:00:09. > :00:14.A police officer who investigated the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence
:00:15. > :00:17.is suspected of corruption. The Prime Minister and Home Secretary
:00:18. > :00:21.say they are profoundly shocked at the findings of an independent
:00:22. > :00:26.review into the killing. Given the gravity of what has now been
:00:27. > :00:32.uncovered, I have decided that a public enquiry led by a judge is
:00:33. > :00:36.necessary. We will be assessing the continuing fallout after the murder
:00:37. > :00:41.of Stephen Lawrence, 21 years ago. Also this lunchtime, troops in
:00:42. > :00:44.Ukraine remain blockaded as the tense military stand-off continues.
:00:45. > :00:48.The Crimean parliament decides to join the Russian Federation and to
:00:49. > :00:52.hold a referendum in ten days' time. EU leaders meet in Brussels to
:00:53. > :00:59.discuss how they will respond to Russia's actions. I will reporting
:01:00. > :01:04.from Crimea with the latest on the Russian military operations here.
:01:05. > :01:08.Court is told how publicist Max Clifford allegedly used his
:01:09. > :01:13.celebrity connections to bully and manipulate girls and women into sex
:01:14. > :01:16.acts. At his murder trial, Oscar Pistorius breaks down in tears as
:01:17. > :01:20.the court hears from a doctor who tried to save his shot girlfriend's
:01:21. > :01:26.life, but said he could tell she was dying. Later on BBC London, why the
:01:27. > :01:32.net's use of Tasers against London has risen dramatically in four years
:01:33. > :01:33.and the trial into the murder of PC Blake Cox, the trial has been told
:01:34. > :01:56.officers came under gunfire. Hello and welcome to the BBC News At
:01:57. > :01:59.One. He was murdered 21 years ago, but the controversy surrounding
:02:00. > :02:03.Stephen Lawrence's death continues. A review of the original
:02:04. > :02:07.investigation has found reasonable grounds to suspect corruption by one
:02:08. > :02:12.of the police officers involved. Mark Ellison QC said he found no
:02:13. > :02:15.evidence of corruption by officers other than Det Sgt John Davidson,
:02:16. > :02:20.but it said the lines of enquiry might be able to provide such
:02:21. > :02:24.evidence. Two men are serving life terms for the murder. Home Secretary
:02:25. > :02:27.to reason may describes the report findings as profoundly shocking and
:02:28. > :02:33.ordered the judge-led public enquiry into the work of undercover police.
:02:34. > :02:38.Matt Prodger reports. It is 20 years since the racist
:02:39. > :02:42.murder of Stephen Lawrence, gears of allegations that police spied on
:02:43. > :02:46.Justice campaigners it, investigators let down the family
:02:47. > :02:50.and racism lay at the heart of the failures. Today, the publication of
:02:51. > :02:56.another review and the launch of another enquiry. This time into the
:02:57. > :03:00.role of undercover police officers. Given the gravity of what has now
:03:01. > :03:07.been uncovered I have decided that a public enquiry led by a judge is
:03:08. > :03:12.necessary to investigate undercover policing and the operation of the
:03:13. > :03:17.STS. Only a public enquiry will be able to get to the full truth behind
:03:18. > :03:21.the matters of huge concern expressed and contained in Mark
:03:22. > :03:25.Ellison's report. That report found that this former undercover police
:03:26. > :03:30.officer was right when he said that police had spied on the Lawrence
:03:31. > :03:33.family campaign in the 1990s. It was completely improper, but the review
:03:34. > :03:39.found no evidence that the police were trying to smear the family and
:03:40. > :03:45.the protest groups around them. Stephen's father Neville wept as he
:03:46. > :03:52.watched the Home Secretary's statement. He says he sees no end in
:03:53. > :03:57.sight. I don't know how long this is going to take but as I said
:03:58. > :04:01.earlier, I don't know whether I will be able to sit and listen to all of
:04:02. > :04:05.this again. In the days that followed Stephen Lawrence's murder,
:04:06. > :04:10.the police were watching the prime suspects but did too little, too
:04:11. > :04:14.late. Gary Dobson and David Norris were not convicted until 2012. The
:04:15. > :04:18.review has found reasonable grounds to suspect corruption of this man,
:04:19. > :04:25.John Davidson, a detective on the original case. It says details of
:04:26. > :04:28.corruption were withheld from the Macpherson enquiry at which the
:04:29. > :04:34.murder suspects appeared. There was later mass shredding of a set of
:04:35. > :04:37.police files. Ellison says that if the evidence of corruption was made
:04:38. > :04:40.public at the time they could have been serious disorder on the
:04:41. > :04:43.streets, maybe the Met has covered it up because they were concerned
:04:44. > :04:49.about public safety but then the shredding of evidence later appears
:04:50. > :04:53.to be trying to cover up Grossman. In a statement, the Met said that
:04:54. > :04:57.the report had considered some very serious issues which may have a
:04:58. > :05:02.negative impact on the confidence in policing.
