22/09/2011 BBC News at One

A stark warning about the state of the American economy sends global

stock markets tumbling. Some European markets hit a two-year low

amid new fears of a worldwide recession.

Nearly 40 years on - the Government offers compensation to the families

of those killed on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry.

Paying off the 'NHS mortgage' - ministers claim the cost of

privately funded building projects is jeopardising the future of some

hospitals. The satellite falling towards earth

- NASA says it's the biggest piece of space junk for decades.

On the spot - the England rugby star, Mike Tindall, speaks in

public for the first time about that controversial bar room CCTV.

You are pretty sure he'll gain won't be affected? You are

confident about that? I hope it is fine.

The North/ South divide for our feathered friends - why birds

appear to be thriving better in Good afternoon and welcome to the

BBC news at One. Markets across Europe have slumped

again this morning after a stark warning about the state of the

American economy. In London, the FTSE has fallen by more than 4%

after the US Federal Reserve sparked fears of a new global

recession. Across Europe shares have dropped to their lowest point

for more than two years. Head of the Federal Reserve is

doing his bit to hold faltering US growth. We have heard Mervyn King

and the Bank of England are ready to put more money into the UK

economy. And the ECB is trying to prop up struggling eurozone

governments. The world is looking to the central bankers to drive us

out of the economic mess. Emotions are running high in Athens after

protests overnight. The Greek Government has announced more

spending cuts with plans to suspend 30,000 civil servants. It is

scrambling to meet conditions required to receive the next chunk

of bail-out money. Fears of a Greek debt default and the impact it

would have on the banking system sent shares in European markets

plunging this morning. We have a political crisis, a financial

crisis and a banking crisis. Because of the inability of the

European politicians to solve the problems, it will go on. We will

see more downgrades. Traders were concerned about statements from the

US Federal Reserve as it announced new measures to revive the economy.

It said there were significant downside risks but markets felt it

wasn't doing enough. There has been a lot of talk about what will

happen but markets have felt there has not been enough action on the

crisis has always been ahead of a politician's reaction. They may

been thinking that it with the US economy, things are bad, but it

doesn't seem to be that much action just jet from politicians and the

Fed is standing back. The survey suggest eurozone economies could be

heading into reverse and that has not helped the mood. Traders around

Europe are living on their nerves. Worries about the financial system

are back with a vengeance. We have seen markets fluctuating

over the recent weeks, how serious is this?

It is pretty serious, right back on the agenda are fears about the

global economy, heightened by warnings from the IMF a couple of

days ago about a slowdown. Last night the US Federal Reserve coming

out with a downbeat assessment of the American economy. Let's look at

major markets this morning and it major markets this morning and it

makes for pretty depressing viewing. If you are a shareholder, the FTSE

100 down by more than 4%. We will be waiting to see what American

shares do in an hour or so. I can tell you that leaders of seven

group of 20 nations have written a letter calling for decisive action

from both the eurozone and from the US are to deal with the world's

problems. That letter has been problems. That letter has been

signed by Britain as well as countries like Australia and Canada.

It is another sign above real concern about what is going on out

there. It's not just the warning from America that's caused the

slump, those fears over the Greek debt continue. Our correspondent,

Mark Lowen, is in Athens. Strikes and protests, but as the

Greek Government have any choice but to press on with austerity

measures? The finance minister in Greece says

more austerity is needed. He says the Government is committed to

implementing its austerity measures and meeting fiscal targets to

receive a vital 8 billion euros, about �7 billion next month.

Without which, this Government could declare bankruptcy. It is

planning an increasing wave of her social unrest. And there has been

protests outside the Parliament behind me. More this afternoon, 24

hour public transport strike and by taxi drivers. People here are

saying it is exacerbating the situation, pushing unemployment

higher and deepening the recession. And they say all these agreements

with the IMF and the EU are kicking the can down the road. The great

debt of 40% is still unsustainable. The families of those killed or

wounded on Bloody Sunday are to be offered compensation by the

government. 13 people died when members of the Parachute Regiment

opened fire on civil rights marchers in Londonderry in 1972.

