16/04/2014 BBC News at Six

Hundreds of schoolchildren are feared dead as a ferry capsizes off

the coast of South Korea. The ship quickly began to sink. It was mostly

carrying children on a school trip. Rescuers pulled passengers off the

ship as the waters rose. Survivors tell of confusion on board.

TRANSLATION: The announcement told us that we should stay still, but

the ship was already thinking. Desperate relatives wait for news as

rescuers continue to hunt in the darkness for any survivors. We're

live at the scene in South Korea to bring you the latest. Also tonight:

For the first time in four years, wages are rising faster than prices,

and unemployment's falling, too. Ukrainian jets patrol the skies in

the east of the country, but on the ground there are reports Ukrainian

soldiers have abandoned their armoured vehicles to pro-Russians.

For the first time, all primary school children in England have

found out on the same day if they've got into their first choice of

school. And Royal touchdown in Australia as

a poll shows the Will, Kate and George factor has increased support

for the monarchy there. Tonight on BBC London: An anxious

wait for parents as 20,000 miss out on their first choice primary

school. And the capital gets its own domain

name. From today you can apply for your own .london web address.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. A ferry carrying

hundreds of schoolchildren has capsized and sunk off the coast of

South Korea. 164 people have been rescued, but now 18 hours on almost

300 are still missing. Five are confirmed dead. That number is

expected to rise considerably. Teams of divers are working in darkness

now to find any more survivors. Almost two thirds of those on board

were schoolchildren who boarded the overnight ferry at Incheon for a

14-hour journey to the tourist island of Jeju. Three hours from its

destination, distress calls were made and the ferry sank near Jindo.

Our correspondent Lucy Williamson is there. Lucy. This has all the

makings of a desperate tragedy. What is the latest? We have been talking

to some of the parents here in this coastal town tonight. They are very

angry. They say the ferry should not have been allowed to leave port at

all because the weather conditions were too bad. That's something the

Coast Guard has said to us is not true. Some of those on board have

said they felt a big thud before the ship began to list. That is

something that the investigators will be focusing on once all the

passengers are accounted for, and we are a long way off that yet.

12 miles of the South Korean coast, the first clips of this disaster. A

ferry full of schoolchildren slowly sinking in the sea. By the time

rescue boats arrived, several floors were already underwater. One by one,

they climbed out of cabin windows, each rescue a small victory. Down

below, others waited in the water for rescue. They had jumped into the

sea to survive. They were the lucky ones. The speed and scale of this

disaster was no match for rescuers. With hundreds of passengers still

trapped inside, the ship began to sink. An hour later, only this

remained. Dry land brought warmth and comfort for survivors, and the

first stories of what had happened. The schoolchildren, said one, had

done exactly what they were told. TRANSLATION: The announcement told

us we should stay still, but the ship was already sinking, and there

were a lot of students who didn't get out of the ship.

This video, apparently filmed by a survivor, seems to show the

passengers in life jackets waiting patiently on board. For those now

reunited with their families, the horror of what might have been is

already fading. For others, it's the hope that is ebbing away. Tonight,

this list of survivors is what divides families. Hundreds of

parents have been scanning these boards, searching for their

children's names. Most of them are not here. Here in the town's

gymnasium tonight, the stillness of those still waiting masks deep

anger. Families here say they want more information, and fewer

mistakes. TRANSLATION: Here, no one is organising the information that

is being given to us, and not knowing what is happening is

increasing the pain of the big Tims' families. To -- victims'

families. Tonight, the search continues for South Korea's missing

children. Until they find them, few will sleep. Eight U.S. Navy ship is

now on its way to help with the search, but there is no news yet

from the rescue teams behind me, and bad weather is predicted for

tomorrow. Lucy Williamson in Jindo, thank you.

For the first time in four years, wages are rising faster than prices.

There's only 0.1% of a difference between them, but coupled with

falling unemployment figures, the Government says it's evidence that

its policies are working - but there's much more to do. Our

economics correspondent Hugh Pym has more.

It has been a major issue. Pay growth lagging prices. Now, wage

rises including bonuses have caught up with inflation for the first time

since 2010. The annual figure for the three months to February was

1.7%, and inflation was 1.6. Here is one of the main reasons. The economy

is gathering speed. Companies like this one RX banding, and that is

better news for wages. This firm supplies kitchen worktops and

flooring, but only now is the Oscar starting to offer pay rises. We want

to retain the excellent staff we already have, and the state of the

economy is now allowing us to pay higher wage, whereas a couple of

years ago, it would have been difficult. Lynn, who runs the

office, says managing her family budget should now be a bit easier, .

