:00:09. > :00:12.Sectarian violence flares up again on the streets of Belfast. 29 more
:00:12. > :00:17.police officers have been injured, as they try to keep nationalists
:00:17. > :00:21.and loyalists apart. Lord Heseltine says a referendum on
:00:21. > :00:25.Europe will be an unnecessary gamble for David Cameron.
:00:25. > :00:29.A French hostage is feared to have died in Somalia, in a failed rescue
:00:29. > :00:39.operation. After the Olympics, new figures
:00:39. > :00:52.
:00:52. > :00:56.suggest no boost in the number of Good evening. 29 police officers
:00:56. > :00:59.have been hurt today in continuing violence in east Belfast. Trouble
:00:59. > :01:04.flared again after a city centre demonstration against the council's
:01:04. > :01:09.decision to limit the number of days the Union Flag is flown from
:01:09. > :01:13.City Hall. From Belfast, Chris Buckler reports.
:01:13. > :01:18.The principles of protest were once again lost to violence today. The
:01:18. > :01:22.streets of east Belfast were turned into a battleground, which saw both
:01:23. > :01:30.flames and fights. To some of these protesters, the
:01:30. > :01:33.Union Flag wasn't just a symbol, it was a weapon.
:01:33. > :01:37.Loyalists clashed with nationalists, as they returned from the city
:01:37. > :01:41.centre, where they'd been demonstrating against a decision to
:01:41. > :01:47.restrict the flying of the flag at Belfast City Hall. The dispute is
:01:47. > :01:50.now well over a month old and old sectarian tensions have risen again.
:01:50. > :01:54.What I saw was republicans arming themselves with stones and firing
:01:54. > :02:01.on women and kids. These people are absolutely horrified. They were in
:02:01. > :02:04.distress, coming back from a peaceful protest.
:02:04. > :02:07.Again, there was water cannon and huge numbers of police officers on
:02:07. > :02:13.the streets of east Belfast this. Road separates a nationalist area
:02:13. > :02:16.from a loyalist area. And once more, police are stuck in the middle.
:02:16. > :02:21.Hundreds of police jeeps sitting there doing nothing to stop these
:02:21. > :02:26.people coming in to destroy our houses. I'm a taxpayer. I own my
:02:26. > :02:34.own house. This is a disgrace. It is wrong. But it's the police who
:02:34. > :02:39.have found themselves the targets. And often the victims of much of
:02:39. > :02:44.this trouble. Plastic bullets have been fired and water cannon used,
:02:44. > :02:48.to try to force the crowds back. More than a dozen officers were
:02:48. > :02:52.injured today and scores have been hurt in the disorder over the last
:02:52. > :02:55.40 days. Many of the protests have been peaceful, like this one at
:02:55. > :03:00.Belfast City Hall. However, there are plenty of people in Northern
:03:00. > :03:05.Ireland frustrated by the weeks of roads being blocked, and angry at
:03:05. > :03:08.the days of trouble. It's time people just woke up and got on with
:03:08. > :03:11.life. There is a recession, and everything else. Look at the
:03:11. > :03:15.business today suffering. It is just not right. People don't
:03:15. > :03:21.deserve this. And after another evening of
:03:21. > :03:26.trouble, the concern for the police, the politicians and the public is
:03:26. > :03:28.that the heat remains in this dispute over flags. Chris Buckler
:03:28. > :03:32.reporting there. Chris joins us live from Belfast. We have been
:03:32. > :03:37.hearing in the last few moments, literally, 29 officers injured.
:03:37. > :03:42.This has been a bad day. Yes, one of the worst days of the flag's
:03:43. > :03:45.dispute so far. 29 officers injured in the latest figures released by
:03:45. > :03:51.the Police Service of Northern Ireland within the last few minutes.
