:00:08. > :00:13.Decision day in the United States at the end of the closest
:00:13. > :00:17.presidential campaign in decades. As millions of Americans go to the
:00:17. > :00:22.polls, it is the turnout that could prove crucial.
:00:22. > :00:26.Will it be Barack Obama or Mitt Romney? It has been neck and neck
:00:26. > :00:32.for weeks and for the two men the fight goes to the wire.
:00:32. > :00:36.Here in Washington, both sides believe they have the advantage,
:00:36. > :00:40.Barack Obama's team has a sophisticated ground operation. But
:00:40. > :00:42.Mitt Romney's people believe they still have the momentum.
:00:42. > :00:48.The Home Secretary announces details of an urgent investigation
:00:48. > :00:52.into allegations of child sex abuse in North Wales.
:00:52. > :00:56.The Government is treating these allegations with the up most
:00:57. > :00:59.seriousness. Child abuse is a hateful and disgusting crime.
:00:59. > :01:05.More calls for compensation - tree growers claim not enough was done
:01:05. > :01:08.to protect Britain's ash trees. Keeping a close eye on the
:01:08. > :01:13.Melbourne Cup - a Royal race day as Charles and Camilla continue their
:01:13. > :01:16.A senior police constable fears poor voter turnout could undermine
:01:16. > :01:26.the new police commissioners. A gang on motorbikes has carried
:01:26. > :01:40.
:01:40. > :01:44.out a smash and grab at the Brent Good afternoon and welcome to the
:01:44. > :01:46.BBC News at One. It is one of the closest
:01:46. > :01:50.presidential election campaigns in American history and today is
:01:50. > :01:53.decision day. Across the USA, millions of people will go to the
:01:53. > :01:57.polls to choose between Barack Obama and his Republican rival,
:01:57. > :02:00.Mitt Romney. All the signs are that the race is still incredibly close
:02:00. > :02:05.though some polls give the president a slight edge in some of
:02:06. > :02:14.the key swing states such as Ohio. Let's cross to Jane Hill who is in
:02:14. > :02:18.Hello from Washington DC. As America wakes up on polling day. Of
:02:18. > :02:22.course, a lot of of States allow early polling so 30 million people
:02:22. > :02:27.have already voted, but today is the key day and we really cannot
:02:27. > :02:32.overstate just how important getting out the vote is for both
:02:32. > :02:36.teams. We know that Barack Obama's campaign team has a sophisticated
:02:36. > :02:42.operation. We saw it in operation in the election in 2008 and it is
:02:42. > :02:48.it is telling us it has thousands of volunteers out in the key swing
:02:49. > :02:55.States. 26,000 volunteer shifts in Florida. 33,000 in the vital State
:02:55. > :03:00.of Ohio, but Mitt Romney's team are going to the wire as well and he is
:03:00. > :03:07.out campaigning today even though it is voting day. It is out in
:03:07. > :03:12.Pennsylvania and Ohio. Adam Brookes Across America, the polling
:03:12. > :03:22.stations are opening at the end of this long, bitter and surprising
:03:22. > :03:26.
:03:26. > :03:30.Last night saw frantic 11th hour campaigning in Ohio. Jay-Z turned
:03:30. > :03:36.out for Barack Obama and Mr Obama made his closing argument that he
:03:36. > :03:41.has dragged the US economy out of recession and ended the war in Iraq.
:03:41. > :03:46.Will it be enough? America is divided on his record.
