24/01/2012 BBC News at Ten

Tonight at 10, Europe's problems holding back the entire global

economy, according to the International Monetary Fund. It's

as the world economy is deep in the danger zone and sharply reduces the

forecast for growth. That includes Britain, where total government

that has passed one trillion pounds. The Bank of England has this

warning. The path of recovery is likely to be arduous, long and

uneven. The spoke on the eve of publication of the latest growth

figures for the UK economy. Also tonight: one of Britain's

biggest oil refineries goes into administration. 1000 jobs at risk

and fears about prices. All of that will mean further pressure on price

as we have to import more product. I can see a new record for diesel

within days. In Nigeria, a crackdown on Islamist

extremists after a big terrorist attack. This was a well-planned,

well-orchestrated assault, with devastating results.

Scotland's first minister sets out his preferred questions in a

referendum on independence. And treating eye disease with stem

cells - why scientists are reporting progress.

Later in the hour, I will be here with Sportsday on the News Channel,

with all the action from tonight's Carling Cup semi-final. But which

Championship side has made it to Good evening. The global economy

will stay in the danger zone until action is taken to tackle Europe's

debt crisis. That is the warning from the International Monetary

Fund, which today sharply reduced its forecasts for global economic

growth, including in the UK. The warning of a tough year ahead was

echoed tonight by Sir Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England.

Our Economics Editor looks at the latest figures.

The International Monetary Fund does not know what will happen to

The epicentre of the danger is Europe, but the rest of the world

is increasingly affected. There is an even greater danger, namely that

the European crisis intensifies. In this case, the world could be

plunged into another recession. do we fit into this gloomy picture?

Somewhere in the middle. The fund still expects the US economy to

grow by 1.8% in 2012. That is not what President Obama would be

hoping for, but it is better than most. The forecast for the UK this

year has been cut to just 0.6%, slightly less than the official

forecast. Even that is better than the Eurozone, which the fund is

expecting to shrink slightly in 2012, which much -- with much a

sharper downturns for countries like Spain and Italy. European

finance ministers disappointed the markets today by failing to reach a

deal on Greek debt. The IMF says debt, private and public, is when

on the recovery nearly everywhere, and so our government's efforts to

get borrowing under control. Decreasing debt is a marathon, not

a sprint. Going too fast will kill growth. It is useful to remember

that it took more than two decades to successfully decrease debt from

its World War II levels. Does that mean the fund wants the Government

to ease upon cutting our deficit? Well, yes. He said the Chancellor

should consider it, though you would not think so, looking at

Britain's mountain of IOUs. Today, the government's debt rose to over

one trillion pounds. Believe it or not, that is below the average for

an economy of our size and less than expected, but it is still

�16,000 for every person in the UK. Welcome to Sir Mervyn King,

Governor of the Bank of England. Tonight, Sir Mervyn King said the

Bank of England would pump more money into the economy if it had to,

but it could not make our troubles disappear. The path of recovery is

likely to be arduous, long and uneven. The position of the world

economy, especially in the euro area, is serious. But there is no

reason to despair. All crises come to an end. This, too, shall pass.

The IMF would probably agree, but if the Eurozone crisis continues to

fester, the shadow hanging over the world economy will not be lifting

any time soon. As we said, the latest UK growth

figures will be published tomorrow, so let's join our political editor

Nick Robinson in Downing Street. A thought about the pressure mounting

on the Chancellor? Will nerves in Downing Street. There have been for

some months now. What the IMF did today was to put flesh on the bones

of that warning from the IMF's managing director yesterday,

Christine Lagarde, when she said the world faced a 1930s moment if

the Eurozone did not sought its own crisis out. In the short term, that

means that even if the worst does not happen, the Government knows

that it is having to increase Britain's debt and decrease the

deficit at a slower pace than Alistair Darling and the Labour

government were planning to. Of course, the coalition can say that

the situation has changed. That Eurozone crisis has made all the

difference, and a very difficult difference. But Labour will seize

on That's it gesture and up there should be a consideration of

slowing the pace of -- labour will seize on the suggestion that there

should be a consideration of slowing the pace of cuts in the

short term. But the worse it gets, the more there is bound to be a

ferocious debate about what on earth, if anything, the Government

can do to get the economy moving again.

