12/03/2014 BBC News at Six

believes Britain's future lies at the heart of Europe, but he hasn't

completely ruled out a vote on membership. A lot that guarantees

there will be no transfer of powers without an in-out referendum. We

will be asking voters what they think of the debate on Europe. Also

tonight: Desperate relatives of the missing hear the last words of the

Malaysian Airlines crew minutes before they disappeared. It just

disappeared off the face of the earth. If we could just find some

wreckage, or something. Dramatic scenes as a forensic expert reenacts

how Oscar Pistorius broke down his toilet door with a cricket bat.

Tonight I'm at Britain's research centre for robotics. I will have a

special report on how our economic future will depend on technological

innovation. And, how 3D printing was used to rebuild this man's face

after a serious motorbike accident. We have an exclusive report.

Tonight, on BBC London. Electric cars for hire, but can they become

as common as Boris Bikes? And, new figures from the Met reveal the

thousands of gang-related crimes in the capital.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. Ed Miliband says a

referendum on Britain's membership of the EU is unlikely if Labour win

the next election. The Labour leader says he believes Britain's future

lies in the EU and the "economic case for membership is

overwhelming". But Mr Miliband said in the "unlikely" event of the EU

demanding more control, he wouldn't allow a transfer of fresh powers to

Brussels without an in-out referendum. The Prime Minister said

Labour's plan gives the British people "no choice", and only the

Conservatives would guarantee a referendum. Our political editor,

Nick Robinson, reports. Should you get a vote in a referendum on

whether Britain stays in or gets out of the EU, the Tories are promising

one by 2017? What would Labour do? This morning's papers were clear, up

to a point. The FT said Miliband rules out early EU poll. The Mirror

said Ed would give you an in-out vote. Perhaps the Labour leader

could clear things up in his big speech on Europe. There will be no

transfer of powers without an in-out referendum. Without a clear choice

about whether Britain will stay in the EU. That sounded as ifs he was

in favour of a vote, but just fast forward a few seconds. I believe

it's unlikely this lock will be used in the next parliament. His new

policy took seven paragraphs and more than a minute to explain. If a

voter asked you, will you guarantee me a say on whether Britain stays in

or gets out of the EU, if you're Prime Minister, what is the answer

in a Seine sentence? If there is a tran fer of powers from Britain to

the European Union, then there will be an an in-out referendum. My

priority for the next parliament though is tackling the

cost-of-living crisis, protecting our National Health Service and jobs

for young people. Maybe or maybe not? I said in my speech, very

clearly, I have been straight about this, I think it's unlikely that the

lock will be triggered in the next parliament. What do voters make of

Tories who say yes, and Labour who say it's possible, but unlikely. I

would go yes. Can you vote for me there. Certainly. I would rather

have a choice, to be honest, as a ebb m of the British public. Ed

Miliband says it is not a priority. He should get on with et creating

jobs and worrying about the NHS? Yeah. We need to make the decision

ourselves. The There is better things to spend money on that people

would benefit from rather than an EU referendum. I don't think we need a

referendum on it. I believe we should be in Europe. That is a clear

answer. David Cameron claims that Labour's policy is clearer than they

want it to seem. He says they are against be giving you a say. What is

clear is under Labour there won't be a referendum. The only way to get an

in-out referendum and a proper renegotiation of Britain's position

in Europe, reform in Europe, the only way to get that is to have the

Conservatives in Government. Ed Miliband knows that a am prosis of a

referendum -- promise of a referendum would have been popular

he thinks he can run against David Cameron by saying that he will focus

on the economy nomy and the NHS while the Tory Government would be

obsessed and divided about Europe. He says voters have seen that movie

before when John Major was Prime Minister in the 90s. David Cameron

has no char tie about what he is negotiating for. His promises on

Europe are undefined, undeliverable and now unravelling. Many voters may

dislike the idea of being denied a say, but Labour are counting on big

business backing them for reducing uncertainty about whether Britain

will stay in the EU. The final words from the crew on board the missing

Malaysian Airlines jet in their last communication with Air Traffic

Control on Friday have been made public. The authorities say all

seemed normal on the flight just minutes before it vanished as it

headed out over the South China Sea from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with

