11/12/2012 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at ten: The rapid change in the population of England and Wales

over the past decade. The number of residents born overseas has risen

by 63% in ten years, prompting a new debate about levels of

migration. If we want people to integrate, we have got to slow it

down, we have got to manage better than numbers coming in. Quite a lot

of immigrants have contributed hugely to Britain's growth

strawberry, particularly skilled were close. -- growth story.

London has become the first region of England and Wales where white

British people have become a minority.

We'll also be looking at significant change in people's

attitude to religion. Also tonight: New plans for same-

sex marriage but the Church of England and the Church in Wales are

excluded from the legislation. been a blanket ban on C of E is a

shame because I am sure there are diocese that we do it if they had

the option. -- would do it. HSBC pays a record �1.2 billion

fine to US authorities after allegations of money laundering.

In Belfast, more tension after nights of violence and death

threats against two Unionist politicians.

And I am in Cairo, where supporters and opponents of the embattled

Egyptian president of staging their biggest rallies for weeks. The Army

calls for a national dialogue. Thousands of anti-government

protesters breached a 12 cert security walk and move closer to

the presidential palace. Divided Damascus. A special report from

inside Syria's capital, and the battle that has left parts of it

destroyed. Coming up: 1-0 up against Arsenal

but could be underdogs Bradford hold onto their lead in the League

Good evening. The latest figures from last year's census in England

and Wales show how quickly the population has been changing over

the past decade. The number of residents born overseas has risen

sharply. The census also records a big change in people's attitude to

religion. Mark Easton has the details.

The noughties in numbers, a decade of significant social change

revealed by the censors and in particular the impact of waves of

immigration from the Commonwealth and eastern Europe. The proportion

of people in England and Wales describing themselves as white

British has fallen from 87% down to 80% in ten years, still the

majority in every locality except one. In London only 45% of people

call themselves British and wait. In the borough of Newham in east

London, just one person in six describes themselves as white

British. London is an international city these days with more than a

third of the population having been The population born overseas across

England and Wales has risen by 2.9 million in ten years. Poland is now

the country with the second largest number, almost 580,000, a rise of

half-a-million in a decade. The figures will reignite debate as to

whether immigration is putting too much pressure on resources and

The most important thing is the speed with which immigration has

been taking place. If we want people to integrate, we have got to

slow it down and manage better the number has coming in. Immigration

is an important component of UK economic growth. Quite a lot of

immigrants have contributed hugely to Britain's growth, particularly

skilled workers who are part of the global market for talent and these

are the kind of people we need to attract in order to grow business

is in the future. The Lincolnshire town of Boston has seen dramatic

cultural change. It now has the highest proportion of Polish

residents outside of London. Almost one in 20 come from eastern Europe

here. Boston has changed big time in the last five years. Eastern

Europeans are coming more and more. Everybody wants better life. That

is why they are coming to hear. Despite the arrival of largely

Catholic eastern Europeans, the proportion of people describing

themselves as Christian has fallen The proportion reporting no

religion has risen to 25%. Not rich maybe home to a bishop but it has

won a reputation of the most godless place in England -- not

rich. 43% of people here think they It goes with the territory of what

is going on in the world. Not a lot of people believe. A shopping or

football is the next big religion, isn't it. At the cathedral though,

they are agnostic about the census findings on religion. In this

cathedral we are seen literally hundreds of people through the

doors every day this month for the Christmas carol services, so if it

is the case we are the most godless city, I dread to think...

censors has identified significant cultural change. Home-ownership has

fallen for the first time in 60 years, more adults now have a

degree than have no qualifications, but it is increasing diversity that

history will perhaps remember that the defining feature of Britain in

And you can see more details on the 2011 census and the key changes in

your area of England or Wales by The government is to legislate to

allow gay couples to marry in churches, synagogues, mosques,

temples and in civil ceremonies in England and Wales. But in an

unexpected move, the Church of England and the Church in Wales

would not be included in the plans. Other churches would be allowed to

opt in if they wished. Today the prospect of gay marriage

in England and Wales moved a step closer. There will be a bill next

year, it could be law by 2014 and religious organisations who want to

of the same-sex ceremonies will be able to. Well, most of the M.

