:00:07. > :00:14.black, reporting profits of �2.1 billion for the first half of this
:00:14. > :00:19.year. The news prompts speculation that the bank, part owned by the
:00:19. > :00:22.Government, could be privatised within weeks. We'll be live in the
:00:22. > :00:29.City to ask when that might happen and at what benefit to the taxpayer.
:00:29. > :00:32.Also this lunchtime. Calls for a review of parking charges in England
:00:32. > :00:40.as authorities continue to make hundreds of millions from fees and
:00:40. > :00:48.fines. The question to the death of a second soldier to be awarded A/V
:00:48. > :00:51.receiver bravery in Afghanistan has found he was unlawfully killed.
:00:51. > :01:01.Morgan Tsvangirai denounces the country selection as a huge farce
:01:01. > :01:02.
:01:02. > :01:07.alleging widespread rigging. All to play for. It evenly poised at Old
:01:07. > :01:10.Trafford. Later on BBC London. We expose parts of this warehouse
:01:10. > :01:14.illegally rented out for people to live in, breaking planning laws and
:01:14. > :01:24.putting lives in danger. And potting up the plants at Kew Garden ahead of
:01:24. > :01:35.
:01:35. > :01:39.BBC News At One. Lloyds Banking Group is back in the black for the
:01:39. > :01:42.first time in three years. The group, which is 39% owned by the
:01:42. > :01:48.taxpayer, has returned to profit, making �2.1 billion in the first
:01:48. > :01:52.half of this year. That's compared with a loss of almost half a million
:01:52. > :01:55.pounds in the same period last year. The news has prompted speculation
:01:55. > :01:57.that the Government might sell its stake in the bank sooner than
:01:57. > :02:06.previously thought. Our business correspondent Simon Gompertz
:02:06. > :02:12.reports. It's a sign that Lloyds is clambering out of its banking pet.
:02:12. > :02:16.Out of the red and into profit. We can now take the first steps to
:02:17. > :02:20.returning lights to the private sector where it belongs. That is
:02:20. > :02:24.timed nicely after George Osborne told the city in June that two
:02:24. > :02:29.fifths of the bank owned by the taxpayer would soon be up for sale.
:02:29. > :02:34.Today it's not clear exactly when the sale will happen. We have got no
:02:34. > :02:37.set timetable for that. We are continuing to look at it. It's not
:02:37. > :02:41.something we are going to rush because we need to make sure the
:02:41. > :02:47.taxpayer gets their money back. Lloyd's profits turnaround has been
:02:47. > :02:50.driven by a drop in losses from bad debt, down 43%. Less money, half as
:02:50. > :02:57.much a set aside to pay compensation for the mis-selling of payment
:02:57. > :03:01.protection insurance to customers, the result being that losses of 456
:03:01. > :03:08.million in the first half of last year have been replaced by profit of
:03:08. > :03:11.2.1 billion this time round. Lloyd's can now tell potential buyers of its
:03:11. > :03:17.shares its back in profit. The question is how quickly the
:03:17. > :03:21.Chancellor might move now to sell some of the governments 39% stake.
:03:21. > :03:29.Whether taxpayer games more by off-loading quickly or by waiting a
:03:29. > :03:34.bit? You should be able to see a big share shortly, public offering early
:03:34. > :03:40.next year, sometime like that. In 18 months or so, it may be possible
:03:40. > :03:44.that the taxpayers get paid off, in effect, and those shares are owned,
:03:44. > :03:51.not by the government. What about the price? Rescuing Lloyd's by
:03:51. > :03:56.buying shares costs the taxpayer �20 billion five years ago at 61p per
:03:56. > :04:01.share according to the government accounts. The actual cost is put at
:04:01. > :04:05.73p, by financial experts. Today the market price rose even above that
:04:05. > :04:09.level. So the Chancellor faces a tantalising prospect of being able
:04:09. > :04:16.to boast the taxpayer will make a return from bailing out Lloyd's but
:04:16. > :04:18.the whole process will take many months and depends on city and
:04:18. > :04:21.international investors wanting to buy into Britain's battered banks.
