25/03/2014 BBC News at One

Bad weather hampers the search for wreckage of the missing Malaysian

airliner. In China, desperate relatives of the

missing march on the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing demanding more

information. More boats are being sent to the area in the Southern

Indian Ocean. One man thanked search teams as he paid tribute to his

missing parents. We are grateful to all of the organisations and

countries who are involved in the search and our thoughts go out to

all family members of the passengers and crew on board the flight. Why

the flight was so far off course is still a mystery. We'll have the

latest on the search. Also this lunchtime: Lower petrol prices help

inflation fall to its lowest rate in four years. It's down to 1.7%.

14 people are dead and scores still missing after a massive mudslide in

the American state of Washington. We were tumbled inside and had much

in our eyes and nose and mouth. IM really grateful I'm alive.

More text messages between Oscar Pistorius and his girlfriend sent in

the weeks before she died are read out in court at the murder trial.

Taking the temperature of Britain's climate. The Met Office predicts

mild, wet winters and hotter summers the future forecast?

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

Bad weather is hampering the search in the Indian Ocean for wreckage

from the missing Malaysian airliner. Most of the passengers on board were

Chinese. In Beijing, angry relatives have clashed with police outside the

Malaysian and the sea. `` Malaysian Embassy. And it's still a mystery

why the plane was so far off course. The black box could help to shed

light on what happened but the authorities have just ten days to

find it before the batteries run out. This report from Western

Australia, from where the search operation is being coordinated. His

belief in anger from the families of Chinese passengers of MH370 in

Beijing today. They tried to break through to the Malaysian Embassy,

still frustrated by the lack of information about what happened, and

by the way they have been treated. The Malaysian authorities have, at

times, struggled to cope with this extraordinary crisis, but insist

they have always put the feelings of the families first. Yesterday's news

was incredibly hard for the family members, as our Prime Minister

said. It was released out of a commitment of openness and respect,

two pencils which have guided the investigation. `` to principal. This

couple were on board. They worked hard to reap the rewards of their

retirement so they could spend time with friends and family. We are

extremely grateful for the love and support from all of our family and

friends. We are grateful to all the organisations and countries

providing the extensive search operations now `` and our present

thoughts now go out to the families of the passengers and crew on board

the flight. Six countries are now contributing to the search, but bad

weather prevented them from going out today. Chinese ships are also on

the way to join an Australian supply vessels in the area where possible

debris was spotted yesterday, but nothing has been picked up yet.

Finding the remains of the airliner is still a huge challenge. We are

not searching for a needle in the haystack, we're still trying to find

the haystack. That is just to put it in context. We now know beyond

reasonable doubt that MH370 is somewhere out there in the Indian

Ocean, and that's definitive statements by the Malaysian

authorities cannot seem final until they pull wreckage from the water,

and that is still such a formidable pass that nobody can say when it

will happen. `` task. Let's go to China now. Our

correspondent is in Beijing. We saw those desperate scenes from

relatives of the missing, many of whom cannot believe until wreckage

is found that their loved ones are gone. Protests are pretty rare

things on the streets of the Chinese capital. This one was highly

emotional and spontaneous and appeared to catch the authorities by

surprise. The police did their best to stop it. They are instinctively

nervous of anything that looks like organise the gathering or shared

grievance, but through sheer force of will, chanting, tell us the

truth, the relatives pushed on the rail and made it to the Malaysian

Embassy and handed over a statement that they do not accept this claim

that the flight is lost, and with it, all hope. They want proof ``

proof. What is also in the sting is that we are starting to see glimpses

of the relatives putting more pressure on the Chinese government

to intervene and do more on their behalf. The Chief Executive of

Malaysia Airlines has defended the way his company has dealt with

relatives of the missing passengers. Talking to our correspondents, he

said his company's priority was to take care of those affected. We have

done all we can within our means to help them. You must realise, in an

incident like this, normally, in any tragedy, there is always some

evidence in place. We have not had any evidence until maybe last night.

So you are 100% sure the plane is lost. East on evidence provided to

us, yes. Our transport correspondent joins me now. The time is running

out, because this black box has batteries which last for just a

couple of weeks more. I think it is unlikely that they are going to hear

the black boxes. Then you move onto the second wave, which is the

sonar, which is getting thrown submarines, no`one on them, they

just the sea bed. They cannot overstate how difficult it is going

to be defined as aircraft. You see all of these ships going out and you

feel it is going to be found, but is very deceptive. They are still

searching an area the size of the North Sea. I am told there are

better maps of the moon 's surface than this sea bed area. They have

not got the kit yet to find it. It could be months or years before they

find anything, and it is possible they may never find this aircraft.

There was a French aircraft that went down in the Atlantic Ocean,

they found to breed a few days later, but it still took them two

days to find the plane. `` they found debris. You can keep

up`to`date with the search on the BBC News Channel or follow along on

the BBC News website. Inflation is at its lowest level for four years.