:03:46. > :03:50.Today, our businesses have created nearly 5.5 million new jobs. We
:03:50. > :03:55.have made real progress, but the reason why we are here is because
:03:55. > :04:01.we have got more work to do. The Republican challenger was in
:04:01. > :04:05.Ohio too. Mitt Romney's supporters are energised, but do the the
:04:05. > :04:08.voters trust his pitch of tax cuts and deregulation and the power of
:04:08. > :04:14.markets to heal the American economy? Does it sound like the
:04:14. > :04:18.economics that lid -- led to the crash? If there is anyone anyone
:04:18. > :04:24.who fears the American dream is fading away, if there is anyone who
:04:24. > :04:29.wonders whether better jobs and better pay pay pay cheques are a
:04:29. > :04:32.thing of the past, with the right leadership, America will come
:04:32. > :04:37.roaring back. The final days of the election
:04:37. > :04:42.campaign have seen the public opinion polls come Close. Some
:04:42. > :04:46.polls suggest Mr Obama holds a narrow lead in vital swing States,
:04:46. > :04:49.but it is clear Mr Obama is fighting for his political life and
:04:49. > :04:53.it is possible we might not get a quick result. If the election
:04:53. > :04:59.really is this close, there could be recounts and legal disputes that
:04:59. > :05:05.delay a result. He is older and a little greyer now,
:05:05. > :05:09.worn down by four years of a dreadful economy and relentless
:05:09. > :05:14.political opposition. His Republican challenger, is a 65-
:05:14. > :05:18.year-old man, devoted to his Mormon faith, a multi-millionaire financer
:05:18. > :05:21.on his second try for the presidency.
:05:21. > :05:31.Mitt Romney long struggled to persuade Republicans that he was a
:05:31. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:37.strong candidate, strong enough to Mitt Romney was caught on camera at
:05:37. > :05:42.a private fund-raising event. He accused Democratic voters of seeing
:05:42. > :05:46.themselves as victims, who waited for State hand outs. The video made
:05:46. > :05:49.him look, rich and out-of-touch and for a moment, it seemed as if he
:05:49. > :05:53.was finished. But then came the first
:05:53. > :05:56.presidential debate in Denver last month. Under the president's
:05:56. > :06:04.policies, middle income Americans have been buried.
:06:04. > :06:09.Mr Romney savaged the president. Mr Obama looked cowed and unresponsive.
:06:09. > :06:13.Republicans rejoiced and Mitt Romney's campaign came alive.
:06:13. > :06:17.But there was still one more surprise to come. Hurricane Sandy
:06:17. > :06:22.left its claw marks up the East Coast, the eyes of America shifted
:06:22. > :06:26.to the devastation in New York and New Jersey. For three days, the
:06:26. > :06:31.president stopped campaigning and did his job and found himself on
:06:31. > :06:35.every news bulletin looking calm and presidential. Mitt Romney, all,
:06:35. > :06:39.but vanished. Now Mr Obama goes into election day with, if the
:06:39. > :06:49.polls are to be believed, a slight lead in the key swing States, but
:06:49. > :06:50.
:06:50. > :06:57.We cannot really overstate just how important some of the swing States
:06:57. > :07:03.are. We will hear from Wisconsin. First, let's head to Clive Myrie
:07:03. > :07:08.because he is in Cleveland, Ohio. Clive, you could not be in a closer
:07:08. > :07:13.race there where you are as Ohio so goes the White House, that's
:07:13. > :07:17.generally the rule? That's right. That's what they say.
:07:17. > :07:23.No Republican has won the presidency without winning Ohio
:07:23. > :07:29.since 1862, that's a trend and the voting has started here. It began
:07:29. > :07:33.an hour-and-a-half ago. I am at one of the polling stations in Ohio,
:07:33. > :07:38.remember 1.7 million local people started voting and have cast their
:07:38. > :07:41.ballots, that was in early voting since October the 2nd. The
:07:41. > :07:44.Democratic camp is feeling more positive about the way things are
:07:44. > :07:49.going. They believed they have got the majority of the early votes
:07:49. > :07:54.already in the bag and they have an incredibly slick, ground campaign,
:07:54. > :07:58.of course, based on the success back in 2008 for President Obama in
:07:58. > :08:02.here, remember Mitt Romney had sto start from a standing start. Now
:08:02. > :08:05.the reason that President Obama had a slight lead in the polls for the
:08:05. > :08:09.last few months is because of a number of issues, primarily the
:08:09. > :08:14.economy and the unemployment level here is lower than nationally.