:05:03. > :05:06.Our chief political correspondent Norman Smith is in Westminster. The
:05:07. > :05:11.Prime Minister has been tweeting and says he shares the Home Secretary's
:05:12. > :05:14.profound shock. Indeed, I think the view across government is that we
:05:15. > :05:18.may have reached a pivotal moment for the police in terms of their
:05:19. > :05:22.integrity, their standing, how they are viewed by the public, how far
:05:23. > :05:27.they can even be trusted, not just because of what is contained in this
:05:28. > :05:29.report, which has examples of police withholding information from
:05:30. > :05:33.official enquiries for the shredding information, possibly provide
:05:34. > :05:39.presiding over miscarriages of justice, but because of the Home
:05:40. > :05:42.Secretary's statement which was frankly a political bombshell. She
:05:43. > :05:47.said at one point, I do not believe corruption is ended -- endemic in
:05:48. > :05:52.the police, however there was an awfully big but after that phrase
:05:53. > :05:56.and the butt came in the form of legislation Mrs May is now to
:05:57. > :06:01.introduce some are introducing a new offence specific offence of police
:06:02. > :06:05.corruption. You don't introduce such legislation unless you believe there
:06:06. > :06:10.is a problem of corruption in the police. More than that, she
:06:11. > :06:13.introduced measures to encourage police whistle-blowers to come
:06:14. > :06:18.forward, a review of what police are doing to tackle corruption and all
:06:19. > :06:21.this after previous scandals over Hillsborough, with suggestions the
:06:22. > :06:25.police tampered with witness statements, the plebgate saga,
:06:26. > :06:31.police officers having to come and apologise for their conduct in front
:06:32. > :06:38.of MPs. My sense is we have reached really serious moment for the police
:06:39. > :06:41.because today, the Home Secretary in effect held her hands up and said to
:06:42. > :06:46.people, we may have a serious problem with our police force.
:06:47. > :06:50.Norman, thank you very much, Norman Smith. The regional parliament in
:06:51. > :06:55.Crimea has voted to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia. It says
:06:56. > :06:58.it will put the decision to a referendum in ten days' time. A
:06:59. > :07:02.government minister in Kiev said such a move would be
:07:03. > :07:05.unconstitutional, for Crimea to join Russia. The move increases the
:07:06. > :07:11.pressure on European union leaders, who are meeting in Brussels to agree
:07:12. > :07:16.a response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine. Ben Brown
:07:17. > :07:20.is in Sebastopol in Crimea now. Yes, the likelihood is that Crimea
:07:21. > :07:24.in that referendum in ten days' time, will vote to become part of
:07:25. > :07:30.Russia because quite simply the arithmetic shows that 58%, a clear
:07:31. > :07:33.majority of the population here in Crimea, are ethnic Russians but the
:07:34. > :07:37.reality on the ground is that Crimea is already de facto under Russian
:07:38. > :07:41.control ever since its military intervention a few days ago. I have
:07:42. > :07:46.been driving around Crimea this morning to get the latest picture.
