:00:00. > :00:00.weather. Not a wash-out but stay tuned for the details.
:00:00. > :00:23.Guilty ` Michael Francis and his friend Mark Lewis robbed
:00:24. > :00:25.and then murdered 26`year`old Jamie McMahon, leaving his body
:00:26. > :00:34.The biotech boom ` could we attract even more companies to the Dast
:00:35. > :00:46.And the international row about the sale of this 4,000`year`old statue.
:00:47. > :00:50.First tonight ` more on the dispute that's brought thousands
:00:51. > :00:54.of public sector workers across the East out on strike todax.
:00:55. > :00:58.Members of six unions are t`king part in the day of action.
:00:59. > :01:02.The Fire Brigades Union, the civil service union, PCS, Unite,
:01:03. > :01:07.Unison, the GMB and the National Union of Teachers.
:01:08. > :01:11.Across the region the strikd action led to over 160 schools
:01:12. > :01:13.being closed or partially closed with Cambridgeshire being hht the
:01:14. > :01:20.The government has condemned the action
:01:21. > :01:23.and claimed most public sector employees were working norm`lly
:01:24. > :01:34.The flags and banners were out and so too were the umbrell`s.
:01:35. > :01:37.Around 500 or 600 public sector workers joined
:01:38. > :01:46.Gary from Wellingborough has been a firefighter for 16 years.
:01:47. > :01:51.He is angry about proposed changes to pensions and the retiremdnt age.
:01:52. > :01:57.Not any more than what I signed up for when I joined the Fire Service.
:01:58. > :02:00.I transferred a pension and three private pensions
:02:01. > :02:07.Sue Thompson from Cambridge has been a primary
:02:08. > :02:12.She's protesting about an increasing workload.
:02:13. > :02:14.Over the past two years, my workload has gone up by 20%.
:02:15. > :02:22.It is admin and bureaucracy which is to keep me under control,
:02:23. > :02:31.Chris worked on building mahntenance for Cambridge City Council but
:02:32. > :02:38.if they have fallen in real terms and he now wants an increasd.
:02:39. > :02:44.We have taken our share of the burden of the economx
:02:45. > :02:49.Times are getting a little bit better
:02:50. > :02:52.and I feel we are entitled to have a reasonable living wage increase.
:02:53. > :02:54.This is the protest march that has been
:02:55. > :02:59.In places, it has brought the city centre to a standstill
:03:00. > :03:02.This is after all the members of six public sector unions all out
:03:03. > :03:06.A similar march through Luton, then a rally attended
:03:07. > :03:12.Staff at Northampton General Hospital were
:03:13. > :03:16.Their long`running dispute hs with hospital bosses over pay
:03:17. > :03:22.Teachers were also on strikd, like those here in Bedford.
:03:23. > :03:25.Across the region, 160 schools were either partially or
:03:26. > :03:30.An MP seemed to suggest truancy`style fines for teachers
:03:31. > :03:36.Parents are subject to fines if they take their children out
:03:37. > :03:42.Such legislation does not apply to teachers who might deny lo`ds of
:03:43. > :03:48.Will my honourable friend bdar in mind this point when drawing up
:03:49. > :03:52.the legislation to prevent such industrial action in schools?
:03:53. > :03:58.The government insist there is no money and savings must be m`de.
:03:59. > :04:04.The unions threatening further strikes.
:04:05. > :04:07.Stewart Jackson is the MP for Peterborough.
:04:08. > :04:11.Earlier I asked him for his reaction to today's strhkes
:04:12. > :04:15.Well, obviously I am very disappointed particularly as
:04:16. > :04:19.in some cases the trade unions were allegedly in discussions with the
:04:20. > :04:22.government over things like pay and pensions and working condithons
:04:23. > :04:26.I think, in terms of teachers, they don't have a mandate
:04:27. > :04:34.I think, generally, most public service workers are dedicatdd and
:04:35. > :04:42.But within those two years, surely not enough has been done
:04:43. > :04:44.by the government or they wouldn't feel the need to strike tod`y?
:04:45. > :04:51.You either increase public sector pay or you lose jobs.
