20/08/2012 BBC News at One


20/08/2012

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The wife of a Chinese politician is given a suspended death sentence

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for killing a British businessman. Gu Kailai admitted poisoning Neil

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Heywood last year. She said her sentence was just.

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The Duke of Edinburgh thanks staff after being discharged from

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hospital today in Aberdeen. The man behind Top Gun, the

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British-born director Tony Scott has died after jumping off a bridge

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in Los Angeles. Footage of fighting in Afghanistan

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is released by the Ministry of Defence. British soldiers speak of

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the bravery of their colleagues in Helmand.

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Even after all that had happened, he'd managed to say he'd got the

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back of me neck and pulled me down and said thank you. So, even the

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state he was in, he was still thinking of others rather than

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himself. The lottery win couple who were

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initially told they hadn't won a thing. A shop worker has been

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sentenced for claiming their ticket was his.

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Later on BBC London: Police broaden the search for two masked men who

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robbed and tortured this grandmother in her home. And, up to

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18 months in prison for owners Good afternoon. Welcome to the BBC

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News at One. A Chinese court has handed down a suspended death

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sentence to the wife of one of China's leading politicians for

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murdering the British businessman, Neil Heywood. Gu Kailai, wife of

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the politician Bo Xilai, admitted poisoning Mr Heywood whose body was

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found last November. She said she thought the sentence was just. Our

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Beijing correspondent Damian China today put on a show of

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justice. Gu Kailai's lawyer arrived knowing the verdict was never in

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doubt. She was brought to court having already confessed to

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murdering Neil Heywood. The Communist Party enmeshed in scandal

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and on the verge of a leadership transition wants to show that even

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the powerful aren't above the law here. Neil Heywood was poisoned by

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Gu Kailai, the wife of one of China's most high profile

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politicians. She lured him to a hotel, got him drunk and poured

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cyanide in his mouth. They had fallen out over a failed property

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deal. The court found her guilty. They were careful to be lenient to

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her. She didn't the get the full death sentence. The judge accepted

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she had a mental break down and was not in control of her actions. She

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should serve a minimum of 14 years. Gu Kailai thanked them saying the

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verdict was just and showed respect for the law and for life. A

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premeditated murder in China often means the firing squad. The

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Communist Party this was case closed, neat and tidy. What this

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trial did not address, though, were the most sensitive questions raised

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bit death of Neil Heywood. It triggered China's biggest political

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scandal in years because of the light it's throne on skrupgs and

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abuse of power at the top of the party. Did her husband have any

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lirving to the -- link to the crime? He was one of China's most

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powerful politicians but he's vanished, detained bit party, held

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in secret. He was hoping to join the ranks of these men, the top of

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the political bureau, who run China. Many believe they've dictated the

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outcome of this race. British diplomats were in court today. The

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embassy said the UK had not wanted the death penalty applied. Then the

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lawyer representing Neil Heywood's family emerged. Is this a result

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that will please the Heywood family? I don't know, he answered.

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It leaves the impression justice here still favours the powerful and

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China's priority is to contain the fallout from this affair so the

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Communist Party can press ahead with its leadership change. We can

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speak to Damian who's outside the court. What has been the response

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to this case in China, both from the public and the authorities?

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rain has just started falling here outside the court here. What we've

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seen are two different things. The authorities have come out and give

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a bit of explanation about the verdict. What they said from the

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court was that they believe that Neil Heywood had not posed any

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threat to Gu Kailai's son and that's the reason she had given for

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suffering the mental break down. They accepted she was not in full

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control of her own actions, that she had been through some sort of

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mental break down and therefore they had given a suspended death

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sentence. That has caused a bit of a public outcry. On the internet

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here there's censorship around this issue because it's so sensitive in

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China. Many people have found ways to post messages on Chinese equiff

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lents of Twitter and the like. What many of them are saying is that

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they don't believe Gu Kailai has been given the sentence she should

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have done. They said she's escaped the firing squad, which many

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Chinese would have got for a similar crime because of her

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powerful political connections, because of her husband, Bo Xilai,

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because she herself comes from a rich and powerful background. There

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is real sense that there is a lot of anger about the outcome of this

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trial, at least on the internet here. Her husband once tipped for a

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position at the top of China's Communist Party, what happens to

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him now? Well, very good question. That is the big problem facing the

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party. He was tipped for one of those very top jobs, to be one of

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the nine people who really run China, when it reshuffles its

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leadership later this year. He's vanished. He's been suspended. He's

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under party investigation. His hopes of one of the top jobs seems

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to have gone. He has a strong following. He has faction that's

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back him. This has created fissures within the party, which the party

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has to overcome before that leadership transition. We don't

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know what it's going to do about him. We haven't heard from him in

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months. The party has to sort out this political problem to move

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ahead with the leadership change. That -- is the real damaging change

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of the scandal, the light it's thrown on the way the party has

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divisions and corruption at the highest levels. Thank you.