There is no need for drivers to be concerned about a shortage of fuel,

according to ministers. They gave the assurance after the Coryton oil

refinery in Essex went into administration. The plan supplies

20% of the fuel used in the south- east of England. It is still

operating, but there have been no new deliveries of crude oil and

1000 jobs are at risk. This huge complex at is a key part

of our national energy infrastructure. But tonight, it is

the in the hands of administrators. Its future and that of hundreds of

its employees is now uncertain. lot of apprehension. People do not

know what is going to happen. problems here were triggered by the

bankruptcy of the planned's Swiss owners. Coryton is one of eight

such refineries in the UK. This plant can refine around 175,000

barrels of crude oil a day, 10% of the UK's fuel needs. It also

provides around 20% of the fuel in London and the south-east. BP is

its biggest customer. Today it insisted that there were no

shortages across its network, and few analysts expect supply issues

in the days ahead. But there were problems elsewhere. In Lincolnshire,

around 100 tanker drivers started seven days of strike action. It has

all led some to warn of higher prices ahead. With the Petroplus

Coryton refinery in doubt, and with tanker drivers striking in the

north, all of that will mean further pressure on price as we

have to import more product. I can see a new record for diesel within

days. Once, refineries were ruled by the big oil giants. This was

Coryton in the '50s. But recently, oil refineries have sought higher

returns elsewhere. One by one, these facilities have been sold to

small, independent firms, which do not have such deep pockets when

times get tight. As the big oil companies like BP have moved out of

that area, increasingly we are seeing oil refineries run by new,

stand-alone companies that are effectively financial vehicles

using borrowed money should try and be profitable in a good year. But

working a business on that model is whisky. Tonight the search for a

buyer of this huge facility is under way. It is understood that

there have been some expressions of interest. But this episode has

demonstrated that now that more of our refineries are independently

owned, they are potentially more financially vulnerable, too.

A British soldier serving with 200 Signals Squadron has died at a base

in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province. The Ministry of

Defence say his death is not thought to be the result of hostile

action. His family have been informed.

In Nigeria, security forces have instigated a major crackdown

against the Islamist group responsible for the deaths of at

least 180 people in attacks last week. Police arrested dozens of

suspected members of the Boko Haram sector during raids in and around

the city of Kano. Our Africa correspondent travelled to Kano and

sent this report. Nigeria is in trouble. Soldiers on

the streets, and communities torn apart by violence. These are

Christians who have just fled their homes in the Muslim-dominated north

of the country. A militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, gave them three

days to leave, or else. To two days after the deadline, they started

killing, shooting, Gunning. That was why we left. You were scared

for your life? Yes. We were scared. Who do you blame? For the

Government. They cannot protect us. Boko Haram is not just targeting

Christians. The ruins of a police station in the northern city of

Kano. At the weekend, militants killed almost 200 people here in

what amounts to a declaration of war against Nigeria's secular

government. This was an extremely well-planned, well-orchestrated

assault, with devastating results. The evidence suggests that Boko

Haram is fast evolving from what was a fairly low-level menace into

a full-scale insurgency. So far, the government's response has been

to flounder and to blame Al-Qaeda. They are suicide attacks. They are

quite new. The whole world is passing through terror attacks. It

is a very ugly thing. The violence has horrified most Muslims here.

But in the impoverished North, people do feel let down by their

leaders and marginalised. Boko Haram is exploiting that. Lots of

youths who are unemployed take to the streets. No jobs, no schools.

It is a sad situation. And Boko Haram is a symptom of that neglect?

It is a symptom of that neglect. a vast, increasingly polarised

country braces itself for more violence.

More Gulf states have announced that they are withdrawing from the

Arab League's observer mission in Syria after President Asad rejected

a call to hand over power to his deputy. The delegation, who have

been in Syria for him and, were supposed to oversee a peace deal

and to end the crackdown on anti- government protesters in the

country. Syria says it will allow observers to remain in the country

The Government health reforms in England are making it harder to

save money without damaging vital services. That is the verdict of

MPs on the health select committee, who say that hospital managers are

too often making short-term cuts rather than carefully planned

changes, and this adds to the criticism being levelled at the

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley. The NHS in England is facing two

big challenges. It has to find savings of 15-20 billion by 2015,

to meet rising demand and costs. It is also going through a major

shake-up, leading to today's blunt warning from MPs about the risks.

