:00:10. > :00:14.The Algerian hostage crisis continues. A number of British
:00:14. > :00:17.workers are still at risk after the attack by Islamist militants. David
:00:17. > :00:22.Cameron says Algerian forces are still pursuing terrorists and
:00:22. > :00:27.looking for hostages at the gas installation in the Sahara desert.
:00:27. > :00:31.Last night, the number of British citizens at risk was less than 30.
:00:31. > :00:33.Thankfully, was now know that number's been quite significantly
:00:33. > :00:37.reduced. Heavy snow falls across much of
:00:37. > :00:41.Britain, shutting more than 2,000 schools and bringing widespread
:00:41. > :00:46.disruption with more to come. Travel disruption on the roads as
:00:46. > :00:50.trains are delayed, flights cancelled and motorists get stuck.
:00:50. > :00:55.We'll have the latest in some of the worst affected areas.
:00:55. > :01:00.One big lie. After years of denials, the disgraced cyclist, Lance
:01:00. > :01:06.Armstrong, admits doping during all seven of his Tour de France wins.
:01:06. > :01:12.And there was no Christmas cheer for retailers and it's revealed
:01:12. > :01:16.there was a slight fall. With ten centimetres forecast, we have the
:01:16. > :01:26.latest on the snowfall impacting across the region. Hundreds of
:01:26. > :01:35.
:01:35. > :01:39.schools are closing early and Good afternoon. Welcome to the BBC
:01:39. > :01:42.News at One. The hostage crisis in Algeria is not over. The Prime
:01:42. > :01:46.Minister says British workers are still at risk, though not as many
:01:46. > :01:50.as first thought. David Cameron told the Commons that the attack on
:01:50. > :01:53.a remote gas installation in the Sahara desert was brutal and savage
:01:53. > :01:57.and he said the Islamist militants were heavily armed and well
:01:57. > :02:00.coordinated. One Briton was killed at the start of the attack when a
:02:00. > :02:05.convoy of workers heading to an airfield was ambushed, but the fate
:02:05. > :02:09.of the others is still unclear. Caroline Hawley reports.
:02:09. > :02:12.This is the Algerian Army in training for just the kind of
:02:12. > :02:17.militant threat they are now facing deep in the Sahara desert.
:02:17. > :02:21.Questions are being asked about why the Security Forces stormed into
:02:21. > :02:25.the Ain Amenas gas plant with such deadly results.
:02:25. > :02:28.We know that on Wednesday the kidnappers attacked the residential
:02:28. > :02:32.compound of the complex, as well as the gas facility. Two days on, it's
:02:32. > :02:36.still not known how many of the foreigners who worked here were
:02:36. > :02:40.killed and injured and how many are safe.
:02:40. > :02:43.David Cameron said Britain had not been told about the military
:02:43. > :02:46.operation in advance, but he has now been briefed by his Algerian
:02:46. > :02:50.counterpart. He said that the terrorists had
:02:50. > :02:55.tried to flee, they judged there to be an immediate threat to the lives
:02:55. > :02:58.of the hostages and had felt obliged to respond. I spoke to the
:02:58. > :03:02.Algerian Prime Minister later last night and he told me this first
:03:02. > :03:06.operation was complete, but this is a large and complex site and they
:03:06. > :03:10.are still pursuing terrorists and possibly some of the hostages in
:03:10. > :03:15.other areas of the site. Last night, the number of British citizens at
:03:15. > :03:20.risk was less than 30. Thankfully, we now know that number's been
:03:20. > :03:24.quite significantly reduced. Mark Grant from Scotland and other
:03:24. > :03:28.Scots survived, as did ste fun McFaul from Belfast. He told his
:03:28. > :03:33.wife he'd had explosives tied around his neck but escaped when
:03:33. > :03:40.the Algerian Army fired on a five- car convoy and the vehicle he was
:03:40. > :03:48.in crashed. She has described to me the circumstances in which he
:03:48. > :03:54.became free. She described the experience that he had as truly
:03:54. > :04:01.horrific. It's clear from what she told me that unfortunately, there
:04:01. > :04:04.are a number of the kidnap victims who have not been as fortunate as
:04:04. > :04:09.Stephen. One French survivor's spoken of
:04:09. > :04:14.hiding in terror as militants stalked the site searching for
:04:14. > :04:18.westerners. TRANSLATION: I stayed hidden for
:04:18. > :04:24.almost 40 hours in my room under the bed. I put boards everywhere
:04:24. > :04:29.just in case. I had food, water, to sustain myself, and I did not know
:04:29. > :04:33.how long I would stay there. When the soldiers came to get me, I did
:04:33. > :04:37.not even know that it was over. For some hostages, it appears the
:04:37. > :04:41.ordeal is not over yet, as the militants involved in the worst
:04:41. > :04:46.international hostage crisis for years threatened to attack other
:04:46. > :04:50.facilities where security is now being stepped up.
