:00:10. > :00:15.Tonight at Ten: Oldham Rock, the bank rescued by the taxpayer, is to
:00:15. > :00:20.be put up for sale -- Northern Rock. Its collapse more than three years
:00:20. > :00:25.ago sparked the first run on a British bank for 150 years. A sale
:00:25. > :00:30.could bring in �1 billion, the Chancellor spilled out some of the
:00:30. > :00:34.intended effect. It will be a sign of confidence and could increase
:00:34. > :00:38.competition and high street banking. We can start to get at least some
:00:38. > :00:43.money back. We will have more on that speech to the City of London.
:00:43. > :00:48.Also tonight: More public sector workers will strike at the end of
:00:48. > :00:53.the month against pension changes. I think we will see three-quarters
:00:53. > :00:56.of a million striking on 30th June, it looks like that could be three
:00:56. > :01:00.or four million in October if the Government does not change
:01:00. > :01:03.direction. In Tripoli we talk to families
:01:03. > :01:07.fighting a secret campaign against Gaddafi's regime.
:01:07. > :01:14.More turmoil in Greece and a full- scale political crisis caused by
:01:14. > :01:18.the Government's austerity measures. Who will come to London 2012? We
:01:18. > :01:27.report on those who will not be welcome.
:01:27. > :01:37.On sports day: The latest from Denmark. And England's progress at
:01:37. > :01:50.
:01:50. > :01:54.Good evening. Northern Rock, the bank whose collapse marked the
:01:54. > :01:57.start of the credit crisis more than three years ago, will be
:01:57. > :02:01.returned to the private sector. Chancellor George Osborne announced
:02:01. > :02:06.his decision in a speech to the City of London this evening. It is
:02:06. > :02:10.thought an auction could raise �1 billion and a new owner could be in
:02:10. > :02:14.place by the end of the year. Mr Osborne has been unveiling a major
:02:14. > :02:19.banking sector reforms. Nationalise Northern Rock, tonight
:02:19. > :02:23.the Chancellor put a For Sale boards up on the boom to bust
:02:23. > :02:28.mortgage bank to raise probably around �1 billion, not such a great
:02:28. > :02:32.deal for tax payers given that the state has injected �1.4 billion
:02:32. > :02:37.into it. I can announce tonight but on behalf of you, the British
:02:37. > :02:41.taxpayer, I have decided to put Northern Rock up for sale. Images
:02:41. > :02:46.of the queues outside Northern Rock branches were a symbol of all that
:02:46. > :02:51.went wrong, and its chaotic collapse did great damage to
:02:51. > :02:55.Britain's international reputation. This is the bank whose collapse in
:02:55. > :03:00.late 2007 have altered the worst financial crisis since the 1930s,
:03:00. > :03:04.but what has been privatised does not include �40 billion of the
:03:04. > :03:09.older mortgages, so when they are repaid, tax payers should get their
:03:09. > :03:14.money back and more. But... If the Chancellor is intent on maximising
:03:14. > :03:20.sale consideration he is not selling as a good time, banks are
:03:20. > :03:26.out of favour with investors. But if he wants to show he is going to
:03:26. > :03:29.business as usual, it is sensible. These imaginative protesters
:03:29. > :03:34.outside the mansion house want the Chancellor to impose bigger
:03:34. > :03:39.additional taxes on Financial Trading, which they see as a casino.
:03:39. > :03:44.The Chancellor has a different answer to the risks in the mega
:03:44. > :03:47.banks. For huge banks like Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC, he
:03:47. > :03:52.once their investment activities to be insulated from the retail bits
:03:52. > :03:59.that look after savings, loans and move money around the academy, so
:03:59. > :04:04.in a crisis or collapse the retail operations are less likely to be
:04:04. > :04:09.damaged. -- move money around the economy. But his predecessor says
:04:09. > :04:12.ring-fencing will not solve everything. It will not stop
:04:12. > :04:16.another financial crisis or future governments having to bail out the
:04:16. > :04:20.banking sector. The idea you can walk away from a big investment
:04:20. > :04:23.bank and let it collapse, the Americans tried that with Lehman
:04:23. > :04:28.Brothers and have precipitated the chain of events that broke the
:04:28. > :04:32.world's but -- brought the world's banking system to its knees.