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The Duke of Edinburgh has been discharged from Aberdeen Royal

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Infirmary after being treated for recurrence of a bladder infection.

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He spent five nights at the hospital. Lorna Gordon reports. A

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low-key departure from hospital, just as the Duke of of Edinburgh

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would have wanted. Looking well, he was smiling and joking with some of

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the doctors and nurses involved in his treatment. One of those doctors

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describing him as an excellent patient. As he was driven away,

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Prince Philip greeted well wishers who heard he was being discharged.

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The Duke was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary by ambulance on

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Wednesday afternoon. His manner of leaving, decidedly more relaxed.

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The 91-year-old has had a busy summer. His stay in hospital for

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treatment for the recurrence of a bladder infection was preskreeded

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by this trip to Cowes last week. Alongside the Queen, he was at the

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Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics and was a presence at some

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of the events. And a rare garden party for 3,000 guests at the Royal

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Family's private estate, Balmoral, on royal Deeside. It is here that

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the Queen has remained throughout the Duke's stay in hospital. Just

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yesterday attending the weekly service at the local church Cath y

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Krathie parish church. Buckingham Palace describe his stay in

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hospital as a precautionary measure. It's believed he was treated with

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antibiotics. Doctors ordered him to rest. While the Royal Family and

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the Queen were said to be in constant touch with him by phone,

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there were no visitors, as he focused on getting better. Arriving

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back at Balmoral a short time ago, that recuperation will now continue,

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as the Duke of Edinburgh gets to enjoy a well deserved summer break.

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Tributes have been paid to the British film director Tony Scott,

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who's died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles harbour. He

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was 68. Tony Scott started in advertising before the move into

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films, which included Top Gun, Days of Thunder, and True Romance.

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Fellow director Ron Howard said his death marked a tragic day. From LA,

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here's Alistair Leithhead. Tony Scott was born in North Shields,

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but made his name in Hollywood. Top Gun launched him into the top

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flight as a well respected action movie director in 1986, working

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with Tom Cruise again on Days of Thunder. There were rumours Top Gun

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II might soon go into production. Denzel Washington was another A-

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list actor he often worked with. From Crimson Tide, to The Taking of

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Pelham 123. He produced that in 2009. And it was producing he had

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focused on in recent years, often working with his elder brother

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Ridley Scott, another famous director and producer in Hollywood.

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The Scotts have a great association with the region. From here, their

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family's all from here. They trained here before they went to

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art school in London and off to Hollywood. Big connections with the

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North East. The legacy for Tony is as one of the great action

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directors of the last 30 years. Tony Scott parked his car on a well

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known suspension bridge in Los Angeles. Witnesses said he jumped

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to his death into the harbour below. The Coroner said he left a note in

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his car and added there was nothing to suggest this wasn't suicide.

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There were many tributes to his life and work in the industry. On

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Twitter, some well known named left accolades. Stephen Fry was deeply

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saddened to hear about the news. A fine film maker and the most

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charming, modest man, he said. The American director Ron Howard

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similarly said, "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day."

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And there were many more tributes to him. From Hollywood and around

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the world. He was always known as someone who really took Hollywood

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on on its own level, on its own terms and created some fantastic

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action pictures. I mean, it's a real shock for everyone in the film

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industry. Tony Scott was married and had twin boys.

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He was 68 years old. The British film director Tony

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Scott, who died yesterday. We're joined by the film critic, James

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King, who is in our central London studio. James, clearly a terrific

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shock to the film industry, how best will Tony Scott be remembered?

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Well it's like it was said in that piece, as an action movie director.

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What he brought to action movies was a really visceral experience.

