21/08/2012 BBC News at Six

George Osborne's deficit-busting plan under more pressure after a

big jump in borrowing. The government went into the red in

July. The deficit was �600 million - much more than expected.

These are really serious figures and suggest that the central goal

of George Osborne to reduce the deficit has not just not happen,

but it's going the wrong way. this government is committed to the

plan to deal with the debt responsibly and return the country

to sustainable growth. Also on tonight's programme: Manchester

police on the hunt for these two men after a teenage boy was raped

Selling the NHS as a global brand - the plan to encourage hospitals in

England to open branches abroad. The four-year-old lost at sea. His

mother talks about her desperate attempt to save him, and why she

wants the search to carry on. He's definitely coming back. I just

don't want him to not come back at all. Britain's Paralympians put in

some last minute training as they Coming up, the international future

of Kevin Pietersen hangs in the balance after he is left out of the

Good evening, and welcome to the BBC News at Six. There's further

pressure on the Chancellor George Osborne tonight after new figures

show a surprise increase in government borrowing this July.

There was a deficit of �600 million at a time of year when it usually

records a surplus. Critics, including Labour, say its further

evidence that the government's economic policy is not working but

the ministers say their deficit cutting plan is credible. Here's

our chief economics correspondent, And the government's purses usually

bulging in July with tax receipts flooding in, but this time �600

million had to be run up on the nation's credit card and ministers

talked of special factors and said there would be no change in policy.