:04:32. > :04:36.Britain's battered financial reputation could be rebuilt by
:04:36. > :04:40.selling the Rock, hopes Mr was born. But that requires a loss-making
:04:40. > :04:44.bank to be sold, easier said than done.
:04:44. > :04:50.The Chancellor mentioned getting some of the taxpayers' money back,
:04:50. > :04:56.but it goes way beyond Northern Rock? Absolutely. The first thing
:04:56. > :04:59.to reiterate is that selling Northern Rock itself won't be easy.
:04:59. > :05:06.This is a loss-making bank. The banking industry is not exactly
:05:06. > :05:09.booming, there is not a lot of money sloshing around two buy banks.
:05:09. > :05:14.It is vulnerable to competition from the big banks, and who knows
:05:14. > :05:18.how many people save with Northern Rock do so because they like the
:05:18. > :05:23.comfort of putting money into a state-owned bank? But if it is sold
:05:23. > :05:30.it will not raise more than �1 billion, that is a fleabite
:05:30. > :05:35.compared to the �65 billion that tax payers, you and me, invested in
:05:36. > :05:40.saving Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The share price of Lloyds
:05:40. > :05:43.and Royal Bank of Scotland is way below the level tax payers sold. We
:05:44. > :05:50.can't privatise those stakes at anything except a very significant
:05:50. > :05:55.loss. The economy recovers in the long term, we may get our money
:05:55. > :05:59.back from the enormous �65 billion investment, but as George Osborne
:06:00. > :06:06.said tonight, getting our money back is likely to take many, many
:06:06. > :06:09.years. Thank you very much. Up to three-quarters of a million
:06:09. > :06:15.public sector workers plan to go on strike at the end of the month
:06:15. > :06:18.after members of a third major union voted to take action. The
:06:18. > :06:23.civil service union the PCS said members could not accept changes to
:06:23. > :06:27.their pensions demanded by the Government. Thousands of Teachers
:06:27. > :06:31.and Lecturers will also strike on June the 30th.
:06:31. > :06:35.It is said to be one of the bigger strikes almost a decade. On June
:06:35. > :06:39.the 30th an estimated three- quarters of a million public sector
:06:39. > :06:43.workers will walk out, including hundreds of thousands of civil
:06:43. > :06:47.servants. This afternoon the PCS Union confirmed its members, who
:06:47. > :06:52.work in areas like JobCentres, courts and the Passport Office, had
:06:52. > :06:58.voted to back nationwide strikes. Despite the low turnout, just one
:06:58. > :07:02.in five voted in favour, the union expects a big impact. Everyone will
:07:02. > :07:08.notice the strike. It is a last resort, the people we represent are
:07:08. > :07:12.facing a pay freeze when inflation is 5%, pensions being slashed and
:07:12. > :07:16.100,000 face losing jobs, that is pretty drastic and we are
:07:16. > :07:21.determined to stop it. It is not just civil servants, two main
:07:21. > :07:25.teaching unions today confirmed they will also strike on the 30th.
