:00:18. > :00:21.companies and celebrities are among those who have used private
:00:21. > :00:24.investigation companies to illegally obtain information. The Government
:00:24. > :00:32.is setting up plans to regulate private investigators. Also this
:00:32. > :00:35.lunchtime - calls for the law to be clarified on assisted suicide.
:00:35. > :00:42.Appeal Court judges find in favour of one paralysed man who wants to
:00:42. > :00:44.die, but against two other cases. The Stafford NHS trust, centre of
:00:44. > :00:51.one of the biggest scandals to hit the health service, could be broken
:00:51. > :00:57.up. British Gas's profits are up after a long, cold winter, but bills
:00:57. > :01:01.are up as well, and the company warns they could go up again. And
:01:01. > :01:07.pop singer Rhiannon wins her High Court legal battle with Top Shop
:01:07. > :01:10.over a T-shirt bearing her image. Later on BBC London, the High Court
:01:10. > :01:14.quashes the Government's decision to reduce services at Lewisham
:01:14. > :01:24.Hospital. And police are investigating after a 12-year-old
:01:24. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:47.companies and celebrities have been found to be among 94 clients who
:01:47. > :01:49.used private investigators who had been convicted of illegally
:01:49. > :01:55.obtaining information. The Home Affairs Select Committee published
:01:55. > :01:58.the list of clients, but did not name them individually, before the
:01:58. > :02:03.rogue investigators concerned were all given jail sentences last year.
:02:03. > :02:07.Tom Symons has more. Out of the shadows and into court, the private
:02:07. > :02:13.investigators who fraudulently obtained personal information for
:02:13. > :02:17.nearly 100 clients. The case, code-named Operation Millipede,
:02:17. > :02:21.revealed this man, Daniel Summers, as the blag. The private
:02:21. > :02:26.investigators paid him to phone up banks, phone companies all utilities
:02:26. > :02:30.and talk employees into handing over private information. It is illegal.
:02:30. > :02:36.They were convicted last year, but it has now been revealed that they
:02:36. > :02:39.were working for 22 law firms, eight financial institutions and companies
:02:39. > :02:43.from a variety of sectors. The serious and organised crime agency
:02:43. > :02:47.will not allow the names of these clients to be released because of
:02:47. > :02:55.ongoing investigations. MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee are
:02:55. > :02:59.not happy about that. They asked us to keep the list confidential. Now,
:02:59. > :03:05.parliament is not very keen on secret lists, which is why I had a
:03:05. > :03:13.meeting yesterday with the head of SOCA, and we have decided to publish
:03:13. > :03:16.the categories of those companies, firms and individuals. And there is
:03:16. > :03:19.anger that while the phone hacking affair, which led to the closure of
:03:19. > :03:24.the News of the World, resulted in a massive police investigation, the
:03:24. > :03:30.clients of rogue private detectives have not been arrested or
:03:31. > :03:35.questioned. On the one hand, they put fast we sources, 150
:03:35. > :03:39.detectives, �40 million, into investigating the media, yet they
:03:39. > :03:45.effectively turned a blind eye and decided not to bother with blue-chip
:03:45. > :03:49.companies that were doing at least the same and worse. So, what
:03:49. > :03:55.information is on offer from rogue privatise? Well, somebody's bank
:03:55. > :04:00.balance could be obtained for �100, or how much tax they paid for a
:04:00. > :04:03.similar fee. Itemised telephone bills could be obtained for �450.
:04:03. > :04:08.Some investigators will hack a computer or intercept calls for
:04:08. > :04:12.�7,000 a month. These figures are from a widely leaked intelligence
:04:12. > :04:15.assessment which was sent to the Government in 2008. It has helped to
:04:15. > :04:20.build the case for the regulation of private investigators, which is due
:04:20. > :04:26.to be announced today. Any of their activities, such as surveillance,
:04:26. > :04:31.are legal, but this is unlikely to dampen down the row about how these
:04:31. > :04:35.affairs should be investigated. Tom Symons is with me now. We have just
:04:35. > :04:40.had an announcement from the Home Secretary on this issue... Yes, in
:04:40. > :04:44.the last ten minutes Theresa May has confirmed that it will be made an
:04:44. > :04:48.offence to practice as a private investigator, without a licence.