:04:52. > :04:58.In the case of teachers, thdy still have relatively good pensions,
:04:59. > :05:06.Obviously, some change is always going to happen in a profession
:05:07. > :05:11.But they are not the only ones that have been out on strikd.
:05:12. > :05:18.This is the third struggle teachers, 14th for firefighters,
:05:19. > :05:28.they clearly feel the government is not doing enough.
:05:29. > :05:31.Both teachers and firefightdrs and the police have some
:05:32. > :05:34.of the most generous public sector pensions in Europe.
:05:35. > :05:36.I think that hasn't changed under either government.
:05:37. > :05:41.We have got to reduce the ddficit, protect jobs and public services.
:05:42. > :05:47.And just going out constantly on strike, inconveniencing
:05:48. > :05:50.taxpayers and assuming that what goes for the private sector
:05:51. > :05:53.shouldn't go for them and they are immune to these changes,
:05:54. > :05:59.Today, the Kettering MP Philip Hollobone
:06:00. > :06:02.has come forward to say that teachers should face truancx`style
:06:03. > :06:09.I think the government needs to look at all the legislation
:06:10. > :06:14.Because of course the right to strike,
:06:15. > :06:17.withdraw your labour, is sacrosanct, part of our British tradition.
:06:18. > :06:22.But I think it needs to be based on popular mandate, a recent
:06:23. > :06:26.popular mandate, not a ballot two years ago for rolling strikds.
:06:27. > :06:31.I think ministers will have to look at whether these rolling strikes are
:06:32. > :06:35.appropriate and whether we can use legislathon to
:06:36. > :06:44.We cannot describe the agonx and the worry we endured `
:06:45. > :06:46.the words of Jamie McMahon's family after Michael Francis is fotnd
:06:47. > :06:51.Today a jury at Northampton Crown Court found 33`year`old
:06:52. > :06:56.Michael Francis guilty of mtrdering and robbing the 26`year`old in a
:06:57. > :07:02.A 19`year`old man, Mark Lewhs, has already admitted murder.
:07:03. > :07:06.Jamie McMahon died from head injuries
:07:07. > :07:10.after being kicked to the ground and attacked by both Lewis and Francis.
:07:11. > :07:19.Mike Cartwright is outside Northampton Crown Court for us now.
:07:20. > :07:28.before hearing the verdict today, the family and friends of J`mie
:07:29. > :07:32.McMahon all held hands. Hearing the guilty verdict for
:07:33. > :07:38.robbery, there were aghast. Hearing the guilty verdict for murddr,
:07:39. > :07:43.tears. A sense of relief th`t is ten months into this case, they got
:07:44. > :07:48.justice. `` ten months after the event, they got justice. Two shadowy
:07:49. > :07:55.figures on a mission to rob and steal. Looking for easy pickings. On
:07:56. > :08:02.the left, Mark Lewis, aged 09. And Michael Francis, 33. They found
:08:03. > :08:10.Jamie McMahon. He was robbed, pick `` kicks and left for dead. Today,
:08:11. > :08:13.his friends and family spokd of the anguish they had been through. Nine
:08:14. > :08:18.months of sleepless nights. Might get a couple tonight. That pretty
:08:19. > :08:26.much sums it up. Can't stop your heart beating, but with everything
:08:27. > :08:29.the way it has been, it has been a nightmare from the word go. Jamie
:08:30. > :08:37.was my best friend for many years. He was the most decent man H have
:08:38. > :08:44.ever met. He was fun, outgohng, just generally decent, decent man. These
:08:45. > :08:51.images the last of Jamie alhve. In a takeaway, after his last th`t after
:08:52. > :09:00.a night out. Jamie McMahon sat on the bench and Mark Lewis and Michael
:09:01. > :09:05.Francis approached him. He tried to escape and tripped and fell. Mark
:09:06. > :09:10.Lewis repeatedly stamped on him so hard that an impression of ` trainer
:09:11. > :09:15.was left on his face. Meanwhile Michael Francis took his wallet
:09:16. > :09:21.Leaving him lying face down on the ground, they walked away. This was a
:09:22. > :09:25.callous, violent attack and one of the most shocking things was how
:09:26. > :09:28.they walked away down the the main shopping street in
:09:29. > :09:32.Northampton as if happened, nothing untoward had
:09:33. > :09:38.happened. In the blue, is M`rk Lewis, Michael Francis is ftrther
:09:39. > :09:42.away. After carrying out a brutal murder, they spend their spoils on
:09:43. > :09:49.cigarettes, sandwiches and crisps. Then they strolled home. Today,
:09:50. > :09:55.outside court, Jamie's family emerged. Their words were spoken by
:09:56. > :10:00.a policeman. People say timd is a great healer. In this case, it will
:10:01. > :10:05.never be. We are broken, a large piece of us is missing. He was in
:10:06. > :10:14.the wrong place at the wrong time, the court was told. A 26`ye`r`old
:10:15. > :10:18.who lost his life all ?20 in his wallet and an iPhone sold for just
:10:19. > :10:23.?10 more. In court, there wdre strong word said by the famhly
:10:24. > :10:28.involved. But there was applause and high praise for the prosecution and
:10:29. > :10:34.the police. Jamie's family thought it was a job well done. But in their
:10:35. > :10:37.statement, they said there were no winners in the case, only losers.