239 passengers and crew on board. The search area has been widened,

yet again, and now stretches across 27,000 nautical miles. January hang

head's o report from Kuala Lumpur contains some flash photography. It

possible for so many planes and ships to find no trace of a 200

tonne airliner after five days of searching? It is, if they are being

looking in the wrong place. For days they assumed it had come down in the

South China Sea, close to its last contact. Now, the Mall mall

authorities think it may have ended up hundreds of miles west of its

flight path. At the daily press briefings officials are struggling

to explain why they seem to know so little. When we looked at that

recording it proved that there is a possibility that this aircraft

turned back. But we are not sure whether it is the same aircraft. As

always, there was an uproar of questions, but very few answers.

Flight MH370 was almost an hour into its journey when Malaysian Air

Traffic Control bid the pilot farewell as he moved out their

airspace. Military radar records show an unidentified object flying

an hour later over the sea. Two on board were Rodney and Mary burrows.

Rodney's parents had been about to visit them in China to celebrate

Mary's birthday. There is no news what so ever. It's just disappeared

off the face of the earth. If we could just find some wreckage or

something it would be a help, probably. What we've learnt almost

five days after flight MH370 vanished must be of concern to the

millions of passengers passing through this, and other airports in

the region, that the authorities know almost nothing about what

happened to the airliner and that in their search for it, they are just

guessing. Jonathan Head, BBC News, Kuala Lumpur. There have been

dramatic scenes at the Oscar Pistorius murder trial. A forensic

expert has been re-enacting how the Olympian broke down the toilet door

in his bathroom with a cricket bat to reach his girlfriend. Athlete

denies murdering Reeva Steenkamp and says he fired through the locked

door thinking she was an inStrouder. From Pretoria, Andrew Harding

reports. The crime scene came to court today in the form of a door,

the one Oscar Pistorius shot through. The white walls behind it

representing the toilet where Reeva Steenkamp was killed. With a

flourish, a forensic expert revealed the cricket bat Pistorius used to

smash the door down that night. It's a lazer, English willo. At issue

today, the marks left by that bat. There were at least two marks on the

toilet door. One here, a meter-and-a-half above the floor,

Pistorius standing to one side, another hit from straight on, a

little lower down. The forensic expert saying that suggested the

athlete was on his stumps and, therefore, lying when he claimed he

was wearing his prosthetic legs. On your knees. Lift your feet up. The

defence said, that was just guesswork. They asked the expert to

act it out again. Explain to me what is happening. Are you losing your

balance? I'm off balance. He conceded, it might be hard to

balance on stumps and swing a bat. Pistorius's team said it had done

its own forensic tests on the door which proved the athlete was telling

the truth about standing on his prosthetic legs. The test showed he

hadn't just hit the door, he kicked it, leaving traces of his sock

trapped in the wood. For the police investigating Reeva Steenkamp's

death it has not been a great day. The pieces are gone. They ares ming.

Their forensic expert admitted the door had been removed from the crime

scene, trampled on a chunk of it had gone missing. Pistorius seemed

relaxed throughout. Smiling broadly at one point when an earlier witness

appeared to stumble. It's been a dramatic day in court. The

prosecution here is still struggling to prove that Oscar Pistorius's

version of what happened that night is a lie. Andrew Harding BBC News,

Pretoria High Court. A woman has told the jury in Max Clifford's

trial that he made her rife life "a living hell". The woman, whose

identity has been protected, told the court that Mr Clifford had

forced her to perform a sex act on him at the age of 15 and then

blackmailed her with claims he had taken photos of the assault am he

denies all nine charges of indecent assault dating back to the 1970s and

80s. The Court of Appeal has viewed ruled that a decision by the

Attorney General to stop letters by Prince Charles to Government

ministers being push blushed was unlawful. The Guardian newspaper has

spent years trying to get what has been described as "frank" letters

released under the Freedom of Information Act. Our royal

correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, reports if you want a quiet life,

