:00:07. > :00:11.Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are still without power
:00:12. > :00:16.after gale force winds battered parts of the UK. Roofs ripped from
:00:17. > :00:21.buildings, trees uprooted and power lines brought down. In Wales, the
:00:22. > :00:25.clear up gets under way after more than Wash after winds of more than
:00:26. > :00:29.100 miles an hour. Dreams bring down power lines, road and rail links are
:00:30. > :00:33.blocked with more than one months's rainfall predicted for the next few
:00:34. > :00:37.days. The River Thames could reach its highest level for 60 years.
:00:38. > :00:43.People are forced to abandon their homes but some say they have to
:00:44. > :00:52.stay. Are you going to leave? No. Why? Nowhere else to go. We will get
:00:53. > :00:56.the latest from our correspondents around the country. George Osborne
:00:57. > :01:00.is backed by Labour and the Lib Dems as he warns Scots of the financial
:01:01. > :01:06.risks of independence. If Scotland walks away from the UK, it walks
:01:07. > :01:10.away from the UK pound. Nearly 3 million people have new workplace
:01:11. > :01:16.pensions but concerns they are still not saving enough. Royal backing,
:01:17. > :01:21.the three Princes join the campaign to fight the illegal trade in
:01:22. > :01:27.trafficking wildlife. Oh, they have gone down! They have all gone down
:01:28. > :01:31.in fact. Thrills and spills as Team GB's medal hope Elise Christie goes
:01:32. > :01:35.for gold in a dramatic final of the short track speed skating -- speed
:01:36. > :01:40.skating in Sochi. Later on BBC London, a brief respite
:01:41. > :01:43.for flood-hit communities in Surrey and Berkshire but more heavy rain is
:01:44. > :01:46.on the way. And warnings for those affected by flooding to protect
:01:47. > :02:04.themselves against harmful bacteria in dirty water.
:02:05. > :02:10.Hello and welcome to the BBC News At One. Tens of thousands of homes are
:02:11. > :02:14.without power across the UK after hurricane force storms brought chaos
:02:15. > :02:18.to the road and rail network. Worst hit, Wales and the north-west of
:02:19. > :02:22.England. Urgent repair work is under way to clear debris from the rail
:02:23. > :02:25.lines and replace overhead power cables. Severe flood warnings remain
:02:26. > :02:29.in place in south-west and south-east England, with a warning
:02:30. > :02:34.that a month's rain will fall in the next few days. In Worcester, the
:02:35. > :02:38.River Severn has reached a new record level and the Thames is
:02:39. > :02:42.expected to reach its highest level for 60 years. The come at -- the
:02:43. > :02:45.Cabinet committee on flood recovery met for the first time this morning
:02:46. > :02:49.with a government promise of more money to help. We will hear from our
:02:50. > :02:53.correspondents across the worst affected areas. First to Hywel
:02:54. > :02:58.Griffiths, in Porthmadog in North Wales.
:02:59. > :03:01.Simon, the high winds may have subsided overnight but it was only
:03:02. > :03:06.really this morning that we were truly able to see the full scale of
:03:07. > :03:11.the damage they caused. Roofs are being ripped off, trees which lasted
:03:12. > :03:15.for centuries torn out of the ground. After several weeks of
:03:16. > :03:20.severe weather, people here are having to face up to yet another day
:03:21. > :03:26.of disruption to their lives. After the chaos, some calm. But
:03:27. > :03:32.yesterday's hurricane strength winds have left their mark. It was just
:03:33. > :03:35.horrendous. It was just like a tornado. The wound was gradually
:03:36. > :03:42.getting worse all-day and about 4pm,
:03:43. > :03:45.getting worse all-day and about stunned when this roof took flight
:03:46. > :03:49.over Porthmadog station and was carried on the wind. It ripped the
:03:50. > :03:53.canopy of the front of the building and threw it over the roof. It took
:03:54. > :04:01.the chimney and landed in the beer garden. So this has come from the
:04:02. > :04:07.other side? The other side, yes. Along the West Wales coast, wind
:04:08. > :04:12.speeds reached 108 miles per hour. Static caravans suddenly became
:04:13. > :04:20.mobile. Trees torn up from their roots. In its wake the storm has
:04:21. > :04:23.left plenty of hard work and hardwood scattered on the roads.
