:00:08. > :00:15.Rail fares go up for thousands of commuters across the UK. The average
:00:16. > :00:19.cost of rail season ticket is up 3%. At the lowest rise in four years but
:00:20. > :00:23.it is still higher than the average rise in wages. We'll get reaction of
:00:24. > :00:27.some passengers say it will make their journeys to work
:00:28. > :00:31.unaffordable. Also this lunchtime, simpler energy bills are on the way
:00:32. > :00:40.from today in an attempt to rebuild consumer trust. Look at that. What a
:00:41. > :00:46.handsome sight that is. Rescued after nine days trapped in the ice,
:00:47. > :00:49.all 52 passengers stranded in the Antarctic are airlifted to safety.
:00:50. > :00:54.Here, warnings of exceptional weather to come with rain, wind and
:00:55. > :00:58.high tides threatening the UK. And using a mix of modern and ancient
:00:59. > :01:04.technology, the new implant that could help patients heal
:01:05. > :01:08.post-surgery. Later on BBC London, with parts of
:01:09. > :01:12.Surrey still underwater there are warnings of further floods in the
:01:13. > :01:15.next 24 hours. And paying more for your daily commute. We'll find out
:01:16. > :01:31.how rail passengers here will be hit.
:01:32. > :01:38.Hello, a very good afternoon for you. Welcome to the BBC News At One.
:01:39. > :01:42.Consume and campaign groups have joined passengers in criticising
:01:43. > :01:47.today's rising rail fares which have seen an average increase of 2.8%. It
:01:48. > :01:52.has pushed the cost of travelling to work for some to more than ?5,000 a
:01:53. > :01:55.year. Some commuters say it will be increasingly difficult for them to
:01:56. > :01:59.afford the journey to work. The average rises the smallest for four
:02:00. > :02:03.years but campaigners say fares are rising three times faster than
:02:04. > :02:09.incomes. Our transport correspondent Richard Westcott reports.
:02:10. > :02:13.It has been as regular as clockwork for the past decade. Something busy
:02:14. > :02:19.commuters can always rely on. The January fare rise. Rail users across
:02:20. > :02:23.the country will be renewing their season tickets today with a sense of
:02:24. > :02:27.dismay, for the 11th year in a row we have seen significant increases
:02:28. > :02:30.in fares. We are calling on the government to put this to an end. It
:02:31. > :02:35.is actually the government that sets the increase for around half of the
:02:36. > :02:39.tickets we buy. Known as regulated fares, they include season tickets.
:02:40. > :02:44.This year they'll go up in line with inflation also train companies can
:02:45. > :02:48.add a little more as long as they match it with a small rise
:02:49. > :02:52.elsewhere. So the annual ticket between Colchester and Chelmsford in
:02:53. > :02:57.Essex goes up by 5%, for example, which adds ?96 per year. A worker
:02:58. > :03:02.coming into London from Canterbury in Kent will only see a 2.1% rise
:03:03. > :03:07.but that still works out at ?100 more a year. The Middlesbrough to
:03:08. > :03:14.Newcastle commute goes up by 5%, or ?128 a year. The increase is but
:03:15. > :03:17.they were meant to be even higher until the government changed its
:03:18. > :03:21.policy last month. I am sure these passengers will welcome any kind of
:03:22. > :03:26.respite in the price of their ticket but this comes after a decade's
:03:27. > :03:31.worth of above inflation fare rises so will it be enough? I think it's
:03:32. > :03:37.an improvement on previous years but I still feel it is a lot and back
:03:38. > :03:41.commuters get hit hard all the time. ?5,800 now, so considerably more,
:03:42. > :03:46.but it is going to be a struggle. I stand up every day from East
:03:47. > :03:52.Croydon. Conditions are horrendous. Always delayed. So yes, not happy.
:03:53. > :03:55.Train fares have been going at relentlessly for a decade because
:03:56. > :04:00.successive governments have wanted passengers to pay a bigger share of
:04:01. > :04:04.the running costs. The government is investing 16 billion over the next
:04:05. > :04:09.five years to upgrade the railway network in terms of maintenance, new
:04:10. > :04:12.lines, rolling stock. There is some movement on the basis of the balance
:04:13. > :04:15.between the fair pay and the taxpayer but the government is not
:04:16. > :04:21.stopping investing and the government is continuing to invest.