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When you went to watch a Tony Scott movie you didn't sit back and let

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it wash over you. You were really immersed in the action because of

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the way he shot things, because of the way he edited things. It was

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really energetic film making. had a very diverse career, started

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in advertising and went to films. He had a good television career as

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well Yeah, as a TV producer he was making hit TV shows. As a film

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producer, he was producing things as well as being behind the camera.

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In terms of style as well, he was diverse. We remember Top Gun, his

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biggest film as the archetypal 80s movie. Then ten years later he made

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True Romance, very much a 90s movie. He moved with the times and adapted

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his style. James, thank you. Councils and Housing Associations

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in England should sell off their most expensive houses and reinvest

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the money in building cheaper homes, according to the think-tank Policy

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Exchange, which has close links to the Conservative Party. It says

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social tenants shouldn't live in better homes than most people can

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afford. Critics say the least well off will be forced into new ghettos.

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Mike Sergeant reports. Many people on benefits or low

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incomes still live on expensive streets. You can find social

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housing in some of the most desirable postcodes. The Policy

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Exchange think-tank says this amounts to a vast untapped resource.

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What we're arguing is that there's a certain number of expensive

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social properties up and down the country. As those become vacant

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they should be sold off and the proceeds used to build four, five

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or six decent quality family homes. From an economic perspective that

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might seem attractive. The Policy Exchange says there's �159 billion

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worth of expensive social housing. Selling a slice of it every year

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could fund up to 170,000 affordable homes in cheaper areas and create

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up to 340,000 jobs. But anyone attempting it would face determined

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opposition from Housing Associations. If you strip out all

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of the social housing in an area, then you create different parts of

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the city, one part that's all wealthy people, one that's all poor

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people. London, Manchester, Birmingham, the great cities of our

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nation, they work because they are so mixed. This is not something

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that we should tamper with and seek to change. Here in Notting Hill, a

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two bedroom flat can cost well over �500,000. Out of reach for many who

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work nearby. People who are working and can't a -- afford these areas,

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it seems unfair that people on social housing should live in such

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areas. It's quite a good thing here because otherwise it would feel too

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restricted in social class. It gives a good mix of people.

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Ministers say councils and Housing Associations already have the

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freedom to sell in expensive areas like this and build more affordable

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homes in cheaper locations. They say it's common sense for them to

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use their housing stock efficiently. But what doesn't seem to be on the

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cards is a much wider attempt to force a sell-off.

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Downing Street is, though, encouraging councils to look at

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this idea and explore other ways to build more houses and boost the

:15:50.:16:00.
:16:00.:16:03.

A shop worker who tried to claim a prize has been sensed to prison. He

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told Maureen Holt that she had won nothing when she canned her

:16:08.:16:12.

EuroMillions ticket at a store in Oldham. He later phoned the hotline

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to say he had bought the winning ticket. Over to Nick in Manchester

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now. Maureen Holt and her husband had been on holiday in Spain

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celebrating his 80th birthday, while they were there they had

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missed the draw, so when they got back, she went to the corner shop

:16:29.:16:39.

to check whether hereticet had come up. Behind the counter was

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FarakNazar. The kiosk flashed up that Maureen had been a winner, but

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he told her she had won nothing. He kept hold of the ticket and rang

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the hotline to try to claim the prize as his own. The National

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Lottery organiser, Camelot, became suspicious when he was unable to be

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clear about which shop the ticket had been bought at. While Maureen

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and her husband eventually got to enjoy the winnings which were

:17:09.:17:12.

rightfully theirs, which they said would give them the secure

:17:12.:17:17.

retirement they had not had, the police started investigate. He

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admitted the offence and today at Manchester Crown Court a judge told

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him he had taken advantage of a vulnerable elderly woman, who knew

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:17:36.:17:37.

and trusted him. He was jailed for 30 months. Our top story this

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lunchtime - the wife of a Chinese politician is given a suspended

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death sentence for killing a British businessman.

:17:45.:17:52.

Coming up, in cricket England are chasing 346 runs to win the final

:17:52.:17:55.

Test against South Africa. Later on BBC London - the new restrictions

:17:55.:18:00.

aimed at changing the way charities collect money on our high streets.

:18:00.:18:05.

