a Good evening. The row over this

year's GCSE results has deepened tonight after a report by England's

exam watchdog. Ofqual has admitted there was a problem with the

grading system for some English exams. It's said papers set in

January were marked more generously than those in June. Some students

are being offered a retake, but not having their marks upgraded.

Tonight there have been calls for an inquiry from Labour. This is an

issue that has angered students and teachers alike.

A week ago, there were scenes of celebration. But it was a day of

despair for others, with claims that the results of a GCSE English

exam were not fair. Teachers said the grade boundaries had been moved

halfway through the school year, meaning pupils who would have got a

C if they sat the paper in January ended up with a D in June. Today

Ofqual said there was a problem, but with the January exam, which

had been marked too generously, and the lower grades stand. We have

looked closely at the June units. They were award correctly and the

standard is right. But we found that in January, a unique set of

circumstances made it difficult for even professional examiners to be

sure at the time that they were making the right judgments. On

reflection, they were generous. Many headteachers and union leaders

had spoken to Ofqual this week, but as they watched the regulator give

the results of their investigation into the controversy, many were

shocked and angry. It is the worst of both worlds as far as I am

concerned, because if there is an acceptance here that the system has

not worked properly, particularly for students who took that

examination with a curate at the end of year 11. It is particularly

bad news for students like Sheridan. Predict today C, he was awarded a D

after the exam, and now it looks like he will miss out on an

apprenticeship. I was meant to start next week on Monday. But that

will not happen now. How can they impact on somebody's life over

changing grades to fit figures? They obviously need people to fail,

for some reason. It is horrendous, what they have done. The regulator

says it recognises the strength of feeling, and it is working with

exam boards to offer early resits for those who missed out on the

grade they need. A C can be crucial for anyone who wants to continue

their education or get an apprenticeship, but there are

people deeply concerned that any delay will mean they will miss out

on a job or a place. The assemblies in Northern Ireland, where some

pupils also sat the GCSE, have ordered reviews into these results,

and many questions will be asked over the performance not of peoples,

but over the exam board at the centre of this marking controversy.

As our political correspondent joins us now from Westminster. So

Labour have called for an inquiry. This puts it squarely in the

political field? It certainly does. If the Education Secretary Michael

Gove felt this would prefer a report from Ofqual would end a row,

he has been taught a harsh lesson. Not only are Labour calling for an

inquiry, but he will be subjected to harsh questions when Parliament

resumes on Monday. In addition, a cross-party group of MPs may hold

an inquiry of their own when they meet next Wednesday. I suspect that

Michael Gove will be on the front foot, though, next week. He will

say firstly that he will talk to Ofqual before deciding on further

action, and secondly that the whole exam system in England needs to be

radically reformed. He will take comfort from the fact that this

report exonerates him of any political interference in the exam

rows. But I imagine tonight that most pupils are not interested in

the politics of this, they are more worried about their own futures.

It has been billed as the battle of the billionaires, with the owner of

Chelsea Football Club on one side and a fellow Russian businessman on

the other. Today Roman Abramovich won his legal row with Boris

Berezovsky when the High Court in London rejected claims that he had

blackmailed Mr Berezovsky over an oil deal. Bridget Kendall reports

on a case that has lifted the lid on the sometimes murky work --

world of post Soviet business. A courtroom clash of Russian titans,

a tale of alleged betrayal, blackmail and secret deals.

