:00:00. > :00:14.Tonight at 10 - a major offensive to retake the city of Mosul,
:00:15. > :00:22.the last big stronghold of so-called Islamic State in Iraq.
:00:23. > :00:25.Iraqi forces and their allies - supported by the Royal Airforce -
:00:26. > :00:28.are trying to eject the militants, who took control two years ago.
:00:29. > :00:31.We're now at a distance of about 300 metres from the nearest
:00:32. > :00:33.IS positions, but this is really just the first stage
:00:34. > :00:36.of what is expected to be a long battle.
:00:37. > :00:39.And on another front, south of Mosul, we'll be reporting
:00:40. > :00:44.on the progress of Iraqi forces as they push forward.
:00:45. > :00:46.We'll have reports from the front line, as concerns grow
:00:47. > :00:49.for the thousands of civilians still trapped in Mosul.
:00:50. > :00:57.The Ukip MEP who ended up in hospital after a scuffle
:00:58. > :00:59.at the European Parliament, says he's leaving the party.
:01:00. > :01:02.There is something rotten at the heart of Ukip.
:01:03. > :01:04.I don't think that, at this stage, Ukip is governable.
:01:05. > :01:07.Police say Ben Needham, who disappeared 25 years ago
:01:08. > :01:14.ago on a Greek island, probably died in an accident.
:01:15. > :01:18.In Nigeria, 21 schoolgirls kidnapped two years ago
:01:19. > :01:20.by Islamist militants, have been reunited
:01:21. > :01:30.And - the Olympic and Paralympic heroes of Team GB have been honoured
:01:31. > :01:36.Coming up in Sportsday at 10:30pm on BBC News:
:01:37. > :01:39.Wayne Rooney is dropped again by Manchester United for one
:01:40. > :01:41.of the fixtures of the season, the trip to Anfield
:01:42. > :02:08.The last major Iraqi stronghold controlled by so-called
:02:09. > :02:10.Islamic State is under attack tonight from thousands
:02:11. > :02:15.The Iraqi Prime Minister has declared that the 'hour
:02:16. > :02:21.The troops are advancing on the city of Mosul,
:02:22. > :02:24.more than two years after IS forces took control there.
:02:25. > :02:28.But there are concerns for many thousands of civilians
:02:29. > :02:31.who are likely to flee the fighting, with no safe routes out of the city.
:02:32. > :02:34.Our correspondent Orla Guerin is with Kurdish forces,
:02:35. > :02:42.At first light, the advance on so-called Islamic State.
:02:43. > :02:48.Zero hour had finally come, bringing an offensive that
:02:49. > :02:50.could decide the fate of the extremists and,
:02:51. > :03:01.We joined Peshmerga fighters from the autonomous Kurdish region.
:03:02. > :03:04.Their name means "those who face death", and they were ready
:03:05. > :03:14.Well, the offensive is now well under way.
:03:15. > :03:17.The Kurdish forces have been moving forwards steadily, and we've been
:03:18. > :03:23.We are now at a distance of about 300 metres
:03:24. > :03:28.But this is really just the first stage of what is expected
:03:29. > :03:33.It could take months to drive the IS fighters
:03:34. > :03:45.First, they have to be flushed out of the villages up ahead.
:03:46. > :03:47.There were only a handful of IS remaining, but the Peshmerga
:03:48. > :03:55.Here's what happened when one attacker approached
:03:56. > :04:24.Before he could reach them, his vehicle exploded.
:04:25. > :04:31.ISO tempted at least three more attacks but they bomb.
:04:32. > :04:34.The Peshmerga say they are fighting a global battle.
:04:35. > :04:40.They are not just fighting the Kurds or the Shia", says this Colonel.
:04:41. > :04:53.We want to defeat them for everyone's sake."
:04:54. > :04:59.This is the territory they took from the enemy today, about 80 square
:05:00. > :05:04.miles. Any civilians were already long gone. There was little enough
:05:05. > :05:12.resistance hero, but it will be a very different picture inside Mosul.
