:00:11. > :00:14.A massive avalanche in the French Alps kills nine people. It is
:00:14. > :00:17.thought three of them may be British. They were part of a group
:00:17. > :00:25.of 28 climbers near Chamonix in the Mont Blanc region when a 60 foot
:00:25. > :00:30.high wall of snow swept them away. Others are missing or injured.
:00:30. > :00:34.is the worst accident for the last four years. It is the second most
:00:34. > :00:37.popular route. The private security company, G4S, is accused of letting
:00:37. > :00:43.the country down as the Government confirms 3,500 extra military
:00:43. > :00:45.personnel will be deployed at the games. With a fortnight to go
:00:45. > :00:47.before the Games, the Prime Minister is urged to intervene
:00:47. > :00:52.personally to tackle the long passenger queues at Heathrow
:00:52. > :00:57.Airport. The final day of the John Terry trial. The footballer denies
:00:58. > :01:00.racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. Struggling to connect. Thousands of
:01:00. > :01:10.O2 customers are still without service after the mobile network
:01:10. > :01:16.crashed yesterday. Could he become the first British man to win the
:01:16. > :01:22.Tour de France? Bradley Wiggins sports the yellow jersey for a 4th
:01:22. > :01:32.day. Plans for the Olympics security of called into question.
:01:32. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:47.Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. Nine people have
:01:47. > :01:51.been killed and another eight have been injured in one of the worst
:01:51. > :01:54.avalanches for years in the French Alps. There are reports that three
:01:54. > :01:57.of the dead are British, two other Britons are thought to be missing.
:01:57. > :02:00.The confirmed dead have been identified as German, Swiss and
:02:01. > :02:03.Spanish climbers. They were among 28 people who were ascending Mont
:02:04. > :02:08.Maudit, in the Mont Blanc region, early this morning when they were
:02:08. > :02:18.hit by a 60 foot high wall of snow. Here is our world affairs
:02:18. > :02:20.
:02:20. > :02:25.Rescue teams searching at the site of the avalanche, higher up in the
:02:25. > :02:30.Mont Blanc region. The most deadly in recent years, the avalanche
:02:30. > :02:34.swept down the mountainside in the early hours of the morning. Around
:02:34. > :02:40.20 climbers were caught up in it as they made their way towards that
:02:40. > :02:44.ultimate golf - the summit of Mont Blanc. The dead and injured were
:02:44. > :02:48.soon being brought back down. Amongst those killed were three
:02:48. > :02:55.British climbers, as well as mountaineers from Spain, Germany
:02:55. > :03:03.and Switzerland. Unfortunately, this morning, there has been a big
:03:03. > :03:11.avalanche. We do not know how it was triggered. It can be triggered
:03:11. > :03:16.by the people who were climbing themselves or by ice fall from
:03:16. > :03:24.above. They were on a mountain called Mont Midi. It is used by
:03:24. > :03:31.thousands of people every year. is quite prone. The weather in the
:03:31. > :03:37.Alps has been very on-off. There has been lots of snow for. Every
:03:37. > :03:42.couple of years there is normally a big avalanche. It is a bit of a
:03:42. > :03:47.black spot on the mountain. Right now the rescue teams are continuing
:03:47. > :03:52.to search for four climbers who are still missing. The teams have to
:03:52. > :03:59.work quickly to have any chance of pulling them out life. Hugh
:04:00. > :04:06.Schofield is in Paris for us. -- alive. What is the latest
:04:06. > :04:13.information? It is confirmed there are three British dead. Initially
:04:13. > :04:20.it was six and the rescue workers found to three bodies. Two British
:04:20. > :04:25.climbers are still missing and two Spanish climbers. The death toll
:04:25. > :04:31.could still rise. The search and rescue teams are looking into what
:04:31. > :04:36.happened. It looks like this was a huge 60 foot-high wall of snow that
:04:37. > :04:43.hit them. It looks like they were very near the top of the mountain,
:04:43. > :04:49.on the approach to Mont Blanc. It seems the slope is very steep.
:04:49. > :04:57.There is a risk of instability if there is a big accumulation of snow.
