:01:31. > :01:39.Good evening. Britain's economy is now bigger than it was before the
:01:40. > :01:39.financial crisis struck in 2008, according to figures published
:01:40. > :01:42.today. now bigger than it was before the
:01:43. > :01:45.The Chancellor says it is thanks to the hard work of the British people.
:01:46. > :01:50.Labour says living standards are being squeezed. It follows the
:01:51. > :01:54.steepest fall suffered by any economy in the same period. It has
:01:55. > :02:01.taken six years for the economy to get back to where it was. Today's
:02:02. > :02:09.figures show growth of 0.8%. Some difficult problems remain.
:02:10. > :02:17.Britain's economy producing as much as it did six and a quarter years
:02:18. > :02:20.ago, before the great crash and longest depression since reliable
:02:21. > :02:27.records were kept. A great industrial name. Vauxhall, in lieu
:02:28. > :02:31.on the, is confident enough to -- Luton is confident enough to invest
:02:32. > :02:38.in new vans. If we go back to the beginning of this depression, how
:02:39. > :02:42.bad was it in 2008, 2009? The market fell off a cliff. It has been around
:02:43. > :02:46.for commercial vehicles 350,000 a year and went to 180,000. This
:02:47. > :02:51.factory then was on three shifts and went to one. It did fall off a
:02:52. > :02:54.cliff. Vauxhall, like manufacturing in
:02:55. > :02:59.general, is not producing quite as much as it did at the peak. It is
:03:00. > :03:05.Britain's services which have led the recovery. How does it feel on
:03:06. > :03:10.the shop floor? It has been a tough few years for many. Has it returned
:03:11. > :03:14.back to normal. It has a long way to go. We are getting there. I think
:03:15. > :03:20.every day living expenses are high. Not just us but we are taking a few
:03:21. > :03:25.pay freezes and minimal pay rises. Back to normal yet? The bills still
:03:26. > :03:31.go up and wages aren't really increasing. So, it has been a tough
:03:32. > :03:36.time. But who to blame for the fall in our
:03:37. > :03:41.standard of living? Empowered during the crash was Labour. For people
:03:42. > :03:44.across the country, people here and everywhere in Britain things are
:03:45. > :03:50.still hard. In fact living standards are still falling. Wages are not
:03:51. > :03:55.keeping pace with prices. Cashing in. That's what the Tory
:03:56. > :03:59.Chancellor and his Lib Dem colleagues hope to do - money for us
:04:00. > :04:04.and votes for them. I am the first to say, today is not the day we say,
:04:05. > :04:09.job done. Today is the day we resolve to do more, so yes, people
:04:10. > :04:12.feel prosperity. People in all parts of our country, including here in
:04:13. > :04:19.the north, feel part of a growing economy.
:04:20. > :04:22.So when will we feel richer? I think that earnings will start to rise
:04:23. > :04:27.before the end of the year. The unemployment rate has been falling
:04:28. > :04:31.and in some industries there are shortages of Labour, so employers
:04:32. > :04:36.will have to start to pay higher wages in order to attract employees.
:04:37. > :04:42.Britain is back at work. In fact, right now, the economy is moving
:04:43. > :04:48.forward faster than that of any of our big, rich competitors. We
:04:49. > :04:53.shouldn't get smug. After the slump of six years ago, America and
:04:54. > :05:02.Germany recovered the income they lost much earlier than we have
:05:03. > :05:07.Homeward bound, the risk to the recovery, debts for one. It is
:05:08. > :05:11.rational to be more cheerful about where we are headed.
:05:12. > :05:14.Our political correspondent is in Downing Street.
:05:15. > :05:23.This is clearly a very good story for the Government. They do not want
:05:24. > :05:26.to sound too triumphant about it? They said this job is not done.