:04:48. > :04:54.Licensing means they will have to complete a government recognised
:04:54. > :04:56.training scheme, they will have to confirm their identity through
:04:56. > :05:02.identity checks and also have their criminal records check. But the
:05:02. > :05:07.interesting thing is, what is illegal? Every private investigator
:05:07. > :05:11.has two act within the law, but there is a large grey area, I
:05:11. > :05:15.continue, having looked into this for some time, in the minds of the
:05:15. > :05:18.private investigators themselves. It is also true that law firms
:05:18. > :05:24.regularly used private investigators, and I spoke to one
:05:24. > :05:27.respectable law firm which told me it uses them on every single case.
:05:27. > :05:30.It can be very difficult to make absolutely sure that the private
:05:30. > :05:35.investigator will not be doing anything illegal. I think lawyers
:05:35. > :05:43.will be pleased with regulation, but it may not dampen down the argument
:05:43. > :05:48.which is developing about this set of rogue private investigators.
:05:48. > :05:58.former Conservative Party code treasurer has one �180,000 in libel
:05:58. > :06:04.
:06:04. > :06:09.damages from the Sunday Times. -- co-treasurer. The claim was brought
:06:09. > :06:14.over three articles which appeared in March 2012. How significant a
:06:14. > :06:18.result is this, Norman Smith? you would think this would be an
:06:18. > :06:22.occasion for Downing Street to be hanging out the bunting, with
:06:22. > :06:27.victory for a four Tory treasurer in his libel tussle with the Sunday
:06:27. > :06:32.Times. However, let me remind you, those allegations from last year
:06:32. > :06:36.that he corruptly arranged dinners for donors in Downing Street to
:06:36. > :06:40.influence policy well what it was about. But Peter Cruddas has come
:06:40. > :06:42.out and attacked not just the Sunday Times, he has attacked the
:06:42. > :06:47.Conservative Party and David Cameron, accusing them of not
:06:47. > :06:52.listening to his side of the story, of cutting him off. Let me read you
:06:52. > :06:56.what he said - I was constructively dismissed from my role as party
:06:56. > :07:00.treasurer and made to feel like an outcast, as the Prime Minister lined
:07:00. > :07:07.up to criticise me. On top of that, the judge in the case has also said
:07:07. > :07:11.that Peter Cruddas had to go through a massive public humiliation at the
:07:11. > :07:15.hands of the Prime Minister, and, for good measure, Lord Ashcroft, one
:07:15. > :07:20.of the Tory party's best known fundraisers, has called on Mr
:07:20. > :07:25.Cameron to apologise over his treatment of Peter Cruddas. So, what
:07:25. > :07:30.should've a victory, a moment for Mr Cameron to enjoy an extra portion of
:07:30. > :07:35.sardines at his Algarve holiday home, has rather rebranded against
:07:35. > :07:42.him. I am tempted to say, Hell hath no Furia like a former Tory
:07:42. > :07:46.treasurer disowned by his party. Director of Public Prosecutions says
:07:46. > :07:51.he will appeal to the Supreme Court after Appeal Court judges ruled he
:07:51. > :07:55.should clarify the law on assisted suicide. They had found in favour of
:07:55. > :07:59.a paralysed man identified in court only as "Martin". He wants a nurse
:07:59. > :08:02.or carer to travel abroad with him so that he can end his life. The
:08:02. > :08:08.judge has reject it to other cases brought by campaigners who wanted
:08:08. > :08:13.doctors to be allowed to help patients kill themselves. Northern
:08:13. > :08:17.Ireland Walsh reports. This is "Martin". He is almost completely
:08:17. > :08:21.paralysed following a stroke five years ago. He does not want to be
:08:21. > :08:29.identified, but he gave this interview two years ago, using a
