0:00:02 > 0:00:05Tonight at 10, Europe's problems holding back the entire global
0:00:05 > 0:00:09economy, according to the International Monetary Fund. It's
0:00:09 > 0:00:13as the world economy is deep in the danger zone and sharply reduces the
0:00:13 > 0:00:16forecast for growth. That includes Britain, where total government
0:00:16 > 0:00:22that has passed one trillion pounds. The Bank of England has this
0:00:22 > 0:00:27warning. The path of recovery is likely to be arduous, long and
0:00:27 > 0:00:31uneven. The spoke on the eve of publication of the latest growth
0:00:31 > 0:00:35figures for the UK economy. Also tonight: one of Britain's
0:00:35 > 0:00:40biggest oil refineries goes into administration. 1000 jobs at risk
0:00:40 > 0:00:44and fears about prices. All of that will mean further pressure on price
0:00:45 > 0:00:50as we have to import more product. I can see a new record for diesel
0:00:50 > 0:00:55within days. In Nigeria, a crackdown on Islamist
0:00:55 > 0:01:01extremists after a big terrorist attack. This was a well-planned,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04well-orchestrated assault, with devastating results.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11Scotland's first minister sets out his preferred questions in a
0:01:11 > 0:01:15referendum on independence. And treating eye disease with stem
0:01:15 > 0:01:19cells - why scientists are reporting progress.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Later in the hour, I will be here with Sportsday on the News Channel,
0:01:23 > 0:01:33with all the action from tonight's Carling Cup semi-final. But which
0:01:33 > 0:01:46
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Championship side has made it to Good evening. The global economy
0:01:50 > 0:01:54will stay in the danger zone until action is taken to tackle Europe's
0:01:54 > 0:01:58debt crisis. That is the warning from the International Monetary
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Fund, which today sharply reduced its forecasts for global economic
0:02:02 > 0:02:07growth, including in the UK. The warning of a tough year ahead was
0:02:07 > 0:02:11echoed tonight by Sir Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Our Economics Editor looks at the latest figures.
0:02:14 > 0:02:24The International Monetary Fund does not know what will happen to
0:02:24 > 0:02:38
0:02:38 > 0:02:45The epicentre of the danger is Europe, but the rest of the world
0:02:45 > 0:02:50is increasingly affected. There is an even greater danger, namely that
0:02:50 > 0:02:56the European crisis intensifies. In this case, the world could be
0:02:56 > 0:03:00plunged into another recession. do we fit into this gloomy picture?
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Somewhere in the middle. The fund still expects the US economy to
0:03:04 > 0:03:09grow by 1.8% in 2012. That is not what President Obama would be
0:03:09 > 0:03:15hoping for, but it is better than most. The forecast for the UK this
0:03:15 > 0:03:19year has been cut to just 0.6%, slightly less than the official
0:03:19 > 0:03:24forecast. Even that is better than the Eurozone, which the fund is
0:03:24 > 0:03:28expecting to shrink slightly in 2012, which much -- with much a
0:03:28 > 0:03:32sharper downturns for countries like Spain and Italy. European
0:03:32 > 0:03:38finance ministers disappointed the markets today by failing to reach a
0:03:38 > 0:03:43deal on Greek debt. The IMF says debt, private and public, is when
0:03:43 > 0:03:50on the recovery nearly everywhere, and so our government's efforts to
0:03:50 > 0:03:56get borrowing under control. Decreasing debt is a marathon, not
0:03:56 > 0:04:01a sprint. Going too fast will kill growth. It is useful to remember
0:04:02 > 0:04:06that it took more than two decades to successfully decrease debt from
0:04:07 > 0:04:12its World War II levels. Does that mean the fund wants the Government
0:04:12 > 0:04:16to ease upon cutting our deficit? Well, yes. He said the Chancellor
0:04:16 > 0:04:21should consider it, though you would not think so, looking at
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Britain's mountain of IOUs. Today, the government's debt rose to over
