:00:20. > :00:21.The Co-op pulls out of a deal to buy more than 600 branches of
:00:21. > :00:24.Lloyds. Up to 4.5 million Lloyds customers
:00:24. > :00:29.were due to have their accounts transferred in the deal to increase
:00:29. > :00:32.competition on the high street. After the deal collapses, we'll be
:00:32. > :00:34.asking our business editor Robert Peston how much of a blow it is to
:00:34. > :00:37.the banking sector. Also this lunchtime:
:00:37. > :00:39.The UK signs a new treaty with Jordan in a new government attempt
:00:39. > :00:41.to deport the radical cleric Abu Qatada.
:00:41. > :00:46.An eight-storey building collapses in Bangladesh, killing at least 80
:00:47. > :00:49.factory workers with many more trapped and feared dead.
:00:50. > :00:51.The young couple killed while riding their tandem bike - a driver,
:00:51. > :00:54.who'd been disqualified, admits causing their death.
:00:54. > :00:57.Tightening up on cosmetic surgery - warnings that some procedures are a
:00:57. > :00:59.crisis waiting to happen. And Australia unveils the squad
:01:00. > :01:07.that'll face England in this summer's Ashes, but will anyone
:01:07. > :01:11.recognise any of the players? Later on BBC London:
:01:11. > :01:13.Thousands in South London are at risk of malnutrition. A hospital
:01:13. > :01:16.investigates the extent of the problem.
:01:17. > :01:26.Rough sleepers from Romania return to Park Lane a year after they were
:01:27. > :01:38.
:01:38. > :01:41.Good afternoon, and welcome to the BBC News at 1.00pm.
:01:41. > :01:46.It was hoping to become a major competitor to the main high street
:01:46. > :01:49.banks, but today, the Co-op pulled out of a deal to buy more than 600
:01:49. > :01:53.branches from the Lloyds Banking Group. The Co-op is blaming the
:01:53. > :01:57.continued economic downturn and tougher bank regulations. The
:01:57. > :02:03.Treasury says it remains committed to encouraging more competition in
:02:03. > :02:05.the industry and says all is not lost. Here is our chief economics
:02:05. > :02:09.correspondent Hugh Pym. Branchs for sale - it was supposed
:02:09. > :02:13.to inject new life into the banking industry, but now the Lloyds deal
:02:14. > :02:17.with the Co-op is off, it vouf involved more than 600 branches
:02:17. > :02:21.changing hands. It's a blow to the Government's hope of boosting
:02:21. > :02:27.competition with Co-op deciding not to go ahead. We fully expected
:02:27. > :02:30.recovery and not just us but most people expected the economy to
:02:31. > :02:36.recover, and only a few months ago, the Chancellor slashed his growth
:02:36. > :02:41.forecast by half, and so, you know, that clearly has had an impact on
:02:41. > :02:45.our appetite to do this transaction. Consumer groups say the
:02:45. > :02:49.announcement is a setback for bank customers who would benefit from a
:02:49. > :02:53.wider range of services on the high street. This is bad news for people
:02:53. > :02:57.that were looking for much-needed competition among retail banks.
:02:57. > :03:01.Most of us are still with the very biggest banks. This would have put
:03:01. > :03:05.more pressure on them to improve their service and offer a real
:03:05. > :03:08.choice to consumers. Today's announcement on bank branches comes
:03:08. > :03:16.as the Bank of England has been unveiling an extension to its
:03:16. > :03:21.scheme run with the Treasury to try Mortgage lending has been boosted
:03:21. > :03:23.by the scheme since it launched last year. Cheap loans are provided
:03:23. > :03:29.to banks and building societies as long as they pass them on to
:03:29. > :03:37.customers, but it hasn't had the same impact on businesses. Now
:03:37. > :03:41.there will be new incentives to leding to small firms. Some
:03:41. > :03:46.businesses have been able to borrow, and some haven't, and what we're
:03:46. > :03:54.trying to do here is put a bit more pressure on the banks to up their
:03:54. > :03:57.game and deliver on lending to small businesses. This firm in
:03:57. > :04:03.Wrexham makes components for the car industry. It found bank finance
:04:03. > :04:06.hard to come by so switched to an alternative lender using invoice
:04:06. > :04:09.financing. That will be covered now by the Bank of England scheme.
