31/03/2016 BBC News at Ten

David Cameron admits saving the British steel

15,000 jobs are on the line, as ministers decide what to do,

We'll be doing everything we can to encourage people to come forward.

But it is a difficult situation, there is no guarantee of success.

But the unions and Labour say the Government is in total disarray,

It seems to be a blend of incompetence and

British steel making is struggling to be profitable,

but what's the experience of other European countries.

! There you are, four candles. No, fork handles. There you are, four

candles. No, fork handles. Handles for forks.

He made millions laugh, now Ronnie Corbett, has died

Donald Trump makes a hasty U-turn, following controversial

Rescuers work through the night to try to find survivors

And one of the world's most celebrated architects, Zaha Hadid,

has died at the age of 65 - leaving a legacy of her

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News:

It'll be the Windies For England in the World Twenty20 final,

after they knock out the hosts, India, with two2 balls to spare.

The Prime Minister has insisted the Government is doing all it can

to save the UK steel industry, but has said he can't give any

David Cameron, who has ruled out nationalising it,

was speaking after chairing an emergency meeting over

the announcement by the India steel giant Tata that it wants

to put its British plants up for sale, threatening

But Labour and the unions have called the Government response

Our Deputy Political Editor, James Landale reports.

This is a steel plant living on borrowed time. With thousands of

jobs and pensions at risk, if one day soon the furnaces stop burning

and these gates are locked for good. We make a top-quality product. We

have a highly-skilled workforce who are second to none. They need to

here that we have a future for this plant. Somebody needs to come down

here. I would like to see Mr Cameron himself but you can't see that

happening. But somebody needs to come here. The steel industry is

going to go. Back in Downing Street after his holiday, the Prime

Minister said the Government would do whatever it could. We are not

ruling anything out. I don't believe nationalisation is the right answer.

What we want to do is secure a long-term future for Port Talbot and

other steel-making plants in the United Kingdom. The Government's

fear is that the plant's owners, Tata, might not give them enough

time to find a buyer and just close it down. Just listen to the caution

in Mr Cameron's voice. We were concerned that there was the chance

that there could have been an outright closure of Port Talbot and

that is why we work very hard with the company to make sure there is a

proper sales process and we will be doing everything we can to encourage

people to come forward but this is a difficult situation. There is no

guarantees of success. Today Mr Cameron summoned ministers to

Downing Street to discuss the crisis, amid growing criticism of

the Government's response. If you don't recognise all the faces, don't

worry. Most of the Cabinet wasn't there. Minister, is this the end of

the Welsh steel industry? I hope not. And her boss, the business

second, who is supposedly in charge of all this, was still on a trade

trip in Australia. And today faced calls for his resignation after it

emerged he had taken his daughter with him. And that wasn't all. The

Government was also accused of failing to protect the steel

industry by opposing EU plans for higher tariffs on cheap Chinese

imports. An accusation pressed home by the MP who represents Port Talbot

and who was in India this week, negotiating with Tata. I think it

has been a total shambles. It seems to be a blend of incompetence, and

indifference. Why wasn't Sajid Javig or Anna Soubry with me in Mumbai. To

keep the gates open and these workers in their job Labour want the

Government to give financial support to Tata while a buyer is found and.

If there isn't a buyer coming forward quickly, it'll have to be

nationalised to stabilise and then we look at the investment strategy

for the long of-term future. The Government is in a tight spot. It is

under substantial political pressure but doesn't hold all the cards. Tata

will decide how long it wants to keep this plant open. A potential

buyer will decide if it is worth buying and the glut of global steel

is not going away and ministers now admit there is only so much they can

do. To be sustainable it has to be a solution that recognises the context

and the reality of a world which is drowning in an oversupply of steel.