:03:51. > :03:55.That brings it to almost 100 that have been hurt during the last six
:03:55. > :03:58.weeks of this flag dispute. I can also tell you trouble has continued
:03:58. > :04:02.into east Belfast into the evening. Within the last half hour the
:04:02. > :04:05.police have had to use water cannon to push back the protesters. We
:04:05. > :04:08.have had a statement from the Chief Constable of the PSNI. He said it
:04:08. > :04:12.was a difficult operation today dealing with a large number of
:04:12. > :04:15.people, determined to cause disorder and violence. But he says,
:04:15. > :04:18."The police are determined to engage with all those committed to
:04:18. > :04:21.finding a solution to these issues." The problem is that
:04:21. > :04:25.finding the solution is incredibly difficult. The council decision to
:04:25. > :04:29.stop flying the flag every day on Belfast City Hall was a democratic
:04:29. > :04:33.one. The council's make-up hasn't changed, so that decision is not
:04:33. > :04:36.going to be reversed. So the politicians, the police, and
:04:36. > :04:39.everybody else maybe trying to find a solution but one, frankly, isn't
:04:39. > :04:43.obvious. Thank you.
:04:43. > :04:46.Lord Heseltine, the Government's advisor on economic growth, has
:04:46. > :04:49.warned David Cameron that holding a referendum on Britain's
:04:49. > :04:54.relationship with the European Union would be - an unnecessary
:04:54. > :04:57.gamble. He said it could create a cloud of uncertainty and drive away
:04:57. > :05:00.investment. Labour and some senior Liberal Democrats have also
:05:00. > :05:05.expressed concerns. The Prime Minister is expected to set out his
:05:05. > :05:08.proposals later this month. Our Political Correspondent, Vicki
:05:08. > :05:11.Young reports. David Cameron wants it change
:05:11. > :05:15.Britain's relationship with the EU, watering down the influence of
:05:15. > :05:18.Brussels and he wants voterings to have their say in a referendum. But
:05:18. > :05:24.Liberal Democrat ministers say the idea is deeply unhelpful. Some
:05:24. > :05:29.business lead remembers warning of damaging uncertainty and a leading
:05:29. > :05:33.German politician says Britain is trying to blackmail its European
:05:33. > :05:37.partners. Lord Heseltine is well- known for pro-European views. Now
:05:37. > :05:47.he is a Government advisor on economic growth and he is openly
:05:47. > :05:54.
:05:55. > :05:58.criticising Mr Cameron's approach. The Prime Minister wants Britain to
:05:58. > :06:02.stay in the EU, but hopes to win back significant powers for
:06:02. > :06:06.Westminster. Labour say he is more concerned about the threat from
:06:06. > :06:10.UKIP than the national interest. What we need to be focusing on now,
:06:10. > :06:13.is how we can get jobs and growth in this country. Not heading for
:06:13. > :06:15.the departure lounge from Europe. The problem with that approach, is
:06:15. > :06:18.that if you are an investor thinking about putting your money
:06:18. > :06:21.into Britain, you are not going to be doing that, if you think Britain
:06:21. > :06:24.is about to leave the European Union. I think Lord Heseltine's
:06:24. > :06:28.warning should be taken seriously. David Cameron is under growing
:06:28. > :06:33.pressure from some in his party to move towards a looser relationship
:06:33. > :06:37.with the EU. But there are question marks over how realistic a full-
:06:37. > :06:41.scale renegotiation really is, given that some senior figures in
:06:41. > :06:45.Brussels are already warning that the UKcan't just cherry-pick the
:06:45. > :06:50.bits of the EU it fancies being part of. Of course, there is a
:06:50. > :06:53.group of Tory MPs who won't be satisfied until the UK leaves
:06:53. > :06:57.altogether. Eurozone countries are moving towards closer integration
:06:57. > :07:00.and many Conservatives see that as a chance to redefine Britain's
:07:00. > :07:03.place in Europe. We are not going to be part of the euro. We are
:07:03. > :07:07.rightly decided to stay out of it. We need less government from Europe.
:07:07. > :07:11.They need more. This is the time for us to get a new deal. We want
:07:11. > :07:16.it trade and co-operate with them but we don't need all the rules,
:07:16. > :07:21.taxes and interferences. The first public vote on Europe since the
:07:21. > :07:25.1970 could still be a long way off. Mr Cameron has some tricky
:07:25. > :07:30.negotiations ahead of him. More details have emerged of the
:07:30. > :07:35.Government's plans for a flat-rate pension for people retiring after
:07:35. > :07:38.2017. It's expected to be �144 a week, expressed in today's money.
