10/04/2014 BBC News at Six


10/04/2014

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Nigel Evans, the former Deputy Speaker of the Commons, is found not

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guilty of rape and eight other sex offence charges. Outside court, he

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said he's been through 11 months of hell, now he wants to rebuild his

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parliamentary career. There are no winners, so no celebrations. But the

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fact is, I have got work to do, work that I've done for the last 22

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years. We'll be asking why so many

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high-profile sex offence prosecutions have failed.

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Also tonight, bright, beautiful and innocent, a tribute from the parents

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of Victoria and Sarah Hicks at the Hillsborough inquests.

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More tough questions for Oscar Pistorius, the prosecution lawyer

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accuses him of being self obsessed. I had to go to training, she knew I

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had to go, it is all about Indigo oh, all about Mr Pistorius.

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Housing experts say prices will rise every year for five years, bad news

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for those trying to get on the property ladder. How the suicide of

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a violinist who testified against her abuser could and should have

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been prevented. And the calls for City Airport to be

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closed to make way for homes and shops in east London.

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Good evening and welcome to the BBC News At Six. Nigel Evans, the former

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Commons Deputy Speaker, has been cleared of a string of sexual

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offences including one count of rape. The MP for Ribble Valley broke

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down in tears when the not-guilty verdicts were read out. Later he

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described the 11 months since he was charged as hell but said he wanted

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to get back to his parliamentary work. Ed Thomas reports from Preston

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Crown Court. And innocent man emerged from court,

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but there was no sense of triumph. After a five-week trial, he had been

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accused of rape undersold, cleared of all charges and supported by his

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friends. Nigel Evans said his life had been made help. So no

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celebrations. The fact is I have got work to do, work that I have done

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for the last 22 years. All I can say is that after the last 11 months,

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nothing will ever be the same again. That is because his life was

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laid out in court for all to hear. Nigel Evans cried in the dog as the

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words not guilty were read out. The prosecution claimed he was a drunken

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lech who used his influence to take advantage of young Westminster

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workers. But as evidence was heard, a different story emerged. Two

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alleged victims said they thought what happened to them was not a

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crime. A third believed he did not believe he should be in court, and a

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fourth told jurors that he had texted Nigel Evans to wish him good

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luck after he was arrested. Nigel Evans has served Parliament for 22

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years. The career was brought to the brink. Today the Prime Minister

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welcomed his return. It is hard to imagine the relief that Nigel must

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feel after such a traumatic time. I very much welcome what he said on

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the steps of the court, and I think everyone should pay heed to that.

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But should the case have gone to court? Some believe the CPS and

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police got it wrong. Some of these allegations came after the Jimmy

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Savile revelations, and I do worry that so many of them coming to court

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costing a lot of money actually end up with acquittals. Today Lancashire

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police defended the decision to take Nigel Evans to court. We have been

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committed throughout to investigating this matter in a

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professional and a victim focused way as we would all such

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allegations. Nigel Evans told jurors that his arrest left him ashamed and

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embarrassed, but today he is a free man, free to resume his life and

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career in Parliament. Ed Thomas, BBC News, Preston.

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With me now is home affairs correspondent June Kelly, Ed raised

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this in his report, is this damaging for the CPS? They are certainly

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getting a number of brickbats tonight, George. Ever since the

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Jimmy Savile scandal, prosecutors have been accused in certain

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quarters of a witchhunt against famous names, and of course Nigel

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Evans is the third high-profile acquittal in the north-west,

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following those of Coronation Street actors Michael Le Vell and William

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Roache. For prosecutors to get a case to court, they have to decide

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first of all if the cases in the public interest, and if there is a

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realistic prospect of conviction. Now, tonight, after the verdict,

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no-one from the CPS faced the cameras, but they put a statement

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saying that they were defending the decision, saying that the

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complainants provided clear accounts of the alleged offending, and that

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evidence could only be explored at a trial. Of course, at the trial the

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jury has to decide whether this person is guilty beyond reasonable

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doubt, so for the jury, the bar is far higher than it is for

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prosecutors, and recently this approach was stressed by the

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Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders. She has also

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reiterated the need for them to listen to complaints, and she said

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famous names wouldn't get any special treatment. Well, let's go to

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Westminster and talk to political correspondent Vicki Young. I wonder,

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does this raise wider questions about how these things are dealt

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with in Parliament. I think it does. Interesting, Nigel Evans saying

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nothing will be the same again, as a public figure he has had his private

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life pored over in the court for all to hear, and he knows that despite

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his innocence, his reputation could be tarnished anyway, a point that

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several MPs have been making. They feel vulnerable to. Allegations, but

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there are other questions about how this complaint was dealt with.

