:00:06. > :00:15.This is East Midlands Today with Anne Davies and me, Dominic Heale.
:00:15. > :00:19.Our top story tonight: an urgent appeal to the Asian community.
:00:19. > :00:24.in Leicester where the police are asking people to sign up and donate
:00:24. > :00:27.in the hope of saving an officer's life. A also tonight: at the home
:00:27. > :00:34.devastated in a second. We look at what happened to the
:00:34. > :00:37.home hit by a bolt of lightning. Plus, the anti-capitalist
:00:37. > :00:43.occupation where some of the protesters go home at night.
:00:43. > :00:53.And, a question for the chairman of Leicester City - just why did Sven
:00:53. > :00:55.
:00:55. > :00:58.Good evening, welcome to Wednesday's programme. First
:00:58. > :01:02.tonight, a woman's desperate appeal for people to come forward who
:01:02. > :01:05.could save her husband's life. Rik Basra is an inspector with
:01:05. > :01:10.Leicestershire police. He's suffering from acute myeloid
:01:10. > :01:14.leukaemia and urgently needs a bone marrow transplant. But there's a
:01:15. > :01:17.lack of Asian donors currently on the Anthony Nolan register.
:01:17. > :01:20.Rik's wife, together with the police, have helped organise a
:01:20. > :01:30.campaign to encourage more potential Asian donors to sign up.
:01:30. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:37.Helen Astle is at the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre in Leicester.
:01:37. > :01:42.Good evening. It is a pretty busy night here in Leicester, and that
:01:42. > :01:45.could be good news for Inspector Basra. I am just outside the
:01:45. > :01:50.Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre and the police officers, as you can see,
:01:50. > :01:53.are giving out leaflets and urging people to sign up to donate. The
:01:53. > :01:59.message is clear - it is a simple process and you could save
:01:59. > :02:04.someone's life. He got a routine cold and we didn't think anything
:02:04. > :02:09.of it, but the doctor decided to a blood test, and that revealed that
:02:09. > :02:11.leukaemia had returned. Shocked, devastated. It was harder than the
:02:12. > :02:20.first time because the first time he was ill, we knew there was
:02:20. > :02:27.something wrong. But this time, it just stunned us. Mrs ASDA recalls
:02:27. > :02:31.the moment he was diagnosed for the second time with the disease. He
:02:31. > :02:35.needs a bone marrow transplant. The family are determined to find a
:02:35. > :02:41.matching donor, not just for Rik Basra, but for other people, too.
:02:41. > :02:46.But time is tight. I discovered in the first week there are only 4% of
:02:46. > :02:49.Asians on this database. Not only I am I being told that Rick has got
:02:49. > :02:53.leukaemia, but now I am starting to worry that we won't find a match
:02:53. > :02:59.for him. Over in Nottingham, and this lady is all too aware of how
:02:59. > :03:05.few Asian donors there are. Her daughter died last month. She never
:03:05. > :03:09.received a bone marrow transplant. It is the pain. It is hard to
:03:09. > :03:15.accept. I don't want anyone to go through what I am going through. I
:03:16. > :03:21.just hope that people who are watching this will come forward and
:03:21. > :03:26.joined the bone marrow register and help others like my daughter. You
:03:26. > :03:30.know, they can save a life. They are hoping hundreds of people will
:03:30. > :03:33.register, and she also wants to dispel myths about what it involves.
:03:33. > :03:37.What we found out initially was stopping people from registering
:03:37. > :03:41.was the fear factor, of what it would mean for them, what they
:03:41. > :03:45.would need to do, and how much time that they need to have of work.
:03:45. > :03:49.What we are able to say is that all it is is a saliva test, a very
:03:49. > :03:57.short medical questionnaire, and then maybe a couple of days off
:03:57. > :04:02.work. But it is worth that to save someone's life. A heartfelt plea
:04:02. > :04:05.there from Rik Basra's wife. I am joined by Simon Cowell. How
:04:05. > :04:10.important is this campaign? It's really important to us. We are
:04:10. > :04:13.trying to make sure that Diwali is a successful and joyous event, but
:04:13. > :04:19.around the edges of that it would make it really joyous if we could
:04:19. > :04:23.help to save Rik Basra's life. There is a wider need for donors,
:04:23. > :04:28.particularly in the Asian community. What kind of officer is he? He is a
:04:28. > :04:32.top officer. He is a role model for many young Asians, I would suggest.
