12/12/2013 BBC News at Six

A major safety alert. 22 air ambulance and police helicopters

grounded after a faulty fuel gauge was discovered. The emergency

helicopters are all BEC 135 models from Bond Air Services, providing

cover across the UK. The helicopters are the same model that crashed into

a pub in Glasgow last month. Some helicopters are now back in the air,

after being ruled safe to fly. Checks on the rest are still

ongoing. The Prime Minister is rebuked by the judge in the trial of

Nigella Lawson's assistance, after saying he is on Team Nigella. An

inspection of GPs surgeries under covers dirty rooms which could risk

patients lives. Party leaders insist they will reject the 11% pay rise

for MPs. Some MPs say they deserve it. The latest from the Europa

League, where Swansea and Wigan are in action. Later, Spurs are

guaranteed to finish top of the group.

Good evening. Emergency air cover across the UK was reduced today

after 22 air ambulances and police helicopters were grounded. They were

all BEC 135 model from Bond Air Services, the same model that

crashed into a pub in Glasgow last month, killing ten people. A faulty

fuel gauge had been discovered on one of the helicopters. A number of

them have now been checked and declared safe to fly. BALPA have

called for a fundamental review of helicopter operations. Judith Moritz

is at the airport in Manchester. This is the home of the North West

air ambulance of this. It was after a fault was discovered on one of the

service's three aircraft yesterday that this grounding happened today.

The service says it hopes to be back in the air as soon as possible. The

Northwest air ambulance is called out on average five times a day in

winter. Today, this helicopter went nowhere. The charity runs three of

these aircraft, one of them developed a fault when it was on the

ground yesterday, so they were all suspended from flying. Is very sad

but it is comforting to know that if there is a fault it is being looked

at and will be rectified. The helicopters are manufactured by Euro

copter and operated by Bond Air Services. This morning, they

grounded 22 of the helicopters. It says investigations are expected to

be completed by the end of the day. Those aircraft that are confirmed as

having no fault will return to service, will continue to work with

the manufacturer on any aircraft which are found with this fault,

with the aim of resuming normal service as soon as it is safe to do

so. The grounded model is the same type of helicopter which crashed

into the roof of the Glasgow bar a fortnight ago. Today it was

announced that a 10th person has died as a result of the disaster.

Bond Air Services said there was no indication of a link between that

crashed and the suspension from flying today. The EC-135 was popular

because of its handling. Some police helicopters were ordered to fly with

increased fuel levels as a precaution, too. I understand there

was a discrepancy between a low fuel caption, a warning light came on to

say there was low fuel. But the fuel gauge was saying the tank was full.

It may have absolutely nothing to do with what happened in Glasgow, but

they are being ultra-cautious. EC-135s operated by other companies

were flying today. Bond Air Services said it was committed to the highest

standards of safety in all its operations. Amid concerns about

helicopter safety for the second time this month, two unions, both

the RMT and the airline pilots union, BALPA, are calling for full

reviews into helicopter saved the operations. A judge has criticised

the Prime Minister for commenting about the fraud trial at which

Nigella Lawson has denied she is a regular drug user. David Cameron

said he was on Team Nigella, prompting the judge to tell jurors

it was a matter of regret, and people in public office commenting

on the matter they should disregard his remarks. The Prime Minister's

office said there was never any intention to have an impact on the

court case. Watching Nigella on the telly is something the Prime

Minister sometimes likes to do with his daughter, he has admitted.

Although he clarified he has not seen her in court, David Cameron was

asked in an interview if he was a fan of Team Nigella. He replies, I

am, I'm a massive fan. I've had the great pleasure of meeting her a

couple of times but I'm also an amateur cook and I like her recipes.

