:00:10. > :00:14.Accused of killing a British businessman - the wife of a former
:00:14. > :00:17.top Chinese politician goes on trial. Gu Kailai doesn't contest
:00:17. > :00:22.the charge of poisoning Neil Heywood, in a case that's rocked
:00:22. > :00:25.the Chinese political establishment. The Ministry of Defence apologies,
:00:25. > :00:33.after it admits keeping body parts and tissue samples of some soldiers
:00:33. > :00:37.killed in Afghanistan, without telling their families.
:00:37. > :00:41.We owe a huge apology not families involved here and those who will
:00:41. > :00:44.now be feeling stressful even if it doesn't affect them.
:00:45. > :00:48.Another blow for the UK economy. New figures show the gap between
:00:48. > :00:51.exports and imports is at its worse since 1997.
:00:51. > :00:57.Usain Bolt will tonight try to become the first man to defend the
:00:57. > :01:02.100 and 200m titles. Keri-Anne Payne hopes to add to Team GB's
:01:02. > :01:05.medal tally in the women's 10k marathon. Boxer Nicola Adams is
:01:05. > :01:10.assured of gold or silver in the first ever Olympic women's boxing
:01:10. > :01:13.final this afternoon. Four time boxing world champion, Ireland's
:01:13. > :01:16.Katie Taylor, is going for her country's first gold medal this
:01:16. > :01:25.afternoon On BBC London - The Mayor calls for all school children to
:01:25. > :01:35.play sport for two hours a day, as And after people power cleaned up
:01:35. > :01:48.
:01:48. > :01:52.after the riots, a new way of Good afternoon. Welcome to the BBC
:01:52. > :01:55.News at one. The murder trial of the wife of a prominent Chinese
:01:55. > :02:00.politician, accused of killing a British businessman, has ended
:02:00. > :02:04.after one day. Gu Kailai did not contest the charge hand will be
:02:04. > :02:07.sentenced at a later date. She had been accused of poisoning her
:02:07. > :02:12.business partner Neil Heywood last November, in a dispute about money.
:02:12. > :02:18.His death triggered a political scandal, which saw Gu Kailai's
:02:18. > :02:21.husband, removed as the Communist Party chief in Chongqing. Our
:02:21. > :02:26.correspondent, John Sudworth, sent this report. Appropriately perhaps
:02:26. > :02:32.for a case that has engulfed China in a storm of scandal, a typhoon
:02:32. > :02:35.has blown in. Two British diplomats greeted by a scrum of rain-soaked
:02:35. > :02:42.foreign journalists are the only outside observers given access to
:02:42. > :02:48.the trial. Inside, as Chinese TV cameras give the world the first
:02:48. > :02:53.glimpse of the defendant, on the face of it, the case appears simple.
:02:53. > :02:57.Gu Kailai, a 53-year-old Chinese lawyer is charged with murdering
:02:57. > :03:02.her British business partner Neil Heywood. But lurking in the
:03:02. > :03:11.background, it is Gu Kailai's powerful husband who gives it such
:03:11. > :03:17.political significance. Bo Xilai was one of China's 25 most senior
:03:17. > :03:22.poll significances. He spearheadded a campaign to promote old Communist
:03:22. > :03:25.vam use. Neil Heywood's death at this hotel was initially recorded
:03:25. > :03:29.as a heart attack. Despite his business connections to the
:03:29. > :03:34.powerful family, there was nothing to arouse suspicion. But when
:03:34. > :03:38.evidence that he had been poisoned later emerged it prompted serious
:03:38. > :03:43.questions about corruption and cover up at the highest level of
:03:43. > :03:48.Chinese politics. So while Gu Kailai faces criminal trial, her
:03:48. > :03:52.husband's fate hangs in the balance. As always in China, what goes on in
:03:52. > :03:58.this court is as much about the politics as it is the facts of the
:03:58. > :04:03.case. Gu Kailai may well be guilty of course, her appearance here is a
:04:03. > :04:07.clear indication of two things: That the Communist Party wants the
:04:07. > :04:10.case swiftly resolved and her conviction suits its interests.
