:00:10. > :00:14.Thousands of people turn out to welcome the Paralympic flame as it
:00:14. > :00:18.arrives in London for tonight's opening of the Games. Carried
:00:18. > :00:21.through the capital's tourist spots, the flame just hours away now from
:00:21. > :00:25.lighting the Paralympic cauldron. This is the scene live in central
:00:25. > :00:30.London as the flame heads towards the Olympic Stadium in Stratford
:00:30. > :00:33.for a ceremony described as both spectacular and deeply human.
:00:34. > :00:38.It's hoped the years of hard work are about to pay off with
:00:38. > :00:42.Paralympic GB setting themselves a target of 103 medals from at least
:00:42. > :00:46.12 sports. Breaching flood defences, hurricane
:00:46. > :00:52.Isaac hits the American coast. Sea water is reported to be coming over
:00:52. > :00:56.one of the levees near New Orleans. Andrew Strauss quits as England
:00:56. > :01:00.Captain. He is retiring from the game in the best interests of the
:01:00. > :01:07.team, he says. It's a very tough decision to make but for me the
:01:07. > :01:10.driver to it all was, quite frankly, my form of the bat, in truth I
:01:10. > :01:13.haven't batted well enough for a long period of time.
:01:13. > :01:17.The Chancellor appears to dismiss the idea of making the wealthy pay
:01:17. > :01:21.an extra tax, suggested by the Deputy Prime Minister.
:01:21. > :01:24.Later on BBC London: The Games lanes are back as the capital
:01:24. > :01:34.prepares for the start of the Paralympics and why cancer patients
:01:34. > :01:45.
:01:45. > :01:50.put London at the bottom of the Good afternoon and welcome to the
:01:50. > :01:55.BBC news at One. The biggest ever Paralympic Games open in London
:01:55. > :01:58.tonight. The Queen will be attending the ceremony which will
:01:58. > :02:02.herald the start of 11 days of competition with athletes from more
:02:02. > :02:06.than 160 countries taking part. The Paralympic torch is on the final
:02:06. > :02:09.stages of its journey to East London for the opening ceremony.
:02:09. > :02:12.Thousands of people have turned out along the route to cheer on the
:02:12. > :02:18.teams of torchbearers and our correspondent Robert Hall is among
:02:18. > :02:21.the crowds at Trafalgar Square. We are expecting the Paralympic
:02:21. > :02:27.flame here shortly. I watched the cauldron being lit, the flame
:02:27. > :02:31.setting off from Stoke Mandeville last night and again there was a
:02:31. > :02:35.palpable sense of excitement and expectation. There is no getting
:02:35. > :02:40.away from the fact this is shaping up to be what Team GB certainly
:02:40. > :02:44.hope, the most successful Paralympics ever.
:02:44. > :02:49.In the streets around Britain's first traditional Hindu temple, a
:02:49. > :02:52.swirl of colour and excitement. The crowds here had been waiting for a
:02:52. > :02:58.glimpse of the flame since first light. Delay had simply served to
:02:58. > :03:02.heighten their excitement. Unlike the Olympic relay, this
:03:02. > :03:05.flame was carried through the night, past the sleeping communities of
:03:05. > :03:10.Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, and on into the northern suburbs of
:03:10. > :03:13.London. Teams of five, some who had conquered their own disabilities,
:03:13. > :03:18.others nominated for their generosity and inspiration when
:03:18. > :03:24.working with disabled groups. Among them, the family members who
:03:25. > :03:28.have helped wheelchair racer Hannah become a double world champion by
:03:28. > :03:32.giving up their time to help her achieve that dream. It's amazing to
:03:32. > :03:38.be here. I am amazed there's so many people here waiting to see the
:03:38. > :03:42.torch. I am really proud that I can be part of all of this. Hannah
:03:42. > :03:46.carried the Olympic torch, and she will be racing at the Paralympic
:03:47. > :03:51.Games, so it's all just coming together. It's great.