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Several of the accusations came from staff working in the House of

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Commons. Some say there needs to be a professional independent

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complaints procedure to help both sides. I am also told that the

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speaker, John Bercow, is keen to set up a helpline. Here, but so far that

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is being blocked by the political parties. -- for staff here.

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Bright, beautiful and innocent, that's how the parents of two

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teenage sisters who both died in the Hillsborough disaster have described

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them. Trevor Hicks and his former wife Jenni were giving evidence at

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the inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans 25 years ago. Our

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correspondent Judith Moritz reports from Warrington.

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Hillsborough destroyed the family for ever. They went to the match as

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a four, parents with their teenage children, but Trevor and Jenni

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returned home as a couple. Their daughters both died in the disaster,

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and within two years their marriage had crumbled too. Today their pain

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was laid bare for the jury as they spoke about their loss. This is a

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small part of what they had to say. The loss of a child is one of the

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worst things that can happen to a loving parent. Loss of all your

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children is devastating. It is not the two is twice as bad, it is that

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you lose everything - the present, the future and any purpose. Sarah

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and Vicky, you were two bright, beautiful, innocent young women. I

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left you as you went into a football ground, and a few hours later you

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were dead. The victims of Hillsborough are often described

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collectively, known together as the 96, but through family tributes like

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the ones page today to Sarah and Victoria Hicks, every one of those

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who died is being portrayed individually. Had she lived, today

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would have been Sarah's 44th birthday. There was a suggestion we

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change the date, but we said it would be tough enough, as far as we

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are concerned, it is more poignant today on her birthday. A fitting

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tribute to Sarah on her birthday, yeah. Trevor Hicks spoke to

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reporters at the end of the last inquest in 1991. He and Jenni have

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long campaigned on behalf of those bereaved, but today they spoke of

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what it did to their family. Judith Moritz, BBC News, Warrington.

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The Co-operative Bank is expected to report yet more losses when it

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publishes its full-year results tomorrow morning. And last night the

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man who was brought in to sort out the the financial mess at the wider

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Co-operative Group quit. Lord Myners had previously said the group lacked

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effective leadership. Our business editor Kamal Ahmed reports.

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The Co-op, one of Britain's's biggest businesses. It employs

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90,000 people and owns over 4000 shops and pharmacies. There's now a

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battle for control of the group the modernisers on one side and the

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traditionalists on the other. Last night, the battle claimed another

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victim. Lord Myners, the former City minister, is going to resign after

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meeting opposition to his reform proposals. This is what he had to

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say just a few weeks ago. At the moment, if you ask the question, are

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we truly democratic? No. We led by a board that is fit for purpose? No.

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Do we enjoy the full and undoubted support without any hesitation from

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our bankers? No. This is a business that has been through the walls and

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then some. Tomorrow the Co-op bank could announce losses totalling ?1.2

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billion. Next week the Co-op Group losses could total ?2 billion.

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Critics say that this is an organisation that must change.

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Traditionalists argue the Co-op is nothing if it does not retain its

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heart. We know that there are 6000 Co-operative Group and prize is that

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our independent, trading successfully across the UK, head of

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the economy at large. -- Co-operative enterprises. This is a

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successful model. It may be a successful model for some, but the

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group is facing major losses. Some argue that better leadership is part

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of the answer. Although it is a mutual, it is no different from any

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organisation when it comes down to affected leadership and governance.

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Those systems have to be in place to make sure it moves on and solves the

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problems so that it can move on and be successful. The Co-op's home is

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in Manchester - what do customers there think? I think it can be

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turned around, a big business like that, why not? This is the time to

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progress. I am really worried, I have been a customer for a long time

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because of its ethical policies. There is likely to be more

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controversy ahead. Tomorrow the Co-op bank, part owned by the

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overall group, will announce what it is paying its chief executive. It is

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also likely to say it is holding back payments for former directors

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who were running the bank when it collapsed. Kamal Ahmed, BBC News.

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The South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, who is standing trial for

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the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, has denied accusations by

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the prosecution that he bullied her and was self obsessed. Mr Pistorius

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denies intentionally killing the 29-year-old model. Our correspondent

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Andrew Harding is live in Pretoria now.