Just having that little bit more potentially in your pocket means

that maybe you can do something with the children that you couldn't have

done a couple of years ago. Maybe you can go out for a few more days

here and there. On paper, the long squeeze on spending power is over.

The news was welcomed by ministers, but with an acknowledgement it would

be awhile before the recovery complete.

There is still a very long way to go to ensure that our economy is fully

recovered and living standards are growing in a sustainable way, which

is why we have to stick to the plan that we have laid out which has got

us this far in terms of economic growth. But Labour argued that, for

many, but cost of living problem had not gone away. There is still an

awful lot more to do to tackle rising prices, particularly gas and

electricity bills, and making sure that wages start to increase,

particularly for those people in part-time jobs or zero hours

contracts who are struggling to make ends meet. The latest wages figures

come along with all the data on the jobs market. Unemployment has

dropped below 7% of the workforce, and the number signing on job

centres is at its lowest since November 2008. Finding a job can

take time. Jacqueline from Belfast who has been out of the workforce

from while because of ill-health is having to new skills. There are so

many opportunities now, but you have to be very determined. You have to

maintain your determination, and you can't lose your focus. In Northern

Ireland as well as Scotland, unemployment rose slightly, showing

there are varying experiences around the UK's labour market.

And our deputy political editor James Landale joins me. James, a

significant day. Is the government crowing?

Certainly not. Clearly the idea of wages rising faster than prices is

good news for the coalition, but what has been striking today is how

farming it does have gone to not declare victory. They know that many

people are still feeling the pinch and they don't want to be accused of

complacency. Clearly now the squeeze on spending power is beginning to

come to an end, and what has been interesting is how Labour have

responded to that. They say that the cost of living crisis is still

there, to use their language. They said that in 2015, people will still

be worse off than they were in 2010. But they are also trying to change

the debate, and saying that cost of living is not just about wages and

prices, it is also about job insecurity and have fairly the

benefits of the economic growth are spread. So there are two challenges.

Labour have to think of something new to say about the economy, and

the Conservatives have to find a way of benefiting politically from all

this economic news, because at the moment, they are not.

James Landale, thank you. NATO says it is reinforcing its

military borders in the face of what it calls Russia's military forcing

Ukraine. In the eastern town of Ukraine, a Ukrainian convoy was

brought to a halt by anti-government separatists. Daniel Sandford is in

done yet for us. Today has been an extraordinary day,

where many armoured vehicles with orders not to shoot tried again to

exert some sort of authority here in Ukraine's rebellious East. But we

watched as the pro-Russian gun men and their supporters in the towns

and villages did everything they could to prevent it.

Since first light, armoured vehicles loyal to the Government in Kiev have

been manoeuvring through East in Ukraine. But time and again, they

were foiled by rebellious villagers. These vehicles tried to

get to the local airfield but were stopped by people who were upset by

what had been branded an anti-terrorism operation.

TRANSLATION: Do I look like a terrorist? I have just been planting

onions. Attack helicopters went overhead,

and even fighter jets, but in the end, the soldiers had to give up.

And so, blockaded by the villagers, the armoured personnel carriers are

having to turn around and find another way through what is becoming

increasingly hostile territory. In some places, there were

scuffles, and even the occasional gunshot. But it was largely

peaceful. These soldiers found themselves locked in, and were

forced to surrender. Their vehicles, now under a Russian flag,

Wood driven in triumph to the anti-government stronghold. The

captured army personnel carriers are now on display here as trophies in

the very centre of the most rebellious town. Round the corner,

we found one of the captors, who described the surrender.

It was peaceful, without any shooting. Now they are having some

food and a wash because they were hungry and dirty. Just 20 yards away

in the Park, after weeks of being bombarded by Russian propaganda,

many people fear their own troops. TRANSLATION: I am worried about the

helicopters and planes flying overhead. I am worried that the Kiev

government said that against peaceful citizens. As government

troops reinforced their airfield, NATO said it was strengthening its

forces in Eastern Europe, while the Ukrainian prime minister claims

Russia is erecting a new Berlin Wall. Tomorrow's talks in Geneva

take place with relations between Russia and the West at their worst

since the end of the Cold War. Let's have a look at some of the

other stories making the news today. The former chairman of the

Co-operative Bank, Paul Flowers, has been charged with possession of

class A and class C drugs. Mr Flowers stepped down as head of the

bank last summer amid claims of illegal drug use and because of

concerns about his expenses claims and the state of the bank's

finances. Seven people have been taken to

hospital after a collision involving five vehicles which blocked the M26

in Kent. Two lorries, two cars and a box van were involved in the pile-up

this morning. The crash closed the motorway in both directions, with

police warning drivers that it will stay shut into this evening's rush

hour. The former editor of the News of the

World, Andy Coulson, said he knew nothing about phone hacking at his

paper. Today he admitted he had listened to a hacked voice mail

message, but only on one occasion, relating to the Home Secretary at

the time, David Blunkett. Mr Coulson denies conspiring to hack phones and

charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. Tom

Symons has more. How much did he know about phone

hacking at the News of the World? Today, this was the big story in

front of the Old Bailey jury, obtained in 2004 after hacking the

former minister's voice mails. The reporter was Neville Thurlbeck.