Our Ireland correspondent, Mark Simpson is there now.

This is Derry's area were almost 40 years ago Bloody Sunday occurred.

Almost four decades on the consequences are still being felt

whether they are legal, political or financial.

The families of those who died on Bloody Sunday always said their

priority was justice. Now they will be entitled to compensation. The

army shot dead 13 men in Londonderry in 1972. A civil rights

march ended in death and destruction. The victims were

mostly young men, seven of them were teenagers. The families

insisted they were all innocent victims of an army over-reaction to.

And last year, a public inquiry agreed. On the day the inquiry

report was published, the Prime Minister publicly apologised for

what happened. The Government is ultimately responsible for the

conduct of the armed forces. And for that, on behalf of the

Government, indeed on behalf of the country, I am deeply sorry.

With the Government taking the blame, lawyers later issued a

compensation claim on behalf of some of the families. In response,

the Ministry of Defence announced William Nash was one of the

teenager shot dead on Bloody Sunday. His family is entitled to

compensation but his sister says she won't accept a penny.

brother was too precious and who can put a price on his life? No

money could compensate for that and I wouldn't accept any money under

any circumstances for his loss. some of the families are seeking

compensation. The 12 year inquiry into what happened on Bloody Sunday

was the most expensive in British legal history. It cost more than

�200 million, but it seems an even higher price will have to be paid.

As it stands, we don't know exactly how much more money is going to

have to be paid. And exactly who will get it, our brothers, sisters,

children or grandchildren. This could be another long and

complicated process. Ministers say more than 20 English hospital

trusts are facing financial problems because of the cost of

building projects initially paid for by private money. The

Government estimates that for some trusts repayments make up nearly

20% of their budget. The scheme, known as PFI, involved private

companies building hospitals and the NHS paying an annual fee to

cover the cost. They were meant to be the shiny new

buildings that would transform the NHS. The value of hospitals built

under PFI projects is �11.4 billion. By 2049, more than �70 billion will

have been paid out. But the annual repayments are made by the NHS,

around �1.5 billion each year represents only about 1% of the

total NHS budget. These schemes work like this - instead of the

Government paying upfront for a new hospital, private companies take on

the year construction and management of buildings for an

annual fee. Ministers are worried those payments are threatening the

clinical and financial sustainability of at least 22

trusts. The truth is, we have inherited, not only as a country an

enormous legacy of debt from the Labour Government, but in the NHS

we have an enormous legacy of debt likewise, not just PFI debt but

hospitals that are carrying substantial debts. It was under the

Labour Party that PFI took off, the first PFI thundered Hospital,

Cumberland Infirmary was opened by Tony Blair in 2000. The trust that

runs it, North Cumbria is one the 22 ministers are worried about.

They said it was needed to replace crumbling and unsafe buildings and

a lot of the problems are being formed by health reforms.

doesn't make sense. But a series of administrations have continued with

it. With the latest NHS reforms we are getting we will be seeing more

than this. While some trusts are facing problems, not all PFI

problems have caused the same difficulties, and then maybe

alternatives. Some will argue new hostels like this one, at the

Whiston Hospital in the North of England would never have -- never

have been built. But many of those agreements were reached in economic

plenty and the situation now is different. It seems some hospitals

are struggling to pay the bills. Let's get more from our political

correspondent, Ben Wright. How much can the PFI be blamed for

these problems? That is what the Department of Health and Treasury

are trying to figure out. The Health Secretary is adamant that in

his view PFI was the cause of the difficulties facing these 22 trusts.

He said it was evidence of the legacy of debt left by the Labour

Party. But I think the truth is more complicated. The Department of

Health are investigating these 22 trusts and I think they can see PFI

repayments are components of the difficulties they face, but not the

whole story. They won't know how big a component for a little while.