:08:14. > :08:19.There are fewer foreclosures, homes being repossessed by the banks and
:08:19. > :08:25.people here feel the economy is doing better than it is on a
:08:25. > :08:30.national level and that's posed a problem for Mitt Romney. That has
:08:30. > :08:36.attacked his narrative for saying that President Obama has not been a
:08:36. > :08:42.successful president. Remember, all the polls here are within that
:08:42. > :08:47.margin of probability. Something like three or four percent. The
:08:47. > :08:53.polls could be bound out of the water and we could get a Romney win,
:08:53. > :08:57.but at the moment, the polls are suggesting it is President Obama's
:08:57. > :09:01.job. Let's go to Zoe Conway. Which team
:09:01. > :09:06.is feeling it has the upper hand where you are?
:09:06. > :09:11.Well, both campaigns are sounding incredibly confident here in
:09:11. > :09:14.Wisconsin. Perhaps They are just playing the confidence game. I will
:09:14. > :09:19.tell you what they think they have got on their side. President
:09:19. > :09:24.Obama's campaign would say, "Look the Democrats won this State here
:09:24. > :09:30.in Wisconsin six times in a row. They haven't elected a Republican
:09:30. > :09:34.president here since 1984 when they elected Ronald Reagan. But what the
:09:34. > :09:39.Republicans would counter with, they think their ground game here
:09:39. > :09:45.is better than it has been. There has been a resurgence of the
:09:45. > :09:53.Republican Party in Wisconsin. Also what they have got on their side
:09:53. > :09:57.the Republican Vice Presidential nominee is Paul Ryan and he is a
:09:57. > :10:01.Congressman and he has been spending a lot of time here and
:10:01. > :10:07.they think that could boost them in the polls here.
:10:07. > :10:12.Thank you. Continuing coverage, of course,
:10:12. > :10:17.from Washington DC on BBC News and a reminder, there is that results
:10:17. > :10:23.programme, you can see that on BBC One Arthe BBC News Channel, full
:10:23. > :10:26.continuing coverage from 11.35pm this evening.
:10:26. > :10:29.From Washington, back to Simon. Jane, thank you.
:10:29. > :10:33.The head of the National Crime Agency is to review allegations of
:10:33. > :10:37.child abuse at care homes in North Wales. The Home Secretary, Theresa
:10:37. > :10:47.May, said his inquiry would look at the way police handled the original
:10:47. > :10:53.What happened at this home led to Britain's biggest ever abuse
:10:53. > :10:58.inquiry. 259 people alleged physical, and sexual assalts. But -
:10:58. > :11:05.- assaults, but new claims that a senior Conservative from the
:11:05. > :11:08.Thatcher-era was one of the perpetrators -- led to accusations
:11:08. > :11:12.of a cover-up. The Government is treating these
:11:13. > :11:18.allegations with seriousness. Child abuse is a hateful and disgusting
:11:18. > :11:22.crime. And we must not allow these allegations to go unanswered. And I
:11:22. > :11:26.therefore, urge anybody who has information relating to these
:11:26. > :11:31.allegations to go to the police. The Home Secretary also confirmed
:11:31. > :11:36.that the head of the national crim agency will be brought in to assess
:11:36. > :11:41.new and historic abuse allegations. Martin was abused during his time
:11:41. > :11:45.at the Bryn Estyn home. He says he was asked about the actions of a
:11:45. > :11:52.politician during the official inquiry 15 years ago, but no action
:11:52. > :11:59.was taken. Justice for the victims and prison
:11:59. > :12:03.sentences for the people who was abusing. That's what needs to
:12:03. > :12:08.happen. Finally. The unname politician has reacted
:12:08. > :12:14.to the claims against him, telling a newspaper, "I have only been to
:12:14. > :12:19.Wrexham once and I didn't visit the children's home." He goes on to say
:12:19. > :12:26.the accusation is without any grounds. The Waterhouse Inquiry
:12:26. > :12:30.published in 2000 was was only triggered by a social worker
:12:30. > :12:35.exposing abuse. I knew them well and I knew they
:12:35. > :12:40.were telling me the truth. REPORTER: But There is more to be
:12:40. > :12:45.told? Yes. But whether it will get told is another matter.