:04:09. > :04:13.have had a great deal of difficulty getting any lending from the banks
:04:14. > :04:19.who have called our loans in some while ago, so we had to turn to
:04:19. > :04:22.invoice financing, which has actually been our lifesaver, the
:04:22. > :04:27.company couldn't have survived without it. So there's a lot going
:04:27. > :04:31.on in the banking world right now. Lloyds has to sell branches after a
:04:31. > :04:36.European Commission ruling and says it may float them off on the stock
:04:36. > :04:39.market. One thing's clear - there's a lot more uncertainfy for
:04:39. > :04:44.customers and staff. Our business editor Robert Peston
:04:44. > :04:47.is here now. As he was just saying, very unsettling for bank customers,
:04:47. > :04:51.staff and at the end of the day, these branches do still have to be
:04:51. > :04:55.sold. They do. I don't actually think it's going to be too
:04:55. > :05:00.disruptive for the customers of the bank because they already knew they
:05:00. > :05:07.were going to a new home. They'd originally been told their new home
:05:07. > :05:11.would be called TSB owned by the Co-op. Now their new home will be
:05:11. > :05:15.TSB floated on the stock market because Lloyds' plan is still to
:05:15. > :05:19.hive this business off and float it now on the stock market rather than
:05:19. > :05:23.selling it to a competitor. It has to do that. The European
:05:23. > :05:27.Commissioner says it has. But the new bank will be much smaller than
:05:27. > :05:31.it would have been had it been merged with the Co-op, so actually,
:05:31. > :05:34.it will be a less fearsome competitor, and that's a bit
:05:34. > :05:38.embarrassing for the Government because the Government has been
:05:38. > :05:42.saying it wants these challenger banks to really take on the big
:05:42. > :05:46.banks. The bit that's being hived off won't now be as fearsome, so
:05:46. > :05:48.there is a bit of a blow to Government policy here. Thank you
:05:48. > :05:52.very much. Let's go to Westminster. Our political correspondent Norman
:05:52. > :05:56.Smith is there, and as Robert is saying, embarrassing - the Treasury
:05:56. > :06:01.is saying all is not lost, though. No, the Treasury are trying to play
:06:01. > :06:04.down the significance of this, saying it's a commercial decision,
:06:04. > :06:11.that Lloyds are still trying to sell off these 600 branches but
:06:11. > :06:14.there is no doubt it is a setback to try to create a more diverse
:06:14. > :06:17.banking sector. What'll really hurt them is the reason the Co-op have
:06:17. > :06:21.given for not going ahead with this decision that is they're worried
:06:21. > :06:25.about the prospects for economic growth, and that just 24 hours
:06:25. > :06:29.ahead of those crucial economic growth forecasts, and the problem I
:06:29. > :06:34.think is this - although the Government has tried to rebalance
:06:34. > :06:39.the economy, what we learn from today's announcement is that trying
:06:39. > :06:43.to kick start any sort of growth is absolutely dependent on a
:06:43. > :06:46.flourishing and thriving banking sector, and yet we see with the
:06:46. > :06:50.decision by the Co-op and the decision by the Government to
:06:50. > :06:52.revamp its funding for lending scheme that the banking sector is
:06:52. > :06:57.still struggling. Thank you very much. For more on
:06:57. > :07:02.this story, you can go to the BBC News website and read analysis from
:07:02. > :07:04.our business editor Robert Peston. The Government has signed a new
:07:04. > :07:09.mutual assistance treaty with Jordan designed to ensure that the
:07:09. > :07:13.radical cleric Abu Qatada can finally be extradited. The Home
:07:13. > :07:17.Secretary, Theresa May, told the Commons it should satisfy concerns
:07:17. > :07:20.that Abu Qatada would not receive a fair trial in Jordan if deported.
:07:20. > :07:23.The Government's latest legal challenge failed yesterday when the
:07:23. > :07:30.Court of Appeal rejected attempts to bring the case before the
:07:30. > :07:34.Supreme Court. Jon Brain reports. Over a decade Abu Qatada has foiled
:07:34. > :07:38.the efforts of five Home Secretaries to deport him. Theresa
:07:38. > :07:42.May is determined not to be the sixth. Today she told the Commons
:07:42. > :07:47.that a new treaty signed with Jordan would ensure the radical
:07:47. > :07:51.preacher receives a fair trial in that country, and she criticised a
:07:51. > :07:56.legal system which had allowed him to stay for so long. As any sane
:07:56. > :08:01.observer of this case will conclude, it is absurd for the deportation of
:08:01. > :08:05.a suspected foreign terrorist to take so many years and cost the
:08:05. > :08:09.taxpayer so much money. That is why we need to make sense of our human
:08:09. > :08:12.rights laws, and it's why we need to remove the many layers of
:08:12. > :08:16.appeals available to foreign nationals we want to deport.