:04:22. > :04:23.In Scotland commuters faced the same rise but season-ticket holders in
:04:24. > :04:28.Wales will pay a little less than inflation. There is no increase at
:04:29. > :04:32.all planned in Northern Ireland. Let's hear more from Richard who is
:04:33. > :04:35.at King's Cross station for us. You separate prices have been going up
:04:36. > :04:41.for the past decade. The question is what happens next? I think you are
:04:42. > :04:45.absolutely right. Everyone wants to know if there is any chance that
:04:46. > :04:48.fares will actually come down at all rather than going up with inflation.
:04:49. > :04:53.Unfortunately I think the answer is, no, not for some years yet. The
:04:54. > :04:59.first reason is the government wants to pay for less of the running costs
:05:00. > :05:04.for the railways. It pays about 30% and wants to drag it down to 25%.
:05:05. > :05:08.That means passengers have to pay more. The second reason is perfectly
:05:09. > :05:13.illustrated behind me here, a brand-new King's Cross concourse,
:05:14. > :05:16.billions of pounds invested in the railways in electrifying lines so
:05:17. > :05:21.they are more reliable, faster and greener, all of that costs money and
:05:22. > :05:24.that has got to come from somewhere. Unfortunately we have had an
:05:25. > :05:27.inflation rise this year, a little lower than expected, I suspect we
:05:28. > :05:31.will get at least that next year going into an election and who knows
:05:32. > :05:37.beyond that but I don't think we will see cuts any time soon.
:05:38. > :05:41.Richard, thank you. New rules designed to signify energy
:05:42. > :05:45.bills have come into effect will stop changes include limiting
:05:46. > :05:50.supplies to just four tariff Spurs customer for electricity and gas and
:05:51. > :05:54.simplifying how prices are charged. The regulator Ofgem says banning
:05:55. > :06:00.confusing and context tariffs should help to rebuild consumer trust.
:06:01. > :06:05.Which? Says the changes are a step in the right direction but do not go
:06:06. > :06:09.far enough. Simon Gompertz reports. You can't understand your bill or
:06:10. > :06:12.compare it to what else is on offer, you could end up on a gas or
:06:13. > :06:16.electricity deal which costs too much. So energy suppliers have been
:06:17. > :06:20.told by the regulator to cut down on the bewildering variations which end
:06:21. > :06:25.up confusing customers into overpaying. We have had people
:06:26. > :06:30.saying to us that they go to switching sights or phone suppliers
:06:31. > :06:34.and get bamboozled by the complete array of tariffs that currently
:06:35. > :06:37.exist and beef complex multi-tier tariffs, where you pay one rate
:06:38. > :06:41.until you get to a certain point and then pay a different rate, all of
:06:42. > :06:46.that has gone. Even though energy bills are being made simpler each
:06:47. > :06:50.company will still be able to offer four different electricity tariffs
:06:51. > :06:54.and four different gas prices. They will be fixed or variable prices, or
:06:55. > :06:59.green deals, and they will have a standing charge which can vary as
:07:00. > :07:02.well as the unit price, along with possible discounts for dual fuel,
:07:03. > :07:06.taking both gas and electricity from the same company, and giving your
:07:07. > :07:13.account online. So it could still get, located but anything simpler
:07:14. > :07:16.might help. If there are fewer tariffs it is easier to compare and
:07:17. > :07:19.contrast whereas before there were many different tariffs and it is
:07:20. > :07:23.difficult to worth out what is worthwhile for your particular
:07:24. > :07:26.property. My concern is how they levelled them off at slightly higher
:07:27. > :07:31.rates because the government is saying make it simpler? Bills have
:07:32. > :07:35.doubled in recent years and that is because the price of gas out of the
:07:36. > :07:40.North Sea and imported has gone up along with electricity and the power
