25/01/2013 BBC News at One

Fears grow that the UK might be slipping back into recession The

economy shrank by 0.3% for the last three months of 2012.. We can

either run away from those problem or can confront them and I am

determined to confront them so that we go on creating jobs for the

people of this country. A court hears evidence from a woman

who says she was groomed for sex and treated like a piece of meat

when she was 14. Violent clashes in Tahrir Square in

the Egyptian capital, Cairo, ahead of the second anniversary of the

uprising there. Exactly six months on from the

start of the London Games, I am here live in the Olympic Park once

again, looking at the changes which are being made and asking whether

or not the legacy commitment is being honoured.

And, Andy Murray is through to the final of the Australian Open after

a thrilling 5-set match with Roger Federer.

Later on BBC London: British soldiers sent to prison for

smuggling guns and cocaine into the country. And trying to sustain the

Olympic high, the Government Good afternoon and welcome to the

BBC News at One. There was bad news for the Chancellor today as the UK

economy shrank by 0.3% in the last three months of 2012. The official

statistics show that a fall in manufacturing and North Sea oil

production and no growth in the vital service sector were the cause.

And that's increasing concerns that the economy could go into a so-

called triple-dip recession. Here's our our chief economics

correspondent, Hugh Pym. The British economic machine has

gone back into reverse. The value of all goods and services produced

in the final three months of last year was down 0.3%, across the

whole of 2012 the economy was flat. The Chancellor, currently at the

Davos Economic Summit wasn't trying disguise the problems. It's a

reminder Britain faces a tough economic situation. It's a reminder

last year was particularly difficult, with the problems at

home dealing with the debts built up over many years, but also,

frankly, the problems in the eurozone where many of our exports

go which is now in recession. So, we can either run away from those

problems or confront them and I am determined to confront them.

Embarrassingly for Mr Osbourne, the Deputy Prime Minister has suggested

with hindsight one aspect of policy was wrong, Nick Clegg indicating

cuts in public sector investment had gone too far.

At Westminster, calls from the opposition for Mr Osbourne to think

again were intensifying. I have been warning for two-and-a-half

years that this plan would fail, that it risked a double-dip

recession, it would flatline the economy. If you cut spending and

raise taxes too quickly and choked off recovery, it would make things

worse. Today is the moment when it's absolutely - the plan has

failed and their complacency is exposed. At companies like this

which manufacture components for the UK market, and for exports.

At this engineering business in Telford they supply a range of

industries. The boss says 2012 was a year of ups and downs. We know

that December was pretty poor. But if you take the year as a whole, it

is relatively flat. We had good months, we had flat months. It was

really on a par with the previous year, 2011. I just think that we

haven't got that sort of confidence that we all hope for. Looking ahead

they feel more optimistic are and investing for expansion. It's a

puzzle why total employment numbers have been rising even with flat

overall output. The Government can only hope the economy starts moving

forward again as 2013 unfolds. Let's speak to our economics editor,

Stephanie Flanders, who's at the world economic forum at Davos in

Switzerland. We heard a clip of your interview with George Osborne

there, what else did he have to say? In response to the figures he

was philosophical but resolute. He said they were a reflection of the

difficult challenges that we face in the economy, things we heard

before. He didn't want to engage in the debate that's been opened by

Nick Clegg over whether they cut public investment too quickly in

the early years of this parliament, that's something that many

economists have said, as well but he said that public investment was

important but it had also been important to restore confidence at

that crucial time in 2010 when the financial crisis was still raging.

He didn't want to engage with the advice the chief economist of the

IMF has offered this week, that he needed to look again at some of the

austerity that was planned for this year, given the lack of momentum in

the economy. In that sense, he said, you know, we are on course, we are

going to stick with what we are doing. The key question is what are

the prospects likelihood, of a triple-dip recession? As always,

what these figures tell you is what was going on in the economy in the

last three months of last year, what was happening in the past. Of

course, people are looking at them to see what clues they offer on the

future, is this an economy going into 2013 that has momentum, that's

going to achieve at least slow growth as the Government and a lot

of other people hope? Or is it slipping back? Might we see another

decline of GDP in the next few months? The honest answer is we

have had a mixed picture on that. We are not sure. Some people are

pointing to bits of these figures that may get revised, this first

estimate often does get revised, maybe things are better than this

figure suggests. Others, I talked to a senior official executive from

a big British supermarket chain at lunch here and he said, the

economy's ticking over and we should remember OK, it's not great,

but it is a lot better than what's happening in the eurozone. The

eurozone's going to shrink this year, probably won't do as well as

us next year. We should be grateful that we are just ticking over. It's

hard to be grateful when the economy's still smaller than it was

five years ago when we first went into recession. Thank you.