0:04:25 > 0:04:30one trillion pounds. Believe it or not, that is below the average for
0:04:30 > 0:04:35an economy of our size and less than expected, but it is still
0:04:35 > 0:04:39�16,000 for every person in the UK. Welcome to Sir Mervyn King,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Governor of the Bank of England. Tonight, Sir Mervyn King said the
0:04:42 > 0:04:48Bank of England would pump more money into the economy if it had to,
0:04:48 > 0:04:54but it could not make our troubles disappear. The path of recovery is
0:04:54 > 0:05:00likely to be arduous, long and uneven. The position of the world
0:05:00 > 0:05:06economy, especially in the euro area, is serious. But there is no
0:05:06 > 0:05:11reason to despair. All crises come to an end. This, too, shall pass.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15The IMF would probably agree, but if the Eurozone crisis continues to
0:05:15 > 0:05:20fester, the shadow hanging over the world economy will not be lifting
0:05:20 > 0:05:23any time soon. As we said, the latest UK growth
0:05:23 > 0:05:27figures will be published tomorrow, so let's join our political editor
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Nick Robinson in Downing Street. A thought about the pressure mounting
0:05:32 > 0:05:37on the Chancellor? Will nerves in Downing Street. There have been for
0:05:37 > 0:05:42some months now. What the IMF did today was to put flesh on the bones
0:05:42 > 0:05:46of that warning from the IMF's managing director yesterday,
0:05:46 > 0:05:52Christine Lagarde, when she said the world faced a 1930s moment if
0:05:52 > 0:05:57the Eurozone did not sought its own crisis out. In the short term, that
0:05:57 > 0:06:01means that even if the worst does not happen, the Government knows
0:06:01 > 0:06:05that it is having to increase Britain's debt and decrease the
0:06:05 > 0:06:09deficit at a slower pace than Alistair Darling and the Labour
0:06:09 > 0:06:16government were planning to. Of course, the coalition can say that
0:06:16 > 0:06:20the situation has changed. That Eurozone crisis has made all the
0:06:20 > 0:06:23difference, and a very difficult difference. But Labour will seize
0:06:23 > 0:06:26on That's it gesture and up there should be a consideration of
0:06:26 > 0:06:29slowing the pace of -- labour will seize on the suggestion that there
0:06:29 > 0:06:37should be a consideration of slowing the pace of cuts in the
0:06:37 > 0:06:40short term. But the worse it gets, the more there is bound to be a
0:06:41 > 0:06:46ferocious debate about what on earth, if anything, the Government
0:06:46 > 0:06:50can do to get the economy moving again.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54There is no need for drivers to be concerned about a shortage of fuel,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58according to ministers. They gave the assurance after the Coryton oil
0:06:58 > 0:07:02refinery in Essex went into administration. The plan supplies
0:07:02 > 0:07:0520% of the fuel used in the south- east of England. It is still
0:07:05 > 0:07:14operating, but there have been no new deliveries of crude oil and
0:07:14 > 0:07:181000 jobs are at risk. This huge complex at is a key part
0:07:18 > 0:07:22of our national energy infrastructure. But tonight, it is
0:07:22 > 0:07:26the in the hands of administrators. Its future and that of hundreds of
0:07:26 > 0:07:32its employees is now uncertain. lot of apprehension. People do not
0:07:32 > 0:07:37know what is going to happen. problems here were triggered by the
0:07:37 > 0:07:41bankruptcy of the planned's Swiss owners. Coryton is one of eight
0:07:41 > 0:07:47such refineries in the UK. This plant can refine around 175,000
0:07:47 > 0:07:52barrels of crude oil a day, 10% of the UK's fuel needs. It also
0:07:52 > 0:07:56provides around 20% of the fuel in London and the south-east. BP is
0:07:56 > 0:08:00its biggest customer. Today it insisted that there were no
0:08:00 > 0:08:05shortages across its network, and few analysts expect supply issues
0:08:05 > 0:08:10in the days ahead. But there were problems elsewhere. In Lincolnshire,
0:08:10 > 0:08:16around 100 tanker drivers started seven days of strike action. It has
0:08:16 > 0:08:20all led some to warn of higher prices ahead. With the Petroplus