:08:17. > :08:21.want to work with her to make this process work and so that Abu Qatada
:08:21. > :08:24.can be deported as soon as possible, but in the past, the Home Secretary
:08:24. > :08:28.has overstated the evidence, overstated her legal position and
:08:28. > :08:33.overstated her legal strategy which has not worked. None of us want
:08:33. > :08:38.that to happen again. Abu Qatada has already been
:08:38. > :08:44.convicted in Geordan of terrorism offences. Home Office officials
:08:44. > :08:49.believe the new treaty will effectively change Jordanian law to
:08:49. > :08:53.make evidence obtained by torture inadmissible at any retrial even if
:08:53. > :08:58.the courts decide this new treaty means he should be deported, it's
:08:58. > :09:01.unlikely to happen for many more months.
:09:01. > :09:04.Our Home Affairs correspondent Tom Seimoneds is outside the Home
:09:04. > :09:09.Office. The Home Secretary says the treaty would give the Government
:09:09. > :09:13.every chance of succeeding. Will Well, this is a Home Secretary that
:09:13. > :09:17.once said he'd be on a plane within days, and that isn't going to be
:09:17. > :09:21.the case, even now. The problem the Government had was that the Special
:09:21. > :09:26.Immigration Appeals Commission said that he couldn't be deported to
:09:26. > :09:30.Jordan because if he went there he'd face trial based on evidence
:09:30. > :09:34.obtained from, they say, accomplices through torture. They
:09:34. > :09:37.say unless Jordanian law was effectively changed or changed
:09:37. > :09:41.through case law that couldn't be allowed. What the officials here
:09:41. > :09:45.have told me is effectively they have. If the Jordanian Parliament
:09:45. > :09:48.ratifys this treaty - and they expect that'll happen - they have
:09:49. > :09:52.changed Jordanian law, and this agreement will allow him to go back
:09:52. > :09:55.to Jordan, but they're not putting the champagne on ice here because
:09:55. > :09:57.what is likely to happen is the whole case goes back to that
:09:57. > :10:03.Special Immigration Appeals Commission, and then goes all the
:10:03. > :10:07.way up through the British courts again with this new treaty being
:10:07. > :10:10.considered at each stage. Abu Qatada has very - a very big legal
:10:10. > :10:14.team who have worked very hard on this case, and it is likely they'll
:10:14. > :10:19.look for loopholes in the Government's new strategy, but
:10:19. > :10:23.there is a change of feeling here. They believe they have changed the
:10:23. > :10:26.game, that and one debut bu will be on a plane.
:10:26. > :10:29.Thank you very much -- Abu Qatada will be on a plane.
:10:29. > :10:32.At least 80 people have been killed and many more have been trapped
:10:32. > :10:35.after an eight-storey building collapsed in Bangladesh near the
:10:35. > :10:38.capital, Dhaka. Rescue workers say 600 have been pulled from the
:10:38. > :10:42.rubble so far, and they're trying to reach many more still at the
:10:42. > :10:44.building. We'll be live at the scene in a few moments, but first
:10:44. > :10:47.our world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge has sent this
:10:47. > :10:51.report. The eight-storey complex housed
:10:51. > :10:55.garment factories and a shopping centre. There are estimates up to
:10:55. > :11:00.2,000 people could have been inside the building at the time.
:11:00. > :11:05.The upper floors collapsed in on each other, reducing the building
:11:05. > :11:09.to a pancaked heap of rubble little more than one storey high. One
:11:09. > :11:14.onlooker compared to it kind of damage inflicted by an earthquake.
:11:14. > :11:18.Some survivors were brought out with the help of makeshift slides
:11:18. > :11:21.using cloth which would have been cut into shirts or trousers for
:11:21. > :11:26.export. 500 soldiers and local volunteers struggled throughout the
:11:26. > :11:33.day to locate and extract the trapped and injured.