You can get more information on how those figures will affect the UK

economy on the BBC News website. The trial of nine men accused of

grooming young girls for sex has been hearing evidence from one of

the alleged victims. The girl, who was 14 at the time, described how

one of the men forced her to have sex and that she was treated like a

piece of meat. Let's get more from our correspondent, Mike Sergeant,

who's at the Old Bailey. This morning the second of six

girls appeared in court and she's been describing how she first

became involved with two of the defendants around the time of her

13th birthday. Most of the evidence the jury heard this morning came in

the form of a recorded interview with police which took place more

than six years ago and describes events that had just happened at

the time in the preceding days. Oxford, where one of the alleged

victims said she often met her abusers. A court heard she told

police what had been happening eventually in order to protect

other possible victims. The first part of her evidence came in a

video of a police interview The allegations on the video

concern Akhtar Dogar. A jury heard how in 2006 the girl said she was

taken to a park by a group of men she described as Asian. She said

all but two of the men left. Then two men began to put pressure on

The girl who was aged 15 at the time, said she was taken to another

park in an area she described as an allotment where she was again

forced into sex. The girl told police it left her feeling

disgusted with herself. Her evidence at the Old Bailey

continues. The video is now over and the

witness has been answering some questions about her family

background and at times shedding tears on the witness stand. The

nine defendants deny more than 50 charges, including child rape and

forcing children into prostitution. Thank you. Huge protests have been

taking place in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to mark the second

anniversary of the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. Overnight,

eight people were injured in clashes near Cairo's Tahrir Square

and security forces have been put on high alert. Opponents of the

current President, Mohamed Morsi, say they want people to demonstrate

because the original demands of the revolution still haven't been met.

Let's cross to Cairo and our correspondent, Aleem Maqbool.

We have just come from Tahrir Square and the numbers of

protesters there really is building. There is certainly thousands there

now since Friday prayers a while ago. President Morsi gave a speech,

he called on Egyptians to come together as one in a day of joy

marking the anniversary of the revolution, but a lot of the

protesters that we met who were really angry their dreams of two

years ago haven't been realised, they've got very different ideas.

The instability, the anger, and the violence in Egypt continue.

Once again, overnight protesters clashed with security forces around

Tahrir Square. The skirmishes have gone on into

what for many should and day of celebration. Definitely there will

be more unrest, there will be probably more violence. There may

be a new revolution. Exactly two years ago, the Egyptian uprising

began. 18 days later, after hundreds of people had died,

President Hosni Mubarak was gone. Mohamed Morsi is in charge now. He

presides over a country where huge huge splits have been exposed

between Islamist and Liberal and where people are frustrated at the

lack of tangible change. That's why they're back on the streets.

TRANSLATION: We came here because we haven't got

our rights. The people are exhausted.

We came here two years ago to call for the downfall of the regime. But

it didn't really happen. Morsi just replaced Hosni Mubarak. So many

times over the last two years we have seen protests here in Tahrir

Square. We have seen some of the same characters, a lot of the same

slogans about overthrowing the regime. What Egyptians really

haven't heard is a clear vision from either the authorities or the

protesters about how they're going to make progress and all the while

the divisions are getting wider. There are signs that President

Morsi's hope of a peaceful day of joy won't be realised.

While this instability continues, investment isn't coming into Egypt,

tourists, crucially, aren't coming back in the numbers they were

coming before the revolution. That's led to economic hardship, as

well. Really for many Egyptians today really doesn't feel like a

day of celebration. Thank you.

A 31-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the preparation

of terrorist acts in Syria. Najul Islam from Stratford is accused of

helping his brother and another man who are charged with the unlawful

imprisonment of a British photojournalist and a colleague in

Syria last July. Let's speak to our correspondent, Richard Lister,

who's at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Take us through what the

court has been hearing. A little bit of background, you may remember.