:04:21. > :04:30.Let's get more on this from our Business Correspondent Ben Thompson,
:04:30. > :04:34.who's in the City. What reaction to all of this? The big question is
:04:34. > :04:38.when the government will sell and at what price? You heard in that report
:04:38. > :04:44.of a Chancellor saying he is prepared to sell above 61p a share
:04:44. > :04:50.but there was mounting pressure on him to now sell at 73p. The level we
:04:50. > :04:54.all bailed out the banks at, �20 billion, back in 2008, nonetheless
:04:54. > :05:00.the share price has been rising consistently over the course of the
:05:00. > :05:05.day. It's currently trading at just over 74p, and you can really see on
:05:05. > :05:09.the graph how quickly that has been rising. Largely as a reaction to
:05:09. > :05:14.those better-than-expected figures, and you can see they are heading a
:05:14. > :05:18.2.5 year high, but the chief executive of Lloyd's has said he is
:05:18. > :05:22.ready for the government to sell his stake. The big issue is, if it
:05:22. > :05:25.doesn't happen with the next few weeks, it's likely to be put off
:05:25. > :05:30.until September or October when many of the traders and investors are
:05:30. > :05:34.back from their summer holiday. OK, thank you. And one more item of
:05:34. > :05:37.financial news. Interest rates are to remain at 0.5%. The Bank of
:05:37. > :05:40.England has announced that it's keeping the key borrowing rate at
:05:40. > :05:43.the same level as it's been for more than four years. Parking charges and
:05:43. > :05:47.fines are providing huge cash surpluses for some English local
:05:48. > :05:54.authorities. Research by the RAC Foundation has found they brought in
:05:54. > :05:57.�565 million in one year alone. Eight of the ten councils with the
:05:57. > :06:06.biggest surpluses were in London, as our local government correspondent
:06:06. > :06:10.Mike Sergeant reports. Some authorities say they are
:06:10. > :06:14.reining in fines and charges but a parking ticket is still issued every
:06:14. > :06:20.four seconds in England. This year 's figures show another likely
:06:20. > :06:26.increase in council parking profits. The total surplus is set to
:06:26. > :06:30.rise to �634 million, 5.6% increase. For this window cleaner in central
:06:30. > :06:36.London, parking charges can take a big chunk out of his earnings. If
:06:36. > :06:41.you're trying to earn a living, you know, some of the jobs you don't
:06:41. > :06:45.earn �5. And you pay that in parking charges, you know. The RAC
:06:45. > :06:49.Foundation is named the council is making the most. The city of
:06:49. > :06:53.Westminster has a surplus of nearly �42 million, London borough is
:06:53. > :06:58.dominating the list, but others are Brighton and Hove, and Cornwall with
:06:58. > :07:02.a surplus of 8 million. Its fine for local authorities to operate a
:07:02. > :07:08.parking policy and get money out of it but not fine or legal for them to
:07:08. > :07:14.raise money in that way in order to fund their general expenditure.
:07:14. > :07:19.in Westminster, it costs �4 40 41 hours parking. Councils say they can
:07:19. > :07:22.keep traffic flowing and drivers and pedestrians safe. Any surplus they
:07:22. > :07:28.make from parking charges is supposed to go back into the
:07:28. > :07:34.transport budget, but Westminster council says that exactly what
:07:34. > :07:39.happens. And it's parking profits are falling. Westminster has reduced
:07:39. > :07:43.the surplus it makes from parking year-on-year. By about 50%, the
:07:43. > :07:47.number of parking tickets we have given out. But across the country,
:07:47. > :07:54.some drivers think they are an easy target. These residents in Cornwall
:07:55. > :08:02.were fined after a few minutes. It's an awful shock. I was going to the
:08:02. > :08:06.shop for my eyes, and my husband had to come with me, and I was near to
:08:06. > :08:09.it because that's as far as it can work. The council says people can
:08:09. > :08:14.usually find a space but ministers think the rules are not fair and
:08:14. > :08:18.need to be reviewed. The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is
:08:18. > :08:24.ascribed the murder of a four-year-old as vile and evil and
:08:24. > :08:27.said it should be on all of our consciences. Daniels mother and
:08:27. > :08:33.stepfather were found guilty of his murder. Birmingham Crown Court heard
:08:33. > :08:39.that at the time of his death, Daniel weighed just over one stone.