:04:50. > :04:53.Our Political Correspondent, Norman Smith, is in Westminster. The Prime
:04:53. > :04:57.Minister told the Commons this morning that not as many British
:04:57. > :05:01.workers were involved as first thought, but do we have any idea of
:05:01. > :05:04.numbers? There have been a range of numbers. The Prime Minister saying
:05:04. > :05:10.significantly below 30. There are reports this morning of up to 20,
:05:10. > :05:15.others have suggested ten. I'm being guided that the number of
:05:15. > :05:20.Britons at risk may be nearer ten than 20. At risk includes those who
:05:20. > :05:26.may be dead, may include those wounded or may include those simply
:05:26. > :05:30.hostages, we do not know the make- up of that number because it's an
:05:30. > :05:34.ongoing situation. I suppose there is limited comfort that some of the
:05:34. > :05:37.initial figures which seemed very, very high, those now seem not to be
:05:37. > :05:41.correct and we are talking about a number closer to ten. Briefly, the
:05:41. > :05:46.Prime Minister also confirmed he did not know that this rescue
:05:46. > :05:50.operation was taking place until it was under way? Yes, l. There is
:05:50. > :05:53.clearly frustration in Government that they seem to be kept oupt of
:05:53. > :05:57.the loop by the Algerian government and have been determined to handle
:05:57. > :06:03.this on their own. The Algerian government rebuffed offers of help
:06:03. > :06:07.in terms of negotiators from Britain and intelligent-gathering
:06:07. > :06:09.from the US. Also concern that the Algerians were focused on
:06:09. > :06:11.eliminating the terrorists than necessarily safeguarding the
:06:11. > :06:16.hostages. Thank you. Our Diplomatic
:06:16. > :06:19.Correspondent, James Robbins is here. This is an incredibly remote
:06:19. > :06:27.part of the world in the Sahara desert, there are fears about what
:06:27. > :06:31.is unfolding here, Europe's soft underbelly it was called today?
:06:31. > :06:35.Sir Malcolm Rifkind used this phrase first coined by Winston
:06:35. > :06:40.Churchill in a different context. What he was talking about was vast
:06:40. > :06:43.ungoverned spaces in north Africa, particularly of course in northern
:06:43. > :06:49.Mali. The Prime Minister responded to that and agreed with the idea
:06:49. > :06:53.that space could not be left for terrorists, extremist militants in
:06:53. > :06:57.Africa, whether in Mali or Algeria or neighbouring countries to build,
:06:57. > :07:00.arm or plan, as he put it. There was a real determination from David
:07:00. > :07:05.Cameron to say to the House of Commons, the Western world, Europe,
:07:05. > :07:08.NATO, has to do more actually to help and support all the
:07:08. > :07:11.Governments in north Africa fighting a considerable battle
:07:11. > :07:14.against Al-Qaeda. The Prime Minister said Al-Qaeda in
:07:14. > :07:19.Afghanistan and Pakistan had been weakened, but it was exploiting now
:07:19. > :07:22.weaknesses in a whole swathe of countries, many of them very remote
:07:22. > :07:28.in north Africa. Heavy snow is causing disruption
:07:28. > :07:31.across many parts of the UK with roads blocked, power cuts, flights
:07:31. > :07:35.cancelled and schools closed and forecasters say there's much more
:07:35. > :07:38.to come. Across many counties, trains have been delayed and
:07:38. > :07:41.cancelled, Southampton and Birmingham Airports have been shut
:07:41. > :07:44.and flights at Heathrow, Cardiff and Bristol are all affected.