Late last year they were arrested at Heathrow Airport by

counterterrorism officers and they were subsequently charged with the

false imprisonment of the two photojournalists. Yesterday

counterterrorist police arrested Najul Islam's brother and this

morning here he was charged with the preparation of terrorist acts.

Specifically, those charges relate to his alleged provision of night-

vision goggles and medical supplies and a car which he is said to have

driven across Turkey to the Syrian border. He has not had a chance to

plead to that and he will appear at the Old Bailey at the end of the

month. Thank you very much. Every year, there are thousands of

complaints against bailiffs sent by companies and councils to recover

money from people in serious debt. Well, from next year there's going

to be tighter regulation of the industry in England and Wales.

Bailiffs won't be allowed to use force when they collect debts.

They'll also have to undergo more rigorous training. Here's our legal

correspondent Clive Coleman. Scott is an experienced bailiff. He

is rarely welcomed with open arms, or open doors. Sir, please, if you

can listen to me. I need to inform you that a locksmith is on the way

and I will be forcing entry into your premises within half an hour,

unless you can open the doors for me. Some in the industry welcome

change, but believe bailiffs need a range of powers to get creditors

their money. There are people who don't want to pay, not that they

can't pay, they don't want to pay. Sometimes we have to take measures

which are outside of the norm to compel payment. Up until now, the

bailiff industry's been fragmented and only regulated in part. A

recent -- in recent times there have been complaints about home

owners and businesses about the heavy-handed tactics used. David

was unemployed and owed council tax. When the bailiffs arrived. When one

is short of money, what you don't want is some large bloke with a

furniture van and his mates standing on your doorstep, very

threatening. Making ridiculous demands. Your immediate reaction,

where am I going to find �800 for fees, plus the council tax? Now the

Government says it will legislate to address the problem. It's going

to ban the use of force against debtors, stop bailiffs visiting

homes at night or entering when only children are present. And

introduce mandatory training and a new certificate process for

bailiffs. We believe that these laws, these legal changes in terms

of fees, certificates and training will be robust enough to deal with

most of these complaints. These changes are going to help a lot of

people. The Government says it will bring in the legislation next year.

Once it's in place, the process of recovering debt should become a

The UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the last quarter of 2012.

Can another, we will have the latest on the potential problems

that will be caused by the weather as more heavy snow is predicted for

much of the country. Later on BBC London, why the

extravagant costumes of Russian aristocracy are on show at one of

the capital's most traditional English country houses.

I am how developers are taking Large parts of the UK are bracing

themselves for more snow today. Northern parts of the UK are set to

bear the brunt of the bad weather. Over the weekend, the weather will

warm-up, but that will bring the risk of flooding because of heavy

rain and thawing snow. Our correspondent is in County Durham.

The forecast was for more snow to come in, and it has already started

to fall in western parts of England and Scotland at the moment and on

the high Pennines as well. This is the A66 on the Cumbria/County

Durham border. It was closed for a few days this week because of

snowdrifts, and they are preparing themselves for conditions to get

very bad again. On the Trans Pennine route today,

police are keeping a close eye on the conditions. The problem with

the A66 is that quickly, the weather conditions can change.

road is notorious in bad weather, running over exposed moorland, the

snow can quickly drift, leaving vehicles stranded. The snow has

already started. We know more is coming, and because of the exposed

area, these road conditions can quickly worsen and cars can get

stuck. Elsewhere in County Durham, they are still clearing the old

snow ahead of the expected new snow. Volunteers have been organised to

clear paths for people who have been stuck at home for days after

12 inches fell on Monday. In Harrogate, they have made good use

of what they have already got, by building an igloo and selling it

online, sold to the highest bidder for �571, with proceeds going to a

local cancer charity. But there is growing concern about a quick thaw

over the weekend after today's snowfall. This farmer from Exmoor

was cut off for three days this week, and is worried about his

livestock. As the snow melts, you get more rain coming in. I have got

pigs in the woods, and I am dreading that we will get it really

bad and I will have mini floods here. But in many places, this

afternoon is all about preparation - how much will fall, how bad will

it be? We have already got some schools

closing early in parts of Cumbria and North East Scotland as the

weather deteriorates. They are clearing snow off the runway at

Aberdeen Airport. Not unusual for the time of year, but it shows how

widespread these wintry conditions are. Also an update on yesterday's

accident, when two cars belonging to the same family went into a

river. The man who died was 42 years old. He was a BBC colleague

who worked at Salford in Manchester. That tragic incident took place

yesterday lunchtime in Derbyshire. Britain's high street banks still

aren't doing enough to help customers find the current account

that's best for them. According to the industry regulator, the Office

of Fair Trading, banks still have a lot to do to improve their services,

but it has decided not to refer them to the Competition Commission.