:05:13. > :05:18.The Kurds are supposed to clear a path to the city, not go inside it.
:05:19. > :05:22.But as they drive out IS, they've been adding to their territory and
:05:23. > :05:26.what they've captured they intend to keep. Just one of the ways in which
:05:27. > :05:29.the battle for Mosul could spell the end of Iraq.
:05:30. > :05:36.The assault on Mosul is the biggest military operation
:05:37. > :05:39.in Iraq for several years, with different groups approaching
:05:40. > :05:46.Commanders say they have made good progress, but IS is also claiming
:05:47. > :05:48.to have destroyed armoured vehicles, using suicide bombers.
:05:49. > :05:50.Our defence correspondent Jonathan Beale is with Iraqi army
:05:51. > :05:57.The Iraqi army is throwing everything it has into this
:05:58. > :06:06.At night, tanks and armoured vehicles manoeuvred into position,
:06:07. > :06:15.This - day one of what could be a long campaign.
:06:16. > :06:21.Just before dawn they began their push forward.
:06:22. > :06:24.We travelled with them in a bullet ridden Humvee,
:06:25. > :06:27.our convoy tentatively moving forward in the tracks already
:06:28. > :06:37.Two years ago the Iraqi army fled from IS, but now, with Western help,
:06:38. > :06:46.At our first stop on Iraqi commander pointed out the position
:06:47. > :06:52.They'll have to clear about 80 villages before they reach
:06:53. > :07:01.But they tell me they're determined to defeat IS in the last
:07:02. > :07:02.major stronghold in Iraq, even though the
:07:03. > :07:10.We continued the move north, deeper into IS held territory,
:07:11. > :07:19.The first phase of this operation is slow and careful.
:07:20. > :07:21.We're travelling through desert and the Iraqi army are taking
:07:22. > :07:27.The main threats here are minefields, suicide truck bombs
:07:28. > :07:38.and mortars, and we're still about 30 miles from Mosul itself.
:07:39. > :07:43.A tank fired at a suicide truck bomb before it
:07:44. > :07:52.This, the aftermath of the massive explosion.
:07:53. > :07:56.They used a rocket when they spotted what they said was an IS convoy,
:07:57. > :08:00.about to make an escape from one of the outlying villages.
:08:01. > :08:04.But they say there are also being helped with intelligence,
:08:05. > :08:09.provided by Iraqi citizens still living under IS control.
:08:10. > :08:16.How they're scared, how many carry weapons or don't carry weapons,
:08:17. > :08:19.they have a motorcycle, they have heavy machine guns,
:08:20. > :08:22.they don't have it, they escape north, east, west...
:08:23. > :08:24.So you've got people inside who are passing
:08:25. > :08:31.The Iraqi army is among few of the forces that will be
:08:32. > :08:36.The majority of its troops are Shia, reflecting
:08:37. > :08:43.They still hope they'll be greeted as liberators,
:08:44. > :08:48.in a city mostly made up of Sunnis, but there are also fears
:08:49. > :08:50.this fight could end with a more divided country.
:08:51. > :08:54.Jonathan Beale, BBC News, on the road to Mosul.
:08:55. > :09:01.When so-called Islamic State took control of Mosul -
:09:02. > :09:04.Iraq's second biggest city - back in June 2014, it became a symbol
:09:05. > :09:08.of its growing power in the region, and the IS leadership chose the city
:09:09. > :09:11.As our world affairs editor John Simpson reports,
:09:12. > :09:14.liberating Mosul would have wider implications for the Middle East,
:09:15. > :09:16.though the battle itself could present a significant
:09:17. > :09:24.Back in June 2014, it was a stunning victory
:09:25. > :09:31.A small IS force drove a far larger garrison of Iraqi
:09:32. > :09:39.Since then, they've controlled the city with great brutality,
:09:40. > :09:41.and the inhabitants will be glad to get rid of them,
:09:42. > :09:49.Today, Kurdish Peshmerga troops fighting on the side of the Iraqi
:09:50. > :09:58.government were clearing out IS fighters from a number
:09:59. > :10:00.of villages, about 20 miles from Mosul, but they had
:10:01. > :10:09.How serious is this for so-called Islamic State?