There is a story behind the figures, but we have to deal with our debts

from this point and stick to the plan that has got Britain its

international credibility. government story is that disruption

to or oil and gas output hit tax payments by North Sea producers

which was a major reason for worse than expected borrowing. Labour

argued it added up to a major blow for the Chancellor's Budget plans,

hoping for a return to growth and lower borrowing, he had delivered

neither. These are very serious figures and suggest that the

central goal of George Osborne, to reduce the deficit, has not just

not happened, but it's going the wrong way. He is adding to the

deficit. The borrowing figures are going higher and it is because he

has driven us back into recession. What is the underlying story on the

government finances? If you strip out special factors like the Royal

Mail Pension Scheme it does not make happy reading for civil

servants and ministers in there, the Treasury. Total government

borrowing between April and July came to �45 billion, higher than

the �36 billion borrowed over the same period last year. It may be

hard to hit the forecast of 120 billion from the OBR. Last year's

total of 125 billion was better than expected. The recession has

dented tax revenues and made life harder for the Treasury. So will

things get better for the Chancellor as he prepares for his

next big financial statement in the autumn? It is early days yet and

where only four months into the year so there is time for things to

improve especially if the economic recovery picks up pace, but as

things stand now, it doesn't look too good and the trend could in

fact get worse. For the economic debate at Westminster and the

Treasury's Budget sums, so much depends on a rapid and sustained

return to growth. If there is a bounce back, the tax receipts will

come in, but if not, the Chancellor could see his plans blown further

off course. Well, our political correspondent,

Iain Watson, is at Westminster for us. Iain, how much more pressure

does this put on the Chancellor to change his economic strategy? It

doesn't take the pressure off. next election will be about how the

economy performs, and one official said to me that these were a gift

to Labour and they themselves say that the policy is in tatters. But

they would say that. What is more worrying is the pressure on the

Chancellor inside the coalition. Conservative MPs say there is no

plan to oust him from Number 11 but there is pressure for a policy

change, especially from the right of the party who would like to see

the Chancellor cutting taxes far more robustly, which might upset

the Liberal-Democrats. The Treasury are saying not to get excited about

one month of borrowing figures. They are still on track to reduce

the country's debt but I am picking up jitters at Westminster and the

government might not be able to reduce the deficit quite as quickly

Police have released CCTV images of two men wanted in connection with

the rape of a 14-year-old boy in Manchester city centre. The assault

happened at the Debenhams department store. Our correspondent

Chris Buckler is in the city centre now. Detectives say two men preyed

upon this 14-year-old boy, taking advantage of his age and sexually

assaulting him in the toilets of this store behind me. Devon's said

they were shocked, as many people were -- and Debenhams said. This

was two and a half months ago, but the police say the area would have

been packed full of people and they need the public's help to find who

was responsible. These are the men wanted for questioning in

connection with the rape of a teenage boy. The pictures were

taken from CCTV camera footage on a Saturday afternoon that the

Fourteen-year-old was attacked. He was in the toilets in the Arndale

Centre when he was approached by two men, threatened, and grabbed by

the arm. They forced him to walk out of the centre and across the

road into the near by Debenhams store. Upstairs, in the toilet, the

boy was raped by one of the men. Astonishing, a 14-year-old being

preyed upon in that way in a busy city centre when he should be

enjoying life. It is stomach- turning. That ups the ante in terms

of finding who these men are and bringing them into custody. This is

one of the busiest streets in Manchester city centre,

particularly on Saturdays. Detectives are convinced somebody

will have seen the boy being marched through the store. Although

it is now two months since he was attacked. In that time, a team of

officers have been examining CCTV pictures and working with the

victim. The police say the teenager has been absolutely devastated by

what has happened to him. In the last couple of months the boy has

been receiving help and also working with specialist officers.

But there will be some surprise that a serious crime like this

happened back on 2nd June and the details are only being made public

now. Detectives say they have been working all that time on the

investigation and have been working for forensic results and say it is

important that people think back to the 2nd June and remember if they

saw anything unusual in these streets to try to ensure no one

else has attacked in the future by the same men.

The pathologist who carried out the first post mortem examination of

Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper seller who died during the G20 protests

three years ago, has been deemed not fit to practise. Doctor Freddy

Patel concluded that Mr Tomlinson had died of a heart attack, but

further medical reports found he had died of internal bleeding after

he was hit with a baton by a police A British man, who was reported

missing by his family, was among four people killed in a fire at a

night club in Thailand. 24-year-old Michael Tzouvanni had been on

holiday in Phuket for ten days. The The President of Ecuador has told

Britain that it would be suicidal, as he put it, to try to arrest the

WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. Rafael Correa said removing Mr

Assange from Ecuador's embassy in London, where he's taken refuge,

would set a dangerous precedent allowing other countries to enter

British diplomatic premises. The building in the eye of the

storm, the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where Julian Assange has

been holed up for nearly nine weeks after jumping police bail to avoid

extradition to Sweden. The latest pictures from Ecuadorian TV give a

glimpse of the restricted life inside. Some visitors, his Spanish

lawyer here, but little access to the world outside, except

indirectly by embassy staff, telephone and internet. It looks

like this could be turning in to a long waiting game. The British

government is hoping that Ecuador or Julian Assange himself will

eventually get sick of being cooped up in the small embassy, but it

could be that the British government to get fed up first, for

paying for all of the policing and round-the-clock security in case he

tries to escape. So both sides are ramping up the pressure. After

Britain hinted it might lift the embassy's diplomatic immunity to

send in police to arrest him, Ecuador was furious. Now the

President has gone on TV to warn of Britain. It would be suicide for

the United Kingdom to enter the Ecuadorian embassy. It would set a

precedent that would allow UK diplomatic premises in other

Now Ecuador is seeking support across Latin America. Countries

have voted to meet this Friday for a meeting likely to criticise

Britain further. Meanwhile, Julian Assange insists his concern is

possible extradition to America. From the embassy balcony on Sunday

he claimed he was the victim of a political witch-hunt. The United

States must renounce its witch hunt against WikiLeaks. But in Sweden,

the prosecutor's office today told the BBC that he must be extradited

to face questioning their about sexual sold. Two opposing views

with no easy solution -- about sexual assault.