lock me up, he said a few years ago. The Prince of Wales believes as heir

to the throne he has a right and a duty to bring to the attention of

Government issues raised with him on his trips around the country. This

was a visit to the Somerset floods last month. More often than not, he

makes his views known to government via these, hand written letters, his

black spider letters, because of his distinctive hand writing. 27 letters

like these, written by the Prince nearly 10 years ago to ministers in

Tony Blair's Government that the Guardian believe the public should

be allowed to see under the Freedom of Information Act. Opposing the

Government, Dominic Grieve, who argued the letters contained the

Prince's "deeply held private views." A judge ruled in the Court

of Appeal that the Attorney General was wrong. The Attorney General did

not have reasonable grounds for forming the opinion on which his

certificate was based. The Guardian's editor says there is an

important issue at stake. If The Prince of Wales is going to use his

position in public life to influence Government policy we have a right to

know about that, as we would anybody else in power who was trying to

influence policy. Should letters which Charles wrote in confidence

now be made public? Some MPs think not. The Prince of Wales has written

a letter, or letters, which he intended to be private. They were

private. They were received in the expectation of privacy, parliament

intends for The Prince of Wales to be with the Queen exempt from Feedom

of Information. On the one hand, the Prince's supporters say he is

perfectly entitled to raise issues with ministers. Others question

that. They say he is unelected, he shouldn't interfere. It will now be

for the Supreme Court to decide whether these 27 letters should be

made public. Nicholas Witchell, BBC News at Clarence House. The time is

coming up to 6. 6.15pm. Ed Miliband says Labour won't hold a referendum

on Britain's EU membership unless the UK is asked to transfer more

powers to Brussels. And, still to come, what a 50th birthday present

from friends and family this turned out to be. The horse that just won

at Cheltenham. Later, on BBC London. Talks over ticket office closures on

the Tube are put on hold, as a mark of respect, after the death of Bob

Crow. And, the school criticised by Ofsted for being too scruffy - not

the buildings, or the pupils, but A growing skills vacuum in the UK is

threatening the future of Britain's high tech industry and the economic

recovery - that's according to business leaders. The CBI is calling

on the Government to cut university tuition fees for science and maths

degrees so that more students learn the skills needed. They say future

growth depends on it. As the Chancellor prepares to deliver his

budget next Wednesday, George Alagiah has been travelling across

the UK asking if we really are on the right road to recovery. Tonight

he's in Bristol. Thank you, Sophie, and good evening

from Bristol. I'm at Britain's biggest research centre for

robotics. About 100 scientists work here - from mechanical engineers to

psychologists. They're the best brains in their business. Haze here

is trying to see if a robot could work out whether I'm happy or sad.

They know what they're doing but the key for our economy is whether their

ideas could be turned into money-making businesses.

You could buy one of these off-the-shelf but that's where the

similarity ends. What's special about this particular drone is that

it doesn't need one of these - this old-fashioned radio transmitter. All

the decisions are being made by this, a computer. The scientists say

a robot could fly itself into inaccessible disaster zones and

relay vital information to search and rescue teams. The potential is

vast. Many experts believe robotics is the new technological frontier. I

see the word chocolate ice. With an ageing population, robots will play

an ever bigger role, both in the workplace and at home. I think

robots are going to be crucial in our future, particularly as we age.

We are living longer but not necessarily more healthy lives.