:07:25. > :07:29.One of those unions has never held a national strike before. This type
:07:29. > :07:33.of co-ordination among trade unions is a rare and it is the threat of
:07:33. > :07:37.cuts to pensions making it happen. The Government says the current
:07:37. > :07:43.pension system is unsustainable and it needs to cut billions from the
:07:43. > :07:49.bill. But wants workers to pay more in but expect people to work for
:07:49. > :07:53.longer. Crucially, it wants to move staff to less generous career
:07:53. > :07:59.average schemes. While unions are united in opposing public sector
:07:59. > :08:01.cuts, there is less agreement on how to tackle pension reform. Talks
:08:01. > :08:06.with government are ongoing, the last scheduled meeting is planned
:08:06. > :08:10.towards the end of the month. The Government says calling strikes now
:08:10. > :08:16.is a big mistake. We have discussions with the TUC, they are
:08:16. > :08:20.continuing. There is a huge amount to discuss. At the end of this,
:08:20. > :08:25.public sector workers will have pensions among the very best
:08:25. > :08:29.available. This week the health service union Unison threatened to
:08:29. > :08:34.ballot its 1.2 million members over the pension issue. Others may
:08:34. > :08:37.follow later in the year. June the 30th may only be the start, with
:08:37. > :08:43.sustained and co-ordinated industrial action possible in the
:08:43. > :08:46.autumn. The footballer Ryan Giggs is taking
:08:46. > :08:49.legal action against the News of the World over allegations his
:08:49. > :08:53.mobile phone was hacked. He is one of the number of public figures
:08:53. > :08:56.thought to have been targeted by a private detective Glenn Mulcaire.
:08:56. > :09:00.He was named in the House of Commons as having obtained an
:09:00. > :09:03.injunction to try to keep an alleged affair secret.
:09:03. > :09:08.Britain's biggest care home operator Southern Cross, which has
:09:08. > :09:11.struggled to pay rent on the 751 homes that managers across the UK,
:09:11. > :09:17.says it has reached an agreement with landlords and lenders. The
:09:17. > :09:20.company said the deal would ensure continuity and quality of care to
:09:20. > :09:26.all 31,000 residents would be maintained. Southern Cross said it
:09:26. > :09:31.was working towards a consensual solution to its financial problems.
:09:31. > :09:35.In Libya, opposition activists in the capital, Tripoli, have told the
:09:35. > :09:41.BBC that support for Colonel Gaddafi is fading despite regime
:09:41. > :09:44.claims that the support is solid. Rebel leaders said intimidation and
:09:44. > :09:49.murder are rife but they are taking extreme risks with their secret
:09:49. > :09:54.resistance. Some have spoken to Wyre Davies.
:09:54. > :10:00.In a city penetrated by fear and suspicion, this is the only way to
:10:00. > :10:04.find out what many Libyans really think. We have given our government
:10:04. > :10:08.minders the slip but it is still a nervous journey to a safe house in
:10:09. > :10:12.a Tripoli suburb. The four young activists I meet have all suffered
:10:12. > :10:16.at the hands of the regime in one way or another. Friends have been
:10:16. > :10:21.killed, they are tired of the corruption and nepotism and say
:10:21. > :10:25.pressure is mounting on Colonel Gaddafi to go. For their own safety
:10:25. > :10:30.their words are spoken by actors. It is a fight and we will fight,
:10:30. > :10:34.but not with empty hands. It is a bit crazy to go out facing people
:10:34. > :10:39.with guns, we know what intentions they have. But do you think in the
:10:39. > :10:43.end Gaddafi will have to go? think he is finished already, he is
:10:43. > :10:47.damaging the country as much as he can, but he is finished, he is
:10:47. > :10:53.finished. In the early days of the uprising, anti-government protests
:10:53. > :10:58.in Tripoli were brutally crushed. People are beginning to find their
:10:58. > :11:04.voices again. At this recent funeral in the capital, the rebel
:11:04. > :11:08.flag is raised in open defiance. On this video, which is not possible
:11:08. > :11:14.to verify, government soldiers stand over dying rebels after
:11:14. > :11:20.recent fighting in the capital. Your dogs, they say, this is
:11:20. > :11:24.revenge. -- you dogs. Gaddafi's opponents know that Tripoli is
:11:24. > :11:30.still a dangerous place. I think it is going to be bloody because he
:11:30. > :11:34.will not give up easily at all. think we will see more violence?
