23/04/2013 BBC News at One

economy. The latest borrowing figures show only a slight fall on

the previous year. The UK borrowed more than �120 billion in the year

to April, due �300 �300 million on the priest year. We'll be getting

reaction from Westminster on claims that deficit reduction has stalled.

Also this lunchtime: George Osborne warns the Scots they could lose the

pound if they vote for independence next year. Abandoning currents

arrangements would represent a very deep dive indeed into uncharted

waters. Two men are charged with planning an attack on a train in

Toronto, with alleged support from Al-Qaeda in Iran.

Horse racing in shock as one of the biggest doping scandals in its

history centres on the world famous Godolphin stables in Newmarket.

And laid to rest at last - the World War I soldiers buried 96 years after

their deaths on the battlefields of Good afternoon aq welcome to the BBC

News at one. There was a small drop in the amount

of money the Government borrowed last year, following by �300 million

on the previous year to to �120. To �120.6 billion. But the UK's debt is

still one of the highest among the world's leading economies. The

Treasury has insisted that though it is taking time the Government is

fixing the country's economic problems. Labour though said the

coalition's plans to reduce the deficit had ground to a halt. It is

not enough. All the revenue from VAT on our shopping from income tax,

from tax on companies is still way short of paying the Government's

bills, so we sink further into the red. Annual borrowing by the

Government peaked at just under �159 billion just before the coalition

took office. It had fallen to �120.9 to �120.9 billion in 20011-12. This

drop to to �120.6 allows them to say they are keeping their promise to

bring down borrowing every year. deficit is down by a third since the

Government came to office. That's because we are taking the difficult

decisions necessary to fix the British economy and make sure it is

a place to create jobs and attract investment. Benefit increases have

been held back. Public spending curtailed. For all that though the

borrowing is only 300 million Liberal Democrat lower than the

previous year. There is -- �300 million lower than the previous

year. That deficit reduction strategy has long gone. It is dead,

it is finished, it is over. This annual borrowing number is the

amount that's been added to the national debt in the past year. With

the economy staying in the doldrums, shoppers' budgets continuing under

pressure, that borrowing is likely to stay high and the total debt will

coalition forecast when it came to power. The bottom line is the

Government has to see some growth in the economy and then the deficit

figures and the debt figures will look less bad. But at the moment you

would be right to worry. The debt leftses are exceptionally high.

debt levels are exceptionally high. Later this week we'll see if the

Let's speak to Norman Smith. That's the criticism, that deficit

reduction has stalled. Simon, my sense is that politically that is

true, but for the Government presentationally they can still

argue that the deficit is coming down even if by the tiniest smidgen

of margins, just �300 �300 million which in economic terms neither here

nor there. Politics is often about confidence. If they can convince

voters that they are still moving in the right direction, they will be

satisfied. The danger for them is that these figures come just 48

hours before much more critical figures on the growth forecast.

There again we may see a tiny margin one way or the other, but that could

be absolutely critical. A little bit of growth and the Government will be

able it is on the right course. A little built of contraction and they

will face doom-laiding headlines about a triple dip recession. These

tiny margins one way or the other economically may not make much

difference but politically they can have a huge impact on the outlook

for the Government. The Westminster Government has given

a clear signal it would not want to share a pound with a newly

independent Scotland. The Chancellor, George Osborne, said

such an arrangement would not be in the interests of the rest of the UK.

The Scottish Government said the Treasury view was designed to make

things sound as difficult and as obstructive as possible.

The banknotes may be Scottish but the currency is British. For300

years the United Kingdom has shared sterling. The SNP want that union to

continue even if Scotland votes for independence. And today the

Chancellor came to Glasgow to say such a deal would be difficult.

independent Scotland would have to agree its tax and spending plans

with what would become a foreign Government. Abandoning current

arrangements would represent a very deep dive indeed into uncharted

waters. The eurozone held a stark lesson, said the Chancellor.