:07:44. > :07:47.Energy companies have been struggling to fix faults in the
:07:47. > :07:50.freezing conditions, leaving thousands without power. And more
:07:50. > :07:54.than 2,000 schools have been closed across England and Wales. In a
:07:54. > :07:58.moment, we'll hear from our correspondents in some of the
:07:58. > :08:03.worst-hit parts of the country, but first to South Wales, where a rare
:08:03. > :08:05.red Met Office warning is in place. High well Griffith is in Merthyr
:08:05. > :08:11.Tydfil. Thanks. This is one of those towns
:08:11. > :08:15.in the red zone, the area covered by that special Met Office warning,
:08:15. > :08:20.issued last night, of severe weather. The forecast came true.
:08:20. > :08:24.It's been snowing since the early hours, making conditions very tough,
:08:24. > :08:26.particularly out on the roads. At points today, it was feared that
:08:26. > :08:33.Merthyr Tydfil could be cut off. The council teams have been out
:08:33. > :08:37.trying to keep people on the move. With grit and a fair bit of
:08:37. > :08:41.determination. The town of Merthyr Tydfil is trying to deal with what
:08:41. > :08:46.the weather's thrown at it. Up to a foot of snow has fallen on
:08:46. > :08:50.the heads of the South Wales valleys. Many who battled their way
:08:50. > :08:54.into work quickly turned around. I think it's a nightmare. I own a
:08:54. > :09:00.business in the town and I've come down, I've opened for 30 minutes
:09:00. > :09:07.and closed because it's going to cost me more money to keep all the
:09:07. > :09:14.lights on. Got up this morning, couldn't open up. A weekend off?
:09:14. > :09:18.Yes. Trekking to the car now to hopefully get home.
:09:18. > :09:23.Getting home won't be easy. The main roads north and south have
:09:23. > :09:29.been closed for part of the day. The Met office red warning for this
:09:29. > :09:36.area will remain in place until 9pm. This road goes through the red zone,
:09:36. > :09:41.the main dual carriageway that connects the Wales valleys.
:09:41. > :09:44.Normally it would be busy but there are a few hardy souls just
:09:44. > :09:49.venturing out. Many people have heeded the warnings and stayed at
:09:49. > :09:55.home. Others seem determined to ride out the conditions until the
:09:55. > :10:00.worst has passed. For those people who are at home,
:10:00. > :10:05.sadly some are without power, was understand, some 10,000 customers
:10:05. > :10:08.in west Wales are waiting for power to be returned. For those venturing
:10:08. > :10:11.out, the red Met Office weather warning stays in place for the
:10:11. > :10:15.heads of the valleys and Brecon Beacons, the Fire Service warning
:10:16. > :10:18.people to take extra precautions, taking blankets and mobile phones
:10:18. > :10:22.and even food with them if they are going out on the roads.
:10:22. > :10:24.Thank you very much. That is the picture in South Wales. The South
:10:24. > :10:28.West of England has been badly affected by the weather with
:10:28. > :10:34.transport hit and hundreds of schools closed. Duncan Kennedy is
:10:34. > :10:42.in Stroud in Gloucestershire with the latest.
:10:42. > :10:46.I'm about 60 miles from where Hywell is. It's picturesque and
:10:46. > :10:56.treacherous. With ten plus centimetres of snow falling,
:10:56. > :11:05.
:11:05. > :11:09.there's three or four inches. Schools have been badly hit.