:07:41. > :07:43.station and simpler bills won't make any difference to those wholesale
:07:44. > :07:50.costs which are hurting households. It can necessarily mean lower prices
:07:51. > :07:55.unless the world price comes lower. What it can mean for US underwritten
:07:56. > :07:59.-- you as an individual can find a better price than you are paying at
:08:00. > :08:03.the moment. The government has taken the edge of price increases by
:08:04. > :08:07.moderating the green charges which are included in bills. That's after
:08:08. > :08:12.Ed Miliband promised to freeze energy prices. But this is about
:08:13. > :08:14.choosing and there's more in the pipeline. By the end of March
:08:15. > :08:19.suppliers will have to tell customers which of their tariffs
:08:20. > :08:26.would be cheapest. Now, all 52 passengers who have been
:08:27. > :08:29.stranded in Antarctica on a Russian research ship since Christmas Eve
:08:30. > :08:33.have now been rescued. Their ship had been stuck on the ice and rescue
:08:34. > :08:39.attempts have failed until today, when they were able to be rescued by
:08:40. > :08:43.helicopter. The helicopter sent from the Chinese icebreaker has airlifted
:08:44. > :08:47.groups of 12 to time taking them to an Australia ship, where they will
:08:48. > :08:51.journey to Tasmania. Andrew Luck-Baker describes the rescue.
:08:52. > :08:57.Look at that. What a handsome craft that is. We had many false dawns and
:08:58. > :09:01.we were wondering whether we would have to wait another week, but no,
:09:02. > :09:07.we are being lifted off in a next, well, I won't say how many hours but
:09:08. > :09:16.we will go this evening. The first of helicopters to take us home!
:09:17. > :09:22.Thanks, everyone! They have been taken on a ten minute ride over to
:09:23. > :09:25.the very far edge of this new, extensive pack ice. They have been
:09:26. > :09:31.put down there and then they will be picked up by a small craft that will
:09:32. > :09:34.be sent out from the Australian icebreaker that is in the area, that
:09:35. > :09:42.is in clear water and then they will be ferried over to the Australian
:09:43. > :09:46.ship. In the meantime the helicopter will be coming back and pick up the
:09:47. > :09:52.group of people, the group of 12, who are waiting on the ice right
:09:53. > :09:55.now. They are kind of huddled in a little ice structure, is no
:09:56. > :09:59.structure has been built for them to keep out the wind. I am on the
:10:00. > :10:03.Australian icebreaker the Aurora Australis and what you can see there
:10:04. > :10:09.is the fifth and final helicopter ride. The Chinese helicopter has
:10:10. > :10:14.just landed and delivered its final consignment of expedition people and
:10:15. > :10:18.luggage. It is a really exhilarating ride, I can tell you, but it is
:10:19. > :10:24.great to see that the fifth and final ferrying operation of this
:10:25. > :10:27.amazing Chinese helicopter has been successfully completed.
:10:28. > :10:35.There you go, the BBC's Andrew Luck-Baker describing his time on
:10:36. > :10:39.board that trapped research ship. The search for a 27-year-old man who
:10:40. > :10:42.was swept out to sea near Porthleven in Cornwall has been called off
:10:43. > :10:46.after the discovery of a body nearby. It is believed he had gone
:10:47. > :10:50.paddling in the early hours of the morning after celebrating New Year.
:10:51. > :10:53.The news comes as the government's emergency committee COBRA met to
:10:54. > :10:57.discuss the response to the bad weather which has also torn down
:10:58. > :11:04.power lines, closed roads had flooded homes. Jon Brain reports.
:11:05. > :11:07.Rescue teams had been searching the coastline around Porthleven for the
:11:08. > :11:11.man for more than a day and a half. The 27-year-old had been paddling
:11:12. > :11:15.here with friends on New Year's Eve, when he was swept out to sea.
:11:16. > :11:19.Conditions at the time were described as atrocious. The man's
:11:20. > :11:23.body was spotted on the beach this morning by a member of the public.