:04:24. > :04:27.They have been uprooted like they were little trees really. It was
:04:28. > :04:30.quite scary when we came here because the wind was blowing
:04:31. > :04:35.branches across the road and everybody will came out of the
:04:36. > :04:38.vehicles and help to clear the road. These repairs simply adds to the
:04:39. > :04:42.millions and millions of pounds worth of work that was already
:04:43. > :04:47.needed after several weeks of severe weather. In the meantime people are
:04:48. > :04:53.being warned to remain patient and expect delays on the roads and on
:04:54. > :04:58.the rails. Tens of thousands of homes are spending a second day
:04:59. > :05:03.without power. A lucky few can call on generators, but others have been
:05:04. > :05:08.left exposed to the elements for some time. Terrible, very
:05:09. > :05:15.frightening for people especially in the evening when there was no
:05:16. > :05:19.electricity. There is now a race to make repairs before the next set of
:05:20. > :05:25.gales arrive tomorrow. There may be a few who relish these conditions,
:05:26. > :05:31.but most now wish this rough ride would come to an end.
:05:32. > :05:36.Yes, plenty of concern over what the next few days will bring. While we
:05:37. > :05:40.may not see hurricane force gales batter West Wales are going for some
:05:41. > :05:44.time, weeks and weeks of damage are really starting to show and I think
:05:45. > :05:51.people here are simply fed up of Britain's severe winter.
:05:52. > :05:55.Gale force winds have left nearly 80,000 homes without power. Gusts of
:05:56. > :06:00.112 miles an hour were recorded on top of the Pennines in Cumbria and
:06:01. > :06:05.there is while spread -- there is widespread chaos on road and rail
:06:06. > :06:08.networks. Danny Savage is in Tebay. This is a windy day in north-west
:06:09. > :06:13.England but it is nothing compared to the conditions last night. The
:06:14. > :06:16.problems caused by what happened are numerous. If you can see over my
:06:17. > :06:21.shoulder here, in the last few minutes they have pulled this lorry
:06:22. > :06:25.up right with all the stuff falling out of the side. That is the
:06:26. > :06:30.southbound side of the M6, that is closed at the moment while they try
:06:31. > :06:34.and sort that out but that is one of numerous problems across the
:06:35. > :06:40.north-west of England today. It was only supposed to be closed for a few
:06:41. > :06:43.hours last night at the heart of the storm but this morning services on
:06:44. > :06:49.the West Coast Main Line was still disrupted because of the hurricane
:06:50. > :06:52.force winds. This is midway between Preston and Carlisle. The stretch of
:06:53. > :06:56.line worst affected today. The problem has been this morning that a
:06:57. > :07:00.tree has fallen on overhead power lines north of Preston, which is
:07:01. > :07:05.causing delays to trains going north but not too bad going south. But all
:07:06. > :07:10.the delays on the departure board here are a legacy from last night's
:07:11. > :07:14.mother. Those that did decide to travel all had a tail to tell but
:07:15. > :07:19.accepted things were worse elsewhere. I have lattice fencing
:07:20. > :07:25.down the left-hand side of my garden and half of it has been demolished
:07:26. > :07:28.overnight, so yes, it was rough. But compared to what the rest of the
:07:29. > :07:34.country is going through, how does it feel? We are very lucky. We
:07:35. > :07:38.haven't had the flooding. Just getting to the stage and would have
:07:39. > :07:44.been a challenge last night. A tree blocked the main road nearby. One of
:07:45. > :07:47.many down across northern England. Further west in Barrow, several
:07:48. > :07:52.buildings were damaged and roads closed. This exposed an insular took
:07:53. > :07:57.a battering. In Manchester there were problems as well. The outside
:07:58. > :08:04.stairs on these facts were blown away. People here had to climb down
:08:05. > :08:09.scaffolding to get out. In Cumbria, the M6 on its highest stretch near
:08:10. > :08:15.Shap littered with lorries, toppled by side wins. Moving them had to
:08:16. > :08:19.wait until the winds eased. Back on the railways the most alarming
:08:20. > :08:25.incident was at Crewe station, where the roof blew off. Probably the most
:08:26. > :08:29.scary situation we have been in or I have been in in 16 years of the
:08:30. > :08:32.railway with regards to whether. Because the gusts picked up very
:08:33. > :08:37.quickly and very suddenly and the roof started to fly across the
:08:38. > :08:42.station platforms and on the overheads. Things are improving but
:08:43. > :08:46.the widespread effects of this extraordinary storm will be felt for
:08:47. > :08:52.the rest of today. Recovery from wind was much quicker than floods.