Robots can help support us from a medical point of view and also make

us more competitive in manufacturing. Are you getting

enough investment? Definitely not. When it comes to the amount spent by

government on research and develop it, it turns out we're way behind

our competitors. So how much to other countries spend? Jerry here

has got the answers. In Germany, it's double the amount. In China,

five times as much. In the US, a whopping ten times. So we're in a

race to the top. The UK is full of really talented engineers and

scientists. Our big challenges, can we support them through funding

streams to enable them to stay in the UK to develop their ideas in the

UK? Aircraft technology is one area where Britain does have an edge.

This is the Airbus design centre just outside Bristol. More than 2000

engineers work here. The titanium rods react... But across Britain,

we're only turning out a third of the Young engineers the country will

need. Britain's aerospace sector is second only to the United States and

the government is backing it with hard cash. It is the greatest level

of investment from government into aerospace since the days of

Concord, since the early 1960s. So when I say it's a big step forward,

it's a huge step forward and the area to invest in is innovation. But

if robotics is the future, then it will need a similar level of

commitment. The great fear is that Britain has the brains but could

miss out on making money from their work. So investment is the key but

the big question is that the robotics industry is just one of

many sector is looking for more taxpayer money. How to allocate that

money is what the Chancellor has got to tell us when he delivers his

budget next week. Our chief economic correspondent, Hugh Pym, is here.

What challenges will George Osborne face? One thing that's become clear

in the last couple of days is the need to have a recovery based on

more than just consumer spending and borrowing. Uni businesses investing

in machinery and equipment and exporting more goods and services

abroad. The Chancellor knows that and has admitted the recovery is not

as balanced as it should be. That's why we can be pretty sure that in

his budget box X-ray, there will be measures to help business, for

example, with tax breaks. That's all very well but the scale of the

challenges by figures out today - UK research and develop and actually

fell in the last year for which figures are available and is now

below the UK average. That's business. He'll be tempted to do

something to help harmonies and households in the general election.

Labour are saying the cost of living squeeze haven't gone away and more

needs to be done on gas and Alexa DeVille. We'll find out in exactly a

week. -- gas and electricity bills. You will be following that word for

word. So, what have we learned on our journey from Scotland to

Bristol? It seems to me there are very few people, if any, who doubt a

recovery is under way and the business people we spoke to had real

optimism. But, from low paid workers to higher rate taxpayers, there was

a question that kept recurring - when am I going to feel it in my

pocket? That's it from Bristol. Back to you in London, Sophie.

Thank you, George. A young man who worked at

Westminster and claims the former Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans sexually

assaulted him has told Preston Crown Court that a senior Tory said the MP

couldn't resign because the timing wasn't right. The trial was told

that the alleged victim met the Tory Chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin in

2009 and asked for Mr Evans, seen here in the middle, to resign. But

he says he was told he couldn't because the MP had no immediate

family that he could pass it off on. Mr Evans denies one count of rape,

two counts of indecent assault and six of sexual assault.

A man from Swansea who survived a serious motorbike accident has

become one of the first patients in the world to have his face

reconstructed using 3D printing. The team at Swansea's Morriston Hospital

designed everything on a computer and then created the 3D copies,

layer by layer, on a special printer. Our Wales correspondent

Hywel Griffith was given exclusive access to the operating theatre.

Here's his report. Come and have a seat, Stephen. Nice

to see you. His body filled with plates and screws, Stephen Power has

had to learn to hide his injuries since his accident 18 months ago.

Despite wearing a crash helmet, he remembers little of the impact which

left him on a life-support machine and left his skull crushed out of

shape. I shouldn't really be wearing glasses. I wear them to disguise my

cheek and my eye because with them off, obviously you can see my cheek

is out there. My eye is sunk. And my nose is still bent. Surgeons are

going to rebuild Stephen's face but, instead of using traditional

techniques, the parts they need for the operation have been printed.