:04:11. > :04:17.Reports from inside the court say Gu Kailai appeared calm and in good
:04:17. > :04:22.health. She thanked the court for treating her fairly, this man says.
:04:22. > :04:26.Few will be surprised the trial ended so quickly, but questions
:04:26. > :04:30.remain - will Gu Kailai escape the death penalty? Will Bo Xilai
:04:30. > :04:37.himself be charged and have the family of a murdered man been given
:04:37. > :04:39.justice? Army officials are contacting some
:04:39. > :04:44.families of servicemen and women who were killed in Afghanistan
:04:44. > :04:47.after it emerged that body parts and tissue samples of soldiers were
:04:47. > :04:50.retained by the Ministry of Defence without their relatives' knowledge.
:04:50. > :04:52.Officials say proper procedures for informing relatives were not
:04:52. > :04:57.followed in a small number of cases. Our security correspondent Frank
:04:57. > :05:02.Gardner is at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. What's the
:05:02. > :05:06.reaction been to this then? Well, of course, it's a very unpleasant
:05:06. > :05:11.shock for a lot of families up and down the country to know that
:05:11. > :05:16.behind me in this leafy suburb of Oxford human body parts were being
:05:16. > :05:21.stored without the consent of their families. That's at the John
:05:21. > :05:24.Radcliffe Hospital who were acting under the auspices of the MoD as
:05:24. > :05:29.part of a forensic investigation into deaths. Tissue samples were
:05:29. > :05:34.also held by what's called the special investigations branch, the
:05:34. > :05:41.royal military police in Wiltshire. The total number of faxilies or
:05:41. > :05:45.individuals involved is 30. -- families or individuals is 30. But
:05:45. > :05:49.some will be wondering if it's their son involved here. The Army
:05:49. > :05:56.has issued a statement, the assistant chief of the scepbl staff
:05:56. > :06:03.said this earlier today. In line with the law an autopsy takes place
:06:03. > :06:08.when an body is recovered. A number of those tests take place allover
:06:08. > :06:12.the -- all over the UK. We're pretty clear that we've captured it
:06:12. > :06:16.now, 30 service personnel involved and you're right, we owe a huge
:06:16. > :06:20.apology not families involved here. And those who will now be feeling
:06:21. > :06:26.stressful even if it doesn't affect them.
:06:26. > :06:30.To put it in perspective, around 422, I believe, servicemen and
:06:30. > :06:33.women have been out in Afghanistan since operations began. There the
:06:33. > :06:38.numbers are relatively small but still this should never have
:06:38. > :06:44.happened. It's oversight rather than conspiracy. I don't think it's
:06:44. > :06:48.part of a plot to frof it from the body parts. Nobody's suggesting.
:06:48. > :06:51.That but it's a scandalous oversight and it's really more of
:06:51. > :06:55.an administrative error that they're looking into. The urgency
:06:55. > :06:58.is to contact the families and reassure them this has been taken
:06:58. > :07:02.care of and it will never happen again.
:07:02. > :07:06.Here at the Olympic Park, all eyes will be on the stadium behind me
:07:06. > :07:11.later today, as the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, aims to become the
:07:11. > :07:14.first man in history to defend his titles in the 100 and 200m. He
:07:14. > :07:18.cruised through to this evening's final, but still faces stiff
:07:18. > :07:22.competition from his fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake. After no
:07:22. > :07:24.medals for Great Britain yesterday, Team GB's hoping to get back into
:07:24. > :07:30.winning ways. Our sports correspondent, James Pearce now
:07:30. > :07:33.reports. London in the sunshine, these are the kind of images of the
:07:33. > :07:37.capital broadcast around the world which the organisers had hoped for
:07:37. > :07:43.when they first made plans to hold this swim right in the middle of
:07:43. > :07:50.the city. Large crowds, as always, and a British favourite for them to
:07:50. > :07:55.support. Keri-Anne Payne won silver in Beijing. She started the race
:07:55. > :08:01.with every chance of going one better here. In the athletics
:08:01. > :08:07.stadium, Paralympian Oscar Pistorius's chances came to an end.