:11:10. > :11:14.these schools are closed... School's out for winter. Hundreds
:11:14. > :11:18.in the south-west are closed with pupils and teachers told to stay
:11:18. > :11:22.off the roads. Everywhere you go around here, it's
:11:22. > :11:27.like this. Treacherous snow conditions. I'm on an A-road just
:11:27. > :11:31.off the M5 in Gloucestershire. Luckily in a 4X4. I wouldn't want
:11:31. > :11:34.to be battling these roads in normal vehicles. It's white-out
:11:34. > :11:40.wherever you look. Even though the gritters have been through here,
:11:40. > :11:45.the snow covers it all over again in a few seconds.
:11:45. > :11:49.Here at this school in Stroud, some students had to get in, as they're
:11:49. > :11:54.sitting GCSE and A-level exams. Classrooms were kept specially warm
:11:54. > :11:57.for those taking the physics and English tests. The weather adding
:11:57. > :12:02.unwanted pressure. Got here half an hour early luckily,
:12:02. > :12:06.warmed up my hands, took the exam and have got an hour-and-a-half
:12:06. > :12:10.walk back. A lot of friends won't be able to make it in and will have
:12:10. > :12:13.to resit in the summer which is quite annoying really. Trudging
:12:13. > :12:19.through the sludge, these pupils have a welcome day off. The nearly
:12:19. > :12:24.800 schools closed in this region alone.
:12:24. > :12:30.Whilst at Bristol's heated Lido, they were giving an object lesson
:12:30. > :12:34.in strong constitutions, a few winter lengths in the face of this
:12:34. > :12:37.climatic adversity. Very brave people indeed trying to
:12:37. > :12:40.attempt a swim in this kind of weather. So far as the schools are
:12:40. > :12:43.concerned, the education authorities are already looking
:12:43. > :12:46.ahead to Monday because of the uncertain weather over the weekend
:12:46. > :12:49.and they are telling us either to check with their own individual
:12:49. > :12:53.websites or with the schools themselves.
:12:53. > :12:56.Thank you very much. Let's get the very latest on the
:12:56. > :13:00.disruption to transport. Here is Ben Ando.
:13:00. > :13:03.Most could hardly move, though some couldn't stop.
:13:03. > :13:09.Heavy snow causing severe disruption to roads here in Bristol
:13:09. > :13:13.and across the west of England and South Wales.
:13:13. > :13:17.During the night, gritters had been deployed, but in the worst hit
:13:18. > :13:22.areas, hazardous driving conditions caused difficulties on minor and
:13:22. > :13:27.major roads, a large section of the M4 was closed.
:13:27. > :13:30.And, falling snow isn't the only danger. You might be driving along
:13:30. > :13:35.in relatively calm conditions, all right it's a bit snowy, you think
:13:35. > :13:38.you are OK. All of a sudden a gust of wind cuts down visibility, but
:13:39. > :13:42.can also blow snow into a lane you thought was clear. For those
:13:42. > :13:46.wanting to take to the air, conditions on the ground have
:13:46. > :13:51.caused problems. At Heathrow Airport, numerous flights were
:13:51. > :13:54.cancelled as snowploughs battled to keep runways and taxiways open.
:13:54. > :13:58.Southampton Airport's been closed until at least mid afternoon while
:13:58. > :14:01.Cardiff and Bristol Airport halted flights for a while.
:14:01. > :14:06.Rail travellers fared a little better. Some train companies in
:14:06. > :14:12.Wales, the south of England and the Midlands are operating a reduced
:14:12. > :14:15.service but the network is largely open and running for now.
:14:15. > :14:20.Getting commuters to work is only half the battle and there are
:14:20. > :14:24.concerns that more snow today will cause greater disruption and
:14:24. > :14:27.greater frustration this evening when those who made it in want to
:14:27. > :14:32.get home for the weekend. Because tomorrow isn't a working
:14:32. > :14:36.day, it's hoped more poor weather will cause less disruption. In
:14:36. > :14:40.Gloucestershire, a sliding car knocked another down into a garden.