Hospitals are at the sharp end of finding the NHS savings. The man

they are paid is being squeezed. It is meant to encourage a shift to

more care being provided at home or in clinics. MPs say that money

should be saved by having fewer hospital wards, but instead health

services are being salami sliced. The patient Association says it is

hearing the same from its helpline. A 96 year-old who could not access

batteries for his hearing aid. People who are not able to access

routine surgery that they have been waiting a very long time for.

Bedford, doctors and nurses are getting out into care homes, doing

more check-ups and treatment. That has meant that fewer elderly people

have gone to hospital in an emergency. The Government says this

kind of changes being galvanised by their move to give health staff the

greater -- a greater say. They are bringing in better results and they

are doing that by bringing doctors and nurses and patients together in

new ways to bring in better services. Under the Government

changes, which are already well under way, groups of GPs will take

control of NHS budgets. More controversially there will be more

competition from charities and private companies. By later this

year, patients will have to be offered an alternative to the NHS

for some out of hospital care. The Government has already put the

health bill on pause once. Changes to some parts will be put to the

House of Lords within weeks. Ahead of those debates, lobbying has

intensified. The doctor and nurses unions want the bills to be

scrapped. They say they have destabilised the NHS. We believe

that carried on with his flawed legislation is just going to make

it worse. We are prepared to sit down and work with Government, or

whoever else, to work out how we get that stability back.

Government may well get it built through Parliament but without

support from the doctors, nurses and midwife unions. -- the bill.

Other organisations may voice other concerns this week. Despite small

increases in its budget, it is not getting easier for the NHS to find

savings. Coming up on the programme tonight:

Inside Yemen. New concerns about the growing influence their of Al-

Qaeda. The Scottish Government will

outline tomorrow how it plans to hold a referendum on independence.

On the eve of that announcement, the First Minister Alex Salmond has

been in London setting out his case and arguing that England would

benefit from Scottish independence. He has been talking to Nick

Robinson. Piping in the haggis on Burns Night.

It is a time to celebrate Scotland, a time to launch a great debate

about how the country should settle his future. Bagpipes and haggis may

seem like a cliched view of Scotland, but it is the First

Minister Alex Salmond who has chosen Burns Night tomorrow night

to launch his consultation on a referendum on Scottish independence.

Tonight Alex Salmond is not in Edinburgh but in London. He has

come to deliver a message to the English. Westminster politicians

come to Scotland and they talk about independence in negative

terms so I thought I would come to England and talk about it in

positive terms because I thought we should have a positive debate.

say that Scottish independence can be good for England. Is it good to

have a fierce row about who gets the North Sea oil revenues and the

nuclear bases? If you look at the grievances now, a lot of people in

Scotland believe that England has taken away the oil revenue and lots

of people in England think that Scotland is subsidised. If Scotland

raises its own revenue and governs its own spending, these arguments

will be over. If we divorce, he says we can still be best of

friends. Tomorrow he will tell Scottish people to dismiss David

Cameron's proposal that they should get a simple yes-no vote on

independence and soon. If you had a referendum on independence today,

could you win it? We could win the argument and independence. Why not

just have it soon? This is the biggest decision for Scotland. I

think we should do it in a careful and considered way. And on the

question of independence, you can win and you believe you will win?

Yes. So there is no need for an alternative question like extra

powers for Scotland? I am all for independence but I am not in the

business of restricting choice for Scottish people. I think it is

vital that we allow Scotland before choices that are available if there

is a demand and if that comes forward. -- the fault choices.

does not speak for all Scottish people and some are now determined

to make that clear. The idea that this would be smoothly negotiated

with all the good bits going to Scotland and the bad bits going to

England is absolute nonsense and Alex Salmond knows it. He is the

author of this difficulty. He would be better concentrating on the

things that he runs today and making a good job of that instead

of turning his attention to other things. This Haggis met its fate in

England. Many more will be stabbed in Scotland tomorrow. The question

is whether future celebrations will be held in countries that have

separated rather than state United. -- rather than remained united.