:08:08. > :08:12.The South African team-mate's fall during the opening heat of the four
:08:12. > :08:15.by 400m relay, meant he was waiting on the track with nobody to hand
:08:15. > :08:19.him the baton. The British team finished second and vantsing to the
:08:19. > :08:27.next round. -- advancing to the next round. It's prit qui good.
:08:27. > :08:32.Loved the atmosphere. We're tired, do you know what, for the finals
:08:32. > :08:37.hopefully we can do better. Once this morning's session finishes
:08:37. > :08:41.many of the spectators will go into the Olympic Park and try to reserve
:08:41. > :08:46.some of the best spaces around the big screen because the race thaerve
:08:46. > :08:51.wants to watch takes place at 8.55pm. Can Usain Bolt add to his
:08:51. > :08:55.long list of achievements? No man has ever successfully defended the
:08:55. > :08:59.Olympics 200m title. He qualified for the final with ease. Another of
:08:59. > :09:03.the biggest stars of these Games is Marco Loughran. His competition has
:09:03. > :09:06.finished, two gold medals won. In little more than three days' time
:09:06. > :09:10.these Olympics will be over and the world's best athletes are already
:09:10. > :09:15.starting to pass judgment on the overall skpoorpbs. Have you enjoyed
:09:15. > :09:20.these Games? Yeah. They're definitely one of the best ones
:09:20. > :09:25.I've been to. Everything's just really convenient. They really did
:09:25. > :09:28.an outstanding job on just helping out the athletes. Back at open
:09:28. > :09:31.water swimming, the competitors were having enough problems just
:09:31. > :09:36.working out which were their personal refreshments. But Keri-
:09:36. > :09:41.Anne Payne was still up with the leading group.
:09:41. > :09:47.Let's get the latest on how Keri- Anne Payne is doing. Dan Roan is in
:09:47. > :09:53.Hyde Park now. Well, it's a fantastic atmosphere,
:09:53. > :09:58.as you can probably see, here on the banks of the serpentine here in
:09:58. > :10:01.Hyde Park. If our cameraman pans round, you may be able to seat
:10:01. > :10:05.thousands of people who have took the opportunity to come here today.
:10:05. > :10:09.The open water swimming, 10k marathon of swimming,if you like,
:10:09. > :10:13.is one of the few events at the Olympics, which you don't require a
:10:14. > :10:19.ticket for. It's similar scenes to those we saw just two days ago,
:10:19. > :10:23.when alstern BrownLee of Team GB won the triathlon, the swimming
:10:24. > :10:30.component was also here in the chilly, murky waters of the
:10:30. > :10:35.serpentine. The crowds are back today. 15, 20 deep in some places.
:10:35. > :10:40.Let's show you live pictures now. Keri-Anne Payne is Team GB's big
:10:40. > :10:43.hope in this. She's doing well. All of the swimmers are within around
:10:43. > :10:47.20 seconds of each other. She's in the leading pack. It's exactly
:10:47. > :10:52.where she likes to be, at the lead of the group of swimmers. On paper
:10:52. > :10:58.she has a very good chance. She was world champion in 2009 and 2011.
:10:58. > :11:01.She had a Silver Medal in Beijing four years ago. We still have quite
:11:01. > :11:05.a long way to go. They are just over halfway. They are on the
:11:05. > :11:10.fourth of six laps. It should finish in 40 minutes from now, this
:11:10. > :11:13.race. There's a certain degree of pressure on Keri-Anne Payne.
:11:13. > :11:19.Britain hasn't had a great swimming Olympics. If she can win gold today
:11:19. > :11:29.it would make up for was gone on in the pool in the Olympic Park.
:11:29. > :11:34.
:11:34. > :11:37.the pool in the Olympic Park. Who knows, there could be more by
:11:38. > :11:41.the end of today. Among the Britons going for gold is Nicola Adams, who
:11:41. > :11:44.will try to become the first Olympic women's boxing champion.
:11:44. > :11:49.Our sports correspondent, Andy Swiss is at the Excel Arena where
:11:49. > :11:54.Swiss is at the Excel Arena where that bout will take place. Can she
:11:54. > :11:57.do it? Yes, welcome to the excel arena. It's quiet at the moment.
