01/11/2012 BBC News at Ten

A prison officer is killed in Northern Ireland - the first murder

of its kind there for 20 years. David Black was shot on his way to

work. It's thought dissident Republicans are responsible. He was

ambushed in his car on a motorway. Northern Ireland's First Minister

condemns the attack. The whole of this community is roundly and

unitedly opposed to them and will continue to stand up to them. We

will face them down and they will never win. We'll be assessing what

impact the murder may have on Northern Ireland's peace process.

Also tonight: The comedian Freddie Starr is arrested as part of the

Jimmy Savile investigations. In an earlier interview, he insisted he

is innocent. The allegation is ridiculous. It's... I am done for

words. New Yorkers in a jam as commuters

try to get into work after Superstorm Sandy. Meanwhile, Obama

and Romney are on the campaign trail as the polls show they are

still neck and neck. And, the latest casualty on the

High Street - Comet goes into administration, 6,500 jobs are at

risk. I will be here with Sportsday later, including Murray's Masters

meltdown in Paris. Knocked out by a Good evening. It's the first murder

of its kind in 20 years in Northern Ireland - a prison officer has been

shot and killed on his way to work. No one's yet claimed responsibility

for the death of David Black but the finger of blame is being

pointed at dissident Republicans. Stormont's First Minister, Peter

Robinson, and his deputy, Martin McGuinness, stood together to

condemn the attack and insisted it would not destabilise the peace

process. Chris Buckler has more. David Black was shot dead as he

drove to work. In the minds of dissident Republicans it was that

job as a prison officer that made him a target. The attack was a

simple ambush. As he drove along the M1 motorway near the start of

rush hour a car pulled up beside him and a gunman fired several

shots. By the time his car crashed into the side, it's believed he was

already dead. David Black is the 30th prison officer to be killed by

paramilitaries since the 1970s. And the first to be murdered in almost

20 years. The whole of this community is roundly and unitedly

opposed to them and will continue to stand up to them. We will face

them down and they will never win. David Black had left his home in

Cookstown and was on his way to start a shift at Maghaberry Prison.

He was driving along the M1 between Portadown and Lurgan at about

7.30am this morning when a car pulled up alongside him and shots

were fired. The car used by the gunmen was later found abandoned a

distance away near Lurgan in County Armagh. The vehicle which had

Dublin number plates had been burned out. It was a completely

senseless attack. It demonstrates aptly the wrecklessness, the

ruthlessness and the sheer dangerousness of those who still

oppose peace. Dissident Republicans are involved in a protest at the

jail where David Black worked. They're demanding special political

status and an end to strip searches. Alongside the police and army many

prison officers were targeted in attacks during the years of The

Troubles. What they can't kill is the peace process. And we are the

proof of that. Our community stands absolutely four square and united.

The shooting happened a matter of miles away from this estate in

Craigavon, where the first member of the Police Service of Northern

Ireland was killed just a few years ago. There are still pockets of

hardline Republicans determined to oppose political change in Northern

Ireland at whatever cost and for a public now used to peace, what was

in effect a drive-by shooting is particularly shocking.. It's like

something you would see in a movie. It's just frightening when you

think about it. The return of violence is a worry for many here.

But it's devastating for David Black's family. He had applied for

early redundancy and was planning for life after serving as a prison

officer during some of the worst kwraoerbs of The -- years of The

Troubles. Chris is live now for us in

Stormont. What effect will today's murder have on the peace process

there? Well, when you take a look at this there's been condemnation

from all sides, both north and south of the Irish border and

people are united. This will also involve an investigation from

police officers from the Republic of Ireland as well as Northern

Ireland. They will stand very much united. At the same time, this

attack does show once again the threat posed by dissident

Republicans and in recent months there have been indications that

those groupings, although small, have been attempting to become more

organised. A number of prison officers in the last year have been

warned about the safety, some even moved from their home. But it's

worth emphasising again that it was back in 1993 that the last prison

officer was killed by paramilitaries. As a result, this

has caused a great deal of shock, in a place where such killings were

once common and that does show that Northern Ireland has changed, just

that shock, but at the same time the shooting also shows the threat

that remains. Thank you. The death toll on the north-east coast of

America from Superstorm Sandy is continuing to rise. Eighty people

are believed to have been killed with many feared missing and

millions of people are still without power. There have been

chaotic scenes in New York as commuters battle to get into work.

Steve Kingston has the first of our reports tonight from New York.