:11:34. > :11:39.Definitely. Definitely. How does that make you feel, does it make
:11:39. > :11:47.you concerned? I am a little scared but willing to sacrifice my life
:11:47. > :11:52.for this. You are willing to die? Without hesitation.
:11:52. > :11:58.This is how the regime portrays things, fanatical they may be, but
:11:58. > :12:02.many faces at Gaddafi rallies are by now familiar and fewer in number.
:12:02. > :12:12.10 weeks of NATO bombing has not yet ousted the colonel. From what
:12:12. > :12:15.
:12:15. > :12:18.we have seen, his fortress is solid Government plans to reform the
:12:18. > :12:24.welfare system have been approved by MPs despite claims that
:12:24. > :12:28.thousands of cancer patients face a reduction in benefits, according to
:12:28. > :12:30.the charity Macmillan Cancer Support. Labour leader Ed Miliband
:12:30. > :12:34.raised the matter at Prime Minister's Questions and asked for
:12:34. > :12:37.a rethink, but David Cameron said Labour was unwilling to back
:12:37. > :12:41.welfare changes. We all want to be careful when sick
:12:41. > :12:45.and unable to work, not just medical treatment but financial
:12:45. > :12:48.support. How quickly should benefits be reduced once recovery
:12:48. > :12:53.gets under way? With ministers determined to cut the welfare
:12:53. > :12:57.budget, the priority is to get people back to work, but there will
:12:57. > :13:00.be a time limit on some sickness benefits. The Labour leader saw an
:13:00. > :13:06.opportunity to attack today, saying thousands of cancer patients could
:13:06. > :13:10.lose almost �100 a week. I'm amazed he does not know about these
:13:10. > :13:14.arguments. Why doesn't he? The House of Commons is voting on this
:13:14. > :13:19.bill tonight! He should know about these arguments. I ask him again,
:13:19. > :13:23.will he now admits that 7000 cancer patients are losing up to �94 a
:13:23. > :13:27.week? Under plans, those assessed as able to look for work will have
:13:27. > :13:32.a year to find a job before employment support allowance is
:13:32. > :13:36.means tested. Labour wants that increase to two years. The whole
:13:36. > :13:41.point about our benefit reforms is there are proper medical tests so
:13:41. > :13:45.we support those who cannot work out so a generous, tolerant and
:13:45. > :13:50.compassionate country should, but we make sure those who can work go
:13:50. > :13:56.out to work. Some cancer charities say that although patients may have
:13:56. > :14:01.to put a time limit on full recovery. We don't believe people
:14:01. > :14:06.who are recovering from cancer, who feel vulnerable and are already
:14:06. > :14:09.experiencing difficult times, should be shouldering this burden.
:14:09. > :14:14.We think all people in this position should be receiving this
:14:14. > :14:18.allowance. David Cameron called the row a smokescreen to justify Labour
:14:18. > :14:22.voting against the welfare bill tonight. Labour insists that it
:14:22. > :14:26.wants a tougher system but says these measures would end compassion
:14:26. > :14:28.in the welfare state. The Government won the boots and says
:14:28. > :14:38.it is determined to press ahead because the state can't afford to
:14:38. > :14:39.
:14:39. > :14:43.pay indefinite benefits to those Coming up tonight: Gaddafi is told
:14:43. > :14:51.he's not welcome at the 2012 Olympics, but which other regimes
:14:51. > :14:54.will make it to London? Unemployment has fallen to its
:14:54. > :14:58.lowest level in nearly two years. The number of people out of work
:14:58. > :15:01.went down by 88,000 in the three months to April, the biggest drop
:15:01. > :15:05.for a decade. In contrast, the number claiming jobseeker's
:15:05. > :15:08.allowance has risen for the third month in a row, telling a rather
:15:08. > :15:14.more downbeat story about the state of the jobs market. Our chief
:15:14. > :15:17.economics correspondent Hugh Pym is here to explain what's happening.