:03:51. > :03:57.Once again, this 92-mile route will take in some of our most iconic
:03:57. > :04:01.sights. At Lord's cricket ground, torch-bearer s including members of
:04:01. > :04:06.the first pwhreupbd women's cricket team, joining role models from all
:04:06. > :04:09.areas of sport, weaving their way towards central London. I think the
:04:09. > :04:12.torch relay is amazing because you saw from the Olympics how excited
:04:12. > :04:16.everyone got by it and it signals the start of the Games and it's
:04:16. > :04:22.important for the athletes, as well, that they know that the flame is
:04:22. > :04:26.coming closer and closer. A lot of the athletes want to get on it now
:04:26. > :04:29.and competing but the saerp ap -- ceremony and protocol is an
:04:29. > :04:34.important part of the excitement of the Games and generating more
:04:34. > :04:39.support and more interest. Down the road another team found themselves
:04:39. > :04:44.face-to-face with a more unusual audience. London's zoo's penguins
:04:44. > :04:48.providing the backdrop for another photo call as the relay planners
:04:48. > :04:52.work to catch up lost time. The crowds may not have been as
:04:52. > :04:57.numerous but as the miles rolled by, their enthusiasm and support was
:04:57. > :05:00.never in doubt. These were stories of hope and determination
:05:00. > :05:05.triumphing over despair. Where there is life, there is always hope,
:05:05. > :05:09.nothing is impossible. If you only believe. Once again, the eyes of
:05:09. > :05:14.the world are being drawn to Stratford, following the flame to a
:05:14. > :05:17.sporting spectacle. The eyes of the world are being
:05:17. > :05:20.drawn to Trafalgar Square, they're closing the road for the flame to
:05:20. > :05:23.come through, we are running a couple of hours late. There are
:05:23. > :05:27.extra challenges involving disabled people in doing the relay, of
:05:27. > :05:30.course that has to be taken care of. But the team are well used to
:05:30. > :05:33.catching up, to dealing with problems on the road and I am sure
:05:33. > :05:36.that everything will be back on track by the time that all-
:05:36. > :05:43.important opening ceremony comes around this evening.
:05:43. > :05:46.Thank you very much. With a record number of athletes
:05:46. > :05:49.taking part and tickets selling out, it's expected that the Paralympics
:05:49. > :05:52.will generate a similar level of excitement to that seen during the
:05:52. > :05:54.Olympics. The UK team, known as Paralympics GB, has high hopes,
:05:54. > :06:00.aiming to come second in the medals table. Our sports correspondent
:06:00. > :06:04.James Pearce reports. A morning training session in the
:06:04. > :06:08.park for some of the athletes, a final chance to make the most of
:06:08. > :06:13.the emptiness before the crowds descend to the opening ceremony.
:06:13. > :06:20.Elsewhere, there's still work to do. One of the Olympic shops has been
:06:20. > :06:24.turned into a mascot home. The British team had 203 members in
:06:24. > :06:28.Beijing. That's been increased by 50% for London. These will be the
:06:28. > :06:31.biggest Paralympics ever staged and the organisers are confident that
:06:31. > :06:35.tonight's opening ceremony will set them on the way to being the best.
:06:35. > :06:39.It is a radical show. This is not a show to talk about Britain, this is
:06:39. > :06:43.a show to talk about perceptions. Of course, they're using, as it
:06:43. > :06:48.happens, some of the greatest minds this country has ever produced.
:06:48. > :06:51.should we look out for over the next 11 days? Lee Pierson will
:06:51. > :06:55.become Britain's most successful Paralympian if he wins three more
:06:55. > :06:58.golds in dressage. Ellie Simmonds was 13 when she made her name in
:06:59. > :07:04.Beijing. She's back for more in London.
:07:04. > :07:10.Oscar Pistorius is the biggest name of the Games, the 400 metres is his
:07:10. > :07:17.favourite event but he will also compete in the 100 metres, up
:07:17. > :07:21.against Johnny Peacock. All looks set for memorable competition. No
:07:21. > :07:26.wonder the man in charge is so confident. With Beijing the world
:07:26. > :07:30.awakened to the Paralympic Games and the movement, but here we are
:07:30. > :07:33.moving into sustained growth. A premium sports competition with
:07:34. > :07:37.incredible athletes, not just from their performance, but from the
:07:37. > :07:40.type of people they are. Last night the British team was
:07:40. > :07:44.officially welcomed into the athletes' village. Tonight they can
:07:44. > :07:51.be sure of an even better reception when they arrive in the stadium for
:07:51. > :07:55.the opening ceremony. We can talk to James now.