:11:33. > :11:37."We sent two people inside the building" says Mohammed, a factory
:11:37. > :11:41.supervisor. "Rerescued at least a hundred people alive. They told us
:11:41. > :11:45.at least 50 people are injured, and the there are 50 dead still on this
:11:45. > :11:49.floor". Workers said the building had developed severe cracks
:11:49. > :11:55.yesterday, and they were reluctant to enter it this morning, but they
:11:55. > :12:02.were assured there was no problem. It was another tragic demonstration
:12:02. > :12:07.of the safe -- safety fears in Bangladesh. Only last November a
:12:07. > :12:10.hundred workers were killed in a blaze at this fact Iry. Pressure to
:12:11. > :12:15.tighten regulations and raise safety standard sons likely to
:12:15. > :12:18.increase even as the latest rescue efforts continue.
:12:18. > :12:22.We can go live to the scene now. Our correspondent Anbarasan
:12:22. > :12:31.Ethirajan is at the scene for us now. What is the latest on the
:12:31. > :12:35.The eight-storey commercial building just behind me collapsed
:12:35. > :12:40.all of a sudden in the morning rush hour. Hundreds of people were
:12:40. > :12:45.inside this building. This building, it contained a bank, several shops
:12:45. > :12:50.and a clothing factory. It is still not clear how many people are
:12:50. > :12:53.trapped inside. As you can see, the soldiers, the Fire Service
:12:53. > :12:57.officials and other Government officers are trying to rescue
:12:57. > :13:00.people, and a short while ago I was very close to this building, and I
:13:00. > :13:05.could see the officials dropping water bottles through the gaps in
:13:05. > :13:09.the rubble so that it can reach the people trapped inside. Just a few
:13:09. > :13:14.seconds ago a girl was pulled out. She was seriously injured. She was
:13:14. > :13:18.taken to the nearest hospital here, and people here are asking
:13:18. > :13:21.questions how a clothing factory was allowed to operate in this
:13:21. > :13:27.building. It was an eight-storey building, and you can see that only
:13:27. > :13:30.a couple of floors are still intact, and people are angry. Thousands of
:13:30. > :13:34.people are across the road from here waiting to know about their
:13:34. > :13:37.friends and relatives, but officials say they still don't know
:13:37. > :13:40.the reason for this building collapse, and they're investigating.
:13:40. > :13:48.But there was talk yesterday of cracks appearing in the building
:13:48. > :13:51.and people being told they shouldn't perhaps go in? I think we
:13:52. > :13:55.seem to have lost our sound there, our connection. Thank you very much
:13:55. > :13:58.there, live from the scene there in Bangladesh.
:13:59. > :14:03.A 38-year-old man has admitted causing the deaths of a husband and
:14:03. > :14:09.wife who were riding a tandem bike. Ross and Clare Simons, who were
:14:09. > :14:15.both in their early 30s died after he collided with them earlier this
:14:15. > :14:18.year. Nicholas Lovell pleaded guilty to causing death by
:14:18. > :14:22.dangerous driving. His girlfriend pleaded guilty to perverting the
:14:22. > :14:27.course of justice. Jon Kay is at Bristol Crown Court for us.
:14:27. > :14:31.The families of Ross and Clare Simons were here in court to hear
:14:31. > :14:38.these guilty pleas a little bit earlier. Afterwards Avon and
:14:38. > :14:41.Somerset Police said they hoped this would provide the families
:14:41. > :14:44.with some sort of comfort though obviously wouldn't bring the couple
:14:44. > :14:48.back. Just married and planning to start
:14:48. > :14:53.a family, Ross and Clare Simons, killed together when they were
:14:53. > :14:58.knocked off their new tandem. In the car that hit them this couple -
:14:58. > :15:02.Nicholas Lovell and Louise Cox. Today he admitted causing the two
:15:02. > :15:06.deaths by driving dangerously. She pleaded guilty to perverting the
:15:06. > :15:13.course of justice. The deaths of Ross and Clare Simons horrified
:15:13. > :15:17.their friends, families and neighbours in the Hannam area of
:15:17. > :15:22.Bristol. They were described as the perfect couple who were about to
:15:22. > :15:26.start IVF treatment. They were cycling to visit relatives for
:15:26. > :15:30.Sunday lunch when their tandem bike was hit. At the time of their
:15:30. > :15:34.funeral, their bodies were carried together past the spot where they
:15:34. > :15:37.died. Today their families left Bristol Crown Court without making
:15:37. > :15:40.comment. Inside they heard that Nicholas Lovell was disqualified
:15:40. > :15:45.from driving at the time of the collision and that he then ran away
:15:45. > :15:50.from the scene. He has been remanded in custody. His girlfriend,
:15:50. > :15:53.in the grey top here, has been released on bail. Police say she
:15:53. > :16:02.deliberately misled them about what had happened after the crash.