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Yes, George, Oscar Pistorius did not have an easy time of its today, he

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blamed his lawyers for inconsistencies, he accused two

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friends of lying about him, how was of relentless and detailed

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cross-examination are clearly taking their toll.

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-- hours. This was not a good day in court for

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Oscar Pistorius, his character and credibility coming under withering

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attack. First target, his selfish behaviour towards Reeva Steenkamp,

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as shown in text messages. I had to go to training, I had to go to

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lunch. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel suggesting that Pistorius, as usual

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not shown on camera in court, cared only about one person. Your life is

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just about you, what is important to Oscar. Oscar shouldn't get into

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trouble... Then to the athlete's reckless attitude to guns and an

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incident at this restaurant, when he fired a friend 's pistol by mistake.

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The prosecutor said Pistorius must be lying when he suggested he hadn't

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actually pulled the trigger. I must then accept that in your version the

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gun went off by itself. He gave you a gun, it went off by itself. I

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don't recall how the firearm went off, my lady, I know that my finger

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was not on the trigger. No tears in the witness box today.

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In fact, Pistorius became increasingly assertive, refusing to

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even look at the prosecutor and directing all his answers to the

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judge. But Nel was making headway, suggesting a pattern of ducking

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responsibility for his actions. You see, again, Mr Pistorius, it's the

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strangest day today, you just don't take responsibility for anything.

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You just don't do anything wrong. You are lying. The same, he said,

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applied to the night Reeva Steenkamp died, Nel quizzing Pistorius on his

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exact movements in the bedroom. I would have run out onto the

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balcony, my lady, where I shouted for help, the fan would have been in

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the way. Never happened. It must have been moved. It never happened.

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You see, because, Mr Pistorius, your version is a lie.

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Pistorius strongly denied that, and alone on the stand, it has been a

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bruising day for him. Andrew Harding, BBC News, Pretoria.

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Tamiflu, the anti viral drug, may be no better than Paracetamol in

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reducing flu symptons. That's according to new medical research.

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The study raises questions about the Government's decision to spend

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hundreds of millions of pounds stockpiling the drug in case there

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is a flu pandemic. Tamiflu's manufacturer, Roche, say the

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analysis is flawed. Our medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, has

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more. Huge stocks of Tamiflu were distributed during the swine flu

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pandemic of 2009. It's an anti-viral and should ease symptoms. But

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researchers, who spent five years fighting to get access to all the

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data from clinical trials, say the drugs don't work. Or at least not

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very well. The Cochrane Collaboration, a global health care

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research network, say the drugs shorten symptoms by half a day, it

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may be no better than paracetamol. They say there's no good evidence it

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reduces hospital admissions or complications, and it increases the

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risk of nausea, vomiting and other side-effects. What is more worrying,

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we don't have the clear benefits, which compensation reduction, any

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harms have been accentuated, and this is in otherwise healthy people.

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Start to use that in elderly people, children, this is deeply worrying.

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But this detailed review is at odds with a recent study from Nottingham

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University, funded by the manufacturers, Roche, which looked

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at 30,000 hospital admissions worldwide, and found that early use

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of the drug halved the risk of death. Roche says no wonder the WHO,

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US and health bodies all recommend Tamiflu. There's a clear consensus

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across all of those people, and that is a significant body of expertise

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that have looked at our data and share the same position that we do,

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that Tamiflu is a very useful medicine for what is a serious

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respiratory infection that can lead to death in some instances. This

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drug has been a blockbuster which has made billions, but for critics

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it symbolises a culture of secrecy within the pharmaceutical industry.

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With some companies cherry picking the data they release from clinical

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trials that shows their products in the best light. The Health Secretary

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said suggestions that drug companies withheld data is worrying. The

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Government has to decide by the end of the year whether to renew its

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stockpile of Tamiflu. Our top story... The former Deputy Speaker

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of the Commons, Nigel Evans, has been cleared of rape and eight other

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sex abuse charges.. And still to come... The Duke and Duchess of

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Cambridge on a New Zealand Watergate. Later on BBC London...

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How more needs to be done to prepare school leavers. Employers claim many

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are not ready for the world of work. The gallery which allows

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customers to purchase shares in paintings.

