26/09/2013 South Today

Hello I'm Alex Forsyth. Welcome to South Today.

In tonight's programme: He's helped the USA win it — can Sir Ben Ainslie

now lead an all—British team in the America's Cup?

I think it's a question of getting behind him. If anyone can do it, he

can. A rescue mission to save these

starving horses, left to fend for themselves in a Hampshire field.

We found one or two that are absolutely shocking. It's as bad as

I have seen it anywhere else. It's really troubling for those horses.

May struggle to pull them through. How Africans are using mobile phone

technology developed here in the South as a mobile bank.

And the romance that broke the rules aboard a great liner, but continues

to blossom today. He's just won the America's Cup with

an American team — and already the Hampshire yachtsman Sir Ben Ainslie

is aiming to put together an all—British team to win it again.

The Lymington sailor made history onboard the American yacht Oracle

last night — he played a pivotal role in winning the Cup in San

Francisco. The competition first took place off the Isle of Wight in

1851, but it's never been won by Britain. Tom Hepworth reports.

Sailing in the America's cup has traditionally been the sport of

millionaires, but nowadays it's the preserve of billionaires. The huge

AC72 boats can reach speeds of up to 50 miles an hour, but funding a

challenge is also a massive undertaking, the Emirates New

Zealand team even had to have government help.

The New Zealand government put $60 million into this. They reckoned it

was worth it. Economy would have by millions.

If there's someone willing to take the financial plunge, it is a lot of

money, and if you don't think you're about to win it,

money, and if you don't think you're don't get read by accident. Now we

have absolutely got the sailors who have been there at the top of the

fleet. We have got someone who has won it, so the possibilities become

more realistic now. Ben Ainslie has been sponsored by

the bank JP Morgan since 2006 and he's currently in discussions with

financial backers to put together a British challenge.

We need the support obviously, and I hope that this event has opened

people's eyes to what is possible and the fact that we have some great

British sailors out there. The America's Cup started in the UK in

1851. We have never won it, it's about time we changed that.

Colleagues back in Lymington are confident he has all it takes to see

it through. Once you step out of the dinghy,

Olympic side of things, one man boats, and you step up to the big

boats, the full team racing, it is all about the America's Cup. This is

the next green. And particularly to have a British team. Have already

won it, what an exceptional opportunity to have, and how well it

worked out, as well. A British challenge will need the

technology and know—how to build state of the art racing boasts, it's

something we already have in the south. Green Marine are building the

fleet for the Volvo ocean race in Hythe right now A British team has

never won the America's Cup. It's absolutely possible. We do it

every day. The boards are so close to the requirements of the

aeronautical industry and the standards we have to build two are

exactly the same. You can do this tomorrow?

We love to do this tomorrow. You've not had a call from Ben

Ainslie yet? I imagine he's recovering, but we'd

love to hear from him. It's a big if, but if Ben Ainslie

can assemble a winning team, that would surely eclipse his Olympic

achievements. Tom is here with me now. How viable

is this? There is no reason why it

shouldn't. We got the technical expertise, we certainly have the

sailors. The money? Well that's the hundred million dollar question

isn't it? Because that's how much it costs to develop these huge AC72

boats. The America's Cup is unique in that the holder decides when and

where the next competition will be held, the format and the type of

boat used. Larry Ellison, the man who bankrolled Oracle Team USA has

said he will make it less expensive, to encourage more teams to enter the

preliminary challenger round. That is where any British challenge would

have to start. We've spoken to one man who could assemble the financial

muscle behind a British attempt. Sir Keith Mills put together team origin

in 2007 to challenge for this America's Cup, but had to abandon

his plans when it was announced the huge AC72 catamarans would be used.

He's waiting to see if the holders will change the format again.

Until we have that information, it's difficult for us to press the

button, but I know that talking to Ben, if there is a viable cup

competition, then we will have the British team and will be led by

then. He's seeing Ben next week. So what

are the chances of getting a team together and, dare we say it,

winning the auld mug? We are as a nation in the best

possible position we have ever been in. We have some great sailors, led

by Ben, we have some great designers. We have the know—how and

we know how to stage big events. I was involved in organising the

London Olympic Games last year. And I to do these things with the well,

we just need a fair competition that is commercially viable.

At the moment, the Americans hold all the aces. The have to wait and

see what format the next America's Cup competition will take, when we

know that we may find out more about a potential British attempt.

A man and woman from Poole have been arrested after a security guard was

run over trying to stop a suspected shoplifter.

It happened at Tesco's Fishbourne Road store in Chichester last

Thursday. A woman suspected of stealing left the shop and got into

a Volkswagen Passat. The guard stood in front it — but the male drove at

him. He was carried 20 metres on the car's bonnet before falling off.