:04:57. > :05:02.It was the snow avalanche. We heard that from the expert. They were so
:05:02. > :05:07.near the top it looks like it was a particularly unstable time and
:05:07. > :05:12.somehow the snow was triggered, loosened, either by them off from
:05:12. > :05:14.the fall of an ice block further up. With just over a fortnight to go
:05:14. > :05:17.before the opening ceremony of London's Olympic Games, serious
:05:17. > :05:20.questions are being asked about security at the Games, and about
:05:20. > :05:22.how people are going to get there. This morning, the Government
:05:22. > :05:25.confirmed that it was having to deploy 3,500 extra military
:05:25. > :05:31.personnel because G4S, the firm providing security personnel for
:05:31. > :05:34.the Olympics, does not have enough trained staff. Concerns have also
:05:34. > :05:37.been raised about the continuing queues at Heathrow immigration, as
:05:37. > :05:41.well as continuing problems on the M4 - the main route into London
:05:41. > :05:48.from the airport. We'll have more on that in a moment. But first the
:05:48. > :05:51.latest on those troop deployments. Below, some of the temporary
:05:51. > :05:57.accommodation where British troops will be house to help ensure
:05:57. > :06:02.security of the Games. The hunt is on for more space in East London
:06:03. > :06:10.for another 3500 servicemen and women. All 100 or so Olympics Sykes
:06:10. > :06:14.will be ready on time and on budget. -- sites. There will be extra
:06:14. > :06:21.troops after doubts over whether the private security firm really
:06:21. > :06:24.could provide 10 dozen staff it promised. Today the company said it
:06:24. > :06:29.had encountered some delays in progressing applicants to through
:06:29. > :06:36.the final stages. It was working extremely hard to process these as
:06:36. > :06:42.swiftly as possible. In Parliament, Labour called it a shambles.
:06:42. > :06:49.has let down the country. We have had to send in troops. Can the Home
:06:49. > :06:53.Secretary give the House this is shown she is now set his first --
:06:53. > :06:58.satisfied that all the changes will insure the greatest games ever
:06:58. > :07:04.staged will be done securely for the safety of the visitors and the
:07:04. > :07:08.British people? It is absolutely right that when a gap has opened up,
:07:08. > :07:13.it is absolutely right that we acted quickly to ensure that gap
:07:13. > :07:18.would be filled. He asked about the statement I made in the House on
:07:18. > :07:25.Monday and when the gap in the numbers from G4S was crystallised.
:07:25. > :07:29.The gap in the numbers from G4S, we were receiving assurances from them
:07:29. > :07:35.until recently the absolute gap in the numbers was only crystallised
:07:35. > :07:39.finally yesterday. Today, some of those who had applied for jobs came
:07:39. > :07:44.forward to describe the chaotic process. I have tried to contact
:07:44. > :07:48.them but it has taken forever to try to get through. Finally,
:07:48. > :07:51.recently, only on a couple of e- mails when they said they have to
:07:52. > :07:55.wait for my quotation to come through and that they have not
:07:55. > :08:01.passed it on to the Home Office to be tagged. Unless they get
:08:01. > :08:05.something done before Sunday, I will not be employed at will.
:08:05. > :08:09.armed forces are ready and well prepared to stepping to help.
:08:09. > :08:14.Questions are being asked about why it took so long for Olympic
:08:14. > :08:18.organisers and G4S to admit help was needed, not least for an event
:08:18. > :08:25.in which security was always going to be paramount. Our political
:08:25. > :08:31.correspondent joins us now from Parliament. The security of the
:08:31. > :08:35.Games will not be compromised, says the Home Secretary. It is or
:08:35. > :08:38.embarrassing. It is, particularly because it is so close to the
:08:38. > :08:42.opening of the Games and because the Home Secretary had said she was
:08:43. > :08:47.confident all the partners would deliver on what they were meant to
:08:47. > :08:54.deliver on. Only yesterday G4S said it could not provide enough people
:08:54. > :08:58.in time. That is why we are having an extra 2500 troops. Downing
:08:58. > :09:02.Street has said there ought to be consequences for the company in not
:09:02. > :09:07.supplying those guards and they may have to pay back some money. The
:09:07. > :09:11.MoD said it saw it coming for a few weeks and change some of its
:09:11. > :09:16.personnel from a one-week readiness to move to a one-day situation.