While he was on holiday in Italy, the reporter said that he called him

saying that he had voice mails proving that David Blunkett was

having an affair. I was quite angry about it.

He said he returned to the UK, and in his office, Neville Thurlbeck

laid some of the tapes to him. The only time that that happened, he

said. Andy Coulson said he later visited Mr Blunkett to confront him.

The jury heard a tape of the exchange. He didn't reveal that the

paper had voice mails, but conceded that if he had, the police could

have become involved. In 2006, the paper was worried that the story it

was planning about Calum Best might be leaked. Mr Coulson sent an

e-mail, do his phone, but today insisted he was talking about a

reporter, asking for his phone records, and they didn't prove any

leak. According to Andy Coulson, in 2002,

phone hacking was just something that was gossiped about. Today, he

said, he knew in 2004 a reporter had voice miles. But he didn't resign as

editor in the wake of the phone hacking scandal until 2007.

Andy Coulson denies three charges. It is just gone 6.15.

Our top story this evening. Rescuers are searching for hundreds of

people, many of them children, after a South Korean ferry capsized. And

the alien invaders in our rivers and gardens putting our native wildlife

at risk. Later on BBC London: The human

remains found under a driveway in Purley close to an ancient Anglo

Saxon burial site. And have you seen this hat? The

little red bonnet that means so much to one mother who lost her premature

daughter. It's Britain's biggest retailer,

with more than 3000 stores in the UK, but today, Tesco announced that

profits have fallen for the second year in a row and sales are down

too. The figures showed a 6.9% drop in profits, to just over ?3 billion.

The company's blaming the increasingly competitive market,

with the rise of discounting stores like Aldi and Lidl. And it's piling

pressure on chief executive Philip Clarke, but today he told the BBC

he's determined to do what it takes to take to turn the business around.

Here's our business editor Kamal Ahmed.

After announcing poor results, Tesco has come out fighting today. The

Chief Executive says he will spend more on cutting prices, a move which

could be good for customers, if not for profits. He insists it is not a

price war but the message is clear. You can never feel proud when you

announce results which have profits going backwards. We still generate

profits of over ?3 billion, it is an amazing business but in the middle

of a big change. When you spend more than you have already put into price

decreases? We will do whatever it takes for our customers to recognise

the great value we will give them. If that means we have to spend

more, we will spend more. Tesco has long enjoyed its position at the top

of the retail tree. But here is a problem. I am on a high street in

London. Two doors down is a 99p store. Further down the road is a

little. The discount is on nibbling away at the big retailers. Wide you

shop at Middle? Because you can get really good brands, popular

products, obviously cheaper. Nothing against Lidl but it does seem to be

more cheaper brands or the equivalent cheaper brands. I do not

really tend to shop in places like that. In 1997, when Mr Clarke's

predecessor took over Tesco, the business was worth just over ?7.7

billion. Under him, the supermarket chain grew rapidly, reaching a peak

with a value of over ?35.5 billion in 2007. But now with markets

changing, the business is worth a lot less, the lowest value in over

ten years. Investors are not quite calling for divine intervention but

they are concerned at the speed of change. Mr Clarke still needs to

prove himself. Investors are disappointed by what they have seen

from Tesco. This is a business which is going through transition and is

struggling with the competitive forces at play in the market.

Although Tesco's results are poor, Mr Clarke has bought himself some

time with his turnaround plan. Now customers will want to see an

improvement in prices and investors an improvement in the supermarket

performance. For the first time, parents in

England have all found out on the same day if their children got into

their first choice of primary school. Places have been under

increasing pressure, with many schools struggling to keep pace with

a rising birth rate. It's been a mixed picture.in one inner London

borough only 60% got their first choice, but in one part of

Lincolnshire it was over 97%, as our Education Correspondent Reeta

Chakrabarti reports. Libby Thomas who lives in Bath has

her hands full. Her twin baby boys are just a few weeks old and she had

hoped to get her 40 rolled daughter Rosie into a good school. All her

local schools were church schools and as a non-churchgoers she has

ended up with her last choice. It is probably less than a 32nd walk from

our front door to the school gates. The option we have been left with is

over the other side of Bath so it is probably a 30 minute round trip in

the car. She is not the only one to face disappointment today. With high

birth rates and immigration, there were nearly 100,000 more primary

school pupils last year. In some areas most got their first choice.

