17/03/2014 BBC News at Six


17/03/2014

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Union impose sanctions against top Russian officials. EU foreign

:00:09.:00:15.

ministers say officials backing the break-away Crimean region will face

:00:16.:00:17.

travel bans and see their assets abroad frozen. America also imposes

:00:18.:00:24.

sanctions. The international community will continue to stand

:00:25.:00:28.

together to impose any violations of the Ukrainian sovereignty and

:00:29.:00:33.

continued Russian military intervention in Ukraine will only

:00:34.:00:35.

deepen Russia's diplomatic isolation. It's the worst threat to

:00:36.:00:39.

east west relations since the Cold War. We'll have the latest.

:00:40.:00:41.

Also tonight, Mick Jagger's long term girlfriend, fashion designer

:00:42.:00:44.

L'wren Scott is found dead in her apartment.

:00:45.:00:48.

The mystery of flight MH 370, investigators say the co-pilot was

:00:49.:00:50.

the last person to speak to ground controllers.

:00:51.:00:57.

Backing from the government after a new report says plans for HS2 should

:00:58.:01:01.

be speeded up. It happened in less than a

:01:02.:01:04.

trillionth of a second after the big bang. New evidence about the start

:01:05.:01:14.

of the universe. Tonight on BBC London: Back on

:01:15.:01:17.

track, anger as plans for a massive redevelopment of Euston station are

:01:18.:01:19.

unveiled again. And walking free from court, a

:01:20.:01:22.

former mafia boss living in London wins his appeal against extradition.

:01:23.:01:41.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. First the diplomacy,

:01:42.:01:47.

then the warnings and now the action. America and the European

:01:48.:01:50.

Union have announced sanctions against senior Russian officials

:01:51.:01:52.

who've backed Ukraine's break-away Crimean region. Today Crimea's

:01:53.:01:57.

parliament has declared its independence and decided to join

:01:58.:01:59.

Russia. It follows yesterday's referendum in Crimea in which

:02:00.:02:02.

officials say 97% of voters chose to leave Ukraine. The United States and

:02:03.:02:10.

the European Union say the vote broke international law. So now

:02:11.:02:14.

they've announced travel bans and asset freezes against a number of

:02:15.:02:17.

top officials from Russia and Ukraine. In a moment, more of

:02:18.:02:23.

today's diplomacy from our correspondent Bridget Kendall. But

:02:24.:02:25.

first, this report from Daniel Sandford in the Crimean capital,

:02:26.:02:37.

Simferopol. Under the statue of Lenin in the

:02:38.:02:42.

centre of the Crimean capital, they were still celebrating yesterday's

:02:43.:02:46.

referendum. A vote to break away from Ukraine and join Russia, a vote

:02:47.:02:52.

that has plunged Europe into crisis. In the Crimean parliament, the first

:02:53.:02:56.

stage was to declare independence from Ukraine. From there, the Prime

:02:57.:03:04.

Minister flew straight to Moscow to formally ask President Vladimir

:03:05.:03:07.

Putin to annex Crimea to the Russian Federation. Russian troops and

:03:08.:03:12.

armour still surround the Ukrainian Armed Forces in premier but the

:03:13.:03:17.

Ukrainian defence Minister insisted that there will be no retreat.

:03:18.:03:23.

TRANSLATION: Crimea was, is and will be a Ukrainian territory. Our

:03:24.:03:27.

military will stay there and we will solve this problem in a peaceful and

:03:28.:03:33.

diplomatic way. We drove north from Simferopol to a strategic town near

:03:34.:03:37.

where Crimea joins the Ukrainian mainland. They are, we found a new

:03:38.:03:43.

Russian military base and a mobile radar station on what had been a

:03:44.:03:48.

disused airfield until a fortnight ago. Far from relaxing, the Russians

:03:49.:03:55.

are reinforcing what may soon be a disputed border with Ukraine. Then,

:03:56.:04:01.

a group of men claiming to be from the People's militia asked us to

:04:02.:04:07.

leave. Although the referendum is now over, there is still a huge

:04:08.:04:11.