:10:38. > :10:39.Sentencing will happen in dte course.
:10:40. > :10:42.One person has died in a serious accident on the M11 in Essex.
:10:43. > :10:44.The motorway is closed southbound and is not expected
:10:45. > :10:51.on the southbound carriagew`y between Junction 7 and 6.
:10:52. > :10:53.There are long delays in the area and drivers are being
:10:54. > :10:58.advised to avoid the area for the next few hours.
:10:59. > :11:01.Fifteen years ago Anglian W`ter had one of the worst leakage rates
:11:02. > :11:06.Nearly a fifth of the region's water supply is lost every single
:11:07. > :11:11.Today the company has been installing giant valves to pipes
:11:12. > :11:25.across Peterborough as part of its so`called "war on le`ks"
:11:26. > :11:33.It years ago, this burst tr`ffic main brought this road in
:11:34. > :11:38.Peterborough to a standstill. Link like this cost Anglian Water
:11:39. > :11:42.millions of pounds a year to repair. They are hoping a new schemd will
:11:43. > :11:48.cut leaks are radically. Outside Peterborough, they are inst`lling
:11:49. > :11:52.four giant files to control the speed flow through the pipes. The
:11:53. > :11:58.more pressure than goes to weak points on the mains, the system is
:11:59. > :12:04.put into reduced pressure on the mains to stop the bus. It ghves us a
:12:05. > :12:10.60% less berths on the systdm. The problem is historic, the system was
:12:11. > :12:15.built using iron pipes which unlike plastic ones, often break. Hn 1 99,
:12:16. > :12:24.when the industry was privatised, leakage for angry litres th`t angry
:12:25. > :12:30.water was 300 litres. Now it is around 70% of the region's water
:12:31. > :12:36.supply. The company is hoping to cut that further 272 million litres
:12:37. > :12:40.which is still a huge amount, but angry water say that zero lhtres is
:12:41. > :12:46.unaffordable, it would take decades to afford and take taking up every
:12:47. > :12:51.road in the region. This is a totally different way of managing
:12:52. > :12:57.the network. We are moving from responding to makes and while we
:12:58. > :13:00.will still do that, we are going to preventing them happening. Ht is a
:13:01. > :13:05.sea change. The company says households will not see any region
:13:06. > :13:07.`` see any difference to water pressure. It is planning to roll the
:13:08. > :13:10.scheme out across the region. Stansted Airport has seen
:13:11. > :13:11.its biggest monthly increasd in The airport is considering proposals
:13:12. > :13:15.to expand and will soon beghn Around 18 million people usd
:13:16. > :13:19.the airport annually, but it has planning permisshon to
:13:20. > :13:22.grow to 35 million travellers An appeal has been launched to
:13:23. > :13:29.identify a young man with Robert as he has been called was
:13:30. > :13:35.discovered in Peterborough hn May. He can't recall any details
:13:36. > :13:37.of his life including He had nothing with him
:13:38. > :13:44.to give any clues as to who he is. He speaks English but his accent
:13:45. > :13:48.is possibly eastern European. Those caring
:13:49. > :13:50.for him say there has been no improvement in his condition and are
:13:51. > :14:07.calling on the public to help. We know that people who end up
:14:08. > :14:11.getting amnesia of this kind, something is associated with
:14:12. > :14:17.depression. It is also established that people get this after lajor
:14:18. > :14:19.trauma. But in Robert's casd, we don't know anything.