The bodies of three soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan in

the past two weeks have been brought back to Britain. This

afternoon, friends and relatives gathered for a private ceremony at

Lieutenant Andrew Robert Chesterman of third Battalion the rifles was

killed by enemy forces on August 9th. His father said his family

were immensely proud of him and will carry him very dearly in their

Lance-corporal Matthew Smith of the Royal Engineers was shot while

trying to build a checkpoint on Guardsman Jamie Shadrake of the

Reconnaissance Platoon, first Battalion Grenadier Guards died

from gunshot wounds on Friday. His The mother of a four-year-old boy

who disappeared after slipping off a jetty in Somerset has been

speaking of her desperate attempts to save him. Dylan Cecil fell into

the water at Burnham- on-Sea on Sunday. Search and rescue teams

have failed to find any trace of A portrait of a happy family, Dylan

Cecil with his parents, celebrating his 4th birthday. Today, a very

different picture. The little boy has gone and the pain is unbearable.

Dylan disappeared after being swept into the sea on Sunday evening. Any

lingering hopes he might be found alive have been extinguished. This

afternoon, his mother really have to the agonising moment when her

child fell off this jetty into the water. He was literally not even

one metre away from me. He was jumping, and he just slipped,

basically and I watched him fall in and I jumped in straight after him.

What more can I do? I knew as soon as I jumped in I wasn't getting him

back. The spike the efforts of dozens of -- despite the efforts of

dozens of search and rescue workers Dylan has not been recovered and

the official search was called off yesterday, but his family say they

cannot rest until he has been found. There is hope that people in

Burnham-on-Sea and those on holiday will continue to help. I don't want

anybody to stop looking. I want everybody to keep their eyes open,

even if they have an inkling, just seeing anything, please telephone

people, phone the police. I don't know. Dylan's disappearance has

deeply moved many people who have been lining the seafront with

tributes. His family say their kindness is helping them through

Our top story tonight: In a blow to the Chancellor, new figures show a

surprise increase in government borrowing this July. There was a

deficit of �600 million. Coming up: No such thing as free banking. The

consumer group Which? Says thousands of customers are paying

hidden fees. Later in the business news, consumer groups find wild

variations in the real cost of free bank accounts, and the boss of the

company that runs tea mobile and Orange says he walled launched a

another mobile phone brand by the High-profile NHS hospitals in

England are to be encouraged by the Government to sell their services

abroad by setting up profit-making clinics to help fund services in

the UK. Investment would have to be drawn from hospitals' private UK

work, but with profits ploughed back into the NHS. Our health

correspondent, Branwen Jeffreys, Shining out to an audience of many

millions worldwide, the Olympic Opening Ceremony gave the NHS star

billing. Stardust the government hoped to sprinkle over hospital

business plans and encouraging some to market private care overseas. In

Dubai, one a just - one NHS hospital has been running a clinic

for five years. Moorfields Eye Hospital was the first to set up a

broad. The costs were paid bout of money earned from private patients

in the UK. The profits in Dubai come back to the main Moorfields

Eye Hospital. They will go towards building a new NHS hospital in the

UK. But not many NHS trusts have got a highly specialised skills and

international recognition needed to make money abroad. It is

competitive, you can't expect to walk into a foreign country, set up

shop and start to make large profits instantly. More fields

hopes to expand its business in Dubai. This clinic made under

�300,000 profit last year. Not much compared to the trust's overall

budget. To reduce risks, most NHS hospitals looking abroad will not

set up business alone. More commonly you will see them joining

with partners who have commercial expertise and money to contribute

to the project. So how much can NHS hospitals earned from private work?

The limit in England is being gradually increased, leaving some

campaigners to warn against relying on it too much at a time when the

Health Service is having to find big savings. What we are concerned

about is that there are a lot of hospital in real problems that will

see this as a solution and they will chase the profits abroad at

the cost of the patients at home. But only a few English hospitals

like Great Ormond Street a world famous. The last Labour government

encouraged some to earn money abroad to reinvest in the UK. Now

the coalition wants to do the same. But it is not likely to make much

impact on the bigger financial pressures facing the NHS.