The King's Fund, the think-tank said across the NHS, PFI repayments

to not pose a problem to the health service. The thought his Andrew

Lansley is making political mischief. The real pressure at the

moment and over the next few years probably isn't PFI repayments in

the health service, but over the next four years, the NHS has got to

find �20 billion of savings. energy business, E.On, is cutting

up to 500 jobs at its head office in Coventry and at its centre near

Nottingham. The company said it was looking to reduce numbers to

reflect the changed nature of the business after the sale of its

distribution arm. E.on, which employs 12,000 people said it hoped

to make the cuts through voluntary redundancies.

A double-decker bus carrying teenagers to sixth form college has

crashed into the underside of a Two women in France have been fine

for wearing a niqab. These are the first fines to be handed out in

court. The women say they will pursue the case to the European

Court of Human Rights. It has taken six months and a

provocative stand by two Muslim women bother first fines to be

imposed. Today, Hind Ahmas and up another lady have been fined for

refusing to remove it in public. Begins a long up process that were

likely end in Strasbourg. Hind Ahmas is 32, a divorced single

mother and the decision to whether niqab was her own. Since the Bill

was introduced in April she has been banned from public spaces such

as banks, shops and buses. She is breaking the law simply appearing

for this interview. TRANSLATION: I was shocked, a week

after the law was introduced I was insulted and a man hit me in front

of my child. The niqab is not required by Islam

and this debate has proved divisive even within Muslim communities. But

despite the furore surrounding the banned they have been fewer than 10

court appearances. It is only the police allowed to confront these

women, they don't have the authority to remove the niqab but

they can refer each case to a judge who has the power to impose a 150

Euro fine. Since the fine was introduced, only 91 women have been

stopped in the street. The police say they are in an impossible

situation, often without the right training.

TRANSLATION: We have better things to do than chase women in a niqab.

Not least the risk of a relationship with certain

communities. The law is being introduced in

other countries. But this ruling has implications for all of these

countries. It could take years for the appeal process to exhaust the

French system, but eventually these women will get their opportunity to

test this ban in the highest court In America, a man has been put to

death for killing an off-duty policeman 22 years ago, despite a

last-minute attempt at a stay of execution. Troy Davies was killed

by lethal injection at a prison in Georgia but only after a four-hour

delay, during which a final appeal was heard and rejected by the US

Supreme Court. Here's our world affairs correspondent, Caroline

Hawley. Troy Davis was pronounced dead quarter of an hour after the

lethal injection was given, declining a a last meal he

protested his innocence until the end. For those about to take my

life, he said, may God have mercy on your souls. Outside the jail in

Jackson Georgia, there was a heavy police presence. It's bun one of

the most -- it's been one of the pho controversial in years.

Troy Davis was convicted in 1991 of killing offduty policeman in a

parking lot. Prosecuters had relied heavily on eyewitnesses, several of

whom later recanted their testimony. Troy Davis appealed his conviction

many times but had to prove he was innocent and failed to convince the

courts. A small handful of journalists witnessed the last

moments of his life. He said to the family that he was sorry for their

loss, but also said that he did not take their son, father, brother. He

said to them to dig deeper into this case, to find out the truth.

The dead policeman's family say justice has now been done but Troy

Davis execution has put America's use of the death penalty in the

spotlight again. I do think that his execution in a real sense will

only add momentum to the movement of those of us who understand that

the state really cannot be trusted with the ultimate punishment.

Around the world almost a million people had signed a petition

calling for Troy Davis' life to be spared. His supporters mourned last

night for a man killed, despite serious doubts over his guilt.

Our top story: European stock markets drop sharply

after a stark warning about the state of the American economy

sparks fears of a new global recession.

