19/05/2014 BBC News at Six

They think it's all over - it almost certainly is now. AstraZeneca

rejects a final offer from US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

AstraZeneca appear to have fought off what would have been the biggest

ever foreign takeover of a British firm. We'll be looking at why this

latest bid has failed and what it means for the future of scientific

research in the UK. Also tonight... The families of four British

yachtsmen missing in the Atlantic implore the US Coastguard to resume

searching for them. Their lives depend on us, and I know

that they are out there. We just need to find them.

Why the UKIP leader says his party is the Millwall of politics.

Louis Van Gaal is appointed manager of Manchester United - with Ryan

Giggs as his number two. And why this year's Chelsea Flower Show has

a youthful bloom. On BBC London News the number of new

homes funded by the mayor falls to its lowest level since he came to

office. And wind UMPIRE: Net.

Firearms officers could refuse to carry guns over fears of being

criminalised. Good evening. After a war of words,

a political battle and the intervention of top scientists, the

biggest attempted foreign takeover of a British firm appears to be

over. The UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has rejected an improved

"final" takeover offer from US giant Pfizer, saying it undervalued the

company and would create "uncertainty and risk". Pfizer had

made a new offer of ?55 per share, valuing AstraZeneca at about ?69

billion. Billions have been wiped off the British firm's share price -

they've fallen today by 11% to ?43 per share. AstraZeneca has a

workforce of 6,700 in the UK - there had been concerns that important

research jobs would have been lost in a takeover. Our business editor,

Kamal Ahmed, reports. There are flashing images in this report. It

was a match, it turned out, not made in heaven. Today, Pfizer pulled out

of the Dean for AstraZeneca after its fourth approach was rebuffed.

The takeover deal, which would have created the biggest pharmaceutical

firm in the world, has been shattered. The chairman of

AstraZeneca told me why. We rejected it because we think that the value

in itself was less than what we can do as an independent company, in

quickly delivering drugs to the market. Fears were raised that jobs

might be lost and science research curtailed if the deal happened.

Alderley edge is home to a major AstraZeneca laboratory, and locals

expressed their relief. The price offered by Pfizer was not

sufficient. There should be more job security. I think we are selling too

many businesses to foreign investors, and at the end of the

day, it is never going to have the same interest in British heritage.

It has been a political battle as well as a business deal. The Pfizer

chief executive, Ian Read, was grilled by MPs, and the Government

threatened to intervene to block the takeover. For shareholders, it came

down to whether to take the money from Pfizer now or wait for valuable

new products to be launched by a still independent British firm. For

AstraZeneca shareholders here in the City, it is the classic dilemma of

jam today or more jam tomorrow. Can AstraZeneca deliver the drugs it

says it is developing, or will Pfizer's offer looked very valuable

if some of those drugs tests fail? The company is banking on the fact

that it's drugs will bring rewards. It is working on treatments for

diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Tests are showing promising results.

One of the companies top ten shareholders outlined the issues.

You have to think, does the AstraZeneca management, which has

been doing a not bad job, are they going to do a better job and looking

that future value than a combined entity could? The market has given

each judgment. Senior Pfizer sources I have spoken to say that they will

not be back with another offer. AstraZeneca, a company which battled

hard to retain its independence, has got its wish. It looks like the deal

is dead and the only way life could be breathed into it would be from

the AstraZeneca shareholders? That's right. Pfizer are now looking to

pull the plug. Certainly, people I have spoken to from Pfizer today

have said, they will not be back. They are no longer interested in

bidding. As you say, the only thing which could now happen would be that

AstraZeneca shareholders, the owners, would put pressure on the

board to reopen negotiations, but that would be absolutely

unprecedented. Of course, Pfizer will not be opening their European

headquarters in the UK any more. Pfizer will not be spending 20% of

their research and development money in the UK, so there are some

downsides, if this deal is off, but as AstraZeneca has said, we are

better as an independent business, and we will deliver the drugs they

say they are going to deliver. The families of four British

yachstmen missing since their boat capsized in the Atlantic on Friday

have made desperate appeals to the US Coastguard to resume their

search. It was called off yesterday after an upturned hull was

discovered in bad weather. Contact with the boat was lost after it

reported running into difficulties about 600 miles off the coast of

Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Nick Higham reports.