Sussex Police are appealing for witnesses.

45 starving horses have been rescued from a field near Alton in

Hampshire. The RSPCA and specialists from Redwings Horse Sanctuary

carried out the operation this morning. They took action after

members of the public alerted them to the animals' plight. A number

were described as being close to death. Jo Kent reports.

Rounding them up was easy. Food was all it took. For these falls, a

first taste of hay. Neglect is evident in visible bones, matted

mains and untrimmed hooves. Holes in fences allowed many to get onto

roads. In six months, police had taken 120 calls about people

concerned for their welfare. The horses have been escaping during

the summer, presumably to get more food because there was inadequate

grazing here. Gap and monitoring them since July, and they have

noticeably gone down in condition. Enough is enough. We are

investigating and hopefully prosecuting the people who own

them. The man who rented the field is

currently in prison, band from keeping horses.

All of the horses have now been rounded up and are currently being

catalogued and assessed. A couple had been judged as being critically

ill. We found one or two that are

absolutely shocking. It's as bad as I have seen anywhere else. It's

really troubling for those horses and we may struggle to pull them

through. It is a fairly classic picture that when animals are

neglected they are then prone to the kind of diseases that other robust,

well fed animals might be able to fight off. When they start to go

downhill, parasites and bacteria take advantage.

The most serious cases will be treated by vets at Red Wings

century. The rest are off to livery yard. Looking after them could cost

the charities hundreds of thousands of pounds. It is hoped they will be

re—homed, though in the current economic climate, homes are in short

supply. But they will be cared for, and willingly went into the lorries

taking them to a better life. The last of the Royal Navy's new

billion pound destroyers was welcomed into the fleet in

Portsmouth today. HMS Duncan is the sixth Type 45 destroyer in her

class, the most advanced warships the Navy has ever had. Major

sections of the vessels have been built in Portsmouth. But the future

of shipbuilding in the city is still uncertain. Steve Humphrey reports.

Today HMS Duncan became the newest ship in the fleet. Packed with

cutting—edge technology and a powerful missile system, she has

cost taxpayers around £1 billion. I'm lost for words. It is so big.

Everyone is so friendly. Since I have joined, since I am the youngest

person, everyone has really looked after me.

The job of the new destroyers is to defend British forces from air

attacks. But they will also have a wide range of other roles.

BV Royal marines or army, to support other forces.

Amongst the crew is one sailor who served on the previous HMS Duncan

which was in service from 1957 to 1985 and stop this ship is probably

the Ferrari of the seas. Perhaps the old Duncan would have

been a Morris Minor. Something like that.

Major sections of all six of a new destroyers were built in Portsmouth,

where workers are now busy for parts of the Navy's new aircraft carriers.

Chips will continue to be based and maintained in Portsmouth, but there

is it? Over the long—term future of shipbuilding. BAE Systems is

currently reviewing the future of its facilities in Portsmouth and in

Scotland. Originally there were going to be 12

of these type 45 destroyers, but eventually that was reduced to six

because of financial pressures. HMS Duncan is due to undertake her first

operational deployment next year. The Government has re—started the

process of creating the country's largest rail franchise.

It wants to combine the areas covered by Southern Railway and

Thameslink, which is currently run by First Capital Connect. The new

franchise will carry one in five of all passengers.

Still to come in this evening's South Today: Nikki Mitchell is live

at Fratton Park for a World Cup qualifier.

England's women are going through their warm up routine head of the

match against Turkey, after giving Belarus eight six nil thrashing on

Saturday. A small research team in Southampton

has been given nearly £60,000 to study the early stages of

Alzheimer's Disease. The team — a doctor and research

student — will try to pinpoint exactly what happens in the brain

when the disease starts. With research projects often costing

millions of pounds — our Health Correspondent David Fenton went to

see what they hope to achieve. This is Sarmi Sri. For the next

three years she'll be studying memory loss in mice, genetically

bred to mimic the signs of Alzheimer's disease.

We will be checking at what time point they start to display signs

and then looking at further detail to see what is happening in the

brain to see where it is going wrong.

And this is what she'll be looking for. These tangled shapes are

amyloid proteins, known to play an important part in the development of

dementia. These are at an advanced stage. But Sami and her mentor are

investigating the very beginnings of the disease, to pinpoint exactly

when and why the brain stops making new memories. This is a small

research project — the £58,000 is just a drop in the ocean compared to

£50 million spent on dementia research every year, so what are

they hoping to achieve? We understand a lot more about

Alzheimer's disease right now, however, we still don't have each

year, and we believe that is because we know a lot about how the disease

ends, but we don't understand how the disease begins. Our research

project is exactly about that. But can small scale projects like

this one tell us anything we don't already know?