:12:45. > :12:49.The new investigation into the abuse will need to establish
:12:49. > :12:52.whether uncomfortable truths you were covered up and whether the
:12:52. > :13:02.victims were failed a second time by those who were meant to help
:13:02. > :13:07.them. Let's speak to our Wales Political
:13:07. > :13:10.Editor, Betsan Powys. There is a momentum to this story.
:13:10. > :13:13.Carwyn Jones will be taking questions in the assembly in a few
:13:13. > :13:20.minutes time. He made a statement this morning and it is clear there
:13:20. > :13:24.is little to no appetite for a desperate number of inquiries. He
:13:24. > :13:27.said the original inquiry was commissioned and answered to the UK
:13:27. > :13:32.Government and therefore, it is right now that it is the UK
:13:32. > :13:36.Government that is looking into that old inquiry. Bearing in mind
:13:36. > :13:41.too that policing isn't a devolved issue, it is only the UK Government
:13:41. > :13:45.that can look at that aspect of these allegations. So what account
:13:45. > :13:51.Welsh Government do? It could hold a brand-new public inquiry given
:13:51. > :13:56.that lack of appetite for proliferation of inquiries, that
:13:56. > :14:01.strikes me as unlikely. It could work with the children's comirker
:14:01. > :14:04.in Wales -- commissioner in Wales or it could co-operate with the UK
:14:04. > :14:08.Government on one big report that gets at the truth. You suspect that
:14:08. > :14:15.that is what the Welsh Conservatives and Welsh Welsh
:14:15. > :14:18.Liberal Democrats want. Plaid Cymru are saying he should be calling for
:14:18. > :14:23.a full inquiry. Thank you very much.
:14:23. > :14:28.Let's go to Westminster and Norman Smith. There is a lot of concern in
:14:28. > :14:33.Government about this? There is, Simon. There is a concern that
:14:33. > :14:37.North Wales Police failed to get to the truth of these allegations
:14:37. > :14:41.because Mrs May flagged up there were only seven conviction as a
:14:42. > :14:46.result of their initial inquiry despite a view that the the problem
:14:46. > :14:54.was extensive and 80 people were named in the public inquiry and Mrs
:14:54. > :15:00.May is calling it the - calling in the National Crime Agency. It seems
:15:00. > :15:03.to me we are now embarked on a process that may lead to fresh
:15:03. > :15:06.criminal prosecutions of alleged paedophiles because Mrs May
:15:06. > :15:10.stressed that it was important to ensure justice for the victims and
:15:10. > :15:13.for politicians to stand up for those victims who had gone to the
:15:13. > :15:17.police and above all, Mrs May cautioned MPs not to name
:15:17. > :15:25.individuals linked to the scandal because she said it might
:15:25. > :15:28.jeopardise any future trials. Hundreds of mourners are attending
:15:28. > :15:31.the funeral of the prison officer murdered in County Armagh last week.
:15:31. > :15:34.David Black was shot dead as he drove to work on Thursday morning.
:15:34. > :15:41.He was the first prison officer to be murdered in Northern Ireland in
:15:41. > :15:44.almost 20 years. Tree growers could be in line for
:15:44. > :15:47.millions of pounds in compensation, amid claims that not enough was
:15:47. > :15:49.done to prevent the spread of a disease which is threatening
:15:49. > :15:52.Britain's ash trees. They'll be meeting Government representatives
:15:52. > :15:54.later today. Let's speak to Ben Ando who is at a Forestry
:15:54. > :15:58.Commission centre in Brandon, Suffolk.
:15:58. > :16:03.Good afternoon. I am sure a fortnight ago barely any of us had
:16:03. > :16:05.heard of Chalara fraxinea, or ash dieback, but now we know it's led
:16:05. > :16:09.to Government emergency committee meetings, calls for millions of
:16:09. > :16:15.pounds of compensation, and a real fear that the woodland countryside
:16:15. > :16:23.is facing its greatest crisis since the 1970s. This morning officials
:16:23. > :16:26.unveiled their latest device, they hope will give them the edge.