The Consumer Prices Index fell to 1.7% last month, down from 1.9% in

January. The fall, which is partly down to lower fuel prices, means

that the gap between pay increases and price rises continues to narrow.

It is the cost of living increases that have been putting the squeeze

on household budgets in the past two years. Today, the rate of ablation

cell again. Smaller price rises and energy bills helped, and clothing

and footwear also rose less quickly, but the main factor was here at the

pumps. The fall of petrol and diesel prices. Wholesale prices were low

towards January. The weather might have suppressed demand for fuel. It

will be interesting to see what the supermarkets continue to do. Since

the financial crisis, prices have been rising faster than earnings,

meaning the amount of money in average pay packet will bring has

effectively been falling. Today we have further evidence that this gap

is now narrowing. Here is the picture. The red line shows the rate

of inflation over the last 13 years, and it's sharp rise, much of

it since the recession. Now look at the blue line to see how wages have

failed to keep up. But it may not be too long before they meet and we

start to see real rises in average pay. The latest numbers,

manufacturing pay growth is growing quite rapidly. Construction growth

is rising year on year. Over the next few months, we will see the

rest of the economy picked up as well. But judging by the people we

spoke to in a rainy Birmingham this morning, there is no feel`good

factor just yet. Our salaries have stayed the same for years on end and

we still have the same bills. It just seems like every day everything

is going up in price, and they are trying to rectify things with

salaries, but it is just not good enough. Most economists believe

inflation will remain below the Bank of England's 2% target for the rest

of this year, easing pressure on it to raise interest rates. Not so good

for savers, but perhaps the end of the big financial squeeze on

households is finally in sight. Our chief political correspondent is

in Westminster. We have heard about lot of political arguments over

recent months about the cost of living. How far will these figures

go in changing that? I think they changed in the sense that the

figures are hugely politically symbolic, because were the first

time in a long time, for most people, pay is now increasing as

fast as prices, so if you work in the private sector, which most

people do, roughly around two thirds of people work in the private

sector, pay is increasing at 1.7%. We have learned that inflation has

come down to 1.7%. Pay and prices are now neck and neck for most of

us. You would imagine, for ministers, this would be an occasion

to do a little high then the jig in the corner of their office, but it

has not been because most of us probably do not feel any better off

at the moment, and also, it is a very different story in the public

sector, where pay is still well behind prices increasing at just

0.5%. There is another reason, and that is because ministers have got

to sell some very difficult decisions and deficit reductions to

the public in terms of LDM pounds worth of welfare cuts and filled in

for the next election. `` ?12 billion. Today's figures are more

problematic for Labour, because though they could argue that people

will still be worse off than they were at the last election, you sense

that gradually the tide is beginning to go out on the whole cost of

living arguments, as slowly, pay creeps up to prices, with

suggestions that by the second half of this year, pay will have

overtaken prices. 14 people are now known to have died

in a massive mudslide in the American state of Washington. But

scores of people are still missing after the mud and debris swept

through the town of Oso near Seattle. The authorities say they're

still trying to account for more than 170 people who've not been

heard from since Saturday. Are there any injuries? Yes, there are people

yelling for help! A desperate call to the emergency services as a

deadly tide of mud and rock crushed everything in its path. Houses were

swept off their foundations, trees keeled over, and people were sucked

into the sea of mud like quicksand. We were tumbled inside and had much

in our eyes and nose and mouth. IM really grateful to be alive. From

the air, it is possible to see the scale of the disaster. Weeks of

unusually heavy rain had stopped and the ground, and then without

warning, eight slice of the hillside collapsed into the river valley.

There were frantic efforts to dig people out of the mud. One local

resident heard screams and ran over to find a baby at his mother `` and

his mother worried the need the debris. He used chainsaws to get

them out arrived `` alive. It was just all debris. Another narrow

escape, AIPAC dog pulled from the rubble. `` a pet. This family could

not believe their luck. But others felt helpless and overwhelmed in the

face of such distraught Ocean. `` this traction. We stayed back from

the river, but unfortunately, we uncovered bodies, and we had to

contact authorities to try and get somebody to come down and remove

them. When help arrived, many used dogs, and others took to boats and

even a hovercraft. It was dangerous work. Some rescuers got stuck in the

mud themselves and had to be pulled out. This was a quiet community of

180 people, but it did not stand a chance when a wall of mud, 1,500

feet wide and 600 feet high on the crashed down on top of it. There

were contractors coming in, people coming to work on their homes and

their guards, people driving on 530, syndicate just the wrong time. `` so

it came it just the wrong time. The hopes for survivors is fading.