:07:47. > :07:51.At the Missile defence base, Russian troops are still making their
:07:52. > :07:55.presence felt, all those there seems to be few of them today. An
:07:56. > :07:58.indication that maybe they are relaxing just a little their
:07:59. > :08:04.stranglehold on strategic Ukrainian installations here in Crimea. At
:08:05. > :08:08.another base, Cape Fiolent, we discovered the Russian troops who
:08:09. > :08:16.had been here for a week, had pulled out all together last night, much to
:08:17. > :08:19.the relief of Ukrainian commanders. TRANSLATION:
:08:20. > :08:22.At about midnight, the Russian troops who were in our base
:08:23. > :08:26.apparently received a command. They gathered their things, got in their
:08:27. > :08:30.vehicles and 15 minutes later they were gone. Right now there are only
:08:31. > :08:34.Ukrainians here. It is difficult when there are foreign troops on
:08:35. > :08:39.your base but we carried on doing our jobs, even though they were
:08:40. > :08:43.better armed than we are. Ukrainian flag flies over the base, for now at
:08:44. > :08:50.least, but the Ukrainian troops here don't know when or if the Russians
:08:51. > :08:54.might come back and so they say that is why everywhere they go they carry
:08:55. > :08:58.their guns with them. So what has happened here does seem to represent
:08:59. > :09:05.a slight loosening of Russia's military grip in the Crimea and
:09:06. > :09:08.perhaps an easing of tension. At sea, the Russian blockade of
:09:09. > :09:13.Ukrainian naval vessels continues but again there are fewer Russian
:09:14. > :09:19.troops visible. The flagship of the Ukrainian fleet is on her way back
:09:20. > :09:22.from anti-piracy duties of Somalia. It is not yet clear if she will be
:09:23. > :09:28.allowed to come into port here in Crimea. Meanwhile, Russia has
:09:29. > :09:32.suffered one embarrassing setback. A news reader resigned on air in
:09:33. > :09:37.protest at Russia's intervention in Crimea. After this newscast I am
:09:38. > :09:40.resigning. As the crisis here continues there is no doubt the
:09:41. > :09:44.decision to hold a referendum on whether Crimea should be Russian or
:09:45. > :09:50.Ukrainian simply raises the stakes even higher.
:09:51. > :09:54.Here in Sebastopol you can probably see over my left shoulder one of
:09:55. > :09:59.those Russian naval vessels that is part of that brocade penning in
:10:00. > :10:03.Ukrainian naval ships. My colleague Christian Fraser has managed to get
:10:04. > :10:07.on board one of those blockaded Ukrainian vessels.
:10:08. > :10:12.We are the first crew that has been abroad this ship, the control and
:10:13. > :10:18.command vessel. It has been under blockade for a week and is sitting
:10:19. > :10:21.next door to Ukrainian ship which is also under blockade and for these
:10:22. > :10:26.officers who forced to make a choice between the new in Crimea or the new
:10:27. > :10:30.government in Kiev, they are really between a rock and a hard place but
:10:31. > :10:34.you can see behind me the bridge. They are watching the Russians, who
:10:35. > :10:39.are watching the Ukrainians. They are out there with their binoculars,
:10:40. > :10:41.or they have been, and behind me didactic Amanda alongside the
:10:42. > :10:46.Marines. I have checked the magazines of those rifles that the
:10:47. > :10:51.Marines are holding and I can tell you there are no rounds inside them,
:10:52. > :10:56.no bullets. The only thing they have to defend this ship and we are on a
:10:57. > :10:59.Navy warship is this hose pipe down here. So what they are basically
:11:00. > :11:03.trying to show the Russians is that they want this to be a peaceful
:11:04. > :11:08.stand-off. They put mattresses all on the railings of the ship over the
:11:09. > :11:11.course of the week to try and stop Russians fixing grappling hooks and
:11:12. > :11:18.ropes to the side of the ship and this man here, who is standing
:11:19. > :11:24.guard, is effectively without any arms to defend the ship.
:11:25. > :11:27.Christian Fraser there. All of this comes as European Union leaders are
:11:28. > :11:31.meeting in Brussels today, to decide how best to respond to Russia's
:11:32. > :11:35.military intervention here in Crimea. Let's go to Brussels and
:11:36. > :11:40.join Matthew Price who was there for us now.