:11:57. > :12:00.Come 4.30pm this afternoon the decibel count here will be going
:12:00. > :12:05.through the roof, because that's when Nicola Adams will be emerging
:12:05. > :12:10.for her final. As you say, trying to become the first female boxing
:12:10. > :12:15.champion in Olympic history. She looked impressive in her semi-final
:12:15. > :12:18.yesterday against Mary come of India, a five times -- Mary Kom of
:12:18. > :12:23.India, a five times world champion. It looks a pretty tough fight on
:12:23. > :12:31.paper. She came through in some style. The bad news is in the final
:12:31. > :12:35.she's up against the very best in the business, the world number one.
:12:35. > :12:40.The Chinese beat Nicola Adams in the World Championships earlier
:12:40. > :12:45.this year. Nicola Adams called her her arch nemesis. Nicola Adams is
:12:45. > :12:50.the under dog, but fans will be willing her to the Gold Medal.
:12:50. > :12:54.Katie Taylor is also trying to get' Gold Medal as well. That's right no
:12:54. > :12:58.Gold Medals yet for Ireland in these Olympics. Can Katie Taylor
:12:58. > :13:01.change that? She is a sporting superstar, a household name in
:13:02. > :13:06.Ireland. She carried the flag for them at opening ceremony. Certainly
:13:06. > :13:09.there were thousands of Irish fans here yesterday cheering her on in
:13:09. > :13:13.her semi-final, where she again proved she is one of the very best
:13:13. > :13:17.in women's boxing. There'll be thousands more Irish fans here this
:13:17. > :13:21.afternoon to cheer her on and thousands more back in Ireland
:13:21. > :13:24.watching on giant screens in all the major cities. The eyes of a
:13:24. > :13:28.nation will be on Katie Taylor. She'll be confident she can deliver
:13:28. > :13:38.that first Gold Medal of these Games for Ireland. Thank you very
:13:38. > :13:41.much. With me here is Natasha Jonas, who was the first British boxer to
:13:41. > :13:45.compete in the Olympics. Very nice to see you here. Tell us first of
:13:45. > :13:50.all about the reception you got when you stepped into the ring.
:13:50. > :13:55.was unbelievable. Obviously Katy had a lot of fans in there as well.
:13:55. > :13:59.There was a lot of my family and friends and obviously, it was
:13:59. > :14:03.generally people who had come to support women's boxing. It was
:14:03. > :14:07.immense. I felt so proud to just walk out at that moment. I think
:14:07. > :14:11.they measured the noise levels, it was one of the highest if not the
:14:11. > :14:14.highest at any of the Olympic venues. It must have been
:14:14. > :14:17.extraordinary to hear? It was. It gave me a boost. It showed in the
:14:17. > :14:21.performances of both of us at the time. When we thought we just
:14:21. > :14:25.didn't have anything left, the crowd give us a big cheer and it
:14:25. > :14:28.pushed us on. You were making history that day on Sunday. What
:14:28. > :14:34.has this done for your sport because there are people out there
:14:34. > :14:39.who are not comfortable watching women box. Already, me coach from
:14:39. > :14:44.me home club has had numerous calls about young ladies in particular,
:14:44. > :14:48.who want to take up boxing. That's what the Olympics is all about, you
:14:48. > :14:53.know, the motto was to inspire a generation and hopefully that's
:14:53. > :14:56.what we've done. With prot motion that we've got, you know the crowds
:14:56. > :15:00.that we've pulled in, the excitement, we've had drama you
:15:00. > :15:06.know, that's what it's all about. What about Nicola Adams? Do you thi
:15:06. > :15:10.she can do it? She's getting gold or silver, but will it be gold?
:15:10. > :15:14.believe 100% today is Nicola's day and she will go on and do what
:15:14. > :15:18.she's destined to do, win a Gold Medal. She's been unlucky before in
:15:18. > :15:21.the World Championships getting two silvers. This time I think it's
:15:21. > :15:26.Nicola's time. She's worked hard. She's bigger, better, faster,
:15:26. > :15:28.stronger in the gym. Today's her day. She's up against the best of
:15:29. > :15:35.the best. But the home support surely that will help carry her
:15:35. > :15:45.there, you just can't help but want to perform in front of the crowd
:15:45. > :15:46.