:09:16. > :09:22.They felt this had been coming for a while. A lot of the questions the
:09:22. > :09:25.G4S will be focused next week. They have been invited to come here and
:09:25. > :09:32.talk to the Home Affairs Select Committee and explain just why,
:09:32. > :09:36.particularly, they only open their recruitment office for the Games in
:09:36. > :09:44.January. The Prime Minister is being urged to intervene personally
:09:44. > :09:46.to tackle the long passenger queues at Heathrow Airport. The Chief
:09:46. > :09:49.Inspector of Borders has raised concerns about passport checks at
:09:49. > :09:52.the airport. John Vine says some staff are not processing travellers
:09:52. > :09:58.efficiently and effectively enough. The Olympics are days away. This is
:09:58. > :10:03.what the UK Border Force is trying to avoid happening at Heathrow
:10:03. > :10:07.Airport. Cheering crowds waiting two, even three hours to get into
:10:07. > :10:11.Britain. Service has improved in recent weeks. Today's report makes
:10:11. > :10:16.clear there are still some outstanding concerns. The agency
:10:16. > :10:20.needs to ensure it has enough staff on duty at the Times during the
:10:20. > :10:25.Olympic period. I have said they should have staff who are
:10:25. > :10:29.appropriately trained to make sure they can do that. Most importantly
:10:29. > :10:34.they need to ensure proper checks are carried out into all passengers
:10:35. > :10:39.arriving in the UK. He says that because some of the extra staff
:10:39. > :10:43.drafted in are not experienced immigration officers like these.
:10:43. > :10:48.They are not able to recruit -- complete require passenger checks
:10:48. > :10:55.as quickly as stuff used to working on the desks. Today the Government
:10:55. > :10:59.said they had been given mentors and there would be enough staff.
:10:59. > :11:05.know there are peaks and troughs throughout the day. The commitment
:11:05. > :11:10.for the Olympic period is that all tests will be occupied - able to
:11:10. > :11:15.process people through passport control - at key periods, not just
:11:15. > :11:22.at Heathrow but at all the big ports in the south-east where most
:11:22. > :11:27.Olympic visitors will come. Labour said queue management remains
:11:28. > :11:32.chaotic. The Government has been recruiting people again at extra
:11:32. > :11:36.cost to the tax payer. The Government needs to make sure there
:11:36. > :11:40.are enough staff in place to do proper security checks without long
:11:40. > :11:44.queues. At the Home Office they believe their plan will see the
:11:44. > :11:49.border severs through the Olympics safely. It can still be hit and
:11:49. > :11:54.miss. They can still be long queues. With the eyes of the world about to
:11:54. > :12:01.be turned on Britain, there is still a risk of international
:12:01. > :12:07.embarrassment. Our Olympics correspondent is here. It is very
:12:07. > :12:12.last minute and it looks a bit of a mess, doesn't it? It is vital.
:12:12. > :12:17.Security cannot be allowed to go wrong. No games can be a success
:12:17. > :12:21.without watertight security. I'm speaking to one insider who said
:12:21. > :12:26.even last year there was clear to many people that G4S were not going
:12:26. > :12:30.to be able to find as many staff as they needed. One of the
:12:30. > :12:35.frustrations for many people is it has taken so long to get where we
:12:35. > :12:40.are now. The eyes of the world will be on this country in two weeks'
:12:40. > :12:44.time. If it goes well, the image of this country is boosted. If it does
:12:44. > :12:50.not, of the reverse is the case. These problems need to be sorted
:12:50. > :12:56.out very quickly. Athletes from around the world will be arriving
:12:56. > :13:01.very shortly. Are they going to be able to short this out? The M4 it
:13:01. > :13:05.is the main gateway to London. Most athletes will arrive at Heathrow.
:13:05. > :13:13.It is unthinkable they will be sent on various diversions someone not
:13:13. > :13:19.be on as we strode into London. People say it will be ready on time.
:13:19. > :13:25.-- a swifter road. Look back to the Athens Olympics, I spent a lot of
:13:25. > :13:29.time covering those games before they started. There was never a
:13:29. > :13:39.roof on the swimming pool. The Games took place in the open air
:13:39. > :13:45.