Arriving for the ruling this morning, exiled Kremlin Boris

Berezovsky seemed confident of victory. He had claimed that Roman

Abramovich forced him to sell valuable assets cheap, cheating him

out of billions of pounds. But in court, the judge said it was up to

Mr Berezovsky to back up his allegations, and the bottom line

was that she didn't believe him. Scathing, the judge said she found

him an unimpressive and unreliable witness who regarded truth as a

flexible concept. Outside, and it stays warm of journalists, Mr

Berezovsky admitted that he was flabbergasted. I am absolutely

amazed with what happened today. I am surprised completely. Sometimes

I think putting himself a supporter this judge. Instead, it was the

owner of Chelsea Football Club, Roman Abramovich, who had cause to

cheer today. Thank you the judge, he said he felt comprehensively

vindicated. It is a far cry from 15 years ago, when back in Russia,

both Mr Abramovich and Mr Berezovsky were oligarchs, self-

made billionaires jointly profiting from Russia's Wild West capitalism,

both enjoying a jet-setting lifestyle. They fell out when Mr

Berezovsky lost favour with President Britain, and now they are

both in London and have brought their quarrels with them. This is

the spot in London's Sloane Street where Boris Berezovsky, who had

been shopping in one designer store, suddenly dimmed his rival at

another shop down the street. So he marched towards him and served a

writ to him, saying, here is a present for you. Arriving to give

evidence, the two would come face- to-face again during a trial which

experts think could be the most expensive legal case ever involving

individuals. There are a couple of cases I know about where you are

talking �1 million a day for trial costs. This case has run for 70

days, so you are talking somewhere in the region of up to �150 million

for this case. It is still unclear what costs Mr Berezovsky might face.

They could cut deep. These days, his wealth is estimated at a mere

half a billion pounds, but it does not seem likely that this case will

stop the trend of Russian tycoons seeking justice in London.

There was triumph and despair for Great Britain's Paralympic team

today, with more gold, silver and bronze medal winners. But there was

also disappointment for the cyclist Jody Cundy, who was controversially

disqualified in the individual time-trial. Here is a round-up of

the day's action. In was almost as though he had won

already, but Mark Colbourne's Crace had not even started yet. Such had

been his dominance in qualifying for the final of the individual

pursuit at the Bush supporters were already sure they knew the outcome.

Three years ago, Mark Colbourne broke his back in a paragliding

accident. Yesterday, he won ParalympicsGB's first murder of the

Games, a silver. Here he was, cycling ruthlessly and relentlessly

towards a gold. He had broken his own world record in the process.

Britain had yet another champion of the velodrome. Jody Cundy's right

foot had been amputated when he was three. He won the kilometre time

trial in Beijing and was expected to do the same in London. But he

stumbled at the start, and then stopped, certain that under the

rules, he would be allowed a restart. The crowd and cyclists had

to wait impatiently while his coach spoke to the judges, and then a

verdict which didn't go down well. The decision had been taken that it

was wider, not technical error. And no second chance. Jody Cundy was

furious, swearing loudly, and at one stage had to be restrained. He

then started throwing his kit onto the floor. Outside, his parents

lambasted the judges, telling me their son would never get over what

happened. This was the most important race of his life. He

spent four years training for this and they took it away from him. I

can't believe they would do it to him. He is the most decent, honest

person living, and you have probably ruined his life. While

they then left the velodrome, consoling each other and clearly

distraught, their son reappeared to offer an apology. I said a few

things I maybe shouldn't have said, but in the heat of the moment,

having just seen my chance of defending my Paralympic title slip

out of my hands, I had a few choice words, and I apologised to anybody

that her bows. Hannah Cockcroft had already broken 21 world records

before these Games started, so it was no surprise to see her when

ParalympicsGB's first gold medal in the athletics stadium. The sitting

volleyball was notable for more than the result. For Martine Wright,

the number seven carries extra significance. She lost both legs in

the 7/7 bombings. Today she became a Paralympian. T come out today and

play for my country in front of my family, friends and the whole home

nation, has been one of the proudest moments I have ever had.

Tomorrow you will see more of this man. Jody Cundy has a second event.

The angry man could yet leave these games as a gold medallist.

The organisers of London 2012 say this will be the biggest and best

Paralympics ever, and that is not just about the athletes and the

number of spectators that have bought tickets. This year, the

Paralympics have attracted more commercial sponsorship than ever

before, but that is creating tensions.

The big names competing at the London Paralympics, this is

uncharted territory. Never before has a games attracted so much

commercial backing from so many household brands. And they don't

come bigger than the deal with Sainsbury's. In a first for the

Paralympics, the �20 million contract is not tied to the Olympic

Games. This is also the first time the TV rights have been sold in an

auction, Channel 4 pain around �9 million for the deal. Surely this

gold rush is good for the games? must ensure that we manage

ourselves well and ensure that our values are at the centre of what we

do. The London Games are a breakthrough for the Paralympic

movement, not only in terms of the ticket sales and the high levels of

public engagements and enthusiasm, but because of the added commercial

interest. But as with any big sports event these days, new

opportunities come attached with risks. Shame on you! He is a good

example. These protesters outside the Department for Work and

Pensions today are angry at one of the biggest Paralympics sponsors.