:04:32. > :04:35.He has achieved the rank of inspector, and has been with us for
:04:35. > :04:41.over two decades. We all want to know that we have done what we can
:04:41. > :04:44.to save him. So you are backing the campaign? Yes, we have had great
:04:44. > :04:48.support from the Anthony Nolan Trust, but we need to get more
:04:48. > :04:53.donors on a database, and hopefully one can save him. Thank you for
:04:53. > :04:57.joining me this evening. Hopes are high that hundreds of people will
:04:57. > :05:00.sign up tonight, and as Rik Basra's wife said earlier, we can make a
:05:00. > :05:02.difference. With us now is Nigel Russell,
:05:02. > :05:09.professor of haematology at the Queen's Medical Centre in
:05:09. > :05:14.Nottingham, and he's an expert in bone marrow donation. Is the
:05:14. > :05:18.problem with bone marrow potential donors the belief that it is a
:05:18. > :05:22.painful experience donating bone marrow? I think things have changed
:05:22. > :05:25.dramatically in the last 10 years. It is now possible to be a bone
:05:25. > :05:28.marrow donor and not have your bone-marrow touched at all. We can
:05:28. > :05:32.collect the stem cells we need from the blood. The donor does need a
:05:32. > :05:35.few injections and go on to a special machine, which is just
:05:35. > :05:39.putting a needle in their arm, and they can collect the stem cells
:05:39. > :05:43.within a few hours. It does not involve spending any time in
:05:43. > :05:47.hospital. No anaesthetic, pain-free. That has dispelled a lot of rumours
:05:47. > :05:53.about that. Just talk a little bit about people from ethnic
:05:53. > :05:58.backgrounds. It is more difficult to find donors from that area?
:05:58. > :06:03.it is. We can find donors for 90% of white patients who require a
:06:03. > :06:07.transplant. For people of Asian or Afro-Caribbean origin it is under
:06:07. > :06:13.50% of patients who can be found a donor. There are alternatives. It
:06:13. > :06:19.is possible to use and the local called bloods, and there is a big
:06:19. > :06:24.drive to increase the number of court bloods are stored. A new
:06:24. > :06:27.blood bank has been opened in the last year for this very purpose.
:06:27. > :06:32.terms of bone marrow, is there a reluctance within the Asian
:06:32. > :06:36.Committee to donate, is this a canal -- culture will issue?
:06:36. > :06:40.don't think so. It is very simple, you go on to the Anthony Nolan
:06:40. > :06:43.website and then a few clicks you can register as a donor. The target
:06:43. > :06:48.group is young people under the age of 30. These are the best donors.
:06:48. > :06:51.It is so simple to do. You can register in a few minutes, and
:06:51. > :06:56.scent of a sample of blood, and you could be on the register. It could
:06:56. > :07:01.not be easier. He could transform people's lives. Absolutely.
:07:02. > :07:05.mentioned the other local court. Do you see a point in time where the
:07:05. > :07:10.court could be taken from the baby when it is born and then we would
:07:10. > :07:15.have to find donors? I think that will be the situation in the next
:07:15. > :07:18.few years. Then we can bitchery just get them off the shelf. This
:07:18. > :07:22.is what to be increasingly need to do. Let's hope it happens. It is
:07:22. > :07:25.not a problem, you can just signed up and do it and save someone's
:07:25. > :07:28.life. Still to come on the programme:
:07:28. > :07:31.lighting up Leicester - the city's Diwali celebrations are the biggest
:07:31. > :07:41.outside India. And, we will be there live as the festival gets
:07:41. > :07:42.
:07:42. > :07:45.under way. Before that, a man has been
:07:45. > :07:48.describing the moment his house was blasted by a bolt of lightning.