:07:55. > :07:58.They're already calling these the sellout Paralympics. They are
:07:58. > :08:03.almost going to be a sellout. There are still a few tickets available
:08:03. > :08:08.for tonight's opening ceremony, the most expensive categories, �500 and
:08:08. > :08:11.�300 so they might be quite a sellout. But you can see behind me
:08:11. > :08:14.all the volunteers reporting for duty, all working at the opening
:08:14. > :08:18.ceremony tonight. They were the heroes of the Olympics and I am
:08:18. > :08:22.sure will be the heroes of the Paralympics, too. It's quiet now
:08:22. > :08:26.but in a few hours where I am now will be awash with people,
:08:26. > :08:30.thousands arriving for the opening ceremony. So much excitement now
:08:30. > :08:35.around this area and around the city, about what is in store. These
:08:35. > :08:38.are the third Paralympics I covered, in 2000 I covered the Sydney
:08:38. > :08:41.Paralympics and many people after those Games thought it would be
:08:41. > :08:50.hard to beat them, and that does seem almost certain the London
:08:50. > :08:52.Games will do just that, be the best ever. Thank you.
:08:52. > :08:54.People in New Orleans are bracing themselves as Hurricane Isaac
:08:54. > :08:58.travels across Louisiana, bringing high winds and torrential rain.
:08:58. > :09:01.Reports say water has been flowing over the top of one of the flood
:09:01. > :09:03.defences south of the city. It's exactly seven years since the city
:09:03. > :09:10.was devastated when it was struck by Hurricane Katrina. Alastair
:09:10. > :09:15.Leithead reports from New Orleans. Hurricane Isaac hit land as night
:09:15. > :09:18.fell. The darkness adding to the chaos of high winds, driving rain
:09:18. > :09:22.and power cuts. It's entering the stage of the
:09:22. > :09:26.storm where there's nothing anyone can do, but hope their shelter
:09:26. > :09:30.holds and wish the storm quickly on its way. This is the leading edge
:09:30. > :09:35.of hurricane Isaac hitting the French quarter in New Orleans. We
:09:35. > :09:38.have very high winds now, a lot of driving rain and debris being
:09:38. > :09:42.thrown down the streets and inside this garage. People are trying to
:09:43. > :09:46.get out into shelter now, those who haven't already, as the bulk of the
:09:46. > :09:51.hurricane strikes. Seven years after hurricane Katrina,
:09:51. > :09:58.New Orleans was confident it was ready for Isaac. Many people
:09:58. > :10:03.decided to stay, knowing the storm was far weaker than Katrina before
:10:03. > :10:06.it and confident the city would cope this time. They say it's
:10:07. > :10:13.category one, so I am not too worried as much as I was during
:10:13. > :10:16.Katrina. But we still worried a little bit. Just before the
:10:16. > :10:20.hurricane hit, the police and emergency services were out making
:10:20. > :10:24.sure people were getting to safety. On stand-by in case of flooding,
:10:24. > :10:28.which is the biggest risk posed by Isaac.
:10:28. > :10:34.The Gulf coast was being battered as the hurricane approached. A
:10:35. > :10:40.storm surge hit the shoreline. It's a dangerous time.
:10:40. > :10:45.Many people were confident in the new and enforced levees which cost
:10:45. > :10:54.billions. It's the first big test for the flood defences, and there
:10:54. > :10:58.are hours of the storm still. Alastair spent the night in New
:10:58. > :11:01.Orleans and gave us an update on the situation a few hours ago.
:11:01. > :11:05.are in this weird period of time when wur not sure what's going on
:11:05. > :11:09.around town and a lot of power has already gone out, people are
:11:09. > :11:12.sitting in homes hoping that the barricades they've put up will be
:11:12. > :11:16.enough to protect them from the wind and rain and potentially from
:11:16. > :11:22.the flooding. But the confidence they get also comes from the fact
:11:22. > :11:27.that new levees have been built and old ones repaired. The city is
:11:27. > :11:30.confident it can withstand this storm, the size that it is. People
:11:30. > :11:35.appear to be accepting that's the case. Billions has been spent. We
:11:35. > :11:38.won't know until the storm has passed which areas have been most
:11:38. > :11:47.badly affected and who needs help and only then can the emergency
:11:48. > :11:52.services get out in this weather and start to help them.