:08:39. > :08:43.Nick Clegg said warning signs had been overlooked. I think we all ask
:08:43. > :08:47.the same question, how did this happen? What happened when a teacher
:08:47. > :08:52.saw this boy scavenging in rubbish bins for food and saw him losing
:08:52. > :09:00.weight and apparently did pass on information. Why did nobody act on
:09:00. > :09:07.it? He went to hospital and the parents spun a web of lives that
:09:07. > :09:10.lies. What happened then? Nick Clegg speaking this morning. An inquest
:09:10. > :09:17.into the death of Lance Corporal Ashworth has found that he was
:09:17. > :09:20.unlawfully killed by enemy attack. Lance Corporal Ashworth was killed
:09:20. > :09:29.as he stormed an insurgent position in Helmand province last year.
:09:29. > :09:33.Jonathan Beale reports. His mother, Kerry, with his brother here, has
:09:33. > :09:36.already spoken of her enormous pride when she received her son 's
:09:36. > :09:41.Victoria Cross. Today she and the family had a more sombre task of
:09:41. > :09:45.attending his inquest. James Ashworth was killed in Helmand
:09:45. > :09:51.province in an attack on an enemy position. One comrade said the word
:09:51. > :09:55.selfless, brave and courageous did not do justice to what he did day.
:09:55. > :09:59.On the 13th of June last year, he was among a group of Grenadier
:09:59. > :10:03.Guards who flew into a Taliban stronghold with orders to capture
:10:03. > :10:07.and kill. They came under intense fire soon as they landed. The
:10:07. > :10:11.inquest heard how they cornered a sniper who refused to surrender.
:10:11. > :10:15.James volunteered to go forward, crawling along a wall with bullets
:10:15. > :10:20.flying around him. He was killed as he broke cover as he pulled the pin
:10:20. > :10:25.from its grenade. He died from blast wounds for the being quest at how we
:10:25. > :10:29.been hit by a bullet just before he threw the grenade. Recording a
:10:29. > :10:32.verdict of unlawful killing, the coroner praised his actions on that
:10:32. > :10:38.day while his commanding officer described James Ashworth as simply
:10:38. > :10:42.the best and bravest of men. Afterwards, his mother, who shed
:10:43. > :10:47.tears throughout the hearing, paid this tribute to her son. James
:10:47. > :10:51.passed away doing a job he loved. At times, it was a hard job but he did
:10:51. > :10:57.get to experience new countries, learning new skills and make some
:10:57. > :11:03.wonderful friends. The nickname for him is ash or Jimmy, and I know the
:11:03. > :11:06.myth as much as we do. He's only the second British soldiers fought in
:11:06. > :11:15.Afghanistan to posthumously been awarded the Victoria Cross, the
:11:15. > :11:18.highest military honour, and won his family will cherish. A man who was
:11:19. > :11:22.due to stand trial for the murder of four soldiers in 1982 killed by an
:11:22. > :11:25.IRA bomb at Hyde Park in London, has been granted conditional bail. John
:11:25. > :11:28.Downey's trial date has been put back until next January. Our home
:11:28. > :11:38.affairs correspondent Matt Prodger is at the Old Bailey now. What can
:11:38. > :11:45.
:11:45. > :11:53.you tell us? Can you hear us? No. I'm terribly sorry, we have lost
:11:53. > :11:59.that. Technology failing us. The fugitive Edward Snowden has left
:11:59. > :12:02.Moscow airport. He had been at the airport for several weeks after
:12:02. > :12:05.coming to international prominence after leaking several classified
:12:05. > :12:10.documents detailing massive electronic surveillance by the US
:12:10. > :12:14.government. He had been unable to leave following the cancellation of
:12:14. > :12:17.his US travel documents by Washington. Reports say he just
:12:17. > :12:23.received the necessary papers to enter Russian soil. It's not clear
:12:23. > :12:27.where his going but we can get more from our Moscow correspondence.