:11:41. > :11:43.In the last hour or so the United States has announced that it is
:11:44. > :11:47.going to impose sanctions on any individuals that it believes are
:11:48. > :11:52.undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the question
:11:53. > :11:56.in Brussels this lunchtime is whether or not the EU was about to
:11:57. > :12:01.follow suit. Any minute now we expect in the room behind me the
:12:02. > :12:05.current interim leader of Ukraine to pass through on his way to a press
:12:06. > :12:12.conference. We might get some ideas from him. He is a man who here is
:12:13. > :12:15.under deep pressure indeed. Ukraine's interim Prime Minister
:12:16. > :12:20.strode in today, confident that Europe is on his side but knowing so
:12:21. > :12:25.far it is Russia that is in control. Little he can do then than make yet
:12:26. > :12:28.another request of Moscow. We urge the Russian president and the
:12:29. > :12:31.Russian government immediately to pull back its forces and to stick to
:12:32. > :12:36.international agreements that were signed between Ukraine and Russia,
:12:37. > :12:41.because this is not the Ukrainian Russian conflict. This is the
:12:42. > :12:46.conflict in Europe. That is what everyone wants the US included.
:12:47. > :12:51.Everyone, that is, apart from Russia. After yesterday's difficult
:12:52. > :12:54.talks in Paris involving the most senior foreign officials from the
:12:55. > :13:01.two countries, today, John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov bet once more. So is
:13:02. > :13:05.there anything the EU could do? Britain is among those including the
:13:06. > :13:10.former Soviet states now in the EU that believes Europe must be firm.
:13:11. > :13:14.We need to send a very clear message to the Russian government that what
:13:15. > :13:18.has happened is unacceptable and should have consequences. Such
:13:19. > :13:23.consequences could see talks to allow visa free travel between
:13:24. > :13:27.Russia and the EU put on hold. They could see a new bilateral treaty
:13:28. > :13:32.scuppered. Even a freeze of the assets of Kremlin officials. But
:13:33. > :13:37.Germany, with its economic and energy ties to Russia, doesn't want
:13:38. > :13:42.to go that far and already threatening economic retaliation
:13:43. > :13:47.sanctions are brought in knows it. Europe's influences looking limited
:13:48. > :13:52.for now. Certainly does look at this stage at
:13:53. > :13:58.least as if the more cautious arguments from Germany are likely to
:13:59. > :14:02.win out. We simply don't know how hard countries like Britain and
:14:03. > :14:06.Poland would push for there to be some form of sanctions put in place
:14:07. > :14:08.full stop certainly some of the eastern European states would like
:14:09. > :14:13.that to happen today, immediately, to send a clear message. It doesn't
:14:14. > :14:22.look likely as if that is going to happen at this stage, as I say. Here
:14:23. > :14:26.in Crimea that decision to hold a referendum in ten days' time on the
:14:27. > :14:31.peninsular's future status has been greeted as you might imagine with
:14:32. > :14:36.delight by many Russians here but also with anger by Ukrainians here
:14:37. > :14:38.and in Kiev they say it is constitutional and illegal and it is
:14:39. > :14:43.a referendum that seems likely to raise tensions here just another
:14:44. > :14:47.notch. The trial has begun of the publicist
:14:48. > :14:50.Max Clifford, who faces charges of indecent assault over a period of
:14:51. > :14:53.nearly 20 years. The prosecution has started its case by telling the
:14:54. > :14:56.court that Mr Clifford, who's 70, thought he was untouchable and used
:14:57. > :15:03.his celebrity connections to bully and manipulate girls and women into
:15:04. > :15:10.sex acts. He denies the charges. Our correspondent Richard Lister is at
:15:11. > :15:14.Southwark Crown Court. Simon, this is day one of a trial
:15:15. > :15:19.which has been hanging over Max Clifford since he was arrested at
:15:20. > :15:23.his home in Surrey in December 2012. He maintains his innocence but
:15:24. > :15:29.today, the prosecution began outlining the case against him.
