23/02/2013 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon. Britain has been stripped of its

AAA credit rating for the first time in 35 years. The international

ratings agency, Moody's downgraded the status because it expects

growth to remain sluggish for the next few years. Labour have called

it a humiliating blow but the Chancellor, George Osborne, says it

has strengthened his resolve to deal with Britain's debt.

Are Britain's days as one of the most credit-worthy countries in the

world numbered? One rating's agency took await AAamount status which

George Osborne had promised to defend before and after the general

election. One of the things I'm very keen on doing, putting it

mildly, is to preserve Britain's international credit rating. We

have a deficit reduction plan which has brought us record low interest

rates and earned us the AAA credit rating. But today the Chancellor

said the change in Britain's AAA status wouldn't lead him to change

his economic policy. I'm absolutely determined to make sure we deal

with our problems. To make sure that Britain stays the course. That

it doesn't take from this credit rating the wrong message, which is

that we should borrow a lot more. Moody's credit rating agency is

gloomly predicting that the economy will remain sluggish for much of

the rest of the decade while debt levels will stay high but praises

Britain's competitiveness and some other major economies such as

America and France suffering similar downgrades the Government

thinks the UK won't be at too much of an advantage. Because the credit

rating has come down a notch doesn't mean the Chancellor is

presiding over a Greek-style economic tragedy. For him the

damage is far more likely to be political, than economic. His

opponents will say he is failing in his own terms and he now has to

change direction. He said it would be humiliating to lose AAA. He said

fed bigger tax rise and spending cuts he would keep his AAA rating.

He and his policy have failed. say the Chancellor has to act

faster to get debts down. If you haven't got growth or the tax

revenues, you have to look at spending and be a lot, love tougher

than they have been to date. credit downgrade isn't an economic

disaster but George Osborne's opponents will be hoping it dents

his political credibility. A British teenager, who died on a

skiing trip in the Italian Alps has been described by her headteacher

as "an absolutely lovely student." Poonam Bhattal, 13, was a student

at Guru Nanak Sikh Academy. Police in Italy say she fell from a chair

lift and they are investigating how it happened. The father of Reeva

Steenkamp, has worned Oscar Pistorius that he will have to live

with his conscience if he is lying about how he killed her. But, Barry

Steenkamp told a South African newspaper that he might be able to

forgive the Paralympian in time, if he is telling the truth. The

athlete is staying at his unk eel's house since being granted bail

yesterday much -- uncle's house. Out on bail, Oscar Pistorius is

staying at his unk ales house in Pretoria.

Bail officials arriving. His release from custody has divided

non-South Africa. This is saying to us to say people can just shoot and

be given bail. We hope that the law can have its way later. That's all

that has been decided. I don't think he is a risk. After a week of

drama in court, Pistorius's family But the gulf between the two

families was underlined again today when Reeva's family had this to say

about Pistorius. "He will have to live with his conscience, but if he

speaks the truth I can perhaps some day forgive him." Oscar Pistorius