30/11/2017 BBC News at Six

Net migration into the UK falls

sharply and it's mainly down

to fewer people coming from the EU.

The difference between the number

of people coming to the UK

and leaving has dropped by a third

compared to the previous year.

But the number is still far short

of the tens of thousands

pledged by the government.

Also tonight...

The special relationship under

strain as Theresa May criticises

Donald Trump after his tweets

about the far right and about her.

I'm very clear that

retweeting from Britain First

was the wrong thing to do.

One of the six British men wrongly

jailed in India for four years tells

of his joy at his new freedom.

I'm on cloud nine.

There's not a word in the English

dictionary that can describe how I'm

feeling at this minute.

The EU offers a special deal to try

to ensure roads and bridges here at

the Irish border remain completely

open but could that threaten the DUP

deal with the Conservatives at

Westminster?

And what's being hailed

as an incredible new treatment that

could dramatically reduce

the agony of migraines.

And coming up on Sportsday on BBC

News, we're in Moscow to look ahead

to the World Cup draw as England

consider their best

and worse case scenarios

for next year's tournament.

Good evening and welcome

to the BBC News at Six.

Net migration in the UK -

the difference between the numbers

of people arriving and leaving -

has fallen sharply in the year

after the Brexit referendum.

New figures from the Office

of National Statistics show

it was 230,000 in the 12 months

to the end of June.

That's a drop of around a third

compared to the previous year.

And most of that drop is down

to fewer people coming from the EU.

Our Home Affairs Correspondent,

Tom Symonds, looks at why

the numbers are going down

and what it could mean

for the economy.

Is this the start not of an exodus

but of a Brexodus? We are now

getting some numbers. French

business consultant Cyril is

planning to go, Polish mathematician

Dominika Czerniawska had already

gone back to Warsaw.

London still is

the best city of the European Union

but when it is not in the European

Union it loses so much appeal that

the link on Amsterdam, and for some

people Warsaw are far more

attractive.

Investment has dried up

and I work in financial services and

my clients have started to move jobs

and because I am their consultant,

the jobs will be elsewhere.

They are

among thousands who have spent the

months since that night calculating

their future is in a post-Brexit

Europe. Positions which are

reflected in the biggest to date.

Since the vote, 572,000 people have

arrived to live in the UK but

342,000 have left. The difference is

that crucial net migration figure,

230,000 more people living in the UK

than a year ago. But following the

Brexit vote, that figure has fallen

sharply by 106,000, the biggest fall

since records began. Many employers

are deeply worried about the loss of

potential workers but not Ken

Beswick who runs a stationery firm

in South Wales.

This has been a land

of milk and honey. The people of

Great Britain have suffered because

of it for far too long and so the

drop to a quarter of a million we

welcome but after having said that,

Cordoba million extra people is like

another city are people being added

to the country and straining

resources -- a quarter of a million.

So some professional Europeans in

office jobs are leaving and there

has also been a fall in the number

of people coming here looking for

work but a Brexodus, it is still the

case that 107,000 more Europeans

came to Britain in the last year

than left.

The numbers today are

quite dramatic but you have to put

them in perspective. We are only

back to levels of net migration we

saw in 2014 so it is not a

historical anomaly and the vast

majority of EU citizens in the UK

are not going anywhere, they have

been here for a long time and

emigration does not qualify as a

Brexodus at this point.

Some

businesses like hotels depend on

foreign workers. Francesca came from

Italy after the Brexit vote.

I can

see that as soon as I came here in

London I applied for a job and had

the chance to start work here and I

think it is amazing and not all the

cities can give you this

opportunity.

As for the government,

it wants to cut net migration by

more than half again. Tom Symons,

BBC News.

Our Business Editor,

Simon Jack, is here.

The Conservatives have long said

they want to get immigration down

to the tens of thousands.

It's not there but it has fallen.

What's your assessment of the impact

of this on the economy?

The employers by its peak to say

that 7% of the workforce is from the

EU, in the low skilled sectors that

goes up to 15% and 75% of all

waiters in the UK are from the EU.