Current accounts are vital for family finances, yet too many

people get stung by hefty overdraft charges and don't realise they

could save hundreds of pounds a year by switching to another

provider. Change is coming. Banks have promised to cut switching

times from 18 days to just seven, and guarantee you will not lose

money if payments go astray. But the Office of Fair Trading is

asking for more. Nearly everybody has a current account. It is very

important for your day-to-day life, so we are looking for increased

competition in this market to make it easier for people to manage

their money. The OFT wants to look at bringing in three portable a cat

numbers, like taking your mobile phone number to a new provider.

wants customers to be able to get details of charges over the year on

demand, and it is calling on banks to let more people opt out from

getting over drafts altogether. Jessica was stung by an expected

overdraft charges, so she did switch her current account to a new

bank. You think you open a bank account and you will be with that

bank for life, unless you get a mortgage or his savings account.

But in reality, mum moving was easy. A to get more rivalry going,

Lloyd's is being forced to sell more than 600 branches. They are

going to the Co-op. RBS is being forced to offload branches as well.

I think there will be a lot more choice. It is probably right to

take another look in a couple of years' time, when a number of those

changes have taken place. Office of Fair Trading says

competition between banks for our business is still woefully

inadequate. Only one in every 40 customers bother to change their

bank each year. That is because they do not realise how much money

they can save, and they are worried that things will go wrong. If more

people do switch, banks should be forced to offer better deals.

It's hard to believe that it's six months since that golden summer of

Olympic glory began in Cardiff, when our women beat New Zealand in

the football. Well, all morning, the BBC has been allowed exclusive

access to some of the venues in east London to see how the promises

of an Olympic legacy are being fulfilled. Let's cross to the

Olympic Park and speak to our sports correspondent, Dan Roan.

Welcome back to the Aquatics Centre. It seems like yesterday that I saw

people like Michael Phelps and Ellie Simmonds in the Paralympics,

Tom Daley on the diving platform. But so much here is changing. It is

a hugely different scene. Behind those huge bits of scaffolding, the

seats have been removed from this fantastic arena. If we look outside,

you can see how 17,500 seats have been removed over the space of six

months. That huge structure will come down in the next few months,

and in its place will be a huge glass wall on either side, and the

aquatic centre will be in its second guys. It is not the only

building here of course that is undergoing a huge transformation on

what is now hallowed land. Time flies when you have had fun.

London's golden Games ensured this would become one of the most iconic

pockets of land in the country. Back then, a nation smiled. Now, it

shivers, and six months on, the task of transforming the Olympic

Park is under way. Temporary venues are being demolished. This is where

the hockey stadium stood. You get a sense of sadness when you look out

and see how much has changed? sadness, more excitement. I always

knew this would be a 20 year journey. We have done the first ten

years, with extraordinary British expertise and great generosity of

spirit. We deliver a successful games. We now have the next ten

years of the journey to make sure we capitalise on everything we

experienced over the previous ten years. Few venues witnessed as much

British success as the velodrome. Six months on from those glory days,

the velodrome stands empty and strangely quiet, but this facility

will stay. It is arguably the best example of a physical sporting

legacy from the Games. It is due to open in around a year and it will

form the centrepiece of a new cycling Park. �300 million are

being spent turning the park into a new community, with thousands of

homes and jobs, and public spaces alongside sport and music venues.

But what of those who have won and lost last summer? How has life

changed? I go to schools, speed to kids and hear their stories about

how they have been inspired. The time has flown by. So much has

happened. I am sure everybody has fond memories of the games,

especially on a day like this. country will have an early chance

to relive moments like these, when the Olympic Stadium hosts the

British Athletics Grand Prix in July. But a deal with preferred

tenant West Ham football club United remains in the balance. The

future of the park's duel in the crown still remains uncertain.