Monetary union without political union was hard to sustain. But the

SNP said the comparison is daft and Mr Osborne is scaremongering.

day after the referendum, as the Edinburgh agreement envisages, both

Government have to sit down negotiate sensibly and too what in

the best interests of Scotland and the United Kingdom. Far better to

have the constructive approach of the Scottish Government than

sabre-rattling there a discredited Chancellor of the Exchequer. Some

reckon a deal would be done. If fact that the Scottish Government is keen

on keeping some sort of sterling connection means that it is likely

that that will go forward. I can't see the UK Government being so

obstructive as to put conditions in place that are unacceptable. There

is another way. Some supporters of identifies don't want to keep the

pound. A currency for Scotland would make sense. It is probably not

something you could achieve overnight and it might be a slower

more gradual separation that would make sense for both countries. This

debate about the pound reminds us that not everyone campaigning for

independence shares the same vision. The SNP wants Scotland to be

different but still reassuringly similar. Others favour more radical

change. Let's speak to our business editor

in Scotland, Douglas Fraser. We've heard the political arrangements

either side but what's the view of Scottish business and industry? Most

business people in Scotland are keeping their heads below the

parapet. It is not necessarily good for business to be getting involved.

It is quite a heated debate in Scotland. Some businesses argue that

identifies could give Scotland the opportunity to be more nimble, as

small nations can be, taking those opportunities to use tax for

instance, to target areas where Scotland is either weak or has

particular strength. Others reckon there's a risk of making the key

market south of the border into a foreign nation. That would add extra

costs potentially. It might also add to uncertainty in these trading

relationships. That's why this currency issue is a key one. It is

reckon to be a vote winner for those arguing in favour of the union. It

is the sixth consecutive day we've had this argument taken to the

Government. It puts the nationalists arguing arguing how valuable the

trading links are, how much they want to keep some British

institutions. What's really significant about George Osborne's

position today is he is setting out a negotiating stance ahead of next

year's referendum, which suggests the suggests the rest of the UK

wouldn't want to walk away from the deal. It may not look much like

HSBC is cutting 1,150 jobs in Britain to save money and slim down

Europe's biggest bank. The cuts are part of a a three-year plan to cut

costs. The Unite union has warned of possible industrial action over the

announcement. Police in Canada say they've foiled

a plot to derail a passenger train travelling between Toronto and New

York. Two people have been arrested and charged with terrorism-related

offences. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police say the men were receiving

support from Al-Qaeda in Iran. Iran has denied any involvement.

Under guard and escorted off a plane by Canadian police, one of two

suspects charged with plotting to derail a train between Canada and

the US. He's been named as Chiheb Esseghaier. His alleged accomplice

is Chiheb Esseghaier from the UAE. Our investigation and the evidence

found indicated that the accused were conspireing to carry out a

terrorist attack against a passenger train in the greater Toronto area.

Briefly, these charges include conspiring to interfere with

transportation facilities and murdering persons for the benefit of

a terrorist group. This was the pair's alleged target, a passenger

train running between Toronto and New York, passing close to Niagra

falls. The Canadians, the FBI and the US Department of Homeland

Security have all been monitoring the alleged plot since August. They

say they've traced it to Al-Qaeda elements in Iran but not the Iranian

Government. The individuals were receiving support from Al-Qaeda

elements located in Iran. I can tell you that there is no information to

indicate that these attacks were states sponsored. Iran has been

quick to deny any link to the plot. Its spokesman said Al-Qaeda has no

compatibility with Iran, either politically or idealogically. It was

a tip-off from inside Canada's Muslim community that alerted the

authorities. Those people who committed this crime or who tried to

commit these crimes are not one of us. Canada has intercepted jihadist

plots before. This was actual footage from a major operation in

2006 to stop a plot to below up the Toronto Stock Exchange. Seven men

pleaded guilty. But the authorities believe this latest plot is the

first one organised by Al-Qaeda against Canada. They say if it had

worked many innocent passengers would have died.

