:00:47. > :00:52.Tonight, the biggest drop in the jobless total for more than ten
:00:52. > :00:55.years, but some parts of the UK are still struggling. Thousands of
:00:55. > :01:01.cancer patients could lose some of their benefits under the
:01:01. > :01:04.Government's welfare changes. The run on Northern Rock and the moment
:01:04. > :01:09.we knew Britain was in fapbl trouble. Now the bank is to be
:01:09. > :01:14.auctioned off. -- financial trouble. Now the bank is to be auctioned off.
:01:14. > :01:20.Joss Stone at the centre of a murder plot. Police arrest two men
:01:20. > :01:25.with swords outside her Devon home. Later in the hour, I'll be here
:01:25. > :01:35.with Sportsday, including William's woe at Eastbourne. Serena is
:01:35. > :01:49.
:01:49. > :01:59.knocked out in the second round. A day of public sector strikes
:01:59. > :01:59.
:01:59. > :04:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 138 seconds
:04:17. > :04:20.followed by an autumn of workplace 30th June may only be the start.
:04:20. > :04:26.Some unions are talking of sustained and co-ordinated
:04:26. > :04:30.industrial action in the autumn. Laura Kuenssberg is in Westminster.
:04:30. > :04:34.Laura, as you heard, the unions are talking about even more action.
:04:34. > :04:44.This is quite a challenge to the Government. It certainly is. The
:04:44. > :04:44.
:04:44. > :06:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 138 seconds
:06:31. > :06:36.warning coming from some union Unemployment fell by 88,000 during
:06:36. > :06:41.the three months ending in April. That left just over 2.4 million
:06:41. > :06:48.people out of work. That's the lowest in two years. And employment,
:06:48. > :06:52.those in work, was up by 80,000 over the same period. New jobs are
:06:52. > :06:55.being created right here in Tredeger in South Wales. British
:06:55. > :07:00.Gas is training engineers to install smart metres and other
:07:00. > :07:05.green technology. It's even built a street of dummy houses to practice
:07:05. > :07:10.on. Some will be offered permanent jobs with the company. Clinton dix
:07:10. > :07:14.who has been unemployed for a year is hoping fob one of them. Couldn't
:07:14. > :07:24.get an interview. I found it hard to get my face seen and foot in the
:07:24. > :07:27.
:07:27. > :07:30.door. It's a new lease of life. Unemployment in this area is well
:07:30. > :07:36.above the national average. Job creation is patchy and there's
:07:36. > :07:40.fierce competition for any positions which do come up. This
:07:40. > :07:46.lady has been helped by job search advisers. She has hunted for
:07:46. > :07:53.vacancies on-line but no luck after 12 months. To not even get a
:07:53. > :07:59.response now is so depressing. It makes you feel that you are on the
:07:59. > :08:04.heap. I know I'm not, because I've got a brain and the experience.
:08:04. > :08:07.Over the last year there have been cutbacks to public sector
:08:07. > :08:11.employment. There was a drop of more than 140,000, but the private
:08:11. > :08:15.sector has more than made up for that, by adding more than 500,000
:08:16. > :08:20.to its total of people in work. the time being, it looks as though
:08:20. > :08:24.the private sector is making up for job losses in the public sector.
:08:24. > :08:28.However, the job losses in the public sector are likely to
:08:28. > :08:36.accelerate in the coming months, at a time when the economy overall is
:08:36. > :08:40.likely to weaken. The narrower jobless measure, those claiming
:08:40. > :08:43.jobseeker's allowance was up in May and that's a reminder that the job
:08:43. > :08:48.market is some way from where it should be. Later in the programme
:08:48. > :08:52.we'll be exploring how people in one of the UK's blackspots are
:08:52. > :08:56.coping with tough times. David Cameron and Ed Miliband have
:08:56. > :09:00.clashed in the Commons over welfare support for cancer victims. At
:09:00. > :09:05.Prime Minister's questions, the Labour leader said benefit changes
:09:05. > :09:09.being debated by MPs could see 7,000 cancer patients losing up to
:09:09. > :09:12.�94 a week in financial support. David Cameron said Mr Miliband's
:09:12. > :09:22.protests were a smoke screen to hide Labour's reluctance to back
:09:22. > :09:25.