Coming up: England's north slash south divide, why birds in the

north are faring better. South Africa claim their biggest

World Cup win, they beat Namibia, scoring 12 tries on their way to an

It's a six-ton satellite and it's heading for Earth. According to

NASA, it'll be the biggest piece of space junk to fall out of orbit in

more than three decades. And even though most of it is expected to

burn up as it races through the Earth's atmosphere, some bits are

expected to hit the ground. At the moment, though, it's too early to

predict where and when that will be. Here's our science correspondent,

Pallab Ghosh. From space earth's orbit seems

pristine and desolate. But this is what you are not seeing, tens of

thousands of bits of junk that we have accumulated since we first

began sending satellites into space more than 50 years ago and this one

is tumbling towards earth, the six- ton research satellite will mostly

break up as it enters the atmosphere but 26 chunks will land

somewhere on earth. Here are the latest pictures taken from the

ground by an amateur astronomer. These 26 components which we do

anticipate will survive all the way down to the surface, will be going

at a moderate velocity, on the order of tens of hundreds of miles

per hour. The pieces will crash to earth sometime tomorrow, no one

knows where, but NASA says it's more likely to land in the sea than

the ground. And the chances of it hitting someone are more than one

in 3,000. Ever since the Soviet Union launched the first satellite

in 1957, pieces have been falling from the sky on a regular basis.

Space is more crowded than you think. Currently there are around

1,000 operational satellites in earth's orbit. There are also

22,000 bits of space junk from old satellites. And since Sputnik more

than 20,000 bits of space hardware have fallen back to earth. None

have caused any injury. It was a close run thing in 2003, when a

shuttle tragically exploded as it reentered the earth's atmosphere.

NASA says no one should touch any fragments if they do land in a

populated area. It could be sharp, it could be still hot from reentry

perhaps and you could injure yourself. It's also the property of

the US Government so you are not allowed to take it and sell it on

ebay. The pieces are due to hit late tomorrow evening and they'll

only know two hours before where they're likely to land.

David Cameron makes his first speech to the United Nations later

today. He's expected to say that the Arab Spring uprisings across

North Africa are a massive opportunity to spread peace,

security and democracy. And he'll say the UN should be ready to

intervene in countries where action is necessary. From New York, here's

our deputy political editor, James Landale.

The Prime Minister and the President in New York, together for

the first time since regime change in Libya and a chance to take stock.

In his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly David

Cameron will tell world leaders that the lesson of Libya is simple,

the UN should be more ready to intervene to prevent repressive

regimes slaughtering their civilians. It should be united, not

just in condemnation, but in action he will say, urging the

international community not to lose its nerve after finding its voice

in Libya. My message to the United Nations is to say this is a great

opportunity, the spread of democracy is not just a good thing

in itself, it can actually help make us safe by providing a

realistic alternative to the poisonous rhetoric of al-Qaeda and

the terrorists. So the world institutions have to grab this

moment and take advantage of it. David Cameron's not setting out a

new doctrine that the international community should always intervene

but he is saying when the United Nations can act it should act. Amid

growing economic uncertainty across the world Mr Calmer rob also -- Mr

Cameron also urged businessmen to do what they can to boost the

economy, telling them of the opportunities next year's Olympics

and Diamond Jubilee could provide. As he visited the memorial to the

Briton who is died in the 9/11 attacks the theme was of how the

international community could act to prevent such terrorism terrorism

again by intervening to support the democratic uprisings of the Arab

Spring and stand up to regimes that persecute their people.

A double decker bus carrying teenagers to college has clashed --

crashed into a bridge at Darlington in Durham. 14 people have been

taken to hospital but no one is thought to have been seriously

injured. It's been an uncomfortable morning

for the England rugby player Mike Tindall. He's been at a press

conference to answer questions about the team's next World Cup

match against Romania. But, not surprisingly, there seemed to be

more interest in that now infamous CCTV footage of him in a bar.

Here's our sports correspondent, Matt Slater.

He didn't say very much but his body language said more. It was an

interesting and as you said at times awkward watch, but now lots

of people have seen the images of members of the England team in a

bar after they beat Argentina, you would have to say unconvincingly.

This is the first time we have seen Mike Tindall speak in public. It

was a regular press conference with Martin Johnson, there was one rule

and one rule only, they were only allowed to ask questions about the

rugby but you can bet what happened next.

You are sure your game won't be affected by what's happened in the

press since then? No. Your own game, confident about that? I hope it's

fine. Phil, we have put it to bed. It's not an issue. Anything you

would like to say to them about that... Phil, we are looking

forward to a big game this weekend. We are playing Romania. A bit of

contrition is all people are asking for, explanation about what... On

the drinking side. I said to you last week what happened.