Further detail have emerged about the first court hearing of Zhokhar

Tsarnaev, the man accused of carrying out the Boston marathon

bomb being. He was told he faced charges including using a weapon of

mass destruction, for which he could face the death sentence.

People cheered when he was caught. Many said they were glad he suaveed

to face justice. That justice came to his hospital bedside yesterday,

when charges were read. Zhokhar Tsarnaev was still in a serious

condition but able to communicate. A magistrate asked if he understood

his rights and the charges. He nodded. At one point when asked if

he could afford a lawyer, he answered, " no." The magistrate

concluded, " I find that the defendant is alert, mentally

competent and lucid." Outside, the city stood silent. To mourn its dead

and remember those whose lives will never be the same again. Shock

turned to grief. The first funeral for 29-year-old crystal Campbell who

was killed at the finishing line as she cheered on a friend. Tsarnaev

San and his older brother, Tamerlan, are alleged to have placed bombs in

backpacks place placed on the ground. I don't think it will be

back to the same city we were but we'll adjust and be a different

city. More than 50 people remain in hospital. Three of them in critical

condition, as Boston attempts to move forward. A car bomb has gone

off at the French epsi in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, wounding two

French guards, one seriously. The explosion caused extensive damage to

the building. France has condemned the attack, which the Libyan

Government called an act of terrorism.

The British businessman has been found guilty of fraud after selling

one detectors. He is accused of selling devices that were completely

Iraq was the main market for Jim McCormick's bogus bomb detector, a

country where explosions are a constant threat. He sold thousands

of them to the Iraqi government, some for up to $55,000 each. They

made him, appearing here at the Old Bailey, and extremely wealthy man.

The court heard he began with this, marketed as a gift for the golfer

who has everything. It claims to help find lost golf balls. It is

just an aerial on a hinge, that he bought from the US for �15 each and

then sold for as much as �3000 a time as bomb detectors. He then

created a more advanced looking version, the product that Iraq

water. Police say the only genuine part of it was the case. Here is how

the bogus bomb detector was advertised. The claims, backed by no

science whatsoever, but with a slick sales pitch he managed to sell it

around the world. Rides help secure deals in Iraq. The Inspector General

of the Interior Ministry in Iraq has led an investigation. He showed me

evidence that one truck, laden with rockets and missiles, passed through

23 separate checkpoints undetected. TRANSLATION: I feel furious speaking

as an Iraqi citizen when I think that this gang of Jim McCormick and

Iraqis working with him killed by people by creating a false sense of

security with a useless device. woman was severely burned in 2009.

Pregnant at the time she lost the baby and her husband divorced her

because of her injuries. She has already had 59 operations.

TRANSLATION: My life was destroyed, I lost everything in an instance.

How do you feel about the man that sold these devices? He has no

conscience, morally bankrupt. How could he sell them just for money

and destroy people's lives? From his profits come he was able to buy an

exclusive property in Bath, complete with an indoor swimming pool, as

well as houses in Florida and Cyprus and a yacht. In Iraq, where the

device is still being used, they played dumb I paid the price. But

the man who sold these bogus detectors will be swapping his

There has been a slight fall in the amount of government borrowing. But

Labour says the coalition's economic plans have ground to a halt. Still

to come, rain will not be stopping play at Court number one. It is

getting a roof, but not until 2019. On BBC London, the chronic shortage

of school places is getting worse according to the latest figures. We

hear from the Mayor of London about his plans for tackling the problem.

And police investigating recent violence from Millwall fans make a

Christopher Elphick died on May 15 in 1917 at the Battle of Arras, in

more than -- with more than 15,000 British soldiers. For more than a

century, their bodies remained undiscovered in a field until they

were found by a farmer. Today, their descendants are in Arras deceit

there remains being buried with full loss, discovery and now remembrance.