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Coryton refinery in doubt, and with tanker drivers striking in the
0:08:23 > 0:08:28north, all of that will mean further pressure on price as we
0:08:28 > 0:08:38have to import more product. I can see a new record for diesel within
0:08:38 > 0:08:39
0:08:39 > 0:08:44days. Once, refineries were ruled by the big oil giants. This was
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Coryton in the '50s. But recently, oil refineries have sought higher
0:08:48 > 0:08:51returns elsewhere. One by one, these facilities have been sold to
0:08:51 > 0:08:56small, independent firms, which do not have such deep pockets when
0:08:56 > 0:09:01times get tight. As the big oil companies like BP have moved out of
0:09:01 > 0:09:04that area, increasingly we are seeing oil refineries run by new,
0:09:04 > 0:09:10stand-alone companies that are effectively financial vehicles
0:09:10 > 0:09:16using borrowed money should try and be profitable in a good year. But
0:09:16 > 0:09:19working a business on that model is whisky. Tonight the search for a
0:09:19 > 0:09:23buyer of this huge facility is under way. It is understood that
0:09:23 > 0:09:26there have been some expressions of interest. But this episode has
0:09:26 > 0:09:33demonstrated that now that more of our refineries are independently
0:09:33 > 0:09:38owned, they are potentially more financially vulnerable, too.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41A British soldier serving with 200 Signals Squadron has died at a base
0:09:41 > 0:09:45in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province. The Ministry of
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Defence say his death is not thought to be the result of hostile
0:09:50 > 0:09:53action. His family have been informed.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57In Nigeria, security forces have instigated a major crackdown
0:09:57 > 0:10:01against the Islamist group responsible for the deaths of at
0:10:01 > 0:10:06least 180 people in attacks last week. Police arrested dozens of
0:10:06 > 0:10:11suspected members of the Boko Haram sector during raids in and around
0:10:11 > 0:10:19the city of Kano. Our Africa correspondent travelled to Kano and
0:10:19 > 0:10:25sent this report. Nigeria is in trouble. Soldiers on
0:10:25 > 0:10:29the streets, and communities torn apart by violence. These are
0:10:29 > 0:10:34Christians who have just fled their homes in the Muslim-dominated north
0:10:34 > 0:10:39of the country. A militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, gave them three
0:10:39 > 0:10:44days to leave, or else. To two days after the deadline, they started
0:10:44 > 0:10:51killing, shooting, Gunning. That was why we left. You were scared
0:10:51 > 0:10:57for your life? Yes. We were scared. Who do you blame? For the
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Government. They cannot protect us. Boko Haram is not just targeting
0:11:02 > 0:11:07Christians. The ruins of a police station in the northern city of
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Kano. At the weekend, militants killed almost 200 people here in
0:11:11 > 0:11:17what amounts to a declaration of war against Nigeria's secular
0:11:17 > 0:11:22government. This was an extremely well-planned, well-orchestrated
0:11:22 > 0:11:28assault, with devastating results. The evidence suggests that Boko
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Haram is fast evolving from what was a fairly low-level menace into
0:11:33 > 0:11:43a full-scale insurgency. So far, the government's response has been
0:11:43 > 0:11:44
0:11:44 > 0:11:51to flounder and to blame Al-Qaeda. They are suicide attacks. They are
0:11:51 > 0:11:57quite new. The whole world is passing through terror attacks. It
0:11:57 > 0:12:00is a very ugly thing. The violence has horrified most Muslims here.
0:12:00 > 0:12:06But in the impoverished North, people do feel let down by their
0:12:06 > 0:12:11leaders and marginalised. Boko Haram is exploiting that. Lots of
0:12:11 > 0:12:15youths who are unemployed take to the streets. No jobs, no schools.
0:12:15 > 0:12:22It is a sad situation. And Boko Haram is a symptom of that neglect?