:15:47. > :15:50.that's behind you. So yeah, best of luck. Thank you. Members of the
:15:50. > :16:00.equestrian team for dressage go for individual gold. Joe Wilson is
:16:00. > :16:01.
:16:01. > :16:06.We are talking individual freestyle dressage today. Riders are allowed
:16:06. > :16:10.to choose their own routines and music. There is a strong element of
:16:10. > :16:15.choreography to today's competition. Unprecedented success for Britain's
:16:15. > :16:22.dressage team. They took gold a few days ago and those three riders and
:16:22. > :16:24.those three horses are in action today. So, of course, optimism
:16:24. > :16:30.especially surrounding Charlotte Dujardin. The competition is
:16:30. > :16:35.underway. We don't like to disturb the horses, but a short time ago,
:16:35. > :16:39.inside, I spoke to the Chief Executive of British dressage,
:16:39. > :16:43.Amanda Bond. Who was excited. We have got our fingers crossed,
:16:43. > :16:49.but we have a chance. We had three riders in the top five at the end
:16:49. > :16:54.of the team competition. We had the top placed individual in Charlotte
:16:54. > :17:00.Dujardin. So yes, she was in Gloucestershire at harp bury a
:17:00. > :17:03.month ago and pulled a 90% score, not a dry eye in the house. We're
:17:03. > :17:08.hoping she is going to do a bit of that againpm. And that's the
:17:08. > :17:11.routine we are going to see today? That was her run out before we came
:17:11. > :17:18.here. The music was the same and the routine is the same. It is
:17:18. > :17:23.going to be really, really exciting. If you are planning your Olympic
:17:23. > :17:28.afternoon, the first British ride will be this afternoon. Charlotte
:17:28. > :17:33.Dujardin goes at 3.50pm. She may sound like a princess, but she is a
:17:33. > :17:36.After a slow start, Australia's Olympic team have finally begun
:17:37. > :17:41.climbing the medal table, winning another gold this morning.
:17:41. > :17:44.COMMENTATOR: Australia get the gold. Hungary get the silver and coming
:17:44. > :17:47.through for bronze were the Czech Republic.
:17:47. > :17:50.Their K4 kayak team won the 1,000 metre sprint at Eton Dorney ahead
:17:50. > :17:54.of Hungary in silver and the Czech Republic in bronze. Australia now
:17:54. > :18:03.has six golds and is ranked tenth in the medals table after being
:18:03. > :18:05.criticised just days ago for a lack of medals. Our top story this lunch
:18:05. > :18:08.time: The murder trial of the wife of a
:18:08. > :18:14.prominent Chinese politician who is accused of killing a British
:18:14. > :18:17.businessman has ended after one day. Gu Kailai did not contest the
:18:17. > :18:25.murder charge and will be sentenced at a later date.
:18:25. > :18:29.And coming up, an unexpected winner at London 2012. The gardens form
:18:29. > :18:36.ribbons of colour. It is unexpected in a sporting environment like the
:18:36. > :18:41.Olympics, but they are proving a We take a behind the scenes look at
:18:41. > :18:44.HMS Ocean and the 20,000 tonne temporary home for troops on the
:18:44. > :18:48.Thames. We meet one of handball's hidden
:18:48. > :18:55.heroes who turned her disappointment to triumph for the
:18:55. > :19:02.sport. The UK economy has suffered another
:19:02. > :19:05.setback after new figures show that exports have slumped. The UK trade
:19:05. > :19:08.deficit has widened to a record level in June after trade slowed
:19:08. > :19:13.between Britain and the rest of the world, not just the eurozone
:19:13. > :19:17.countries. Let's speak to our business correspondent, John Moylan.
:19:17. > :19:20.Put this in context for us, John. How bad are the figures? Our trade
:19:20. > :19:23.figures matter because if we are going to get out of the recession,
:19:23. > :19:26.we need to be selling more goods and services abroad. Consumers here
:19:26. > :19:29.aren't spending. Our companies are holding on to cash and not
:19:29. > :19:34.investing. We need to sell more abroad. The figures suggest we are
:19:34. > :19:38.not successfully dwg that -- doing that. So between May and June, our
:19:38. > :19:48.total exports fell by 5%. There was a modest fall in our imports as
:19:48. > :19:51.