:15:30. > :15:32.The decades he's managed the publicity surrounding others but
:15:33. > :15:38.today the spotlight was firmly on Max Clifford himself. -- for
:15:39. > :15:42.decades. In court, he sat impassively as the 11 indecent
:15:43. > :15:48.assault charges were read out. They relate to seven women and girls,
:15:49. > :16:01.aged 14 to 19. Prosecuting, Rosina Cottage QCs said:
:16:02. > :16:07.The court heard that the first allegation against Max Clifford
:16:08. > :16:12.dated back to 1966, when he would have been in his 20s. The
:16:13. > :16:17.prosecution alleges that he met a 14-year-old girl at a bar near his
:16:18. > :16:20.home in south London. He offered to take her home and showed her a
:16:21. > :16:25.portfolio of celebrity photographs before jumping on her, fondling her
:16:26. > :16:29.and saying, "this is what you've got to do if you want to hang out with
:16:30. > :16:34.celebrities" . The prosecution says that established a pattern of abuse
:16:35. > :16:37.that continued for 20 years. Max Clifford says he's innocent of all
:16:38. > :16:44.charges and denies knowing any of the teenagers involved. The case is
:16:45. > :16:48.expected to last five weeks. Those who may be allegations are now
:16:49. > :16:51.women in their 40s and 60s and the prosecution said they came forward
:16:52. > :16:56.in the wake of the publicity surrounding the Jimmy Savile abuse
:16:57. > :17:00.allegations. As for Max Clifford, he will be given an opportunity to
:17:01. > :17:03.testify later in the trial. Oscar Pistorius broke down in court
:17:04. > :17:06.this morning when a neighbour of his described how he'd heard the
:17:07. > :17:09.Paralympic star say he had shot his girlfriend after mistaking her for a
:17:10. > :17:12.burglar. Johan Stipp, a qualified doctor, said he tried to revive
:17:13. > :17:17.Reeva Steenkamp but could tell she was dying. Pistorius denies
:17:18. > :17:24.intentionally killing her. Our correspondent Andrew Harding sent
:17:25. > :17:28.this report from Pretoria. Powerful drama in the courtroom
:17:29. > :17:33.today. One of Oscar Pistorius's closest neighbours on the witness
:17:34. > :17:36.stand. Johan Stipp, who asked not to be filmed, told the court he was
:17:37. > :17:43.woken late at night by the sound of gunshots. I remember that I was
:17:44. > :17:52.awoken by three loud bangs and Ireland but my wife asking me, "what
:17:53. > :17:57.was that?". He said he later heard what he thought were more gunshots.
:17:58. > :18:03.I heard another three loud bangs. What do you think that was? I
:18:04. > :18:06.thought whoever shot the first time was starting to shoot again and I
:18:07. > :18:11.told my wife to get away from the window. Oscar Pistorius's lawyers
:18:12. > :18:17.will leap on that, arguing that it must have been the athlete banging
:18:18. > :18:22.the door with a bat. Then came the most dramatic testimony as Johan
:18:23. > :18:27.Stipp rushed to Pistorius's house to see if he could help. There was a
:18:28. > :18:35.man on his knees on the left side. He had his left hand on her right
:18:36. > :18:40.groin and his right-hand, second and third fingers, in her mouth. I
:18:41. > :18:48.remember the first thing he said when I got there was, "I shot her. I
:18:49. > :18:54.thought she was a burglar and I shot her". As the doctor described the
:18:55. > :18:58.scene, Oscar Pistorius slumped forward in his seat. This was by far
:18:59. > :19:01.the most important evidence we've heard so far. A close neighbour who
:19:02. > :19:06.not only heard shooting and screaming but also rushed round to
:19:07. > :19:11.this story is's home to find Reeva Steenkamp's body and hear the
:19:12. > :19:16.athlete, in a highly emotional state, confessed to killing her by
:19:17. > :19:19.accident. Our top story this lunchtime: A
:19:20. > :19:22.police officer who investigated the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence is
:19:23. > :19:24.suspected of corruption - the home secretary orders a judge-led public
:19:25. > :19:27.inquiry. And still to come: Prince Harry
:19:28. > :19:32.launches a sporting championship for injured members of the Armed Forces.
:19:33. > :19:36.Later on BBC London: Kicking up a stink - the Surrey residents
:19:37. > :19:40.concerned the stench of local landfill could be damaging their
:19:41. > :19:43.health. And celebrating British song writing
:19:44. > :19:45.- we take a look at photographs of some of music's greats on show for
:19:46. > :19:56.the first time. Age UK is warning that hundreds of
:19:57. > :19:59.thousands of elderly people in England are unable to carry out
:20:00. > :20:02.simple day-to-day tasks - such as getting out of bed or feeding
:20:03. > :20:06.themselves - because they aren't getting the help they need from the
:20:07. > :20:09.social-care system. The charity claims that rising demand and
:20:10. > :20:13.falling budgets have led to what it is describing as a care crisis. Our
:20:14. > :20:25.social affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan reports.
