04/03/2016 BBC News at Six

The surgeons who think they could be close to finding

This man was paralysed from the chest down.

A cell transplant repaired his spinal chord,

a technique surgeons want to try on others.

This will be history, this will change history.

If we succeed, we will find a cure for paralysis.

We'll be looking at the long term implications this research

could have for three million people who are paralysed.

Facebook is set to pay millions more in tax in the UK from next year

a bomb disposal robot is sent in after a device explodes

Treacherous roads and travel chaos, as snow sweeps across Northern

And the world's most expensive station, costing $4 billion,

opens in New York near the site of the Twin Towers.

Coming up, Britain's Davis Cup defence is away, Andy Murray wins

the first match against Japan. He has won in straight sets in

Birmingham. Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at Six. It sounds like an extraordinary

claim, but surgeons in Poland say they think they are on the brink

of finding a cure for paralysis. Two years ago the team

announced that this man, a former fireman who was completely

paralysed from the chest down, could walk again after a cell

transplant which had Now they're launching

a worldwide search for two people whose spinal

cords have been completely severed. They say if they can reverse

paralysis in such extreme cases, they're confident the pioneering

technique could help many others Fergus Walsh has this

exclusive story. He is the paralysed

man who walked again. This is Darek Fidyka in 2014,

after his regenerative cell transplant, documented

by the BBC's Panorama. Now, a bigger test,

to ride this tricycle. Remember, this is a man

who had been completely paralysed below his chest

after being stabbed. Now, he is relearning how

to control his legs, sending commands from his brain

down to his muscles, and receiving sensations back,

all flowing through his The effort is as much

mental as physical. TRANSLATION: If I really think,

I can feel each muscle, The brain is very important

and I appreciate it lays a crucial role in cycling,

or any other exercise I do. The big question now

is whether Darek's extraordinary achievements can be

repeated in other patients. Only a clinical trial can show

whether or not the cell transplant does indeed represent a revolution

in the treatment of paralysis, which would make it

one of the greatest That's why his surgeon

is launching a worldwide search, via a website, for two patients with

highly unusual injuries. Their spinal-cord must

be completely severed, Help them, and it will

silence any doubters. We can prove once and forever

that we can repair There would be no speculation

if we succeed to reconstruct. This would be history,

this will change history. If we succeed, we'll find

a cure for paralysis. The patients will have one of their

olfactory bulbs, at the base of the brain,

shown in green, removed. It processes the sense of smell,

and is the only part of the nervous In a second operation,

cells from the bulb will be transplanted

into the spinal-cord to provide a pathway for nerve

fibres to grow back. The patients selected

for the trial will undergo intensive physiotherapy,

both before and especially In all, they will have to commit

to spending three years living at this rehabilitation

centre in Poland. The research will be independently

assessed by this team They will use equipment like this

magnetic stimulator to monitor the patients'

neurological pathways As a proof of principle,

I'm very excited, because this is a novel treatment that holds

a great deal of promise. This would open up hope

that an alternative But it is going to take

some years to refine it. The treatment will cost

?250,000 per patient, and is being funded by a small

British charity set up by a chef, David Nichols, whose son was

paralysed in a swimming accident. If the trial is successful,

it might mean patients For Darek, the return of muscle

control and sensation has brought other improvements, like bladder

control and sexual function, which he says are just as crucial to

his growing sense of independence. This technique could be life

changing for many people. How long before surgeons

know if it works? It is going to take around a year to

search and select these very unusual patients who have had a complete

severing of their spinal-cord and then a couple of years after that

but then we will know for sure whether or not spinal-cord injury,

paralysis, can be reversed. That is an extraordinary statement, some

things scientists thought was impossible for decades, how many

people might it help if it succeeds? The numbers will be limited, it is

expensive and the patients have got to undergo two operations and they

have to be very dedicated. That man in the BT is now four years after

the transplant and he is still undergoing hours of physiotherapy

every day. -- VT. Even a partial recovery will give hope to millions

and that is why this research is so important and bronzing. --

promising. Facebook is set to pay millions

of pounds more in tax in the UK The company, which makes ?1 billion

profit globally every three months, faced heavy criticism

after it was revealed it only paid just over ?4000 in UK

corporation tax in 2014. The move is likely to put more

pressure on the way other multinationals, like Google,

Amazon and Starbucks, They like to pro-trade themselves as

the cuddly social media site, but of course Facebook is a very serious

and very profitable business, it makes money out of the millions of

us who use it everyday because we are valuable customers of the major

businesses that spend millions of pounds in advertising on Facebook,

household names we all know. Facebook have chosen from their own

volition to change their tax and that shows it is possible for any

company to do that, and for companies bleating it is not their

fault, it is just the international tax laws, that really is not the

case, they have the choice about how they set up their tax arrangements.