:08:53. > :08:55.Up until a few minutes ago I was hoping to stand here and say despite
:08:56. > :08:58.all of that there were no serious incidents or injuries but sadly we
:08:59. > :09:03.have heard in the last few minutes that a motorist has died in
:09:04. > :09:07.Cheshire, after swerving to avoid a fallen tree. Anybody who experienced
:09:08. > :09:10.those conditions last night would have expected to wake up this
:09:11. > :09:14.morning to things a lot worse than they actually are. The government is
:09:15. > :09:18.making more money available for the recovery after what has happened
:09:19. > :09:23.here over the last 24 hours or so but it will have no affect on these
:09:24. > :09:27.ongoing incidents today. Things hopefully by the end of today will
:09:28. > :09:30.get a lot better. Danny Savage. A pensioner who died
:09:31. > :09:36.of suspected of electrocution because of a fallen tree has been
:09:37. > :09:39.named. Roger Haywood died yesterday afternoon Wiltshire. Police believe
:09:40. > :09:42.the 71-year-old was attempting to move tree which have brought down
:09:43. > :09:46.power cables when he was electrocuted.
:09:47. > :09:50.There are fears that the River Severn in Worcester, which has
:09:51. > :09:54.already passed its highest recording level, could rise still further. A
:09:55. > :09:58.number of roads in the city are impossible. Phil Mackie is in
:09:59. > :10:04.Worcester forums. This is why the city is effectively
:10:05. > :10:09.divided in half at the moment. This is the new road. The water is too
:10:10. > :10:12.deep to let water through. They are running shuttle bus service to try
:10:13. > :10:16.to keep Worcester connected. Let me bring you round this way. You will
:10:17. > :10:20.see more of the activity that is going on. We have seen a few Army
:10:21. > :10:24.vehicles arriving. You might be able to make them out in the distance.
:10:25. > :10:27.Plus the Environment Agency, the police, the local authority, they
:10:28. > :10:32.are having a meeting in 20 minutes to decide is going to be happening
:10:33. > :10:34.next but the real problem is here. Let's bring you down to the River
:10:35. > :10:39.Severn. You can see how much water there is at the moment. So much
:10:40. > :10:43.coming downstream. These are record levels. They have peaked for the
:10:44. > :10:47.time being but they may go up against slightly over the next few
:10:48. > :10:50.minutes, the next few days and the next few hours. All these people
:10:51. > :10:54.have turned up to take their pictures today. Normally places that
:10:55. > :10:59.are flooded day, please don't come in, we don't want blood tourists,
:11:00. > :11:02.but business is being affected so badly at the moment they would
:11:03. > :11:06.rather see people come along, take pictures and spend money in the
:11:07. > :11:09.town. Everyone has been saying there will be more bad weather. In an
:11:10. > :11:14.extra 24 hours who knows what will happen but there is a fear of more
:11:15. > :11:16.peaks along here and further downstream into tomorrow and the
:11:17. > :11:21.weekend. Phil Mackie, thank you. The River
:11:22. > :11:24.Thames has -- is at its highest level for 60 years and a lot more
:11:25. > :11:29.rain is forecast. Hundreds of properties along its banks have been
:11:30. > :11:32.flooded and dozens of homes have been left abandoned. Our
:11:33. > :11:36.correspondent Duncan Kennedy is in Marlow for us.
:11:37. > :11:40.It is hard to believe that you have to go back to the 1950s to sea
:11:41. > :11:44.levels on the River Thames like this and you might say, it is not on the
:11:45. > :11:48.River Thames, you are standing in a field and that is true because the
:11:49. > :11:51.River Thames is 100 yards overbearing their end has come
:11:52. > :11:57.surging across this field. In fact, there is we're over there with a
:11:58. > :12:00.measuring stick and it shows the levels have risen between six and
:12:01. > :12:06.seven feet in the last few days -- there is a weir over there. We'd
:12:07. > :12:09.bring you pictures, we don't always get a full picture of what is going
:12:10. > :12:14.on which is why yesterday we took a boat onto the River Thames, the
:12:15. > :12:17.surging River Thames, to get up close to those people who live there
:12:18. > :12:23.and the communities suffering with all this water. Have a look at this.
:12:24. > :12:26.The Thames valley from the Thameside. The river scene from
:12:27. > :12:32.where the floods are coming from and the misery it is bringing to
:12:33. > :12:39.hundreds of homes. We are from the BBC. We first came across Stephen
:12:40. > :12:44.and Paul in a house surrounded by a deep, swirling torrent. How
:12:45. > :12:48.frightening is that being in all this water? It is very frightening,
:12:49. > :12:52.you have to keep your nerve basically. But you can really lose
:12:53. > :12:59.it. You have just got keep your head on and carry on really. Will you
:13:00. > :13:04.stay? Yes. The line between richer and land has completely gone here.