:16:26. > :16:30.In these woods they're testing a new weapon in the hunt for the
:16:30. > :16:34.deadly fungal disease that threatens Britain's ash trees,
:16:34. > :16:39.Chalara fraxinea or ash dieback is spread on the winds and now
:16:39. > :16:43.scientists are adapting devices developed to counterthe threat of
:16:43. > :16:48.germ warfare to test suspect trees on site. That has the disease...
:16:48. > :16:52.This machine gives them results on the ground in minutes, rather than
:16:52. > :16:57.days of waiting for lab results. Within 30 minutes we can identify
:16:58. > :17:06.whether a tree is infected or not. The advantages of that are many-
:17:06. > :17:09.fold. If you are working on management, rapid diagnostics are
:17:09. > :17:13.essential, the quicker you can start to try to contain or erad
:17:13. > :17:18.kaeult a -- eradicate a problem. It's spread across Europe with
:17:18. > :17:26.devastating effects. It's destroyed 90% of Denmark's ash trees and
:17:26. > :17:30.spores are believed to have floated across the North Sea to East Anglia.
:17:30. > :17:33.Some believe Britain's 80 million ash trees will be more resistant to
:17:33. > :17:38.infection. It's not clear what can be done to protect healthy trees
:17:38. > :17:42.like this one from the fungus. But scientists say the genetic
:17:42. > :17:45.diversity of the British ash population could provide a level of
:17:45. > :17:50.resistance. Conservationists say people should
:17:50. > :17:53.look out for diseased trees and try to avoid spreading the spores.
:17:53. > :17:59.Being very careful about moving plant material between sites when
:17:59. > :18:03.visiting the countryside is another very important measure people can
:18:03. > :18:07.taken -- can take. COBRA has met to discuss the issue and a ban on
:18:07. > :18:11.imports has been imposed. Since the weekend, hundreds of forestry
:18:11. > :18:17.workers have been examining woodland and the results of the
:18:17. > :18:21.first nationwide survey are expected tomorrow.
:18:21. > :18:24.Within 24 hours we should get the results of that survey and that
:18:24. > :18:28.will give forestry officials and the Government and the industry a
:18:28. > :18:31.real idea and picture of how widespread ash dieback is and
:18:31. > :18:36.whether we are in a situation where the disease might be contained in
:18:36. > :18:39.certain key areas, or whether it's inevitable it will spread across
:18:39. > :18:42.Great Britain. This afternoon, growers are having a meeting at
:18:42. > :18:49.which they're hoping they'll be told they will be entitled to some
:18:49. > :18:52.form of compensation. Our top story:
:18:52. > :18:56.Voting is under way in the closest presidential election in the United
:18:56. > :19:01.States for years. Coming up: Swapping the political
:19:01. > :19:06.jungle for the Australian one but the heat is on Nadine Dorries for
:19:06. > :19:12.her decision to appear in I'm A Celebrity. On BBC London: A boost
:19:12. > :19:15.for tourist trade as the Government hails a advertising campaign a
:19:15. > :19:25.success. Will we see a British women's football team at the next
:19:25. > :19:27.
:19:27. > :19:30.Companies are making excessive profits at the expense of the
:19:30. > :19:33.taxpayer because the Government is paying out too much money, far too
:19:33. > :19:36.easily on its apprenticeship scheme. That's according to a report by MPs
:19:36. > :19:39.which says some parts of the scheme need a complete overhaul, with a
:19:39. > :19:46.greater emphasis on the quality of the training, not just the number
:19:46. > :19:49.of apprentices taken on. Here's our business correspondent, John Moylan.
:19:49. > :19:54.Liam Harperuals knew university wasn't for him, instead, he opted
:19:54. > :19:58.for a four-year apprenticeship at this aerospace firm, giving him
:19:58. > :20:02.paid on the job training, and a recognised qualification at the end.
:20:02. > :20:07.I think it gives me a good head start more than the academic side
:20:07. > :20:11.would, because I have managed to work on the aircraft and done the
:20:11. > :20:15.NVQ at college, so I have done the bookwork as well, that's better
:20:15. > :20:18.than just just reading a book. Government has embarked upon a huge
:20:18. > :20:22.expansion of its apprenticeship programme, more than half a million
:20:22. > :20:27.people started off on one of these schemes over the past 12 months.