:07:48. > :07:53.Dean Radford from Nether Langwith in Nottinghamshire said he thought
:07:53. > :07:56.a bomb had exploded. Dean and his girlfriend face a repair bill
:07:56. > :08:05.running into tens of thousands of pounds and months of living in
:08:05. > :08:10.alternative accommodation. Tom Brown reports.
:08:10. > :08:14.This is just a small part of the damage left by that lightning bolt
:08:14. > :08:19.last night. The remains of the roof are scattered all around me outside.
:08:19. > :08:21.On the inside, it left a trail of devastation that meant Dean and
:08:22. > :08:26.Lisa, who were inside the House at the time, were perhaps lucky to
:08:26. > :08:32.walk away from it. We were watching television as normal on the sofa
:08:32. > :08:42.with my girlfriend. All of a sudden, the most almighty bang ever. Total
:08:42. > :08:45.darkness. Dust, snake. Horrendous. It was total devastation. The power
:08:45. > :08:50.blew off the plaster from the force. And the devastation continued
:08:50. > :08:53.upstairs as well. I think you can see that if anyone had been in here
:08:53. > :08:59.at that time would not have lived through it. It smashed everything
:08:59. > :09:03.to pieces. The shower unit, nothing left of it. And the showers which
:09:03. > :09:08.are part of here, blown to pieces. The lights hanging down from the
:09:08. > :09:13.ceiling. The ceiling has gone, glass everywhere. This room is my
:09:13. > :09:18.computer room. You might think that is my DIY gone wrong, but yet again,
:09:18. > :09:24.it is where the lightning struck and blow it to pieces. As you can
:09:24. > :09:29.see, we are fairly new, and it is totally wrecked again. You have not
:09:29. > :09:35.been in the House long, have you? No, about nine months. My dream
:09:36. > :09:41.home. Beautiful views. Now, one day on, Dean and his girlfriend Lisa
:09:41. > :09:45.are devastated. We are both lucky to be alive, that's the main thing.
:09:45. > :09:49.It is devastating that the houses such a mess, but we are still here.
:09:49. > :09:53.His insurance company will be there to -- tomorrow to assess the full
:09:53. > :09:58.extent of the damage. Dean is already preparing to have to spend
:09:58. > :10:01.months away from his dream home. Eight people have been arrested on
:10:01. > :10:04.suspicion of murder after a man's body was found in a house in
:10:04. > :10:08.Mansfield. Paramedics were called to Chesterfield Road South just
:10:08. > :10:12.after 10 o'clock yesterday morning. The victim is believed to be in his
:10:12. > :10:16.forties. Seven men and a woman who are aged between 19 and 43 are
:10:16. > :10:21.being questioned. A cordon is in place while forensic officers
:10:21. > :10:24.examine the scene. Detectives investigating a serious
:10:24. > :10:28.assault at a pub in Leicester have released CCTV images of a man they
:10:29. > :10:32.want to talk to. Two men remain in hospital with burns after the
:10:32. > :10:37.incident at the Rainbow and Dove pub on Charles Street in the early
:10:37. > :10:40.hours of Tuesday morning. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is
:10:40. > :10:45.powered by engines made in Derby, has completed its first commercial
:10:45. > :10:50.flight. The long-haul jet flew over the Rolls-Royce factory in July
:10:50. > :10:54.last year. Now it has flown from Tokyo to Hong Kong in four hours.
:10:54. > :10:56.It is said to be one of the most fuel-efficient planes ever made.
:10:56. > :11:00.Boeing's development problems delayed production of the plane for
:11:00. > :11:03.three years. Anti-capitalist protesters who have
:11:03. > :11:09.been occupying part of Nottingham's Market Square for the last 12 days
:11:09. > :11:12.have admitted that some of them go home at night. The Nottingham
:11:12. > :11:16.protesters say a few people do go home periodically, but the camp is
:11:16. > :11:24.still well supported by campaigners and the public. And they say it is
:11:25. > :11:28.staying indefinitely. James Roberson reports.