:15:17. > :15:22.Yes, it's certainly positive news from the jobs market, unemployment
:15:22. > :15:28.fell by 88,000 during the three months ending in April, that left
:15:28. > :15:35.just over 2.4 million people out of work, the lowest in two years. And
:15:35. > :15:40.employment, those in work, was up by 80,000, over the same period.
:15:40. > :15:45.New jobs are being created right here in South Wales. British Gas is
:15:45. > :15:51.training engineers to install smart metres and other green technology,
:15:51. > :15:54.it's even built a street of dummy houses to practise on. Some of
:15:54. > :15:58.these trainees will be offered permanent jobs with the company.
:15:58. > :16:02.Clinton Dix is hoping to be one of them. He struggled for a year
:16:02. > :16:05.trying to find work after being laid off by his previous employer.
:16:05. > :16:12.I couldn't get an interview to be honest with you, I found it hard to
:16:12. > :16:15.get a foot in the door, get my face seen by potential employers and I
:16:16. > :16:20.found it difficult, to be honest with you. What was it like when you
:16:20. > :16:24.got a chance here? A new lease of life. Schemes like that can only go
:16:24. > :16:27.so far in an area where unemployment is well above the
:16:27. > :16:31.national average. After industries like coal and steel declined, there
:16:31. > :16:36.wasn't much to replace them. The challenge is to train workers for
:16:36. > :16:40.jobs which may lie outside the South Wales valleys. So far
:16:40. > :16:45.nationally the private sector has created more than enough jobs to
:16:45. > :16:48.make up for Government cuts, there was a drop of more than 140,000 in
:16:48. > :16:53.public sector employment over the last year, but the private sector
:16:53. > :16:57.has put more than half a million more people into work.
:16:57. > :17:01.For the time being it looks as though the private sector is making
:17:01. > :17:05.up for job losses in the public sector. However, the job losses in
:17:05. > :17:11.the public sector are likely to accelerate in the coming months at
:17:11. > :17:14.a time when the economy overall is likely to weaken. Now, the narrower
:17:14. > :17:18.jobless measure, those claiming jobseeker's allowance was up in May,
:17:18. > :17:27.and that's a reminder that the jobs market is still some way from where
:17:27. > :17:31.it should be. Thank you.
:17:31. > :17:34.The fall in unemployment is one key signal of the state of the economy,
:17:34. > :17:37.but high inflation and low wage rises are creating a real squeeze
:17:37. > :17:43.for many households. One city that's suffered more than most in
:17:43. > :17:49.the downtown is Hull, where the number out of work is among the
:17:49. > :17:52.highest in Britain. In the first of three special reports on how
:17:52. > :17:55.communities are coping, Richard Bilton has been to Hull where the
:17:55. > :17:57.problems of one big local employer have caused tough times.
:17:57. > :18:01.This is caravan country, in east Yorkshire they build them and
:18:02. > :18:07.holiday in them. Jess and Julie are at the coast for a week, come in
:18:07. > :18:13.June and it's quiet and cheap. But dad's not here, the family business
:18:13. > :18:17.went bust and he has to work. He has to miss his own summer holiday.
:18:17. > :18:20.The company went into liquidation so we struggled since to try and
:18:20. > :18:23.make ends meet and build another company up because it's not really
:18:24. > :18:31.safe being employed by anybody because you don't know whether your
:18:31. > :18:41.job is safe or not. Three years ago this is Sean on the day his
:18:41. > :18:42.
:18:42. > :18:48.security disappeared. He made caravans. But the company shut down.
:18:48. > :18:53.To work here and the people... Too upset. This is Sean today working
:18:53. > :18:58.at a garden centre, he never got back into the caravan industry,
:18:58. > :19:03.just a series of temporary jobs. This one ends next week. It's the
:19:03. > :19:06.third time it's happened to me in a year and it's just heart wrenching
:19:06. > :19:15.because I have to start looking for another job again and it's very
:19:15. > :19:23.hard to get a job. But it is not all bad. Hundreds of jobs were lost
:19:23. > :19:29.in the caravan industry, but some have returned. This is a new
:19:29. > :19:35.company in an old factory and workers who came back from the dole.