There are some worries for employers

about getting workers if the flow of

labour stops. What businesses are

saying is that it does not make

sense to have hard targets. If the

economy grows we might need more

workers, we have ages to come

Heathrow, a million homes to build,

other people say we can train our

own and with unemployment at just

4.3% it is not like there are loads

of spare people around to trade up

and do these jobs so businesses are

concerned but as Tom said in the

piece, 107,000 more people from you

than left so nope Brexodus. If there

is a pinch point here, wages. To go

up, at the moment they are going up

less quickly than inflation and the

Bank of England think that will

switch around next year and if there

is an impact on the labour market,

that is where you will see it.

Britain's ambassador to the US has

visited the White House to raise

concerns about President Trump's

tweets concerning a British far

right group and then

about the Prime Minister herself.

Earlier today Theresa May said

Donald Trump was "wrong" to share

the videos from an extremist group

called Britain First.

But she rejected calls

to cancel his state visit

to the UK next year.

More from our Political

Correspondent, Alex Forsyth,

who's been with the Prime Minister

on a visit to Jordan.

This was a trip focused on building

relationships around the world,

but while Theresa May was meeting

kings and ministers in Jordan...

Yes, there are many challenges...

..A major diplomatic row

was brewing elsewhere.

President Trump had been personally

rebuked by Downing Street

for sharing far right videos online.

His response to Theresa May -

on Twitter, of course -

"Don't focus on me, focus

on the destructive radical

Islamic terrorism that's

taking place in the UK."

Her tour of the Middle East

suddenly required diplomacy

of a different kind.

The fact that we work together does

not mean that we are afraid to say

when we think the United States has

got it wrong, and be

very clear with them.

And I'm very clear that

retweeting from Britain First

was the wrong thing to do.

He tweeted, effectively telling

you to stay out of his business.

Is that acceptable behaviour

from a supposed ally?

It's an enduring relationship

that's there because it's

in both our national interests.

So what of the much anticipated

state visit to the UK

by President Trump?

An invitation for a state visit has

been extended and has been accepted.

We have yet to set a date.

Thank you.

In her speech here,

Theresa May had little choice

but to respond to this tweet.

It was aimed directly at her.

This, another test

of her leadership, how

to maintain authority,

yet de-escalate a potential row

with a friend.

The US president forging

friendships of his own...

You have been a great friend

and we appreciate it very much...

..Has so far shown little regret

for his original tweet sharing

videos from the far right group

Britain First.

Thank you very much,

everybody, thank you.

The Communities Secretary said he'd

endorsed the view of a vile,

racist organisation and he'd refused

to let it go and say nothing.

And he wasn't the only

politician to express a view.

She should never have

invited him within a few weeks

of him being elected.

Every other American president has

had to wait for years.

They have to settle down and we've

had to be sure about who it is

that we are inviting.

It's very difficult to see how

you can continue to rely

on the goodwill of somebody

who is fundamentally evil,

racist, completely contrary

to our own set of values.

So while the Prime Minister

practised diplomacy

in the Middle East, relations

elsewhere were tested.

Theresa May, once again under

scrutiny, not just at home

but around the globe.

Alex Forsyth, BBC News, Jordan.

One of the so-called Chennai Six

who was released from an Indian

prison on Monday has spoken

of his relief and delight

at regaining his freedom

after four years.

Nick Dunn, a former soldier,

was among six Britons

acquitted of weapons charges

by an Indian court.

He said his family would now

have the best Christmas ever.

He's been speaking to our India

Correspondent, Sanjoy Majumder.

Taking an innocent man's freedom

away is the worst crime I believe

that can be committed.

Former paratrooper Nick Dunn

has just been released

from an Indian prison,

one of six Britons arrested

four years ago and charged

with smuggling weapons.

You have got to do

a proper investigation.

You have got to know

that person is guilty.

This wasn't like that.

It was, "we don't

care, you're guilty."

He's now traded his cramped, squalid

prison cell for a plush hotel room.

His sister, Lisa, has come out

to India to take him back home.

And he just can't wait.

It's going to be like four

Christmases that I've

missed rolled into one.

It's going to be the best Christmas

my family could ever wish for.

It's been a long, desperate wait for

justice inside this Chennai prison.

Nick and his mates were part

of a crew of 35 on board an American

ship seized off the Indian coast.

On Monday, an Indian court threw

out all the charges.

The men were finally free.

I was out training, one

of the guys shouted us over.

I could hear it in his voice,

it was excitement.

And he went, "full acquittal."

And I... Stopped in my tracks and it

was like someone just slapped us,

because it was like a shock, you

know, and it was an amazing feeling.