:09:25. > :09:28.well fair we form. -- reform. It's a highly sensitive issue. If
:09:28. > :09:33.someone's recovering from illness, how soon should they return to
:09:33. > :09:37.work? The Government has made it clear that big savings will have to
:09:37. > :09:40.be made. Today, the Labour leader picked a fight over welfare reform
:09:41. > :09:44.with cancer patients his focus. He said thousands could lose almost
:09:44. > :09:48.�100 a week. I'm amazed that the Prime Minister doesn't know about
:09:48. > :09:54.these arguments. Why doesn't he know? The House of Commons is
:09:54. > :09:59.voting on this Bill tonight. He should know about these. I ask him
:09:59. > :10:03.again, will he now admit that 7,000 cancer patients are losing up to
:10:03. > :10:07.�94 a week? The changes mean those who have been assessed and able to
:10:07. > :10:11.look for work will have a year to find a job before their sick pay is
:10:11. > :10:15.stopped for means tests. Labour wants that increased to two years.
:10:15. > :10:20.The whole point about the reforms is that there are proper, medical
:10:20. > :10:23.tests so we support those who cannot work as a generous and
:10:23. > :10:28.tolerant and compassionate country should, but we make sure that those
:10:28. > :10:31.who can work have to go out to work. Some cancer charities say although
:10:31. > :10:37.patients may have finished treatment, it's impossible to put a
:10:37. > :10:42.time limit on full recovery and the plans go too far. We know cancer
:10:42. > :10:45.patients are already disadvantaged. Some people have lost 50% of their
:10:45. > :10:50.income and incur extra costs because of their illness. They
:10:50. > :10:55.haven't asked to be in this position. At the heart of this is a
:10:55. > :10:58.much wider issue an an argument over cancer patients, as it's about
:10:58. > :11:06.how quickly to cut benefits for those deemed fit to work but who
:11:06. > :11:12.don't have a job. David Cameron accused Ed Miliband of deliberately
:11:12. > :11:16.constructing a skrobg screen to vote against the changes -- smoke
:11:16. > :11:21.screen to vote against the changes. Thousands of Northern Rock
:11:21. > :11:23.customers queuing to get their money out was the start of the
:11:23. > :11:29.financial crisis in this country. The Chancellor will announce that
:11:29. > :11:31.the bank will be sold back to the private sector, raising as much as
:11:31. > :11:35.�1 billion. Robert Peston is at Mansion House, where the Chancellor
:11:35. > :11:40.will be speaking. I mentioned that �1 billion figure. Is the taxpayer
:11:40. > :11:44.going to get his money back? If the Treasury gets that, but on the
:11:44. > :11:52.basis of the business being sold there would be a loss, because
:11:52. > :11:55.they've injected something like 1.4 billion in to the slimmed-down
:11:55. > :11:59.Northern Rock that is being offered for sale. The important point is
:12:00. > :12:03.that some �40 billion of Northern Rock's older mortgages and loans it
:12:03. > :12:07.provides to people in the past, they remain in the public sector
:12:07. > :12:12.and they are generating profits for taxpayers. So, at the time that all
:12:12. > :12:16.the mortgages are repaid in a few years' time, chances are that we
:12:16. > :12:20.will have made a profit, but it's going to take a good few years. For
:12:20. > :12:26.the Chancellor, however, the importance of this privatisation is
:12:26. > :12:28.the signal that it sends, that conditions in the city and the
:12:28. > :12:32.financial services industry may be returning to normal. Remember, that
:12:32. > :12:38.for most people, it was the collapse of Northern Rock that told
:12:38. > :12:42.them that the economy was in a catastrophic mess. The fact that it
:12:42. > :12:46.is realistic to now privatise the business that most people equate
:12:46. > :12:49.with the crisis, it's a big moment, but not yet back to normal, but
:12:49. > :12:54.maybe we're on the route to something that looks a bit more
:12:54. > :12:57.like economic and financial normality. Thank you. Britain's
:12:57. > :13:01.biggest care home provider, Southern Cross, will troo to end
:13:01. > :13:03.the uncertainty about the future of its homes as meetings continue
:13:03. > :13:09.tonight with landlords and representatives of the Government.