:10:10. > :10:13.This was the area IS controlled at the start of last year.
:10:14. > :10:16.Now, 21 months later, it's in retreat almost everywhere.
:10:17. > :10:20.But the operation will be extremely sensitive -
:10:21. > :10:23.primarily because Mosul is Sunni-dominated.
:10:24. > :10:28.Kurdish troops make up a sizeable proportion of the attacking force.
:10:29. > :10:33.The Iraqi army is fighting alongside the Shia militia, and there's been
:10:34. > :10:36.a history of bitter hostility between the militia and the Sunnis
:10:37. > :10:42.The force is being backed by Western air strikes against IS positions.
:10:43. > :10:48.There are around 30,000 Iraqi and Kurdish troops altogether,
:10:49. > :10:55.against between 3,500 and 5,000 IS fighters.
:10:56. > :11:01.But the defenders have had time to prepare.
:11:02. > :11:06.They've dug networks of tunnels, they'll have planted plenty
:11:07. > :11:08.of booby-trap bombs, they may have chemical weapons.
:11:09. > :11:14.I know the Prime Minister said he'd like to wrap this up by the end
:11:15. > :11:18.We'd like to do this as quickly as possible,
:11:19. > :11:21.but this is going to be the Iraqi calendar, the Iraqi timeline.
:11:22. > :11:25.Britain's involved in the Mosul campaign, too.
:11:26. > :11:28.As recently as yesterday, our typhoons and unmanned aircraft
:11:29. > :11:35.were striking terrorist positions on the outskirts of Mosul,
:11:36. > :11:37.and our army has been helping to train the Iraqi
:11:38. > :11:39.and Peshmerga forces who will be doing the fighting.
:11:40. > :11:42.We're not putting combat troops on the ground into this operation.
:11:43. > :11:46.The real danger is that the attack on Mosul could result
:11:47. > :11:52.A million inhabitants may need food and shelter and be
:11:53. > :12:01.Whether this will be seen as a victory for the Iraqi
:12:02. > :12:04.government depends entirely on what happens to Mosul's civilians.
:12:05. > :12:05.A humanitarian disaster would rebound very badly
:12:06. > :12:19.A reminder - there's more on that story on our website,
:12:20. > :12:21.including further analysis and background about the fight
:12:22. > :12:30.against IS in Syria and Iraq - go to bbc.co.uk/news.
:12:31. > :12:34.The MEP Steven Woolfe, who at one time had ambitions of leading Ukip,
:12:35. > :12:37.has told the BBC that he's leaving the party, saying it's
:12:38. > :12:39.become ungovernable and in a death spiral.
:12:40. > :12:42.He said there was something rotten at the heart of Ukip.
:12:43. > :12:45.Mr Woolfe also revealed he'd made a police complaint following
:12:46. > :12:47.an altercation with a fellow Ukip MEP which led to him
:12:48. > :12:51.Mr Woolfe has been giving more details of the incident,
:12:52. > :12:54.as our political correspondent Alex Forsyth reports.
:12:55. > :12:57.This was Steven Woolfe ten days ago in hospital after an altercation
:12:58. > :13:02.Mr Woolfe says he ended up here after a
:13:03. > :13:05.meeting in the European Parliament became heated.
:13:06. > :13:08.He asked a colleague to step outside to talk man-to-man,
:13:09. > :13:11.but he told me he never meant for it to get physical.
:13:12. > :13:19.A blow to my face forced me back through the door.
:13:20. > :13:26.The point is I couldn't see whether it was a fist,
:13:27. > :13:30.The point is it impacted me in the face as the
:13:31. > :13:34.I was pushed back into the room, and it
:13:35. > :13:38.my back head against the back of one of the walls that was there.