:12:27. > :12:33.the last half an hour, we got the news Edward Snowden has been allowed
:12:33. > :12:36.to leave Moscow airport. It seems he has been given temporary asylum for
:12:36. > :12:40.up to one year, that's what is Russian lawyer has been saying, he's
:12:40. > :12:45.basically allowed to stay in Russia for at least one year and then he
:12:45. > :12:48.will be able to renew the asylum application after that. It seems he
:12:48. > :12:53.also is actually left the airport. There is some debate about whether
:12:53. > :12:58.he left about three quarters of an hour ago or whether it was close to
:12:58. > :13:01.two hours ago, but information suggests he has left Moscow airport
:13:01. > :13:05.for an unknown destination. His lawyer says the destination won't be
:13:05. > :13:09.disclosed because as one of the most wanted men in the world. Edward
:13:10. > :13:14.Snowden has been at the airport for five and a half weeks in transit
:13:14. > :13:21.while he's been trying to work out what his future would be. He's going
:13:21. > :13:25.to be here for it seems at least a year and he may stay longer or head
:13:25. > :13:31.for his original intended destination, Latin America. Daniel,
:13:31. > :13:34.in Moscow, thank you. Observers in Zimbabwe say the presidential
:13:34. > :13:36.election there has been seriously compromised with a million people
:13:36. > :13:40.unable to vote. The Zimbabwe Election Support Network used 7,000
:13:40. > :13:43.observers across the country. Robert Mugabe's party, Zanu PF, are
:13:43. > :13:48.claiming an emphatic victory. But Morgan Tsvangirai, Mr Mugabe's
:13:48. > :13:58.opponent, has described the election as a huge farce. Our correspondent
:13:58. > :14:01.
:14:01. > :14:04.Nomsa Maseko is in Harare. From what we know so far, the results are not
:14:04. > :14:08.in yet. The Zimbabwe electoral commission has released a statement
:14:08. > :14:12.saying that the results are still being counted and are being
:14:13. > :14:16.correlated and the result will be made known within the next five
:14:16. > :14:20.days. They have not given us any indication whether it's going to be
:14:20. > :14:26.any time soon from today, but they had taken and undertaken that the
:14:26. > :14:30.result will be released in a matter of five days and, of course, the MDC
:14:30. > :14:34.leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said he is concerned
:14:34. > :14:43.and has declared these elections are null and void because of huge
:14:43. > :14:47.irregularities which he claims are in the voters roll. Thank you.
:14:48. > :14:52.main headline... Lloyds Banking Group is back in the black,
:14:52. > :15:01.reporting profits of more than �2 billion, property speculation that
:15:01. > :15:04.the bank could soon be privatised. -- prompting speculation. In the
:15:04. > :15:08.Ashes Test match here at Old Trafford, England are having to work
:15:08. > :15:13.hard, but they have taken two wickets before lunch. Later in the
:15:13. > :15:15.hour, I will have all of the sport, including news from the World
:15:15. > :15:25.Swimming Championships in Barcelona, where Andrew Willis has qualified
:15:25. > :15:32.
:15:32. > :15:37.second fastest for the 200 metres have delivered if Britain had been
:15:37. > :15:40.on the verge of nuclear war has been released to the National archives.
:15:40. > :15:44.It is among government documents dating from 1983, which have been
:15:44. > :15:48.made available under rules allowing their publication after 30 years.
:15:48. > :15:51.The secret papers also revealed that Margaret Thatcher blocked a young
:15:51. > :15:56.William Hague from becoming a special adviser to the Chancellor,
:15:56. > :16:03.denouncing his proposed apartment as an "embarrassing gimmick". -- his
:16:03. > :16:08.proposed appointment. Ross Hawkins reports. Police confront women
:16:08. > :16:12.protesting at Greenham Common, outside a British base where US
:16:12. > :16:17.nuclear missiles were due to arrive. Margaret Thatcher dismissed them as
:16:17. > :16:22.an expensive city, but one member of her Cabinet warned that they had
:16:22. > :16:25.underestimated -- eccentricity -- the public opposition to those
:16:26. > :16:31.missiles being brought on to British soil. The Cold War led to some grim
:16:31. > :16:35.thinking. I have the most chilling document is this address drawn up
:16:35. > :16:42.for the Queen as part of a NATO war game exercise, showing what she
:16:42. > :16:45.might have said if an actual nuclear complex were looming. It states bash
:16:46. > :16:48.the madness of war is once more spreading through the world, and our