In science, I think it is often the studies that you don't expect to

yield results that do, and for that reason we shouldn't disregard small

funding and small, innovative projects, because they could be the

projects that hold real potential for the future.

Whatever the outcome, work on the new project, begins on Monday.

The Solent and Portland coastguard stations will close next September.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency says the stations, which co—ordinate

search and rescue services, are being replaced by the operations

centre in Segensworth in Hampshire. That will be run alongside nine

other 24—hour centres in the UK. The majority of staff from the Solent

and Portland stations are expected to move to the new site.

Now, how would you fancy paying for your shopping, or clearing your

electricity bill, using a text message? Well, sending money using

your mobile phone is only just starting to take off in the UK. But

in Africa, it's already used by millions. The service allows people

in remote areas to send money to shops and business without using

cash, or having to go to a bank. And companies based right here in the

South have played a significant part in its development. Rob Powell has

the story. A town in Tanzania 200 miles in

lined from Dar es Salaam. Even in this relatively remote area, the

streets are lined with stories that will let you if you're shopping in

just a few keystrokes using your phone. Mobile services like this

give the benefits of the bank account. Thousands of high street

agents like these will let you top up or money that are to accounts on

your mobile. This lady uses it to pay her bills.

Translation TRANSLATION: You can pay anyone with it at any time. If I'm

at home and have a bill today, but something happens, I can still pay

whoever it is and get on with my life.

Payment by Mobile has proved popular in Africa because, while most people

have mobile phones, few have bank accounts. And in the modern areas,

ATMs and bank branches are scarce. Some of the roots of this African

technology like year in Berkshire and Vodafone's HQ. In 2007 they

launched a payment system in tenure. —— in tenure. —— in Kenya.

Simon bachelor works for a firm that looked at phone use in Africa for

the British government in 2002. They spotted that Africans were using

mobile phone top—up vouchers to transfer money.

They were buying their airtime in the capital city and scratching it

off to get their code, and instead of putting the accord on their own

phone, DirectX ten that called to relatives in other countries who

then either put it on their phone or soldered onto the merchant. It was

effectively a way of transferring money very quickly, instantly, and

very conveniently. While payment by mobile has boomed

in Africa, it is still relatively rare in this country.

People are scared of the security and are scared of changing from what

they know and can rely on. Their chip and pin and so on. They don't

want to change to something new that is untried and untested.

Our allegiance may currently still lie with our card, but it may not be

long before we catch up with our African cousins.

In the next hour, England's women footballers will kick off their

second World Cup qualifier in Portsmouth. They made an impressive

start last weekend in Bournemouth, beating Belarus 6—0. Tonight they're

up against Turkey. Nikki Mitchell is at Fratton Park for us ahead of all

the action. England have been training on the

pitch for about half an hour. Turkey are training at the other end.

Turkey are little further down the world ranking table than Belarus, so

there is optimism here tonight after such a positive opening game. But

England have had a tough year. They were eliminated from the group

stages of Euro 2013 after their worst performance beer in Europe for

12 years. That led to the sacking of their long—standing manager, Hope I

will. So tonight England still have a lot to prove.

The 6000 spectators didn't have to wait long for a goal in Saturday's

qualifier. By the end of the first half, there was a hat—trick. And by

the end of the second, Belarus had been thrashed six nil. Caretaker

manager Brent Hills was pleased with an energetic performance, but wants

to see more improvement throughout the qualifiers.

Energy and temple was important, and we spoke about that last week. We

have to maintain that. Consistency is a big thing. And we have to keep

developing our composure when we have possession.

The lionesses had a final pre—match training session yesterday, but this

week have still found time to spread the word about the women's game in

Portsmouth, hitting a primary school and meeting some fellow female

players claim for the Navy. Here they are very much up against a

home crowd. Among the crowd, are commentary team. How confident are

you, watching them train? They had a really good start on

Saturday against Belarus for the World Cup qualifying game, you

mentioned that Turkey are lower than Belarus, and the one that Game six

nil, but last time we played them back in 2010 in the last time

campaign, we beat them three nil, so we are expecting to beat the likes

of Turkey and Belarus. But it is about the performance and obviously

hoping we can get those three points.

How much was the confidence knocked by losing Hope Powell?

It wasn't the team I know, none of them really performed, and that led

to Hope being sacked. There is maybe a new year. She was in charge for 15

years. We want to show what they can do on this stage and in these

qualifying games. How much has the women's game moved

on in the last 20 years since the FA to get under their wing?