:20:26. > :20:31.Bill needs via the's support for everything. Move around further.
:20:32. > :20:34.Alzheimer's means she has to wash, dress and feed him. He rarely talks
:20:35. > :20:41.but can lash out through frustration. He called Viv's black
:20:42. > :20:46.eye. Caring for him is gruelling. You don't get a break. You wake in
:20:47. > :20:51.the night and you have to get up and see what he wants and calm him down.
:20:52. > :20:54.You've got to get him showered and dressed, and the same again in the
:20:55. > :21:01.evening, getting him into his pyjamas and into bed. You never get
:21:02. > :21:04.a break. It's 24 hours a day. Having spent all their savings, the local
:21:05. > :21:08.authority finally told the couple this week they would provide some
:21:09. > :21:14.support. But many others are not so lucky. Today's report from Age UK
:21:15. > :21:17.estimates that at least 800,000 people in England are going without
:21:18. > :21:22.vital help to wash or dress themselves. Nearly ?800 million has
:21:23. > :21:26.been cut from social care budgets since 2010 but the number of over
:21:27. > :21:33.85-year-olds - the group most likely to need help - has increased by 30%
:21:34. > :21:36.since 2005. Social care is in crisis in this country for older people.
:21:37. > :21:40.The numbers of older people are going up, the amount of money for
:21:41. > :21:45.social care is going down, and its older people and their families who
:21:46. > :21:48.suffer. People pay to attend this day centre but local government cuts
:21:49. > :21:53.mean it is still under threat of closure. Coming here for a couple of
:21:54. > :21:57.days a week is the only opportunity some of these people have to leave
:21:58. > :22:01.their homes in any one week. Closing the centre will increase their sense
:22:02. > :22:05.of isolation and loneliness, severely impacting their quality of
:22:06. > :22:09.life. The department of health so they are going to set aside more
:22:10. > :22:13.than ?1 billion of NHS funding this year to pay for social care, with
:22:14. > :22:16.more NHS money to come next year. A new report out today says there's
:22:17. > :22:19.relatively little evidence to suggest that immigrants take jobs
:22:20. > :22:22.from British people when the economy is strong. But it says that migrant
:22:23. > :22:24.workers do displace local people during periods of recession. The
:22:25. > :22:30.findings come as Government ministers set out opposing views on
:22:31. > :22:35.the pros and cons of immigration. Our political correspondent Gary
:22:36. > :22:42.O'Donoghue is at Westminster. Does this report help heal the rifts that
:22:43. > :22:46.have urged? No, it doesn't. This was the report that Downing Street was
:22:47. > :22:50.accused of suppressing, if you remember, because, it was claimed,
:22:51. > :22:55.it undermines the Home Secretary's claim that for every 100 non-EU
:22:56. > :22:59.migrants coming to Britain, 200 Britons would lose their job.
:23:00. > :23:03.Downing Street said that it was not that it was being withheld but it
:23:04. > :23:07.was that they had finished with it today and that it supported both
:23:08. > :23:10.outcomes. It does say there was relatively little impact on jobs for
:23:11. > :23:16.British people when people come here from outside the country but it also
:23:17. > :23:20.says that when there's an economic downturn and things are tight, there
:23:21. > :23:25.can be some of impact on jobs here. So those who are arguing, like Vince
:23:26. > :23:29.Cable, that immigration is a good thing and is positive for this
:23:30. > :23:33.country, they can say that it's fine, where's James Brokenshire, the
:23:34. > :23:39.Conservative Home Office minister, who says there is an impact on
:23:40. > :23:43.British jobs, he can say that there is an impact when things are bad.
:23:44. > :23:45.You pay your money and take your choice.
:23:46. > :23:48.The Bank of England has announced interest rates will be kept at 0.5%
:23:49. > :23:51.for another month. It's now been five years since they were set at
:23:52. > :23:54.the record low. It's had a profound effect on Britain's economy and in
:23:55. > :23:59.that time there have been winners and losers. Simon Gompertz assesses
:24:00. > :24:04.the impact. The Bank of England started this in
:24:05. > :24:10.March 2009, with interest rates of 0.5%, the lowest ever, causing a
:24:11. > :24:14.divide within families across the land - between those who gained and
:24:15. > :24:19.those who have lost. Families like this one from the Wirral. Charlotte
:24:20. > :24:24.and her children have managed to move to a bigger house with two more
:24:25. > :24:29.bedrooms because mortgages are cheaper but her husband's dad Barry,
:24:30. > :24:36.whose 65, has struggled to get a decent return on his retirement
:24:37. > :24:38.savings. I feel that the money I've worked hard for over the years
:24:39. > :24:43.should at the very least be getting me something more than inflation.