:16:48. > :16:56.brave country must once again prepare itself to survive against
:16:56. > :17:01.great odds. There was a real conflict coming with the miners. The
:17:01. > :17:04.records show ministers considered using troops to move coal around the
:17:04. > :17:09.country. Detailed plans were drawn up on how to handle the strike which
:17:09. > :17:15.was not far off. And with victory in the Falklands war behind her, and
:17:15. > :17:17.this, a general election year which would prove triumphant, Mrs Thatcher
:17:17. > :17:22.was all-powerful at Westminster, leaving not even the smallest
:17:22. > :17:29.details to chance. Could the Treasury hire a 21-year-old called
:17:29. > :17:35.William Hague as a special adviser, she was asked? No, said Mrs
:17:35. > :17:39.Thatcher. Ministers found ways of coping with it. If you started off
:17:39. > :17:42.to put a paper to Cabinet, you'll often would not get the first two
:17:42. > :17:47.sentences out before the Prime Minister would interrupt, and more
:17:47. > :17:52.or less concluded the meeting. Well, you learnt, you just waited until
:17:52. > :17:56.she drew breath and you started again. Sometimes even she failed to
:17:56. > :18:00.get her away. When the leader of Granada, a Caribbean island part of
:18:00. > :18:07.the British Commonwealth was murdered, the US invaded. She tried
:18:07. > :18:12.to stop President Reagans -- President Reagan taking military
:18:12. > :18:15.action, but the special relationship made no difference. When the dust
:18:15. > :18:21.settled, she told the Cabinet that whatever had happened, written's
:18:21. > :18:24.relationship with the US must on no account be jeopardised. --
:18:24. > :18:32.Britain's. Police are investigating after threats were made to a number
:18:32. > :18:37.of prominent female journalists on Twitter. The three were told that
:18:37. > :18:43.bombs had been placed outside their homes. Sarah Campbell reports. The
:18:43. > :18:46.tweet sent to the Independent newspaper's race Dent, one of three
:18:46. > :18:50.female journalist who received online bomb threats. Their
:18:50. > :18:54.properties were searched for suspicious devices and they were
:18:54. > :19:02.warned by the police to stay elsewhere over night. -- Grace Dent.
:19:02. > :19:06.It follows threats of rape against two women as well. We need Twitter
:19:06. > :19:11.and the police to be working together to identify these
:19:11. > :19:15.individuals, who are harassing us, with direct threats. It needs to be
:19:15. > :19:21.treated extremely seriously. These individuals need to be held to
:19:21. > :19:25.account. In the last three weeks, Twitter has made it easier to report
:19:25. > :19:30.abuse, with a specific button currently available on their mobile
:19:30. > :19:32.site but due to be rolled out across all platforms. The head of Twitter
:19:33. > :19:38.in the UK says they are doing all they can to police their 200 million
:19:38. > :19:42.users. We are working very quickly on the process of simplifying the
:19:42. > :19:46.reporting process. We will be making it easier for people to report
:19:46. > :19:52.instances of abuse, where people are behaving irresponsibly on the
:19:52. > :19:56.platform or violating our rules. We do not allow specific threats of
:19:56. > :20:01.Ireland's, we do not allow unlawful behaviour. When that happens, once
:20:01. > :20:04.it gets reported, we act immediately. The police are
:20:04. > :20:08.continuing to investigate the bomb threats. Some users are calling for
:20:09. > :20:14.a boycott of Twitter this Sunday, to reflect how seriously they feel
:20:14. > :20:19.their online community is being abused. When it comes to our
:20:20. > :20:22.television viewing habits, it seems we are heading back in time to a
:20:22. > :20:27.rather more traditional era, where the family sat down together to
:20:27. > :20:30.watch television in the living room. A study by Ofcom suggest fewer
:20:30. > :20:35.children now have televisions in their bedrooms, and are joining
:20:35. > :20:40.their parents instead. However, it also seems, instead of watching the
:20:40. > :20:44.single screen, we are also multitasking on our personal
:20:44. > :20:48.devices, as Rory Cellan-Jones explains. It was back in the 1950s
:20:48. > :20:51.that Britain first got the TV bug, and the set in the living room
:20:51. > :20:57.became the focus of a family evening for millions. Now, it seems those
:20:57. > :21:01.days are back and, like this West London family, we tend to watch
:21:01. > :21:06.together on the main set, rather than children having their own TVs.