And we can't simply ignore that. So it has to be a more nuanced solution

that focuses on supporting the communities. For that is what this

comes down to. The impact on communities whose lives resolve

around this steel plant and whose future is dependent on choices made

in coming days. Well, Tata's board decided to pull

out of steel production in the UK because the firm wasn't

making enough money here. It's believed the Port Talbot plant

alone was losing ?1 million a day. So, is this a British problem,

or are other European countries struggling with their

steel industries too? Here's our Economics

Editor Kamal Ahmed. Yes, Clive, so the question is,

does Britain get a bad Much of the regulation and support

for the industry across Europe is decided by the European Union

and the rules are ostensibly the same for the UK

and other EU members. Its powers come in two major areas -

tariffs against other countries' imports such as China,

which are lower than those imposed And direct financial support such

as loans and funding for retraining redundant workers which Britain does

not use, but other countries do. There are also strict rules on state

aid, money used to support loss making companies which critics

say get in the way. I would say their hands

are pretty totally tied. The rules of the single market don't

really permit any discriminatory Some countries do violate the rules

and then they get taken Of course, by the time

they are taken there, it may be they may just have gone

past the problem and simply happily Today the European Union revealed

that it was ready to act to support We are in contact with

the UK authorities. Obviously the UK is thinking

and the plans are still under While that is ongoing,

we are not in a situation to be able to provide any further

comment on that. We are there basically

to provide guidance. Now, more generally,

Britain has been criticised for failing to invest

in steel-making, unlike Germany, and for applying high business

rates, up to ten times higher There are also green taxes

which have led at least in part to electricity prices twice as high

as Germany and France. The weakness of the euro

against sterling has meant steel imports to the UK are cheaper

and other major steel producers such as Belgium and Italy have faced

allegations of flouting Other countries realise that

steel-making is not just another company, it's not like a restaurant

in a street, one closes, then you don't worry

too much about it. This is about losing capability,

that means not being able to make The other European countries realise

that. The impact of all these

differences is clear. In the last year British steel

production has fallen by 10%. In contrast, Germany,

Europe's largest producer, has seen production

fall by less than 1%. There is something fundamental

at the heart of this steel debate - the Conservative government is more

sympathetic to market forces, which can mean some sectors failing

but also that products are generally Others, including countries

like Germany, are more interventionist, protecting jobs,

but that can sometimes Let's go back to our

Deputy Political Editor James James, the Government seems to be

saying we are doing what we can, but there may not be a solution. Is the

Government really saying there may not be a future for British Steel?

Well, Clive, I think the tone today was a little bit different. The

Government had been cheered by the fact that Tata didn't decide to

close the plant outright. Ministers feared that was a possibility. But

what is worrying them now, is they know how long they are going to get

from Tata to find another buyer. Tata are refusing to tell them at

the moment. My understanding is that ministers are looking for a minimum

of four to six weeks to find that buyer and then the question will be

- well, what will Tata ask for in return? Now, Labour say they should

be offered a short-term injection of cash to have some working capital to

keep the plant afloat. Union sources I have spoken to say - look, what is

needed is something in the region of ?100 to ?150 million over the next

12 years. The question, though, is that will that be enough? Is it

doable? Certainly ministers at the moment tell me that Tata have yet to

make any kind of request like that. So while those discussions continue,

the political pressure goes on. Certainly the Government is

continuing to be criticised for what its opponents say is not doing

enough to protect British Steel in the past and particularly not doing

enough to tackle cheep Chinese imports coming into the European

market. -- cheap. But ministers aren't just accepting.

There are limits to what can be done here, particularly in the face of

the massive overproduction of steel in the market at the moment. On top

of all of that, the Government's handling is continuing to be

criticised. All eyes tomorrow will be on the Business Secretary, who is

expected to come back from the country from Australia tomorrow. He

is expected to be in South Wales. I think there he will come not just

face-to-face with the cameras but also some of the workers, too.

Thank you James Landale at Westminster.

One of Britain's best-loved comedians, Ronnie Corbett,

a regular fixture on British television for more than 50 years,

His partnership with Ronnie Barker on the show The Two Ronnies,

was required viewing for millions of people in the 1970s and '80s.

Nick Higham now looks back at a remarkable career.

I look up on him because he is upper class. I am middle class. I know my

place. I about the time he recorded that famous sketch, Ronnie Corbett

was already an established comic. Come to me by sugar plum. Sugar plum

is a fairy. Any questions. His first big break was in cabaret with the

drag artist, Danny La Rue. But it was The Two Ronnies that made his

name. For 15 years, the pair brought gentle, genial comedy into the

nation's living rooms. The topic was answering questions before they were

asked. This time you have chosen to answer the before last. Is that

correct? Charlie Smithers. What is palaeontology? Absolutely correct.