legislation will explicitly state that it would be illegal for the

churches of England and Wales to marry same-sex couples. If there is

any church, synagogue or any mosque that does not want to conduct a

same-sex marriage, it absolutely must not be forced to hold it.

there will be safeguards. It will be illegal for the Church of

England and Church of Wales to marry same-sex couples. Other

religions will only be able to do so if the governing body and

religious Minister give their consent. They were also get

protection on legal claims against grounds of discrimination. That did

not pacified the critics. These proposals are a disgrace and

constitutional outrage. It is better to leave religious

institutions to manage their discipline. This proposal commands

widespread support in the country. No, it doesn't! In the House of

Lords the Church of England appeared surprised by the exemption

and no less opposed. Marriage is the union of one man and woman, a

social institution that predates both church and state and has been

the glue that has bound countless successive societies together.

other clerics were less worried. good number of members of the

Church of England and warmly welcome the government's decision

and privately, a fair number of bishops also support it but are not

able to say so public league. risk for the government is that by

making same-sex marriage legal, it muddies the waters. It might not go

far enough to satisfy concerns of bishops and Conservatives and it

might raise doubts from others about how committed the government

is to equality. The government is giving backwards, they had said any

church that wanted to would be able to celebrate same-sex marriage and

now they seem to be roaring up the Church of England. A one couple

said they felt let down. Having a blanket ban on other C of E is a

shame because I am sure certain diocese would do it if they have

the option. However we are glad we do at least have the option to do

something at places that can do it. The government hopes supporting gay

marriage would win him votes by appearing modern but tonight they

are being accused of mixed messages -- would win them votes.

Thousands of Egyptians are on the streets of Cairo again tonight

staging demonstrations for and against President Morsi. Many in

the crowd are protesting against a proposed new constitution, which

they claim would give the president too much power. For the latest,

let's join George Alagiah. Thank you. Yes. Good evening.

Thousands of the government opponents have converged on the

presidential palace behind me. Earlier today the protesters

managed to breach a concrete wall and move closer to the Palace.

Across the city, there have been rival demonstrations staged by the

President's supporters, with tensions rising ahead of a

controversial referendum on Saturday. The head of the military

has called for national dialogue. For perhaps the first time in weeks,

those opposed to President Morsi and his reforms came together in a

united front. Thousands marched on the presidential palace. A huge

imposing wall designed to keep them at bay, no obstacle, as they

flooded the square. Battered and beleaguered, Morsi is accused by

many Egyptians of trying to force through a constitution that limits

free speech and ignores the country's religious and social

minorities. It is not democratic by any means, he is becoming a

dictator and the Muslim Brotherhood are just hitting everybody who

opposes them, so it is the same thing over again. This is so far a

huge but relatively peaceful protest. There are hundreds if not

thousands of riot police and soldiers here, predicting the

Palace. The army has been given the full power of detention and arrest

but an institution which has thus far remained neutral will be

reluctant to get involved on behalf of the government against the

People's. -- the people. Early in the day, on the other side of Cairo,

President Morsi's own supporters also out in force. They handed back

copies of the controversial constitution, which they say is a

document that is fair to all Egyptians. All freedoms of

religions offer be protected and all rights are protected by

minorities, no discrimination whatsoever. It is very clear and

concise. Major trouble was averted tonight because the two groups were

kept apart by an army that has not taken sides. But in this divided

country, a referendum on the constitution is still due to take

place on Saturday. In Egypt, the key to the success of

the uprising two years ago with the refusal of the military to turn its

guns on the military and even today that the presidential guard have

not used any force. By contrast in Syria, the army has been fighting

on the side of the government and the result is a civil war that is

still raging. Jeremy Bowen reports from Damascus on the battle for an

increasingly divided city. This Damascus is now at the heart of the

bloodiest Arab uprising. The regime keeps the city centre under tight

security, squeezing the traffic down the main roads. The capital

still functions. But the battle for Damascus is under way. It is

happening in the suburbs. This is Duma after months of shelling and

air strikes. It is controlled by the rebels, who claim they hold

around a third of greater Damascus. The regime says the rebels only

have pockets of ground. These were blocks of flats. The laws of war

say all sides should distinguish between civilians and fighters.