:13:09. > :13:13.The company, can cares for more than 30,000 elderly people in 752
:13:13. > :13:16.homes, is facing a financial crisis. It's understood that up to 500 of
:13:16. > :13:21.the homes could be taken away from the company and run under new
:13:21. > :13:26.management. Secondary schools in England are to be set more
:13:26. > :13:31.ambitious targets for exam result. The Education Secretary says at
:13:31. > :13:35.least half of pupils in every school should secure five good GCSE
:13:35. > :13:40.passes to enable Britain to compete with growing Asian economies.
:13:40. > :13:44.Thousands of people in Greece are taking part in a series of protests
:13:44. > :13:47.against new austerity measures. Demonstrators threw stones at the
:13:47. > :13:51.police, who responded by firing tear gas into the crowd. Greece was
:13:51. > :13:55.bailed out by the EU and there are fears that if the government there
:13:55. > :14:01.fails to keep it's side of the bargain the rest of Europe could
:14:01. > :14:05.face a multi-billion-pound bill. This report contains flash
:14:05. > :14:09.photography. The fighting that took place outside Parliament was the
:14:09. > :14:12.most serious violence scene on -- seen on the streets of Athens for
:14:12. > :14:18.over a year and evidence, if it was needed, that the public can't take
:14:18. > :14:22.any more. The indignant movement, which has been holding peaceful
:14:22. > :14:25.demonstrations, stood back as the rye rotters did their work. Nearly
:14:25. > :14:32.three weeks of protests by the movement have had the desired
:14:32. > :14:36.effect. Acovereding to the Government, the Prime Minister has
:14:36. > :14:41.offered to step down, on the condition that the new Government
:14:41. > :14:45.sticks to the rules laid down. George Papaconstantinou had
:14:45. > :14:49.promised he had the strength to save Greece, but it appears he was
:14:49. > :14:56.forced to tell the President he had lost the support of a rebellious
:14:56. > :15:02.element of his Socialist Party. Grease's economy is in a parl lust
:15:02. > :15:07.position. The debt is �300 billion. It's supposed to be receiving �95
:15:07. > :15:13.billion as part of a bail-out package, but the political chaos
:15:13. > :15:18.has put the handouts in doubt. not about me any more, it's about
:15:18. > :15:21.our children and I don't see a bright future. The demonstrators
:15:21. > :15:30.may have won a victory against the government today, but whether it
:15:30. > :15:33.benefits them in the long run Our top story tonight:
:15:33. > :15:38.Thousands of civil servants vote to join teachers in a walk out on June
:15:38. > :15:40.30th in a protest over pensions. Coming up:
:15:40. > :15:50.More controversy over Olympics tickets as the Government insists
:15:50. > :15:53.
:15:53. > :15:56.members of the Gaddafi family will And later on BBC News, we will have
:15:56. > :16:01.more on George Osborne's speech to the city this evening and what it
:16:01. > :16:09.means the banks and customers. And the jobless figure shows its
:16:09. > :16:13.biggest drop since the summer of Two men have been arrested close to
:16:13. > :16:16.the Devon home of the singer Joss Stone. They're being questioned on
:16:16. > :16:19.suspicion of conspiring to rob and murder. A senior police source
:16:19. > :16:29.confirmed they were found with swords, forensic-style overalls and
:16:29. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:35.a body bag. Our correspondent Jon Yet, despite all her success over
:16:35. > :16:39.the last few years, Joss Stone has always described herself as a home
:16:39. > :16:42.bird. But the gates of that large property remain firmly shut tonight,
:16:42. > :16:49.there are police officers patrolling the village and
:16:49. > :16:54.journalists as well, all asking exactly what happened.