:16:02. > :16:05.She'll be sentenced with Lovell The judge said he was released
:16:05. > :16:09.Louise Cox because he wanted pre- sentence reports carried out. The
:16:09. > :16:12.fact that she was walking out of here today was not an indication of
:16:12. > :16:20.the sentence she would receive next movement that sentencing will take
:16:20. > :16:23.place in Bristol on the 22 May. It's just after 1.15pm. The top
:16:23. > :16:28.story: Concerns that the collapse of a deal by the Co-operative bank
:16:28. > :16:31.to buy more than 600 branches of Lloyds could be bad for consumers.
:16:31. > :16:38.And still to come - why the number of people in Britain using food
:16:38. > :16:42.banks more than doubled last year. Later on BBC London: 30 years after
:16:42. > :16:47.its first flight, the Doctor Who invented the Air Ambulance is
:16:47. > :16:57.retiring. And how you could be crossing the finishing line at the
:16:57. > :16:58.
:16:58. > :17:01.Olympic Stadium this summer. Tighter rules for cosmetic surgery
:17:01. > :17:06.are being promised by the Government after an independent
:17:06. > :17:09.review said procedures like breast implants and anti-wrinkle
:17:09. > :17:13.treatments have been trivialised. Some providers are accused of
:17:13. > :17:17.putting profit ahead of patient care. The recommendations include
:17:17. > :17:21.requiring anyone who injects fillers or botox to have formal
:17:21. > :17:26.qualifications. Legislation so that fillers become prescription only. A
:17:26. > :17:28.ban on special financial offers for surgery and a requirement that
:17:28. > :17:35.patients' procedures must be approved by a surgeon not a
:17:35. > :17:42.salesperson. This review was commissioned
:17:42. > :17:46.following the PIP breftd implants scandal. The same was to ensure
:17:46. > :17:50.something similar never happens again. It was non-surgical
:17:50. > :17:54.procedures like dermal fillers which have shocked experts because
:17:54. > :17:58.of the almost total lack of controls. We don't know what's in
:17:58. > :18:00.these fillers. There are approaching 200 of them around.
:18:01. > :18:05.Secondly, if you're going to be injecting things which stay
:18:05. > :18:09.permanently in someone's face, you need to really understand the
:18:09. > :18:12.anatomy of the face and the pe ten shall complication that's arise
:18:12. > :18:16.from injecting -- potential complications that arise from
:18:16. > :18:21.injecting into the face. I'm a heart surgeon and I wouldn't dream
:18:21. > :18:28.of injecting dermal fillers. present anyone can inject dermal
:18:29. > :18:33.fillers. The review team say in future all those doing the
:18:33. > :18:38.procedures should be qualified, properly insured in case things go
:18:38. > :18:42.wrong. Today we start doing some fillers... Karen Rowing's dermal
:18:42. > :18:47.fillers are being injected by a doctor. The aim is to plump up the
:18:47. > :18:51.skin and remove wrinkles. The effects can last around a year.
:18:52. > :18:57.Everybody wants to prevent age, especially in women of our age
:18:57. > :19:01.group. I think nowadays it's become like an essential part of life.
:19:01. > :19:06.Karen is happy with the results, but the review team is worried many
:19:06. > :19:10.patients don't realise the risk of side effects and have too casual
:19:10. > :19:14.and approach to -- an approach to cosmetic procedures. The report
:19:14. > :19:18.calls for tighter controls on advertising with a complete ban on
:19:18. > :19:21.special offers for surgery. Some of the recommendations would require
:19:21. > :19:29.legislation, but the review team believes there is political will to
:19:29. > :19:36.implement them. The Crown prosecution service says
:19:36. > :19:46.the Sun's royal editor dun can Larkam should be charged with
:19:46. > :19:50.
:19:50. > :19:55.conspiracy to commit misconduct in In the public.