:14:40. > :14:47.When police closed the road, residents were left with little
:14:47. > :14:50.choice but to start enjoying their weekend early.
:14:50. > :14:55.Birmingham and Southampton Airports are closed, there are problems at
:14:55. > :14:59.Heathrow Airport as well. Let's get the latest from Luisa Baldini who
:14:59. > :15:04.is there now. There have been 220 flight
:15:04. > :15:08.cancellations so far out of the usual 1300 or so flights which
:15:08. > :15:12.operate every day here at Heathrow Airport. That is partly due to
:15:12. > :15:16.reduced visibility. If I just show you the scene, you can see what I
:15:16. > :15:21.mean. You can barely make out the tail fin of the aircraft there at
:15:21. > :15:25.the stand, but cancellations also due to the fact that this runway
:15:25. > :15:32.just here, the northern runway, was closed for about an hour so that
:15:32. > :15:36.they could clear the snow and deice. That's re-opened and is being used
:15:36. > :15:46.for landings and take offs because they have now had to close the
:15:46. > :15:47.
:15:47. > :15:51.Heathrow has invested millions in their winter resilience programme,
:15:51. > :15:56.and more snow clearing vehicles, for example. They are doing as much
:15:56. > :16:01.as they can to keep the airfield open and running, but there's not
:16:01. > :16:04.much they can do about the poor visibility. In this situation, air
:16:04. > :16:09.traffic control will have to reduce what they call the flow rates, that
:16:09. > :16:16.is the number of planes coming in to land and take off. Cancellations
:16:16. > :16:21.are inevitable and there may be more throughout the day. The time
:16:21. > :16:26.is just off the 1:15pm. There will be a full weather core cast at the
:16:26. > :16:30.end of the programme and you can get regular update on line or tune
:16:30. > :16:35.into the local radio station for the details on trouble where you
:16:35. > :16:39.are. The top storey this lunchtime. A hostage crisis in Algeria is
:16:39. > :16:49.continuing. David Cameron says British workers are at risk are not
:16:49. > :16:50.
:16:50. > :16:53.as many as first thought. It is a sad day. I feel quite emotional.
:16:53. > :16:56.One of the best loved voices on Radio Four says farewell after a
:16:56. > :16:59.quarter of a century behind the microphone. Later on BBC London:
:16:59. > :17:02.The very latest on how heavy snowfall is making travel across
:17:02. > :17:12.the region difficult. We'll give you the latest information to plan
:17:12. > :17:14.
:17:14. > :17:16.your journey home tonight. Plus a full weather forecast in 15 minutes.
:17:16. > :17:19.After years of denials, the disgraced American cyclist Lance
:17:19. > :17:25.Armstrong has admitted, for the first time, that he did use
:17:25. > :17:28.performance enhancing drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey,
:17:28. > :17:33.Armstrong said he had used banned substances during all seven of his
:17:33. > :17:37.Tour de France wins between 1999 and 2005. He said it had been "one
:17:37. > :17:47.big lie, repeated a lot of times" and he was there to say sorry. Our
:17:47. > :17:52.Sports News Correspondent Andy For years, he had deceived, and now
:17:52. > :18:01.he confessed. For the moment, among wants a global hero admitted his
:18:01. > :18:06.success was down to drugs. Did you ever take banned substances? Yes.
:18:06. > :18:13.In all seven of your Tour de France victories, did you ever take banned
:18:13. > :18:17.substances or blood dope? Yes. Armstrong said the battle against
:18:17. > :18:22.Council -- cancer had given him a win-at-all-costs mentality, and
:18:22. > :18:28.hoping to win the titles never even felt like cheating. And to keep on
:18:28. > :18:34.winning, you had to keep on using banned substances. Yes, but, and
:18:34. > :18:40.I'm not sure that this is an acceptable answer, but that is like
:18:40. > :18:46.saying that you have appeared in your tyres, or water in our bottles.
:18:46. > :18:50.-- having your tyres. In my view, that was part of the job.