Facebook is one of a number of controversial, often American,

multinationals, Google and Apple have also faced criticism for their

tax affairs. So what has Facebook changed? At present it routes most

of its UK sales through Ireland where business taxes are lower and

corporation tax there is 12.5% compared with 20% in the UK, and for

a global company that makes a significant difference. The company

pays a very low amount of tax in the UK, just ?4327 in 2014. That is less

than many people pay in income tax. For a company that globally makes

over ?1 billion of profit every three months that has caused

controversy. From April Facebook will abandon that structure and

start accounting for sales activity in the UK, that is set to increase

its tax bill by several million pounds. With the first payment made

to the Treasury in 2017. That could cheer up this man George Osborne,

who has said he would like global multinationals to pay more tax.

Whilst we offer some of the lowest business taxes in the world, we

expect those taxes to be paid and not avoided. Political pressure was

growing on Facebook and the tax rules are changing, there is also

the small matter of its often young audience. They may have received

criticism and they may have internally reviewed it and decided

given their position and their position with millennial 's and

Centennial 's, and younger people generally, given our purpose as a

company, they may have thought this is something they should do and they

should be congratulated for having made that cause of correction.

Facebook is not out of the woods and the tax authority HMRC is

investigating its tax affairs, but November 2017 in your diary, the

date when Facebook will announce its first payment under the new

structure, will it be large enough to put this tax controversy to bed?

A prison officer has been seriously hurt after a bomb exploded

He's being treated in hospital, but his injuries are not said

Police are worried this is an increase in violence in the run-up

to the centenary celebration of the Easter Rising.