Russian military presence in Crimea. All day, we have been

:04:12.:04:15.

filming trucks coming and going on the main road from Crimea to

:04:16.:04:21.

mainland Ukraine. In this small town near the base, people were also

:04:22.:04:28.

salivating. Alexi, a freelance writer, was helping his parents on

:04:29.:04:33.

their market stall and hopes that Crimea's moved back into the Russian

:04:34.:04:36.

fold will improve the economy. We believe in one thing, in a better

:04:37.:04:43.

life in future. Not as part of Ukraine. But the price that will be

:04:44.:04:48.

paid for the future is an international crisis. Months or even

:04:49.:04:53.

years of uncertainty and a new stand-off between Russia and the

:04:54.:04:59.

West. Announcing the sanctions, President

:05:00.:05:01.

Barack Obama said there was a still a chance for diplomacy to work, but

:05:02.:05:05.

one of his officials said the measures were the toughest since the

:05:06.:05:09.

Cold War. Here's our diplomatic correspondent, Bridget Kendall.

:05:10.:05:20.

At last night's euphoria, now the consequences. In Crimea, the

:05:21.:05:25.

referendum results to break away from Ukraine was for Russian

:05:26.:05:32.

speakers a cause for celebration. But in Kiev and the West, it is an

:05:33.:05:38.

illegal move and must be resisted. So both EU and the United States

:05:39.:05:45.

today new sanctions. The international community will

:05:46.:05:48.

continue to stand together to oppose any violation of Ukrainians

:05:49.:05:53.

offertory and territorial integrity and continued Russian military

:05:54.:05:55.

intervention in Ukraine will only deepen Russia's diplomatic

:05:56.:06:00.

isolation. These sanctions are aimed at those closely involved in trying

:06:01.:06:05.

to split off Crimea from Kiev. Travel bans on those behind the

:06:06.:06:11.

Russian military build-up and asset freezes. European sanctions on 21

:06:12.:06:14.

people and 11 named by the Americans, including a deputy

:06:15.:06:19.

Russian Prime Minister, the ousted Ukrainian president, Viktor

:06:20.:06:25.

Yanukovych, and Crimea's separatist leaders. And there is a warning of

:06:26.:06:30.

more sanctions to follow. In Moscow, one of the officials targeted

:06:31.:06:32.

dismissed the sections as political blackmail. President Putin's

:06:33.:06:36.

reaction will come in a big speech he is giving tomorrow. In the

:06:37.:06:40.

meantime, his government have laid out of conditions for negotiation

:06:41.:06:43.

and made clear that it backs Crimea's call to reunite with

:06:44.:06:52.

Russia. TRANSLATION: I expect the majority of the Ukrainian population

:06:53.:06:56.

will respect this convincing result. So what does Russia wants? Well,

:06:57.:07:00.

firstly, constitutional reform, to devolve powers to Ukraine's Russian

:07:01.:07:06.

speaking regions. And a cast-iron UN guaranteed that Ukraine will stay

:07:07.:07:10.

neutral and not join the EU or NATO. It also once Russian language to be

:07:11.:07:15.

given equal status to Ukrainian. So far, so good, but Russia also

:07:16.:07:19.

insists that Crimea's referendum vote to leave Ukraine must be

:07:20.:07:23.

respected and there is no way that either the West or Kiev will agree

:07:24.:07:28.

to that. Already, it has been ruled out by Ukraine's acting president.

:07:29.:07:34.

We are ready for talks with Russia, he said today, but we will never

:07:35.:07:39.

accept the annexation of our territory. So all Ukraine can do is

:07:40.:07:42.

dig in to protect its borders from further incursions as tensions with

:07:43.:07:49.

Russia set to escalate. The fashion designer and girlfriend

:07:50.:07:51.

of Mick Jagger, L'Wren Scott, has been found dead at her apartment in

:07:52.:07:55.

New York. She was 49 and was found hanged this morning. She'd been in a

:07:56.:07:58.

relationship with the Rolling Stones singer for about 13 years. A

:07:59.:08:03.

spokesman said he was "completely shocked and devastated". Our Arts

:08:04.:08:16.