What is the name of the directly that lists members of the peerage? A

study of old fossils. Correct. What work sod W they were natural comic

timers. To see them together, it was spot on. I have seen some of the

stuff today and you realise just how precise the timing was. I think the

great thing was, when it got down to t they were both really, really

serious about their work, about comedy and making it work. They took

great trouble. There you are. Four candles. No, fork handles. There you

are, four candles No, fork handles. Handles for forks. LAUGHTER

Ronnie's reaction. He was a great reactor. If ever you watch him in a

sketch, it might have been the brilliant Barker talking but you

look at Corbett's face, it was reacting all the time. He was

brilliant at that. When they reunited for a Royal Variety Show

years later, it was clear how much they had been loved.

One of the saddest days of my life. Ronnie was a friend. Someone I

admired so much. He was - we always say a one-off, but he certainly was

a one-off and a half. I was walking along the Champs Elysees The

pint-sized Ronnie's particular contribution were the monologues he

delivered from an easy chair. Often delivering jokes about his own

height Name? Ronald Goliath Corbett. A younger generation of comics, like

Harry Enfield, viewed him with a mixture of admiration and affection.

What is the problem? My blackberry is not working.

Many paid generous tribute today. But then, they had all grown up

watching one of British television's best-loved comedy partnerships. For

the last time. It is good night from me. And it is good night from him.

Good night. Ronnie Corbett, who's

died at the age of 85. Let's take a look at some

of the day's other top stories. Belgium has approved the extradition

to France of the prime suspect Salah Abdeslam was arrested

earlier this month in Brussels, and is accused of helping to plan

and execute the attacks, An armed robber who fled

Burnley Crown Court in 2009, but was recaptured four years later,

has been told by a judge he may never be

released from prison. Andrew Moran was re-arrested

in a dramatic raid in Spain, and today received an "imprisonment

for public protection" sentence, A radical Serb leader has been

acquitted on charges of committing atrocities in the

1990s' Balkans war. Vojislav Seselj could not be held

responsible for the actions of his paramilitary forces

after they came under the control Croatia's Prime Minister has called

the verdict "shameful". South Africa's President,

Jacob Zuma, is facing calls from opposition parties to resign,

after being ordered to repay millions of pounds of public money

spent decorating his private home. The country's highest court ruled

he'd violated the constitution. Police in the Indian city

of Kolkata, say at least 21 people are dead, after a flyover collapsed

while under construction. Some rescue workers have been

using their bare hands to try to free dozens of others

who are feared trapped 70 people have been

taken to hospital. Hopes are fading of finding anyone

alive but families are still gathered here waiting for news of

their loved ones. Many others have gone to local hospitals to look for

their relatives. The authorities are worried that more sections of the

flyover may collapse. It's more than 12 hours since the

flyover behind me collapsed, but the rescue operations are still

continuing. More than 70 people have been rescued from beneath the

rubble, but how many remain, nobody knows. Kolkata is still trying to

deal with what one politician has described as a monumental disaster.

The Army's now leading the rescue operations. They are using thermal

cameras to try and find those missing and have brought in cranes

to remove the rubble. Progress is slow and many locals have described

the initial response as uncoordinated. For the first few

hours, volunteers use their bare hands to try and move huge slabs of

concrete which had people buried underneath.

This rescue operation will continue into the night.

For several weeks now Donald Trump, despite comments on a range

of issues that have offended many people, has stayed way out in front

in the race to become the Republican nominee,

Mr Trump's had to make a hasty retraction of controversial comments

on abortion, saying if the procedure ever became illegal,

women who have one, should be punished.

Our North America Editor, Jon Sopel has more.