Those two soldiers died here in northern France, along with nearly 1

million soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth countries. They

have finally been laid to rest today, 96 years on. It was all

witnessed the members of their family, who barely knew them, if at

all, but you have never forgotten. Around 1 million Commonwealth

soldiers were killed in the First World War. This is how they are

remembered in cemeteries across Belgium and northern France. Yet

many were never identified, while the remains of others were never

even found. Men like Lieutenant John Harold Prichard and Private

Christopher Douglas Elphick. They were both killed on the 15th of

May, 1917. But with no bodies recovered, no burial or grave to

visit. It must have been difficult for my grandmother. But she never

spoke about it. I know my father came to see his father's name on the

Arras war memorial. There was nowhere else to go. But the past has

now reached out to the present. This is the field where the remains of

those two British soldiers were recently found, two simple white

post 's marking the spot where they fell. All the way back on the

morning of May the 15th, 1917. was told not to plough the land

because it contained the remains of Lieutenant Prichard and Private

Elphick have come to bury them. They first heard about the discovery I

chance while researching their family histories on the Internet.

Then they never really knew, but still remember. Now saying their

farewells, something that the soldier own mothers were never able

to do. This was a funeral with full military honours. Laid to rest

alongside old comrades who had also fallen in France. It was the most

amazing experience. Just to see everybody come together now and to

honour these men. For us to play a small part in that and for it to be

my great uncle, we were all present. As a family, I think we were all

thinking and feeling much the same things. There are still many

soldiers whose graves are still marked as unknown. The remains of

two who have not been identified were also buried today. Their story

is still waiting to be told. For the families of John Prichard and

Douglas Elphick, it is now complete and there will always be a place for

anniversary of the start of the great War. The hope of both families

is that their story will give others hope and inspiration to find out

what happened to their long lost loved ones.

By the end of the day, France will have become the latest European

country to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption. It was one of

resident Holland's pre-election promises. Despite large protests

against the change in the law, it is expected to be approved by the

French parliament later today. Let's speak to Christian Fraser in Paris.

What will this bill change in practice? In fact, France becomes

the 13th country to legalise gay marriage tonight. It will go

through, because it is the second reading in the lower house. Francois

Hollande and his socialist 's have a massive majority in the lower house.

It gives full marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples and also equal

parenting rights under the adoption part of the bill. It does stop short

on medically assisted procreation. But it has created an almighty

tussle in France over the past five months. Hundreds of thousands of

people from the opposing camps have come out onto the streets. The worry

for politicians is that the rhetoric in recent weeks has stoked some

violent scenes, not only on the streets but also tussles in

Parliament. There are a good many people that will be glad the debate

is coming to an end. What sort of impact has it had on the gay and

lesbian community? We have just come from a refuge in Paris that offer

support and shelter to gay and lesbian couples. They say they have

had a threefold increase in homophobic attacks since the debate

began. We spoke to one man so viciously beaten in France, and he

has lived here for practically ten years, he was so viciously beaten he

has a fractured skull in five places. A lot of people in France

feel that this is a less safe place than it was before. Perhaps some of

them are not as keen to take advantage of the law as perhaps they

were before. Thank you. Here, the Duchess of Cambridge is

launching a new school counselling programme in Manchester this

lunchtime. She is Place To Be, which offers support to children to help

them cope with the impact of drug and alcohol addiction.

Caught in one at Wimbledon is to have a retractable roof built in

time for the championships, but not until 2019. The All-England Club has

announced it is increasing the price by 40%. Let's speak to Richard

Conroy. Some big changes, all very costly? That's right, there have

been big changes announced. What we will see principally is the roof but

over, just as centre court has. The idea is that it will be in place by

2019. Centre Court had the roof applied in 2019. We have seen the

difference, it has added a different guy mentioned to the championships

now. By the time 2019 rolls around and this roof is in place, Wimbledon

say there should be 26,000 seats at the very least undercover. Many

people are looking at how it is taking six years to do. The answer

to that is that it is not just a case of putting the roof on. It's a

corrugated procedure which involves installing air conditioning systems

and systems that will keep humidity and temperature correct in the arena

so that the ball flight and the grass is not unduly affected.