Correspondent David Sillito reports. L'wren Scott had been a model,

:08:17.:08:21.

stylist and, in recent years, a successful fashion designer. She had

:08:22.:08:23.

shown collections at London Fashion Week. Elegant, articulate, the

:08:24.:08:29.

epitome of upmarket glamour. Our business is expanding in Europe and

:08:30.:08:33.

the Middle East, moving into Asia. However, today her body was found in

:08:34.:08:37.

her New York apartment. Initial reports say that she was found with

:08:38.:08:41.

a scarf around her neck, attached to a door. Born in Utah in the states,

:08:42.:08:50.

at six, she towered over her partner of the last 13 years, Mick Jagger.

:08:51.:08:56.

He is today in Perth, Australia, appearing for concerts with the

:08:57.:09:00.

Rolling Stones. A spokesman said he was completely shocked and

:09:01.:09:03.

devastated by the news. As first wife, Bianca Jagger, said she was

:09:04.:09:07.

heartbroken. Tributes come from friends and fellow designers are

:09:08.:09:12.

describing her as a talented artist and giving friend.

:09:13.:09:14.

Let's speak to our Correspondent Nick Bryant who's in New York. This

:09:15.:09:20.

story only broke in the last couple of hours. What more can you tell us?

:09:21.:09:28.

Her body was found at 10am this morning, four hours ago, by her

:09:29.:09:32.

personal assistant. She had received a text message from L'wren Scott

:09:33.:09:36.

reportedly saying come round and when she did, she opened the door

:09:37.:09:40.

with her own key and found her lifeless body. And a scarf was

:09:41.:09:45.

attached to a door knob. The theory that the police is working under is

:09:46.:09:50.

that this is a tragic suicide. There is no sign of foul play, no sign of

:09:51.:09:55.

a suicide note either. She is known as Mick Jagger's girlfriend but none

:09:56.:09:59.

as well as a very successful fashion designer here with a celebrity

:10:00.:10:04.

clientele. Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Angelina

:10:05.:10:10.

Jolie. Tributes pouring in from the fashion industry in Chelsea, where

:10:11.:10:16.

she has her luxury apartment. Only last month, five minutes from here,

:10:17.:10:20.

we were stood outside the apartment of the actor, Philip Seymour

:10:21.:10:25.

Hoffman. The authorities in Malaysia now

:10:26.:10:28.

believe the final message from the airliner that disappeared nine days

:10:29.:10:33.

ago was made by the co-pilot. 26 countries are now involved in the

:10:34.:10:37.

search which extends from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean. From Kuala

:10:38.:10:40.

Lumpur, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes sent this report.

:10:41.:10:44.

These are the last pictures of the captain and the co-pilot of flight

:10:45.:10:50.

MH370, going through security minutes before boarding the plane.

:10:51.:10:54.

Today, we learned that it is this man, the co-pilot, Fariq Abdul

:10:55.:11:00.

Hamid, who was in control of the aircraft moments before it

:11:01.:11:04.

disappeared. The initial investigation indicates that it was

:11:05.:11:13.

the co-pilot. He spoke the last time it was recorded on tape. Just two

:11:14.:11:17.

minutes after freak Abdelhamid made that last call, the plane's

:11:18.:11:23.

transponder was switched off and flight MH370 disappeared from radar

:11:24.:11:28.

screens. In the last few days, the focus of suspicion has been very

:11:29.:11:33.

much on the captain of flight MH370 but following today's revelations,

:11:34.:11:37.

the focus appears certain to switch here. Behind me is the house where

:11:38.:11:40.

27-year-old Fariq Abdul Hamid lived with his parents. Across the street

:11:41.:11:48.

is the mosque where he prayed. He is not the only suspect. This man's

:11:49.:11:53.

son, an aircraft engineer flying to a new job in Beijing, is also being

:11:54.:11:59.

investigated. For the families, the tortured wait for information drags

:12:00.:12:04.

on and on. And the area that must be searched only continues to grow.

:12:05.:12:09.

North, it stretches across western China to the shores of the Caspian

:12:10.:12:13.

Sea. To the south, from Indonesia, almost to the Antarctic. Analysts

:12:14.:12:18.

say that this mystery is unprecedented in aviation history. I

:12:19.:12:24.

think it was very well-planned. They knew what was there and what routes

:12:25.:12:31.

to go to. They practised it even. Whoever has planned this is well

:12:32.:12:35.

ahead of us. And we do not yet know where it is. It is going to be very

:12:36.:12:39.

challenging to be able to figure this out. Today, the Chinese Navy

:12:40.:12:43.

began stocking up for the long voyage into the Indian Ocean. There

:12:44.:12:47.

are now 26 countries involved in this search but whoever took the

:12:48.:12:52.

plane has left them almost no trail to follow.