:13:45. > :13:51.but the games were a success. There are -- there is time to iron things
:13:51. > :13:55.out. The Syrian ambassador to Iraq has defected. He is the first
:13:55. > :14:00.senior Syrian diplomat to abandon the Government of President Bashar
:14:00. > :14:06.al-Assad. The genocide trial of Ratko Mladic has been adjourned
:14:06. > :14:09.after he complained of feeling unwell. A spokesman for the ball
:14:09. > :14:18.tier boards - and at the War crimes Tribunal said he had been taken to
:14:18. > :14:23.hospital for medical tests. -- the War crimes Tribunal. Ithaca Ahmed
:14:23. > :14:28.denied trying to make his wife and children stick to a script about
:14:28. > :14:38.the disappearance of their daughter. Earlier his wife changed her
:14:38. > :14:42.statement saying that her husband attacked the daughter on the night.
:14:43. > :14:48.He has faced more questions resulting from his wife's change of
:14:48. > :14:57.evidence. He said for the last nine years he -- she has never made any
:14:57. > :15:03.mention of theirs. He did cast doubt upon her state of mind. The
:15:03. > :15:08.barrister put it to him in these words. For the last nine -- five
:15:08. > :15:14.years, she has been reading and singing from a script you wrote. No,
:15:14. > :15:18.he replied. He was also questioned about the marriage - the suggestion
:15:18. > :15:24.they were very intertwined with extended family - and it might have
:15:24. > :15:29.a ripple effect on other marriages within the family if there were a
:15:29. > :15:33.breakdown within their own marriage. Since she was remanded in custody,
:15:33. > :15:38.it was put to him that his work has had more time than she has ever had
:15:38. > :15:42.in her marriage to be alone and think for herself. He said you have
:15:42. > :15:48.controlled your wife and children and had absolute control over them
:15:48. > :15:53.until very recently. I have never had control over anybody, he
:15:53. > :15:59.replied. He was accused of being domineering and violent. He denied
:15:59. > :16:02.Our top story this lunchtime: A massive avalanche in the French
:16:02. > :16:05.Alps kills at least nine people. It is thought three of them may be
:16:05. > :16:09.British. Two others are believed to be missing.
:16:09. > :16:14.Coming up: The end of an era, as the BBC World Service says goodbye
:16:14. > :16:17.to its famous home, Bush House. Later on BBC London: The South
:16:17. > :16:22.London Healthcare Trust which runs three hospitals has gone into
:16:22. > :16:32.administration. The Stones 50 years on. A new
:16:32. > :16:36.
:16:36. > :16:38.exhibition remembers their early Ten people have been arrested in
:16:39. > :16:42.Belfast following overnight trouble in the city, ahead of today's
:16:42. > :16:46.Orange Order parades. It is the biggest day of the Protestant
:16:46. > :16:48.marching season. Political leaders and the police have appealed for
:16:49. > :16:57.calm, amid disputes over a number of parade routes. Here's our
:16:57. > :17:02.Ireland correspondent, Mark Simpson. A Protestant march past a mainly
:17:02. > :17:06.Catholic area in north Belfast. This street has been a violent
:17:06. > :17:15.flash point in the past but not this morning. The Orange Order
:17:15. > :17:19.didn't play any music. And the residence protest was silent. But
:17:19. > :17:25.there was allowed reception from Orange Order supporters. Once the
:17:25. > :17:29.marchers arrived in the mainly Protestant area for some in spite
:17:29. > :17:35.of fears of trouble, it all passed off relatively peacefully. It could
:17:35. > :17:41.have been a bad situation. There were a few scuffles further down
:17:41. > :17:45.and there is still that provocation. The scuffles were minor. Order was
:17:45. > :17:51.restored in 10 minutes. But police have warned people in Northern
:17:51. > :17:59.Ireland that anyone caught writing today will face severe consequences.
:17:59. > :18:03.-- rioting. It is absurd that people can think they can do that
:18:03. > :18:09.without consequence. The consequence is, if they catch them,
:18:09. > :18:17.they will go to jail. In many parts of Northern Ireland, there is a
:18:17. > :18:21.carnival atmosphere. There are thousands of people on the streets.
:18:21. > :18:27.The vast majority of marches pass off peacefully, including this one
:18:27. > :18:34.in Belfast city centre, but the police are never far away. The
:18:34. > :18:38.police are hoping for a quiet night. And they are not the only ones.