Clive, thank you very much. Yes, Weldon Alled Trump has been in

Washington himself today meeting Republican Party grandees hoping to

win them over but he wouldn't be a divisive force if he becomes their

candidate. He has a critical electoral test in Wisconsin, the

next state to vote in its primary process. Polls there suggest his

rival Ted Cruz is well out in front. Take that wiz abortion remarks which

have seen Donald Trump for the first time almost on the run, on the

defensive and anti- Trump Republicans are at last eyeing an

opportunity that they may be able to stop him from winning the

nomination. So far, so normal. Another Town Hall, another

interview, another highly provocative comment from the

Republican front runner. This time on abortion. What should

happen to women who have the procedure if it's been outlawed. Do

you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no, as a principle?

The answer is that, there has to be some form of punishment. For the

woman? Yes. What? That I don't know. Why not, you take positions on

everything else? I do, it's a very complicated position. Donald Trump

hoped his comments would appeal to anti--abortionists. Instead he

united pro-life and pro-choice groups in condemnation, even

prominent supporters had to admit he'd screwed up. It was a terrible

answer, nobody is going to defend what he said. Even if his answer, it

looked as though he was fumbling around trying to think about what to

say. The statement was a spectacular U-turn. If congress were to pass

legislation making abortion illegal, the doctor or any other person

performing this act upon a woman would be legally responsible, not

the woman, the woman is a victim in this case. You have called women you

don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals. Your Twitter

account... Only Rosie O'Donnell. Donald Trump's reaction to women's

been a theme of this campaign. The interviewer who asked that question

coming under fierce personal attack. And just last week, this tweet, an

unflattering photo of Ted Cruz's wife Heidi next to a picture of his

model wife. It led Mr Cruz to say this. You are a snivelling coward

and leave Heidi the hell alone. A recent poll reveals his problem. 47%

of Republican women say they can't imagine voting for Mr Trump. 70% of

women voters as a whole have an unfavourable view of him. Does

Donald Trump have a problem with women? Yes, Donald Trump has a

problem with women. They are looking at some things he says and they

don't like it. It sounds sexist. It sounds like someone they don't want

leading the Republican Party or the nation for that matter. Good

evening. Isn't he the best? Mrs Trump clearly thinks so. A lot of

other American women would beg to differ.

Counter-terrorism officers are investigating alleged links

between two senior Muslim leaders in Scotland,

A BBC investigation has found that Sabir Ali and Hafiz Abdul Hamid,

held positions in the group Sipah Sahaba behind hundreds

Our Scotland Correspondent, Lorna Gordon has the story.

Sabiha spst Ali has been a leading figure at Glasgow mosque, now the

BBC's found for at least part of that time he's had links to a banned

organisation which has carried out massacres in Pakistan. Good morning,

ladies and gentlemen... Leaders of Glasgow's Muslim community came

together to respond. I was shocked. But we have not yet seen documentary

evidence and the allegations stem from well over a decade ago.

However, we will never allow any violent extremist group into our

mosque. These are the documents which up to 2003 appeared to link

SabihaAli before the organisation was banned in Pakistan. Ali, known

as Chowdry Sabiha Ali is also known in Scotland.

He also hosted visits from SSP leaders in Glasgow.

The group is anti-Shia, its armed wingers admitted carrying out

atrocities, including this one in Quetta in which 100 people died. The

UK Government states the aim of the group is to confirm Pakistan by

violent means into a Sunni state operating under Shari'a law. If

these allegations prove to be true, there is no way that SSP influence

should be allowed in the UK, either to fund-raise for the UK. This is a

prescribed terrorist organisation linked to Al-Qaeda that have

committed mass atrocities in Pakistan killing numerous people

including Shia Muslims. Glasgow mosque has been the subject of

controversy including internal wrangling over how it should be run.

Police Scotland are investigating the allegations against Ali and

another mosque, Mr Hamid. It's not clear whether any of them are still

connected to SSP, neither has commented but it's understood Mr Ali

has denied the allegations. Glasgow Central Mosque won't remove him

until the links are proven but says it condemns terrorism of any kind.

From tomorrow, local authorities in Greater Manchester will take

direct control of six billion pounds worth of annual health and social

care funding, money previously managed by central government.

It's the most ambitious measure, in the English devolution package

agreed by the Chancellor George Osborne.