:14:20. > :14:21.Two of the region's cathedr`ls are to receive thousands of pounds
:14:22. > :14:26.Peterborough and Northampton Cathedrals are in line for the money
:14:27. > :14:29.which is part of the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs fund.
:14:30. > :14:32.Northampton Cathedral will get ?35,000 to pay for the removal
:14:33. > :14:36.and restoration of historic stained glass whndows.
:14:37. > :14:39.Peterborough Cathedral will receive ?15,000 to help waterproof
:14:40. > :15:11.Still to come, unlocking thd potential of the M M 11 corridor.
:15:12. > :15:14.And bringing the magic of computer technology to the developing world.
:15:15. > :15:17.There has been a new development this evenhng in a
:15:18. > :15:20.row over a plan to sell an Dgyptian statue which is 4,000 years old
:15:21. > :15:23.It belongs to Northampton Council, and will go under the hammer
:15:24. > :15:26.at Christie's in London in just a few minutes.
:15:27. > :15:29.It's expected to sell for about ?6 million.
:15:30. > :15:33.But, now, the Egyptian government has told
:15:34. > :15:36.Look East it wants the statte back, and it shouldn't be sold.
:15:37. > :15:40.Once on view to the people of Northampton,
:15:41. > :15:43.this ancient Egyptian statud is now on view to potential buyers.
:15:44. > :15:48.Valued at ?6 million, the 4,000`year`old limestond carving
:15:49. > :15:54.This evening's sale of the statue has sparked
:15:55. > :16:04.The country's ambassador to the UK told me why.
:16:05. > :16:12.It would have to be for public viewing, the students, for
:16:13. > :16:18.researchers, for any single Egyptian who wants to come as a part of his
:16:19. > :16:29.country. But, sending it and making money out of it, selling itdms, if
:16:30. > :16:30.they don't want it, give it back to its country.
:16:31. > :16:31.For the past four years, this statue has been kept
:16:32. > :16:34.The borough council argues ht is not in keeping with the rest
:16:35. > :16:37.It says the sale will fund a redevelopment
:16:38. > :16:41.It says the sale will fund a redevelopment of the town's
:16:42. > :16:46.Local campaigners are trying to stop accreditation which, in turn,
:16:47. > :16:53.The leader of the council says the sald is
:16:54. > :17:00.You're convinced this is sthll the right thing to do?
:17:01. > :17:04.It has not been on display for four years, no`one has asked for it to be
:17:05. > :17:07.on display to see it, we've had it for over 100 years in North`mpton,
:17:08. > :17:14.We want to expand, and we need to raise money, which is
:17:15. > :17:18.Campaigners in Northampton say they are devastated tonight's
:17:19. > :17:26.But they said they have not finished yet.
:17:27. > :17:31.We will still carry on, with the legal bits and pieces.
:17:32. > :17:33.We will try and stop the export should ht be
:17:34. > :17:39.And we are talking to the Egyptians, because they are
:17:40. > :17:58.With the auction minutes aw`y, it seems no matter the pressurd can
:17:59. > :18:03.stop this sale. Today, Arts Council in and said it would review the
:18:04. > :18:10.accreditation of Northampton. Northampton Borough Council may well
:18:11. > :18:13.raise much`needed funds but it could pay the price in the troubld this
:18:14. > :18:16.sale provokes. Business leaders gathered in London
:18:17. > :18:18.today to discuss ways of boosting The east is currently home to more
:18:19. > :18:23.than a thousand such companhes, many of them between Cambridge
:18:24. > :18:25.and London. What they do is turn scienthfic
:18:26. > :18:27.research into medicines. Our business correspondent, Richard
:18:28. > :18:30.Bond, was at today's conferdnce Richard,
:18:31. > :18:44.where are these companies exactly? The conference was held by ` body
:18:45. > :18:47.called the London Stansted Cambridge Consortium which gives you `n idea.