:20:27. > :20:30.But all of this is costing the taxpayer up to �1.5 billion a year.
:20:30. > :20:34.But has it all gone too far, too fast?
:20:34. > :20:38.This report calls for a formal definition of what an
:20:38. > :20:42.apprenticeship is. Amid concerns some schemes don't make the grade.
:20:42. > :20:46.It calls for schools to publish how many pupils join schemes to help
:20:46. > :20:51.raise their profile, and it warns that quality, not quantity, should
:20:51. > :20:53.be the main measure of success. The report also claims that
:20:53. > :20:58.alongside good employers like this, there's evidence that the
:20:58. > :21:03.Government is paying out too much money far too easily to other firms.
:21:03. > :21:09.There was one scheme where we interviewed the chief executive and
:21:09. > :21:15.he openly admitted that the profit levels were excessively high, at
:21:15. > :21:19.36%, and the Government had, shall we say, not exercised the sort of
:21:19. > :21:23.restraint it should have in funding him. Businesses have long
:21:24. > :21:28.highlighted the problem of skills shortages, but some fear taxpayers'
:21:28. > :21:33.money is not being targeted at the right areas. The focus needs to be
:21:33. > :21:38.on those apprenticeships to deliver and are able to create value and
:21:38. > :21:41.make a difference to the UK economy. The Government wants
:21:41. > :21:50.apprenticeships to equip the workforce of tomorrow. It says it
:21:50. > :21:54.will consider this report carefully. Marks and Spencer has reported a
:21:54. > :21:57.fall in profits for the first half of the year and it's being blamed
:21:57. > :22:03.on poor sales of its women's clothing. Overall, they're down 9%
:22:03. > :22:06.in the company's worst performance in nearly four years.
:22:06. > :22:09.An inquiry into the death of a man shot dead by police has heard today
:22:09. > :22:13.from the officer who fired the fatal shots. Azelle Rodney died in
:22:13. > :22:17.April 2005 because police believed he was part of an armed gang on its
:22:17. > :22:20.way to rob drug dealers. The officer - known only as E7 - said
:22:20. > :22:26.he felt he had no choice but to fire, to protect other officers.
:22:26. > :22:31.June Kelly reports. Inside a police car which is part
:22:31. > :22:37.of a convoy in pursuit of a gang believed to be armed with machine
:22:37. > :22:43.guns. Mill Hill in north London in April 2005. Filming this footage is
:22:43. > :22:46.a firearms officer from Scotland Yard. Ahead of his, his fellow
:22:46. > :22:53.marksman, preparing to do a hard stop on the suspect's car. As the
:22:53. > :23:03.Golf is boxed in an officer opens fire with eight bullets.
:23:03. > :23:04.
:23:04. > :23:09.Six hit Azelle Rodney in the head and body. Today the inquiry heard
:23:09. > :23:14.from the officer who killed him, known only as E7. This was the Golf
:23:14. > :23:18.carrying Azelle Rodney after the shooting. The media and the public
:23:18. > :23:22.could hear E7 giving evidence but weren't allowed to see him. E7's
:23:22. > :23:32.car had drawn level with the Golf and he opened fire on Azelle Rodney
:23:32. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:48.through the window. Azelle Rodney's mother, like the
:23:48. > :23:53.lawyers, could see the man who shot her son. At one point during his
:23:53. > :23:57.evidence she walked out, saying, how many more lies? E7 told the
:23:57. > :24:07.inquiry that 20 years before he killed Azelle Rodney he had shot
:24:07. > :24:09.dead two other men. Inquests had said they had been lawfully killed.