:08:29. > :08:34.special computer to communicate. Life is not worth living. "Martin"
:08:34. > :08:38.'s wife respects his wishes but has refused to take him to the Swiss
:08:38. > :08:43.suicide group Dignitas. "Martin" is worried that a carer who he paid to
:08:43. > :08:47.take him would be charged with assisting a suicide. Two out of
:08:47. > :08:50.three appeal court judges ruled that there was insufficient clarity in
:08:50. > :08:54.the guidance from the director of public was it you should on the law
:08:54. > :08:59.on assisted suicide, in particular whether a health professional who
:08:59. > :09:02.travelled with "Martin" would be at risk of prosecution. -- guidance
:09:02. > :09:08.from the Director of Public Prosecutions. "Martin" 's lawyer
:09:08. > :09:12.read out a statement on his behalf. I am delighted by this judgment,
:09:12. > :09:16.which takes me one step closer to be able to decide how and when I will
:09:16. > :09:21.be able to end my life. I am only able to do so because of my physical
:09:21. > :09:25.disabilities. The DPP has been forced by the courts to clarify the
:09:25. > :09:29.law on assisted suicide in England and Wales once before, in the case
:09:29. > :09:34.of Debbie Purdy. That guidance made clear that friends and family would
:09:34. > :09:38.not be charged if they travelled to Switzerland. Two other cases were
:09:38. > :09:45.rejected by the Court of Appeal today. Tony Nicklinson has died
:09:45. > :09:50.since the case began. He and Paul Lamb had both wanted the law on
:09:50. > :09:55.murder amended so that any Dr Who helped them to die here in Britain
:09:55. > :10:00.would not be persecuted. All three judges were very clear on legal and
:10:00. > :10:07.ethical grounds, that the law, if it is to be changed, must be changed by
:10:07. > :10:15.Parliament alone. The cases will all now go to the Supreme Court for a
:10:15. > :10:18.final ruling. Special administrators could this afternoon recommend
:10:18. > :10:22.breaking up the midst average of foundation trust, scene of one of
:10:22. > :10:32.the biggest scandals to hit the health service. -- the midst of
:10:32. > :10:39.
:10:39. > :10:43.foundation trust. -- the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust Full
:10:43. > :10:47.for 15 weeks, a team of experts has been struggling to come up with a
:10:47. > :10:52.plan for the future of Stafford Hospital. A series of reports
:10:52. > :10:56.exposed terrible standards of care at the trust between 2005 and 2009.
:10:56. > :11:00.The trust also faces huge financial problems. It carries an ongoing
:11:00. > :11:05.deficit and it needs an estimated �70 million over the next five years
:11:05. > :11:10.just to keep it afloat. There has been a vocal campaign to keep the
:11:10. > :11:16.hospital open. There are fears about what today's announcement will
:11:16. > :11:19.bring. For accident and emergency, it is in the top ten in the country,
:11:20. > :11:22.so it makes absolutely no sense to threaten or downgrade any of these
:11:23. > :11:28.essential services in this hospital. They provide a very good quality
:11:28. > :11:32.service for our community. The trust has already lost some key services.
:11:32. > :11:38.A&E has closed overnight. Rage of trauma and stroke services have
:11:38. > :11:41.already been transferred to the neighbouring hospital in Stoke. It
:11:41. > :11:48.is possible the trust could now been broken up. A&E could be further
:11:48. > :11:53.downgraded to becoming an urgent care centre. Other services
:11:53. > :11:56.including maternity could be moved to neighbouring trusts. The problems
:11:56. > :12:01.over the quality of care offered to patients have been well documented,
:12:01. > :12:05.but experts warn that the financial difficulties are also likely to
:12:05. > :12:08.confront many other district general hospitals across England.