Using scans of Stephen's skull, the team first changed its shape on a

computer. And then, layer by layer, they printed the models, plates and

implants for use in surgery. It means every part is designed to fit

precisely, removing any guesswork for the surgeon. The team are now

working with custom-printed cutting guides designed to perfectly fit

Stephen's face. They'll help them restore a natural symmetry. Working

on historic injuries makes that a challenge but the printed parts are

making a difference. Without the guide, it's up to our free-hand

decision-making on the operating table, which could be good, could be

not good. With this, if it fits together OK, it means it's exact.

It's perfect. Two weeks later and time to see the results. The

difference between the two sides is now one millimetre. There's still

some swelling but the scans show symmetry has been restored. For

Stephen, it feels transforming. I'm just glad they have developed that

technology which enabled them to do something like that. It is life

changing and it has changed my life. Stephen's place in history is

already marked with this exhibit in the Science Museum. The future of 3D

printing could see working organs printed within a decade. But for

Stephen, the technology has already delivered a huge step forward in his

recovery. Hywel Griffith, BBC News, Swansea.

Steve Preston had a life-long ambition - to own a race horse. And

so, five years ago, his friends and family clubbed together for his 50th

birthday and started a fund - which, they told him, could only be used to

buy one. And what a present it turned out to be - because today

Sire De Grugy won the feature race at the Cheltenham Festival. Joe

Wilson reports. There was a problem for the Preston

family - what should the Suns by their father for his 50th birthday?

Answer, a racehorse, Sire De Grugy. Purchased in France for 50,000 euros

via a could she set up by friends and family, it carries the colours

of Crystal Palace football club - red and blue. That's him in front,

heading for the line. He ran what's known as a perfect race to win one

of the biggest prizes in the sport. The Preston family are now wondering

what to do with an extra ?200,000, the latest and greatest success for

of course they'd imagined would simply give them a few nice days

out. Everybody loves it and I think the reason everybody loves it is

because they relate to the story. People listen to it and think, "that

could be us, we could be that person" . I think that's the reason

- it's almost a racehorse for horse racing fans. Prize-giving was

conducted by the Duchess of Cornwall, who clearly enjoyed

meeting the Preston family. She was very jealous that we had such a

great horse and the fact that we only had one horse and he was that

great made her even more green with envy. I asked if she would like a

scarf and she said yes. So I gave her a scarf and I said, "please give

it to your grandson" . Things are rarely simple here at Cheltenham and

later the afternoon came the news that another horse had died on the

course. This is a place for all emotions, whether millionaires

mingle with the masses. And perhaps if Gloria is possible for Sire De

Grugy, it is for anybody. Time for the weather now. Cast your

mind back to last March. We were gripped by bitter cold across the

UK, with disruptive snowfall across many parts of the country. It seems

a long time ago now because this is a more typical scene this March,

with beautiful blue skies. The daffodils are out and once the fog

has cleared, it's pleasantly warm. Overnight tonight, the fog will

reform and could become quite an issue. More fog this coming night

compared with the last few. Rain turning up across the North West of

Scotland. For most of us, another chilly night and it rouble spots,

temperatures get a lot lower. -- in rural spots. There is a possible

warning from the Met Office. Check your local radio station in the

morning. From the Thames Valley into the Severn Valley and the Trent

Valley and around into parts of Merseyside, it could be quite nasty.

It went before the everywhere and there could be some sunshine in

places. Less fog further north. Cloud and breeze for Scotland and

rain across the Highlands and Islands. The rain won't go all that

far. It will stay across more western areas but the weather front

will work down across Scotland so more cloud around, though we could

seize and light brightness across the far north. Most of the sunshine

will be across Northern Ireland and England and Wales once the fog has

cleared. Fine, bright and pleasantly warm, into the mid and possibly high

teens in some places but cooler than today across Scotland with the cloud

around. Friday could be faulty across the southern half of the UK.

Another weather front opens bringing further rain and potentially strong

winds across the north and west of Scotland. For the weekend, it's

looking pretty good. Dry in most parts with sunshine around.