:11:52. > :11:55.England captain Andrew Strauss has resigned from international cricket.
:11:55. > :11:58.He has been one of the team's most successful captains, winning nearly
:11:58. > :12:01.half his 50 matches in charge but the Test side recently lost their
:12:01. > :12:04.number one spot in the world rankings to South Africa. Strauss
:12:04. > :12:06.was also at the centre of a row with the batsman Kevin Pietersen.
:12:06. > :12:08.Our sports correspondent Joe Wilson is at Lord's.
:12:08. > :12:13.Over the years there have been various reactions from England
:12:13. > :12:17.Captains when they decide to call it a day, you might recall Michael
:12:17. > :12:21.Vaughan's tears. Today Andrew Strauss kept his emotions in check
:12:21. > :12:26.and there was a sense of relief from him, a certainty in his own
:12:26. > :12:32.mind that his best days were behind him. He won't play professional
:12:32. > :12:36.cricket again and ends a career of the highest quality. There is some
:12:36. > :12:42.flash photography in this report which follows.
:12:42. > :12:45.There it is... Andrew Strauss's contribution to English cricket is
:12:45. > :12:52.virtually unmatched. 21 Test match 100s, one short of the all-time
:12:52. > :12:56.England record. As a Captain he was always steadfast. Today he
:12:56. > :13:02.announced he could do it no longer. I haven't batted well enough for a
:13:02. > :13:05.long period of time now and I think for a Captain to perform his role
:13:05. > :13:08.properly it's important that you are not a passenger in the side,
:13:08. > :13:13.but also that people aren't speculating as to whether should be
:13:13. > :13:17.in the side or not. Strauss made a century on his Test debut in 2004,
:13:17. > :13:21.the first glimpse of his talent and his character. He took over the
:13:21. > :13:24.captaincy after Kevin Pietersen left it in a mess and and guided
:13:24. > :13:28.England to Ashes victory in Australia for the first time in
:13:28. > :13:32.nearly 25 years. When England beat India last year they became
:13:32. > :13:38.officially the best Test team in the world. He is one of only five
:13:38. > :13:41.players to have played more than 100 matches for England in Test and
:13:41. > :13:45.one-day internationals and, as such, will be remembered as one of the
:13:45. > :13:49.outstanding cricketers of his generation. But 2012 has seen
:13:49. > :13:53.defeats. He has struggled with his own form, notably this summer
:13:53. > :13:56.against South Africa. And the breakdown in trust with Kevin
:13:56. > :14:01.Pietersen added considerably to the strain on Strauss. Pietersen is
:14:01. > :14:08.still an issue for England to deal with. What happened, I didn't feel
:14:08. > :14:12.kind of undermined me in the eyes of the team in any way. It wasn't
:14:12. > :14:20.something that - it was obviously a difficult situation to deal with,
:14:20. > :14:25.but not in terms of making me more or less keen to leave the side.
:14:25. > :14:29.When England won back the Ashes in 2005 it signalled a start of an era
:14:29. > :14:35.of success. Andrew Strauss was at the heart of it. As he often said
:14:35. > :14:38.himself, when there was a challenge he led from the front.
:14:38. > :14:42.Well Alastair Cook takes over as Captain, that's been on the cards
:14:42. > :14:48.for sometime. But the issue that now faces him and the people who
:14:48. > :14:51.run English cricket is what to do with Pietersen? Can he be
:14:51. > :14:57.rehabilitated into that England dressing room? With him the team
:14:57. > :15:07.could be disunited. They could be inexperienced in the batting side
:15:07. > :15:07.