0:12:22 > 0:12:28It is a symptom of that neglect. a vast, increasingly polarised
0:12:29 > 0:12:32country braces itself for more violence.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35More Gulf states have announced that they are withdrawing from the
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Arab League's observer mission in Syria after President Asad rejected
0:12:39 > 0:12:43a call to hand over power to his deputy. The delegation, who have
0:12:43 > 0:12:46been in Syria for him and, were supposed to oversee a peace deal
0:12:46 > 0:12:50and to end the crackdown on anti- government protesters in the
0:12:50 > 0:12:58country. Syria says it will allow observers to remain in the country
0:12:58 > 0:13:03The Government health reforms in England are making it harder to
0:13:03 > 0:13:06save money without damaging vital services. That is the verdict of
0:13:06 > 0:13:09MPs on the health select committee, who say that hospital managers are
0:13:09 > 0:13:15too often making short-term cuts rather than carefully planned
0:13:15 > 0:13:19changes, and this adds to the criticism being levelled at the
0:13:19 > 0:13:25Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. The NHS in England is facing two
0:13:25 > 0:13:31big challenges. It has to find savings of 15-20 billion by 2015,
0:13:31 > 0:13:37to meet rising demand and costs. It is also going through a major
0:13:37 > 0:13:41shake-up, leading to today's blunt warning from MPs about the risks.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46Hospitals are at the sharp end of finding the NHS savings. The man
0:13:46 > 0:13:50they are paid is being squeezed. It is meant to encourage a shift to
0:13:50 > 0:13:55more care being provided at home or in clinics. MPs say that money
0:13:55 > 0:13:59should be saved by having fewer hospital wards, but instead health
0:13:59 > 0:14:05services are being salami sliced. The patient Association says it is
0:14:05 > 0:14:10hearing the same from its helpline. A 96 year-old who could not access
0:14:10 > 0:14:16batteries for his hearing aid. People who are not able to access
0:14:16 > 0:14:20routine surgery that they have been waiting a very long time for.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Bedford, doctors and nurses are getting out into care homes, doing
0:14:24 > 0:14:29more check-ups and treatment. That has meant that fewer elderly people
0:14:29 > 0:14:32have gone to hospital in an emergency. The Government says this
0:14:32 > 0:14:40kind of changes being galvanised by their move to give health staff the
0:14:40 > 0:14:44greater -- a greater say. They are bringing in better results and they
0:14:44 > 0:14:47are doing that by bringing doctors and nurses and patients together in
0:14:47 > 0:14:52new ways to bring in better services. Under the Government
0:14:52 > 0:14:55changes, which are already well under way, groups of GPs will take
0:14:55 > 0:14:59control of NHS budgets. More controversially there will be more
0:14:59 > 0:15:03competition from charities and private companies. By later this
0:15:03 > 0:15:07year, patients will have to be offered an alternative to the NHS
0:15:08 > 0:15:12for some out of hospital care. The Government has already put the
0:15:12 > 0:15:16health bill on pause once. Changes to some parts will be put to the
0:15:16 > 0:15:21House of Lords within weeks. Ahead of those debates, lobbying has
0:15:21 > 0:15:26intensified. The doctor and nurses unions want the bills to be
0:15:26 > 0:15:29scrapped. They say they have destabilised the NHS. We believe
0:15:29 > 0:15:35that carried on with his flawed legislation is just going to make
0:15:35 > 0:15:39it worse. We are prepared to sit down and work with Government, or
0:15:39 > 0:15:41whoever else, to work out how we get that stability back.
0:15:41 > 0:15:49Government may well get it built through Parliament but without
0:15:49 > 0:15:53support from the doctors, nurses and midwife unions. -- the bill.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Other organisations may voice other concerns this week. Despite small
0:15:57 > 0:16:04increases in its budget, it is not getting easier for the NHS to find
0:16:04 > 0:16:08savings. Coming up on the programme tonight:
0:16:08 > 0:16:15Inside Yemen. New concerns about the growing influence their of Al-
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Qaeda. The Scottish Government will
0:16:19 > 0:16:23outline tomorrow how it plans to hold a referendum on independence.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26On the eve of that announcement, the First Minister Alex Salmond has
0:16:27 > 0:16:31been in London setting out his case and arguing that England would
0:16:31 > 0:16:36benefit from Scottish independence. He has been talking to Nick
0:16:36 > 0:16:41Robinson. Piping in the haggis on Burns Night.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46It is a time to celebrate Scotland, a time to launch a great debate
0:16:46 > 0:16:50about how the country should settle his future. Bagpipes and haggis may
0:16:50 > 0:16:53seem like a cliched view of Scotland, but it is the First
0:16:53 > 0:16:58Minister Alex Salmond who has chosen Burns Night tomorrow night
0:16:58 > 0:17:02to launch his consultation on a referendum on Scottish independence.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07Tonight Alex Salmond is not in Edinburgh but in London. He has
0:17:07 > 0:17:11come to deliver a message to the English. Westminster politicians
0:17:11 > 0:17:14come to Scotland and they talk about independence in negative
0:17:14 > 0:17:18terms so I thought I would come to England and talk about it in
0:17:18 > 0:17:23positive terms because I thought we should have a positive debate.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26say that Scottish independence can be good for England. Is it good to
0:17:26 > 0:17:34have a fierce row about who gets the North Sea oil revenues and the
0:17:34 > 0:17:37nuclear bases? If you look at the grievances now, a lot of people in
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Scotland believe that England has taken away the oil revenue and lots
0:17:41 > 0:17:44of people in England think that Scotland is subsidised. If Scotland
0:17:44 > 0:17:48raises its own revenue and governs its own spending, these arguments
0:17:48 > 0:17:53will be over. If we divorce, he says we can still be best of
0:17:53 > 0:17:58friends. Tomorrow he will tell Scottish people to dismiss David
0:17:58 > 0:18:04Cameron's proposal that they should get a simple yes-no vote on
0:18:04 > 0:18:09independence and soon. If you had a referendum on independence today,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13could you win it? We could win the argument and independence. Why not
0:18:13 > 0:18:19just have it soon? This is the biggest decision for Scotland. I
0:18:19 > 0:18:22think we should do it in a careful and considered way. And on the
0:18:22 > 0:18:27question of independence, you can win and you believe you will win?