:16:54. > :17:00.# Fell in love for the boy. She has been described as a young Dwight
:17:00. > :17:06.British Aretha Franklin, Joss Stone shot to fame as a teenager and
:17:06. > :17:10.recording deals have made her a multi-millionaire. But despite the
:17:10. > :17:15.jet-set lifestyle, she still lives in the tiny Devon hamlet where she
:17:16. > :17:20.grew up. It was in these narrow lanes that police arrested two men
:17:20. > :17:25.after neighbours reported a suspicious-looking car. It is
:17:25. > :17:29.understood officers also recovered swords, ropes and a body bag. At
:17:29. > :17:34.the gates of her detached property, I met some of the singer's old
:17:34. > :17:37.friends. How I am outraged, I went to school with her and I live
:17:37. > :17:45.locally and to hear something like that is shocking. Especially around
:17:45. > :17:49.here. A lot has changed since Joss Stone used to seeing him in school
:17:49. > :17:55.plays and village halls. Here she is performing in Devon for just as
:17:55. > :17:58.she was hitting the big time. One of the 24-year-old's last public
:17:58. > :18:02.appearances was at the Royal Wedding. She is understood to be a
:18:02. > :18:06.good friend of Prince William. In a statement this afternoon, she
:18:06. > :18:14.thanked fans for their concern, but insisted she was fined and getting
:18:14. > :18:19.on with things as normal. Normal for her these days means recording
:18:19. > :18:23.hit music. Here she is in Nashville making her latest album. But this
:18:24. > :18:27.evening, at the quiet place she has always called home, new security
:18:27. > :18:32.measures while the police asked the star's neighbours what they might
:18:32. > :18:36.have seen. It is not clear whether Joss Stone
:18:36. > :18:40.was definitely here at the time of these arrests. The men concerned
:18:40. > :18:43.being held at a police station in Exeter, no charges as far as we
:18:43. > :18:46.know. When Libyans watch their state TV,
:18:46. > :18:49.they're told over and over again that there's complete support for
:18:49. > :18:52.Colonel Gaddafi. But the BBC has managed to interview members of the
:18:52. > :18:55.Libyan underground opposition in Tripoli. They describe their acts
:18:55. > :19:05.of resistance and their willingness to die for the anti-Gaddafi cause.
:19:05. > :19:08.
:19:08. > :19:12.Our correspondent Wyre Davies sent Inner-city penetrated by fear and
:19:12. > :19:16.suspicion, this is the only way to find out what many Libyans are
:19:16. > :19:23.really thinking. We have given our government minders the slip, but it
:19:23. > :19:27.is still a nervous journey to a safe house in a Tripoli suburb. The
:19:27. > :19:31.four young activists by meat have suffered at the regime's hands in
:19:31. > :19:34.one way or another. Friends have been killed, they are tired of the
:19:34. > :19:40.corruption and nepotism and say pressure is mounting on Colonel
:19:40. > :19:45.Gaddafi to go. For their own safety, their words are spoken by actors.
:19:45. > :19:48.It is a fight and we will fight, but not with empty hands. It is
:19:48. > :19:54.crazy to go out facing people with guns and we know what intentions
:19:54. > :19:58.they have. Do you think in the end Gaddafi will have to go? I think he
:19:58. > :20:04.is finished already, he is damaging the country as much as he can, but
:20:04. > :20:07.he is finished. He is finished. the early days of the surprising,
:20:07. > :20:13.anti-government protests in Tripoli were brutally crushed. But people
:20:13. > :20:20.are beginning to find their voices again. At this reason funeral in
:20:20. > :20:24.the capital, a rebel flag is raised in open defiance. On this video,
:20:24. > :20:29.which is impossible to verify, government soldiers stand over
:20:29. > :20:36.dying rebels after recent fighting in the capital. You dogs, they say,
:20:36. > :20:41.this is revenge. Gaddafi's opponents know that Tripoli is
:20:41. > :20:45.still a dangerous place. I think it is going to be bloody because he is
:20:45. > :20:52.not going to give up easily. think we will see more violence?
:20:52. > :20:57.Definitely. Definitely. How does that make you feel? I am a little
:20:57. > :21:04.scared, but I am we leap -- willing to sacrifice my life of this.