:11:24. > :11:28.The discovery follows the death of a woman who was drowned at sea in
:11:29. > :11:31.North Devon on Tuesday morning. The police are warning residents and
:11:32. > :11:36.visitors to the West Country to stay out of the sea during bad weather.
:11:37. > :11:40.Bad weather which is due to return to much of the country tonight and
:11:41. > :11:45.tomorrow. Raising fears of further flooding after a Christmas period of
:11:46. > :11:49.chaos and disruption. Hundreds of properties were flooded thousands of
:11:50. > :11:53.people left without power. This morning, the environment Secretary
:11:54. > :11:55.chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee
:11:56. > :12:01.COBRA to plan for the impending storms. I would appeal to everyone
:12:02. > :12:04.to keep in very close touch with the warnings which are being put out on
:12:05. > :12:10.a regular basis by the Environment Agency, to pay heed to them as these
:12:11. > :12:17.floods and the coast will be dangerous. And if there are warnings
:12:18. > :12:21.from the local authority, the local emergency services, to pay heed and
:12:22. > :12:27.take immediate action. And already the first evidence of the weather's
:12:28. > :12:31.latest onslaught. The river in Carmarthenshire has burst its banks.
:12:32. > :12:36.The flooding here is likely to be mirrored across large parts of UK
:12:37. > :12:41.the next 24 hours. And indeed we will have a full
:12:42. > :12:45.weather forecast for you later in the programme.
:12:46. > :12:49.House of Fraser says it has seen its best ever Christmas trading period
:12:50. > :12:54.with sales up almost 7.5% on the same period last year. John Lewis
:12:55. > :12:58.has also reported a strong performance with like-for-like sales
:12:59. > :13:02.up almost 7% on a year ago. Both reported a big increase in online
:13:03. > :13:06.sales. Convicted murderers could be given
:13:07. > :13:10.jail sentences lasting hundreds of years under new government plans.
:13:11. > :13:13.The move as a response to a ruling by the European Court of Human
:13:14. > :13:19.Rights, which said whole life tariffs were unlawful. Our political
:13:20. > :13:22.correspondent Chris Mason expense. Multiple murderers Jeremy Bamber,
:13:23. > :13:28.Douglas Pinter and Peter Moore took the government to court and forced
:13:29. > :13:31.it to act. They are three of the 49 people in England and Wales serving
:13:32. > :13:37.the whole of their lives behind bars. They are the worst and most
:13:38. > :13:42.notorious murderers and include Rose West and the killer of five-year-old
:13:43. > :13:47.April Jones, Mark Bridger. Has been a violation of Article three... .
:13:48. > :13:50.The European Court of Human Rights ruled last summer that a whole life
:13:51. > :13:55.sentence had to have the possibility of both review and possible release
:13:56. > :13:59.and the human rights of the murderers were being breached. The
:14:00. > :14:03.government has already had a running with the European court over whether
:14:04. > :14:07.some prisoners should be given the vote. The Prime Minister is not
:14:08. > :14:11.happy. What I believe is very clear, that there are some people who
:14:12. > :14:15.commit such dreadful crimes that they should be sent to prison and
:14:16. > :14:18.life should mean life and what is of the European Court said we must put
:14:19. > :14:24.in place arrangements to make sure that can continue. So one idea is
:14:25. > :14:28.that criminals convicted of the most serious crimes would be given
:14:29. > :14:31.incredibly long sentences, perhaps 100 years. This would mean they
:14:32. > :14:36.spent the rest of their lives here, in jail, but allow at least the
:14:37. > :14:39.possibility of release eventually. The judgement by the European Court
:14:40. > :14:43.was very clear. Not that people should be let out but simply that
:14:44. > :14:47.they should have that opportunity at some stage, usually at 25 years or
:14:48. > :14:52.more, for review, which is what happens in most countries around the
:14:53. > :14:55.world. Beyond this specific ruling plenty of Conservatives have got an
:14:56. > :14:58.eye to the next election next year now and they are taking a look at
:14:59. > :15:04.the role of the European Court of Human Rights and its relationship
:15:05. > :15:07.with British law. They would like to change it. As far as this idea is
:15:08. > :15:10.concerned though there are still sceptics who need convincing. Of
:15:11. > :15:16.course it is dishonest because they are going to die and ten, 20 or 30
:15:17. > :15:21.years and secondly it is illogical. It has no proportion to it. This
:15:22. > :15:24.wrangle with the European Court is already having an impact. The
:15:25. > :15:28.sentencing of the murderers of the soldier Lee Rigby has been postponed
:15:29. > :15:40.wireless solution of what to do with our most serious criminals is found.