While they were in prison waiting

to learn their fate,

the men's families led a massive

campaign back home

to press for their release.

Knowing there are lovely

people out there, lovely,

amazing, supportive people,

and I will never be able

to thank them as much

as what I'm trying to do now.

His nightmare finally over,

it's now time to go home.

Sanjoy Majumder, BBC News, Chennai.

The care home market in the UK

is not sustainable unless more

money is put into it.

That's the conclusion

of the Competition and Markets

Authority which says

there is a billion pound a year

funding gap, and that care homes

are being propped up by charging

higher prices for people

who fund themselves,

while local authorities fail

to pay enough.

Our Social Affairs Correspondent,

Alison Holt, has more.

Would you like some popcorn?

Would you like a cookie?

At the Home of Comfort

in Southsea in Hampshire,

they are settling down

for an afternoon of old films.

For more than 100 years,

they have provided nursing

care for older people,

but that is no protection

from the financial pressures

outlined in today's report.

Gwen is 90 and moved in a few months

ago with the help of her daughters.

The girls felt I couldn't

cope on my own.

And I bowed to the inevitable.

She's self-funded, because she had

her own home and some savings,

but it also means she

pays more than someone

eligible for council care.

It doesn't seem fair that

some people pay more

than others for the same care.

But unfortunately, that's the way,

that's the rules at the moment.

As a charity, they don't

have the same overheads

as a commercial organisation.

It helps them keep their fees down,

but their administrator says

there is still a big gap

between actual costs

and what councils pay.

We are asking them for £725 week

to provide nursing care

and we don't get it.

We get about £560.

So the difference in those figures

is quite astonishing, I think.

There is a cross subsidy

happening from people

paying for their own care,

to people who are supposed

to be publicly funded.

Today's Competitions

and Markets Authority report says

on average a care home place

in the UK costs self-funders

£44,000 a year.

That is about £12,000 or 40% more

than someone paid for by a council.

This year-long study by the

Competition and Markets Authority

paints a picture of a system under

huge financial pressure.

And one which is often confusing,

and unfair for people who need it

at a stressful time in their lives.

We think it's urgent,

we think the system is not

in a great place and we think

the pressure is mounting

because you have both increasing

demand because of demographic

changes, but also we know that

labour costs are responsible

for a significant portion

of the cost and those costs

are increasing as well.

As more people live longer,

the CMA warns investment

in providing support for the future

is essential, and without it,

care homes will close.

The Government says it has put extra

money into care and will publish

a green paper on funding

in the summer.

Alison Holt, BBC News.

Pressures on social care

have a direct impact

on the health service.

Next year, health care will be

rationed and waiting times

will increase unless the NHS

in England gets more money.

That's the warning from health

service leaders who have been

meeting to discuss what level

of service they can deliver.

Our Health Editor,

Hugh Pym, is here.

We keep being told the NHS

is under enormous strain.

Now a new stark warning that

some treatments are not

going to be available either

at all or without

a considerable wait.

That is the case. The head of NHS

England Simon Stevenson warned

before the budget that without a

significant increase in funding

waiting lists for routine operations

would rise rapidly. A week

afterwards, the board of NHS England

have set them to review the

invocations of the money awarded by

the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, and

they are saying that without

significant cuts it is not enough to

meet the waiting time targets for

routine surgery, 18 weeks, or the

95% of patients being treated or

assessed in A&E within four hours.

The Department of Health says enough

money has been given to allow the

NHS to bring down waiting lists but

stand by for a set of pretty fraught

negotiations now between NHS England

and the Department of Health over

what can be delivered next year. If

these waiting time targets are not

diluted in some way, many will save

the key legal guarantees of care for

patients are being fiercely

undermined.

Thank you.

The time has just gone a quarter

past six.

Our top story this evening:

Net migration into the UK falls

sharply and it's mainly down

to fewer people coming from the EU.

And still to come...

Howard chance meeting in a

churchyard reunited these long-lost

brothers.

Coming up in Sportsday on BBC News:

Ben Stokes returns to cricket

down under, but not for the Ashes.

The England's all-rounder

arrives in

New Zealand after signing

to play for Canterbury.

The Democratic Unionist party has

threatened to withdraw its support

for Theresa May's minority

government if there is any

kind of special deal

between Northern Ireland and the EU.