:05:27. > :05:30.People in the Treasury accept this is not the perfect recovery. It
:05:31. > :05:33.could be better balanced across the country and across parts of the
:05:34. > :05:37.economy. The message they want voters to take is to let the
:05:38. > :05:40.Conservatives carry on with the job. The Lib Demes were much more bullish
:05:41. > :05:45.this morning, saying the economy recovery would not have taken place
:05:46. > :05:51.were it not for them, but again, this evening, a note of caution from
:05:52. > :05:55.Vince Cable, who has written a in a range of paper, noting how slowly
:05:56. > :05:58.things are rising and Labour say that is the point that people are
:05:59. > :06:02.not feeling this recovery, but they know and they admit they have a
:06:03. > :06:06.battle on their hands to convince voters to trust them, rather than
:06:07. > :06:10.the Conservatives with what happens next and cautious politicians on all
:06:11. > :06:13.sides don't want to give the impression the public finances are
:06:14. > :06:18.entirely fixed because they know they have manifestos to right and
:06:19. > :06:22.they want to raise expectations of huge spending increases or huge tax
:06:23. > :06:27.cuts any time soon. Thank you.
:06:28. > :06:32.The death toll in Gaza has risen above 800 as the US and UN both
:06:33. > :06:35.tried, but failed, to secure agreement from Israel and Hamas for
:06:36. > :06:40.a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire. As a result of the ceasefire,
:06:41. > :06:44.150,000 people in Gaza, 8% of the population are now living in UN
:06:45. > :06:49.schools. One of which was hit by a missile yesterday.
:06:50. > :06:54.The Israeli Government says it is rejecting a ceasefire proposal as it
:06:55. > :06:56.stands. In a moment the view from Israel. First our correspondent has
:06:57. > :07:07.sent this report from Gaza. She's the baby with no name and no
:07:08. > :07:11.mother. Perhaps the youngest victim of this
:07:12. > :07:15.bloody conflict and she's struggling for life.
:07:16. > :07:21.The girl was delivered by emergency ses sarn from her dead mother's
:07:22. > :07:26.body. She was killed in an Israeli air strike this morning. Her baby
:07:27. > :07:32.was still two weeks premature. Her oxygen supply was cut. Doctors say
:07:33. > :07:41.the little girl has a 50/50 chance of living.
:07:42. > :07:50.I am very angry. I am very sad. I feel that this baby is mine. The
:07:51. > :07:55.uncle showed us what remained of the home and the place where his niece
:07:56. > :07:59.was buried alive. Israel insists it tries to avoid civilian deaths, but
:08:00. > :08:03.this morning it was not a fighter who was killed, just a mother who
:08:04. > :08:07.was heavily pregnant. This is the area where the bomb landed. We think
:08:08. > :08:13.about 2am. There's been some damage to a house over there. This part was
:08:14. > :08:18.a UN facility, a sanitation compound. This was a small block of
:08:19. > :08:22.flats housing a few families. This is where the mother was living and
:08:23. > :08:27.she was trapped as the whole building collapsed. She was
:08:28. > :08:33.underneath, unable to escape and eventually died. But the attacks go
:08:34. > :08:38.both ways. We saw two Hamas rockets being
:08:39. > :08:42.launched into Israel today and the homeless families living here in a
:08:43. > :08:45.UN school watched, clapped and cheered.
:08:46. > :08:53.Why are people cheering at the rockets being fired into Israel?
:08:54. > :09:01.Should we be clapping the Israelis, he asked. They are shelling us and
:09:02. > :09:07.killing us. There's nothing to celebrate in Gaza.
:09:08. > :09:14.This girl and her brother were injured when another UN school were
:09:15. > :09:17.hit yesterday. A mother talks of the mother her husband died in her arms.
:09:18. > :09:20.Another family crushed by grief. Despite talk of a ceasefire, the
:09:21. > :09:37.suffering and pain go undiminished. In Jerusalem's old City, open-air
:09:38. > :09:40.prayers, under the watchful eye of Israeli troops.
:09:41. > :09:44.Young Palestinian men were blocked from reaching the city's most
:09:45. > :09:49.important mosque, which is often a flash point.
:09:50. > :09:55.Israel is struggling to contain the furry over the killings in Gaza.