:12:08. > :12:11.financial context in which the NHS is operating at the moment means
:12:11. > :12:16.that we have to think really carefully about where we can deliver
:12:16. > :12:18.services, and essentially, it means that we can deliver all services in
:12:18. > :12:22.all places that we currently deliver them at the moment. Stafford
:12:22. > :12:30.Hospital is unlikely to close altogether, but financial reality
:12:30. > :12:34.means that big changes are on the way. The residential arm of British
:12:34. > :12:39.Gas has reported profits of more than �350 million for the first half
:12:39. > :12:44.of the year, an increase of 3%. The company increased its prices by 6%
:12:44. > :12:48.at the end of last year. The parent company, Centrica, says it is
:12:48. > :12:53.committed to keeping energy bills for customers under control. Our
:12:53. > :13:00.correspondent John Moylan reports. It was a long, cold winter.
:13:00. > :13:04.Temperatures plummeted and stayed low well into the spring. Across the
:13:04. > :13:10.UK, millions of families were forced to turn up the heating, resulting in
:13:10. > :13:14.much higher energy bills for British Gas customers. I remember it being
:13:14. > :13:18.really expensive, my husband was a bit shocked. But I guess that is
:13:18. > :13:22.what we expect. I suppose it was a hard, cold winter, and I just
:13:22. > :13:29.expected that it probably would be quite high. At British Gas, revenues
:13:30. > :13:35.soared as households used 13% more gas. Fitz rose by more than 3% in
:13:35. > :13:42.its residential arm, to �356 million in the first half of the year. --
:13:42. > :13:47.profits. We had a very long winter, colder than average, meaning that
:13:47. > :13:51.energy companies sell more energy and make more profit. British Gas is
:13:51. > :13:57.by far the biggest energy supplier. It provides gas or electricity to
:13:57. > :14:02.roughly a third of all households in Britain. Now, it last put up prices
:14:02. > :14:06.by 6% in November, but it has since indicated that it would use any
:14:06. > :14:09.windfall from this winter to try to keep a lid on prices going forward.
:14:09. > :14:15.But the company says it is spending more on government schemes to boost
:14:15. > :14:21.energy efficiency and combat climate. It is more expensive to
:14:21. > :14:25.transport gas and electricity. Today, it warned those costs would
:14:25. > :14:31.inevitably impact on customer bills, leading to fears of another round of
:14:31. > :14:36.price rises in the months ahead. theory is that they know that we
:14:36. > :14:44.will want to continue to use energy, and our ability to fight price rises
:14:44. > :14:50.is limited. I believe the Government to should do more to encourage the
:14:50. > :14:58.introduction of a truly fair market. Overall, profits at Centrica were up
:14:58. > :15:03.9%, on the back of higher gas production offshore and overseas.
:15:04. > :15:06.Our top story this lunchtime - the Home Secretary announces that
:15:06. > :15:14.operating as a private detective without a licence will become a
:15:14. > :15:19.criminal offence. Still to come, can England grab an Ashes victory at Old
:15:19. > :15:24.Trafford? Later on BBC London, the Government says it will review the
:15:24. > :15:29.use of controversial zero hours contracts, used by more than a third
:15:29. > :15:38.of councils in the capital. And Boris Johnson faces calls to scrap
:15:38. > :15:44.charges for softball players in Hyde presidential and parliamentary
:15:44. > :15:47.election in Zimbabwe. The country's Prime Minister Morgan
:15:47. > :15:52.Tsvangirai is challenging President Robert Mugabe for the top job for a
:15:52. > :15:56.third time. Mr Mugabe says he will stand down if he loses, after 33
:15:56. > :16:03.years in power. His party, ZANU-PF, has denied accusations that it has
:16:03. > :16:09.rigged the voters' roll. Andrew Harding reports.
:16:09. > :16:19.433 years, one man has been in charge in Zimbabwe, but the crowds
:16:19. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :16:26.at this rally believe that finally about to change. F to everybody is
:16:26. > :16:29.ready for the change, there will be no violence in Saint Barb Wake.