Harry Redknapp has been told that he failed to declare his offshore

bank account for six years, only registering it with tax officials

after he had been arrested. It is alleged that the account, named

Rosie 47 after his dog, was used to hold �180,000 of transfer bonuses.

Harry Redknapp denies cheating the public revenue.

In Yemen the President Ali Abdullah Saleh has stepped down after 33

years in power and has left the country for medical treatment in

the United States. The country that he has left is in political turmoil

with signs that is the most groups linked to terrorist organisations

have a growing influence in the strategically important corner of

the Middle East. -- Islamist groups. Stephen Sackur reports from Aden in

Yemen. The main road East out of Aden,

gateway to a lawless land, seen by Western intelligence agencies as

one of the most dangerous places in SPEAKS ARABIC.

The Yemeni army stopped me from heading for the town of Zinjibar.

Al-Qaeda are there, the local commander told me. Go any further

and you will be killed. Despite the roadblocks and sporadic fighting,

we got these latest pictures from Zinjibar. The town is in ruins,

fighters from Ansar al-Sharia, widely seen as a front for Al-Qaeda

in the Arabian peninsula, patrol The Islamist militants have

advanced across the rugged mountains of South East Yemen. The

central Government sunk in political chaos has been unable or

unwilling to defeat them. This man, a tribal leader, knows Al-Qaeda

better than anyone. He has some ties to insurgents. The Government

used him as a go-between in a failed bid to negotiate a peace

deal. Do you believe that Al-Qaeda in Yemen today is getting stronger

Yemen occupies a vital strategic position, because beyond these

shipping lanes of the oil fields of Saudi Arabia. There is now enormous

pressure on Yemen's security forces to combat the insurgent threat.

are doing our best with our limited resources. What we need from the

international community is to stand with us, to support us, through

this critical time. The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is casting a

dark shadow over the Arabian peninsula. Western powers know it,

but they seem powerless to prevent And Stephen Sackur's 4 report from

Yemen can be seen on the BBC News Channel at half past midnight or on

the BBC iPlayer. For the first time, scientists have

used stem cells from human embryos to treat eye diseases. Two

Americans have reported slight improvement in their eyesight and a

British man had a similar operation in London last week. Experts are

being cautious about the prospect of curing blind us but they say

that progress is very encouraging nonetheless. -- during blind us.

Is it safe to inject the eye with the cells in this syringe? That is

what this trial was trying to find out. Most significant is that

doctors are now finally using human embryonic stem cells in patients. A

newly fertilised human embryo has the potential to turn into any

tissue, that is why many scientists believe that the stem cells inside

of a potential to treat a vast range of diseases. The destruction

of embryos just a few days old has made it controversial. American

scientists manipulated embryonic stem cells to become specialised

eye cells and injected them into the back of the eye of two patients.

Their eyesight is so poor that they are registered blind. The hope was

that the treatment might restore some of their damaged eye cells.

Both patients noticed a slight improvement in vision, which might

be down to chance, but importantly they suffered no bad effects.

Marcus Hilton, who runs a bar in West Yorkshire, is the first

patient in Europe to have the treatment. He has Stargardt's

disease, which means his eyesight has been getting worse since

childhood, and it makes simple tasks the challenge. This condition

is frustrating at times, not being able to read the things you need to

read. Date today I get on with it because it has been like that since

day one. -- from day to day. This eye specialist is running the UK

trial. He hopes that it could eventually be used to help patients

with age-related macular degeneration, the most common form

of blindness in the developed world. There is very little that we can do

for these people at the moment. It is very exciting to be at the point

where we are beginning to test the potential of new interventions.

Marcus Hilton had his treatment last week. It will be some time

before he knows whether it has had an effect. It is exciting and

hopefully something positive will come out of it. Even if it does not

improve my eyesight but just maintains it, that would be good

enough. There has been a good deal of hype and hope surrounding human

embryonic stem cells, and although this trial marks a step forward, it