Our Home Editor Mark Easton, looks at what difference

For the first time in over a century, some

of Greater Manchester's municipal powers are clicking back into place.

When the city's clocks tick to Midnight tonight,

?6 billion worth of health and social care funding previously

administered in London, will be directly controlled

by the ten local councils that make up the combined authority.

Greater Manchester is planning something truly radical.

The health and care cash will be spent, not according

to the priorities of Whitehall departments, but on whatever it's

felt will improve the well-being of people and places here in Greater

And that could mean that some of the cash is diverted away

from hospitals and doctors and into things like improving,

Greater Manchester is abandoning the Whitehall model, instead

of protecting their own budgets and power, organisations will,

it's claimed, work together for the common good.

So here at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, for example,

Chief Executive Ann Barnes says she'd be delighted

Some of the budget that is funding this should actually be used

by other institutions and yes, we are in it together.

You'll give up some of your budget, will you?

We'll absolutely give up some of our budget to allow social care

to keep looking after people in their homes instead of them

Life expectancy in parts of Greater Manchester is among

the lowest in the developed world, and demands on the NHS and social

So even with a ?6 billion annual budget, they must somehow

save ?2 billion by 2021 to break even.

The answer, they believe, is to smash the silos.

The institutional badges are being removed, literally.

In the Platt Bridge neighbourhood of Wigan, agencies trying to improve

the well-being of of residents, health, police, housing,

council, all pool their budgets and resources for the good

This isn't about multiagency, partnership-working,

this is about us coming together with common outcomes.

The main one being we are improving the lives of this area and community

Who takes responsibility from a hospital won't hand over some

We don't see ourselves as competitors or organisations.

Why do you think you can make this work?

People will be around the same table saying,

look, in the end what is good for the service we are trying

to provide, what is Good about local delivery,

It's hard not to raise a sceptical eyebrow.

But Greater Manchester's not just taking the money,

it's rethinking how the state can deliver services

If they can achieve the ambitious health and well-being tarts

they have set themselves, it may change the way

Zaha Hadid, one of the world's leading architects, has died

She was born in Iraq, but called the UK home for 40 years

and designed some of the world's most innovative buildings,

including the Guangzhou Opera House in China, and of course,

the London Aquatics Centre, for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Here's our Arts Editor Will Gompertz.

Dame Zaha designed buildings that could look as fluid as mercury while

appearing as light as a leaf. Parabolic shapes became a trademark

of her at tellic leading to her being called the Queen of the curve.

Her creations were eye-catch, jaw-dropping and sometimes

controversial. People forgot what you can do for

modern work. There was an obsession with a very knack lieu lard,

mod-modern, so the idea of neo was almost ail general. She was born in

Baghdad and studies maths before moving to London in the 70s. She set

up her own architect practise and found there were no takers for her

avant-garde ideas. I was a woman, I did strange stuff, it all together

intertwined but I still remember there being a stigma about the woman

thing. It's better now. It was this building in Germany that proved her

big breakthrough. Her ability to mix old school buildings with new

computer programmes saw her emerge as one of the most innovative

architects of her generation. She's added an enormous amount of language

to architecture. She's devised shapes that we never thought we

could do. We never thought any architect could do. That is

something, you know. There's a lot of architecture that's a variant on

the architecture that's gone before but she did shapes that gob-smacked

you. Her visual flamboyance proved popular abroad but less so in the UK

her adoptedive home where she only made her mark with the Aquatics

Centre for the Olympics. To be accepted as an architect I'm not

sure is fully done, not here in this country. I'm still considered to be

on the margin, you know. Despite all this. I don't mind being on the edge

actually. It's a good place to be. She had a reputation for being short

tempered and difficult, while some of her buildings were criticised for

being impractical and overblown. There is she designed some truly

remarkable buildings which received multiple awards. Dame Zaha was a

trailblazing visionary and Leighs behind an extraordinary body of work

to be marvelled at for generations. Newsnight is coming up on BBC Two.

Here is Kirsty. . An interview with the Simpsons writer who dreamt up

the idea that Donald Trump could run for President. Join me now on BBC

Two, 11 o'clock in Scotland. That is it from us, now on BBC One, time for

all