:15:41. > :15:44.Our main story this lunchtime: Rail fares go up for thousands of
:15:45. > :15:51.commuters across the UK. The average cost of a rail season ticket is up
:15:52. > :15:55.3%. And still to come, England look to avoid a 5-0 whitewash at the
:15:56. > :16:05.hands of the Australians in the final Ashes test which begins
:16:06. > :16:09.tonight. Later on BBC London: Driving artists
:16:10. > :16:11.out - are property prices pushing creative industries out of the
:16:12. > :16:25.capital? In an extraordinary case of ancient
:16:26. > :16:27.technology meeting with the new, a traditional loom is being used by
:16:28. > :16:30.researchers at the University of Oxford to help them develop a
:16:31. > :16:34.material implant which they believe could help the body repair itself
:16:35. > :16:36.after surgery. The material patch is being trialled with patients
:16:37. > :16:39.suffering from shoulder injuries and it's hoped that in time it could
:16:40. > :16:43.help people with other conditions like arthritis, hernias and heart
:16:44. > :16:53.defects. Our health correspondent Adam Brimelow explains how.
:16:54. > :16:58.Kevin senior fixes boilers, but he works in pain. He has torn a tendon
:16:59. > :17:05.in his shoulder on his stronger right side. Now he is waiting for an
:17:06. > :17:12.operation. This kind of injuries increasingly common. The need for a
:17:13. > :17:16.long-term repair has never been greater. Whenever he lifts his arm
:17:17. > :17:22.it hurts, even to shave or claim his hair. Twisting a spanner high on a
:17:23. > :17:30.wall, everyday work for a plumbing engineer, is just too much. We have
:17:31. > :17:35.got and apprentice. Anything I cannot do, he has to do. Most
:17:36. > :17:40.boilers are above head height now and he has to do the boilers under
:17:41. > :17:44.my supervision. Each year in England and Wales, there are 10,000
:17:45. > :17:49.operations to fix this type of injury. The figures have gone up by
:17:50. > :17:53.500% in the last ten years. But around the court of these procedures
:17:54. > :17:58.are not successful and the tear reappears. Researchers in Oxford
:17:59. > :18:02.have created a protective patch which wraps around the repair. It
:18:03. > :18:07.has been tested in the lab to ensure it is strong enough to withstand the
:18:08. > :18:12.stresses of movement in the crucial early months after surgery. One side
:18:13. > :18:17.is made of thick woven material, but the other side is spun very fine.
:18:18. > :18:23.The surface in courage of to grip and bond as they would naturally in
:18:24. > :18:28.a younger patient. -- the surface encourages cells to grip and bond.
:18:29. > :18:33.This has the extraordinary ability to direct the way cells behave and
:18:34. > :18:35.if you like, wake up tired and ageing cells and make them want to
:18:36. > :18:42.heal, whereas previously they were would not. This project uses the
:18:43. > :18:47.best in modern and ancient technology. Here we have an
:18:48. > :18:53.electro-spinning device which produces thread 100 times finer than
:18:54. > :18:57.a human hair. And here, we have a hand loom which makes a cover for
:18:58. > :19:02.the patch, making it strong and resilient. This material is
:19:03. > :19:07.degradable. It disappears after a few months, so there is no risk of
:19:08. > :19:14.rejection by the body. Researchers are happy to turn to old technology
:19:15. > :19:19.to further science. Scientists are very fond of simplicity, crafts,
:19:20. > :19:26.using your hands. Working with a hand loom is something that is good.