:11:28. > :11:34.It's a time this contest between those representing wealth and power,
:11:34. > :11:36.and the pawns they dominate. And that's also the world view of the
:11:36. > :11:43.anti-capitalist protesters who are camping in Nottingham's Market
:11:43. > :11:47.Square. I am Nottingham born and bred. I thought it was about time
:11:47. > :11:51.we brought the message home to our city, to our friends and family and
:11:51. > :11:55.the people we love here. homeless account in Nottingham has
:11:55. > :11:59.gone up. I notice more people sat in doorways of the overnight, and
:11:59. > :12:02.it is disgraceful something needs to be done. A similar camp outside
:12:02. > :12:07.St Paul's Cathedral in London has been criticised because it appears
:12:07. > :12:11.many of the Tens RMT at night. In Nottingham, campaigners admit some
:12:11. > :12:16.are, too, and say it is necessary. No, not everybody is staying all
:12:16. > :12:20.night. Last night we had about 30 that it stay. The last count we had
:12:20. > :12:24.about 27 Tens. Some people have to go home. It fluctuates, as you can
:12:24. > :12:28.imagine, at night. It is difficult to ward off very jump people
:12:28. > :12:32.sometimes when they are being aggressive and intimidating.
:12:32. > :12:36.camp has moved position since it was first set up 12 days ago. It is
:12:37. > :12:39.now much larger than when it started with more tense. Today, a
:12:39. > :12:43.City Council spokesman said they understand the demonstrators and
:12:43. > :12:47.respect their right to protest. "we do feel they have made their point,
:12:47. > :12:52.but are pleased they have moved so that events such as game city can
:12:52. > :12:57.go ahead unheeded. We will continue to monitor the situation". But
:12:57. > :13:00.other council's were used affected by the public? I agree with
:13:00. > :13:04.everything they have said, but this is the best way to get a point
:13:04. > :13:08.across. It is taking a stance and saying we don't all have to live
:13:08. > :13:14.like that. There are better ways of making a protest. They do bring a
:13:14. > :13:24.point which a lot of us never think of week to week. The protesters say
:13:24. > :13:24.
:13:24. > :13:33.they will continue to stay For some cancer patients it is the
:13:33. > :13:42.worst thing about their treatment - a losing their here.
:13:42. > :13:52.-- losing their hair. Our correspondent meets a week
:13:52. > :13:53.
:13:53. > :14:02.stylists. -- asked by a list of wines.
:14:02. > :14:09.Are you ready for this? Yes. Sinead O'Connor eat your heart out! You
:14:09. > :14:18.are OK. There is a lot more to here than
:14:18. > :14:27.that. Put it on it really law first. They
:14:27. > :14:35.look terrible until you have got it right. I did not take my hair loss
:14:35. > :14:40.very well at all. I do not think other people notice. We cry
:14:40. > :14:46.together. We start off with tears but everybody goes out with a big
:14:46. > :14:56.smile on their face. Tony is pleased that his wife loves the
:14:56. > :15:11.
:15:11. > :15:21.results. Anything that helps bring There we go. This group was set up
:15:21. > :15:23.
:15:23. > :15:33.to help those suffering from hair loss. You do not need to worry.
:15:33. > :15:34.
:15:34. > :15:44.This is a bit more of a transition. I quite like it. And in not to be
:15:44. > :15:50.
:15:50. > :15:55.confused with the wig is this dog! A council has been criticised for
:15:55. > :16:00.spending �250,000 on a new website whilst axing jobs. Derby city
:16:00. > :16:10.council spending years developing this new site. Unions and
:16:10. > :16:11.
:16:11. > :16:16.opposition councillors say it was a waste of money.
:16:16. > :16:21.Severn Trent has apologised for failing to reduce leaks. The
:16:21. > :16:26.regulator has criticised the company. The last action against
:16:26. > :16:31.the company was taking in 2007. The company says it is making dramatic
:16:31. > :16:36.improvements. BBC Radio 1 was in our region today
:16:36. > :16:40.as part of a national tour. Fearne Cotton presented her shawl from the
:16:40. > :16:47.University of Leicester. The radio station is focusing on Leicester
:16:47. > :16:54.and other university towns. Still to come - fireworks in
:16:54. > :17:04.Leicester tonight. It will be a good mate for up the
:17:04. > :17:08.