Almost every building in Duma is damaged, which suggests it is all

being treated as a military target. They said they saw the bomb, a

barrel of explosive, dropped in this neck from a helicopter. The

regime's blitz is breaking the city, and breaking lives. It is not

breaking the will of President Assad's enemies. The rebels have

shown that they have the stomach for a fight. They have shown that

they can endure pain, and they have the conviction that if they do not

fight on, they will be killed. The question for them is what more they

will have to do to get the victory that they insist is coming. A

fighters in Duma, from a group called Lewar al-Islam, short of

More than 200 recruits were being trained at an army base they said

they had captured a month ago. The officers, defectors from the Syrian

army, have the trappings of Islamist fighters, but deny the

charge from the regime that they are jihadis, influenced by Al-Qaeda.

What do you think will happen to Assad? Killed. How important is it

for you to win the battle in Damascus? It is very important. It

is the capital city, and we will catch the capital city from Assad.

In a few weeks. Not if they cannot treat their wounded. They say the

regime bombs the hospital, so this is all they have. Nobody here

wanted their faces shown. The patient, a civilian, had both his

feet blown off by a rocket. The man treating him was a dentist. He said,

we will only have peace if this brutal regime, and its leader,

Bashar al-Assad, are removed. You can see the rebel-held suburbs, and

the bombing, from the windows of the regime's main military hospital.

The Syrian army no longer gives out casualty figures. One doctor here

said they averaged about 40 new admissions each day. One of the

regime's dead was this man, Fadi Hamoud, who served in the Fiat Air

force Intelligence Service. He left two small children and a widow. The

family are Alawites, from the same sector as the President, and they

believe they have no future if he does.

TRANSLATION: For the country, for us to live, for the children to

grow up, he had to sacrifice himself, and other men should

sacrifice themselves for the sake of the country. The Presidential

Palace looms over Damascus. Syria has two futures - a political deal

between all sides to build a new country, or a long civil war, which

is the most likely option right now. Now, the opposition here may have

put thousands on to the streets tonight, but it still has the key

decision to make - whether or not to take part in Saturday's

controversial referendum. To keep up-to-date on that, and to follow

our coverage of the Arab uprisings two years on, go to our website.

That's all from us, on a day that has shown just how entrenched the

political divide has become in Egypt. Back to you.

Coming up tonight - English football tries to clamp down on

discrimination in the game. Foreign players could face lessons in

Britain's biggest international bank, HSBC, is to pay a record �1.2

billion to the US authorities, following allegations of money-

laundering. The bank was found guilty of stunning oversight. The

chairman of HSBC at the time is now a business minister in the

coalition government. His office said he shared the regret expressed

by HSBC for what had gone wrong. Hugh Pym has more details.

Britain's largest bank has owned up to major failings over money-

laundering controls. Billions of dollars from Mexican drug cartels

were washed through HSBC. Payments involving Iran were covered up. It

has resulted in a final �1.2 billion, the biggest in US banking

history. American authorities talked of staggering amounts being

deposited in boxes made to fit through windows at the cash tills,

as they made out the case against the bank. The systemic failure to

guard against the corruption of our financial system, by drug

traffickers and other criminals, and for evading US sanctions law...