:15:07. > :15:10.without Pietersen and now without The Chancellor has appeared to
:15:10. > :15:15.dismiss the Deputy Prime Minister's suggestion that the wealthy should
:15:15. > :15:18.pay more tax to help recovery. He said he had already increased tax
:15:18. > :15:21.on very expensive property transactions and the Government
:15:21. > :15:28.needed to be careful that it didn't drive away people who created
:15:28. > :15:31.wealth. The houses of the superrich have long been in the sights of the
:15:31. > :15:35.Liberal Democrats as a source of more taxation, but the party has
:15:35. > :15:40.failed to get the proposal passed the coalition partner. Now, Nick
:15:40. > :15:50.Clegg wants to look at other ways of taxing the wealthy, at least
:15:50. > :15:53.
:15:53. > :15:57.temporarily. In a newspaper interview he said: We as Liberal
:15:57. > :16:02.Democrats have long taken the view that particularly for the
:16:02. > :16:06.wealthiest a tax on wealth, a tax on assets, would be far more
:16:06. > :16:16.effective than an income tax approach, because an income tax
:16:16. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:35.approach frankly when you're at the upper end is is so avoidable. Some
:16:35. > :16:40.people have done all right from the coalition and their tox rate has
:16:40. > :16:46.gone down to 45%, but that's not down to the 40% that they were used
:16:46. > :16:50.to in the past. But, on the other hand, they've had hit back at them,
:16:50. > :16:53.higher stamp duty on the most expensive houses that are being
:16:53. > :16:58.transferred. The Chancellor was in Sunderland this morning, launching
:16:58. > :17:02.a new enterprise zone. Since the beginning of the summer he's
:17:02. > :17:06.insisted we're all in it together so should the rich pay more?
:17:06. > :17:12.mustn't drive away wealth creators and businesses. This country needs
:17:12. > :17:18.to compete in the world and earn its way in the world. Taxing wealth
:17:18. > :17:21.rather than income is not a new Lib Dem idea. Though, the detail this
:17:21. > :17:26.time around, is distinctly absent. It could include changes to
:17:26. > :17:30.Interance tax or charges on land, all of which will be discussed at
:17:30. > :17:32.the conference in Brighton next month. After a string of policy
:17:32. > :17:41.disappointments, this could be something that the activists would
:17:41. > :17:45.rally around. Our top story - thousands of people turn out to
:17:45. > :17:50.welcome the Paralympic flame, as it arrives in London for tonight's
:17:50. > :17:55.opening of the Games. Coming up - how hosting the Paralympics changed
:17:55. > :17:58.attitudes to disability in China. Later on BBC London - Britain's
:17:58. > :18:03.most successful Paralympian of all time, Tanni Grey-Thompson tells us
:18:03. > :18:13.what she is most looking forward to seeing. And, the charity in Surrey
:18:13. > :18:47.
:18:47. > :18:51.taking part in tonight's opening Republican delegates cast their
:18:51. > :18:56.votes in an energised convention hall. As the confirmed nominee,
:18:56. > :19:00.Mitt Romney will now get access to 165 million dollars in additional
:19:00. > :19:05.funding, much of which will be spent on advertising. He knows this
:19:05. > :19:09.week is also about something else, something money can't buy. America
:19:09. > :19:14.has not yet fallen in love with Mitt Romney. In polls voters
:19:14. > :19:18.describe the multimillionaire as aloof, unable to relate to them.
:19:18. > :19:22.So, stepping out to change their minds, the person who knows him
:19:23. > :19:32.best. As his partner on this amazing journey, I can tell you
:19:33. > :19:33.
:19:33. > :19:37.Mitt Romney was not handed success. He built it. She then spoke in
:19:37. > :19:41.personal terms of what she called a real marriage that had begun years
:19:41. > :19:45.ago in a tiny basement apartment and been strengthened by hen other
:19:45. > :19:49.fight with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. Let me say this
:19:49. > :19:56.to every American who is thinking about who should be our next
:19:56. > :20:01.President - no one will work harder, no one will care more and no one
:20:01. > :20:08.will move Heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a
:20:08. > :20:12.better place to live. And at the end there he was, teary-
:20:12. > :20:17.eyed and telling her "you were fabulous", as a character reference
:20:17. > :20:27.this speech was as good ags anything -- anything, the question
:20:27. > :20:30.
:20:30. > :20:33.now will it help land him the job? The former editor of the News of
:20:33. > :20:36.the World in Scotland, Bob Bird, has been charged with attempting to
:20:36. > :20:40.pervert the course of justice. The allegation relates to a defamation
:20:40. > :20:45.case involving the newspaper and the former MSP Tommy Sheridan.