:13:39. > :13:40.But the other MEP involved, Mike Hookem,
:13:41. > :13:43.has consistently denied assaulting Mr Woolfe,
:13:44. > :13:46.saying he didn't punch, hit or push him, he says he was
:13:47. > :13:54.I had had two seizures, one of three minutes,
:13:55. > :13:58.I'd been unconscious for quite some time and there was partial paralysis
:13:59. > :14:01.down the left-hand side and down my face, and they were
:14:02. > :14:04.You were in hospital for three to four days, what
:14:05. > :14:15.I think first and foremost, when your family have no idea what's
:14:16. > :14:17.happening to you and they see a picture like that,
:14:18. > :14:21.Prior to this incident, you were the first
:14:22. > :14:25.person to say you wanted to be Ukip's next leader, to declare your
:14:26. > :14:31.Well, there are no hopes as far as I'm concerned.
:14:32. > :14:34.I will be withdrawing my application to become leader of Ukip.
:14:35. > :14:35.I'm actually withdrawing myself from Ukip.
:14:36. > :14:43.I'm resigning with immediate effect, which to me fills
:14:44. > :14:48.Mr Woolfe said bitter infighting and opposing factions had made
:14:49. > :14:54.There is something rotten at the heart of Ukip.
:14:55. > :14:58.Somebody suggested it was a death spiral.
:14:59. > :15:06.I think unless someone very quickly can wrestle with the issues that
:15:07. > :15:09.they have got, then we will see the loss of something
:15:10. > :15:13.Yes, I think the loss of the party, their
:15:14. > :15:16.influence, the goodwill the British public have with them.
:15:17. > :15:21.They let them down, they let themselves down.
:15:22. > :15:31.Emotionally, and I think intellectually it has been an
:15:32. > :15:42.I had so much expectation, inspiration, to
:15:43. > :15:46.Tonight there was a Ukip meeting shortly before
:15:47. > :15:54.Some were surprised by Mr Woolfe's decision.
:15:55. > :15:57.Senior officials remain confident they will find a new leader who can
:15:58. > :16:01.Steven's resignation was very disappointing,
:16:02. > :16:03.obviously to lose someone of his ability.
:16:04. > :16:06.We've got tens of thousands of members now, I think we want to
:16:07. > :16:09.showcase our ability, the strength and depth of our talent
:16:10. > :16:10.in these coming weeks, and I'm very excited
:16:11. > :16:15.But, having lost one of the favourites to take over, Ukip is
:16:16. > :16:22.Eight men have been found guilty of sexually abusing three girls
:16:23. > :16:27.The court heard the men, all from the town, sexualised
:16:28. > :16:30.their victims who were as young as 13 when the offences took place.
:16:31. > :16:40.Police investigating the disappearance of Ben Needham,
:16:41. > :16:44.the little boy who disappeared 25 years ago on the
:16:45. > :16:47.say they now believe he was accidentally killed
:16:48. > :16:51.near the farmhouse that his family was renovating.
:16:52. > :16:53.The 21-month-old from Sheffield was last seen playing outside
:16:54. > :16:58.Detectives from South Yorkshire have completed a new search
:16:59. > :17:11.Our correspondent James Reynolds is on Kos.
:17:12. > :17:18.25 years ago, Ben Needham disappeared not far from this, his
:17:19. > :17:22.family's farmhouse, and the police now conclude that the little boy
:17:23. > :17:30.died near here on the very same day that he went missing.
:17:31. > :17:34.Ben Needham was 21 months old when he disappeared.
:17:35. > :17:37.For a quarter of a century, his family hoped he might return.
:17:38. > :17:39.But three weeks ago, the police began a search for his body.
:17:40. > :17:47.Ben may have been accidentally run over and killed by a digger
:17:48. > :17:50.driver, who then buried the boy's body nearby.