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The number of houses being sold across the UK has reached a six year

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high, that's according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

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And prices are going up too, as demand outstrips the supply of

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properties. Prices are expected to rise everywhere in the UK over the

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next five years but at different rates in different parts of the

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country. Scotland is expected to see an annual average rise of around 4%,

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Wales nearly 5%, Northern Ireland also 5%, the North of England 2%

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annually. And prices in London are expected to increase by over 9% each

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year. Our correspondent, Duncan Kennedy, has been to Salisbury to

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see what's happening there. This report affects just about everybody

:18:44.:18:47.

involved in the property market. The builder, the buyer, the seller and

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the state putter. Come along in. John is one of those who wants to

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buy but cannot. I could many places in Britain, there are not the houses

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around. I was hoping there would be more to look at and be thought

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about. Normally, in spring, stuff comes onto the market and things

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look better. This year, it does not seem to be. Estate agents seem to

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be. They have an increase in buyers do not have property numbers to

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match. All agents in the area are short of stock. There is pressure on

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prices which are starting to move and lending is still difficult. The

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new report also highlights the state putter is, people like Chris who

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cannot afford to move but are extending instead. We looked at

:19:46.:19:53.

moving. When we looked at the cost, relocation, the wife may be finding

:19:54.:19:58.

another job or transport to a job, the logical conclusion we came to

:19:59.:20:10.

was not to move. More houses are being constructive but not enough.

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There is a lack of building plots. Funding is difficult and the

:20:15.:20:20.

planning process. Today's report concludes a property boom is ripping

:20:21.:20:25.

far beyond London. It is going to will check, the Midlands and the

:20:26.:20:29.

north-west. The average prices are rising by 6% in year for five years.

:20:30.:20:33.

Property buying is being put beyond the reach of ordinary people. Until

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that market is unclogged, it will remain uneven for many people

:20:43.:20:43.

longing to see this. The Government has decided there's

:20:44.:20:49.

no economic case for keeping two of the last three deep-pit coal mines

:20:50.:20:54.

in the country open. UK Coal will be given a ?10 million loan to carry

:20:55.:20:57.

out what ministers have described as a managed closure of Kellingley

:20:58.:21:00.

Colliery in North Yorkshire and Thoresby Colliery in

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Nottinghamshire. A total of 1,300 jobs will be lost. Australian search

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teams have discovered more signals in the area where they think the

:21:18.:21:20.

Malaysian airline may have been lost. Officials say they could be

:21:21.:21:25.

from what they call a man-made source. An Australian vessel picked

:21:26.:21:29.

up for acoustic signals in the area, twice over the weekend and twice on

:21:30.:21:35.

Tuesday. The flight vanished 33 days ago with 239 people on board. A

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major review of the Welsh education system says the Government lacks a

:21:39.:21:41.

long term vision. The Organisation for Cooperation and Economic

:21:42.:21:43.

Development, which produces an international league table on

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educational standards, recently ranked Wales at the bottom of the

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UK. Our correspondent, Hywel Griffith, has more. Right, Year 10,

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if you could all face me for a second. How to get results? It is a

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question facing these GCSE pupils in Port Talbot and a dilemma the whole

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education system in Wales has been struggling with. Several years of

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poor results have led to a new push on numeracy and literacy. But, in

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some classrooms, there is confusion. I feel for some pupils who are in

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schools currently. They must be asking, what do you want from us in

:22:24.:22:25.

terms of success? The challenges facing Welsh schools

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have been clear now. Results lagging behind, not just the rest of

:22:38.:22:40.

Britain, but much of Europe. What today's report makes clear is that

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the problems are not just within the classroom, but begin at the very

:22:44.:22:48.

top. The OECD says the education system in Wales lacks a long-term

:22:49.:22:54.

vision. Its schools have a high proportion of low performers. The

:22:55.:23:01.

tests pupils face lack coherence. The Labour government in Wales says

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its education plan is clear and coherent. What is it? What is your

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long-term vision? Excellent. What does that mean? Excellent in an

:23:13.:23:18.

international context. What does it mean for a pupil or a parent? What

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it means in simple terms, is that Welsh... Young people in Wales can

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expect the very best in terms of their educational experience. They

:23:30.:23:37.

will have a passport to success. Are parents convinced improvements are

:23:38.:23:40.

coming? I'm confident in the sense that teaching is excellent. But, how

:23:41.:23:45.

the majority of children will respond to the pressure of tests and

:23:46.:23:53.

stuff, I do not know. There is no-one in the system in Wales

:23:54.:23:56.

looking to make it better or drive standards up. Teachers in Wales have

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been told to aim for the top 20 in international rankings by 2015. An

:24:01.:24:04.

ambition that will test the path set by politicians.