:18:38. > :18:42.Closing speeches have been made in the trial of John Terry who has
:18:42. > :18:45.been accused of using racist abuse. The prosecution said the words the
:18:45. > :18:48.footballer directed at Anton Ferdinand on the pitch were meant
:18:48. > :18:55.straightfowardly rather than sarcastically. John Terry denies
:18:55. > :19:01.this. Dan Roan is at Westminster Magistrates Court. What was said in
:19:01. > :19:06.court? The court heard this morning the
:19:06. > :19:10.prosecution in a closing statement claiming that John Terry was guilty
:19:10. > :19:16.of straightforward racial abuse, as they put it, when he clashed with
:19:16. > :19:20.Anton Ferdinand, the QPR defender back in October of last year, when
:19:20. > :19:23.Chelsea played a Premier League match at Loftus Road. John Terry
:19:23. > :19:28.has always maintained he was simply repeating the words he thought
:19:28. > :19:32.Ferdinand had used, but the Crown claimed that Terry was in fact
:19:32. > :19:36.responding angrily to provocation over an alleged affair with the ex
:19:36. > :19:39.parte not of a former team-mate, and Duncan Penny for the
:19:39. > :19:44.prosecution today claimed it was highly unlikely that Ferdinand
:19:44. > :19:48.would have made up such an accusation. He said it was unlikely
:19:49. > :19:53.that Ferdinand would have had the sophistication or motivation in the
:19:53. > :20:00.heat of the moment to make that up. Ashley Cole was giving evidence
:20:00. > :20:06.yesterday in support of John Terry. In response, the QC for the defence
:20:06. > :20:09.claimed the case was not about racism but based on speculation. He
:20:09. > :20:14.referred to the 600 matches that John Terry has played as a
:20:14. > :20:18.professional, only been sent off four times, never as a result of
:20:18. > :20:23.bad language, and he said it was inconceivable that a taunt that
:20:23. > :20:26.John Terry has had hundreds of times before would making snap. He
:20:27. > :20:30.also said Anton Ferdinand was an unreliable witness and it was
:20:30. > :20:40.possible that neither party were lying and that John Terry had
:20:40. > :20:41.
:20:41. > :20:45.mistakenly heard the word black. He said Terry it was only responding
:20:45. > :20:49.to Ferdinand's accusation. The magistrate Howard Riddle will make
:20:49. > :20:54.a decision tomorrow after 2pm. Thousands of O2 customers are still
:20:54. > :20:56.without full service after the mobile network crashed. O2 says it
:20:56. > :20:59.is starting to restore its 3G service, which allows customers to
:20:59. > :21:02.download data, after hundreds of thousands of people found they were
:21:02. > :21:09.unable to make calls, text or access the internet yesterday.
:21:09. > :21:15.Here's our technology correspondent. What is life like without a working
:21:15. > :21:23.mobile-phone? Hundreds of thousands of O2 customers have been finding
:21:23. > :21:28.out women network experienced a serious problem -- when the network
:21:29. > :21:33.experienced. Among them, this woman. With her husband travelling, she
:21:33. > :21:39.has been out of touch. It is frightening that I cannot contact
:21:39. > :21:47.anybody, frightening that I haven't been able to contact my family. I
:21:47. > :21:52.don't know whether they are OK. It Of the problems began at lunchtime
:21:52. > :21:56.on Wednesday. By 8 o'clock this morning, O2 said that a voice
:21:56. > :22:03.services had been restored, which meant everybody should be able to
:22:03. > :22:08.make and receive phone calls, but 3G data services are only gradually
:22:08. > :22:16.returning. Small businesses, like this popcorn maker, say using
:22:16. > :22:19.mobile phone connections can mean It was really bad for us, we did
:22:19. > :22:26.not have any orders, deliveries were not getting where they were
:22:26. > :22:29.meant to go. O2 have given little detail of what went wrong, beyond
:22:29. > :22:35.saying its network stopped recognising some uses numbers. The
:22:35. > :22:44.problem has reached beyond phones. London's bicycle rental service has
:22:44. > :22:47.been disrupted. Analysts say there run-up to the Olympics. With many
:22:47. > :22:51.people expected to arrive in the country and start using the
:22:51. > :22:56.networks, they will be under huge strain, and if we are already
:22:56. > :23:00.seeing problems ahead of the Games, network operators will be rightly
:23:00. > :23:05.worried about what happens when the load increases. Life is gradually
:23:05. > :23:10.returning to normal for O2 customers, whose business depends
:23:10. > :23:16.on keeping people connected. They must now assess the damage to their
:23:16. > :23:20.reputation. It was not just O2 having problems
:23:20. > :23:26.yesterday. The BBC website could not be accessed last night for
:23:26. > :23:29.about an hour but for service has now been restored. -- for service.