Ultimately, Wimbledon wanted to stay at the top of the game, they want to

be the premier grand slam. This is all part of it. Part of it will be

the prize fund. We will see �1.6 million going into the ladies and

the men's winners. On both sides, they are looking to stay as the

premier tennis tournament. One of horseracing's most famous

names is in broiled in a doping scandal after an inspection of

Sheikh Mohammed's go dolphin stable in Newmarket discovered 11 horses

had been given banned anabolic steroids. The trainer, Mahmood Al

Zarooni, has admitted making a catastrophic error. He will face a

disciplinary hearing. One of the horses, the unbeaten Certify, will

not be able to take part in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. You can see

the gates of the Godolphin stables closed behind me. They know what a

serious issue this is. On one level, it threatens the health of horses.

On another, it threatens the integrity of the sport. You can't

open a horse to run well or badly. Even most painkillers are banned. --

you can dope a horse. To find steroid use on this scale is

something the sports scarcely imagined. As a trainer, Mahmood Al

Zarooni has responsibility for what his horses consume at any time. It

is a policy of strict liability. 11 horses tested positive for anabolic

steroids. In a statement, he said he had made a catastrophic error and

claimed that because the horses involved were not racing at the time

he did not realise what he was doing was in breach of the rules of

racing. In fact, banned substances are banned always. The Godolphin

operation, which employs him, has enjoyed extensive success over the

past 20 years. That was within the rules of racing and without

suspicion. Over 200 victories in elite races around the world have

gone their way. Their royal blue silks have become an integral part

of global racing. These figures would be astonishing, whoever the

training stable involved was. 11 failures out of 45 tests is taken.

The fact is, Godolphin is not just one of the biggest operations in the

world, it is the biggest racing operation. This is Premier League

stuff in terms of racing. At the top of the dolphin is the head of

Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed. Nobody is saying anything publicly right now,

but he is said to be appalled by what has happened. So, what happens

next? We may see charges formally brought by the end of the week,

possibly even today. If that goes further than simple doping, if we

see him charged with bringing the integrity of horseracing into

question, we could be thinking of a band that extends to several years.

Then, we may start to wonder about the very future of this whole go

was a representation of right across the country. Unfortunately it is not

quite as easy as that. It's just as well we've got the forecast. Spring

warmth, where it is like this. But I immediately doff my cap in the

direction of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the western fringes of

England and Wales. Some of the cloud is sitting very low. Later on in the

afternoon we maybe contending with sea fog rolling in from the

south-west. A scattering showers across Scotland. Some sunshine in

between. Those showers are rattling along on a noticeable breeze. Not as

strong as yesterday. As we come into the body of inland and Wales, a lot

of fine weather. If we look at the temperatures, already at 18 degrees

at one or two Microsoft in Sussex. As we come towards the south-west,

in parts, coming towards the Bristol Channel, there is a fair amount of

low cloud and sunshine is at a premium. Overnight, that cloud

across the south-west, not a cold night but it will end up being quite

a wet one and quite breezy as well. Where is it coming from? It is this

weather system from the Atlantic. You may remember yesterday we were

talking about a lot of cloud, a lot of rain and some wind as well. It

marks the division between cold air to the north and much warmer air

trapped to the south in that weather front. That will make a big

difference to the feel of the day. A lot of cloud, bits and pieces of

rain around. The sun comes out in Scotland eventually, but notice the

difference. Sun in the north, ten or 11 degrees if you please. Further

south, I would not be surprised if somebody exceeded 20 degrees yet

again. Somewhere across the north of the British Isles, noticed the tail

end of Thursday, on into Friday, that weather front is on the move.

It's sweeping the warm air across the near continent. We are left on

Friday with something much, much cooler and fresher. Notice this, the

wintry showers across the high ground in Scotland. That is the

prospect. A much, much fresher feel. Forget about 20 degrees, even

in the south the best I can find for you is about 11. The end of the week

is marked by being colder for all of us. There will be hefty showers

around and just to add to that sort of feel, where we are going back in

time rather than progressing on, there will be some night-time