:17:51. > :17:54.It is my professional belief that Ben Needham died as a result
:17:55. > :17:57.of an accident near to the farmhouse, here in Iraklis,
:17:58. > :18:01.The digger driver himself died last year.
:18:02. > :18:04.His family insists he was innocent, but the police say they found
:18:05. > :18:12.an important item which backs up their conclusion.
:18:13. > :18:15.It is our initial understanding that this item was in Ben's
:18:16. > :18:19.possession at or around the time that he went missing.
:18:20. > :18:22.The recovery of this item and its location further adds
:18:23. > :18:24.to my belief that material was removed from the farmhouse
:18:25. > :18:31.on or shortly after the day that Ben disappeared.
:18:32. > :18:33.The last time that I saw Ben, he was playing just
:18:34. > :18:36.Ben Needham's grandfather spoke to reporters shortly
:18:37. > :18:43.For weeks, then years, his family searched for him.
:18:44. > :18:50.I've just got to keep that hope, for Ben's sake, because we love him
:18:51. > :18:57.The campaign took over Kerry Needham's life.
:18:58. > :19:01.She insisted that her son was still alive,
:19:02. > :19:04.but as this final search began, she came to accept that he
:19:05. > :19:11.I don't think the police would have given us this information if it
:19:12. > :19:20.The official search for Ben Needham began and has ended
:19:21. > :19:26.It finishes without a body for his family to bury,
:19:27. > :19:30.and so this farmhouse and these fields may have to serve
:19:31. > :19:33.as a memorial to a boy the police believed died more
:19:34. > :19:45.14 teenage boys who'd been living in the Calais camp known
:19:46. > :19:48.as the Jungle have arrived in the UK to be reunited with members
:19:49. > :19:54.The children, aged between 14 and 17, were taken to
:19:55. > :19:57.centre in Croydon where they were to be assessed before
:19:58. > :20:04.being reunited with relatives already in Britain.
:20:05. > :20:07.Russia has announced a pause in the bombing of Aleppo in Syria
:20:08. > :20:11.on Thursday to allow rebels and civilians to leave.
:20:12. > :20:16.condemned Moscow for causing what they described
:20:17. > :20:20.as untold suffering in the rebel-held east of the city.
:20:21. > :20:23.The ministers called for a ceasefire, but did not agree
:20:24. > :20:31.In her first interview as chair of the child sex abuse inquiry,
:20:32. > :20:34.Alexis Jay has told the BBC she has no intention of reducing
:20:35. > :20:39.She's the fourth chair to be appointed following the decision
:20:40. > :20:41.to launch a major investigation into claims that institutions
:20:42. > :20:46.in England and Wales failed the victims of child sex abuse.
:20:47. > :20:48.Alexis Jay has been speaking to our home affairs
:20:49. > :20:56.What went on here is one of the reasons for the public
:20:57. > :21:03.So this is what we are talking about?
:21:04. > :21:08.He grew up in one of the houses making up Saint Leonards children
:21:09. > :21:11.home in Essex, now occupied by families but not then.
:21:12. > :21:19.They used to obviously pay visits to the weaker children
:21:20. > :21:22.in dormitories and drag them out in the night.
:21:23. > :21:25.But he is pessimistic that the public inquiry will ever
:21:26. > :21:34.The way it is now, it's never going to come to its final
:21:35. > :21:39.You know, ten, 15 years' time, ?150 million of taxpayers' money?
:21:40. > :21:44.To find out that most of the people you are going after are now dead.
:21:45. > :21:48.Its chair, Professor Alexis Jay, is under pressure to reduce its scope.
:21:49. > :21:51.Today she gave her first interview in this job, and this response.