:12:53.:12:58.

Confusion still surrounds the exact circumstances under which the

:12:59.:13:00.

communication system was turned off on flight MH370. A satellite company

:13:01.:13:07.

in London was the last to make contact with the systems on board

:13:08.:13:10.

the aircraft. Our Transport Correspondent Richard Westcott has

:13:11.:13:12.

been tracing the plane's last movements.

:13:13.:13:22.

March the 8th, approaching one in the morning local time. And take off

:13:23.:13:29.

at Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 climbs over the city.

:13:30.:13:35.

Nothing is a mess. We're just over half an hour into the flight,

:13:36.:13:38.

approaching the east coast of Malaysia, and this is where the

:13:39.:13:42.

first thing happened. One of the aircraft's commune occasion

:13:43.:13:54.

systems, called ACARS, was deliberately switched off. It is a

:13:55.:13:56.

simple process if you know your way around the clock ticked -- cockpit.

:13:57.:14:03.

At 20 past one, someone, thought to be the co-pilot, radio is the

:14:04.:14:07.

aircraft's final message to the leasing Air Traffic Control. All

:14:08.:14:10.

right, good night. Seemingly innocuous. Does it all the clue that

:14:11.:14:15.

something wasn't right? Normally they would have given the aircraft

:14:16.:14:20.

callsign of 370 and acknowledged the new frequency given by the control

:14:21.:14:25.

in Vietnam, and continued with the new frequency, followed by good

:14:26.:14:32.

night to Malaysia. Shortly afterwards, another important

:14:33.:14:34.

communication system, the transponder, is also apparently

:14:35.:14:38.

deliberately switched off. Malaysia military radar then seized the

:14:39.:14:46.

aircraft turnaround. Seas. The trail leads to a control room in London

:14:47.:14:51.

and a satellite network that helps aircraft to communicate. This is the

:14:52.:14:55.

area covered by the satellite over the Indian Ocean. You can see here

:14:56.:14:58.

will Asia and Vietnam, and the search area is around about here.

:14:59.:15:05.

The aircraft automatically took to a -- talked to a satellite for seven

:15:06.:15:09.

more hours proving it was either flying or have landed and kept the

:15:10.:15:14.

power on. If the ground machine has not heard from a particular unit

:15:15.:15:18.

over a set period of time, usually around about an hour, then it will

:15:19.:15:22.

send out a message saying, are you there? The machine will then receive

:15:23.:15:27.

that message if it is powered up, and it will send back a simple

:15:28.:15:31.

handshake, saying yes, I am. The fact that only one satellite saw

:15:32.:15:36.

this flight means that they cannot pinpoint an exact position. At 11

:15:37.:15:40.

minutes past eight, the aircraft fell silent. Our top story this

:15:41.:15:49.

evening. EU foreign ministers and America have imposed sanctions

:15:50.:15:51.

against top Russian officials over the crisis in Crimea. And still to

:15:52.:15:57.

come. Preparing to leave after 13 years. Britain's military role in

:15:58.:16:08.

Afghanistan draws to a close. Later on BBC London, the controversial car

:16:09.:16:12.

ban aimed at cutting pollution in Paris. We ask whether a similar

:16:13.:16:17.

scheme would work here? And one primary school macro-brother

:16:18.:16:19.

hands-on approach to lessons in food and finance.

:16:20.:16:27.

Work on the HS2 high speed rail link needs to start earlier, be carried

:16:28.:16:33.

out more quickly and go further. That's according to the new head of

:16:34.:16:37.

the project. Sir David Higgins wants the first phase of HS2, originally

:16:38.:16:40.

planned to end at Birmingham in 2026 to continue to Crewe by 2027, six

:16:41.:16:49.

years ahead of schedule. The second phase of HS2, to Leeds and

:16:50.:16:51.

Manchester could then be completed by 2030 instead of 2033. Our Chief

:16:52.:16:57.