They are critical of the role they play for the Government in

assessing disabled people for welfare benefits, with some arguing

that there should be dropped from the Games altogether. Their role in

supporting the Paralympics, which for me as a former Paralympian, is

such an amazing opportunity to celebrate my life and my community,

to have a sponsor that is somehow appearing to take a very negative

perspective around disability, just doesn't feel like the right fit.

toss said it respected the campaigners' right to protest, but

added that the tests it conducted were professional and compassionate.

Visa are another big Paralympic backer, but the BBC has learnt that

they were threatened with legal action by a leading charity for

failing to deliver cash machines on the Olympic Park with audio

guidance. We don't do things like that lightly. We discussed it at

length, and we were very serious and we wanted change. Beazer said

it hadn't broken any equality laws, and in a statement added that a

change at short notice was not visible at a feasible, but all ATMs

are equipped with keypads. The unique nature of the

Paralympics is one of the reasons for the warm embrace they are

receiving in London. The challenge for the movement as it grows is not

to compromise the value of the After two days of competition,

let's see how the medals table looks. China are top with 13 golds,

and Australia in second place with seven golds. Paralympics GB lie

fourth in the table with four golds and 20 medals in total.

The Republican candidate for the American Presidential election,

Mitt Romney, has accused Barack Obama of failing to deliver the

change he promised America. In his keynote speech at his party's

convention in Florida, Mr Romney promised to create 12 million jobs

and cut the national deficit. Our North America editor Mark Mardell

was there and has sent this report from Tampa.

The band played Gimme Some Loving, and the entire build-up was about

provoking passion in the crowd. In between the music they had been

told stories bringing alive Mitt, the man, a compassionate, loving

leader. His disappointment with the economy, with the president. Many

in his party feel a fury towards President Obama, but his tone was

more sorrow than anger. What happened, he asked, to all that

excitement four years ago? You know there's something wrong with the

kind of job he's done as president when the best feeling you had was

the day you voted for him. He said he'd wanted Obama to succeed

because he'd wanted America to succeed, but now it was time to

restore the promise of America. President Obama promised to begin

to slow the rise of the oceans. LAUGHTER

And to heal the planet. LAUGHTER

My promise is to help you and your family.

APPLAUSE Earlier, the evening's careful

choreography took a stumble with the star guest's bizarre rambling

contribution. Clint Eastwood pretended he was talking to an

invisible President Obama. What do you want me to tell Romney? I can't

tell a man to do that to himself. You're absolutely crazy. In the

eyes of his audience he redeemed himself with a catchphrase made to

go with a magnum. I started it. You finish it. Go ahead... Make my day.

It hardly made Mitt Romney's day. He'd rather have the voters talking

about his word, places like Florida. It has huge economic problems, and

his central promise is to create 12 million new jobs in America. A

third of all voters in this state are independent, and his speech was

artfully designed to appeal to those in the centre ground. It was

focused on the economy, and there was little to alarm the undecided.

Are you hungry today? This hotel owner is one of those. She voted

for Obama last time and now thinks he's failed, but she's repulsed by

some Republican speeches. After the speech, she's warming to Mr Romney.

He does have a different approach, and I do think he seems to be

somebody who can maybe work collectively and solve a problem.

This is what I thought Obama would do, you know, pull everyone

together, but he never pulled anyone together. To win, Mitt

Romney needs Americans to at least like him, if not love him - a

little late. He has started telling his story.

Coming up on tonight's programme: The modern make-over that's

transformed historic Hadrian's Wall - a light show from end to end.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee from a huge wildfire

raging in southern Spain. Homes and hotels on the Costa Del Sol have

been evacuated, with many people, including hundreds of Britons,

taking shelter in temporary accommodation. From Marbella, Tom

Burridge reports. Fanned by hot winds, the fire moved

quickly through an area of countryside in the heart of Spain's

Costa del Sol. The flames destroyed homes, apartments and businesses

not far from the resort of Marbella. Dozens of aircraft and hundreds of

firefighters and military personnel were drafted in. At one point,

Spain's main coastal motorway was cut off by the flames. Some people

here have lost everything. The fire began overnight in the

hills north of Marbella. Thousands of people were forced to flee with

what they could. Some took their animals too.

One man died in his home. Some reports suggest he'd been evacuated,

but chose to return. Many people took refuge in emergency centres.