:20:45. > :20:49.relates to a series of stories which the newspaper published about
:20:49. > :20:53.the former socialist politician Tommy Sheridan. Sheridan sued the
:20:53. > :20:56.newspaper and won and today Bob Bird was questioned for four hours
:20:56. > :20:59.about the circumstances of that defamation case. He was charged
:20:59. > :21:02.with attempting to perverting the course of justice and when he came
:21:02. > :21:08.out of the the police station he made this statement. I'd just
:21:08. > :21:12.wanted to say I'm really sad and disappointed that things have come
:21:12. > :21:17.to this today. I have always tried to do the right thing in my career,
:21:17. > :21:27.throughout my 30, 40-odd years in skwrorpblism -- journal imand I
:21:27. > :21:31.Tommy Sheridan was later jailed for perjury in relation to the action
:21:31. > :21:35.and two other men, former News of the World men, Douglas White and
:21:35. > :21:39.the Prime Minister's former Director of Communications, also
:21:39. > :21:41.face charges in relation to the perjury case. It's now up to the
:21:42. > :21:46.prosecution here in Scotland to decide how to proceed with all
:21:46. > :21:49.three of these cases. James, thank you. The Syrian President, Bashar
:21:49. > :21:52.al-Assad, has rejected a proposal that refugees from the fighting
:21:52. > :21:55.should be sheltered in a buffer zone inside Syria. In a television
:21:55. > :21:58.interview, Mr Assad also said defections to the Free Syria Army
:21:58. > :22:00.were the result of weak elements leaving the government. Our
:22:00. > :22:08.correspondent, Barbara Plett, sent this report from neighbouring
:22:09. > :22:13.Lebanon. Residents of this suburb are trying to come to terms with
:22:13. > :22:17.the latest outburst of violence in the capital. A powerful car bomb
:22:17. > :22:22.damaged buildings, killing and wounding dozens. This is an area
:22:22. > :22:24.that has stayed largely loyal to the Government, as the Army has
:22:24. > :22:30.unleashed a ferocious assault against rebels in other parts of
:22:30. > :22:34.the city. In this escalating war, the President is trying to project
:22:34. > :22:37.an image of calm and confidence, through an interview heavily
:22:37. > :22:41.promoted by the pro-regime channel. The Government's strategy is
:22:42. > :22:48.working, he says, but at the same time he's rallying his constituency
:22:48. > :22:53.for a longhaul. TRANSLATION: We are engaged in a regional and global
:22:53. > :22:55.battle and we need time to win it. But I can sum it up, we are
:22:55. > :23:02.progressing. The situation underground is better, but we have
:23:02. > :23:07.not yet won. This will take more time. That message falls on deaf
:23:07. > :23:11.ears here, in this town in the north. Most of the people have fled.
:23:11. > :23:15.Those left behind say that's because of shelling by the
:23:15. > :23:19.Government and air strikes. This man has to prepare a grave for his
:23:19. > :23:24.mother who died of a heartattack, triggered by the bombing, he says.
:23:24. > :23:28.He blames the international community for failing to stop this.
:23:28. > :23:32.TRANSLATION: Now the French President is talking, but for what?
:23:32. > :23:38.For nothing. Turkey talks and does nothing. The refugees are waiting
:23:38. > :23:42.at the borders and they won't let them in. A sharp increase in
:23:42. > :23:46.refugees is putting pressure on neighbouring countries like Turkey.
:23:46. > :23:51.It's proposed there is a buffer zone inside Syria. The President
:23:51. > :23:54.dismissed this as unrealistic and it probably is given international
:23:54. > :24:04.reluctance to intervene, but there's growing concern that unless
:24:04. > :24:05.
:24:05. > :24:07.something's done the humanitarian crisis will spiral out of control.