Massively. It is very different from when I started when I was 16. We

have over a quarter of a million girls playing regularly in leagues,

and over 1 million having some sort of experience of playing, so it is

really good. Thank you. Fey is part of the

commentary team on BBC Three tonight. The kick—off is at 7:05pm.

A couple of other items of soccer news: Reading have signed the

Southampton striker Billy Sharp on emergency loan. Sharp, who's 27,

will go straight into the Royals' team to play Birmingham City this

weekend. It's the third different club he's played for when Nigel

Adkins has been their manager. Saints themselves meanwhile have

been given an away draw in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup.

After beating Bristol City on Tuesday, they'll play Sunderland,

who're currently bottom of the Premier League.

It is 75 years this week since one of the most famous liners was named.

Queen Elizabeth was named by Queen Elizabeth. We have been looking back

at the Queen Elizabeth with the help of some recently discovered film

footage. This often mellow voice of the Queen

bids into singing words. It is like the inception of all

great human enterprises. She was meant to sail to

Southampton. But the Second World War intervened and she headed

straight from the shipyard to New York.

She heads for the New World. She finally entered passenger

service for Cunard from Southampton in 1946.

She is once again Queen of the Atlantic.

Bernie Webb from Southampton was a 14—year—old bellboy.

One of the youngest bellboy is on the ship. We were fortunate to be

there, because there was good food, plenty of money. The accommodation

was nothing to rave about. Here is he with another young

steward. On the right, that's John Prescott, who became Deputy Prime

Minister. We had come from poverty into

luxury. 20 years later, working as a steward

on Queen Elizabeth, he met his wife Diane, who was also working on

board. Romance was frowned upon in those

days. Yes. If they thought you were

cavorting around with one of the other members of the crew, your

quite often put onto the mothership. Previously unseen archive film of

the ship shows her sailing to New York in rough weather. Here, the

liner is at Southampton's Ocean Terminal. And here she is leaving

New York for the last time in 1968. It's been hidden away, much of it,

since just after the Second World War. When she left here, she went

out with a whimper, I felt. Reports didn't turn out to see her. She was

so's ship. I wish she would have stayed here as a hotel or a museum

somewhere. Peter Jelley joined the ship as a

17—year—old soon after the war. All the movie stars which you so,

the whole lot. Elizabeth Taylor when she was married to the English

actor, then later she was there with Richard Burton. That was before they

started flying. Southampton. The Queen Elizabeth

prepares for final voyage, but not without a final goodbye from Queen

Elizabeth the Queen Mother. She caught fire in Hong Kong

harbour. She sang while her sister Queen Mary beginning Museum in

California. Today, there is nothing in Southampton to remind people of

one of its greatest liners. Incredible pictures. Alexis is

herewith the weather. Still market out there, isn't it?

Yes I'm settled. Another marquee started the day in some areas.

Another murky start to the day in some areas. This is Sandown Pier on

the Isle of Wight captured by Peter Churchman. Low cloud in over the

South Downs, this picture was sent in by Judi Lion. And Jane Pearce

tweeted us this picture to @BBCSouthWeather of the rain this

morning in Christchurch. @BBCSouthWeather of

A few showers today, and there will be showers tonight, one or two

missed patches but not as dense and as widespread as we have seen in

recent nights. There is a shower risk along the south coast. Some

clear spells more likely that further north and east you are.

Temperatures of 11 Celsius at the lowest. Not as mild as last night,

but pretty mild for the time of year. It will be a damp and cloudy

start for tomorrow, but it is a much better day than today. Sunny spells

will start to develop. Missed patches will clear. And highs of 19

degrees or 20 Celsius. A few degrees above the seasonal average. It will

be breezy, from the North or North East. Some lovely late evening

sunshine, and then the shower risk is evident in the early hours of

Saturday morning. The bridges of 12 Celsius at the lowest. Uncertainty

on Saturday as to whether we will see a weather front pushed up from

the continent. Some showers in the evening time, also light and patchy

during the morning. Later on in the day we could have thunder.

Uncertainty about that, so stay tuned to the forecast over the next

few days. The weather may enter some events, but for the British Masters

grass track speedway championships, and sure no one will be put off by

the rain. The farmers murky starts at 9am, and Piglet racing is on at

10am. An unsettled picture for the rest of the week. Some sunshine

around tomorrow will stop. A lovely end to the day tomorrow. Some

showers or maybe some thunderstorms on Saturday into Sunday morning. The

risk of rain on Sunday and Monday. That is it from us tonight. We have

more news at 8pm and 10:25pm. From both of us, good evening.