:21:52. > :21:58.We have no intention to propose that any aspect of the terms of reference
:21:59. > :22:01.has dropped, for example, we will not be doing that but we do
:22:02. > :22:04.intend to use different models and ways of working to deliver
:22:05. > :22:09.That means fewer public hearings, like this one in the
:22:10. > :22:19.More behind-the-scenes research, the details yet to come but it
:22:20. > :22:24.The inquiry occupies a floor of this London office block and is currently
:22:25. > :22:27.made up of 13 mini inquiries and reports covering
:22:28. > :22:29.all of these topics, from churches to children's homes.
:22:30. > :22:36.To do all of this, the inquiry has got to act a bit like a court,
:22:37. > :22:39.questioning witnesses and establishing facts,
:22:40. > :22:41.but also like a therapist, supporting victims
:22:42. > :22:46.And like a think tank, developing policies for the future.
:22:47. > :22:49.So much to do that some of its critics say it should
:22:50. > :22:54.concentrate just on the future and not the past.
:22:55. > :22:57.I treat with some scepticism the calls for us to forget the past
:22:58. > :23:00.because only by understanding the lessons we can learn from that
:23:01. > :23:04.and the possible failings and cover-ups that might have taken
:23:05. > :23:12.place in certain institutions will we go forward with confidence.
:23:13. > :23:14.But the past for the inquiry includes the sometimes
:23:15. > :23:17.of three chairwoman and its most senior lawyer.
:23:18. > :23:29.These have been overcome, and particularly in the last nine
:23:30. > :23:34.So I believe, if we can get on with our work without any more
:23:35. > :23:37.Tomorrow, MPs will be questioning her about
:23:38. > :23:42.the resignation of her predecessor, Dame Lowell Goddard.
:23:43. > :23:44.Tonight, the Prime Minister continued to offer strong
:23:45. > :23:48.This inquiry is saying we are listening, we recognise
:23:49. > :23:53.the horrific crimes that were committed against you.
:23:54. > :23:57.It is important that we find out why that was able to happen,
:23:58. > :24:00.Professor Jay hopes the end of the inquiry
:24:01. > :24:09.NatWest Bank is to close the accounts of Russia's
:24:10. > :24:15.The broadcaster, previously known as Russia Today,
:24:16. > :24:18.says the entire Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest
:24:19. > :24:21.is part, is refusing to provide its services.
:24:22. > :24:24.An MP from Russia's ruling party has said its parliament will demand
:24:25. > :24:31.Theresa May is to allow a brief pause in making a decision
:24:32. > :24:34.on whether to approve a new runway at Heathrow so that Cabinet
:24:35. > :24:41.The BBC has been told that expanding Heathrow is the preferred option.
:24:42. > :24:44.But the Prime Minister has made it clear she wants
:24:45. > :24:52.to hear the wide-ranging opinions of colleagues.
:24:53. > :24:54.In Nigeria 21 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islamist militants in the town
:24:55. > :24:58.of Chibok have finally been reunited with their families.
:24:59. > :25:00.The girls were held for more than two years
:25:01. > :25:05.One girl said she had thought the day of her
:25:06. > :25:09.During a celebration in Abuja, Nigeria's Information Minister said
:25:10. > :25:12.negotiations were under way to get another 83 girls freed
:25:13. > :25:21.from captivity, as our correspondent Martin Patience reports.
:25:22. > :25:30.After two and a half years, they are free at last.
:25:31. > :25:34.Daughters reunited with their parents.
:25:35. > :25:44.It was a time for celebration, but also reflection.
:25:45. > :25:50.TRANSLATION: We are so excited, we never thought the day would come.
:25:51. > :25:54.These girls were among the 276 students abducted by the Islamist
:25:55. > :25:59.Speaking at an event to mark their release,
:26:00. > :26:07.one girl describes the horrors they endured.
:26:08. > :26:17.I never thought I would see you again.
:26:18. > :26:19.There was a day when a bomb dropped by jets exploded
:26:20. > :26:22.It is only by God's grace we survived.
:26:23. > :26:25.For 30 days we went without food but yet we are here.
:26:26. > :26:27.The parents wanted their daughters to get an education,
:26:28. > :26:30.but it was the choice they thought had cost them their children.