:16:29. > :16:37.Violence has been a problem. President Mugabe used it to cling on
:16:37. > :16:41.to power in the last election in 2008. He then agreed to sign up to a
:16:41. > :16:50.power-sharing deal with his enemies. At the time, Zimbabwe's
:16:50. > :16:54.economy was in freefall. I saw a country of empty shelves and
:16:54. > :17:01.hyperinflation on a surreal scale. I have just spent nearly $1 trillion
:17:01. > :17:06.and I have three tins of baked beans to show for it. Today, the economy
:17:06. > :17:10.has stabilised. There is food in the shops, thriving schools and calm on
:17:10. > :17:16.the streets. But for all the changes, the fear remains that
:17:16. > :17:22.President Mugabe may try to hold onto power it legally. The voters
:17:22. > :17:28.roll is a shambles. 30% of young voters are not even registered and a
:17:28. > :17:33.suspicious number of extra ballots have been printed. ZANU-PF have made
:17:33. > :17:36.it very clear they are not prepared to lose power and in the preparation
:17:36. > :17:44.of this election, they are completely in control of the whole
:17:44. > :17:48.process. But it must be acknowledged, President Mugabe still
:17:48. > :17:53.enjoys genuine popular support. He has called to seize control of
:17:53. > :17:58.foreign businesses and that goes down well with some. He insists, his
:17:58. > :18:05.hands are clean. If you lose, you must surrender to those who have
:18:05. > :18:11.one. Those who have lost must also surrender to you -- you must
:18:11. > :18:14.surrender to those who have won. We will comply with the rules.
:18:14. > :18:17.The schools watchdog, Ofsted, has apologised after its inspections
:18:17. > :18:22.failed to pick up concerns about a residential school for children with
:18:22. > :18:24.special needs, criticised for its handling of a pupil's rape claim. In
:18:24. > :18:27.January, an educational tribunal raised grave concerns about
:18:27. > :18:37.Stanbridge Earls in Hampshire, just months after Ofsted had given it an
:18:37. > :18:39.
:18:39. > :18:43."outstanding" rating. Our education correspondent is here. Can you
:18:43. > :18:53.outline what exactly has happened? Stanbridge Earls is a private
:18:53. > :18:57.Baoding school -- boarding school in Hampshire. It has children from ten
:18:57. > :19:04.to 19 with special educational needs. Ofsted inspected the school
:19:04. > :19:09.on three occasions in 2011 and 2012 and gave it an outstanding rating,
:19:09. > :19:13.but a few months ago and educational tribunal said it had grave concerns
:19:13. > :19:19.about the way the school had behaved in the case of a female pupil who
:19:19. > :19:22.claimed she had been raped by another people. It severely
:19:22. > :19:27.criticised the school and the headteacher. The headteacher
:19:27. > :19:31.eventually resigned and the school is now going to close. Ofsted
:19:31. > :19:38.started up an internal review and today we have the results of that
:19:38. > :19:44.review and an admission from Ofsted of their own failings.
:19:44. > :19:48.Embarrassing to say the least. Yes. It admitted their inspections
:19:48. > :19:54.were problematic. It says it has taken disciplinary action against a
:19:54. > :19:59.small number of staff including dismissals. It also said other
:19:59. > :20:03.internal reorganisations should prevent this in future. But it
:20:03. > :20:07.raises wider questions about whether the inspection regime is really
:20:07. > :20:11.effective and the Department of education says it is looking again
:20:11. > :20:15.at the regulation regime. There has been a large increase in
:20:15. > :20:19.the number of civilians killed or injured in Afghanistan. A United
:20:19. > :20:23.Nations report says the total number for the first six months of the year
:20:23. > :20:30.was almost 25% higher than in the same period last year. Jon Brain is
:20:30. > :20:37.in Kabul. It isn't there conflict but the
:20:37. > :20:40.ordinary men, women and children in Afghanistan are paying the price for
:20:41. > :20:48.the struggle in their country. Insurgence took over an empty
:20:48. > :20:53.building in Kabul. Their motives? To kill and maim passers-by. Just one
:20:53. > :20:57.of an increasing number of attacks on civilians. Most are the victims
:20:57. > :21:03.of bomb attacks. Last month insurgence true that a vehicle full
:21:03. > :21:08.of explosives into a bus outside the Supreme Court, killing 16. This
:21:08. > :21:17.man's cousin was one of the victims. The winning in the family are too
:21:17. > :21:24.scared to go outside -- the women. Afghanistan is a dangerous country,
:21:24. > :21:26.he says. 231 of the 1300 killed in
:21:26. > :21:34.Afghanistan were children. Many of the victims were targeted
:21:34. > :21:38.deliberately. That is extremely alarming, this quite large increase
:21:39. > :21:44.in direct attacks against civilians, deliberate targeting through a
:21:44. > :21:50.number of tactics. It may be by an IED, and assassination, a suicide
:21:50. > :21:55.attack. Most Afghans are getting on with their lives. They have no
:21:55. > :21:58.choice. The UN have called on all sides of the conflict to uphold
:21:58. > :22:01.their legal obligation to protect them.