No`one has been found since Saturday. Royal Mail says it is

cutting 1600 jobs, mainly in managerial roles and at its head

office. Consultations are now taking place with unions. Honda has also

announced it is cutting production at its Swindon factory, leaving 340

jobs at risk. They are the people who keep our

letters and parcels moving 24 hours a day. In recent years, rank and

file staff at Royal Mail have been at the front line as tens of

thousands of jobs have gone. Now, five months after privatisation, the

company has announced a new cost`cutting plan. This time, it is

managers being targeted. The efficiency programme will see 1600

managerial roles go, although 300 new posts are being created. It is

expected to save the company ?50 million a year. In total, more than

50,000 staff have left Royal Mail over the past decade. I'm

disappointed by the way it happened and I'm surprised by the number that

has been announced. We expected something to happen

post`privatisation but the scale is very much a surprise to our members.

There was bad news at Honda's Swindon plant today as well. Three

and 40 full`time staff will lose their jobs, a further 160 agency

workers will not have contracts renewed. The plant will suspend one

production line and move from three shifts to two on the back of weak

demand from the continent. Europe is a marketplace has been very

difficult, not just for us but other manufacturers as well. 90% of

Swindon production goes into Europe so it is sensitive to a downturn in

demand there. Just last week, the Chancellor outlined measures to

boost manufacturing and exports. Today, visiting a steel plant in

Wales, he insisted jobs were being created. We've had announcements in

the last few days of thousands of jobs being created in construction,

in the pub industry and of course here we are at the heart of

manufacturing and there was a huge investment in the future of

manufacturing in the budget. Any individual job loss is a matter of

great regret but jobs are being created in Britain and the economy

is moving forward. Back in Swindon, Honda said it is confident about the

long`term future of this planet. The economy may be on the mend, but for

some, the road to recovery may be a long one.

Our top story: In China, desperate relatives of those on the missing L

I now march on the Malaysia and Embassy in Beijing demanding more

information. And The Met office says the role of

human influence is detectable in Britain's summer heat waves and

intense rainfall. Later, I will have all the sport on

BBC News. When it comes to wind power, the UK

is considered one of the best locations in the world to harness

it. Thousands of wind turbines are already helping to deliver wind

energy to Britain, but critics have long complained that the turbines

used are made abroad. Now, Siemens has announced it is creating 1000

jobs in Hull, building the country's first purpose`built

factory where offshore wind turbine blades will be built.