:24:05.:24:16.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been paying their respects to

:24:17.:24:21.

the war dead in New Zealand. They were visiting the town of Blenheim

:24:22.:24:27.

on the South Island and later toured the Museum of World War I

:24:28.:24:31.

memorabilia. Here is our royal correspondent. Just to warn you, the

:24:32.:24:36.

start of this report does contain some flash photography. They are

:24:37.:24:42.

taking on a greater share of the workload of William 's grandmother,

:24:43.:24:45.

particularly the long haul journeys like this one to New Zealand. For

:24:46.:24:50.

William and Catherine, there are state receptions in their honour,

:24:51.:24:54.

speeches to be made and jokes about George. He is a bonny lad. He is

:24:55.:24:59.

currently preparing for life as a prop forward.

:25:00.:25:06.

The couple 's first public engagement had been to pay tribute

:25:07.:25:12.

to the war dead in New Zealand. In Blenheim, on the South Island,

:25:13.:25:15.

William and Catherine stepped forward together to place a wreath

:25:16.:25:19.

at the town 's first public engagement had been to pay tribute

:25:20.:25:21.

to the war dead in New Zealand. In Blenheim, on the South Island,

:25:22.:25:23.

William and Catherine stepped forward together to place a wreath

:25:24.:25:26.

at the town is warm and and Catherine another. -- place a

:25:27.:25:34.

wreath. William took one group and Catherine another. A chance for

:25:35.:25:43.

Catherine to show off sharp and communication skills and to be

:25:44.:25:47.

reminded that babies do not necessarily regard meeting it

:25:48.:25:50.

Duchess as a moment not to be sneezed at. There is a serious

:25:51.:25:58.

point, of course, amid all the royal visit frivolity. Does New Zealand

:25:59.:26:03.

want to keep Britain 's kings or queens as their head of state? New

:26:04.:26:08.

Zealand has certainly flirted with the idea of moving on from the

:26:09.:26:13.

monarchy in the past. When you come into small, rural communities like

:26:14.:26:16.

this, support for the monarchy is still strong. He and his son

:26:17.:26:23.

represent the long-term future of the monarchy and, at the moment,

:26:24.:26:27.

there is no real evidence that New Zealand is pressing for a change.

:26:28.:26:35.

That brings us to the weather. More spells of spring sunshine today

:26:36.:26:46.

and more over the next few days. That includes the weekend. Dry and

:26:47.:26:50.

bright the main themes. It be mild by day but, at night, it is still

:26:51.:26:55.

early April so it can be a bit chilly. There has been a of cloudy

:26:56.:27:03.

weather. Still one or two short sharp showers in the South of

:27:04.:27:07.

England. A few showers in the north-west but elsewhere a dry

:27:08.:27:10.

night. It would be colder. Temperatures will be down to two or

:27:11.:27:18.

three. It is a chilly start to Friday. A zone of cloudy weather

:27:19.:27:23.

across East Anglia and the Midlands which should tend to break up. Bar

:27:24.:27:27.

the odd shower, it is mostly a fine day. Sunny spells across parts of

:27:28.:27:34.

Wales and the south-west of England. We should be 16, 17 Celsius. Inland,

:27:35.:27:40.

it could be cooler. A small chance of seeing a show across Cumbria or

:27:41.:27:46.

north-west Scotland. Cloudy know that in the north-west and Northern

:27:47.:27:50.

Ireland. There will be rain in the Western Isles. That will change

:27:51.:27:54.

things a bit on Saturday. There will be damp weather into Northern

:27:55.:27:59.

Ireland could trickling its way into northern England and Wales.

:28:00.:28:02.

Generally dry and bright with a few showers in the north and west.

:28:03.:28:06.

Temperatures getting to ten, 11 and 16, 17 in the South. A few showers

:28:07.:28:15.

and the breeze picking up on Sunday. Dry and bright with temperatures

:28:16.:28:19.

tend to 13. Maybe in the mid to high teens by the end of the afternoon

:28:20.:28:31.

for the London Marathon. A reminder of our main story... The former

:28:32.:28:41.

deputy Speaker of the House of Commons has been cleared of rape and

:28:42.:28:44.

other sex charges. Goodbye.

:28:45.:28:47.

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