:19:55. > :19:59.Jord Hardy and his wife Clare face charges. The number of people in
:19:59. > :20:04.Britain using food banks more than doubled last year. The Government
:20:04. > :20:10.says there are adequate safety nets in the benefit system for those
:20:10. > :20:15.needing help. Campaigners describe the figures as shocking.
:20:15. > :20:18.A foodbank in Salisbury and volunteers are packing bags, three
:20:18. > :20:23.days of emergency supplies. As we're filming, a number of people
:20:23. > :20:27.come in, but are too ashamed to talk to us on camera. You can't
:20:27. > :20:32.just turn up to a foodbank like this and collect a parcel. You need
:20:32. > :20:35.to be referred by a doctor, social worker, the Jobcentre and the
:20:35. > :20:43.number of rereferrals in the last year has more than doubled, to a
:20:43. > :20:47.third of a million people. One of them was Vicky Charles. After her
:20:47. > :20:51.maternity pay ran out in January, there was a gap before her benefits
:20:51. > :20:55.kicked in. She was surviving on a bag of rice until the food parcel
:20:55. > :20:59.arrived. It was amazing, because they turned up with a box of food
:20:59. > :21:03.and it wasn't just, well you're skint and you need our help so
:21:03. > :21:07.here's a can of soup. It was lots of cans of all sorts of different
:21:07. > :21:12.things and there were nappies in there and wipes and chocolate. So I
:21:12. > :21:18.was literally like wow, thank you. Vicky is now back at work and
:21:18. > :21:22.providing for her and her daughter. A local church and June Rouse is
:21:22. > :21:26.dropping off a bag of food. She tries to donate as much as she can.
:21:26. > :21:34.I do realise that people are struggling. It worries me because
:21:34. > :21:38.people are out of work and there's not the jobs about for people.
:21:38. > :21:43.warehouse in Salisbury and another donation. The fast majority of the
:21:43. > :21:46.food here, 90%, comes not from supermarket cast-offs but from
:21:46. > :21:51.ordinary members of the public. So what's the bigger picture here? For
:21:51. > :21:54.some, people donating food and giving their time volunteering is
:21:54. > :21:58.evidence that the Big Society is working well. But for others, the
:21:58. > :22:01.fact that the number of people literally going hungry in this
:22:01. > :22:05.country has more than doubled in a year seems to suggest that
:22:05. > :22:08.something has gone terribly wrong with the Welfare State. It is
:22:08. > :22:14.shocking. It's disturbing. More people are falling through the
:22:14. > :22:18.safety net. But the bottom line is clear, there are more bem in this -
:22:18. > :22:22.- people in this country living in a precarious way and food banks are
:22:22. > :22:26.picking up the pieces more often than any of us would like.
:22:26. > :22:30.Government says the benefits system does provide a safety net for
:22:30. > :22:35.essentials like food and it says its welfare reforms will improve
:22:35. > :22:38.the lives of the poorest families. Others say it's too easy to blame
:22:38. > :22:42.cuts in benefits for the rise in demand for food banks. You look at
:22:42. > :22:46.the reasons, they are deeper than a reduction in benefits. There are
:22:47. > :22:50.things like benefit delays, domestic abuse, debt, unemployment,
:22:50. > :22:54.those things are what we need to tackle. Even here in Salisbury, as
:22:54. > :23:02.the cost of food, energy, rent continues to rise, charities are
:23:02. > :23:06.expecting even more people to turn to food banks in the coming year.
:23:06. > :23:10.The UK has become a significantly less dangerous place over the last
:23:10. > :23:13.decade, according to an international study. In that time,
:23:13. > :23:18.the manslaughter rate has halved and violent crime is down by a
:23:18. > :23:25.fifth. The most peaceful place in the UK,
:23:25. > :23:29.according to the UK Peace Index, is here, dn broadland in Norfolk,
:23:29. > :23:33.where the most aggressive behaviour on display is a swan demanding
:23:33. > :23:36.bread. In the last year there were just eight violent crimes recorded
:23:36. > :23:41.by police. The least peaceful is Lewisham, a borough in south London,
:23:41. > :23:45.which has been scarred by gang violence. Overall the capital is
:23:45. > :23:49.markedly more peaceful than it was with some of the biggest drops in
:23:49. > :23:52.murder and weapons crime. London's homicide rate is far lower than New
:23:52. > :23:57.York, Amsterdam, Brussels and Prague. The index finds that in the
:23:57. > :24:02.last decade in the UK, the homicide rate has halved, violent crime is
:24:02. > :24:07.down a fifth, weapons crime has fallen by a third. The analysis by
:24:07. > :24:12.the institute for economics and peace notes that 60% of people
:24:12. > :24:17.think crime is rising in Britain but they stand by their data.