And, the legacy of stoke Mandeville, we look at the rise in popularity

:18:05.:18:15.
:18:15.:18:17.

of the paralympic Games. The BBC has been given exclusive access by

:18:17.:18:19.

the Ministry of Defence to thousands of hours of footage

:18:19.:18:22.

filmed by British soldiers in Afghanistan, showing some of the

:18:22.:18:24.

fiercest fighting of the war. The material shows men of Arnhem

:18:24.:18:27.

Company, from the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, who

:18:27.:18:30.

were sent into enemy territory in Helmand province, to flush out the

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Taliban in 2010. Our defence correspondent, Caroline Wyatt

:18:32.:18:42.
:18:42.:18:43.

reports. During one of the toughest summers of this long war, the men

:18:43.:18:48.

of around ham Company were sent on a daring three-day mission in

:18:48.:18:53.

Helmand, into enemy territory. The sergeant was filming it all on his

:18:53.:18:58.

headcam. We didn't think it would be as hard as it was. The Taliban

:18:59.:19:04.

were to prove a tenacious enemy. started walking over to get my

:19:04.:19:10.

pants off the washing line and then it sounded like a twig snapping. I

:19:10.:19:15.

had time to think, this can't be happening. I shouted there was a

:19:15.:19:25.
:19:25.:19:30.

grenade. It's on the side of the wall. On the other side of the

:19:30.:19:40.
:19:40.:19:43.

wall! In the fire fight, one soldier was fatally wounded.

:19:43.:19:49.

Another wads grazed by a bullet, but had a miraculous escape. One of

:19:49.:19:55.

those leading some of the men was Captain Andrew Griffiths, the son

:19:55.:19:58.

of the colonel of the regiment. spoke to him as they were preparing

:19:58.:20:03.

to go out and he said, "We're going on another big one. This could be

:20:03.:20:07.

really hard." That was all he said, because he couldn't say any more.

:20:07.:20:12.

He didn't want to worry us any more. He only told that to me. He

:20:12.:20:17.

wouldn't have told it to his mum. The next day, around ham Company

:20:17.:20:21.

moved to a new compound. They didn't know that buried within it

:20:21.:20:25.

were several Taliban home-made bombs. Andrew Griffiths stepped on

:20:25.:20:30.

one of them, setting it off. His comrades did their best to save him.

:20:30.:20:36.

They called the medics in, and there was a sandstorm, but they

:20:36.:20:41.

moved him with huge ris to be their own lives. Even -- risk to their

:20:41.:20:49.

own lives. Even after all that, he pulled me down by the back of my

:20:49.:20:56.

neck and said thank you. So, even the state he was in, he was still

:20:56.:21:04.

thinking of others, rather than mim self. -- himself. Andrew was flown

:21:04.:21:10.

home and 12 days later he died with his family at his bedside. The one

:21:10.:21:16.

thing we found most difficult was we got him back for 12 days. Broken

:21:16.:21:19.

and battered, if he had lived, he would have had a great life with

:21:20.:21:26.

the support we would have given him. I feel in a way I've been cheated.

:21:26.:21:31.

That, I think, I personally, as a soldier and as a father, find most

:21:31.:21:36.

difficult. You shouldn't ever have to bury your son or daughter, but

:21:37.:21:44.

sadly, too many have to. Brigadier Mike Griffiths ending that report.

:21:44.:21:47.

Caroline Wyatt reporting on the footage of the fighting in

:21:47.:21:50.

Afghanistan. You can see more on that tonight, in Our War on BBC 3

:21:50.:21:54.

at 9:00pm. The owners of a South African platinum mine, where 34

:21:54.:21:57.

striking workers were shot dead by police, have told staff to return

:21:57.:22:02.

to work or face the sack. Many miners said to end the strike would

:22:02.:22:06.

be an insult to those killed. The company said a limited number of

:22:06.:22:16.
:22:16.:22:18.

men turned up for their shifts today. Navdip Dariwal reports.

:22:18.:22:25.

Operators at one of the world's largest platinum mines are standing

:22:25.:22:31.

firm, rush or face dis missal. Lonmin claim 25% have returned, but

:22:31.:22:36.

weren't clear if they were among the original strikers. Despite the

:22:36.:22:38.

company's ultimatum, it's pretty clear from the people here, more

:22:38.:22:42.

people are arriving, that the workers are refusing to simply go

:22:42.:22:46.

back to work, without some of the demands being met. It's hoped that

:22:46.:22:50.

a peaceful resolution will be found to the dispute as union members are

:22:50.:22:57.

due to arrive and Cabinet ministers will hopefully speak to the workers.