:24:44. > :24:47.But we like it because it means that we can enjoy more things in life and
:24:48. > :24:51.it gives us the breathing space, more than anything. Before the
:24:52. > :24:57.financial crisis, Charlotte was paying more than 5% in mortgage
:24:58. > :25:02.interest a year. When war rates were slashed, that fell to 2.5%, allowing
:25:03. > :25:09.them to save the money to move. But Barry was getting 6.7% interest on
:25:10. > :25:14.his savings. That's plummeted so he's having to make do with 1.5%
:25:15. > :25:17.now. That's an issue taken up by protesters outside the Bank of
:25:18. > :25:23.England today, who say it has been the death knell for savers. The huge
:25:24. > :25:27.split in the fortunes of savers and borrowers has lasted longer than
:25:28. > :25:31.anyone expected but the Bank of England, and many economists, say
:25:32. > :25:36.that not keeping interest rates so low might have been much worse.
:25:37. > :25:39.Growth would have been worse, unemployment would have been
:25:40. > :25:42.higher, wages would have been weaker. I think the cost of living
:25:43. > :25:46.crisis would have been worse than it has been. Low interest rates have
:25:47. > :25:52.been absolutely vital. The economy would have done a lot worse without
:25:53. > :25:55.low interest rates. Rock bottom rates meant the borrowers in this
:25:56. > :25:59.family could afford to have children. Signs are that it will be
:26:00. > :26:01.at least another year before the Bank of England puts them up.
:26:02. > :26:05.The oil giant Shell has become the latest company to say it wants
:26:06. > :26:13.Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. Let's speak to our
:26:14. > :26:16.Scotland correspondent Lorna Gordon. We are going to get a lot of this
:26:17. > :26:21.over the next few months from both sides. Yes but the comments today
:26:22. > :26:26.are aimed at two constitutional issues, the first being Scotland's
:26:27. > :26:32.place within the UK, the second being the UK's place within Europe
:26:33. > :26:35.because we are talking about two referendums. One will deathly take
:26:36. > :26:39.place in Scotland in September and the other might take place a couple
:26:40. > :26:46.of years hence, in which voters in the UK might get a chance to take
:26:47. > :26:53.part in, to see whether the UK wants to remain part of the EU. The Chief
:26:54. > :26:56.Executive of Shell said that the UK's national interest is served
:26:57. > :27:01.better by a close relationship with Europe. There is no surprise we are
:27:02. > :27:07.seeing this raft of comments today. We had a company saying it,
:27:08. > :27:14.independence would create additional cost. The Scottish Goverment say
:27:15. > :27:16.that the in - outvote on EU membership presents the real risks
:27:17. > :27:19.to economic prosperity and have offered to meet with Shell.
:27:20. > :27:21.Prince Harry has today officially launched a Paralympic-style sporting
:27:22. > :27:24.championship for injured servicemen and women. Called the Invictus
:27:25. > :27:27.Games, the event, inspired by a similar competition in America, will
:27:28. > :27:31.take place at the Olympic Park and will involve 300 veterans from 13
:27:32. > :27:41.nations. Our Royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell sent this report.