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Yes. So there is no need for an alternative question like extra
0:18:31 > 0:18:35powers for Scotland? I am all for independence but I am not in the
0:18:35 > 0:18:39business of restricting choice for Scottish people. I think it is
0:18:39 > 0:18:45vital that we allow Scotland before choices that are available if there
0:18:45 > 0:18:49is a demand and if that comes forward. -- the fault choices.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52does not speak for all Scottish people and some are now determined
0:18:52 > 0:18:56to make that clear. The idea that this would be smoothly negotiated
0:18:56 > 0:19:00with all the good bits going to Scotland and the bad bits going to
0:19:00 > 0:19:03England is absolute nonsense and Alex Salmond knows it. He is the
0:19:03 > 0:19:06author of this difficulty. He would be better concentrating on the
0:19:07 > 0:19:11things that he runs today and making a good job of that instead
0:19:11 > 0:19:16of turning his attention to other things. This Haggis met its fate in
0:19:16 > 0:19:20England. Many more will be stabbed in Scotland tomorrow. The question
0:19:20 > 0:19:30is whether future celebrations will be held in countries that have
0:19:30 > 0:19:31
0:19:31 > 0:19:34separated rather than state United. -- rather than remained united.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Harry Redknapp has been told that he failed to declare his offshore
0:19:38 > 0:19:41bank account for six years, only registering it with tax officials
0:19:41 > 0:19:50after he had been arrested. It is alleged that the account, named
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Rosie 47 after his dog, was used to hold �180,000 of transfer bonuses.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Harry Redknapp denies cheating the public revenue.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01In Yemen the President Ali Abdullah Saleh has stepped down after 33
0:20:01 > 0:20:04years in power and has left the country for medical treatment in
0:20:04 > 0:20:08the United States. The country that he has left is in political turmoil
0:20:08 > 0:20:13with signs that is the most groups linked to terrorist organisations
0:20:13 > 0:20:20have a growing influence in the strategically important corner of
0:20:20 > 0:20:24the Middle East. -- Islamist groups. Stephen Sackur reports from Aden in
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Yemen. The main road East out of Aden,
0:20:29 > 0:20:39gateway to a lawless land, seen by Western intelligence agencies as
0:20:39 > 0:20:42
0:20:42 > 0:20:47one of the most dangerous places in SPEAKS ARABIC.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50The Yemeni army stopped me from heading for the town of Zinjibar.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56Al-Qaeda are there, the local commander told me. Go any further
0:20:56 > 0:21:02and you will be killed. Despite the roadblocks and sporadic fighting,
0:21:02 > 0:21:07we got these latest pictures from Zinjibar. The town is in ruins,
0:21:07 > 0:21:17fighters from Ansar al-Sharia, widely seen as a front for Al-Qaeda
0:21:17 > 0:21:28
0:21:28 > 0:21:34in the Arabian peninsula, patrol The Islamist militants have
0:21:34 > 0:21:40advanced across the rugged mountains of South East Yemen. The
0:21:40 > 0:21:49central Government sunk in political chaos has been unable or
0:21:49 > 0:21:53unwilling to defeat them. This man, a tribal leader, knows Al-Qaeda
0:21:53 > 0:21:56better than anyone. He has some ties to insurgents. The Government
0:21:56 > 0:22:02used him as a go-between in a failed bid to negotiate a peace
0:22:02 > 0:22:12deal. Do you believe that Al-Qaeda in Yemen today is getting stronger
0:22:12 > 0:22:34
0:22:35 > 0:22:40Yemen occupies a vital strategic position, because beyond these
0:22:40 > 0:22:44shipping lanes of the oil fields of Saudi Arabia. There is now enormous
0:22:44 > 0:22:49pressure on Yemen's security forces to combat the insurgent threat.