Around 300 British tourists and British ex-pats among them. Claire

Lloyd lives near Marbella. She was woken in the middle of the night.

They said, just get out in English and in Spanish, so we just

literally left. We didn't grab handbags or anything. We just left

because it was frightening. Tonight, helicopters were still fighting the

last of the flames. Up on the hillside here, there's a

burnt smell in the air. This is a town just north of Marbella. The

fire is now almost under control, but as you can see, there's a thick,

dark layer of smoke in the sky above these hills.

Tonight, Spain seems to be winning the battle, but at a great cost. In

a country that needs all the revenue it can get from its vital

Six months ago, a BBC News investigation unveiled scores of

illegal immigrants were living in sheds and outbuildings and forced

to pay high rents. Now Ministers say they want to clamp down on the

rogue landlords and clear out the so-called beds in sheds. Chris

Rogers has been given exclusive access to a police raid in West

London. This doorway leads to one of

Britain's modern-day slums in Southall, West London. Inside,

illegal immigrants cramped in rented rooms. Accommodation extends

to the garden in so-called sheds with beds.

These outer buildings are often constructed without planning

permission. They can be dangerous with exposed wiring and poor

sanitation. Get changed. Put some clothes on.

They're offered as a cheaper alternative to people struggling to

meet higher rents, mainly Indian and Pakistani illegal immigrants.

There is noes cape - even through the back doors that lead to

surrounding alleyways. So how many of you are living in

this shed? Five. Five of you? Three in there, two in there. It's

cramped, small. The message, the Ministers

responsible for housing and immigration want to get across, is

"We're dealing with it." Councils have been given more power and

money. This is a pretty sophisticated shed if I ever saw

one. Had that been stopped right at the early stage, we wouldn't be

ending up with streets of buildings like this with, you know, lots of

people shoved into small spaces, but this needs to be actually

tackled by the councils on a planning basis from the outset, and

they need to show an example by knocking some of these down.

there's thousands of them. Yes, and you have to start somewhere.

the focus of operations like this one, targeting six houses in one

street, is not to flush out illegal immigrants, but to prosecute the

landlords who exploit them. It's a national problem, but the

highest concentration is found in Southall. Hundreds of rogue

landlords are providing slum-like accommodation for a total of around

�800 a month. 22 illegal immigrants were found, including a child. 14

were living in illegal sheds with beds. Their landlords now face

prosecution. We'll continue to work with other agency, but we do need

more powers. We need powers to actually enforce and take to court

immediately rather than just issue warnings. Just a mile from

Southall's slum, you find dozens of illegal immigrants sleeping rough

under motorway bridges like this one. Migrant welfare groups have

warned a crackdown on sheds with beds could force many more

immigrants onto the streets. Tennis, and at the US Open Laura

Robson has become the first British woman to reach the fourth round of

a Grand Slam tournament for 14 years. The 18-year-old Olympic

silver medallist beat the ninth seed China's Li Na in three sets.

Her next match will be against reigning champion Sam Stosur.

It's one of Britain's most famous historic sites, but right now

Hadrian's Wall is getting a rather modern make over. 400 colourful

balloons containing pulsating lights have been installed along

the entire length of the wall. Our arts correspondent David Sillito is

there. In the cold, damp darkness, a ribbon of colour. Two-year-old

Ethan was entranced. Blue! A 73- mile long line of 400 giant bobbing

balloons illuminating Hadrian's Wall. I describe myself as nerd

artist. A nerd artist? Yeah. A bit of technology, a bit of art. Mm-hmm.

500 people... Yeah. Putting up some balloons... Yeah. On an old Roman

wall. Yeah. It's mad. They glow. They blink. They shimmer. The

colours controlled by the watching crowds via smartphone, Hadrian's

Wall reimagined not as a barrier, but a place to meet, gaze and

wonder - what's it all about? is about exploring new

possibilities, new realities and also that artists are kind of the

R&D department for humanity, and this is our vision of a possible

future. And this is just one of what's been a series of outdoor

spectacles. Festival 2012 aimed to make culture part of our Olympic

moment. So have we noticed amidst this summer of sport? At the end of

July, we were ahead of target with 9.6 million free tickets already

taken up, and we'd said we'd get ten million for the whole Festival.

Whee! Hello. This is an amazing experience. I have never seen

Hadrian's Wall, and perhaps this is (Babbles)