:27:42. > :27:48.The welfare of wounded servicemen and women has become one of his top
:27:49. > :27:51.priorities. Nearly 12 months ago, Harry visited the Warrior Games in
:27:52. > :27:54.the United States, an annual event in which young men and women who
:27:55. > :27:59.suffered life changing injuries in the course of their monetary duties
:28:00. > :28:04.compete. He made it his mission to bring the games to Britain. That
:28:05. > :28:07.mission has been accomplished. Rebranded the Invictus Games, it
:28:08. > :28:12.will take place in September at several of the venues built for the
:28:13. > :28:16.London Olympics. I wanted to bring this inspirational event to a
:28:17. > :28:21.broader and more international audience, to increase the
:28:22. > :28:24.opportunity for others to participate and to inspire many more
:28:25. > :28:27.who have suffered life changing injuries, either by taking part in
:28:28. > :28:35.the games or simply by watching it at home. It is expected that 300
:28:36. > :28:38.wounded athletes from 13 different countries will attend, taking part
:28:39. > :28:42.in eight different sports. Harry says it is harnessing the power of
:28:43. > :28:47.competitive sport to inspire recovery. Sport is proven to have a
:28:48. > :28:51.hugely positive effect on the rehabilitation of these guys. They
:28:52. > :28:58.finally get a chance to set their mind to a task. Bear in mind, these
:28:59. > :29:06.are military people who have been cut down in their prime, as such.
:29:07. > :29:09.The name means unconquered in Latin and Harry believes this one word
:29:10. > :29:14.sums up the spirit of the athletes and the spirit of these games. The
:29:15. > :29:21.Invictus Games will open in London on September the 10th.
:29:22. > :29:29.A look at the weather. Some cloudy looking weather for the
:29:30. > :29:33.British Isles for the rest of today. Somewhat weather as well. Rain more
:29:34. > :29:35.persistent towards the north-west and patchy and glider across
:29:36. > :29:40.northern England, the Midlands and the south-west and Wales. Sticking
:29:41. > :29:43.out like a sore thumb on the satellite picture are East Anglia
:29:44. > :29:46.and the south-east, which have had the best of the sunshine today and
:29:47. > :29:50.are likely to through this afternoon. Elsewhere, cloudy weather
:29:51. > :29:53.persists and a band of more persistent rain across Scotland and
:29:54. > :29:58.Northern Ireland will slowly work its way south eastwards. For
:29:59. > :30:03.Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria, rainfall totals could start to prove
:30:04. > :30:08.problematic. Further south, head of the front, a mild start of the day
:30:09. > :30:10.on Friday but a cloudy one. The front sitting across northern
:30:11. > :30:17.England first thing we'll bring rainfall wash our. Some grey skies,
:30:18. > :30:22.Misty and murky in the south-east and East Anglia. For the south-west
:30:23. > :30:26.of England, the weather front brings persistent rain and I think things
:30:27. > :30:34.will be murky across the moors, the Salisbury Plain and for south Wales.
:30:35. > :30:38.Further north, behind the front, income is clear air, slightly chilly
:30:39. > :30:44.air, as well. Sunshine from Northern Ireland in the morning, a few
:30:45. > :30:46.showers as well. A chilly start in Scotland and some showers to come
:30:47. > :30:50.through the course of the day. The weather front is moving away
:30:51. > :30:53.south-east with. Not much on it by the time it gets East Anglia and the
:30:54. > :30:57.south-east so brighter skies in the afternoon. For Scotland, showers
:30:58. > :31:03.keep on coming and they will be wintry as low as 200 metres. We
:31:04. > :31:10.could see two to five centimetres of snow. Further south, a mild day with
:31:11. > :31:15.15 in the south-east. On Saturday, weather front affecting the far
:31:16. > :31:19.north-west with windier and wetter weather. Further south, mild and
:31:20. > :31:25.springlike. For Sunday, a similar picture. Rain around for Scotland
:31:26. > :31:29.but for the south-east, highs of 16 or 17, five or six degrees above
:31:30. > :31:34.average. By next week, high-pressure pushes its way far enough north to
:31:35. > :31:37.hold the weather front at bay for Scotland and Northern Ireland, so
:31:38. > :31:41.the pattern evens out across the British Isles. Dry weather for all
:31:42. > :31:44.others. With high-pressure, there could be some fog and some frosty
:31:45. > :31:50.start but there should be a reasonable amount of sunshine, too,
:31:51. > :31:53.and it looks like there will be increasing sunshine next week with
:31:54. > :31:55.temperatures into the mid or even high teens by the end of the week.
:31:56. > :32:01.Some good news at last! Now a reminder of our top story this
:32:02. > :32:04.lunchtime: A police officer who investigated the 1993 murder of
:32:05. > :32:06.Stephen Lawrence is suspected of corruption - the home secretary
:32:07. > :32:07.orders a judge-led public