:21:04. > :21:10.are willing to die? Yes, without hesitation. This is how the regime
:21:10. > :21:18.portrays things, fanatical they may be, but many faces at Gaddafi
:21:18. > :21:21.rallies are by now familiar and are fewer in number. 10 weeks a dash of
:21:21. > :21:28.NATO bombing have not it ousted the colonel, but from what we have seen,
:21:28. > :21:31.his fortress capital is solid no While today's fall in the number of
:21:31. > :21:34.people out of work provides some good news for the economy, high
:21:34. > :21:39.inflation and low wage rises are creating a real squeeze for many
:21:39. > :21:43.households. One city that's felt the downturn more than most is Hull,
:21:43. > :21:46.where unemployment is among the highest in the country. In the
:21:46. > :21:49.first of three special reports on tough times in UK, Richard Bilton
:21:49. > :21:59.reports on how people are coping after one of Hull's biggest
:21:59. > :22:01.
:22:01. > :22:08.This is caravan country, in east Yorkshire they build them up and
:22:08. > :22:12.holiday in them. Jess and Julie are at the coast for a week. Come in
:22:12. > :22:16.June and it is quiet and cheap. But dad is not here. The family
:22:16. > :22:22.business went bust and he has to work. He has to miss his own summer
:22:22. > :22:29.holiday. His company went into liquidation so we have struggled to
:22:29. > :22:35.try to make ends meet and build another company. You don't know
:22:35. > :22:40.whether your job is safe. Three years ago, this is Shaun Whittles
:22:40. > :22:50.on the day his security disappeared. He made caravans. But the company
:22:50. > :22:52.
:22:52. > :22:57.shut down. To work here, and know that many people... To upset.
:22:57. > :23:01.is him today working at a garden centre. He never got back into the
:23:01. > :23:07.caravan industry, just a series of temporary jobs. This one ends next
:23:07. > :23:11.week. It is the third time it has happened to me in the year. It is
:23:11. > :23:19.just heart-wrenching because I have to start looking for another job
:23:19. > :23:22.again and it is very hard to get a job. But it is not all bad.
:23:22. > :23:32.Hundreds of jobs were lost in the caravan industry, but some have
:23:32. > :23:38.returned. This is a new company in an old factory. Workers who came
:23:38. > :23:46.back from the dole. It is hard when you're in a situation when you are
:23:46. > :23:50.going for a job and there are maybe 50 blokes going for one job.
:23:50. > :23:55.the people in the factory today came back to a different working
:23:55. > :24:00.world. The average wage in here now is about 20% lower than it was
:24:00. > :24:05.before the caravan industry went into meltdown. Workers and
:24:05. > :24:08.management now take nothing for granted. A everybody now needs
:24:08. > :24:13.security. There used to be promotion, where am I going to go,
:24:13. > :24:17.now it is a case of will I be able to pay the bills. You have to tell
:24:17. > :24:23.them to come on board and do a good job and between us, hopefully, we
:24:23. > :24:27.will have a secure future. industry survived here and at other
:24:28. > :24:31.sites. But it is a different working life for the City's caravan
:24:31. > :24:34.makers. And tomorrow Richard will be
:24:34. > :24:36.looking at the issue of child poverty and how charities are
:24:36. > :24:38.helping families struggling to make ends meet.
:24:38. > :24:42.Downing Street has insisted that no members of the Libyan government
:24:42. > :24:44.will be allowed into Britain to watch the Olympics. Libya's
:24:44. > :24:50.National Olympic Committee, headed by Colonel Gaddafi's son Muhammad,
:24:50. > :24:53.is due to be allocated hundreds of tickets. David Cameron's spokesman
:24:53. > :24:55.said an EU travel ban would prevent members of the Libyan regime from
:24:55. > :24:58.attending. But with thousands of UK citizens left empty handed,
:24:58. > :25:00.questions are being asked about whether countries like Zimbabwe and
:25:00. > :25:10.Burma should get tickets. Our sports correspondent James Pearce
:25:10. > :25:11.