:23:29. > :23:32.The government has confirmed that it is delaying a full consultation
:23:32. > :23:35.on the future expansion of airport capacity in the South East of
:23:35. > :23:38.England until later this year. The public consultation was meant to
:23:38. > :23:45.begin in March. Senior figures within the government are reported
:23:45. > :23:50.to be split over the issue. Once again, it has failed to get
:23:50. > :23:54.off the ground. The consultation on expanding some of Britain's busiest
:23:54. > :23:58.airports was first promised four months ago but now it has been
:23:58. > :24:02.delayed again, this time because of divisions within the government.
:24:02. > :24:06.When the coalition first came to power, one of the first things it
:24:06. > :24:11.did was to rule out the third runway at Heathrow but since then
:24:11. > :24:16.it has come under a lot of pressure to change its mind. And it looks
:24:16. > :24:22.like that pressure is working. Some Conservatives now openly support
:24:22. > :24:27.expanding Heathrow, and that is causing tension. It is more dither
:24:27. > :24:31.and delay. There is no reason why they should not have published a
:24:31. > :24:39.call for evidence today and instead we have the aviation industry and
:24:39. > :24:45.business community crying out for proper decision-making. Many
:24:45. > :24:48.business leaders are few years they have been claiming for years that a
:24:48. > :24:52.lack of airport space has been costing the country billions,
:24:52. > :24:55.arguing that extra capacity is essential to develop links with
:24:55. > :25:02.some of the world's biggest economies, including China, India
:25:02. > :25:06.and Brazil. CBI countries are chained -- straining to keep the
:25:06. > :25:09.private sector in Britain growing, and the best way to do that is to
:25:09. > :25:14.export British goods to parts of the world that still have the money
:25:14. > :25:20.to buy them. The new economies of the East. Do do that you need good
:25:20. > :25:24.aviation links. There has been an aviation paper launched today,
:25:24. > :25:27.dealing with noise, emissions and how to make more of the assets we
:25:27. > :25:32.have already got, but it does not deal with the thorniest issue,
:25:32. > :25:37.whether to build new runways in the south-east of England, or indeed
:25:37. > :25:42.build a brand new airport in a quiet corner of the Thames estuary.
:25:42. > :25:45.That debate will not now officially start until the autumn.
:25:45. > :25:49.The cyclist Bradley Wiggins is making history today at the Tour de
:25:49. > :25:54.France. He is the first British cyclist to wear the yellow jersey
:25:54. > :25:57.for four days in one tour. Wiggins says he deserves to win the race
:25:57. > :26:03.and he has put his success in holding on to the lead position
:26:03. > :26:08.down to hard work. This is how Bradley Wiggins began
:26:08. > :26:12.the day, at the front and in yellow. He is the first Briton to win the
:26:12. > :26:17.yellow jersey for four days in one tall and with a two-minute lead
:26:17. > :26:23.over his rivals, there is already Torquay could be the first British
:26:23. > :26:26.cyclist to take the title -- already talk. Bradley Wiggins is a
:26:26. > :26:30.six-time world champion and three- time Olympic champion but he is not
:26:30. > :26:35.known for his prowess in the mountains. Keeping him in the lead
:26:35. > :26:40.has been a collective effort from his team, and today that could be
:26:40. > :26:44.under threat as it climbs to its highest point in the Alps. Wiggins
:26:44. > :26:52.says he has worked hard and is ready for the toughest up will
:26:52. > :26:55.stage of the race. He can lead the world for days on end to on the
:26:55. > :26:58.most gruelling challenge in cycling, so there are high hopes for what he
:26:58. > :27:01.can do on the streets of London in two weeks' time.