:19:35. > :19:41.It's hard when you are in a situation when you are going for a
:19:42. > :19:46.job and there's maybe 50 blokes going for one job. The people in
:19:46. > :19:51.the factory today came back to a different working world. The
:19:51. > :19:55.average wage in here now is about 20% lower than it was before the
:19:55. > :20:01.caravan industry went into meltdown. Workers and management now take
:20:01. > :20:05.nothing for granted. Everybody now is security, it used to be
:20:05. > :20:09.promotion, where am I going to go? Now it's a case of will I be able
:20:09. > :20:15.to pay the bills? You have to tell them just come on board, do a good
:20:15. > :20:19.job and between us, hopefully, we will have a secure future.
:20:19. > :20:27.industry survived, here and other sites new models are being produced,
:20:27. > :20:30.but it's a different working life for the city's caravan makers.
:20:30. > :20:39.Tomorrow Richard will be in Manchester and he will be looking
:20:39. > :20:42.at the way charities are stepping in to help families in need. Plans
:20:42. > :20:45.by Welsh universities to increase their tuition fees to the maximum
:20:45. > :20:48.of �9,000 a year have been blocked by the Higher Education Funding
:20:48. > :20:52.Council for Wales. The Council says they need to reconsider their plans
:20:52. > :20:55.on improving access to education. The Welsh Education Minister said
:20:55. > :21:02.it showed Wales was taking a more robust approach to tuition fees
:21:02. > :21:06.than England. Police investigating an alleged plot targeting the
:21:06. > :21:08.singer Joss Stone at her home in Devon have charged two men tonight.
:21:08. > :21:11.They're accused of conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to
:21:11. > :21:18.commit grievous bodily harm. The men were arrested on Monday and
:21:19. > :21:21.they're due to appear in court tomorrow. The political and
:21:21. > :21:24.economic crisis in Greece is deepening by the day, as rioters
:21:24. > :21:26.take to the streets of Athens to vent their anger about new
:21:26. > :21:31.austerity measures. The prime minister George Papandreou is to
:21:31. > :21:38.form a new government, as he tries to win support for the measures
:21:38. > :21:42.demanded by the EU and IMF. From Athens, our correspondent Malcolm
:21:42. > :21:45.Brabant reports. Tens of thousands of protesters
:21:45. > :21:50.descended on the Greek parliament and a violent minority soon turned
:21:50. > :21:54.the square outside into a battlefield. They attacked riot
:21:54. > :21:58.police with petrol bombs and other missiles. The police retaliated
:21:58. > :22:02.with tear gas. Some protesters tried to force their way through to
:22:02. > :22:06.parliament to stop MPs debating the new austerity measures, but the
:22:06. > :22:10.police managed to hold the line. Tonight, the Prime Minister offered
:22:10. > :22:13.to stand down, but he failed to convince the opposition
:22:13. > :22:16.Conservatives to join the Government of national unity.
:22:16. > :22:21.TRANSLATION: I made new proposals to the leaders
:22:21. > :22:25.of all parties to achieve the necessary national consensus. I
:22:25. > :22:29.clarified that my responsibility has no dependence on my political
:22:29. > :22:33.post. George Papandreou has been trying
:22:33. > :22:38.to push through spending cuts and tax rises but protesters say the
:22:38. > :22:43.measures are too harsh. It's not about me any more, it's about our
:22:43. > :22:48.children. I don't see a bright future. Greece currently has the
:22:48. > :22:54.worst credit rating in the world, the debt stands at �300 billion.
:22:54. > :22:58.The country is receiving �95 billion as part of a bail-out
:22:58. > :23:04.package agreed last May. But now the EU is debating whether to offer
:23:04. > :23:07.a further �39 billion loan. Greece's political turmoil is
:23:07. > :23:10.jeopardising its future bail-out money. Economic analysts believe
:23:10. > :23:14.that the International Monetary Fund and the European Union wanted
:23:14. > :23:18.to see real consensus so that the austerity measures could be forced
:23:18. > :23:22.through, but George Papandreou has failed to achieve that.