:19:51. > :19:52.well which suggests that we are not buying. All of which means that the
:19:53. > :19:55.trade deficit, the difference between imports and exports widened
:19:55. > :19:58.to its highest level on record. Now, for economists today in the City,
:19:58. > :20:00.that is making them think that it will become much harder for Britain
:20:00. > :20:02.to get out of recession. Thank you very much.
:20:02. > :20:05.80 police officers are involved in the search for 12-year-old Tia
:20:05. > :20:08.Sharp who went missing after a visit to her grandmother's house in
:20:08. > :20:11.south London last Friday. Yesterday, her grandmother's boyfriend Stuart
:20:11. > :20:16.Hazell was questioned by police, but he was not arrested. Well, our
:20:16. > :20:20.correspondent Ben Ando is in New Addington. Ben.
:20:20. > :20:25.Yes, indeed, well here at Tia Sharp's grandmother's house which
:20:25. > :20:28.is where she was staying when she disappeared, her grandmother, left
:20:28. > :20:32.around about an hour ago accompanied by a friend. Her
:20:32. > :20:38.boyfriend, Stuart Hazell, who was questioned by detectives yesterday
:20:38. > :20:42.evening is understood still to be here. Also here is Tia's stepfather,
:20:42. > :20:49.who has come out of a couple of times this morning and has spoken
:20:49. > :20:59.to journalists and he is very emotional.
:20:59. > :21:01.
:21:01. > :21:04.Just leave it off, please. Just Well, there is no question this
:21:04. > :21:08.morning, the search has been stepped up. We have police with
:21:08. > :21:11.dogs in woodland near here. We have teams of officers, many from other
:21:11. > :21:14.forces who were on stand by in London to help with the Olympics,
:21:14. > :21:18.but who have been drafted into this investigation. They are searching
:21:18. > :21:22.and sifting through bins. Once they are given the clear, the bins can
:21:22. > :21:27.be taken away, the bins which should have been collected on
:21:27. > :21:31.Tuesday, weren't collected on the instructions of the police, on top
:21:31. > :21:35.of that, we have garages being searched. Some of the garages are
:21:35. > :21:42.opened by force when the police are told they are abandoned or can't
:21:42. > :21:46.trace the owners, the others are being opened with consent as the
:21:46. > :21:50.police look across this estate. The operation will take one or two days
:21:50. > :21:56.to complete the searching of the bins and the garages. On top of
:21:56. > :22:01.that, detectives are liaising with police from other forces including
:22:02. > :22:11.Dorset and Cumbria where girls of similar ages went missing, but were
:22:11. > :22:14.found days later. Syrian President, Bashar Assad, has
:22:14. > :22:16.appointed his Health Minister as the new Prime Minister to replace
:22:16. > :22:19.the one who defected earlier this week. Meanwhile, the government and
:22:19. > :22:23.rebels are both insisting that they are in control of the Salaheddin
:22:23. > :22:26.neighbourhood in the city of Aleppo which has been the scene of fierce
:22:26. > :22:28.fighting in recent days. Edinburgh will be lit up tonight in
:22:28. > :22:31.a rather unusual way as the city's International Festival gets
:22:31. > :22:35.underway. Hundreds of people in special suits that light up will
:22:35. > :22:39.run around Arthur's Seat one of the city's most famous landmarks. Our
:22:40. > :22:45.Scotland correspondent, James Cook, is in Edinburgh. James.
:22:45. > :22:50.Yes, welcome to the busy, bustling sometimes bonkers Edinburgh
:22:50. > :22:53.Festival. Not one festival, but several. We are at the Fringe, but
:22:53. > :22:59.tonight, the more high brow international festival gets
:22:59. > :23:04.It seems there is no escape from sport this summer. Even here in
:23:04. > :23:10.Edinburgh m. This is speed of light, the performance which will open the
:23:10. > :23:13.international festival this evening. The artists call it a a a fusion of
:23:13. > :23:18.art and sporting endeavour. We are working with 4,000 hill
:23:18. > :23:23.runners. We have worked with a Hollywood choreographer and we are
:23:23. > :23:28.able to make patterns appear and disappear in the dark landscape.