It was the commute from hell. A painful crawl that would test the

patience of even the most hardened New Yorkers. This is crazy. It's

taking me 45 minutes just to get from there on 3rd Street. I never

seen traffic like this in my life. This was the bus queue in Brooklyn,

snaking around a giant sports arena. And here the fuel queue at one of

the number of places where petrol is still flowing.

We are finally crossing the bridge into Manhattan now. One of the

things that the mayor's office has done in theory to make the flow of

trafg smoother -- traffic traffic smoother is so say every car has to

have at least three people in it but it's still been a torturous

journey. At checkpoints the police were counting heads to enforce that

new rule. While in neighbouring New Jersey

the National Guard are taking the lead, moving residents out of

waterlogged homes, among them those who will hear stories of their

escape in years to come. But other lives were cut short. He was a

really kind person, with a very gentle sweet spirit. When Marcia

called her son's phone on Tuesday morning a policeman answered. Jacob

had been killed by a falling tree. It feels like a dream and when I

woke up this morning and realised my son's never coming home... You

know, it keeps sinking in, that we have lost him.

The material damage can be put right but here in Long Island the

clearup will be time consuming and costly.

While back in New York's China Town police officers are directing the

traffic. The lights are still out in Manhattan alone a quarter of a

million people are without electricity.

Do you have power? Do I have power? No. I am in the dark. There is one

ray of light, and it's underground. The New York subway began offering

a restricted service this morning but it will be many months before

the familiar everyday chaos of this city returns.

President Obama has resumed his election campaign, which he'd

suspended because of the storm. But with less than four days to the

elections, one of the latest polls show that the presidential race

remains effectively tied - President Obama is on 47% and

challenger Mitt Romney is only one point behind. Bridget Kendall

reports from the campaign trail. Arriving in style for his first

campaign appearance since the hurricane. Barack Obama in

Wisconsin today with a new spring in his step, seizing his slogan of

change back from his opponent, Governor Romney. He is saying he is

the candidate of change. Well let me tell you, Wisconsin, we know

what change looks like. And what the Governor's offering sure ain't

change. A sign the fight to the finish is on. I will fight for you

and your families every single day as hard as I know how, you know

that. What a turnaround. No longer on the back foot, the President is

basking in new high approval ratings for his leadership during

the storm. President Obama's campaign slogan

is Forward. I think a better term would be Forewarned. In Virginia

another swing state, the former Governor and millionaire

businessman Mitt Romney needs Republicans to keep the faith.

know that the President wants to see four more years and that's his

chant. Four more years. Our chant is this - five more days, five more

days. This Republican rally is all about hype, getting energy back

into the Mitt Romney campaign after a tricky few days. It may have got

harder to attack President Obama for failure of leadership, or

failing to work with Republicans, but the message Mitt Romney is

drumming home here is that he is still the better candidate to sort

out the American economy. Virginia is a key battle ground,

last time Obama won here. But this time Republicans thought they had

the edge until the hurricane came along. But could the storm affect

the race? Transport worker Steven thinks so. Even though he is a

Romney voter. I think benefited, politically, President Obama. He

was there right on the ground, right in the beginning. I think

that's what leaders need to do. John is someone whose views could

really mat are next -- matter next week, still an undecided volter --

voter has it affected your view? I am still in the middle. I don't

know what to think. I am going to think when I vote on Tuesday.

only four full campaigning days left to go, it may be the deciding

factor, whether the hurricane tips this election one way or another.

The comedian Freddie Starr has been arrested in connection with the

Jimmy Savile abuse investigation. Scotland Yard said he was being

held at a police station in Warwickshire on suspicion of sexual

offences. Freddie Starr has previously offered to speak to the

police, and has denied any wrongdoing. David Sillito has the

latest. The police at Freddie Starr's home

this evening. The comedian had said last week he wanted to speak to

police to clear his name. Back in in 1974 he had appeared

with Jimmy Savile on a programme called Clunk Click. Also in the

audience in the yellow top a teenager, Karin Ward. She She has

accused Freddie Starr of groping her in a dressing room with Jimmy

Savile and Gary Glitter. A few days ago, Freddie Starr and his fiancee

invited cameras in to protest his innocence. The allegation is

ridiculous. For someone to say that I went in a dressing room with with

with Jimmy Savile and Gary Glitter is beyond belief. It is... So far

out, it's like yeah, in your dreams. He was, he said, appalled at what

he heard about Jimmy Savile, especially as he himself claims he

too was sexually abused as an eight-year-old. I know how they

feel. I know that. Because I feel the same way. I feel so sorry for

them that this animal has been going around for years and years

and years, the press knew about it, the police knew about it. You know,

the BBC knew about it. When skwraoeul in a -- meanwhile in a a

separate development a lawyer representing people who claim to

have abused says he has issued legal letters seeking compensation

from Savile's estate and also in one case, the BBC.