:26:31. > :26:32.I said to her, "Are you really alive?"
:26:33. > :26:42.What did she tell you about her time in captivity?
:26:43. > :26:45.They were told their parents are no longer alive,
:26:46. > :26:51.All they did was cry, they never imagined
:26:52. > :26:57.Officials say negotiations are continuing, but dozens
:26:58. > :26:59.of students reportedly don't want to come home after
:27:00. > :27:11.For now, these girls are celebrating their freedom,
:27:12. > :27:15.but recovering from the kidnapping won't be easy, especially when most
:27:16. > :27:19.of their schoolmates are still being held.
:27:20. > :27:28.Thousands of people have lined the streets of Manchester to pay
:27:29. > :27:30.tribute to Great Britain's Olympic and Paralympic teams and their
:27:31. > :27:36.Between them, the two teams won a record 214 medals, both
:27:37. > :27:42.of them coming second in their respective medal tables.
:27:43. > :27:43.Our sports editor Dan Roan watched the celebrations
:27:44. > :28:01.It was a city bursting with pride. Manchester, basking in gold today as
:28:02. > :28:09.more than 150,000 people gathered to celebrate sporting success the whole
:28:10. > :28:14.country shared in. For those who had starred in Rio, today's victory
:28:15. > :28:19.parade a moment to cherish. It's awesome that so many people clear to
:28:20. > :28:25.support us and to say thank you is an amazing opportunity. It hits home
:28:26. > :28:34.how much you have achieved? Yes, you are in a bubble at the Games and
:28:35. > :28:41.when you come back it is like wow, it has been awesome. The supporters
:28:42. > :28:45.have done their maps. Team GB beat all expectations, remarkably
:28:46. > :28:50.surpassing the London 2012 tally. Both sets of athletes defying the
:28:51. > :28:53.odds and coming second in their respective medal tables. It is
:28:54. > :28:59.really nice to see the number of people out on the streets today to
:29:00. > :29:03.welcome me and cheer you on. I will just have a quick word with your
:29:04. > :29:08.brother, Johnny. It is quite something, isn't it? It is
:29:09. > :29:15.incredible. In Rio you are in your own bubble so this is very special
:29:16. > :29:19.and thank you to everyone for coming out. Despite the occasional
:29:20. > :29:23.downpour, nothing was going to dampen spirits and those who braved
:29:24. > :29:27.the Manchester weather had this message for their heroes. They have
:29:28. > :29:35.been absolutely fabulous, we are so proud to be British. Go, Team GB!
:29:36. > :29:39.Amazing, and it got me out of school. The procession ended in a
:29:40. > :29:44.packed Albert Square where the athletes came onto the stage. Among
:29:45. > :29:48.them perhaps the most famous phrase, Jessica Ennis-Hill, this is a
:29:49. > :29:52.fitting farewell for the heptathlete after announcing her retirement last
:29:53. > :29:58.week. In my heart I knew it was the right decision and the right time to
:29:59. > :30:02.do it but it is still difficult to say it publicly. The messages and
:30:03. > :30:11.support I have had over the years is incredible so I cannot find you all
:30:12. > :30:14.enough. If Britain's Olympians and Paralympians wondered how much their
:30:15. > :30:22.remarkable achievement is meant to the millions watching back at home,
:30:23. > :30:27.this is the emphatic answer. And this was an occasion truly fit for
:30:28. > :30:32.heroes. These athletes have turned Great Britain into a sporting
:30:33. > :30:38.superpower. Today their efforts received due recognition.
:30:39. > :30:41.Newsnight's about to begin over on BBC Two in a few moments.
:30:42. > :30:44.Well, Steven Woolfe does not want to be leader of Ukip,
:30:45. > :30:47.we know that because he's resigned and said the party
:30:48. > :30:50.We will be getting reaction from a man who still
:30:51. > :30:57.Join me now on BBC Two, 11pm in Scotland.