0:22:49 > 0:22:55are doing our best with our limited resources. What we need from the
0:22:55 > 0:23:01international community is to stand with us, to support us, through
0:23:01 > 0:23:06this critical time. The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is casting a
0:23:06 > 0:23:16dark shadow over the Arabian peninsula. Western powers know it,
0:23:16 > 0:23:18
0:23:18 > 0:23:22but they seem powerless to prevent And Stephen Sackur's 4 report from
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Yemen can be seen on the BBC News Channel at half past midnight or on
0:23:26 > 0:23:34the BBC iPlayer. For the first time, scientists have
0:23:34 > 0:23:37used stem cells from human embryos to treat eye diseases. Two
0:23:37 > 0:23:41Americans have reported slight improvement in their eyesight and a
0:23:41 > 0:23:45British man had a similar operation in London last week. Experts are
0:23:45 > 0:23:52being cautious about the prospect of curing blind us but they say
0:23:52 > 0:23:57that progress is very encouraging nonetheless. -- during blind us.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Is it safe to inject the eye with the cells in this syringe? That is
0:24:01 > 0:24:06what this trial was trying to find out. Most significant is that
0:24:06 > 0:24:10doctors are now finally using human embryonic stem cells in patients. A
0:24:10 > 0:24:14newly fertilised human embryo has the potential to turn into any
0:24:14 > 0:24:18tissue, that is why many scientists believe that the stem cells inside
0:24:18 > 0:24:24of a potential to treat a vast range of diseases. The destruction
0:24:24 > 0:24:27of embryos just a few days old has made it controversial. American
0:24:27 > 0:24:35scientists manipulated embryonic stem cells to become specialised
0:24:35 > 0:24:40eye cells and injected them into the back of the eye of two patients.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Their eyesight is so poor that they are registered blind. The hope was
0:24:45 > 0:24:48that the treatment might restore some of their damaged eye cells.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Both patients noticed a slight improvement in vision, which might
0:24:53 > 0:24:57be down to chance, but importantly they suffered no bad effects.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Marcus Hilton, who runs a bar in West Yorkshire, is the first
0:25:01 > 0:25:04patient in Europe to have the treatment. He has Stargardt's
0:25:04 > 0:25:11disease, which means his eyesight has been getting worse since
0:25:11 > 0:25:15childhood, and it makes simple tasks the challenge. This condition
0:25:15 > 0:25:19is frustrating at times, not being able to read the things you need to
0:25:19 > 0:25:25read. Date today I get on with it because it has been like that since
0:25:25 > 0:25:30day one. -- from day to day. This eye specialist is running the UK
0:25:31 > 0:25:33trial. He hopes that it could eventually be used to help patients
0:25:33 > 0:25:38with age-related macular degeneration, the most common form
0:25:38 > 0:25:43of blindness in the developed world. There is very little that we can do
0:25:43 > 0:25:47for these people at the moment. It is very exciting to be at the point
0:25:47 > 0:25:50where we are beginning to test the potential of new interventions.
0:25:50 > 0:25:58Marcus Hilton had his treatment last week. It will be some time
0:25:58 > 0:26:01before he knows whether it has had an effect. It is exciting and
0:26:01 > 0:26:04hopefully something positive will come out of it. Even if it does not
0:26:04 > 0:26:09improve my eyesight but just maintains it, that would be good
0:26:09 > 0:26:13enough. There has been a good deal of hype and hope surrounding human
0:26:13 > 0:26:17embryonic stem cells, and although this trial marks a step forward, it