Economics Correspondent Hugh Pym reports from Crewe. Crewe goes about

:16:58.:17:06.

its business on a day when the town has been offered a chance to play a

:17:07.:17:09.

key role in the high-speed rail project. It could now become a major

:17:10.:17:13.

hub on the route north of Birmingham. Crewe always has been a

:17:14.:17:19.

railway town but nothing like what it was in the steam age. High-speed

:17:20.:17:23.

rail offers the chance of a new departure. Phase one of the HS2

:17:24.:17:29.

project currently covers London to Birmingham but the boss wants it

:17:30.:17:31.

extended to Crewe, which, as things stand, is part of phase two. He

:17:32.:17:37.

thinks a significant new transport hub could be created there. Crewe

:17:38.:17:43.

has historically been a railway town and for good reason because it's got

:17:44.:17:46.

the North Wales services, Liverpool, West Coast and if we can have one

:17:47.:17:49.

integrated station that connects those to HS2, plus the A500 just

:17:50.:17:52.

south of it, it's a good location for a big interchange. It's an

:17:53.:17:57.

enticing prospect for local businesses in Crewe. Like this

:17:58.:18:05.

engineering firm. It modifies and fits out commercial vans for use in

:18:06.:18:09.

the catering industry. For our business, we couldn't ask for

:18:10.:18:11.

anything better. New opportunities, improved links with South and

:18:12.:18:15.

Europe, and internationally. We export a lot and we import a lot of

:18:16.:18:20.

items. But there are varying opinions on economic benefits of

:18:21.:18:23.

faster rail services to Birmingham and Crewe as well as Manchester and

:18:24.:18:30.

Leeds. The debate will continue over whether high-speed rail link really

:18:31.:18:33.

will provide a boost to economic growth long-term in the North of

:18:34.:18:36.

England, or whether it will simply offer more opportunities for

:18:37.:18:38.

commuters to get to London more quickly. I don't think it will boost

:18:39.:18:48.

the economies of towns in the north. For starters, they face the big tax

:18:49.:18:52.

bill to pay for the project and also the numerous examples both in the

:18:53.:18:55.

North and the Midlands of towns which already have vast buildings to

:18:56.:18:58.

London but fail to be transformed. -- fast rail links. Today's report

:18:59.:19:01.

also says the planned link between HS2 and the high-speed rail link to

:19:02.:19:04.

the Channel tunnel should be dropped. Instead, Euston should be

:19:05.:19:15.

redeveloped at the end of the line. Ministers say they will look

:19:16.:19:19.

carefully at the proposals. A jury at Preston Crown Court has been

:19:20.:19:21.

hearing evidence from former Conservative Party whips as the

:19:22.:19:24.

trial of the MP, Nigel Evans, enters its second week. Mr Evans, who is

:19:25.:19:27.

the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, is accused of a

:19:28.:19:30.

series of sexual offences against men. He denies all the charges,

:19:31.:19:33.

which relate to events which allegedly took place between 2002

:19:34.:19:36.

and last year. Danny Savage was in court. Week two of Nigel Evans'

:19:37.:19:39.

trial. He arrived at court today to hear evidence from fellow MPs. It

:19:40.:19:42.

focused on the fallout from an alleged sexual assault in the

:19:43.:19:45.

village of Pendleton in Lancashire five years ago. After a boozy night

:19:46.:19:48.

out at the local pub, Nigel Evans and his alleged victim went back to

:19:49.:19:52.

the MP's constituency home next door where it is claimed Mr Evans later

:19:53.:19:55.

assaulted the man who was asleep on the sofa. Afterwards, the man

:19:56.:20:00.

returned to Westminster where he complained to Conservative Party

:20:01.:20:05.

managers, known as whips. Today, they came to court to give their

:20:06.:20:09.

account of the meeting they had with him. John Randall was one of those

:20:10.:20:13.

whips present. He told the jury today they asked the man about what

:20:14.:20:17.

he wanted to happen. The alleged victim replied:

:20:18.:20:27.