:13:05. > :13:10.As we approached one house, our boat was sucked against a wooden post.
:13:11. > :13:16.The currents and sheer volume of water are lethal. The house belongs
:13:17. > :13:22.to Jason McBride. Just look how deep and dangerous it is here. Are you
:13:23. > :13:28.going to leave? No. Why? Nowhere else to go. My mum lives there, we
:13:29. > :13:35.are not going to leave without my mum. We have no choice. Not really.
:13:36. > :13:39.It is only when you get onto the water itself, on the Thames, that
:13:40. > :13:45.you get an idea of how bad this flooding is. Property after poverty
:13:46. > :13:49.abandoned. The waters in the house and the owner no longer able to live
:13:50. > :13:53.there. The Environment Agency says around 1000 homes are under water.
:13:54. > :14:00.We tried to find out if anyone is left. Hello #! But most are empty.
:14:01. > :14:08.Some are still working on the river but only on the top floor. When I
:14:09. > :14:14.shout to see if they are OK... Very bad. The answer is clear. For those
:14:15. > :14:18.who do risk staying here it is water and keeping supplied that are the
:14:19. > :14:23.biggest problems. Today, it is not mice with the wind. It is a very
:14:24. > :14:27.strong wind and you get buffeted about but it is one of those things.
:14:28. > :14:34.And the endless rain will feed again into this river, keeping its
:14:35. > :14:38.swollen, unforgiving and abandoned. I don't mind telling you it was
:14:39. > :14:41.pretty frightening on the river yesterday. The surging River
:14:42. > :14:45.Thames, you have to admire the courage of some of those people
:14:46. > :14:48.living there and there could be more trouble on the way because it has
:14:49. > :14:52.been tipping down here in the Thames valley over the past few days and
:14:53. > :14:56.the Environment Agency tellers there is a time lag between two and seven
:14:57. > :14:58.days for the water to come off the hills of Oxfordshire and search a
:14:59. > :15:03.game down through the Thames valley, creating yet more problems
:15:04. > :15:11.and misery for those people in their homes. Duncan Kennedy, thank you. So
:15:12. > :15:14.what has been causing the exceptional and prolonged rain and
:15:15. > :15:16.winds battering so much of the UK? Our correspondent Richard Lister
:15:17. > :15:20.looks at the reasons behind the recent extreme weather. It's the
:15:21. > :15:25.kind of whether we happened in other parts the world. Ringing with it
:15:26. > :15:30.stormy seas, the army on the streets, and vast areas under water.
:15:31. > :15:34.If our recent weather seems somehow foreign, it's partly because it has
:15:35. > :15:39.come a long way. These images show how the recent storms crossed the
:15:40. > :15:43.Atlantic from America, the Jetstream bringing much of our weather, but it
:15:44. > :15:46.is moving much faster than usual so storms in the USA have little time
:15:47. > :15:50.to dissipate as they cross the ocean. What's happening now in
:15:51. > :15:55.America suggests we have more wild weather to come. Their problem is
:15:56. > :16:00.snow, even in the deep South, which may be due to a powerful arctic
:16:01. > :16:06.weather system. We don't know what those storms will look like when
:16:07. > :16:09.they get to us, but they are coming. The cold air is moving across the
:16:10. > :16:15.north Atlantic and supercharging the Jetstream. The pattern across the
:16:16. > :16:20.Atlantic will stay stuck and we will continue to see further storms,
:16:21. > :16:23.lovably until the end of the month. Weather systems swell constantly
:16:24. > :16:31.across the globe but assessing their affect on each other is hard. This
:16:32. > :16:34.typhoon was the most powerful ever to hit when a blast of the
:16:35. > :16:38.Philippines last year. One theory is this turbulence effect of the
:16:39. > :16:43.Jetstream carrying weather to America. We don't know for sure. But
:16:44. > :16:50.if these powerful storms are linked from Manila to Ross on Wye, the
:16:51. > :16:54.global forecast may just seem a little more relevant to all of us.