An auction back in July added to the millions waiting to be

distributed to Jimmy Savile's beneficiaries, that account was

today on hold. Meanwhile, in Warwickshire police remained at

Christopher Tappin, whose 65, will be sentenced in January. His

lawyers said a deal with prosecutors that he was unlikely to

serve any prison term back in the UK. The Prime Minister's troubles

over Europe have intensified. After last night's Commons defeat, David

Cameron said he would listen to concerns by Tory rebels about the

size of the EU budget. But Nick Clegg said there was no chance of

securing a budget cut. The also warned that Conservative plans to

reclaim powers from Brussels Ra false promise wrapped in the Union

Jack. Stop obsessing about Europe, David Cameron told his party when

he became their leader. Now it is him who is being forced to obsess

about it, as he's torn between the demands of Tory rebels, the Lib

Dems and Europe. 307. 294. government suffered a rare defeat

in the Commons last night as MPs voted to cut the EU's next Budget.

Tory rebels aligned themselves with Labour. Of course I will listen

carefully, but we should be absolutely clear. This government

is taking the toughest approach to the EU budget of any other

government in this country's history. It fell to his Debbie did,

Nick Clegg, to translate what that means. Telling MPs in effect that

what they devoted four could not and would not be delivered. There

is absolutely no prospect of securing a real-terms cut to the

European Union budget. A coalition government position remains the

same. We will not accept increase above inflation to the EU budget.

Be realistic about what can be negotiated, is Nick Clegg's message.

Stand up and fight, say the Tory rebels in reply. I find that when I

going to a negotiation I don't give away with my bottom line to start

with, I start with something I really, really want and see how far

I can get. I think the government needs to toughen up its position.

David Cameron has already experienced what it's like to find

himself isolated in Europe. He now knows he needs to find allies not

just to curb the EU budget but to agree how the cake is sliced up

between different competing interests. The EU spends

approximately �100 billion a year. Not just on so-called neural crafts,

but on subsidies for farmers and Investment in Europe's poorer

regions. Brussels is proposing an increase in a budget of 5%. They

have the backing of many countries, the 17 out of Preddie seven member

states gain more than they put in. Britain has one of those who

doesn't. The Treasury puts our annual net contribution at over �8

billion. Today, Greek public sector workers protested again against

austerity measures. They, like voters in many European countries,

see an increase in the EU budget as something to welcome not condemn.

If negotiating a new EU budget is causing David Cameron a headache,

even more so his plan one day to renegotiate Britain's entire

relationship with Europe. Today, as deputy Nick Clegg said, that in

effect that idea was a total non- runner. Britain may want to claw

back some powers from the EU, Nick Clegg said, but the rest of Europe

wouldn't allow a deal that suited us alone. A look a little closer.

Because they Grant, unilateral repatriation of powers might sound

appealing but in reality it is a false promise wrapped in a Union

Jack. If only David Cameron could get the coalition, his own MPs and

the rest of Europe to all agree with him, he wouldn't have a

Coming up... A tale of two Chinas, the haves and have-nots, as the gap

grows between rich and poor. The electrical giant Comet was going

into administration, putting 6500 jobs at risk. It's the latest and

one of the biggest high-street failures of recent years. The store

has traded since 1933 and has been hit hard by the recession and the

rise of online shopping. Comet, we deal in your ideal. But things have

been far from ideal for a long time for this loss-making retailer.

Today, at its head office in Hull, anxiety and confusion for workers.

I don't know anything. You probably know more than we do. We are gutted

really. Apprehensive. Been there before. Just back in February Comet

was sold for a token �2. A sign of how much trouble it was in. Now, at

the most crucial time of the year, Comet is being forced to pay

suppliers up front., causing cashflow problems. The final blow.