:22:01. > :22:05.The singer Rihanna has won a High Court battle with Topshop over
:22:05. > :22:08.T-shirts bearing her image. The star sued Topshop's parent company
:22:08. > :22:16.Arcadia over the T-shirts, which featured a photo taken during a
:22:16. > :22:26.video shoot in 2011. Our arts correspondent David Silitto reports.
:22:26. > :22:30.This contains flash photography. When Vienna shot her video in
:22:31. > :22:36.Northern Ireland, her fans were out in force -- Rihanna. Thousands of
:22:36. > :22:44.photos were taken and one ended up on this T-shirt, which ended up on
:22:44. > :22:48.sale in Topshop. Rihanna was not pleased. She issued a writ and has
:22:48. > :22:54.won her case. Does this mean you are not allowed to take a photo of a
:22:54. > :22:58.celebrity and put it on a T-shirt yourself? No, said the High Court.
:22:58. > :23:06.They said it was because this looked like official Rihanna merchandise.
:23:06. > :23:12.The image had a close similarity to images on her video and album and
:23:12. > :23:16.fans would assume this was a product she had assumed. Topshop said it was
:23:17. > :23:26.disappointed and perplexed, adding there was no intention to create an
:23:27. > :23:34.
:23:34. > :23:42.appearance of an endorsement or is Rihanna has her own fashion line
:23:42. > :23:47.at Topshop's rival, River Island. Clothes in pop are big business.
:23:47. > :23:50.The third Ashes Test gets under way at Old Trafford tomorrow. It is 84
:23:50. > :23:56.years since England won the first three Tests of an Ashes series, but
:23:56. > :24:04.victory this week will give them an unassailable 3-0 lead. All five days
:24:04. > :24:08.in Manchester are sold out and Joe Wilson is there for us.
:24:08. > :24:16.These days in England and Wales there is huge competition just to
:24:16. > :24:22.win the right to stage an Ashes test match. Old Trafford has spent over
:24:22. > :24:26.�30 million just to get the ground redeveloped. It looks great. The
:24:26. > :24:30.weather forecast is OK, definitely some sunshine between now and
:24:30. > :24:38.Monday. In Manchester they would love to be the place where the ashes
:24:38. > :24:43.are retained in England with two Test matches to spare -- the Ashes.
:24:43. > :24:48.James Anderson can do anything, apart from control the weather.
:24:48. > :24:54.England was forced inside to train today. Listen now to an object
:24:54. > :24:59.lesson in not getting carried away. We played really well in the first
:24:59. > :25:04.two games and our job is to improve on that. Show some of the form that
:25:04. > :25:09.we did and tighten up on the areas that we can tighten up on. Five days
:25:09. > :25:15.of rain would be one way of Australia avoiding defeat here but
:25:15. > :25:20.it won't happen. They have to come out fighting, in the right way. Get
:25:20. > :25:26.stuck in. Amongst the entertainment options available in Manchester is
:25:26. > :25:33.this bar. The Birmingham branch is where David Warner disgraced
:25:33. > :25:37.himself. He served his suspension and is tipped to play in this Test.
:25:37. > :25:47.This is an Aussie born English critic who is now a cage fighter! --
:25:47. > :25:48.