:23:28. > :23:36.On the sunny streets of the old town, the Fringe has been underway
:23:36. > :23:40.for a week. Since the official festival began in the 40s it han
:23:40. > :23:45.upstaged by -- has been upstaged by its rowdy cousin.
:23:45. > :23:48.We have been in capital cities over the world and this is fantastic.
:23:48. > :23:52.Just walking the street and seeing different performers, it is
:23:52. > :23:55.interesting, so yes. With the Tour de France and now the
:23:55. > :23:59.Edinburgh arts festival, it is fantastic.
:23:59. > :24:05.This year, the international festival is drawing the crowds.
:24:05. > :24:09.This hall usely holds live stock, not live theatre. The director says
:24:10. > :24:14.using bigger venues paid off with an 8% rise in ticket sales.
:24:14. > :24:17.We're having a fantastic year. It is probably due to the Olympics and
:24:17. > :24:21.the general euphoria and it is probably due to the fact that there
:24:21. > :24:27.is no show on earth like Edinburgh's festivals in August.
:24:27. > :24:33.The audiences are coming to see performances like. A modern version
:24:33. > :24:42.of Shakespeare's Macbeth. It is in Polish.
:24:42. > :24:45.There really is something for Yes, and 3,000 artists from 47
:24:45. > :24:49.nations are performing at the International Festival. The
:24:49. > :24:54.audiences are expected to be drawn from more countries than that. The
:24:54. > :24:57.organisers say it does have Olympian aspects. It seems wherever
:24:57. > :25:02.you are in the United Kingdom this year, you can't escape the Olympics.
:25:02. > :25:04.Thank you very much. More now on the Olympics and one of
:25:04. > :25:07.the things that visitors to the park have been pleasantly surprised
:25:07. > :25:10.by is the flowers and the landscaping. From woodlands to
:25:10. > :25:14.meadows to flowers beds, it has been an ambitious project to
:25:14. > :25:23.regenerate what was once an area of urban wasteland. Here's Clive Myrie.
:25:23. > :25:27.They have become as popular here as Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah, the
:25:27. > :25:32.agapanthus and paper daisies and pineapple lilies. It is hard to
:25:32. > :25:39.believe these were fashioned from land from industrial use. The soil
:25:39. > :25:44.had to be washed in giant machines, cleansing out cyanide and other
:25:44. > :25:48.poisons. Two-and-a-half years later, the head gardener told me all the
:25:48. > :25:52.effort had been a first for the Olympic movement.
:25:52. > :25:57.I think this is the first Olympic Park in the modern era that's been
:25:57. > :26:00.designed with the gardens in mind. I think it is nice to have it. It
:26:00. > :26:03.softens the hard edges of the buildings and the stuff we have got
:26:03. > :26:10.around and also it gives an area for the people to come down and
:26:10. > :26:13.have a little time of quiet relaxation in a beautiful area.
:26:13. > :26:17.But maintenance is tricky to avoid the crowds, all the gardening has
:26:17. > :26:23.to be done at night. We have got 30 guys who come on at
:26:23. > :26:28.night, at 1am, with torches and we have a list of work that they need
:26:28. > :26:38.to complete every night and they found mowing difficult, putting the
:26:38. > :26:43.
:26:43. > :26:45.stripes in! In the dark. LAUGHTER
:26:45. > :26:47.The gardens form ribbons of colour, greens and oranges, unexpected in a
:26:47. > :26:49.sporting environment like the Olympics, but they are proving a
:26:49. > :26:52.massive hit here. What a beautiful setting.