Comet Double B pursued a retail strategy and it ignored the

internet and e-commerce. Fundamentally that is what caused

the downfall. For 10 years they just focused on not embracing the

Internet in the way that other retailers have. This is one of the

biggest retail collapses since Woolworths back in 2008. This year

we've seen a whole host of retailers falling into

administration. From Game and Clinton Cards, To more recently JJB

Sports. Now there's another household name and it all shows

just how fast the High Street is changing. A new era for retailers

is under way. You need less stores to reach customers. You need fewer

chains than we've got at the moment. That's why we've seen all of these

players dropped out and even players who are quite healthy are

shutting stores and readjusting space to new requirements. Tonight

Comet's website went down, overwhelmed, it seems, by customers.

The Cavaday says it's urgent be working on plans to secure its

future. Stores remain open for now. Deliveries for items already paid

for will be honoured. As for gift vouchers, the message is used now

while stocks last. The body of the missing schoolboy Pierre Farnes is

believed to have been found off the island of Porquerolles in the south

of France. He went missing on Saturday afternoon, just hours

after arriving on the island for a half-term holiday. His family are

due to form a identify his body. In a week's time, China's Communist

Party will gather in Beijing to appoint new leaders who will rule

the country for the next decade. One of the main challenges they

will face is the growing gap between the rich and the poor. In

recent years millions have been lifted out of poverty but many have

been left behind. Our reporter sense this from Guizhou in China.

In China's poorest province, deep in its Rohart, life still ambles by.

The economic boom in the cities along the coast is happening far

from here. Nevertheless, today they are celebrating. It is this man's

first child. There's a banquet and gifts, a refrigerator, a new bed.

He could never afford these himself. A farmer and labourer, he's learnt

nothing this year. He is one of over 100 million Chinese in its

villages still living below the poverty line.

TRANSLATION: It's not fair. I've been to the city's, they are rich,

eat in fancy restaurants every day. My life doesn't compare. It's a

problem China's next leaders know they must tackle. China's economic

growth has been deeply unfair, some have not benefited much. The gap

between the rich and the rest is yawning ever wider. It may not be

sustainable. A three-hour flight away in Beijing, people now enjoy

income is comparable to parts of Europe. The Communist Party's rule

here rests on the assumption it is making everyone better off. But

China is now one of the most equal so -- one of the most unequal

societies everywhere. The inequalities of blaring and growing.

1 million Chinese are now millionaires. They dressed in

designer outfits which cost more money than a farmer in his village

has had in his lifetime. TRANSLATION: In the West polo is

for the elite. In China we are rich now so we want what is fashionable

and sophisticated. It's natural. Sophistication means a French

chateau. We created near Beijing. Those with money come here to

sample Western lifestyles and get a taste for leisure and luxury. The

most pricey wine grown at the Chateau costs �1,000 a bottle. Cao

Pengfang is also spending �1,000 on the castle themed wedding photos.

They want to impress their relatives who've never left China.

Both estate agents, they are part of the rising middle class. But

China's inner qualities mean they, too, don't feel particularly well-

off, not when they see how will be some are becoming.

TRANSLATION: Our lives are better than the poorest but far worse than

the rich. It's not great, we are stuck in the middle. The poorest

feel stuck, too, in the countryside. It is why China's communist rulers

say tackling inequality is now one of the most urgent tasks. Earring

if they fail it could undermine the legitimacy of their one-party rule.

In the last half-hour the prestigious Mercury Prize for Best

Album of the year has been awarded to Alt-J, an electronic rock

quartet and relative newcomers to the UK music scene. With digital

downloads of individual songs far outselling albums, is the prize

beginning to lose its relevance? The winner of the 2012 Barclaycard

Mercury Prize is... Alt-J! For their album, An Awesome Wave.

the winners of this Mercury Prize for their debut album, praised for

its style of original electronica rock. I definitely prepared myself

for there's no way we are going to win it so don't even bother

entertaining the idea. I can't quite believe where we are right

now. Seriously. I'm literally curdling with excitement! This is a

prize famous for throwing the musical spotlight on to the new and

relatively unknown. Also on tonight's short list were the likes

of Sanli... Lianne La Havas... And Ben Howard. None of them yet close

to being household names. It is a difficult time for the album. While

single sales have been increasing up from 87 million in 2007, to 278

million in 2011, albums that sales have been steadily dropping. It is

an issue recognised by many of tonight's nominees, such as BRIT

Award winner Plan B. People do just by the songs they want. That's why

I've always tried to give the public another reason to buy my

music, by incorporating the story. If you only take one Lord two songs

you are missing other parts of the story. The industry is always

looking for the stars of tomorrow, but rather than giving it through

something like a TV talent show, the Mercurys pride themselves on

discovering artists who come up through the traditional grass roots