:18:48. > :18:53.It is part of Cambridge, Essex and Hertfordshire. The consortitm says,
:18:54. > :18:58.in that cluster, there 1400 life sciences businesses employing 4 ,000
:18:59. > :19:02.people. The main centres it includes the Cambridge biomedical calpus
:19:03. > :19:09.Stevenage, and the Harlow enterprise zone.
:19:10. > :19:13.What do we need to do to help these businesses to flourish?
:19:14. > :19:17.The Government can see the potential of life sciences and is protecting
:19:18. > :19:21.the science budget despite austerity. There are a numbdr of
:19:22. > :19:26.concerns, particularly in transport. A feeling life sciences
:19:27. > :19:30.is a global industry, peopld need to globe trot and we need bettdr
:19:31. > :19:35.connectivity. Stansted is great for short`haul, it
:19:36. > :19:40.flies to over 150 destinations in Europe. The problem is the long haul
:19:41. > :19:47.destinations to America, Boston Singapore, which are high knowledge
:19:48. > :19:50.economies that Cambridge is crying out for. At the conference, we have
:19:51. > :19:56.heard some people are taking four hours to get from Cambridge to
:19:57. > :20:03.Heathrow which is not doing us any good. Another big concern is skills.
:20:04. > :20:06.Are taking four hours to get from Cambridge to Heathrow which is not
:20:07. > :20:08.doing us any good. Another big concern is skills. I'll be
:20:09. > :20:10.One of the problems is studdnts not studying the subject in need,
:20:11. > :20:16.specifically around growth sectors like science, engineering and maths.
:20:17. > :20:19.We go into schools and excite them about the careers so that they can
:20:20. > :20:22.see what possible exciting technologies they can be involved in
:20:23. > :20:27.and the career paths open to them, get them hooked at a young `ge.
:20:28. > :20:36.training but we're not going to get new roads?
:20:37. > :20:40.The region has great potenthal but an indifferent infrastructure which
:20:41. > :20:46.needs huge investment. Transport and skills are not the only are`s, we
:20:47. > :20:49.need house`building for people who want to work in this industry and to
:20:50. > :20:54.be able to afford to live hdre. we don't get some of these
:20:55. > :20:56.improvements, then these new jobs, the growth with it, will go
:20:57. > :20:57.elsewhere. These days,
:20:58. > :21:00.most of us have access to a computer, everything from a PC or
:21:01. > :21:03.lap to, to a tablet or smartphone. But in the developing world
:21:04. > :21:06.they are still quite rare. That's why a charity run by
:21:07. > :21:08.Luke Doyle from Bedfordshird is Behind these shanty walls,
:21:09. > :21:20.magic is happening. A little boy shows
:21:21. > :21:22.his father how to use a tablet. In another house,
:21:23. > :21:25.a crowd has gathered, mesmerised It frustrated me that polithcians
:21:26. > :21:39.and people working for the aid agencies in Bangladesh
:21:40. > :21:42.on big salaries, their kids were going to private schools,
:21:43. > :21:44.they were getting a good edtcation. But for the poorer kids, it was OK
:21:45. > :21:48.to make do and keep it basic. So, I guess our goal is to have that
:21:49. > :21:51.high standard of paid education Three years ago, Luke Doyle,
:21:52. > :21:59.a teacher from Bedfordshire, left his home comforts,
:22:00. > :22:07.his steady income, to teach the poorest children in Bangladdsh's
:22:08. > :22:16.capital Dhaka about computers. His charity,
:22:17. > :22:19.Computers Are Free For Everxone We started just with one colputer
:22:20. > :22:24.which we put in a shop So we got four computers, one
:22:25. > :22:31.teacher. We had a line outside the door
:22:32. > :22:35.of students wanting to join. His parents gave up retiremdnt to
:22:36. > :22:47.run the Charity Shop in Bedford That helps,
:22:48. > :22:50.but with Luke planning an app to teach preschool children and their
:22:51. > :22:54.parents to read, that needs the money. Big companies, they `re not
:22:55. > :22:56.prepared to take the risk on it If they could see what is achieved,
:22:57. > :23:02.saw the app he's developing, The mums and dads don't know how to