The man responsible for all this transformation is the chief

executive of the London Development Corporation, who joins me now.

Firstly, the aquatic centre - what will this become a? It will be a

major transformation. We will open it as two major swimming pools, but

for community use. People will be able to come to the park and pay

the same as they were that their local pool to swim in the Olympic

pool. Is your job to try and replicate the atmosphere of last

summer, or does it go beyond that? Is it goes beyond that. We are

creating a new neighbourhood in London, with schools,

neighbourhoods, jobs. It is a regeneration project. I mentioned

the stadium in the report. There is still uncertainty in terms of West

Ham, but do you think it needs a permanent tan and, or could it

exist if a deal is not struck? are working hard with West Ham to

come to an arrangement that will stand the test of time at both for

the club and for the UK taxpayer. But we have a great summer of

events coming up, both with Live Nation putting on events in the

stadium, and with the Diamond League athletics, the global stars

coming back to the Olympic Stadium. It will be a great summer in 2013.

It is a big challenge for Dennis and his team, but ultimately they

have to achieve what no other host city or very few host cities have

done in the past, and make sure the Olympic Park is properly used to

maximum effect in the years after the Games.

Let's stay with a Team GB Olympic gold medallist.

Andy Murray is through to the final of the Australian Open after

beating Roger Federer - his first victory against the Swiss player in

a grand slam tournament. But it had to go to five sets and four

gruelling hours of tennis. It was the day Murray mania came to

Melbourne, with flags, face paint and boundless optimism. After that

first Grand Slam title in New York, a second was now within their

hero's sights. Murray has reached the semi-finals here without

dropping a single set. In truth, he has had a pretty easy ride, so can

he produced his best when it really counts? Murray duly strode on court

to face the most successful man in tennis history, Roger Federer.

Murray had never beaten him in a Grand Slam, but was that statistic

about to end? Murray roared out of the blocks, seizing the initiative

in style. Federer looked listless, Murray utterly inspired, blazing

his way to the first set. Back came Federer, though. The second set

came down to a tie-break, which Federer grabbed with a familiar

flash of genius. Suddenly, they were level, but once again, the

pendulum swung Murray's way. He took the next set 6-3, victory now

within tantalising reach. Come the fourth set, Murray found himself

serving for the match, but somehow Federer battled back for the break

to force a decider. It was spellbinding drama. Once upon a

time, Murray might have wilted, but not now. Instead, Federer faded and

Murray finally had done it. He will now face Novak Djokovic in the

final, just one last hurdle to Time to get you up to date for the

weekend weather now. Is it away with the thermals and out with the

waterproofs? Exactly. Are cold air will get swept away as we head into

the weekend, but not before we see another dollop of snow. Met Office

amber warnings have been issued for parts of Scotland and stretching

into the Midlands, even as far south as the Chilterns. There are

ample warnings for the next 12 to 18 hours. We are seeing heavier

precipitation turn up across west Scotland. That is now turning to

snow. So we will see hazardous travelling conditions here. You can

see the extent of the snow this afternoon. But this evening's rush-

hour, conditions will continue to be hazardous on Scotland's A roads.

Across the Pennine routes, some roads may close. There are

atrocious conditions across the M62 and things are getting hazardous

across the Midland motorway network as well. Later overnight, we will

see snow working across parts of south-east England. Even in London,

we might see a few flakes of snow perhaps accumulating. I know Friday

night is a big band for people travelling home to see friends and

family after a hard week at work, but this might not be denied to do

it. We are likely to see transport disruption and maybe even

disruption to power supplies. We may see a bit of snow in the south-

east of England, but it is a bit uncertain. As the snow or weather

clears away, so the temperatures go down. We will see us developing on

untreated roads and services. The Saturday morning, things could

start on a very slippery note. We will also have snow hanging around

across eastern parts of England, taking time to clear away. After

that, Saturday promises to be a reasonable day. Something we have

not seen for a few days - most of us will get some sunshine. If you

do get the sunshine, it will stay cold. Further west, mild air is

beginning to flow in from the Atlantic. That may cause issues

during the weekend. On Saturday night, we have mild air and heavier

outbreaks of rain. That heavy rain and mild air set in place a rapid

thaw of the lying snow. The accumulation of rain could cause

issues as we get into the weekend, with localised flooding problems