:22:57.:23:01.

Police gunned down 34 minuters after claims they charged them with

:23:01.:23:10.

weapons. The President has declared a week of national mourning. South

:23:10.:23:15.

Africa is looking to a judicial review to shed light on why what

:23:15.:23:20.

should have been a relatively minor dispute escalated to one of the

:23:20.:23:29.

worst scenes of violence since apartheid. Hopes are fading for a

:23:29.:23:33.

four-year-old boy who went missing in Somerset yesterday. Police have

:23:33.:23:37.

named him at Dylan Cecil from Kettering in Northamptonshire. The

:23:37.:23:40.

coastguards say the search for him is continuing, but the operation

:23:40.:23:45.

has now turned into a recovery mission. Dylan's parents tried to

:23:45.:23:51.

rescue him, but were unable to reach him. Tougher sentences come

:23:51.:23:56.

into force today in England and Wales for people convicted of

:23:56.:24:00.

offences involving dangerous dogs. Owners who attack and injure face

:24:00.:24:06.

up to 18 months in prison. Those who own a banned breed could be

:24:06.:24:09.

sentenced to six months. Cricket, and England's position as the

:24:09.:24:12.

world's number one Test nation seems to be slipping away. They are

:24:12.:24:15.

chasing 346 runs to win the final Test against South Africa at Lord's,

:24:15.:24:25.
:24:25.:24:31.

but have already lost two wickets this morning. England on the ropes.

:24:31.:24:36.

If not a knockout blow, the loss of both openers hardly inspired

:24:36.:24:40.

confidence. It showed early on. South Africa played on the nervous

:24:41.:24:45.

tension. Ian Bell caught out for the second time of asking by Graeme

:24:45.:24:52.

Smith. Then Philander was the architect of the dismissal again.

:24:52.:24:56.

The tourists were not in the mood to give away cheaply. Pressure it

:24:56.:25:00.

lead you to do all manner of strange things. James Taylor

:25:00.:25:05.

thought there was a run when there clearly wasn't. It's been that sort

:25:05.:25:07.

of series. The world number one status is slipping away without a

:25:07.:25:12.

fight. Jonathan Trott had to put that disaster to the back of his

:25:12.:25:17.

mind and get on with the job in hand, however unlikely. He needed a

:25:17.:25:25.

lot of luck too. He got a bit when for once the tourist's ruthless

:25:25.:25:29.

streak last. Jonny Bairstow the only man to start with the bat and

:25:29.:25:35.

picking up where he left off in the first innings. A change in momentum

:25:35.:25:43.

mean a win is still possible, but getting more unlikely by the wicket.

:25:43.:25:46.

Now to something that was must-see. They were It was must-see

:25:46.:25:49.

television in the 80s and now it's back. Dallas is returning to our

:25:49.:25:52.

screens after 21 years with many of the original cast, including Larry

:25:52.:25:55.

Hagman and Linda Gray. In its heyday it attracted huge audiences.

:25:55.:26:00.

21 million viewers in the UK tuned into the Who shot JR? Episode. But

:26:00.:26:03.

can the new series be as good as the old one? Lizo Mzimba has been

:26:03.:26:13.

talking to some of the cast. Throughout the 1980s this was one

:26:13.:26:18.

of the most familiar sights on television. Now, after more than 20

:26:18.:26:21.

years, Dallas is back with a glossy updated version of the show. Along

:26:22.:26:26.

with the new cast, key characters from the old series are also back,

:26:26.:26:30.

most notably Larry Hagman. His motivation for returning not a

:26:30.:26:38.

million miles away from those of his screen alter ego, JR. Money.

:26:38.:26:42.

That's always good. What is it about the approach, how they wanted

:26:42.:26:48.

to attack the series? They wanted to look at the children and make

:26:48.:26:51.

them acceptable and interesting and that will be the main focus of it

:26:51.:26:58.

I'm sure eventually. I would like to be dragged kicking and screaming

:26:58.:27:02.

into another 30 years. First hitting the screen in 1978, Dallas

:27:02.:27:08.