There is a concern there could be further attacks like this, and that

is because there is a fear amongst the police that dissident

republicans will try to overshadow the commemorations for the hundredth

anniversary of the Easter Rising, in the most sinister way possible, by

trying to kill a soldier or a police officer or a prison officer was top

my report contains flashing images. If 1916 was a year of rebellion,

dissident republicans want to make This morning they planted a bomb

that exploded under this van, seriously injuring the prison

officer who was driving it. The police say it was an attempt

to murder and they are fearful that this is just the start

of a campaign to kill, to coincide with the centenary

of Ireland's Easter Rising. When I say I'm deeply concerned,

I mean I'm deeply concerned. I believe that there are people

within dissident republican groupings who want to mark

the centenary by killing police officers, prison

officers or soldiers. The Easter Rising was an attempt

in Ireland to break away from British rule and is being

marked by official events And Irish republicans are amongst

those concerned that dissidents will try to steal attention away

from the commemorations There can be no justification

for anybody going out with a gun or a bomb against the backdrop

of the massive transformation that has taken place in our society

over the last 20 years. It is just over three years

since another prison officer, David Black, was shot dead

as he drove to work, by a group calling

itself the New IRA. And there is an ongoing dispute

between the prison authorities and dissident republican

prisoners at Maghaberry, Northern Ireland's

high security prison. We've lost 30 officers in the past

through these attacks. It did not change anything

within the prisons and this is not going to change anything,

attacking prison officers. The police say they have already

started to increase security ahead of Easter, a necessary precaution

against this rising threat. Police in Los Angeles are testing

a knife recovered on a property once owned by the former American

football star, OJ Simpson. Reports in the US media say

the knife may be the weapon that Simpson was alleged to have

used to kill his former wife In 1995, Simpson was

acquitted of the murders. Two men have been jailed in Turkey

in connection with the death of a three-year-old Syrian boy

who drowned while trying to reach A photograph of his body

on a Turkish beach last September came to symbolise the plight

of refugees making But despite the huge risks,

people are not being deterred. The latest figures show a record

number of migrants and refugees entered Europe last year,

almost all of them by sea. More than 1.25 million arrived,

twice as many as the year before. There were 363,000 Syrians,

the largest group, Our correspondent Mark Lowen has

more details, his report contains Convicted for the trade

in people's lives. Two Syrians, jailed today

for over four years, for smuggling Aylan

Kurdi and his family. But they were cleared of

deliberately causing their deaths. It was the most potent image

of the refugee crisis. Little Aylan washing-up near Bodrum

last autumn sparking sympathy It also put pressure on Turkey

to tackle the smugglers. The migration crisis

again topped the agenda Chancellor Merkel visiting

President Hollande in Paris. TRANSLATION: We, Germany and France,

entirely agreed that we must protect our external borders

to defend freedom of movement within Europe but also

for security reasons, because we have to know

who arrives in Europe. And they are still

arriving, at a huge rate. More gathered in Izmir,

putting their faith in life jackets, The crowds of refugees and migrants

who used to be camped out in places like this in central Izmir have

mostly been chased away by police. But it doesn't mean

the numbers have dwindled. You still see them here,

for example, at food hand-outs. Turkey has been told by the EU

to reduce the flows of those arriving on the Greek island every

day from 2,000 to 1,000. When, for those fleeing war,

the hope of Europe One way, says the head

of the European Council, visiting Istanbul today,

is for Turkey to take There is hope it can be agreed

upon at a summit next week. But the longer journey to Europe

the bottlenecks are growing. Macedonia has shut its border

with Greece and 11,000 people As Europe scrambles for unity,

individual states close their doors, but that still won't kill

the dreams of the desperate. The top story, surgeons said they

could be close to finding a cure for paralysis. Coming up, I'm alive at

Southampton Airport where exactly 80 years ago the very first Spitfire

took to the air. Coming up in sports day, Moritz you Pochettino and

Arsene Wenger look ahead to what is being bailed as the biggest north

London derby ever -- Moritz you Pochettino.

This is the most expensive station in the world.

It cost $4 billion and it's years behind schedule.

But it's finally opened to the public in New York.

It's been built close to where the Twin Towers stood.

More than 200,000 commuters are expected to use it

The architect who designed the huge steel and glass hall has called it

A bird in flight, a Phoenix rising from the ashes,

New York's latest landmark is a station that doubles

as a symbol, of renewal, of hope, of life.

Almost 15 years on from the attacks of 9/11, this new transportation hub

at Ground Zero has finally opened its doors.

For survivors it's a highly charged moment.

Charles DeAndrea lost 176 colleagues that day and has watched this

Really kind of proud of New York City, being able

It's just absolutely remarkable, the way we have come back from this.

And then, to see this today, it's quite amazing.

It's staggeringly beautiful, but staggeringly costly.

The project has been plagued by cost blowouts and delays.

Originally, the plan was to have a transportation hub

And the price tag of $4 billion is double the estimate.

It's made this the most expensive station in the world.

The design, his inspiration was a bird in flight.

So the tourist trail has a new addition, but the symbolism

It's been likened to a turkey carcass the day after

Like a bird, right? Seagull?

I don't know, I don't really see a bird.

It just looks like a series of Nike ticks being repeated.

I know it's supposed to look like, represent a bird, but,

But to others it's become instantly iconic, and perfectly complements

I think it's a fantastic way for the city and visitors to always

look up and be inspired instead of feeling drugged down

In lower Manhattan, the skyline has been repaired,

the subway system has a cathedral-like new home.

But it's still hard to see a plane in the skies without remembering

the monuments that stood here before.

A pregnant woman is fighting for her life after being stabbed

The 40-year-old was taken away from the scene by air

Two members of the public - both men - suffered minor injuries

after intervening and are being treated.

A 41-year-old man was immediately detained in connection

with the attack in the busy town centre.

What more can you tell us? The police cordon is in place behind me

in the centre of Sutton Coldfield, just 100 yards from shops and

restaurants in the town centre. Scene of crime officers are still

working behind me. Police were alerted to the incident at 315 this

afternoon and they found a heavily pregnant woman had been stabbed and

a short time after she was airlifted to hospital and they say a 41 rod

man was arrested immediately at the scene -- 41-year-old man. West

Midlands please have given a few more details and they say the woman

was 40 and the pair was known to each other -- West Midlands Police.