It's in response to efforts

to try to break the deadlock over

how to continue free movement

between Northern Ireland

and the Republic of Ireland.

At present thousands of people

and millions of pounds of goods

cross the border every day.

With 16 months to go

until Brexit, our Ireland

correspondent Chris Buckler

is at Aughnacloy on the Irish

border, and so far

this has been proving

an intractable problem and time

is running out to resolve it.

Yes, in the first phase of Brexit

negotiations, the Irish border is

proving the most difficult problem

to solve and that is partly because

of the scale of it. This is one of

the 300 crossing points between the

Republic of Ireland and Northern

Ireland. Bridges and roads that

connect them together, but what do

you do when all of a sudden one part

is in the EU and the other is

outside? The EU says Northern

Ireland could stick to its trading

rules even if the rest of the UK

doesn't, perhaps even stay inside

the customs union and the single

market. Some say that would offer

real opportunity for the economy

here, but unionists are angry and

say they will withdraw their support

for the Conservative government at

Westminster if they even consider

it.

On the island of Ireland,

culture does not recognise borders,

and neither do people.

Uilleann pipes are one

of the traditional sounds of this

land, and in his workshop

that sits just a mile

from where Northern Ireland meets

the Republic, Martin

Gallen makes the pipes.

He's closely watching the slow

negotiations to try to carve out

a deal that will see the UK leave

the EU,

and he fears it will mean a return

of checks on the Irish border.

They're promising

that there would be no

hardening of the border,

but I honestly can't see how they're

going to stand by that promise.

The European Union doesn't

want a return of customs

posts on the border,

bridges and roads that connect

Northern Ireland and the Republic.

It's been offering the chance

for Northern Ireland to stay

inside the customs union and single

market, even if the rest

of the UK leaves.

That's to the fury of unionists,

whose support the Conservatives

rely on Westminster.

If there is any hint that, in order

to placate Dublin and the EU,

they're prepared to have

Northern Ireland treated differently

than the rest of the United Kingdom,

then they can't rely on our vote

because they have undertaken

an agreement with us -

our votes for their

support for the union.

That's a fear of a move

towards a united Ireland,

and it would probably mean

new checks for ships

crossing the Irish Sea,

effectively creating a border

between two parts of the UK.

But there could be benefits for

Northern Ireland's troubled economy.

This border business

park was opened in 2013

using £6 million of public money.

Four years on, all 22

acres lie largely empty.

Last month, one firm did finally

sign up to take a site here.

And others might be more likely

to follow after Brexit,

if being based here means you can

trade either within the EU

or as part of the UK.

Just as we have for our people,

we can choose identity,

whether it be British or Irish,

our products can be

exactly the same.

And if we take this opportunity,

we become probably one of the most

attractive and best locations

anywhere in the world.

attractive investment locations

anywhere in the world.

No-one wants new barriers

in the cities and towns that sit

all along this border,

and the Irish government

are still prepared to stand

in the path of trade talks

to ensure that.

This is an historic moment

and we are not going to allow

the re-emergence of a physical

border on this island.

And the European Union

will support us on that,

so there's going to be

no need to use a veto.

That does sound, though,

that if you had to use a veto,

you would be prepared to use it.

The EU side, in my view,

will not progress phase two

unless we make sufficient progress

in all three areas.

And it's the border that's

the sticking point?

The border's the sticking point.

Ireland's uilleann pipes were once

known as the union pipes, but no one

is sure of the consequences once

this island is at the edge of two

unions, both the EU and the UK.

Chris Buckler, BBC News,

at the Irish border.

Migraines affect one in seven

people across the world,

they can cause agonising symptoms

for sufferers, sometimes

lasting several days.

Now a new approach in treatment has

shown the number and severity

of attacks can be significantly cut

and is being hailed as an incredibly

important step forward.

It's estimated 190,000 people

get migraine attacks

every day in the UK, with women more

susceptible than men.

And it's thought 25 million days

a year are taken off school or work

by people who get them.

In two clinical trials, injections

of antibodies have been used

to neutralise the chemical

in the brain which causes the pain

associated with a migraine.

Our Health Correspondent James

Gallagher has the story.

Tania Dutton was just 11

when she started having

devastating migraines.

They interfere with her passion

for music, causing immense pain

for days, speech

problems and blackouts.

Tania has to wear special glasses

even indoors, as bright light

can trigger an attack.