:25:48. > :25:53.cricketer! We need a guy to come in with a bit of character and to
:25:53. > :25:58.change momentum. England have been doing their best to protect Kevin
:25:58. > :26:02.Pietersen, nursing him through a strain in the nets. He has gone
:26:02. > :26:05.through training in the last few days and has done everything we have
:26:05. > :26:12.asked of him so clearly we have to make that decision tomorrow
:26:12. > :26:16.morning. We will see and we are pretty hopeful. Meanwhile, Anderston
:26:16. > :26:23.should become England's second-highest wicket taker of all
:26:23. > :26:27.time this week. Australia, here's looking at you.
:26:27. > :26:32.Australia are going through their final preparations this afternoon.
:26:32. > :26:37.Remember Australia came having lost a series in India. If they lose this
:26:37. > :26:46.match it will mean they have lost seven matches in a row, consecutive
:26:46. > :26:50.Test matches. The last time that happened was in the 1880s.
:26:50. > :26:56.Thank you very much. Some other sports news that is just in. The
:26:56. > :27:00.British Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill has confirmed that she
:27:00. > :27:06.will not compete at the world athletics Championships in Moscow
:27:06. > :27:10.next month. The 27-year-old gold medallist has been struggling with
:27:10. > :27:14.an Achilles injury and performed below her best at last week's
:27:14. > :27:20.anniversary games in London. We thought temperatures here were a
:27:20. > :27:23.bit on the high side. In China they have had it for worst. The Chinese
:27:23. > :27:27.authorities say more than ten people have died in Shanghai as the city
:27:27. > :27:31.grapples with its highest temperatures in 140 years. Water
:27:31. > :27:33.parks and swimming pools are doing record business, as you can see.
:27:33. > :27:38.Weather experts in China say a subtropical high pressure system and
:27:38. > :27:44.a lack of rain is to blame. The heatwave is likely to last for
:27:44. > :27:52.several more days. That is extraordinary, isn't it! Let's look
:27:52. > :28:02.at the weather for us now. Are we going to have some more hot weather
:28:02. > :28:02.
:28:02. > :28:07.tomorrow? will be out and the temperatures
:28:07. > :28:15.will soar. It will be very hot, particularly in the south and east.
:28:15. > :28:21.Act today. The cloud is slowly drifting north -- back to today. It
:28:21. > :28:26.has been quite wet for some so far and plenty more rain to come this
:28:26. > :28:30.afternoon. Extensive across Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands and
:28:30. > :28:35.northern England. It never really gets into Scotland, so this is where
:28:35. > :28:44.the best of the weather is this afternoon. Very different in
:28:44. > :28:53.Belfast. Much of northern England seeing potentially heavy rain. The
:28:53. > :28:57.rain will slowly pull away from the Midlands in the afternoon. An
:28:57. > :29:03.increasingly humid feel to things as the southerly breeze imports that
:29:04. > :29:11.humid air from the near continent. That air will go northwards behind
:29:11. > :29:17.the rain this evening. It will turn wet in Scotland overnight. England
:29:17. > :29:24.and Wales will have low cloud and mist but quite a warm night. It will
:29:24. > :29:29.be a difficult night for sleeping. Tomorrow, quite wet. You and
:29:29. > :29:35.Northern Ireland, persistent rain. What England and Wales, after a
:29:35. > :29:41.great start, it will warm up. It could get above 30 Celsius in the
:29:41. > :29:46.southeastern corner. Fresh from Northern Ireland and Scotland
:29:46. > :29:51.because of the cloud and the rain. Not a great start for the women's
:29:51. > :29:58.golf in Saint Andrews. The wind will pick up over the weekend which will
:29:58. > :30:03.make for challenging conditions. This is Friday, you can see a lot of
:30:03. > :30:09.isobars. Quite a strong breeze across most parts of the UK. The
:30:09. > :30:15.potential for thundery rain. That will drop the temperatures in the
:30:15. > :30:19.south and south-east of England. Still breezy for the weekend in many
:30:19. > :30:29.areas. There will be some rain but mostly for the north and North-West.
:30:29. > :30:31.
:30:31. > :30:34.A reminder of out top story this lunchtime. The Home Secretary