Andrew Bridge, just 22 but already and experienced yacht skipper. He

first sale at the age of nine. And when Cheeki Rafiki set out home from

Antigua, was in charge. Today, his mother told me even an accident in

the middle of the Atlantic would not dampen his enthusiasm. God willing,

if he comes back to us, I am sure he would resume sailing. The Cheeki

Rafiki had been taking part in Antigua Sailing Week at the end of

five months in the Caribbean. Contact was lost on the return

journey early on Friday after the crew reported they had started

taking on water. But the hope was well-equipped. This life raft is

built to the same specification, we believe... The boat carried personal

radio beacons, like this. One was activated, and then, when its

battery ran out, a second beacon was switched on, suggesting at least one

survivor. This safety expert says the boat had probably capsized after

losing its keel. The crew can then get off the vessel, normally they

will dive down below and try and get down below, was essentially you will

be in a big air pocket. A passing container ship spotted what is

thought to be the upturned hull, but there was no sign of any survivors.

The US coastguard called off the search yesterday after more than two

days, convinced nobody could have survived longer in the high winds

and chill waters of the Atlantic. The families want the search to be

resumed. I just cannot... We need air support, we need vessel support,

we need all the support we can get. Their lives depend on us, we just

need to find them. And now, more than 30,000 people have signed an

online petition calling for a renewed search for the missing crew.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has apologised if people think he has

discriminated against Romanians - but has stood by claims that they

are responsible for a significant amount of crime - particularly in

London. Nigel Farage today likened his party to the Millwall of

politics as he campaigned in Kent ahead of the European and local

elections this Thursday. Our political editor, Nick Robinson, was

with him. Nigel Farage has come to a place

where he is amongst friends. God was an Englishman, who knows what the

British public wants. UKIP got more votes in Ramsgate than in any other

town in the country from me this is a man who talks sense! Well, I do my

best. Last night, the UKIP leader said his words about Romanians had

been wrong, blaming the fact he had been too tired. This morning, the

party took out a full-page ad to explain his words, words which the

Sun amongst others have dubbed racist. I was asked a question,

would people be concerned if ten Romanian men moved in next door to

them? The honest answer to that is, at the moment, they would be

concerned. Forgive me, quote, any normal fair-minded person would the

concerned of a group of Romanians moved in next door. It does not say

men, it does not say ten, it does not say criminals, it does not say

gang. I did not say they should be concerned, I said they would be

concerned, which is a reflection of reality. Would it be acceptable to

say, if Jamaicans moved in next door? No. Nigerians? No. Irish?

Signs in the window saying, no blacks or Irish here? Can we just

have an honest appraisal of what has happened to across the whole of the

European Union, amongst all 28 member states, 7% of all crime has

been committed by Romanian gangs. I asked him half a dozen times whether

he was apologising. Eventually, he did. If I gave the impression in

that interview that I were discriminating against Romanians,

then I apologise for that. It may look like the Mediterranean here,

but this is a place with high unemployment, and where immigrants,

like this Romanian lady, feel unfairly stigmatised. We are working

hard, paying taxes, so it is a hard thing to hear. Not all who have read

or heard Mr Farage's explanation are convinced. I think they could be

construed, and very many people could consider, that they were

racist. Do you? I certainly will not be voting for them, no. But these

fishermen see Nigel Farage is the only man prepared to stand up to the

EU. The regulations are beyond belief. Others, who backed him on

immigration, do so without it seems knowing anything else about what he

believes. Do you know what his policy on tax is? No. On health? No.

On the economy? No idea. Mr Farage has called for more spending cuts.

His deputy has called for more privatisation in the NHS. That does

not seem to count. The slogan of Millwall fans is, and he knows it,

no one loves us, but we don't care for top nick Robinson, BBC News,

Ramsgate. In the past hour, the Premier League

has announced that its chief executive, Richard Scudamore, will

keep his job despite making sexual and sexist comments in private

e-mails sent from his work account. Our chief sports correspondent, Dan

Roan, is outside the Premier League's headquarters, where they've

been discussing his future. The Prime Minister today saying that if

it was a government minister, he would not have kept his job. But

Richard Scudamore has kept his? That's right. The Premier League say

his previous unblemished record, as they put it, his contrition and

positive testimony from female workers here at HQ on some of the

reasons why. But others tonight will be unhappy. It is the 20 clubs, who

of course Scudamore has helped generate millions of pounds four in

recent years, who sat in judgment on him. Richard Scudamore helped

transform English football into one of the country's most lucrative

exports, and today, the most powerful figure in the game overcame

arguably his biggest challenge to date. Representatives of the Premier

League clubs tonight decided he would face no disciplinary action.

For more than a week, pressure has been building on him over sexist

e-mails he sent to a friend. Today, the personal assistant who leaked

them to the Daily Mirror explained why she felt compelled to do

something. I felt humiliated and demeaned, I did not want to read

them. They were sexist and very, very degrading to women. I feel he

should resign. Campaigners, the FA, even the Government, have expressed

disappointment. Others believe the controversy is overblown. We just

love to put people's heads on poles. He has been humiliated, I do not

suppose he will ever do it again. I accept he should not have done it. I

hold no brief for him, but otherwise this just becomes a feeding frenzy.