In Cambridgeshire, it was 90%. In Bristol it was just 82%. Some areas

have a surplus. Last year overall there were 430,000 places empty. For

those enjoying the spring sunshine, it seemed every parent had a

different experience. I found it fine. I did it online and this

morning I got an e-mail to say she had got her place so I was happy. I

think just because I live outside the area, why should I not be able

to have my daughter go to that school because I thought it was a

better school. Some parents have gone as far to rent a temporary home

to be near a school. In Camden they say they will crack down on that,

using their powers to crack down on any wind they believe of using a

property to obtain their school plays. How do councils explain the

pressure on places? Part of the problem we have got is that

government will not allow us to open new schools. They all have to be

academies or free schools and we think that is wrong. But the

government says free schools are popular with parents and they have

doubled the funding to councils to create new places. Most children

have been winners today but not all. What do the grey squirrel, Japanese

knotweed and the harlequin ladybird have in common? They are all alien

invaders - species flourishing in the UK, but not native to this

country. And there's growing concern about the impact these incomers have

on local wildlife and the environment. It's a Europe-wide

problem and today the European parliament voted to ban many alien

species. Our correspondent Claire Marshall is at the RHS Garden in

Wisley, where some species of rhododendron could end up on the new

blacklist. Rhododendrons? Surely not. I know, it is an open

question, that is the issue. This is a beautiful sight, what more could

you want, a typical English garden? This new law is designed to protect

this with colours you see like this. Alien invader species actually come

into areas like this, like Japanese knotweed and calls all sorts of

damage, a logical, environmental and financial. The idea of this new law

is it will stop this happening and extra checks will be introduced. Let

me show you one creature you will not want to see on your doorstep.

This is the Demon shrimp and it arrived in the UK a couple of years

ago. It eats everything in its surroundings. It is thought to have

come here hitching a lift in the ballast water of ships. It is clear

that no one wants that but what is not clear is what else is on the

list. Could the rhododendron be included? It is not actually native

and some species could be considered in Vasa. 300 varieties could

potentially be included on the list. In theory, you could have people

saying you could not buy any of these rhododendrons and you could

not keep any so the whole landscape like this could in theory change.

Thank you. Thousands of people lined the steps

of Sydney Opera House to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to

Australia. The couple, with eight-month-old Prince George, have

just arrived in the country, after ten days in New Zealand. And they

seem to be working some magic on the monarchy as a new poll showed

support for an Australian republic has dropped to a 20 year low. Our

royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell was there.

He is the baby who has already launched a thousand front pages and

here he is making his debut in another country where destiny says

he will be king. George was brought down the steps of the aeroplane by

his mother. VIP Handsworth shaken and in the arms of his father, there

was a vigorous bout of bouncing. Most of Sydney carried on as normal.

In the sunshine, thousands had gathered at Sydney Opera House in

the sunshine. In a speech, the Duke outlined how much Australia means to

the family. There was evidence that Republican ambitions may have been

stemmed. This is the Sydney Morning Herald, the main newspaper here and

a front page headline, as Royals arrive, the Republic concedes. The

story states support for an Australian republic has slumped to

its lowest level in more than three decades. A poll had found 51% wanted

to keep the monarchy, 42% favoured a republic. But leaders of the

republican movement here are not deterred. Most Australians or of the

view that the next head of state should respectfully be an

Australian. Rather than by default inheriting your King Charles,

Australians we believe will want to have an Australian chosen on merit.

For the moment, curiouser tea about this couple means monarchy seems to

be winning the day. -- curiosity about this couple.

Now time for a look at the weather. The Easter weekend will start off OK

with some dry sunny weather but later on it turns increasingly wet

from the south-east. At the moment, rain is spreading into the

north-west of the UK. In Scotland we will see some patchy rain extending

into Northern Ireland. Further south it stays dry and quite chilly across

southern areas. There may be a touch of frost. Tomorrow will be a cloudy

day. Still some sharp showers in Scotland. You will notice it takes

all day for it to cloud over in the south-east. Another bright and

pretty warm day stop it will brighten up across many northern

parts of the UK through the day. On Good Friday, high pressure is back

in charge. That is good news. It should be a fine start to the

holiday weekend. Dry, not exactly warm with a cool breeze with the

best of the sunshine in the mid-teens. Saturday will be mostly

dry and bright with your Ciao. And then trouble looms on Easter Day. It

will turn wet and windy. On Easter Monday, probably some showers

scattered across many parts of the UK.

Thank you. A reminder of our main story: Rescuers are searching for

hundreds of people after a South Korean ferry capsized.

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's