:17:08. > :17:17.it Diwali celebrations. But there is more rain on the way.
:17:17. > :17:22.Fireworks in sport. The vice chairman of Leicester City
:17:22. > :17:29.has insisted he has not spoken to Martin O'Neill about the manager's
:17:29. > :17:34.job at the King Power Stadium. Top Raksriaksorn told me he has not
:17:34. > :17:40.made a decision. He said he will take his time to find the right man
:17:40. > :17:46.to replace Sven Goran Eriksson. It has been a soul-searching week.
:17:46. > :17:56.He said he acted for the good of the club. He parted company with
:17:56. > :17:56.
:17:56. > :18:06.Sven Goran Eriksson. It was difficult. It was sad. I talked to
:18:06. > :18:09.
:18:09. > :18:19.him every day. He is a good man. He is a good person. He is a good boss.
:18:19. > :18:19.
:18:19. > :18:25.I said that. But the decision was made. We have to move on. Leicester
:18:25. > :18:30.have won in nine of their last 27 games. The order of the club says a
:18:30. > :18:40.continuation of that form would not bring promotion. That is not good
:18:40. > :18:44.
:18:44. > :18:48.enough. Their owners have spent �15 million on the the playing a squat.
:18:48. > :18:52.PB on the B 26, but he says he is the man who has to make the tough
:18:52. > :19:01.decisions. Every decision that we make is for
:19:01. > :19:06.the club. It is not just for me myself. It is for the club.
:19:06. > :19:13.Leicester legend Martin O'Neill is thought to be a number one target
:19:13. > :19:21.to replace Sven Goran Eriksson. I have not picked anyone yet. I
:19:21. > :19:29.have to see all the applications. Then that we decide later. We have
:19:29. > :19:39.made no contact yet. What kind of manager would you like? Anyone who
:19:39. > :19:40.
:19:40. > :19:48.can bring the team up! He must have a hunger and want to go to the
:19:48. > :19:53.Premier League. He must motivate the team. Anyone who can bring the
:19:53. > :20:03.team up. There we have it. What have we learnt today about who the
:20:03. > :20:04.
:20:04. > :20:14.new manager might be? Our sports editor has his own thoughts.
:20:14. > :20:16.
:20:16. > :20:23.You spend 15 minutes with him. We know that he wants a motivator. He
:20:23. > :20:26.is not Mrs Sally looking for an international name. He said there
:20:26. > :20:31.are a lot of applications. He said he will not speak to anyone until
:20:32. > :20:36.he has read all of them. I would be amazed if there has not been
:20:36. > :20:39.informal contact with Martin O'Neill to discuss what Leicester
:20:39. > :20:44.would have to do to tempt him to come here.
:20:44. > :20:50.What about the other front-runners? Anything on them?
:20:50. > :20:53.No comment from Mark Hughes. Lee Clark, and Simon Grayson, have
:20:53. > :21:00.dismissed suggestions they would be interested.
:21:00. > :21:03.We have spoken to the adviser of Billy Davies, he is coy, and he
:21:03. > :21:07.says he expects Billy Davies to return to management by the end of
:21:07. > :21:11.next month, but could that be at the King Power Stadium?
:21:11. > :21:17.I wonder. Thank you.
:21:17. > :21:22.Last night Notts County extended their unbeaten run to four games
:21:22. > :21:26.end after ruling and controversial draw with Bury.
:21:26. > :21:30.Notts County's manager cannot believe how well his team is doing
:21:30. > :21:40.at the moment. They had to show character last night at Bury. There
:21:40. > :21:40.
:21:41. > :21:44.is a lot of disbelief around. Much of it was directed at the referee.