:19:27. > :19:31.Clinical trials with shoulder patients should start soon but in
:19:32. > :19:34.time, this approach could help keep with other conditions including
:19:35. > :19:38.hernias, heart defects and arthritis.
:19:39. > :19:40.Doctors treating the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, say
:19:41. > :19:45.his condition has deteriorated in the past 48 hours. The 85-year-old
:19:46. > :19:48.has been in a coma for eight years since suffering a stroke while he
:19:49. > :19:52.was at the height of his political power. The hospital's director said
:19:53. > :19:58.Mr Sharon's organs were failing and his life is in danger.
:19:59. > :20:00.Fighting is continuing in South Sudan as representatives of both
:20:01. > :20:06.sides of the conflict there prepare for peace talks in Ethiopia. Aid
:20:07. > :20:09.agencies say tens of thousands of people have been forced from their
:20:10. > :20:14.homes and are in desperate need of help. Many have fled to a refugee
:20:15. > :20:18.camp on the banks of the Nile to escape the fighting. Our
:20:19. > :20:26.correspondent, Alastair Leithead, is at the camp and sent this report.
:20:27. > :20:32.We do not know exactly how many people have made the trip across the
:20:33. > :20:36.Nile here, but it is more than 75,000 people, that is like a sports
:20:37. > :20:41.stadium of people suddenly arriving here. This is where they are ending
:20:42. > :20:45.up. They are sitting under the trees. This is the only shelter they
:20:46. > :20:49.have got. This goes all the way down the banks of the Nile, all the way
:20:50. > :20:53.into that area, huge numbers of people and they have nothing. They
:20:54. > :20:59.grabbed what they could. They did not have any food with them either.
:21:00. > :21:04.The water is not clean. These guys with the buckets on their head have
:21:05. > :21:10.water from the Nile, it is dirty, bad water. On this side we have the
:21:11. > :21:13.clinic which has been set up by Medecins Sans Frontieres. There are
:21:14. > :21:16.two small clinics with a handful of staff in each. They have been trying
:21:17. > :21:21.to deal with the increasing number of people coming in with very bad
:21:22. > :21:27.diarrhoea, among them a number of children. We have heard of babies
:21:28. > :21:30.who have died from diarrhoea. In the background are the first signs of
:21:31. > :21:37.aid coming in here. This is truckloads of food. The Red Cross
:21:38. > :21:42.have come in. They have brought food and supplies. They are trying to do
:21:43. > :21:45.this in an organised way. They are being organised by which area they
:21:46. > :21:49.are from, to ensure that this is given out fairly to the people who
:21:50. > :21:55.need it most. But more needs to come. It's a five-hour drive to
:21:56. > :21:59.reach this area. The UN is already aware of the situation the people
:22:00. > :22:03.are in. It is a humanitarian crisis. The fighting is continuing across
:22:04. > :22:07.the river. There are people over there who cannot come over on boats
:22:08. > :22:11.because it is too dangerous for them. Even to get here where there
:22:12. > :22:15.is nothing is better than being in a town which is being held by the
:22:16. > :22:19.anti-government forces and there is a serious risk of more intense
:22:20. > :22:21.fighting breaking out in the days ahead.
:22:22. > :22:24.More than three-quarters-of-a-million young
:22:25. > :22:27.people in the UK believe they have nothing to live for, that's the
:22:28. > :22:30.finding of research by the Prince's Trust, which suggests a third of
:22:31. > :22:32.those who've been out of work for more than six months have
:22:33. > :22:41.contemplated suicide. Michael Buchanan reports.
:22:42. > :22:47.23 Rod Chris Newell spent years looking for a job. Every rejection
:22:48. > :22:53.knocked his confidence. When he was 20, disheartened and depressed, he
:22:54. > :22:57.tried to kill himself. I took a load of tablets. Thankfully, I'm still
:22:58. > :23:04.here but at the time I did not think that. I was at an all-time low, rock
:23:05. > :23:10.bottom, for a long time. Being out of work contributed to that.
:23:11. > :23:13.Today's research from the Prince's Trust suggests more than three
:23:14. > 0:16:18quarters of a million of young people aged between 16