:24:07. > :24:10.Parts of Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam have been closed
:24:10. > :24:13.temporarily after the discovery of a bomb which is thought to date
:24:13. > :24:16.from the Second World War. One terminal is reported to have been
:24:16. > :24:25.evacuated and some flights have been suspended. An airport
:24:25. > :24:28.spokesman said explosives experts were examining the device. Earlier,
:24:28. > :24:31.in Munich, explosives experts did detonate a large Second World War
:24:31. > :24:34.bomb found under a bar, after the device proved too difficult to
:24:34. > :24:39.defuse. A number of buildings in the surrounding area had to be
:24:39. > :24:43.evacuated during the operation. More now on the Paralympics. Four
:24:43. > :24:47.years after they played host to the Games, China is once again expected
:24:47. > :24:50.to top the medals table. In Beijing the team won an astonishing 89 gold
:24:50. > :24:52.medals - more than double its nearest rival. As our Beijing
:24:52. > :25:02.correspondent, Martin Patience reports, Paralympic success led to
:25:02. > :25:08.
:25:08. > :25:12.changing attitudes in China. Xiao Huan Yi is used to dealing with
:25:12. > :25:18.obstacles in life. He was born blind, but that doesn't stop him
:25:18. > :25:27.getting around Beijing. When he first started making this journey
:25:27. > :25:33.he sometimes took the wrong bus. But now he knows the route. This
:25:33. > :25:38.morning, he's attending a weekly film club for blind people. A guest
:25:38. > :25:42.speaker nar rates what's happening on screen, so the audience --
:25:42. > :25:47.narrates what's happening on screen, so the audience it follow the film.
:25:47. > :25:51.He says this is one example of how his life's improved. TRANSLATION:
:25:51. > :25:56.In the past, people would talk about you as you walked in the
:25:56. > :25:58.street. Sometimes kids would chase after you. But that almost never
:25:58. > :26:06.happens now. People treat you normally and many are willing to
:26:06. > :26:10.help. The Beijing Paralympics four years ago played a huge part in
:26:10. > :26:14.changing attitudes in China. The longer those with disabilities are
:26:14. > :26:22.no longer seen as charity cases who you should feel sorry for and they
:26:22. > :26:28.are now seen as winners, who should be celebrated. Despite all the
:26:28. > :26:31.progress, many disabled people are overlooked. They are forced to fend
:26:31. > :26:35.for themselves. Campaigners say that China still has a lot of work
:26:35. > :26:39.to do. I think one of the biggest challenges is just the fact that
:26:39. > :26:41.there's an uneven development in China, so the people with
:26:41. > :26:47.disabilities are getting quite a lot of support, but because many
:26:47. > :26:51.are still in the more rural parts of China, then this means that it's
:26:51. > :26:57.much slower paced than in other parts, where it's happening much
:26:57. > :27:03.faster. Xiao Huan Yi says China has come a long way in terms of
:27:03. > :27:05.recognising disabilities, but the journey is far from over. Let's get
:27:05. > :27:07.more now on those final preparations in London for
:27:07. > :27:16.tonight's opening ceremony. Earlier our correspondent, Adam Parsons,
:27:16. > :27:23.went to the Olympic Park for us. Welcome back to the Olympic Park.
:27:23. > :27:27.It feels like just yesterday that the -- The Who were ending the
:27:27. > :27:31.closing ceremony and music surrounding us once again, because
:27:31. > :27:34.tonight it's the opening ceremony of the Paralympics. There will be
:27:34. > :27:40.all those thousands of athletes descending on this fantastic
:27:40. > :27:45.stadium. They will be waiting in the depths of the stadium and the
:27:45. > :27:47.people who will be entertaining them are these guys, the national
:27:47. > :27:53.youth theatre. They've done ceremonies for every country as
:27:53. > :27:57.they enter the village and now this is what we have got - dancing,
:27:57. > :28:03.singing and that spectacular puppet. All sorts of ceremonies. As you saw,
:28:03. > :28:07.I neever got brained by a break dancer -- I nearly got brained by a
:28:07. > :28:11.breakdancer. We'll have a word with a couple of members of the theatre.
:28:11. > :28:17.There is Jackie and Tim. Jackie, this is a very impressive thing.