:18:50. > :18:54.Armstrong admitted he was a bully whose Bix -- behaviour was
:18:54. > :19:04.inexcusable. He said he would be apologising for the rest of his
:19:04. > :19:14.life. This is too late. It is too late for probably most people, and
:19:14. > :19:19.
:19:19. > :19:23.You know, I view the situation as one big lie. But his audience
:19:23. > :19:26.seemed unmoved. At his home town in Texas, they watched the former
:19:26. > :19:32.heroes confession, only disappointed that he did not reveal
:19:32. > :19:40.more. I thought it was kind of sad, actually. I think he danced around
:19:40. > :19:45.some issues, avoided a few things. It's kind of what I expected. Not
:19:45. > :19:49.much was revealed. I would have expected more. Armstrong says he
:19:49. > :19:53.will now co-operate with the authorities. It has been a shameful
:19:53. > :19:58.saga for cycling. The current riders believe the sport can move
:19:58. > :20:02.on. He have to remember it is one man, one part of the sport, not a
:20:02. > :20:09.whole sport. The vast majority of cyclists are clean and we are
:20:09. > :20:12.showing you can win gold medals and be proud of your sport. And so the
:20:13. > :20:17.demise of one of sport's most famous fairy tales is now complete.
:20:17. > :20:22.It was this myth, said Armstrong, this perfect story, and it wasn't
:20:22. > :20:26.The Chairman of the Police Federation in England and Wales,
:20:26. > :20:29.Paul McKeever, has died suddenly. The 57-year-old was admitted to
:20:29. > :20:32.hospital a few days ago, and died last night of an embolism. Mr
:20:32. > :20:40.McKeever had been chair of the organisation, which represents rank
:20:40. > :20:43.President Obama has told David Cameron that he wants Britain to
:20:44. > :20:46.remain a member of the European Union. He made the comments in a
:20:46. > :20:49.telephone conversation last night before the Prime Minister postponed
:20:49. > :20:52.a speech on Britain's relationship with the EU because of the ongoing
:20:52. > :20:57.crisis in Algeria. Our Political Correspondent Iain Watson is at
:20:57. > :21:02.Westminster. Plenty of journalists had been briefed on what the Prime
:21:02. > :21:07.Minister was going to say today. Any idea on when or if that speech
:21:07. > :21:11.will now take place? The latest thinking is that the speech will
:21:11. > :21:15.probably take place very early next week. But, of course, that has not
:21:15. > :21:20.been officially confirmed, and for good reasons it was rightly delayed
:21:20. > :21:24.today. Any further delay could be politically damaging, but we do
:21:24. > :21:28.have a clearer idea of some of the things that will be in it. Some of
:21:28. > :21:32.the extracts were briefed to the press in advance on the assumption
:21:32. > :21:35.it would happen today. It does seem clear that the Prime Minister is
:21:35. > :21:39.raising up -- at least the possibility that Britain could be
:21:39. > :21:42.outside the EU. He does not one that happened at once a
:21:42. > :21:46.relationship where we can stay in it, but there is a danger that the
:21:46. > :21:50.British people could drift towards the exit. His message to his
:21:50. > :21:54.European partners is blunt, unless you allow me to renegotiate my
:21:54. > :21:58.relationship, then I cannot guarantee that Britain will remain
:21:58. > :22:03.in membership. He talks about frustration towards the EU, but
:22:03. > :22:08.it's also pretty clear that there is a lack of consent that he would
:22:08. > :22:11.put any renegotiated deal to way referendum, much as we anticipated.
:22:11. > :22:15.Some members of his own party would say it is good and he is rising to
:22:15. > :22:18.the challenge, but some of his coalition partners would say it
:22:18. > :22:23.would be damaging to use the word exit at all in difficult economic
:22:23. > :22:31.circumstances. He also briefed Barack Obama yesterday on the
:22:31. > :22:36.speech, and a White House spokesman said that the President spoke to Mr
:22:36. > :22:40.Cameron about the close alliance with the UK, and that he values a
:22:40. > :22:44.strong UK in the European Union. Any delay to the speech doesn't
:22:44. > :22:46.make it any less controversial. Christmas was even more
:22:46. > :22:54.disappointing than expected for UK retailers, according to the latest
:22:54. > :23:04.figures. In December sales rose by just 0.3%. But there was a boost
:23:04. > :23:07.