:09:56. > :09:59.Well, prayers are just coming to a close here. There is a heavy Israeli
:10:00. > :10:02.security presence in the area. They are determined to stop these
:10:03. > :10:08.Palestinian worshippers from coming any closer. This is the last Friday
:10:09. > :10:11.of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. For Palestinians, it has been a
:10:12. > :10:16.bloody month. There is a great deal of anger on the streets.
:10:17. > :10:21.And it erupted first in East Jerusalem.
:10:22. > :10:26.Dozens of Palestinians battled Israeli security forces, but they
:10:27. > :10:31.were out-gunned. And in the Israeli-occupied West
:10:32. > :10:39.Bank, Palestinians say Israeli troops have killed six protestors in
:10:40. > :10:44.the past 24 hours. Some are now calling for Intifada three. A third
:10:45. > :10:45.Palestinian uprising. As unrest
:10:46. > :10:49.Palestinian uprising. As grew in the West Bank, in Cairo,
:10:50. > :10:56.more international efforts to reach a ceasefire.
:10:57. > :11:03.At this moment, we are working towards a seven days of peace. Seven
:11:04. > :11:08.days of a humanitarian ceasefire. Back in Jerusalem, we met a group of
:11:09. > :11:12.care-free looking Israeli conscripts. They joined the Army
:11:13. > :11:21.just this week and insist what is happening in Gaza is self-defence.
:11:22. > :11:25.We love peace. We are taught to love peace. We are taught that the people
:11:26. > :11:30.who come to kill you, you have to fight. You have to fight back. They
:11:31. > :11:36.told us they expect to fight in Gaza themselves some day. And they don't
:11:37. > :11:41.believe there will ever be peace. I don't expect to see it happen
:11:42. > :11:48.because the Arab people will hate us and it will never end. It will never
:11:49. > :11:54.end. There will never be peace. And I'm terribly sad, but there'll never
:11:55. > :11:58.be peace. Tonight Beth le hem is a
:11:59. > :12:03.battleground. Israeli troops firing tear gas and some live rounds, as
:12:04. > :12:09.Palestinians stage a mass protest. Israel says it is now considering a
:12:10. > :12:17.humanitarian ceasefire that would last 12 hours.
:12:18. > :12:27.Let's pick up on what was said there - this idea which has come in about
:12:28. > :12:30.Israel agreeing to have a 12-hour unilateral ceasefire, possibly
:12:31. > :12:34.starting from tomorrow. We are hearing from Israeli officials and
:12:35. > :12:38.some who have travelled with John Kerry, that Binyamin Netanyahu is
:12:39. > :12:47.apparently prepared to implement a 12-hour cessation of military action
:12:48. > :12:52.by Israel. Possibly as early as 7am tomorrow morning. That seems to be a
:12:53. > :12:57.conciliatory gesture to John Kerry and the Americans after so roundly
:12:58. > :13:01.rejecting the terms on which John Kerry had been working on, for a
:13:02. > :13:05.seven-day humanitarian pause, which was meant to pave the way to a
:13:06. > :13:09.longer-lasting peach we know that has been rejected. They had very
:13:10. > :13:14.strong objections to it. In particular, one minister said it
:13:15. > :13:21.seemed to legitimatise terrorism. Hamas was not ready to accept a
:13:22. > :13:25.seven-day truce either. Israel said it would keep troops in Gaza
:13:26. > :13:30.throughout. You might think perhaps Hamas had been seriously weakened by
:13:31. > :13:35.being so battered by Israel over the past 18 days, but I have to say,
:13:36. > :13:39.Hamas actually feels perhaps it is strengthened, because it feels that
:13:40. > :13:42.global public opinion, although divided is moving against Israel.