The investigation found that more than �4 billion was transferred

between the bank's Mexico operation between the bank's Mexico operation

The in a statement, HSBC said it was sorry for past mistakes, and it

said the bank today was a fundamentally different

organisation from the one which made the mistakes. The chief

executive during that time was Lord Green, since made a Trade Minister

by David Cameron. The allegations first emerged in July, in the US a

Senate report, which mentions Lord Green, along with other senior

managers. At the time, he had this to say. It is acknowledged that

there were some failures of implementation. I share the regret

about that. But I have been proud to work for this company, because

it has always sought to do the right thing. But at Westminster

today, there were demands for Lord Green to offer a more full

explanation. I want to hear what he has got to say about his role. He

has had more than five months to come to the House of Lords and

explain what he knew when he was chief executive and chairman at

HSBC. HSBC is not the only British bank to have had a run-in with the

US authorities. Just yesterday, Standard Chartered agreed to pay a

heavy fine after accusations of sanctions violations. Barclays,

Lloyds and other European banks have also reached settlements in

recent years following money- laundering allegations. Three

arrests have been made today as part of the investigation into the

LIBOR scandal. It is just another reminder of the troubled past of

the banking industry and the challenges it faces in trying to

wipe the slate clean. Customers of the state-owned

Northern Rock bank are to receive compensation from the taxpayer,

totaling more than �250,000. More than 150,000 people will receive an

average payout of �1,700 each, after the bank failed to give them

the right information when they took out personal loans.

The loyalists involved in the past eight nights of violence in

northern island have brought shame on the Union flag, according to the

Northern Ireland Secretary, Theresa Villiers. Tonight, the First

Minister, Peter Robinson, said that two senior members of his party,

the DUP, had received death threats. Protesters were back on the streets

tonight. There was no violence, but some main roads in Belfast were

blocked. Loyalists are angry at the decision by Belfast City council to

stop flying the Union flag every day. That decision was taken more

than a week ago. There has been trouble ever since. There is now a

daily clean up in parts of the city, and the police are being stretched.

We have seen social media playing a very powerful part in this.

Organisations are doing things via the social media, which make it

very difficult to control. tension has risen here this week,

so has the number of death threats against politicians - from hardline

loyalists and dissident republicans. The latest to be targeted, two

senior members of the main unionist Party, the DUP. Police have met

with two senior members of my party, to indicate that their lives and

the lives of their families are in danger. There is nothing remotely

British about what they are doing. They are dishonouring and shaming

the flag of our country with their enormous and violent activities.

Historically, most Protestants in northern island have wanted to

remain within the UK, while most Catholics prefer reunited Ireland.

The latest census, published today, indicates the changing picture. The

Protestant population is down to 48%. The Catholic population is up

to 45%. Whatever the numbers and whatever the future, the priority

now in Northern Ireland is piece on the streets. This is close to where

a female police officer was attacked with a petrol bomb last

night. Once again, the police are out in numbers. It is the 9th night

in a row they have been here. So far, they have not been needed, but

the night is not over yet. South African government officials

have revealed that none from Mandela is being treated for the

recurrence of a lung infection. -- that Nelson Mandela. He is said to

be responding well to the treatment. Foreign football players could be

asked to attend cultural lessons when the join English clubs, as

part of a drive to tackle race- related offences. The governing

bodies of English football have included that proposal in a 93-

point plan. But one anti-racism campaigner, Lord Ouseley, has

claimed there is a "moral vacuum" in the fight against discrimination.

Our sports editor, David Bond, has this report. It is the toxic issue

which will not go away. Time and again over the last year, players

and fans have been involved in racist incidents, damaging the

image of the national game. Tonight, things got worse. Lord Ouseley said

his position on the FA council had become untenable because of what he

claimed was a moral vacuum, and lack of leadership in the sport.

One of the FA's directors told me she shared some of his views, and

said his departure would be a blow. We need diversity. He has been one

of the first members of the FA council. He has brought that

experience with him. So, that would be a loss, if he goes. The Premier

League attracts top global talent, but it also attracts plenty of

controversy, and that has led to renewed scrutiny for those who run

the game. English football hoped it had left behind the bad old days of

the 1970s and 1980s, when racism on the terraces was quite commonplace.

But the recent spate of high- profile controversies, on and off

the pitch, have highlighted the need for tougher action. The BBC

has learnt that the FA has drawn up a new anti-racism strategy, which

includes a plan to tighten the contracts of players and managers,

to include clauses dealing with discriminatory behaviour, new

discriminatory behaviour, new measures to encourage the reporting

of races incidence, and perhaps most controversially, mandatory

English cultural lessons for new foreign players. The idea is a

direct result of the case of Luis Suarez, banned by the FA for racist

abuse. He said the term he used with Patrice Evra was not offensive

in his home country. So, what is in his home country. So, what is

the idea work? I would say, no. When I finished

training, the only thing is to go home, sleep, see my family and

friends, am not going to go and sit in the classroom, no. But if