:23:22. > :23:26.On the streets the protesters may have succeeded in crippling one
:23:26. > :23:36.Government, but it's doubtful whether they're any closer to
:23:36. > :23:36.
:23:36. > :23:39.throwing off the pain of austerity. Across parts of Europe, Africa,
:23:39. > :23:42.Central Asia and Australia, people have been enjoying the rare sight
:23:42. > :23:46.of a total lunar eclipse this evening. These are live images
:23:46. > :23:51.showing the longest lunar eclipse in nearly 11 years. It happens when
:23:51. > :23:54.the earth casts its shadow over the moon. But indirect sunlight can
:23:54. > :24:02.still illuminate the moon, turning it a bright shade of red. Those are
:24:02. > :24:05.live pictures there for you. No members of the Gaddafi regime
:24:05. > :24:08.will be allowed into Britain next year to see the Olympic Games in
:24:08. > :24:11.London. Downing Street made that clear today. Libya's National
:24:11. > :24:15.Olympic Committee, headed by Gaddafi's son Muhammad, is due to
:24:15. > :24:17.be allocated hundreds of tickets. It's raised new questions about the
:24:17. > :24:21.allocation system, with many thousands of British citizens
:24:21. > :24:22.unable to get the tickets they'd applied for. Our sports
:24:22. > :24:27.correspondent James Pearce has the story.
:24:27. > :24:31.When politics meets sport, Colonel Gaddafi playing chess the other day
:24:31. > :24:37.at the headquarters of a Libyan Olympics committee which happens to
:24:37. > :24:41.be headed by one of his sons. The Libyan team competed in Beijing,
:24:41. > :24:45.and there's no suggestion at the moment that they won't be in London,
:24:45. > :24:50.as well. The IOC has always tried to keep sport separate from
:24:50. > :24:54.politics. In every country there is no proper development of sport
:24:54. > :24:57.without the support of the state and Government. But at the same
:24:57. > :25:03.time, we respectfully request the governments to take actions in
:25:03. > :25:07.favour of sport and not utilising sport for their own purpose.
:25:07. > :25:15.The history of the modern Olympics is littered with examples of
:25:15. > :25:21.political interference. Hitler at the Berlin games in 1936, there was
:25:21. > :25:25.a famous black power salute in 68 and then the boycotts, first by the
:25:25. > :25:29.USA in 1980 and the retaliation by the Soviet Union in Los Angeles
:25:29. > :25:33.four years later. On July 27th next year during the
:25:33. > :25:38.opening ceremony the eyes of the world will be on this stadium. But
:25:38. > :25:42.will the leaders of the world all be invited? When it comes to Libya
:25:42. > :25:47.the Government here is adamant that they won't. Let's be absolutely
:25:47. > :25:52.clear about this, Gaddafi, his sons and his immediate entourage are all
:25:52. > :25:56.subject to EU banning orders, so cannot enter the EU and more spes
:25:56. > :26:03.eufgly London. -- specifically London. Why are Libyans entitled to
:26:03. > :26:05.tickets to the Games? Out of a total of 8.8 million 12% end up
:26:05. > :26:13.with committees of competing countries, including Libya.
:26:14. > :26:17.Organisers, though, emphasise 75% will still go to the British public.
:26:17. > :26:20.Most who compete want to keep politics away from their sport.
:26:20. > :26:27.Some of the strongest views are held by those who took part in
:26:27. > :26:30.boycotted Games. We have been through all sorts of different
:26:31. > :26:36.issues where politics have tried to nose their way into sport and
:26:36. > :26:41.definitely we found out in sport it's best to keep out of them as
:26:41. > :26:45.far as possible. Even in Beijing politics and China's show of