:07:38. > :07:45.Many people are expected to benefit, including women who take career
:07:45. > :07:48.breaks to bring up children. But millions in final salary pension
:07:48. > :07:50.schemes may have to pay significantly more national
:07:50. > :07:54.insurance. The police in Birmingham say two
:07:54. > :07:57.men who were stabbed to death in the city centre last night were
:07:57. > :08:01.homeless sellers of the Big Issue mag zeeb. Their identities have not
:08:01. > :08:07.been officially released. -- magazine. A 23-year-old man was
:08:07. > :08:11.arrested following the killings around 6.00pm last night. France
:08:11. > :08:18.has stepped up security tonight in public buildings and transport,
:08:18. > :08:22.fearing retaliation from Islamist groups following military
:08:23. > :08:29.operations in Somalia and malia. A French hostage is believed to
:08:29. > :08:33.have been killed in Somalia, during a failed raid to free him by French
:08:33. > :08:36.special sources. Two soldiers also died.
:08:36. > :08:41.Denis Allex had been a hostage in Somalia for three-and-a-half years.
:08:41. > :08:46.You can see the toll it took on him. The French intelligence officer was
:08:46. > :08:50.being held by these men, Al-Shabab, an Islamist militant group that has
:08:50. > :08:53.been fighting for control of Somalia for years, and has links
:08:53. > :08:58.with Al-Qaeda today France announced its special forces had
:08:58. > :09:06.launched a daring night-time rescue mission, killing 17 militants but
:09:06. > :09:10.failing to bring Denis Allex home. TRANSLATION: Very violent fighting
:09:10. > :09:15.took place. Very violent. During which - and I speak with great
:09:15. > :09:23.caution because everything leads to this conclusion - that sadly, Denis
:09:23. > :09:27.Allex was killed by his captors. But inside war-ravaged somealia,
:09:27. > :09:33.Al-Shabab now insist their hostage survived and claim another French
:09:33. > :09:37.soldier was taken prisoner. The mission clearly failed. But was
:09:37. > :09:41.its timing linked to events on the other side of Africa? French troops
:09:41. > :09:46.have just launched an offensive against Islamists in Mali. Paris
:09:46. > :09:51.may have been concerned that its hostage in Somalia could have been
:09:51. > :09:55.killed as a form of retaliation. The French deployment in Mali has
:09:55. > :09:59.been fast, aggressive and so far successful.
:09:59. > :10:05.Air strikes yesterday and today have stopped a rebel advance.
:10:05. > :10:08.Perhaps saving the whole country, a former French colony, from an
:10:08. > :10:11.Islamist takeover. TRANSLATION: I reiterate that
:10:11. > :10:16.France, in this operation, does not pursue any particular interest,
:10:16. > :10:20.other than the safegrd of a country which is a friend to us --
:10:20. > :10:27.safeguard. And has no other goal than the fight against terrorism.
:10:27. > :10:32.But there is a long way to go for the French and for African
:10:32. > :10:34.governments, fighting against Islamist insurgencies that are
:10:34. > :10:41.destabilising significant chunks of the continent, and which could
:10:41. > :10:45.threaten Europe, too. Tonight Downing Street said the
:10:45. > :10:48.Prime Minister has spoken to the French President and Mr Cameron has
:10:48. > :10:54.agreed that Britain will provide military transport planes to help
:10:54. > :10:58.with the French operation in Mali. Now, with the day's sports news,
:10:58. > :11:02.here is Carthy. Thank you very much.
:11:02. > :11:05.There were some rather interesting results in the Premier League today,
:11:05. > :11:10.but Match of the Day follow on BBC One. So please pop out of the room
:11:10. > :11:17.for a moment if you don't want to know them. Reading pulled off an
:11:17. > :11:22.astonishing comeback from 2-0 down to beat West Brom 3-2. Reading
:11:22. > :11:28.remain in 19th. Chels move up to third after a 4-0
:11:28. > :11:32.win over stoke. -- Chelsea. Stoke's John Walters scored two own goals
:11:32. > :11:36.John Walters scored two own goals and missed a penalty.
:11:36. > :11:38.1234 QPR held Tottenham to auto goalless draw.