:21:44. > :21:48.This player could not see why he was penalised, but the penalty was
:21:48. > :21:57.given. There were three penalties awarded
:21:57. > :22:06.last night. Notts County were pressing for the
:22:06. > :22:11.equaliser and coming close. Then it the third penalty was awarded. Once
:22:11. > :22:14.more it was converted. Notts County are now 5th in the table. Good luck
:22:14. > :22:20.to them. Nottingham Panthers in action
:22:20. > :22:23.tonight against Dundee. We'll have all the action tomorrow on that. We
:22:23. > :22:29.will also have the latest one Leicester City.
:22:29. > :22:33.Thank you. More than 30,000 people are
:22:33. > :22:36.expected to celebrate Diwali in Leicester tonight.
:22:36. > :22:41.The Indian festival of light is the biggest event in the Hindu calendar
:22:41. > :22:46.and at last for five days. Every year the celebrations are the
:22:46. > :22:54.largest outside of India. Our reporter is enjoying the
:22:54. > :22:59.celebrations. Good evening. This is the heart of
:22:59. > :23:08.their Asian community in Leicester. There is plenty of live
:23:08. > :23:14.entertainment. There will be a spectacular fireworks display later.
:23:14. > :23:20.People will exchange gifts and meet with other people. It is a time of
:23:20. > :23:27.feasting and celebration, but also a time of worship. I spent the day
:23:27. > :23:33.at a temple. Catering on a grand scale to feed
:23:33. > :23:43.the thousands who will visit this temple to celebrate the most
:23:43. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:49.important date in the Hindu calendar - Diwali.
:23:49. > :23:57.This is a time to come together as a family, as a Hindu community, and
:23:57. > :24:06.celebrate. It is a part of India that has come to England. It is
:24:06. > :24:15.remembering our traditional routes. Everyone has their own busy lives.
:24:15. > :24:25.During Diwali it is extra-special. Diwali is a time for food cannily -
:24:25. > :24:27.
:24:27. > :24:34.- food, family, worship. This is the festival of light.
:24:34. > :24:39.Families should forget feuds and misunderstandings and come together.
:24:40. > :24:47.Garlands are need to decorate the deities. Home-made food is deleted.
:24:47. > :24:53.Diwali is all about food. It is pure vegetarian. It is offered to
:24:53. > :24:59.the deities. That turned it into sacred food. We event of it to
:24:59. > :25:04.everyone who comes in. 10,000 worshippers are expected here at
:25:04. > :25:08.this new temple. It is the first major festival in this temple since
:25:08. > :25:14.it opened. Plenty is going on here tonight as
:25:14. > :25:19.you can see. The fireworks displays at 8:30pm. If you cannot get down
:25:19. > :25:29.here there is a special evening of programming on BBC Radio Leicester.
:25:29. > :25:35.From all as here have agreed Diwali. If you cannot get down there you
:25:35. > :25:44.can watch more at 10:25pm on BBC can watch more at 10:25pm on BBC
:25:44. > :25:54.One this evening. Here is the weather: This guys are starting to
:25:54. > :25:56.
:25:56. > :26:06.clear. -- the skies. It will be a chilly night. It is a southerly
:26:06. > :26:06.
:26:06. > :26:12.breeze. A very nice evening. Happy Diwali.
:26:12. > :26:15.Under these clear skies than normal temperature will be seven Celsius.
:26:15. > :26:25.That will change in the early hours of the morning. A weather front is
:26:25. > :26:26.
:26:26. > :26:33.pushing up from the south will stop -- from the south. It looks as if
:26:33. > :26:43.they are heavier rain will be in the west of our region. The further
:26:43. > :26:44.
:26:44. > :26:54.east you are, it will still be showery. It will feel cooler. A
:26:54. > :27:02.maximum temperature of 12 Celsius. This is the picture for Friday.
:27:02. > :27:12.That is low cloud. That could lead to early morning fog. The skies
:27:12. > :27:13.
:27:13. > :27:20.will gradually start to Brighton. - - start to Brighton. At the weekend
:27:20. > :27:27.the winds will strengthen. It will be a reasonable weekend. There will
:27:27. > :27:34.be some sunny spells. On Sunday the wind will start to get stronger