Two more men have been arrested by police trying to trace a driver who

failed to stop after hitting two young children in Leeds on Saturday.

Two-year-old Rahan Saleem and his sister Sabah, who's ten, were

seriously injured in the accident. A 36-year-old man detained last

night on suspicion of dangerous driving remains in custody. Ed

Thomas is in Leeds. The children were run over close to

where I'm standing now. It is just yards from their home and these

three speed bumps. Tonight, detectives are questioning three

men, two on suspicion of dangerous driving, one on suspicion of

assisting an offender, as they try to work out who was driving this

car. The family say she tried to protect

her two-year-old brother. Moments before they were hit by the car.

Both are in hospital. The girl is improving, but the boy is critical

but stable. We are in so much pain at the moment. Today the children's

aunt asked for people to pray for her niece and nephew. He had drunk

his milk, eaten some food, walking around. But we can't say as much

for her. She is still in intensive care. I hope and I pray that

everyone will pray for her. They had been shopping here just minutes

before they were run over. As they walked home, they were hit by a car

that briefly stopped and then drove away. Police had used CCTV to track

down this silver Vauxhall Astra. They also want to speak to this

woman, who was seen walking nearby at the time. She was trying to

protect her brother. This lady son was crossing the road with the

children at the time, but was not hurt. He is physically OK. He is

still in fear over what has happened. Tonight the family

released this video of her in a red dress singing at a party. They hope

she and her brother will soon be back home.

Both children will stay in hospital tonight. Their mother and father

are also with them. We've also seen police going to the local mosque to

speak to people and reassure them about that investigation and also

to try to get more in first -- information about what happened

here. The Taliban in Afghanistan say they

carried out a rocket attack that damaged a plane which had been used

by America's top military commander, General Martin Dempsey. Shrapnel

struck the aircraft on the runway at Bagram airbase. General Dempsey,

who was not there at the time, later left on another plane.

The British owners of a platinum mine in South Africa where 34

striking miners were shot dead by police last week have dropped a

threat to sack workers who don't return to work today. The firm,

Lonmin, now says it wants to respect a period of mourning.

Many bank customers are paying hundreds of pounds in hidden

charges for their current accounts and free banking is a myth,

according to the consumer group Which? The British Bankers'

Association says most customers get can get free banking if they avoid

going overdrawn. Our personal finance correspondent, Simon

Free banking is part of British life, but which ones that it is not

only totally free, but the banks want to bring in regular charges

for all current account add to their profits. Banks try to cloud

us with this myth that the services they are offering are free. That is

not true, everybody is paying one way or another. Which picks out

some extreme examples of banks making money from current accounts.

Up to �900 a year with one for regularly going into the red

without permission. A possible �185 for unauthorised overdraft and as

much as �63 because interest rates are so low and from charges for

withdrawing cash abroad. I don't approve of bank charges normally.