:28:17. > :28:20.Are you looking forward to tonight? Yes, I am. There are some amazing
:28:20. > :28:25.athletes who you will be welcoming to Britain. That's quite a
:28:25. > :28:31.responsibility? It is, but it's fun as well. They are very open and
:28:31. > :28:35.they make it easy. Tim, just tell us what will you be doing? We'll be
:28:35. > :28:40.sort of welcoming and entertaining the athletes as they make their way
:28:40. > :28:43.to the ceremony. We should be doing that for 90 minutes to all the
:28:43. > :28:49.athletes. They are very inspirational, the group of
:28:49. > :28:54.athletes? Yeah, they are. Incredibly so. Ultimately they are
:28:54. > :28:57.rehearsing like us for their sport and it's an honour to be a part.
:28:57. > :29:02.Thank you both very much indeed. We are going to wish everybody here
:29:02. > :29:08.the best of luck for tonight. The weather at the moment is dry. The
:29:08. > :29:14.forecast was for rain, but at the moment it seems to be a triumph of
:29:14. > :29:16.hope over forecasting. Adam there at the park. We'll look at the
:29:16. > :29:23.at the park. We'll look at the weather. All eyes are on an event
:29:23. > :29:27.off the American coast. We have Hurricane Isaac on the scene. This
:29:27. > :29:31.is the satellite picture. It's quite powerful. It's a category one,
:29:31. > :29:35.with sustained winds of around 80mph. The centre is just to the
:29:35. > :29:38.south-west of New Orleans itself. It's a very slow-moving system. It
:29:38. > :29:42.will track west and north-westwards, along the Louisiana coastline
:29:42. > :29:47.before taking a turn inland. It's across the east of the hurricanes
:29:47. > :29:53.that we have significant storms. Six to 12-foot storm surges
:29:53. > :29:57.battering the coastline and rain for the next couple of days.
:29:57. > :30:00.Flooding risk here. At home, we have a weather front. On the back
:30:00. > :30:03.of this weather front, we'll have squally winds. Then come the
:30:03. > :30:07.showers which are already heavy and thundery across Wales and Northern
:30:07. > :30:09.Ireland and the north-west of England at the moment. Really
:30:10. > :30:12.through the rest of this afternoon's forecast we are
:30:12. > :30:17.expecting further showers to come and go across the south-west of
:30:17. > :30:24.England and Wales. There could be a few heavy ones, but at least some
:30:24. > :30:28.sun between those intense downpours. In you will be lucky to stay dry.
:30:28. > :30:33.There are loads of the showers moving across. Some will be heavy
:30:33. > :30:36.too. In the north of Scotland, rain at times. Quite a cool day. 12 in
:30:36. > :30:40.Stornoway. Some sunshine elsewhere, with rain. The showers that we have
:30:40. > :30:44.at the moment in western England will sweep across the Midlands into
:30:44. > :30:46.the north-east, with thunderstorms breaking out widely. We still have
:30:46. > :30:51.the heavy rain across East Anglia and south-east England with the
:30:51. > :30:55.winds towards the back of the weather front. That front should
:30:55. > :31:01.move away in time for the opening ceremony, so we are pretty hopeful
:31:01. > :31:04.that the weather should stay dry here. Overnight, plenty more
:31:04. > :31:07.showers packing in across many parts. Perhaps some longer
:31:07. > :31:15.spellings of rain across the north and east of Scotland, where it will
:31:15. > :31:21.turn cool. The temperatures down by a few degrees. A cold night in
:31:21. > :31:25.Stornoway. Thursday will be another fairly unsettled day. Bright spells
:31:25. > :31:29.or showers. The majority of the showers will be across England and
:31:29. > :31:32.central and eastern areas, with the weather dry and settled in the
:31:32. > :31:37.north. For Northern Ireland and Scotland, decent weather and sun,
:31:37. > :31:41.but the temperatures not impressive. It will be quite a cold night
:31:41. > :31:44.Thursday night. Into Friday, we are looking at cloud and outbreaks of
:31:44. > :31:48.rain for Northern Ireland and Scotland. Dryer and brighter as we
:31:48. > :31:51.get towards Saturday. In the south across the Midlands, Wales and the
:31:51. > :31:55.south, high pressure, so the weather should be largely dry and
:31:55. > :31:57.settled with bright or sunny spells. settled with bright or sunny spells.
:31:57. > :32:01.Thank you very much. Our top story - thousands of people have turned