These docs have seen better days. There has been steady decline here,

until today. This place will be transformed. Here is the future. It

will cost ?300 million and be the UK's home of wind turbine

manufacturing. All backed by Siemens. This is about starting in

industry. The UK is the world's biggest wind market. The Humber is

where many of the wind farms will be built. It has great natural

resources, great local employment possibilities. We've looked at 100

sites and we decided to choose whole. `` Hull. This whole area will

be regenerated. Giant turbines on ships, rotors manufactured and

exported from here. And with it, a belief that this will create a

European renewable energy capital right here in Hull. To six lead,

Hamid is to rise to the challenge. 1000 jobs will be created. `` to

succeed, Hull needs to rise. This college is already creating students

to build a demand. Siemens coming into the area will be absolutely

fantastic. Not just the economy of whole. The government wants the UK

to take lead. It says 11% of electricity produced last month was

from wind power. That number will grow with thousands of new turbines

already planned for the North Sea. It is great news for the UK,

brilliant news for wind industry and our energy security. Bringing 1000

green jobs in high`tech manufacturing to the north`east of

Yorkshire I think is a fantastic bit of news. Siemens will begin

manufacturing in 2016. With it, a new era for this city and green

energy in the UK. The jury at the Oscar Pistorius

murder trial has been hearing more text messages exchanged between the

athlete and his girlfriend in the days before she died. Reeva

Steenkamp was shot dead on Valentine's Day last year. Oscar

Pistorius said he thought she was an intruder. Andrew Harding was in

court in Pretoria and joins me now. The tone of the messages today very

different from those read out yesterday. Yes, yesterday remember

we heard rebid steam camp text in that she was angry. `` Reeva

Steenkamp. We heard she was scared, he was jealous and angry. Today, the

other side. There were dozens of experts showing this was a very

loving couple that, almost immediately after those angry

exchanges, past things up. Even the night before she died, the couple

were talking about their plans for Valentine's Day, very romantic,

clearly a loving couple for most of the time. After that, the

prosecution called a couple more witnesses, but pretty quickly

wrapped things up. Within the last half`hour, the trial has ended for

now with the prosecution saying it is done, it has laid out its case

against Oscar Pistorius. The defence has now asked the two days to

prepare themselves and talk to other witnesses. Then it is likely that

Oscar Pistorius will be the first on the stand on Friday. One of his

lawyers did tell me that was not guaranteed, it is possible he could

come later. I managed to have a brief word with Oscar Pistorius as

he was walking out of the court. He was looking very sombre and spoken

almost a whisper. I asked to be was ready to give evidence and whether

he felt the case was going OK. He simply said it is a tough time,

there is a lot of stuff ahead. Relatives of a young soldier who

died at barracks in Surrey nearly 20 years ago have been told they can

apply to the High Court for a new inquest. Private Cheryl James, who

was 18, died from gunshot wounds. She was one of four soldiers to die

there during a seven`year period, sparking allegations of bullying and

abuse. A happy, bubbly teenager. Private

Cheryl James died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Her body

was found on the outskirts of the barracks. The army said her death

was a suicide. Surrey Police investigated, but there were no

prosecutions. It took years for the family to have the evidence released

to them. It has now finally led to the prospect of a new inquest. It is

a vindication. My daughter has not had justice and finally we have a

pretty important character in the legal system who has agreed with

ours. We've always been very confident that this day would come.

The more we learned about her case and her death, the more we were sure

that this has not been properly investigated. If a decision is taken

here at the High Court to approve the new inquest, the Ministry of

Defence says it will provide support when needed. It has faced years of

allegations of a cover`up and claims it failed its soldiers time after

time. Cheryl James was one of four young recruits who died with the

uncut `` gunshot wounds at this barracks. A series of investigations

found evidence of bullying and abuse of the barracks, but calls for a

full public enquiry have been refused. The authorities have

persistently shut the families down and tried to quite listening ``

literally close ranks. Families have looked to other institutions to help

them, such as the police, but they have failed them. Private James's

family now face a six`week wait to see if an inquest is approved.

This winter was an usually wet and mild but according to a new store at

the `` a new study at The Met office, it could be a sign of things

to come. Summers are expected to be hotter and drier. What does the

future look like? The headline is more of everything.

They are open about the fact there is a lot that they don't know, but

they reckon they have honed in on two trends. With Winters, the trend

is for milder, wetter winters of the kind we've just seen. But there is

also potential for the extreme cold we saw three winters ago. Summers,

they say the trend is for hotter, drier summers, but there is still a

potential for that terrible wash`out summer we saw in 2012. It is a very

difficult challenge for them to pick the different factors apart.

Why is it so difficult? We are a relatively small island on the edge

of a very large ocean. So we receive a whole host of

different factors at work ` whether the North Atlantic is getting

warmer, for example. It is one thing to try to establish global trends

for temperature or rainfall, but much harder to zero in on a

relatively small piece of the Earth. There is one phrase that will

attract a lot of interest. Human hand is detectable in some of

this. That's right, they are cautious about whether global

warming will necessarily mean more extreme weather in Britain, but they

reckon may can detect it in a couple of ways.

One is in summer heat waves. There is a greater risk of heat waves as

the average temperature goes up. And also the intensity of rainfall.

Warmer air can hold more moisture which at some point has the ball

down, see you get a greater risk of increased intensity of rainfall. ``

has to fall down. But the big unknown is the Jetstream we know so

much about. They cannot pin down what is driving that and until then

we will not know the certain what we are in for.

What about today? Well, yesterday was lovely and sunny for much of the

UK. Today is a different story. It is a cloudy picture. It has been

heading eastwards, it will now turn around and work its way back

westward is. And a need that it is largely disappointing with quite

cold conditions, damp as well. There are some brighter weather drifting

in from the North Sea with spells of sunshine developing in Yorkshire and

Lincolnshire. East Anglia are doing quite well this afternoon. But under

the rain, six or seven degrees is typical for many. Not a great feel

at all. Something a bit brighter across Cornwall although it is

clouding over in Devon without rain setting in through the afternoon.

The western extremities of Wales should be drier and brighter and in

Northern Ireland it is much brighter than yesterday. Similar temperatures

in the North of Scotland where it should essentially be drier. Central

southern areas will see a bit of patchy rain. This evening, the band

of rain works westwards and the further east you are, the clearer

the skies. Things could get a bit frosty but I think for many of the

Premier League match as it should be essentially dried. Maybe just a spot

of rain at the Manchester match. For the east overnight some holes in the

east overnight some holes McLeod allow a touch of frost in a few

places. `` holes in the cloud. Wednesday will be chilly, especially

along the north`east coast. A fair bit of cloud along the east which

will bring in some showers. A bit of snow across the Pennines. Showers in

the West but there should be sun`dried bright weather across of

Scotland. Thursday keeps the easterly wind. Quite blustery

conditions. A fair bit of cloud and showers, most in the West and the

South but there will be further showers coming in from the North Sea

later on. Those temperatures still struggle. So a chilly breeze that

will bring rain to some areas. Hopefully a bit warmer for the

weekend. Our top story: In China, desperate

relatives of those on the missing plane march on an Asian embassy in

Beijing, demanding answers. Bad weather has hampered the search for

wreckage in the Indian Ocean.