Judge Robin Johnson directed the jury here to ignore the articles. He

said, it is a matter of regret when people in public office comment on a

person involved in a trial which is in progress. He said the defendant

's, Elisabetta and Francesco Grillo, seen here with the dark air, felt

aggrieved because the comments are favourable to Miss Lawson. Taking to

the stand for the first time, Elisabetta Grillo, who is 41, told

the court she was allowed by Nigella to put personal expenditure on the

credit card she had been provided with. She said although she never

saw her former boss taking drugs, she regularly witnessed evidence of

cocaine use. She said the celebrity chef did not tell the truth last

night when she claimed she had only taken cocaine once after her first

husband's death. Elisabetta Grillo also told how there was often

shouting and stress in the Lawson Suchy household. She said about Miss

Lawson, she felt like she was living in a golden cage. She couldn't go

out to a birthday party like normal people because Charles always wanted

her there. The sisters deny fraud and the case continues. An

inspection of 900 GP surgeries in England has uncovered failings in

basic standards in about a third of them. The Care Quality Commission

found examples of poor standards of cleanliness and in the handling of

medicines. In nine cases it was so serious that it could have

potentially endangered lives and affected thousands of people. GP

surgeries are where most of us receive the bulk of our treatment on

the NHS. Everything from vaccinations to monitoring the

health of our hearts, GPs do it all. They are the front door to the

health service. Now one GP from Birmingham has been placed in charge

of making sure family doctors in England are providing safe care. And

the first batch of those inspections have thrown up some worrying

results. The vast majority of practices provide really good care,

but unfortunately they are let down by a few and patience are let down

in large numbers by a few of those practices. This surgery is one of

those that failed the CQC inspection. Problems here included

poorly trained staff, medical records left unattended and,

worryingly, medicines and vaccines that were out of date, meaning it is

possible they were no longer effective. The patients here were

surprised the surgery had come off so badly. I've had no problems. I've

found each doctor has been very good. I was ill last year and they

were excellent. My son was very ill last year and they were excellent.

How surprised you that the surgery has run into problems? Quite

surprised. I thought they were really good doctors. They've always

been really good with me, always fitted me in. Elsewhere, inspectors

found to the consulting rooms, poorly maintained equipment and even

in this surgery, in Nottingham, an infestation of markets, which the

practice says has been addressed. The patient groups believe these

failings are inexcusable. If these were restaurants, they would be

seriously fined and if they didn't get their act together they would be

closed down. There are 8000 surgeries in England, and these

inspections looked at just over 900, 80% of which were targeted because

of pre-existing concerns. There were just nine surgeries where there were

serious failures. The fridge is organised into different vaccines.

At this surgery in Stockport, they make sure they are up to date with

procedures. But they worry about how the report will affect the bond of

trust between patient and doctor. Without that, there is no

doctor-patient relationship. It is absolutely essential that every

aspect of patient care is at the highest standard that the patient

can expect. A full round-up inspections. Next year, then we will

get a better picture of how good a service GP surgeries are providing.

The head of the body which sets MPs' pay will -- insisted they will press

ahead with the proposed 11% pay rise, despite criticism from party

leaders. Sir Ian Kennedy said it would be the first time MPs pay and

pensions would be set independently. David Cameron said such a large rise

was on. -- was not on. Remember that row about MPs' expenses? They've

turned into a new comedy in the West End. But news of a poser for an 11%

pay rise might just kill the laughter. After all the fuss about

all the receipts for the hanging baskets and the glittery toilet seat

and the elephant glands, you might think it's a bit of a bad joke for

MPs to be talking about putting up their own pay. The joke, though, is

on them. They are not doing it. It's an independent body that says in

return for a pay rise they should have a lower pension, lower

resettlement payments and, yes, tighter expenses rules. MPs' pay now

is a little under ?66,500. After the next election it is proposed it

should go up to ?74,000. But the regulator says there will be no

extra cost once all the changes are included. If it is seen in the round

is an important set of reforms, which is not going to cost the

taxpayer any more money and settles once and for all the issue of pay

for politicians, I think people will say, guess, now I understand. So

what do the public think? Do you think MPs should set their own pay?

Nope. Should they get an 11% pay rise? Nope. But the independent body

that sets their pay says they should. Should they set their own

pay? Definitely not. I wish I could get an 11% pay rise. An independent

body says they should get it all stops all you do want them to set

their own pay? No, I don't. It would take a change in the law to stop

this decision, but party leaders know what the audience wants to

hear. We will make sure it doesn't happen if there is a Labour

government. I don't think the public will accept it. In a radio

interview, the Prime Minister didn't go quite that far. There's time to

think again, there's time to get this right. The decision will be

made in the second half of 2015. I hope they will think again. The

regulator says the whole point of being independent is to be

independent. Politicians saying the same to you in private as they are

in public? It may be that they want to be seen to be making a big fuss.

That's a perceptive judgment by someone who is a perceptive

observer. Far be it from me to make any comment. In politics you can't

please all of the audience all of the time. So the public sector

politicians, stop setting your own pay. And now they say they don't

like the independent recommendation. It would be funny if it wasn't real

life. The man accused of faking sign language at the memorial service for

Nelson Mandela has said he has schizophrenia and that he was

hallucinating at the event, seeing angels. Thamsanqa Jantjie, who stood

onstage alongside world leaders, said his condition sometimes made

him violent. He not only embodied... Sharing the stage with

Barack Obama, a man who now says he was in the middle of the

schizophrenic episode. He remembers nothing. It was his erratic sign

language that first raised concerns. Experts describing it as tuberous.