:27:01. > :27:05.The BBC World Service has said goodbye to the famous building in
:27:05. > :27:08.central London that it has called home for 70 years. At midday, the
:27:08. > :27:12.last news bulletin was read in Bush House. The service, which
:27:12. > :27:18.broadcasts around the world in 28 languages, will now come from a new
:27:18. > :27:22.building in London's West End. Bush House was an imposing home for
:27:22. > :27:31.a service that aimed to be a beacon of truth and objectivity in many
:27:32. > :27:37.languages. Calling London... Here is been used, read by Derek Baker.
:27:37. > :27:43.Today, the last programme went out just after midday London time.
:27:43. > :27:49.Soldiers are being deployed in the south-west of Japan... Audiences a
:27:49. > :27:53.round-the-world still tune in for trustworthy, impartial news. More
:27:53. > :27:59.than 160 million. For many it has proved a lifeline. Terry Waite,
:27:59. > :28:04.held hostage in Lebanon, was allowed to listen. In the last 12
:28:04. > :28:09.months, the World Service helped keep us alive, both spiritually and
:28:09. > :28:13.mentally. Thank you, World Service. The last news bulletin today was
:28:13. > :28:18.followed by a dispatch specially recorded by the BBC director-
:28:18. > :28:24.general. This benign Tower of Babel, the scene of so many broadcasting
:28:24. > :28:29.moments and the home of so many great broadcasters, is now silent.
:28:29. > :28:33.Its corridors deserted, its studios empty. The corridors may be silent
:28:33. > :28:43.but the programmes continue, as the World Service swaps the splendours
:28:43. > :28:44.
:28:44. > :28:47.of Bush House for a new home Let's have a look at the weather.
:28:47. > :28:53.I am sure many people have forgotten what the sunshine looks
:28:53. > :28:59.like but a lot is forecast today! But we will not all get to see the
:28:59. > :29:03.sunshine. Rain is already moving across the south-west. A beautiful
:29:03. > :29:10.scene for the satellite at the moment, for many central areas all
:29:10. > :29:15.the way down to the South East. However, underneath the cloud,
:29:15. > :29:21.already seeing some rain moving in. The wind is picking up and it is
:29:21. > :29:29.disappointingly cool. Positive in Northern Ireland this
:29:29. > :29:35.afternoon. Similarly, fine through western Scotland. Could let in
:29:35. > :29:39.Inverness for the first day of the Scottish Open. Finally Edinburgh is
:29:39. > :29:43.seeing some sunshine. For south- east Scotland and north-east
:29:43. > :29:48.England, and risk of showers developing this afternoon.
:29:48. > :29:52.Elsewhere, the Midlands, Lincolnshire commit East Anglia and
:29:52. > :29:58.the Home Counties sticking with the sunshine for much of the day.
:29:58. > :30:02.However, for South Wales and the south-west of England, the rain is
:30:03. > :30:07.moving in. The winds picking up as well, with maybe an inch of rain
:30:07. > :30:12.and still several flood alerts enforced. The risk of localised
:30:12. > :30:19.flooding potentially. If you have the sunshine this evening, make the
:30:19. > :30:28.most of it. By dawn, the rain will come to rest through central areas
:30:29. > :30:32.of England and Wales. North of here, it is clear and dry. The rain from
:30:32. > :30:37.today by tomorrow will come to rest through the central slice of
:30:37. > :30:43.England and Wales and will ease through the day. South of here,
:30:43. > :30:49.watch out for torrential, heavy showers. If you catch one of those,
:30:49. > :30:54.you will notice it. By contrast, largely fine in the north. This is
:30:54. > :30:58.the weather front that will bring the rain into the weekend. It
:30:58. > :31:03.clears to the south and the isobars flow from the north into the
:31:03. > :31:08.weekend, so it will feel a fair bit colder. Still a bit of rain across
:31:08. > :31:13.southern areas but for much of England and Wales, still the chance
:31:13. > :31:22.of heavy showers. That will ease through the weekend and many of us
:31:22. > :31:25.A reminder of our top story: A massive avalanche in the French
:31:25. > :31:30.Alps kills at least nine people. It is thought three of them may be