:24:09. > :24:12.An American newspaper has published claims that a British businessman
:24:12. > :24:15.murdered in China last year had been passing information to British
:24:15. > :24:17.intelligence for at least a year before he died. Neil Heywood was
:24:17. > :24:20.close to one of China's most powerful politicians, Bo Xilai,
:24:20. > :24:27.whose wife was convicted of Heywood's murder a year ago. From
:24:27. > :24:33.Beijing, Damian Grammaticas reports. Neil Heywood, the former British
:24:33. > :24:37.public schoolboy and businessman murdered in China. His Jaguar had a
:24:37. > :24:40.007 number plate, few took it seriously, but he had links to
:24:40. > :24:50.Britain's spy services. A Wall Street journal newspaper says
:24:50. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:07.He was passing information about but information -- about Bo Xilai
:25:07. > :25:12.one of the two dozen most powerful men in China. Neil Heywood did
:25:12. > :25:17.business here, in the city of Chongqing. Last November the Briton
:25:17. > :25:21.was found dead in this hotel, Chinese authorities said it was a
:25:21. > :25:25.heart attack. The case hit the headlines when the city's police
:25:25. > :25:33.chief tried to defect to America and revealed that Neil Heywood had
:25:33. > :25:36.been murdered. China has jailed him for treason. It jailed too Bo
:25:36. > :25:40.Xilai's wife, convicted of poisoning Neil Heywood. It's not
:25:40. > :25:44.clear if she knew of Heywood's spy links. Bo Xilai himself has been
:25:44. > :25:49.arrested now. This week China points new leaders, he will not be
:25:49. > :25:51.one of them. British diplomats here at the Embassy in Beijing have been
:25:51. > :25:55.criticised because it took them three months after Neil Heywood's
:25:55. > :25:59.death to demand a full investigation from China. If
:25:59. > :26:03.they're true these claims raise an important question - did Britain's
:26:03. > :26:06.security services know about the death earlier, did they have any
:26:06. > :26:15.suspicions that a Briton may have been murdered abroad and should
:26:15. > :26:17.they have urged the Government to raise the alarm?
:26:17. > :26:21.There's been fierce criticism of the Tory MP Nadine Dorris because
:26:21. > :26:23.of her decision to appear in the reality TV show, "I'm a Celebrity,
:26:23. > :26:26.Get Me Out of Here" during Parliamentary time. She'd be the
:26:26. > :26:30.first serving MP to appear on the programme. But the Home Secretary,
:26:30. > :26:32.Theresa May, has said an MP's job is in their constituency and in the
:26:32. > :26:34.Commons. Let's speak to our political correspondent, Iain
:26:34. > :26:38.Watson. Out of the frying pan, into the
:26:38. > :26:41.jungle? Yes, as you know Westminster's often referred to as
:26:41. > :26:45.a jungle. Nadine Dorries is off to a real one in Australia but
:26:45. > :26:49.entering dangerous political territory. She's no strange tore
:26:49. > :26:53.controversy. She -- stranger to consroef. -- controversy. She
:26:53. > :26:58.denounced the Prime Minister and Chancellor as arrogant posh boys. I
:26:58. > :27:04.don't think she's too upset about ruffling their feathers. She's
:27:04. > :27:08.saying, this is a way of getting her views across to a wide audience.
:27:08. > :27:12.The trouble is she didn't really discuss her travel plans very
:27:12. > :27:16.widely. She didn't tell her local constituency association that she
:27:16. > :27:18.was going. Some of their officers are admitting this officer they'll
:27:18. > :27:25.be issuing a statement. The Prime Minister says she can speak for
:27:25. > :27:28.herself but she got a reprimand from the Home Secretary. The proper
:27:28. > :27:37.place is for MPs to be in Westminster for their constituency,
:27:37. > :27:40.certainly not in the Australian jungle.
:27:40. > :27:43.The Royal Family are known for their love of racing and the Duke
:27:43. > :27:46.and Duchess of Cornwall have been to one of the world's most famous
:27:46. > :27:49.races - the Melbourne Cup. They joined more than 100,000 people to
:27:49. > :27:52.see it and afterwards the Duchess declared the race was "bigger than
:27:52. > :27:53.Ascot." Just a warning, there is flash photography in Peter Hunt's
:27:53. > :27:55.report. There were no carriages like at
:27:55. > :27:57.Ascot, but the scale of this Melbourne extravaganza left kpheul
:27:57. > :28:01.think -- Camilla thinking the annual Royal racing event looks
:28:01. > :28:05.very small by comparison. Charles, welcome to Australia!