But when the BBC tracked Thamsanqa Jantjie down to his Soweto home

today, the 34-year-old said he wasn't a fraud, he was simply ill. I

had a breakdown. When I see angels come from the sky. Photos prove he

had often worked at prestigious events. There are reports his

illness has made him violent in the past. Today a government official

insisted world leaders had not been in any danger. Are you embarrassed

about what happened at the stadium during the Memorial? I'm not, I have

no reason to be. Even if a mistake happened, a mistake happened while

we tried. But it is an awkward destruction, as crowds queued for a

second date to see Nelson Mandela's body. This may seem like a

relatively minor incident during a momentous week. But inevitably,

people making comparisons right now between Nelson Mandela and the

current leadership. The revelations today feed into a broader sense that

South Africa may be losing its way. 22 air ambulance and police

helicopters grounded after a faulty fuel gauge is discovered. Some are

now back on the air. How the number of people taking part in sport in

England has dipped since last year's Olympics. In Sportsday, there

are just a few hours to go until the start of the third Ashes test.

Alastair Cook will win his 100th cap, as will the Australian

skipper. But defeat for England and they will lose the series.

There has been a rise in the number of women diagnosed with breast

cancer across the world, according to new figures, partly due to a

change in lifestyles, such as greater alcohol consumption and

increasing obesity. Since 2008, the number of cases has risen by over

20%, it represents one in four of all cancers in women globally. In

the UK, the five-year survival rate is improving and is now about 85%.

There is positive news from a study which suggests a particular drug can

half the cases in high risk women with the menopause.

The abnormal cells of breast cancer. Some women have a greater

lifetime risk. A family history of the disease or some benign change

that acts as a warning sign. This form and saw her mother go through

cancer treatment. Now, she is delighted there is hope for

high-risk women like herself, for five years, she took either a plain

tight-lipped or drug being tested. She did not know which. Because my

mother had breast cancer, I had in the back of my head that I could get

breast cancer, so when I heard about the trial, I wanted to go one it,

and when I heard the results, I was amazed, because it is fantastic.

Women like her, who had a risk factor and had been through the

menopause, were included in this trial. For every 1000 high-risk

women, there would usually be 43 cases of breast cancer over five

years. But in those women given the drug, that fell the 20, with

virtually no side effects. A reduced risk of 53%. While the doctors told

me the research came out of seeing how it was already working. We have

used this to treat breast cancer, and we have seen in women who have

used this that their risk of developing a second breast cancer

was significantly love it, but we had to prove it in healthy women. We

were pleased to see this was sustained. It is all that it one of

the most successfully treated types of cancer, but this research is

another step towards preventing it in women whose families have often

been devastated by the disease. With the results of the trial revealed,

this woman knows she has helped other women. Now, charities want the

guidelines for the NHS reviewed. They say this research shows the

drug can make a difference to high-risk women. Saving many from

the mental and physical ordeal of the fight with breast cancer.

The government has been urged to set up a new food crime unit in the

light of the horse meat scandal. April in a revision -- a preliminary

view highlighted gaps in what the government currently knows about,

not activity in the food supply. The food industry, a global business

these days. We have some of the safest food in the world, the report

says our supply chains are former Baltic criminals looking for huge

profits, and the risk is growing -- our supply chains are vulnerable. We

need to think about not only knowing the suppliers, but knowing the

suppliers' suppliers. We have to have a change in mindset. The horse

meat scandal showed how complex the supply chain has become. Especially

with processed food. For example, just take this everyday pizza. The

dough could have come from America, Poland or France, the chicken from

Brazil come up island, the Netherlands or Germany, and the

cheese could have come from Switzerland, Italy or Spain. The

longer the chain, the more difficult it is to keep tabs on all of the

ingredients. How do we keep the criminals out? There are dozens of

recommendations in the report, including the creation of a

dedicated food crime unit to investigate fraud, industry should

have more unannounced inspections, and gathering better intelligence is

urgently required. In the run-up to Christmas, we have to -- 200

unannounced visit. At Sainsbury's, they have always carried out checks.

They believe it was a wake-up call. It is a major issue of trust,

anybody who believes otherwise is deluded themselves. It is important

that we stand up and work together to deal with the report. The

government is considering it, too, it says action has already been

taken to keep our food even safer. The final report will not be served

up until the spring. Sex offenders who work in the public

eye and use their celebrity status to abuse victims' trust will be

given tougher prison sentences under new guidelines. More emphasis will

be placed on the psychological impact on victims when sentencing.