:11:39. > :11:44.Harlequins today made sure of qualification to the quarter-finals
:11:44. > :11:48.of the Heineken Cup with a victory over Connaught. Wins for defending
:11:48. > :11:50.champions Leinster and Saracens mean they could both reach the last
:11:50. > :11:56.mean they could both reach the last eight next weekendment
:11:56. > :12:04.At this stage of the Heineken Cup, you've got to want it.
:12:04. > :12:08.Racing Metro seemed determined. Luc Ducalcon overwhelmed Saracens.
:12:08. > :12:12.With an imoff scored twice in five minutes.
:12:12. > :12:17.Owen Farrell kicked the English side back into it. They were
:12:17. > :12:22.somehow just seven behind at the break and wen Chris wiels scored
:12:22. > :12:27.they weren't behind. -- which is Wyles. Back over to
:12:27. > :12:30.Farrell. As reliable a goal keeper as you will find. Ten out of ten.
:12:30. > :12:35.Harlequins are already in the finals. The victory they needed
:12:35. > :12:40.came easily against Connaught. They added to their half-time lead by
:12:40. > :12:46.two tries from Tom Williams. The English champions are fancied by
:12:46. > :12:50.some to be champions of Europe. Ugo Monye's try epitomised the
:12:51. > :12:55.equipment at the club. Leinster had a job to reach the knock-outs.
:12:55. > :12:59.First they had to have a victory over Scarlets. Three first-half
:12:59. > :13:03.tries set them up. And Rob Kareny got the fourth. Leinster's choice
:13:03. > :13:09.next weekend is likely to be stark. A big win over Exeter, or otherwise
:13:09. > :13:13.the exit. The London Paralympics may have
:13:13. > :13:18.been described as the greatest ever, but new figures suggest that since
:13:18. > :13:22.the Games finished nearly 90% of sports clubs have not seen any
:13:22. > :13:27.increase in disability sport participation.
:13:27. > :13:31.It was a Paralympics like no other. The second half of London 2012 was
:13:31. > :13:37.arguably more inspirational than the first. But here at the grass
:13:37. > :13:40.roots, are more disabled people actually playing sport? Not at this
:13:40. > :13:44.wheelchair basketball club, where, amid financial pressures, they have
:13:44. > :13:48.seen no surge in membership, despite the power of the
:13:48. > :13:51.Paralympics. It's all very well saying - yes, we want everyone to
:13:51. > :13:56.do disability sports, but whether you do it, who is going to pay for
:13:56. > :14:00.it, how are you going to get here? Have you noticed an upsurge in
:14:01. > :14:07.numbers since the Paralympics? This is not uncommon. A survey of
:14:07. > :14:17.hundreds of clubs up and down the country found 89% reported no
:14:17. > :14:17.
:14:17. > :14:20.change of people in disabilities joining. No new disabled volunteers
:14:20. > :14:24.said 96%. How much of a wake-up call to the
:14:24. > :14:28.Government should the figures be, do you think? Absolutely a massive
:14:28. > :14:31.wake-up call, but not just to the Government for all of us in the
:14:31. > :14:35.sector. We all have to take some responsibility for not being as
:14:35. > :14:40.ready as we probably thought we should be. It's estimated as many
:14:40. > :14:44.as 10 million people in this country describe themselves as
:14:44. > :14:48."disabled." The amount of grass roots' funding available for clubs
:14:48. > :14:55.like this is on the increase, but it still represents a fraction to
:14:55. > :15:00.the amount given to their able- bodied equiff lepbtsz. Born with
:15:00. > :15:05.cerebral palsy, Sophie Christen is enwon three golds in London. People
:15:05. > :15:15.like her are benefiting from record levels of investment but she
:15:15. > :15:16.
:15:17. > :15:24.believes that when it comes to communication, the message is as
:15:24. > :15:28.important as the money. If they get to being close to being fit and
:15:28. > :15:34.healthy, it'll help their lives in general. I think that's probably
:15:34. > :15:38.the key. For a true sporting Paralympic legacy, inspiration must
:15:38. > :15:42.become participation. The chance is too good to miss. That's all from
:15:42. > :15:45.the BBC Sports Centre for now. Thank you very much. The main news