A Super League match yesterday between Arsenal and Manchester City,

at a time when women's football has never been more popular. This

scandal has sparked a broad debate. I think he's said some pretty strong

statements, he should be given a chance to answer for himself. I do

feel that we are still in the dark ages with football, and a lot of the

mentality is, it is a man's game. Scudamore tonight pledged to work

hard to regain trust in his leadership, but that will not

satisfy many. Ed Miliband has promised any future

Labour Government would raise the minimum wage in line with average

earnings. The Labour leader says there needs to be a clear link

between the two so that everyone can share the benefits of an economic

recovery. The minimum wage is due to increase in October by 19p an hour

to ?6.50. Our deputy political editor, James Landale, has more.

They work in shops, hotels and restaurants. They lean schools and

offices, they care for the elderly, they are the million or more people

who earn the minimum wage, and today, Labour said they should earn

more. Under the next Labour government, the minimum wage will

rise by more than average earnings in the economy, as part of a five

year ambition to restore the link between doing a hard days work and

providing a decent life for your family. To low paid workers, like

these in Cardiff, that promise might sound familiar. The minimum wage has

gone up faster than average earnings since it was introduced, but the

Labour plan is for it to rise even faster. The current figure was set

by the Independent Low Pay Commission. Labour would give the

commission a five year target to raise the minimum wage so it gets

even closer to average earnings. But the party is refusing to say what

that target would be. Some small businesses are already worrying

about the potential impact on jobs. I it is an issue. If it goes ahead

then it will have a negative impact upon the company. The first part of

the company that will suffer is the levels of staff that we employ.

Shoppers nearby were not quite so pessimistic. Nobody is hardly able

to live on the minimum wage. Rent, kids, everything. It is a good

idea. For retail jobs, things like that, I think the minimum wage is

fine. Some said low paid workers were already seeing their wages

increasing above-average earnings. We have to be careful not to

undermine the independence of the the employers and the union set

together and get a common position without political interference. The

aim of Labour this week is to attract voters feeling the pinch. In

the past they would have promised more welfare. These days they have

to ask employers to pay more instead.

Our top story: AstraZeneca rejects a final offer from Pfizer, killing off

what would have been the biggest ever foreign takeover of a British

firm. Still to come, after 168 of these Ryan Giggs hangs up his

shooting boots to take up a coaching role at Manchester United. Later on

BBC London: With days to go until local and European elections, we

look at the Hertfordshire district which could see a dramatic change in

leadership. And the Deptford theatre putting a new spin on audience

participation for the over-60s. Now what are the major challenges of

our times? Beating dementia, ending hunger, paralysis, maybe creating

zero carbon flight? Well now the public is being asked how they think

science can best tackle some of the biggest questions facing the world

today in a new competition. It's modelled on a prize established 300

years ago, as our Science Editor David Shukman explains. The tiny,

painful details of dementia. The condition affects 800,000 people in

Britain. So, how could they be helped? For a 10th of the world's

population, there just isn't any fresh water. What if there was a

cheap way of using sea water? And we are losing the battle against

bacteria. They are evolving to resist antibiotics and we

desperately need new ideas. To answer these challenges, and others,

there is now a ?10 million competition modelled on the

so-called Longitude Prize. That was launched 300 years ago to find a way

of sailing accurately across the oceans. The answer back then was a

small, tough clock. This is the clock that won the original

Longitude Prize, with all its intricate beauty. For the first

time, it gave seafarers the ability to know exactly where they were. It

saved countless lives. The aim of the new prize is to achieve an

impact on a similar scale. Science has transformed the life of

Sophie Morgan. Paralysed from the chest down, she is now trying out a

robotic exoskeleton. She would like the prize to do more to tackle

paralysis. It's so exciting to think where the technology could go. I'm

standing here talking to you in a robot. I'm standing here talking to

you like I'm not paralysed. That is where we are at now and it's so

exciting to think where we will be. Another challenge is providing

enough food for a growing population. The prize is designed to

bring out as many inventions as possible. In a way, I don't care who

wins. The romantic bit of me would love it, imagine if somebody solve

the world's food problems from a shed. Is there a way of flying

without pollution, like this solar powered plane? Zero carbon flight is

one of the options the public can pick for the prize. As with

navigation three centuries ago, the aim is to get everyone a say on the

biggest question of our time. You can find out more about the six

prize categories by tuning in to Horizon on BBC Two at 9pm this

Thursday. And you can go to Horizon's website, that's at

bbc.co.uk/horizon. It's been one of the worst kept

secrets in football and this afternoon Manchester United finally

confirmed that the Dutch national coach Louis Van Gaal will be their

new manager. Let's speak to Andy Swiss who's at Old Trafford for us.