:23:07. > :23:11.for many retailers in online sales. Creat -- High Street. Overall,
:23:11. > :23:17.retail sales have fallen in the last three months, with festive
:23:18. > :23:22.trading tough. Read tales sales rose on the year by 0.3%, and fell
:23:22. > :23:25.by 0.1% compared to 20th November 12. What we have seen in the
:23:25. > :23:31.December results is that year-on- year growth is the slowest we have
:23:32. > :23:41.seen since December 1998, when you exclude the snow hit December of
:23:42. > :23:42.
:23:42. > :23:50.2010. As ever, there are winners and losers. A best-ever Christmas
:23:50. > :23:56.for Aldi. Discount supermarkets are benefiting as they change the way
:23:56. > :23:59.we shop. It may be a small discount firm, but it is attracting affluent
:23:59. > :24:04.shoppers and stealing all-important market share from the big
:24:04. > :24:07.supermarkets. But what about the rest of retail? These are some of
:24:07. > :24:12.the big names that did well in the current climate. They are all
:24:12. > :24:16.reaping the benefit of investing in online business, where sales are
:24:16. > :24:22.continuing to grow. This whole point of consumer convenience and
:24:22. > :24:25.the consumer wanting to shop online and maybe picking up in-store, but
:24:25. > :24:28.also liking to shop in the store, means that companies with deep
:24:28. > :24:31.pockets can afford to invest in that, which is why we are seeing
:24:31. > :24:37.some of the larger retailers generally doing better than the
:24:38. > :24:41.smaller. Christmas didn't bring much cheer on the whole for
:24:41. > :24:46.Britain's retailers, and it's not set to get better any time soon.
:24:46. > :24:56.These latest figures will also fuel the fear that the economy may have
:24:56. > :24:56.
:24:56. > :24:59.For a quarter of a century, she's been the reassuring and trusted
:24:59. > :25:02.voice of BBC Radio 4, but today the newsreader Charlotte Green will be
:25:02. > :25:04.hanging up her headphones after her last day behind the microphone. As
:25:04. > :25:14.David Silitto reports, millions will miss her impeccable diction,
:25:14. > :25:15.
:25:15. > :25:20.unflappable poise, and her very With the BBC News, Charlotte Green.
:25:20. > :25:25.The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favour. Oh the last 25
:25:25. > :25:32.years, millions of us have woken up with Charlotte, that calm, warm,
:25:32. > :25:38.yet authoritative voice has stirred feelings. They send me Valentine's
:25:38. > :25:42.cards, and rather sweet letters. There is a certain wistfulness in
:25:42. > :25:46.them. We have been very lucky. People have been lovely in the
:25:46. > :25:51.things we have said to them. Nine men have gone on trial at the Old
:25:51. > :25:55.Bailey. This is a very radio type of fame. She needed a good deal a
:25:55. > :26:02.gentle coaching to even agree to appear on camera. But even on Radio
:26:02. > :26:08.we sometimes get a glimpse of the Real Charlotte. She is professional,
:26:08. > :26:12.classy, smooth, unflappable, with an iron grip, except when it fails
:26:12. > :26:21.completely and she breaks down. The American historians have discovered
:26:22. > :26:27.what they think is the earliest The award-winning screenwriter
:26:27. > :26:34.Abbey man has died at the age of 80. Excuse me, Surrey. He also warned
:26:34. > :26:44.that several Emmys -- excuse me, sorry. That was including one in
:26:44. > :26:47.
:26:47. > :26:53.1973. For a film which featured... A police detective, called....
:26:53. > :27:03.is a sad day. I feel very emotional insight. I didn't think I was going
:27:03. > :27:05.