The Transport Secretary Patrick McLaughlin was the Chief Whip at the

:20:28.:20:32.

meeting. He recalls being told that something had happened in Lancashire

:20:33.:20:36.

but nothing too serious. So when the man called for Nigel Evans to stand

:20:37.:20:41.

down, he thought it was a huge ask. He was being asked to give up his

:20:42.:20:44.

entire Parliamentary career for what appears to have been a

:20:45.:20:48.

misunderstanding. The whips then gave Nigel Evans a stern talking to,

:20:49.:20:52.

where he admitted making a drunken pass at the man, having misjudged

:20:53.:20:58.

the situation. He denies the sexual assault and all the other charges.

:20:59.:21:11.

The BBC says it has issued a full apology to the London School of

:21:12.:21:14.

Economics and one of its students over a Panorama programme on North

:21:15.:21:18.

Korea that used a student trip to help gain access. The BBC Trust

:21:19.:21:21.

ruled that the students on the trip did not have enough information

:21:22.:21:23.

about Panorama's involvement and the presence of reporter John Sweeney to

:21:24.:21:26.

give their informed consent. The Trust also said the tour leader had

:21:27.:21:30.

a conflict of interest because she worked for the BBC, as well as being

:21:31.:21:43.

linked to the LSE. After 13 years and the loss of 448 service

:21:44.:21:45.

personnel, Britain's military role in Afghanistan is drawing to an end.

:21:46.:21:48.

All but two military bases in Southern Afghanistan have now been

:21:49.:21:51.

closed or handed over. At the height of the war there were 137 British

:21:52.:21:55.

bases, but now all that remains is Camp Bastion and one solitary

:21:56.:21:57.

observation post nearby. Our Defence correspondent Jonathan Beale reports

:21:58.:22:04.

from Helmand. Until recently, this was the British headquarters in

:22:05.:22:09.

Helmand. Lashkar Gar is now completely empty. These British

:22:10.:22:15.

troops on a final patrol are still dressed for combat. Still wary. But

:22:16.:22:21.

their minds are now focused on going home. It's somebody's else's nation

:22:22.:22:25.

and I'm happy that they're in a much better place now but, for me, it's

:22:26.:22:29.

just job done, get home. I don't think I'll be sad to go, no. I'll

:22:30.:22:33.

miss the sun and that's about it, I'm afraid. Saws and diggers are as

:22:34.:22:40.

much now a soldier's weapon. At the height of the war, the British

:22:41.:22:44.

occupied more than 100 bases. Most have been flattened. From dust to

:22:45.:22:49.

dust. And they are leaving hardly anything behind. Except the sound of

:22:50.:22:53.

gunfire. The insurgents haven't given up.

:22:54.:22:59.

This is one of the final military convoys carrying the kit, the

:23:00.:23:04.

remnants from one of the last British military bases in Helmand.

:23:05.:23:13.

Returning here to Bastian, which itself is gradually being shut down.

:23:14.:23:16.

I think possibly history will judge that which we have achieved here.

:23:17.:23:20.

But, for my money, it is clear when I speak to my Afghan counterparts,

:23:21.:23:23.

that a huge amount has been achieved here in central Helmand. But at a

:23:24.:23:28.

cost. 448 British soldiers have lost their lives. Among them, Mark

:23:29.:23:36.

Everson, killed in 2009. There is nothing in my mind that would

:23:37.:23:45.

justify my son's death. Whether we are pulling out, at a time when it

:23:46.:23:51.

is more stable, I'm not sure. David Cameron has said mission

:23:52.:23:53.

accomplished, hasn't he? Yeah. What do you think? Well, he has to say

:23:54.:23:59.

that. Whatever the final verdict, this is fast approaching the end.

:24:00.:24:04.

The last British soldier will be leaving here within a matter of

:24:05.:24:05.

months. The TV cook Clarissa Dickson Wright,

:24:06.:24:21.

best known for her part in the BBC series Two Fat Ladies, has died. The

:24:22.:24:24.

66-year-old was described by her agent as utterly non-PC and said her

:24:25.:24:28.

fun and laughter would be missed by many. Now, the Big Bang theory is

:24:29.:24:38.

supposed to explain how the universe began. We've been told that often

:24:39.:24:40.

enough. Now scientists say they think they know what happened

:24:41.:24:43.

immediately afterwards. It's called cosmic inflation and it occurred in

:24:44.:24:45.

the first trillionth, of a trillionth, of a trillionth of a

:24:46.:24:49.

second after the Big Bang. I know, it's mind-boggling so here's our

:24:50.:24:51.