:24:17. > :24:21.figures, on all probability, are very real. There might be small
:24:21. > :24:25.amount of statistical error in there, in the way the police report
:24:25. > :24:29.or some other abnormality, but generally, the trends really are
:24:29. > :24:33.real. As for why the UK is becoming more peaceful, the index finds
:24:33. > :24:37.falls in violence across the developed world and points out that
:24:37. > :24:42.despite the economic downturn, peacefulness levels continue to
:24:42. > :24:49.increase. In short - we don't know why.
:24:49. > :24:56.The Liverpool striker Louis Suarez will find out what punishment he
:24:56. > :25:03.will receive for biting a Chelsea player at weekend. What punishment
:25:03. > :25:06.is expected? The FA's three-man panel are meeting via videolink we
:25:06. > :25:09.understand. Suarez won't appear before them in person. In fact,
:25:09. > :25:14.earlier on this morning, he arrived for training at Liverpool's
:25:14. > :25:19.training ground, as per normal, as he awaits to find out what their
:25:19. > :25:24.decision will be about how long his ban will be. Suarez has accepted
:25:24. > :25:29.the charge of violent conduct, but he says he should only get the
:25:29. > :25:33.standard three-match ban for biting. What the FA say that is clearly
:25:33. > :25:36.insufficient in their words in this case and that he should get a much
:25:36. > :25:38.longer ban because of the extraordinary nature of this
:25:38. > :25:43.extraordinary nature of this incident. What he will perhaps
:25:43. > :25:47.argue is that he has apologised repeatedly and been fined by huz
:25:47. > :25:50.club. His club have said they will help him with his behaviour. This
:25:50. > :25:54.incident has shocked the world of football, even Downing Street have
:25:54. > :25:58.been wading in, pointing out the fact that Suarez is a role model
:25:58. > :26:02.for thousands of children. Suarez has been banned for biting in the
:26:02. > :26:06.past. He has served a ban last season for racially abusing a
:26:06. > :26:10.Manchester United player. He may yet receive another long ban which
:26:10. > :26:13.could see him not just miss the end of next season, but possible lit
:26:14. > :26:17.of next season, but possible lit start of next season. Australia has
:26:17. > :26:23.unveiled its squad for the fourth coming Ashes series which begins in
:26:23. > :26:27.July. The team cab tin Daryl Clark believes they can become the first
:26:27. > :26:30.Australian side to one the ashes in England since 2001. One Australian
:26:30. > :26:38.cricket writer has joked that most of the players are still unknown
:26:38. > :26:42.they'll need name tags. Cricket Australia chose the old
:26:42. > :26:47.Sydney mint to unveil the squad for the Ashes. The venue with some
:26:47. > :26:51.negative sybolism for the Aussies. Michael Clarke's Australian outfit
:26:51. > :26:55.is no longer the global gold standard. This is a building from
:26:55. > :27:02.an age when Britain was very much in charge. Australia hasn't won the
:27:02. > :27:06.Ashes on English soil for over a decade, which the legendary Steve
:27:06. > :27:10.Wah was captain. They go into the series the underdogs. They're going
:27:10. > :27:14.to be tough, playing against a very experienced team in their own
:27:14. > :27:17.backyard. That's the stage you want to be on. You want to play against
:27:17. > :27:21.the best in their own conditions. It will take every one of us to
:27:21. > :27:31.have success. Absents from the squad are the recent test retiries
:27:31. > :27:32.
:27:32. > :27:38.Rickie ponting and Michael Hussie. A number of veterans make a return,
:27:38. > :27:43.Haden is back. Jackson Bird is promising. Many of the players are
:27:43. > :27:46.unknown in Britain. Some aren't well known here. There will be many
:27:46. > :27:51.Brits looking at this squad and thinking it's the weakest Ashes
:27:51. > :27:56.team to tour in decades. I'd love to answer that, John. We've heard
:27:56. > :28:01.that so many times before, we'll see. I agree with John. I think
:28:01. > :28:07.since I've taken over the captaincy, I think I've heard that every tour.