Andy, are fans likely to welcome this appointment? Well, for 20

years, Louis van Gaal has been one of Europe's's most successful

managers. He has won league titles, the Champions League and he is quite

a character. Today, he said, this club has big ambitions and I have

big ambitions as well. The question now is, can he live up to his

billing? Colourful, compost stubble and a

very successful. The man they call King Louis, preparing Holland for

the World Cup before his next challenge, Manchester United. In a

statement, he said he was very proud to join the biggest club in the

world. Together, we will make history, he said. At the start of

one era marks the end of another. Interim boss Ryan Giggs, staying on

as assistant manager, retiring as a player. The final whistle for

British rock or's most decorated career. -- British football. He

began it as a sprightly 17-year-old. Over the next two decades, he danced

and are sold his way to greatness. 963 appearances, 168 goals and

countless memories. He said he was immensely proud, honoured and

fortunate. From fans today, the feeling was mutual. He has united

blood going through his veins. He can always teach Louis van Gaal

about the history and ethos of the club. To retire and become the

manager of the biggest club in the world, an honour for anybody. For

somebody like him, it was the only thing that could happen. But from

their woes and a David Moyes, the new regime will have to rebuild if

they are to recapture the glory days. As a player, Ryan Giggs won 34

trophies. Today, he said, was a new chapter. Fans will hope it is just

half as good as the old one. Garden designers are making their

final preparations for the biggest and best known event on the

gardening calendar, the Chelsea Flower Show, which opens to the

public tomorrow. Conflicts past and present are being commemorated, as

the show marks the centenary of the First World War. Sophie Raworth is

there for us. Bathed in sunshine? It's gorgeous here, absolutely

lovely and it has been all day. This is the Help For Heroes Hope On The

Horizon Garden. It was designed to help injured soldiers on their road

to recovery. The Queen is here right now, visiting many of the gardens

and talking to many of the plant growers here again at Chelsea. There

are a lot of familiar faces, as there are every year. There are also

a lot of new faces, who have been given the opportunity, for the first

time, to show gardens on the main avenue at Chelsea, including Matthew

Childs. He is 37, which I have to say is actually not that old

compared to a lot of them. Many of the new designers are under the age

of 30, like Hugo Bug, with this garden, only 27. David Rich is only

27, and it's thought that he is the youngest ever designer to have a

show garden. And Matthew, 29 years old, who designed this garden. How

important is it that you have been given this platform, young

designers? Hugely important for the new generation of designers coming

through. It is a great honour, it is really good for the RHS to push that

this year. It's important, set some of the old-timers to one side and

give us a chance. It must be nerve racking, your first time on the

world stage? You would have thought so, but I have been so focused on

the job that I have to do, until the judges came around, when I did start

getting nervous, it has been all right. I was just treating it like

any other job. The weather has been glorious, let's hope the sunshine

holds for tomorrow. Let's have a look at that weather.

There will be some sunshine, but the showers are getting a bit closer to

Chelsea for tomorrow. Over the next couple of days, we will continue

with admixture. Warm in any brightness that we get, but some

thunderstorms about. Through the day, we have seen thunderstorms

brewing to the west, with flashes of lightning. At Heathrow, we managed

26 degrees in brighter spells. The main thrust of those showers are

pushing northwards through the Isle of Man and into Northern Ireland.

That cluster will continue its journey through this evening, more

brewing further south. We also have mist and low cloud rolling off the

North Sea to affect eastern Scotland and North East England. A mild night

in store, by dawn, temperatures for many are still at 14 or 15 degrees.

Still a mixture through the day tomorrow. We have that mist and low

cloud that will peg back temperatures to the north-east. A

bit more cloud on balance in the forecast tomorrow. With these

thundery showers pushing northwards, intense downpours at

times. Away from the showers it will be drier, with brighter spells.

Again, with some brightness, we could see temperatures in the low

20s in the south. Not a repeat of those 26 degrees. In the north,

about 18. A tricky week to forecast, because we have that

warmth, moisture and low pressure systems. To the north, thicker cloud

and rain, areas of low pressure further south bringing risks of

heavy showers. On Wednesday, the greatest risk of showers is the

south-east. The rain in the north-west, but in between many

places are enjoying drier weather, with some brightness. Those

temperatures, again, reaching 18 or 20 degrees. We need to keep a close

eye on development is over the next couple of