Science Editor David Shukman with an explanation. These are ancient and

:24:52.:24:58.

incredibly challenging mystery is, how the universe started. What was

:24:59.:25:02.

it that gave everything we are familiar with to be born, questions

:25:03.:25:05.

which science has tried to answer with the idea of the big bang. It's

:25:06.:25:12.

a theory of a single burst of creation. And now, for the first

:25:13.:25:17.

time, there is proof of this protest at work. A telescope under the

:25:18.:25:20.

freezing skies of the South Pole has detected clues about light from the

:25:21.:25:29.

earliest moments of time. Applause today for a major advance. At

:25:30.:25:33.

Harvard University, the first results were unveiled and this is a

:25:34.:25:38.

genuine breakthrough in understanding how it all began. For

:25:39.:25:44.

decades the idea of a Big Bang giving birth to the universe has

:25:45.:25:48.

been a theory with no hard evidence of exactly how this worked. Now this

:25:49.:25:53.

American team has discovered patterns in the energy left over

:25:54.:25:58.

from the very earliest moments. They've spotted particular twists in

:25:59.:26:00.

the light that was created back then. Patterns that can only have

:26:01.:26:05.

been formed by ripples radiating out from the initial burst of the Big

:26:06.:26:08.

Bang and those ripples are what ultimately allowed gravity to pull

:26:09.:26:11.

together the galaxies, the stars and the planets so this is a major

:26:12.:26:14.

advance in understanding how we got here. Scientists all over the world

:26:15.:26:21.

have been poring over the results. This team gathered Oxford university

:26:22.:26:25.

this afternoon as a recognition that this is a hugely important

:26:26.:26:30.

milestone. We don't know why the universe started expanding. We don't

:26:31.:26:34.

know why the Big Bang happened, and this takes us as far back as it's

:26:35.:26:40.

possible to go and we will hopefully figure it out. So all this raises a

:26:41.:26:46.

tantalising thought. If we can know how the Big Bang got going, can be

:26:47.:26:50.

also find out how it actually started? The big question about our

:26:51.:26:56.

own existence? Time for a look at the weather. Here's Nina Ridge.

:26:57.:27:02.

Tonight, breezy with a few showers but by tomorrow, a reminder that the

:27:03.:27:09.

wind will be stronger as well. Staying fairly cloudy, as well. It's

:27:10.:27:13.

not going to be particularly cold. The shower is getting heavy across

:27:14.:27:18.

the Northwest in the early hours. One or two further south. Most

:27:19.:27:23.

places will be dry. Temperatures, 7-8 as we start tomorrow morning.

:27:24.:27:27.

Most of the showers in the north-west of the country, further

:27:28.:27:31.

south, escaping. A rather grey, overcast start of the day but

:27:32.:27:35.

temperatures around nine degrees. For East Anglia and the Midlands,

:27:36.:27:40.

dry start tomorrow morning. More showers further west. And north.

:27:41.:27:44.

They could be heavy with thunder mixed in as well. Quite breezy.

:27:45.:27:49.

Again, the northern half of the country we are focusing on, with the

:27:50.:27:53.

strongest wind. Further south, few breaks in the cloud giving hints of

:27:54.:27:57.

brightness throughout the afternoon. The highest temperature,

:27:58.:28:03.

14-15. Stronger winds further north. Temperatures about double figures.

:28:04.:28:10.

Ten - 11. By the time we get to Wednesday, it stays windy. More rain

:28:11.:28:15.

in the north and west. Further south, dryer with brightness for

:28:16.:28:21.

central and eastern areas. More sunshine on Wednesday. Temperatures

:28:22.:28:26.

around 16-17. This weather front becomes more active on Wednesday. It

:28:27.:28:30.

looks like it's going to move further south. At high level of

:28:31.:28:33.

uncertainty as we go towards the end of the week but, certainly, more

:28:34.:28:38.

significant rain and behind it, it looks like it could turn colder as

:28:39.:28:45.

well. More details if you want to go on the website. That's

:28:46.:28:47.

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