Two members of the public tried to help, two men, they were both her

and received minor injuries, police said was a very busy area at that

time of day and they are appealing for witnesses. -- they were both

hurt. A brief look at some of the day's

other other news stories. David Cameron has told

the Scottish Conservative conference that only the Tories can challenge

the SNP in May's Holyrood elections. He said the collapse of Labour's

support in Scotland meant the country was "in danger

of becoming a one-party state". The leader of Plaid Cymru,

Leanne Wood has criticised the government for deciding to hold

the EU referendum so close to the Welsh Assembly

elections in May. She was speaking at the party's

annual spring conference - and said she supported Britain's

membership of the EU. Heavy snow has caused chaos

across parts of northern England. Yorkshire and Lancashire have

been worst affected - with more than a hundred

schools closed. Leeds-Bradford Airport was forced

to suspend all flights earlier this Many roads were closed -

or described as hazardous - and forecasters are warning of more

cold weather to come. Whichever way you came

at the hills this morning conditions were tricky

on the roads, some We have got stuck, we are going

to Spa but we have got stuck and we don't know

which direction to take. It has been horrible,

cars trying to get up there and it's a bit of a spot for

people trying to get up there and people in cars,

as you can see it has not stopped. This is the result of one early

morning mishap out in the snow, the driver of this car had to be rescued

after flipping over, even though the gritters have been out and have

cleared most of the main roads this shows how dangerous the side roads

can be. The driver was lucky to escape without injury. Even flying

away was not easy. Leeds Bradford Airport was closed and there are

delays this evening at Manchester. Passengers said planes have been

held up for hours because of a shortage of de-icing teams. At

Salford quays the weather was not allowed to interrupt the sport

relief five aside marathon football match. The Pennine landscape was

given an alpine coating, up to ten centimetres of snow in places, it

meant many schools across Lancashire and Yorkshire were closed but high

up at this primary School on the edge of Huddersfield there were no

excuses. We make sure that we stay open as long as we can, they are a

hardy lot and many of them have walked to school this morning

instead of coming in the car, it is a privilege for them to get out and

have some fun. We have all got to school in a car or walking, but it

is very hard because of the snow. Were you disappointed to find that

the school was open? Yes. I did not want to come to school today, I

stayed in bed, but then I had to get up. Were you hoping to go sledging?

Yes. As well as a snowball to the face there is always the risk of

slipping over, even for BBC cameramen.

The Spitfire - it's the most iconic British aircraft ever made.

And this is the very first one, produced in 1936.

80 years ago tomorrow, this protoype took to the skies

Just a few years later, thousands had been made.

And the Spitfire went on to help win the Battle of Britain

Duncan Kennedy is at Eastleigh Airport where it

There really is no aircraft like this, the look and sound, and of

course the part it played in the Battle of Britain. It really is the

Spitfire. 80 years ago the very first prototype took off from this

airfield and the celebrations began today for this iconic aircraft.

Eight decades have passed since all three

first came together to create aviation history.

NEWSREEL: The most amazing machine is the Spitfire,

a land version of the famous seaplanes that won the Schneider

And this was the first Spitfire, here at

Eastleigh Aerodrome 80 years ago, codenamed the K5054.

Judy Munger saw the first Spitfire flight.

He was part of the design team, with a

brief to create a world beating fighter plane.

Started it up and the chocks were pulled away.

It flew off into the distance over the railway sheds.

Today, 80 years on above those former sheds, there was a special

fly-past across the same southern skies.

Airborne history to respect and admire.

Exactly 80 years on, the Spitfire has lost none

Our helicopter is travelling more than 100mph

and can barely keep up with the Spitfire,

In the Battle of Britain, it was that speed and

manoeuvrability in the hands of courageous pilots that

Frank Newman flew 1000 sorties in a Spitfire.

He was once summoned before his commanding officer.

He said to me, Newman, I would like your opinion

of the Spitfire's performance and the Rolls-Royce engine.

I said, I'd like to tell you now, Sir, that my life has

20,000 Spitfires were built, and are still celebrated as a plane

ahead of its time, that came in our hour of need.

Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, Southampton.

Time for a look at the weather - here's Tomasz Schafernaker

Any more snow? Maybe some flurries, but the worst is over, we have seen

the heaviest in northern Britain. The biggest problem, after it has

melted in the clearing skies and the dropping temperatures, there will be

some ice, but it will stay cold this weekend and some wintry showers, for

sure. This is what we had earlier, the band of wintry weather over

northern England and the wintry showers have now moved further

south. Tonight, the skies will slowly start to clear as

temperatures fall, and the slash on the country roots will start to

refreeze. Take it slow if you are travelling early in the morning.

There are icy patches in other parts of the country, the wintry weather

will slip further south in the direction of East Anglia and the

South East tomorrow morning. Just rain with sleet mixed in, notes no.

The cold air from the Arctic is still coming and is here to stay for

a few days. -- no snow. There will be a contrast in the weather

tomorrow, it will be cold and gloomy in East Anglia and London, but many

Western and Northern areas, at least some sunshine, although there might

be wintry weather is in Scotland. Tomorrow it stays cold and grey with

rain on and off and possibly sleep over East Anglia and the south-east.

The better day is Sunday. The chances of getting sunshine is

greater on Sunday, not a bad day for most of us, and at least the rain

and snow is out of the way, although it is still staying cold. Briefly

touching 9 degrees in London but that is optimistic. On Monday, there

is warmer air in the Atlanta, but this will not reach us until Tuesday

or Wednesday. That's all from the BBC News at Six,

so it's goodbye from me,