:25:11. > :25:16.The Libyan team at the start of the Beijing Olympics. As things stand,
:25:16. > :25:21.they will be able to compete again in London. The IOC has always tried
:25:21. > :25:24.to keep sport separate from politics. In every country there is
:25:24. > :25:28.no proper development of sport without the development of the
:25:28. > :25:34.state and the government. But at the same time, we respect Felipe
:25:34. > :25:37.request the government to take actions in favour of sport and not
:25:37. > :25:40.utilising sport for their own purpose. It is a delicate balance.
:25:40. > :25:45.At the weekend Gaddafi was filmed playing chess at the headquarters
:25:45. > :25:49.of the Libyan Olympic Committee, which is headed by one of his sons.
:25:49. > :25:55.On 27th July next year during the opening ceremony, the eyes of the
:25:55. > :25:59.world will be on the stadium, but will the leaders of the world all
:25:59. > :26:05.be invited? When it comes to Libya, the government here is adamant they
:26:05. > :26:09.will not. Let's be clear about this, Gaddafi, his sons and his immediate
:26:09. > :26:15.entourage are all subject to EU banning orders and can't enter the
:26:15. > :26:18.EU and most deservedly London. are entitled to tickets next year?
:26:18. > :26:22.There are 8.8 million in total. 75% of them will go to the British
:26:22. > :26:27.public. 12% end up with the National Olympic Committees of
:26:27. > :26:34.competing countries, including Libya. 8% are bought by the
:26:34. > :26:38.sponsors and broadcasters. 5% for hospitality and other uses. It is
:26:38. > :26:43.nothing new for the Olympics to face political issues. Duncan
:26:43. > :26:49.Goodhew's gold in 1980 was that against boycotted by the Americans.
:26:49. > :26:55.We had been through all sorts of different issues where politics had
:26:55. > :27:00.tried to knows their way into sport. Definitely we found out in sport,
:27:00. > :27:04.it is best to keep out of them as far as possible. Even in Beijing,
:27:04. > :27:07.politics and China's show of strength work at the heart of the
:27:07. > :27:11.Games. There are bound to be more international political issues on
:27:11. > :27:18.international political issues on the road to London 2012. Off John
:27:18. > :27:21.is here with the weather now. It is on the slide. Some showers on
:27:21. > :27:28.the way it, some of us have got some heavy showers right now. A
:27:28. > :27:31.whole clutch of nasty storms across northern England. Crossing Leeds at
:27:31. > :27:36.the moment. Elsewhere there will be a scattering of showers this
:27:36. > :27:40.evening. Tonight we will see another area of blue, another spot
:27:40. > :27:46.of rain pushing up across south- west England and across southern
:27:46. > :27:50.areas as we go through towards dawn. In the Midlands as well. Clearer
:27:50. > :27:54.skies in the north and west. Quite cool, temperatures staying well up
:27:54. > :27:58.further south. It could be a wet start in the south and the Midlands,
:27:58. > :28:01.making its way towards East Anglia and the south-east. And then the
:28:02. > :28:05.sun comes out and then we will see a whole packet of showers
:28:05. > :28:10.developing in the afternoon. These showers will be hit and miss in
:28:10. > :28:14.nature. I think we can pick out some detail. Along the south coast
:28:14. > :28:19.we might not do too badly. But inland there will be widespread
:28:19. > :28:24.showers. Ascot will be affected, and the Test match. North-west
:28:24. > :28:28.England and Cumbria not doing too badly. Parts of Scotland seeing
:28:28. > :28:33.heavy and thundery downpours. When the showers come, temperatures will
:28:33. > :28:36.fall quickly. The winds are quite light, but when the showers come
:28:36. > :28:41.along, it could turn a little bit windy. A scattering of showers
:28:41. > :28:47.across Wales and south-west England. 16 degrees in Plymouth is not great
:28:47. > :28:50.for the time of year. And then things turned very rough indeed on
:28:50. > :28:54.Friday. Some heavy rain splashing up through south-western areas
:28:54. > :28:58.initially. Some uncertainty how quickly that will progress, but by
:28:58. > :29:04.the end of the day most of us will have seen some rain and fairly
:29:04. > :29:08.have seen some rain and fairly lively winds.
:29:08. > :29:13.That looked awful! A reminder of the top news.