:13:43. > :13:48.Thank you. A British man has been confirmed
:13:49. > :13:51.as one of the victims The Air Algerie plane came down
:13:52. > :13:55.in Mali, One of the two flight data
:13:56. > :13:59.recorders has been recovered. Poor weather has been blamed
:14:00. > :14:01.for the accident. The mother of three-year-old Mikaeel
:14:02. > :14:03.Kular has pleaded guilty to killing Rosdeep Adekoya admitted repeatedly
:14:04. > :14:07.beating her son He died two days later
:14:08. > :14:11.from his injuries and his mother hid She had originally been charged with
:14:12. > :14:15.murder, but admitted the reduced Mikaeel Kular was described
:14:16. > :14:24.by those who knew him as a happy, He was just three years old when
:14:25. > :14:29.he was killed by his own mother. Today, Rosdeep Adekoya was brought
:14:30. > :14:33.to the High Court in Edinburgh to She cried as the court heard how she
:14:34. > :14:39.lost her temper when her son vomited after a big meal, punching and
:14:40. > :14:44.hitting him every time he was sick. We now know that Rosdeep Adekoya
:14:45. > :14:48.beat her son here at the family And then, instead of seeking help,
:14:49. > :14:55.she kept him hidden, from nursery for two days
:14:56. > :15:00.until he died on his bedroom floor. Hundreds came out to help
:15:01. > :15:08.a mother search for her little boy. She had already bundled her son's
:15:09. > :15:13.body in a suitcase, driven out of the city
:15:14. > :15:17.and buried him in these woods. For those who searched,
:15:18. > :15:20.today's hearing was hard to take. And to be told that he wasn't
:15:21. > :15:27.missing, that he had been murdered, Mikaeel's natural father said
:15:28. > :15:34.nothing as he left court, having heard how his son died
:15:35. > :15:37.in severe pain. Social services are now
:15:38. > :15:41.reviewing the case. At the spot where the little boy
:15:42. > :15:45.was dumped, this tribute remains. Adekoya's sentencing must wait
:15:46. > :15:48.for background reports, as the court and the country try to
:15:49. > :15:52.comprehend her crime. The Royal Bank
:15:53. > :15:59.of Scotland has announced In the first half of this year,
:16:00. > :16:06.the company's profits doubled to RBS was bailed out by the Government
:16:07. > :16:12.in 2008, meaning Today's announcement is likely fuel
:16:13. > :16:16.speculation on how soon the Government will sell
:16:17. > :16:18.its stake in RBS. It is the struggling bank that
:16:19. > :16:26.has become a little more healthy. After years of dire warnings
:16:27. > :16:29.and millions of pounds in fines, The Royal Bank
:16:30. > :16:31.of Scotland today announced that profits were up over 90%, as
:16:32. > :16:37.the stronger UK economy kicked in. Visiting a branch of NatWest, which
:16:38. > :16:40.RBS owns, the chief executive said Our businesses are now performing,
:16:41. > :16:47.getting much better Our businesses are a reflection
:16:48. > :16:51.of that. It started with
:16:52. > :16:54.our consumer personal business. You saw that coming through
:16:55. > :16:57.in the mortgage market and now you are seeing it coming through at the
:16:58. > :17:01.smaller business end of the market. We are 31% up on new business
:17:02. > :17:06.going into the UK economy. Also tonight, banks facing huge
:17:07. > :17:14.compensation pay-outs after a legal challenge over the mis-selling
:17:15. > :17:19.of insurance to borrowers. The bank could face further fines
:17:20. > :17:23.for payment protection insurance and there could be problems in America
:17:24. > :17:26.where the provision of mortgages by Nothing more closely represents
:17:27. > :17:33.the shock of the financial crisis than the collapse of The Royal Bank
:17:34. > :17:37.of Scotland. Its better results today once again
:17:38. > :17:40.raises the question of just when will the public be paid back
:17:41. > :17:45.the ?47 billion used to bail out At the time,
:17:46. > :17:52.we felt the rights issue had pulled Fred Goodwin was chief executive
:17:53. > :17:57.when RBS crashed and the Government was forced to take over
:17:58. > :18:00.a majority of the bank. Today's soaring share price sparked
:18:01. > :18:02.speculation that the coalition may consider selling
:18:03. > :18:06.at least part of its stake. This is the story
:18:07. > :18:09.of RBS' share price. In 2007, the bank was valued
:18:10. > :18:14.at the equivalent of ?60 per share. That sank to just ?1 per share
:18:15. > :18:19.during the financial crisis. It is now up to ?3.64, well below
:18:20. > :18:23.the ?5 per share the Government would at least need to charge to