They can be debilitating.

For me, it feels like someone

is taking a knife and stabbing

my head repeatedly.

The pain is so bad that

you can't open your eyes,

you can't move, you can't speak.

Migraines are complex

and poorly understood.

But discovering what is

changing in the brain

is leading to new treatments.

Scientists at Kings College London

have been investigating

one chemical in the brain.

It's been implicated in both

the pain and sensitivity

to light in migraine.

Now antibodies have been developed

that neutralises that chemical

to prevent an attack.

Trials on two new antibodies

have been published.

The first was on nearly

1,000 people.

50% of patients given the therapy

had their migraines cut in half.

A second antibody was tested

on more than 1100 people.

It helped 41% of people

halve their migraines.

It is hoped the drugs could give

some patients their lives back.

These treatments are the first

migraine-specific preventive ever.

For the most substantial

neurological cause of disability

on the planet, that is a huge

advance for all of us.

For Tania, that could mean freedom

from the constant worry

of a migraine attack.

To have a medication or a treatment

that's specifically designed

to help migraine is going to help

a lot of people.

The drugs could be available next

year if they are approved.

James Gallagher, BBC News.

When Roy Aspinall spotted

a man who looked down on his luck

as he walked through a churchyard

in Wigan, he decided

to stop and chat to him.

After a few minutes, he realised -

to his astonishment -

that the stranger was in fact his

brother who he had last seen

as a child over 20 years ago.

Judith Moritz has the story.

This is warm and Mac, or, former

infantryman with the Queen's

Regiment and this is Billy White,

until recently sleeping rough on the

streets of Wigan. They were

strangers until on Remembrance Day

they found themselves in the same

churchyard. Billy was sitting

outside on the wall when Roy

approached him.

I saw a gentleman

over there in the corner. He seemed

like he was on the streets.

I was

hanging about here in the churchyard

because this is where I slept

sometimes.

He looked very familiar,

the facial features were similar to

mine.

When he got over to me, he

started asking loads of questions,

what's my name, who is my sister. He

turned round and said I am Roy

Aspinall, and I am your brother.

Roy

grew up without knowing his

siblings, Billy knew he had a

brother but didn't know where to

find him. After they met, they

compared birth certificates. Roy

says knowing his brother has made

him feel complete.

Like a massive

jigsaw, best to put it, but I

couldn't find that one piece to make

a pretty picture. And it feels like

I have found that peace again.

Life

changing?

Life changing completely,

yes.

Billy is no longer homeless,

just in time for Christmas he's

moved in with his big brother.

Parts of England have been blanketed

in snow as forecasters warned

of possible disruption

and plunging temperatures.

This was the scene earlier

today in Bridlington

on the East Yorkshire coast.

And the snow kept falling just a few

miles away in Garton on the Wolds.

Heavy snow has also fallen

in the north east of Scotland,

which has led to some school

closures.

Time for a look at the weather.

Here's Tomasz Schafernaker.

I know we get snow most years but

it's unusual to get so much in so

many parts of the country this early

in the year, isn't it?

This is pretty good and the snow has

fallen right down to the beach as

well so it shows how cold the air

has been. There are years when we

don't get any snow right until

January really in major built-up

areas. So pretty good for the time

of year. Tonight there is more snow

on the way across eastern parts of

the country. You can see some snow

showers there moving into Yorkshire,

parts of the east Midlands, into

East Anglia as well and there could

be snow falling across parts of the

Chilterns, possibly in London as

well but the price is the major risk

from eastern Scotland all the way

down to the south-east. The

temperatures dipping down to well

below freezing outside of city

centres so watch out for those

slippery surfaces. Some of the snow

that fell during the day will have

melted during the course of the

afternoon and then it could refreeze

overnight. Tomorrow we have a lot of

fine weather around, some of these

snow showers could still be wintry

in the morning but there will be a

tendency for those to die away as we

go through the course of the

afternoon and temperatures will

reach 5 degrees for most of us.

Through the course of the weekend,

things will turn a little bit less

cold. This high pressure will be

rolling in some mild air in our

direction, and I save my older, not

necessarily that my old because

there's a lot of cloud streaming in

the Atlantic with a bit of drizzle

as well -- I say milder, not

necessarily mild. Double figures in

the south-west won't feel my old at

all but the thinking is, as we head

towards the end of next week, it

looks