:26:52. > :26:55.It is clever. It is just so clever. The foliage and the shapes and the
:26:55. > :26:59.flower sizes, it is amazing. Just how they have arranged them
:26:59. > :27:02.all. They provide a setting for the river, for the stadium. They are
:27:02. > :27:09.just a framework and they are beautiful to walk through, aren't
:27:09. > :27:14.they? The gardens are intended to be as much a legacy of 2012 as much
:27:14. > :27:23.as the sports arenas, these gardens long enduring after the athletes
:27:23. > :27:25.have gone. A beautiful day today, we are
:27:25. > :27:30.seeing fair weather cloud developing, but that shouldn't
:27:30. > :27:33.spoil things too much. It will be a warm day here. A warm
:27:33. > :27:36.day really across many parts of the Country this afternoon with
:27:36. > :27:40.sunshine. The reason we're getting the warmth and the sunshine is
:27:41. > :27:45.because we have got a huge area of high pressure over the UK with that,
:27:45. > :27:48.we are getting hardly any wind and that has been a problem for the
:27:48. > :27:54.sailing at Weymouth and Portland. There maybe just a gentle breeze
:27:54. > :27:57.picking up this afternoon. If we get a sea breeze though, with the
:27:57. > :28:01.high humidity, we could drag in mist and fog as well. It is a risk
:28:01. > :28:04.as we led into the afternoon. Later in the afternoon in the south-west,
:28:04. > :28:07.most places will be dry with sunshine. There is just the small
:28:07. > :28:11.chance of a shower developing over the higher ground. It should be dry
:28:11. > :28:13.in Wales. Some warm sunshine here and more cloud filtering into
:28:13. > :28:17.Northern Ireland. It could be thick enough to squeeze out one or two
:28:17. > :28:21.light showers. More cloud in the north-east of Scotland. That will
:28:21. > :28:24.peg back the temperatures. Brighter and warmer elsewhere. Through the
:28:24. > :28:28.afternoon, in Northern England, we can look forward to lengthy spells
:28:28. > :28:31.of sunshine. It will feel warm out there. Sunny spells through the
:28:31. > :28:34.Midlands towards the South East of England where temperatures are
:28:34. > :28:39.hitting the mid-20s. A lovely afternoon. It will stay that way
:28:39. > :28:43.into the evening as well. The finals of the beach volleyball. 200
:28:43. > :28:48.meters in the stadium behind me and of course, Team GB's men are taking
:28:48. > :28:51.part in the hockey semi-finals. A pleasant evening and still some
:28:51. > :28:54.warmth around. Overnight, well, it stays dry and we will have clear
:28:54. > :28:58.spells. Like last night, a bit of mist and fog forming. Humid in
:28:58. > :29:02.Northern Ireland and south-western parts of England and warmer than
:29:02. > :29:06.last night in London. And just ideal conditions tomorrow for the
:29:06. > :29:09.canoe sprint finals. Maybe just a little bit more breeze developing
:29:09. > :29:14.in the afternoon for the sailors and still really warm in the
:29:14. > :29:19.afternoon for the cycling, BMX finals.
:29:19. > :29:22.We start off sunny tomorrow. Mist and fog soon burning off and fair
:29:22. > :29:26.weather cloud developing like today, but for most of us, the winds will
:29:26. > :29:30.be light. So it will feel warm when the sunshine comes out.
:29:30. > :29:33.Temperatures tomorrow like those of today. In the south the mid-20s or
:29:33. > :29:36.so. Cooler towards the north-east of the UK with the breeze. That
:29:36. > :29:39.will drag in a lot of cloud on Saturday into Eastern Scotland and
:29:39. > :29:43.north-east England. Sunshine elsewhere. Temperatures building.
:29:43. > :29:47.Watch out for showers coming into Wales and the south-west. A windier
:29:47. > :29:51.day on Saturday. The winds easing down on Sunday, but those showers
:29:51. > :29:57.that are in the south-west on Saturday could get all the way
:29:57. > :30:01.towards London on Sunday. Watch One a reminder of our top story:
:30:01. > :30:08.The murder trial of the wife of a prominent Chinese politician who is
:30:08. > :30:11.accused of killing British man Neil Hayward has ended. Gu Kailai did
:30:11. > :30:16.not contest the charge. The Ministry of Defence apologises
:30:16. > :30:19.after it admits keeping body parts and tissue samples of some soldiers
:30:19. > :30:24.killed in Afghanistan without telling their families.