Judges say the Jimmy Savile case had no bearing and that changes were

already under way. While crowds in the Tory filed past

the coffin of Nelson Mandela, discontent about the current

leadership in South Africa appears to be growing, not just with Jacob

Zuma, but also with the ruling ANC. This is not what Nelson Mandela

wanted for his people. A township in northern Johannesburg. Established

in 1995, a year after South Africa's first aquatic elections.

People here feel let down. They were promised so much more when Nelson

Mandela came to power. Let us build a future together and post a better

life for all South Africa. This woman has been living here for 15

years. She tells me that she is still waiting for a house provided

by government, fresh drinking water and electricity. That is what she

voted for. Home video of recent trouble in the township. It had been

brewing for months will stop there is a lot of anger here. I am angry

with the government, because they are sitting like pigs. The toilet

does not have any flushing. Everything is very bad for us. They

vote, for what? The ANC can do nothing about it. It is not just the

failure of government to deliver basic services that is fuelling

discontent. The scandal of Jacob Zuma's spending public money on his

private home has angered many. There is a sense of burning rage at the

base of society, amongst poor communities, marginalised

communities there is true anger. If we do not bring economic inequality

levels down, we might imperil the reconciliation that Madiba brought

forward. There is little doubt that many ordinary South Africans are

angry that their lives are not getting better as promised by Nelson

Mandela and the ANC. But the question is, will they show their

discontent by turning their backs on the ruling party? Maybe not in next

year's election, but there is a growing realisation within the

organisation that they must act urgently to ease tensions or risk

losing support. Participation in Sport England has

fallen slightly since the Olympics. Defying expectations that the games

would boost the numbers of those taking part. There has been a drop

in 16 to 24-year-olds, and fewer women.

Inspire a generation, the ailing expand line you could not escape.

But England's number generation did not get the memo. Football has

slumped to England's fourth most played sport, and even a British

Wimbledon and in could not stop tennis' slide. What the Olympics

have done is increased participation overall. No host nation has ever

managed to do that before. What we have not managed to do yet is to get

real growth in the numbers of young people doing sport across the board.

That is a big challenge. Specifically, the 16 to

25-year-olds, down by 51,000 since the same time last year. The

government has long been told that more house to happen at grassroots

level to make a real difference to future generations, but it is clear

that girls represent a specific challenge. That is a tough nut to

crack. Sports like boxing have seen a rise, E Adams winning Britain's

first female gold helped. But the fact remains, young girls drop out

of sport faster than boys, 16 to 25-year-old females are half as

active as their male equivalents, and worryingly for the government,

1.8 million fewer women play regular sport than men. There is a multitude

of reasons, self confidence, self-esteem, body image, time and

money, and sometimes, we have children to look after. You need to

be able to place the children somewhere to play a game of hockey

or to go for a run. Some sports are struggling more than others. The

last British woman to win Wimbledon says there is a wider issue around

why some girls are not picking up tennis racket. Expectations for a

female sporting hero are different. A girl is supposed to be beautiful,

have long legs and be very athletic looking, and the perfect. Despite

role models like Jessica Ennis-Hill, sponsorship of women account for

just 4.5% of the sports market in the UK. Experts argue, without a

fundamental culture change, a golden opportunity could be lost forever.

As winter nights go, it will be positively balmy. Overnight lows are

similar to daytime highs at this time of year. To thank for that, a

covering of cloud, which will bring rain in most areas by dawn. We could

see temperatures dipping away in the south-east of the cloud files in.

Elsewhere, these are the overnight low temperatures. Friday gets off to

a great start, a lot of cloud around, and outbreaks of rain,

especially across western Scotland. Northern Ireland should be

brightening up quite nicely, the rain pulling away to the east. A lot

of cloud and murky conditions across the hills of northern England,

across East Anglia and the south-east, and further west,

another band of rain will bring heavier downpours. Everything is

moving east through the day, so bright conditions become more

widespread, moving to Scotland for the afternoon. Look out for a

fuchsia hot showers into Northern Ireland later.

Still some rain left over for tomorrow evening for eastern

England, but that will clear during the small hours of Saturday. We are

up against this weather system, and it means the prospect of heavy rain

and strong wind for Scotland and Northern Ireland. As if that was not

enough, it moves East, and brings some rain into England and Wales,

and another weather front is brewing towards the north-west for Scotland

and Northern Ireland, with 80 or 90 mph wind. This weekend, it is a

stormy outlook for Scotland and Northern Ireland, but quieter for

England and Wales.