:23:03. > :23:14.read and write, so the kids don t. Then they go to school and `re
:23:15. > :23:17.at a disadvantage straight `way This way, what Luke is doing,
:23:18. > :23:20.they are on top. Here in Dhaka, a quality edtcation
:23:21. > :23:22.was the preserve of the rich. Thousands
:23:23. > :23:31.of public sector workers in this region have been on strike today,
:23:32. > :23:34.in a protest over pay and pdnsions. Dozens of schools,
:23:35. > :23:36.libraries and other governmdnt Our political correspondent,
:23:37. > :24:00.Andrew Sinclair, is outside Norfolk The region did not grind to a halt
:24:01. > :24:04.today. If you didn't have to visit a Government office today and if your
:24:05. > :24:07.children were taught by non`NDT teachers, you may not have noticed
:24:08. > :24:11.there was a strike taking place Partly because of changes to
:24:12. > :24:15.legislation, partly because many people are not members of a trade
:24:16. > :24:20.union these days. It is impossible for trade unions to have a big
:24:21. > :24:26.impact on action that they tsed to have 20 years ago. Having s`id that,
:24:27. > :24:30.the rallies were well attended. I have seen better attended r`llies
:24:31. > :24:34.but when you consider the wdather, a lot of people came out todax which
:24:35. > :24:39.suggests a lot of people suffering under austerity and still
:24:40. > :24:45.want to protest. We have had a there any sign that things will get
:24:46. > :24:49.better for No, I think they will get worse
:24:50. > :24:53.Austerity has a This Government wants the ptblic
:24:54. > :24:58.sector pay capped until 2018. Even if we have a change
:24:59. > :25:05.of Government next year, said they are committed to this
:25:06. > :25:11.Government's spending plans and have warned unions not to expect any
:25:12. > :25:24.LIVE. next few years will be
:25:25. > :25:32.Some counties, it has been puite treacherous, with heavy rain. To the
:25:33. > :25:38.west of it, parts of Northamptonshire didn't get away
:25:39. > :25:41.with too bad a day. The beh`viour of this weather fronts will govern the
:25:42. > :25:47.evening. Heavy downpours ard possible pretty much anywhere this
:25:48. > :25:53.evening and overnight. Therd is a Met Office yellow weather w`rning
:25:54. > :25:57.out for this heavy rain, it poses quite a problem. Already
:25:58. > :26:01.roads, not great driving conditions, the risk of local flooding.
:26:02. > :26:06.The weather front will move further east over the next few hours, moving
:26:07. > :26:14.west again overnight. The colours show heavy downpours among
:26:15. > :26:18.that band of rain. Graduallx making its way south
:26:19. > :26:25.of some sea fog developing. For many of us, temperatures staying in
:26:26. > :26:27.double figures tonight, up to 1 degrees.
:26:28. > :26:33.We start tomorrow, hopefullx, this rain will move away swiftly. It is
:26:34. > :26:39.likely to click in the south. This eve of lingering in some parts of
:26:40. > :26:42.the region. The chance of any cloud left behind will break in the
:26:43. > :26:46.afternoon. Then we could sed some sunshine. It will feel warm and
:26:47. > :26:52.humid in places. Some parts getting up to the mid`20s. This posds the
:26:53. > :26:55.threat of heavy showers. Anx of these showers could develop into
:26:56. > :27:02.thunderstorms in the afternoon. It looks largely dry across the
:27:03. > :27:10.region but be aware of thosd showers. There is a risk.
:27:11. > :27:15.The warm air stays in place for the weekend. A good thing in sole ways,
:27:16. > :27:19.it will feel quite pleasant. It might feel humid at times. The best
:27:20. > :27:24.of the weather is on Saturd`y morning with sunshine. In the
:27:25. > :27:29.afternoon, there could be possibly thundery showers. A similar pattern
:27:30. > :27:32.on Sunday. Not so much humility There could be a settled st`rt to
:27:33. > :27:37.next week. `` humidity. Join us again after the
:27:38. > :27:40.Ten O'Clock News. with some new adventures to share
:27:41. > :28:03.with YOUR little ones. Please, double please.
:28:04. > :28:11.We're going to Dad's office today. These look really yummy.
:28:12. > :28:17.I'm so excited about going to school.