:21:06. > :21:10.On average, we watch four hours a day, and live, rather than
:21:10. > :21:13.pre-recorded or streamed television, still accounts for most of our
:21:14. > :21:19.viewing. It is great, you feel like you are watching a programme with
:21:19. > :21:23.your kids, but they could be texting 30 other people on Facebook. It is
:21:23. > :21:26.hard to know how much they are engaged with you, but there is just
:21:26. > :21:30.enough conversation going on around the programme so that you know you
:21:30. > :21:34.are together, but they are often miles away. We are gathering in
:21:34. > :21:40.front of a big living room TV again, but mobile devices mean the
:21:40. > :21:42.experience is changing. Over half of all adults now own a smart phone,
:21:42. > :21:48.and ownership of tablet computers has more than doubled in the last
:21:48. > :21:53.year. While watching the screen, quarter of us are using these
:21:53. > :21:56.devices to interact with the TV will speak to friends about it. People
:21:56. > :22:01.are very likely today to use their smart phone or tablet to watch
:22:01. > :22:08.television, but also to multitask, to do other things while watching
:22:08. > :22:11.the TV, on different media. Also, one in five of us are using a second
:22:11. > :22:16.screen to watch a different type of content while everybody else is
:22:16. > :22:19.watching the main, big screen in the living room. The average home now
:22:19. > :22:22.contains three devices which can connect to the internet. Younger
:22:22. > :22:27.people are finding all sorts of new ways to communicate. But good,
:22:27. > :22:32.old-fashioned television, albeit on a much bigger screen, is still at
:22:32. > :22:38.the centre of the British home. Now, thousands of police officers and
:22:38. > :22:41.firefighters are taking part in their very own Olympics. The World
:22:41. > :22:45.Police and Fire Games is being held in Northern Ireland over the next
:22:45. > :22:48.ten days. It is the first time the event has taken place in the UK.
:22:48. > :22:53.There are some common sports, as well as some rather strange
:22:53. > :23:00.contests. I confess, I had not know much about this event, but it is
:23:00. > :23:07.absolutely huge... ? Yes, 7000 competitors, from 60 different
:23:07. > :23:11.countries. Those strange sports include the ultimate firefighter,
:23:11. > :23:15.the toughest competitor alive, and also, they are preparing for an
:23:15. > :23:19.opening ceremony in this specially instructed Arena outdoor at the
:23:19. > :23:27.Kings Hall in Belfast. They are expecting 14,000 people here. These
:23:27. > :23:32.games take place every two years, and this year, it is Belfast. They
:23:32. > :23:36.have come dressed for action, but these are not their usual uniforms.
:23:36. > :23:39.Over the next ten days, police officers, prison officers and
:23:39. > :23:44.firefighters from all over the world will do battle in Northern Ireland.
:23:44. > :23:49.The ice hockey tournament at the World Police and Fire Games has
:23:49. > :23:54.already begun, and it is clear that there is a real sense of rivalry.
:23:54. > :23:59.This competition is all friendly, in the bar, but on the ice, it is
:23:59. > :24:03.competitive. Otherwise, we are, rats. 70,000 competitors will
:24:03. > :24:08.represent 60 different countries, in the games, which are being held in
:24:08. > :24:18.the British Isles for the first time in their 30 year history. -- we are
:24:18. > :24:19.
:24:19. > :24:23.comrades. Yes, there are some unique sports involved. The stair race is
:24:23. > :24:31.one of those unusual contests. It will see firefighters in full
:24:31. > :24:34.uniform, tackling Belfast's tallest building, the Obel, 28 floors high.
:24:34. > :24:40.But holding these games in Northern Ireland means tight security is
:24:40. > :24:43.needed. There is still a real threat from dissident republicans, and they
:24:43. > :24:47.have been involved in attempted attacks on the police in the last
:24:47. > :24:53.year. And it is only a matter of weeks since officers were injured in
:24:53. > :24:56.loyalist waiting in Belfast. We will want to make sure that the
:24:56. > :25:03.competitors are safe, but this is a sporting event, not a security
:25:03. > :25:07.event. There are events which hark back to the traditions of the
:25:07. > :25:12.services, like the muster, which includes firefighters connecting a
:25:12. > :25:18.hose and shooting a target against the clock, as well as against the
:25:18. > :25:23.competition. It is like something out of It's A Knockout. Having heard
:25:23. > :25:28.more about it, some teams are taking it a bit seriously. Over the next
:25:28. > :25:35.ten days, for each of the services, medals and pride will be on the
:25:35. > :25:40.line. Among the other unusual contests is a battle between armed
:25:40. > :25:43.police teams, but the only thing that will be battling here tonight
:25:43. > :25:48.in the opening ceremony will be the weather, because it might be one of
:25:48. > :25:57.the hottest days in other parts of the UK, but in Belfast, it is one of
:25:57. > :26:01.the wettest. Also, we will be looking forward to the third Ashes
:26:01. > :26:09.Test, which is under way at Old Trafford. England won the first two
:26:09. > :26:13.Tests, of course. Joe Wilson is at Old Trafford for us. As you say, it
:26:13. > :26:18.is now or never for Australia. They have to win this match to stay in
:26:18. > :26:23.the Ashes. They chose to bat first and get a big score, and at lunch,
:26:23. > :26:31.they are 92-2. Already signs that this match might be a stiffer test
:26:31. > :26:35.for England. This means look means no mercy - let everybody who comes
:26:35. > :26:40.to Old Trafford be certain, England will not release their grip.