:18:24. > :18:28.break even on the bailout. Some believe that any possible
:18:29. > :18:33.sale is many years away. I don't think we will get our
:18:34. > :18:38.money back before 2017, even 2018. The bank has a lot
:18:39. > :18:40.of restructuring to do, has to rebuild its capital, and
:18:41. > :18:44.rebuild confidence in the business. Government sources have told me
:18:45. > :18:48.there are no plans to sell any of its RBS stake until
:18:49. > :18:52.after the general election. But if the sun keeps shining on RBS,
:18:53. > :18:56.pressure could grow for the coalition to bring forward
:18:57. > :18:58.that date. The Labour leader has tried to
:18:59. > :19:05.tackle head-on personal criticism by persuading voters that
:19:06. > :19:07.his politics and principles are Ed Miliband admitted he's not
:19:08. > :19:11.from central casting and that he looks a bit like Wallace
:19:12. > :19:15.out of Wallace and Gromit. But he insisted there's more to
:19:16. > :19:18.politics than a photo opportunity. Iain Watson reports on whether
:19:19. > :19:21.Mr Miliband's potentially risky The Labour leader doesn't look
:19:22. > :19:27.like a conventional politician. He struggles with a snack
:19:28. > :19:31.and can be a bit awkward alongside And he even resembles
:19:32. > :19:37.an animated cartoon character. If you think that sounds unfair,
:19:38. > :19:41.just listen to what Ed Miliband You can find people who are more
:19:42. > :19:50.square-jawed, more chiselled... And I even believe,
:19:51. > :19:58.I even believe that you could probably find people who look better
:19:59. > :20:05.eating a bacon sandwich. Ed Miliband is indulging
:20:06. > :20:08.in a high risk strategy, pointing out some of his own flaws
:20:09. > :20:11.as a leader to try to neutralise But he also told his Labour audience
:20:12. > :20:18.that people who are disillusioned with politics would welcome
:20:19. > :20:21.his type of leadership, My true test of leadership is not
:20:22. > :20:27.just whether you look the part. And here is the problem
:20:28. > :20:36.he is trying to address. A recent poll shows a typical narrow
:20:37. > :20:40.lead for Labour, but when it comes to who would make the best
:20:41. > :20:43.Prime Minister, Ed Miliband lags His ratings are similar to those
:20:44. > :20:48.of people like William Hague, who never became Prime Minister when
:20:49. > :20:52.he was Leader of the Opposition. Ultimately it boils
:20:53. > :20:57.down to what Ronald Reagan, former US President said, "If you
:20:58. > :21:00.are explaining, you are losing". Pretty as a postcard,
:21:01. > :21:03.this part of Wales clearly does not It is represented by the Lib Dems,
:21:04. > :21:08.so will Ed Miliband's new approach If I wanted a leader,
:21:09. > :21:12.he would have to be strong and look as though he could lead,
:21:13. > :21:15.and Ed Miliband doesn't look When he was here last I found him
:21:16. > :21:21.charming. The Wallace and Gromit image
:21:22. > :21:27.that the opposition have managed On a visit to a design Centre,
:21:28. > :21:37.David Cameron denied the accusation that he was more
:21:38. > :21:41.interested in image than substance. On a day
:21:42. > :21:43.when our national output has recovered to where it was before the
:21:44. > :21:47.great recession, which was brought to us by Labour, I think that's
:21:48. > :21:51.an extraordinary thing to say. Ed Miliband used to laugh
:21:52. > :21:55.off the personal attacks but now he is very animated about claiming
:21:56. > :21:59.his is a new style of leadership. Dave Lee Travis is to face a retrial
:22:00. > :22:06.for charges of sexual assault and indecent assault, as well
:22:07. > :22:09.as a new count of indecent assault on a woman aged over 16 alleged to
:22:10. > :22:13.have taken place in 1995. The former Radio One DJ, who's 69,
:22:14. > :22:17.was acquitted in February, but jurors were unable to reach
:22:18. > :22:20.verdicts on two charges. He has formally pleaded not
:22:21. > :22:25.guilty to all three charges. At the Commonwealth Games it's been
:22:26. > :22:28.another busy day Scotland won gold,
:22:29. > :22:33.and some of the biggest names But there was a blow for Team Wales
:22:34. > :22:38.with news that one of its top Our Chief sports correspondent
:22:39. > :22:51.Dan Roan is in Glasgow. The spectre of the threat of doping
:22:52. > :22:57.haunts all events like Glasgow 2014, so this will be of concern to
:22:58. > :23:00.all those in sport. It also raises serious questions about Welsh
:23:01. > :23:07.athletics, who are reeling from two failed drugs tests in as many weeks.