:28:05. > :28:10.large crowd of punters treated before the main event to a glimpse
:28:10. > :28:15.of a Prince and his wife. These are invaluable images for a future
:28:15. > :28:21.Australian King visiting a country where there's a continuing debate
:28:21. > :28:25.about whether or not to sever the link to the British throne.
:28:25. > :28:29.But this is what the race-goers paid to witness, Australia's
:28:29. > :28:35.richest and most prestigious horse race which has been taking place
:28:35. > :28:39.ever since Victoria was their Queen. Her descendent took a close
:28:39. > :28:42.interest. Camilla, a keen horse rider had a flutter and told
:28:42. > :28:45.somebody the occasion was a treat for her. After seven years of
:28:45. > :28:50.marriage, this type of Royal work is commonplace at home, but a
:28:50. > :28:54.novelty here. It's the Duchess's first visit to Australia. In a
:28:54. > :28:58.country where there's still a fondness for Diana, this encounter
:28:58. > :29:04.earlier in the outback can only help Camilla's introduction to the
:29:04. > :29:13.Australian people. A warm welcome there. Colder here.
:29:13. > :29:17.Weather fronts around the high pressure to the west of us, it's
:29:17. > :29:23.brought cloud and rain but also a noticeable breeze in from the the
:29:24. > :29:30.Atlantic. This morning we saw temperatures as high as 10 Celsius.
:29:30. > :29:36.Contrast that with Oxfordshire and minus 4. The cloud will win out and
:29:36. > :29:41.it's going to bring rain with it. The rain's extensive but not heavy.
:29:41. > :29:44.It will be damp, but the rain's not for all of us. Maybe Cornwall
:29:44. > :29:48.escaping with a dry afternoon. Damper weather towards Devon and
:29:48. > :29:52.Somerset. Across Wales, extensive cloud and some rain around you with
:29:52. > :29:56.the -- but the further west it's drier. Into northern England
:29:56. > :30:01.there's a lot of rain here. For Northern Ireland, it's brightening
:30:01. > :30:05.up. We will see a few breaks in the cloud so sunshine here. Back into
:30:05. > :30:08.the cloud for northern and western Scotland. It's breezy and some rain
:30:08. > :30:12.here. But through the central lowlands it's actually quite a
:30:12. > :30:18.decent afternoon. Broken cloud and sunshine. Temperatures are up on
:30:18. > :30:21.what we saw yesterday. Different story through northern England and
:30:21. > :30:25.the East Midlands, it's dull and damp but cool and breezy. However,
:30:25. > :30:28.not a great deal of rain along the south coast, a reasonable afternoon
:30:28. > :30:31.here. The rain is on the move. It will move towards the near
:30:31. > :30:36.continent this evening. It leaves behind a lot of cloud. That's what
:30:36. > :30:40.we find this evening for Manchester City and Ajax. Cloudy and low cloud
:30:40. > :30:44.but not particularly cold. Might see the odd spot of drizzle. This
:30:44. > :30:49.evening it's breezy, a lot of cloud. That combination helps to stop
:30:49. > :30:54.temperatures falling too far. But with a few breaks in the cloud
:30:54. > :30:58.might get down to three or four degrees. A grey start tomorrow but
:30:58. > :31:01.for many central and eastern areas it will brighten up nicely. It
:31:01. > :31:04.should turn into a reasonable day for many. However, the further west
:31:04. > :31:09.you are there is more cloud around and the further north you are more
:31:09. > :31:13.cloud and more breeze and a bit of rain. Temperatures doing quite well,
:31:13. > :31:17.up into double figures across the board. Should be another double-
:31:17. > :31:21.figure day on Thursday. Good spells of sunshine, might be cloudy at
:31:21. > :31:25.times during the day but the winds are lighter and still temperatures
:31:25. > :31:29.at ten or 11. Make the most of Thursday, to end the week we see an
:31:29. > :31:33.active weather front slipping south across all parts of the UK. We all
:31:33. > :31:36.see rain at some stage. As the rain clears we see blustery showers