:26:40. > :26:44.Manchester could not wait. It took a long, hard fight for permission and
:26:44. > :26:50.finance to turn this ground into a modern cricket venue, and this match
:26:50. > :26:56.was Manchester's reward. Australia could forget about the Ashes if they
:26:56. > :26:58.failed to make a big first-innings total here. Chris Rogers had a
:26:58. > :27:02.couple of embarrassing dismissals in the last Test match, and he was
:27:02. > :27:09.batting for his future, whether my facing a local hero in Jimmy
:27:09. > :27:15.Anderson. -- never mind facing a local hero. Chris Rogers was now
:27:15. > :27:22.batting like an Australian, or rather, like Australians used to do.
:27:22. > :27:32.-- Jimmy Anderson. Chris Rogers will be 36 this month. It is his fourth
:27:32. > :27:33.
:27:33. > :27:39.Test match. He has learned to be patient. England had kept faith with
:27:39. > :27:45.Tim Bresnan. Watson went, and then, enter Graeme Swann. Khawaja had just
:27:45. > :27:48.a faint edge of the wicketkeeper, enough for the on field umpire, even
:27:48. > :27:52.though the batsmen did not believe it. England battling hard for
:27:52. > :27:56.wickets. Isn't that how it is supposed to be in the Ashes? I can
:27:56. > :28:01.tell you, that dismissal of Khawaja has provoked a furious reaction, it
:28:01. > :28:07.seems that he hit his had, not the ball. Loads of replays, but the
:28:07. > :28:10.decision stood. Michael Clarke will be at the crease, and we might well
:28:10. > :28:15.see David Warner, the bad boy of Australia, running out to bat as
:28:15. > :28:19.well. Let's have a look at the weather. On balance, there will be
:28:19. > :28:26.plenty of play today, which I think will be good news for England,
:28:26. > :28:29.hopefully, anyway. It has been cloudy this morning at Old Trafford,
:28:29. > :28:35.at that cloud should break up two reveal some increasingly warm
:28:35. > :28:38.sunshine. A day of huge contrasts across the UK. We have got a lot of
:28:38. > :28:46.cloud across Scotland and Northern Ireland, with outbreaks of rain. The
:28:46. > :28:56.heat continues to build across the south-east. The July heatwave is
:28:56. > :28:56.
:28:56. > :29:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds
:29:53. > :29:57.back, for one day In that getting up to the mid-20s. Rather more cloud
:29:57. > :30:05.around, showery bursts. Moving erratically west to east and some of
:30:05. > :30:07.them could be quite lively with some thunder. Some sharp showers for
:30:07. > :30:09.parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland. Arguably, a better day.
:30:09. > :30:19.There will be some sunshine between the showers but temperatures not as
:30:19. > :30:21.
:30:21. > :30:25.These little fronts will come up with shower was at times and then
:30:25. > :30:31.this feature here, it will bring more persistent rain at the weekend
:30:31. > :30:33.but this is Saturday's picture. You will notice sunshine and showers
:30:33. > :30:39.moving west to east. You might get lucky and avoid the showers but
:30:39. > :30:43.there will be some fairly sharp ones around. We could see some persistent
:30:43. > :30:46.rain arriving later on in the day but for most of us, and up-and-down
:30:47. > :30:56.sort of weekend. Yes, some sunshine and showers, but we will have lost
:30:57. > :30:59.