Mike Tindall is particularly under the spotlight because he married

Zara Phillips. You can see him getting the full backing of Martin

Johnson and that's from the very top too.

We often hear about the north//south divide, and it seems

there's also something of a split when it comes to birds. The RSPB

says it's noticed a sharp drop in the number of species, but it seems

the situation is worse in the south of England than in the north. Jenny

Hill is in Purfleet in Essex. Good afternoon from the Rainham

marshes. It's an industrialised landscape and it's home to some 200

different birds species. They'll tell you it's vital to create

habitats like this because in the south-east in years they've seen

some of the sharpest declines in bird numbers.

They are the soundtrack to the British countryside, but take a

good look because it's getting harder to spot birds like skylarks,

yellowhammers and nightingales in the wild. The British bird

population is shrinking. But on this farm in the Cotswolds they're

trying to reverse that decline. This is a conservation headland

which we specifically plant to encourage the amount of insects on

the farm... Like scores of other farmers here, Ian has given up some

of his land to create bird-friendly habitats. These plants will provide

food and shelter for many species. They've counted 90 so far. When we

started we had no corn buntings here, but after a couple of years

of doing it we suddenly had two breeding pairs and the next year

five breeding pairs and it's been so so encouraging to watch the

numbers increase. For many years experts have been seriously worried

about the decline in the UK's bird population. What this latest

research shows is that in England, at least, a north-south divide is

starting to emerge. No one knows exactly why, but in south-east

England farmland birds have declined by 28% over a 15-year

period. Yet in the northeast, they've risen slightly by 3%. Wood

Woodland bird numbers have fallen by 19% in the south-east, yet

they're going strong in the North West. There are a number of factors,

obviously land use patterns in the north of England are different to

those in the south. And there may be issues around water scarcity or

even climatic effects, whatever it is, we need to find out and learn

from it. Back in the Cotswolds Ian plans to reintroduce grey

partridges to his farm. He is determined to keep his land and the

skies above it well populated. The RSPB say that projects like the

one on the farm you saw there do make a significant difference but

they also say more research is needed, particularly when it comes

to those regional variations and that's because determining the

cause of this so-called divide could well provide the key they say

to reversing the decline in bird numbers for good.

Let's look at the latest weather The weather continues to improve

this week. Plenty of dry weather around, it's not clear blue sky,

and looking at the satellite picture the cloud view so far, it's

this cloud into Wales that's edging into the Midlands and pushing into

south-east England that will obscure the sun and deliver the odd

shower to western parts of Wales. We still have showers across the

North West of Scotland. As the afternoon goes on these are going

to ease and it's not as wet or as windy as it's been. Elsewhere in

Scotland that cloud is broken, as it is across northern England. It

stays bright across the East Midlands. After the sunshine we

have seen today, more cloud begins to push in across south-east

England into the Midlands. But it's a brightening up story in south-

west England, that process is already under way in the far south-

west but these brighter skies are nudging further in and reaching

southern parts of Wales. The showers in the west edge further

north into the north-west of Wales during the afternoon. For Northern

Ireland there's decent sunshine here and slowly temperatures are

heading up. Overnight the cloud thickens again in Northern Ireland

after midnight, and rain returns, clearer skies into England and

Wales. A chilly night, even across southern areas.

It will be a bright start in the morning. Any mist and fog will

clear and for England and Wales it's a fine day. It will feel

warmer as well. Slowly brightening in Northern Ireland. Rain in

Scotland, clears for most, but it continues across the north-west.

Going into the weekend, it's a south-westerly flow across the UK.

On Saturday, a weather front to the west and some uncertainty. In the

isn't shine further east that temperature heads up a few degrees.

A similar split on Sunday, in the west the chance of rain. But across

eastern areas not clear blue sky but a bit of sunshine. The warmer

colours return here. To the west you are close to normal, but in the

sunshine further east 22C could be yours. For the final weekend of

September that's not too bad. Our top story:

Stock markets across the world have tumbled this morning after a stark

warning about the state of the American economy fuelled fears of a

new global recession. Still to come on the news channel