:27:05. > :27:14.to, but the end of the day, when I Never again will bedtime be Coco,
:27:14. > :27:19.the shipping forecast. -- the Now, before weather forecast and a
:27:19. > :27:28.moment, but we are being blanketed in snow, although in Sydney,
:27:28. > :27:35.Australia they have had their hottest day on record. Here, of
:27:35. > :27:40.course, a different situation, with widespread destruction --
:27:40. > :27:44.disruption. Let's speak to Louise Hubble, who was in Leicester.
:27:44. > :27:47.Sophie, a lot of people enjoying the snow, but it is causing
:27:47. > :27:55.widespread disruption. Hundreds of schools are closed across the
:27:55. > :28:01.Midlands, and as the snow moves east, the real concern is icy roads.
:28:01. > :28:11.Rail passengers are being advised to check for their trouble. 300
:28:11. > :28:11.
:28:11. > :28:14.schools. There is of course more snow forecast in the east as week
:28:14. > :28:18.move through the week many businesses are considering closing
:28:18. > :28:22.early for people to get home because of the disruption, and a
:28:22. > :28:27.lot of schools are closing early. But there is one heart-warming tame
:28:27. > :28:32.-- tale, one bride in Shropshire was so determined to get to her
:28:32. > :28:36.wedding, she decided to travel to the judge by tractor. More snow to
:28:36. > :28:43.come, as we have been saying. Louise is here with the fall
:28:44. > :28:52.I I hope you have been well-worn. We still have a red warning in
:28:52. > :28:58.force because there is heavy snow. It is starting to ease away. We see
:28:58. > :29:04.we have got this no pushing north and east, and it does fragment
:29:04. > :29:10.slyly. The red warning is in force for South Wales, and there are 10
:29:10. > :29:14.centimetres. And if we are not snow in the morning, there is still the
:29:14. > :29:21.potential for another three or five centimetres of snow, perhaps driven
:29:21. > :29:26.by the strong easterly wind. A cold afternoon, and the Snow sits across
:29:26. > :29:32.North Wales and the south-east corner. Starting to fragment
:29:32. > :29:41.somewhat, so showers for the rest of the afternoon. They could be a
:29:41. > :29:48.bit of a wintry mix. Snow showers continued, and it is bitterly cold.
:29:48. > :29:52.Temperatures were below freezing. There is increasing chance of
:29:52. > :29:56.further snow to come through the evening. The same in the north-east
:29:56. > :29:59.of Scotland, driven in by the strong winds. The threat of snow
:29:59. > :30:03.continues for north-east Scotland, and for Northern Ireland
:30:03. > :30:07.potentially overnight. And amber warnings are continuing. Snow
:30:07. > :30:13.showers across the peaks and Pennines. A cold night to follow,
:30:13. > :30:18.with temperatures falling below freezing. Yes, it will be a frosty
:30:18. > :30:22.and icy start to Saturday. Widespread ice is likely, snow
:30:22. > :30:29.covering freezing solidly, so take care in the morning. The winds will
:30:29. > :30:33.swing around to an easterly breeze, but as the day continues this snow
:30:33. > :30:38.showers he's away, but if cold prospect for the weekend.
:30:38. > :30:42.Temperatures just a degree or so it might -- a degree or so. The start
:30:42. > :30:47.of the week, bitterly cold, frost and ice, but there is also the risk
:30:47. > :30:50.of further snow on Sunday. It is this area of low pressure and the
:30:50. > :30:55.front that will drift up through the Continent affecting eastern
:30:55. > :30:58.England during the early hours of Sunday, so risk of heavy snowfall
:30:58. > :31:03.for eastern England. If you are travelling on Sunday, keep watching
:31:03. > :31:11.the weather forecast. This may be subject to change, but a bitterly
:31:11. > :31:14.cold day in prospect on Sunday for A reminder of the top storey. The
:31:14. > :31:19.hostage crisis in Algeria continues. David Cameron says British workers
:31:19. > :31:23.are still at risk, but not as many as first thought. We understand