:23:08. > :23:13.New line Rhys Williams is having a difficult season. He was one of
:23:14. > :23:16.Wales' brightest medal hopes but Rhys Williams is now fighting to
:23:17. > :23:20.save his reputation, kicked out of the Commonwealth Games for an
:23:21. > :23:25.alleged doping offence. It was after this race in Glasgow a fortnight ago
:23:26. > :23:29.that the European 400 metres hurdles champion failed a drugs test, and
:23:30. > :23:34.today he was suspended. In a statement he said, I am utterly
:23:35. > :23:38.devastated about the news of this anti-doping rule violation which has
:23:39. > :23:42.come as a great shock to me. From the outset I would strongly like to
:23:43. > :23:46.state that I have not knowingly taken any banned substance. Last
:23:47. > :23:50.week, his team-mate, Gareth Warburton, was also ruled out of
:23:51. > :23:56.Glasgow 2014, having fallen foul of doping regulations. Today's News has
:23:57. > :24:01.prompted an internal review by Welsh athletics. It is a bleak day for us
:24:02. > :24:05.and we need to do everything we can to understand why it has happened,
:24:06. > :24:09.because it is not great for athletics in Wales. Rhys Williams
:24:10. > :24:14.will not be running at Hampden Park as planned on Sunday. The first
:24:15. > :24:18.doping controversy since the Games began, the last thing Glasgow 2014
:24:19. > :24:26.needed, when organisers want the focus to be on the action.
:24:27. > :24:30.And today it did not disappoint. England's Joanna Rowsell dominated
:24:31. > :24:32.the final of the 3000 metres individual pursuit, adding
:24:33. > :24:38.Commonwealth gold to her world title. It was the event that I was
:24:39. > :24:45.spotted for when I started so it means a lot to me. Fantastic to win
:24:46. > :24:53.today. There was success for the home fans to celebrate, too.
:24:54. > :24:57.Claiming the men's para- cycling 1000 metres tandem time trial, a big
:24:58. > :25:01.win witnessed by Billy Connelly. Just like the rest of the crowd, he
:25:02. > :25:08.was brought to his feet by the host nation's first cycling gold. It did
:25:09. > :25:12.not stop there. After a triumphant night for Scotland in the pool
:25:13. > :25:15.yesterday, another this evening, as Danny Wallace stormed to victory in
:25:16. > :25:18.the 400 metres individual medley, leaving everyone in no doubt just
:25:19. > :25:25.how much it means to win gold on home soil. England have won two gold
:25:26. > :25:30.medals themselves in the pool today, along with three in the judo. They
:25:31. > :25:34.topped the medal table with 12, but Scotland are third with seven gold
:25:35. > :25:38.medals themselves. After a disappointing summer and with the
:25:39. > :25:39.Rio 2016 Olympics on the horizon, these Games are becoming what
:25:40. > :25:42.British sport needed. Thousands of people lined
:25:43. > :25:45.the streets of Liverpool today to watch three giant marionettes
:25:46. > :25:47.parade through the city. The puppets,
:25:48. > :25:49.an old lady who measures more than 25 feet tall, her granddaughter
:25:50. > :25:52.and her dog, will tell the story of Liverpool during World War One, as
:25:53. > :25:56.part of the city's commemorations. They'll walk through the city
:25:57. > :26:05.until Sunday when they'll sail away That's all from us. Now, time for
:26:06. > :26:08.the news where you are.