If you're in the red, it might be reasonable, but normal bank

charging for everyday events I don't agree with. Her I know some

people that have been overdrawn and they get charged �10 a day. They

are not ordering an awful lot for you. Most of my banking is on the

telephone and I do the rest online. Her but the scandal which has

sullied the reputation of banks, the mis-selling of BPRI, is being

blamed partly on free banking. Top regulator law Turner said last

month it prompted banks to look for excess profits elsewhere. This is

not a sound basis for a long-term trust-based relationship between a

competitive banking system and its customers. So how could they charge

you more? Banks could impose monthly charge of a few pounds on

all their current account customers what they could charge a few pence

every time you use your debit card to buy something. That would do

away with free banking as we know it. But what is protecting

customers is that none of the main banking names want to be the first

to step out of line and make such an unpopular move. Face a free

banking is alive and well. -- they say. Her the decision whether to

charge is entirely down to the individual bank. You can certainly

get free banking at the moment and most customers do just by keeping

their account in from credit. Marks & Spencer could signal the

future. It is launching a current account this autumn only for those

willing to pay �15 a month. Kevin Peterson has been left her to

the England squads for the World Twenty20 tournament and one-day

series against South Africa. It comes as his future involvement in

the national set-up remains unclear after sending what he accepted were

provocative text messages that criticised captain Andrew Strauss

and other England players. Are you ready for another bout of

sporting fever? In just over a week, the Paralympic Games will begin and

hopes are high that our Paralympians will surpass their

medal haul from Beijing four years ago. Tickets are nearly all sold,

and around the country the athletes are completing their final

It is another gold for British cycling! It is a stage where

sporting dreams are made. The birthplace for global stars and

four British heroes. A wonderful moment for David Weir! So who will

be the face of this year's Paralympics? Kanji bring it all the

way? Yes! Four years ago, it was Ellie Simmonds, at just 13. A

double gold medallist of up an hour the grand old age of 17, she is

training in Manchester with the rest of the swimmers hoping to turn

home advantage into yet more glory. How I'm just looking forward to

going out by the ball and getting behind the start line and hearing

the massive crowd supporting us. It is a bit scary as well knowing that

all of these people are watching you. I think it will be a good

thing. The pressure on Britain's Paralympians has never been greater.

In Beijing for a won 102 medals, more than twice as many as their

Olympic counterparts. But in London they are expecting even more. Their

they are expecting even more. Their target is to go at least one better,

103 medals, with the swimmers expected to deliver the most, a

minimum of 40. The athletics team have a target of 17 medals, with

have a target of 17 medals, with the cyclists are expecting at least

15. It adds up to expect -- ambitious goal. We have been second

on the middle target for the next three games. We are confident we

can hold that position. But we are not complacent around the pack that

are chasing us. Her 10 sports, including the visually impaired by

footballers, are at a training camp in Bath. Nearly �50 million has

been spent on the preparations. Karen Butler is at her fourth games

but has never had a better shot at goal. Her my previous games, we

were lucky if we had a physios with us once or twice a year. Now she is

with us once a month. The funding and the support we have had will

make a big difference. Her but this is the ultimate target. After all

the Olympic success, it is now up to Britain's Paralympians to

conjure more of those golden conjure more of those golden

moments. Let's get the weather.

Fingers crossed we will get better weather for the Paralympics and it

is going downhill later this week. In the short term as we have seen

heavy showers today from Scotland and down through Yorkshire into the

Midlands and central and southern England. Those showers will ease,

but not die out altogether this evening. They will keep going

across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and some western fringes of

England and Wales. Clearer spells developing further east.

Temperatures down to 14 or 15 Celsius by the end of the night,

and a bit of a breeze as well. The best of the dry weather and early

sunshine across eastern parts of England, down through the Midlands

as well. Hanging on to some reasonable sunshine here. A

scattering of showers breaking out, not as heavy today across Wales,

but maybe a sharp one in Northern Ireland in the afternoon. The

breeze will be pushed the share was through quicker. Light winds across

northern Scotland so any shower will linger for a while. Many parts

of north-east Scotland will end up with a dry afternoon. Sharp showers

might pop up across northern England and parts of the UK

Midlands, but with that breeze, it will push for the show was through

quickly. Many southern counties of England will probably miss most of

the showers. Most southern counties will end up with a largely dry day.

Temperatures about where they should be for this time of year. On

Thursday, there will still be some dry and bright weather to be found,

but not across Northern Ireland, south-west Scotland and north-west

England. Cloudy skies with outbreaks of rain. The reason for

the rain pushing in is this big area of low pressure and that set

the scene for the end of the week. the scene for the end of the week.

It means we will see outbreaks of rain, but winds and a bit cooler as

well. A reminder of the main news.

In a blow to the Chancellor, new figures showed a surprise increase

in government borrowing this July. There was a deficit of �600 million.