:28:07. > :28:10.England are being urged to avoid a great pit fall in world sport,
:28:10. > :28:14.underestimating an Australian. are going through difficult periods
:28:14. > :28:18.at this time. They will bring a competitive team over. There will
:28:18. > :28:21.be a couple of players to surprise England. Overnight the Australian
:28:21. > :28:26.population reached a new landmark of 23 million people. The joke here
:28:26. > :28:30.is that they still can't find a decent spinner. This will be
:28:30. > :28:34.regarded as the weakest Ashes squad to leave these shores since 1989.
:28:34. > :28:39.But a cautionary reminder for English fans. That was a team that
:28:39. > :28:43.won. Now some lovely weather for a lot
:28:43. > :28:45.of people today. Guess what, it's of people today. Guess what, it's
:28:45. > :28:49.not going to last. Here's Darren. It isn't. We're all looking forward
:28:49. > :28:53.to the summer, and for some of us there is a taste of summer today.
:28:53. > :28:56.That's where we have the sunnier skies across the south-east of the
:28:56. > :28:59.UK, where temperatures are already higher than they were at this stage
:28:59. > :29:03.yesterday. But there is more cloud coming in. It won't be as sunny.
:29:03. > :29:06.Further north it is colder. We have fresher air for northern parts of
:29:06. > :29:09.the UK. In Scotland that's where we may have the sunniest weather this
:29:09. > :29:12.afternoon. The cloud continuing to thin and break. One or two showers
:29:13. > :29:16.dotted about. But many places in the country will be dry. Those
:29:16. > :29:24.temperatures have just about levelled off at around ten or 11
:29:24. > :29:28.degrees. Chilly under the cloud. Some breaks in the cloud, brighter
:29:28. > :29:32.skies across parts of the Midlands, East Anglia and the south. Along
:29:32. > :29:36.the south coast it is colder. We have a lot of low cloud just
:29:36. > :29:41.lapping onto coastal areas. Here temperatures struggling around 10
:29:41. > :29:44.or 11 degrees. Maybe a few spots of drizzle. Cloud into Wales as well.
:29:44. > :29:47.A few showers in the west and brighter skys in the eastern side
:29:47. > :29:50.of the country p we may get late sunshine in the north of Northern
:29:50. > :29:53.Ireland. Temperatures have peaked already. It will feel colder from
:29:53. > :29:57.the north. We'll see it turning wetter this evening in Northern
:29:57. > :30:01.Ireland. Rain comes in again overnight. It bushes into southern
:30:01. > :30:04.Scotland and northern England. To the south of that, low cloud, some
:30:05. > :30:08.mist and fog around coasts and hills in the south and west. At
:30:08. > :30:10.least it should be mild, whereas to the north of that rain, it will be
:30:10. > :30:14.colder with a few showers in the North West of Scotland. And
:30:14. > :30:17.tomorrow that colder air is going to come pushing its way southwards,
:30:17. > :30:21.behind our band of cloud and rain. The rain becoming lighter and more
:30:21. > :30:25.patchy as it works its way into the Midlands, squeezing the sunshine
:30:25. > :30:29.into that south-eastern corner. For most of us, temperatures will
:30:29. > :30:32.struggle to around 10 to 12 degrees. It's cooler through the Midlands,
:30:32. > :30:39.for example. The warmth is getting pushed into the south-eastern
:30:39. > :30:43.corner. Around London to the north of London, we could get 21 or but
:30:43. > :30:49.make the most of that. This is the last of the warm air. We have
:30:49. > :30:52.changing the -- we are changing the wind direction. The colder air is
:30:52. > :30:54.pushed across the country bit end of the week. It comes in behind
:30:54. > :30:58.what's left of the rain in the south-east corner. Then after, that
:30:58. > :31:02.we get sunshine and showers. Some of those showers will be heavy and
:31:02. > :31:06.possibly wintry over the hills. Temperatures only nine or ten
:31:06. > :31:09.degrees. If we look ahead to the weekend, there'll be more showers
:31:09. > :31:13.around, particularly on Saturday. Patchy rain in the north on Sunday
:31:13. > :31:15.but it's colder for all of us and gardener, beware, there may be some
:31:15. > :31:22.frosty weather on Friday night and frosty weather on Friday night and
:31:22. > :31:25.Saturday night as well. A reminder of our main story this