Dom indicated television for close to a decade. Storylines like who

:27:08.:27:12.

shot JR attracted an audience of 100 million and triggered an

:27:12.:27:16.

immediate frenzy when the tapes revealing the would-be killer's

:27:16.:27:21.

identity arrived in the UK. This is my son, John Ross. The new series

:27:21.:27:25.

continues the themes of the old - oil, wealth, greed and feuding

:27:25.:27:29.

families. This time, it's the ambitions of JR's son that's at the

:27:29.:27:33.

centre of the drama. The actor playing him knows there's a lot of

:27:33.:27:36.

expectation resting on his shoulders. How much pressure do you

:27:36.:27:44.

feel? When I got the show, you know, it was - I was excited, but also

:27:44.:27:48.

intimidated in bringing back a show that was such a big deal and so

:27:48.:27:52.

well perceived. I knew it was also probably a lot of expectation as to

:27:52.:28:01.

who was JR and Sue-Ellen's son now. I will get it back. Oil was my

:28:01.:28:04.

birthright. There have been plenty of attempts to revive successful

:28:05.:28:08.

shows. The team behind this will hope it will satisfy fans from the

:28:08.:28:16.

80s and well as attracting a new audience of loyal followers.

:28:16.:28:19.

Dallas is back next month. Dallas is back next month.

:28:19.:28:22.

Now the weather. What's happening? It was a little misty and murky and

:28:22.:28:27.

quite a bit of cloud to start with, but things have been brightening up.

:28:27.:28:30.

More sunshine around, although there is cloud across the south-

:28:30.:28:34.

east. That should clear though. Well-broken cloud further north,

:28:34.:28:39.

but that hides the showers. We have some not too far away from Belfast.

:28:39.:28:43.

A short time ago you could see the cloud across Belfast, but for many

:28:43.:28:48.

there will be a bit of sun to be enjoyed throughout the day. Into

:28:48.:28:51.

the detail. I mentioned showers and quite a lot across the north and

:28:51.:28:55.

west of Scotland. Some could be heavy. Maybe thundery. Fewer as we

:28:55.:29:00.

head further south. In between the showers, with sunshine temperatures

:29:00.:29:08.

around 18. Not too showers across northern England. -- not too many

:29:08.:29:12.

showers across northern England. There may be showers into East

:29:12.:29:16.

Anglia too. But they are clearing away. Things will brighten. Humid

:29:16.:29:20.

in the south-east, with temperatures in the mid-20s. We

:29:20.:29:26.

have top temperatures around the south coast of around 22. For

:29:26.:29:29.

south-west England, through the afternoon, it's dry and fine. We

:29:29.:29:33.

have sunshine. Again, temperatures at around 22. Much of Wales should

:29:33.:29:37.

be dry and bright through the afternoon. The showers in Northern

:29:37.:29:41.

Ireland are quite well scattered this afternoon. Here, they will

:29:41.:29:45.

clear through the evening, so quite a fine end to the day. We keep the

:29:45.:29:49.

showers going for a little bit longer across Scotland, but for

:29:49.:29:54.

most it's dry and some clear spells. Allowing the return of patchy mist

:29:54.:29:59.

and fog to form and quite a warm night. Any mist and fog should lift

:29:59.:30:03.

during the first couple of hours of the day. We are going to see quite

:30:03.:30:07.

a bit of cloud to the south-east corner, more than through the day.

:30:07.:30:10.

Further north, the return of the showers. Tomorrow afternoon they

:30:10.:30:14.

are likely to be widespread and heavy and slow moving. We'll keep

:30:14.:30:19.

an eye on them. Some occasional brightness in between. Still some

:30:19.:30:23.

showers in the forecast for Wednesday. Not quite as intense.

:30:23.:30:27.

More well scattered. The best of fi dry, bright weather further south

:30:27.:30:35.

and -- of any dry, bright weather further south and east. As we look

:30:35.:30:39.

to the end of the week, we begin with high pressure, so Thursday

:30:39.:30:48.

starting off dry and fine. There is low pressure just sitting across my

:30:48.:30:52.

shoulder for the weekend and that shoulder for the weekend and that

:30:52.:30:59.

shows us things may be more unsettled. Our top story - the wife

:30:59.:31:03.

of a Chinese politician is given a suspended death sentence for

:31:04.:31:07.

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