:16:55. > :16:58.And you can find out more about the awful weather conditions on the BBC
:16:59. > :17:07.News website. And there are, of course, updates on your BBC local
:17:08. > :17:10.radio station. It's just after 1:15pm. Our top story this
:17:11. > :17:13.lunchtime. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are without
:17:14. > :17:14.power after gale-force winds batter the UK, leading to huge disruption
:17:15. > :17:25.to road and rail services. I'm at the Winter Olympics in Sochi
:17:26. > :17:29.where Elise Christie thought should once Gilbert in the skating but
:17:30. > :17:32.instead, there was only heartache. Later on BBC London. How moustaches
:17:33. > :17:36.have helped to fund the UK's first centre dedicated to diagnosing
:17:37. > :17:39.prostate cancer. And the teenage boxing promoter from Luton who's got
:17:40. > :17:49.a former footballer on his fight card.
:17:50. > :17:54.If you walk out on the UK, you walk out on the pound. That was the
:17:55. > :17:57.warning from the Chancellor George Osborne this morning as he told
:17:58. > :18:01.Scots that the Government would block a currency union with an
:18:02. > :18:04.independent Scotland. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have also
:18:05. > :18:08.made it clear that they too would not allow Scotland to retain the
:18:09. > :18:10.pound. Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, dismissed
:18:11. > :18:17.the claims as the Westminster establishment trying to lay down the
:18:18. > :18:24.law. Our Scotland Correspondent Lorna Gordon reports. It is
:18:25. > :18:28.Scotland's capital and financial centre and it was here George
:18:29. > :18:32.Osborne delivered his warning. A currency union with an independent
:18:33. > :18:37.Scotland would not work and was not going to happen. Sharing the pound
:18:38. > :18:42.is not in the interests of the people of Scotland or the rest of
:18:43. > :18:46.the United Kingdom. The people at the rest of the UK would not accept
:18:47. > :18:54.it. And Parliment wouldn't pass it. If Scotland walks away on the UK, it
:18:55. > :18:57.walks away from the pound. Getting behind the Tory Chancellor are the
:18:58. > :19:02.Liberal Democrats and Labour. Danny Alexander, Ed Balls and George
:19:03. > :19:05.Osborne, unlikely allies, maybe, but all agree there will be no
:19:06. > :19:11.negotiations. Scotland will not get to formally keep the pound. George
:19:12. > :19:16.Osborne's speech was highly detailed and he took the unprecedented step
:19:17. > :19:19.of publishing internal civil service advice. It's a ratcheting up of
:19:20. > :19:23.pressure on the pro-independence politicians at Holyrood to give more
:19:24. > :19:29.details about whether they have a currency plan B. The Scottish
:19:30. > :19:35.Government say today's intervention amounts to bullying and bluff. Of
:19:36. > :19:39.course, the Scottish Government's proposition should be subjected to
:19:40. > :19:43.scrutiny. It has been and will continue to be, but the position
:19:44. > :19:47.George Osborne has articulated today really requires some hard scrutiny
:19:48. > :19:50.as well. When it does, doesn't withstand it and that's the
:19:51. > :19:56.reality. What other currency options are on the table? One possibility is
:19:57. > :19:59.an and formal currency union or the country could opt for a brand-new
:20:00. > :20:03.currency and go it alone -- informal. Having its own currency
:20:04. > :20:08.would give Scotland the most degrees of freedom, the most flexibility, to
:20:09. > :20:13.run its own economic policy. It would give it the most flexibility
:20:14. > :20:17.to respond in case a big shock hits, so it could move its own interest
:20:18. > :20:23.rates, it could set its own spending and tax rates. And manage its own
:20:24. > :20:28.death levels. Whatever side you're on, currency is key to this battle
:20:29. > :20:32.and the Chancellor today raised the stakes in the fight over the future.
:20:33. > :20:40.Well our chief economics correspondent Hugh Pym is here. This
:20:41. > :20:45.is at the heart of the debate, isn't it? Yes, Simon, crucial to the
:20:46. > :20:49.debate whether an independent Scotland would be able to carry on
:20:50. > :20:52.using the pound. We have the Scottish Government claiming that
:20:53. > :20:56.that would not be a problem, it could be negotiated with
:20:57. > :20:59.Westminster, that in the last couple of weeks, strong attacks from the
:21:00. > :21:04.Unionist parties saying that just wouldn't be possible. Culminating in
:21:05. > :21:07.George Osborne Matt was comments today backed up by Ed Balls and
:21:08. > :21:10.Danny Alexander. A Westminster government wouldn't allow it. We've
:21:11. > :21:17.also had an intervention from the chief civil servant at the Treasury,
:21:18. > :21:22.saying he, as a civil servant, not a politician, strongly advises against
:21:23. > :21:25.a currency union. If Scotland did vote for independence in September,
:21:26. > :21:28.the head of the Treasury would be advising the Chancellor you cannot
:21:29. > :21:32.negotiate this. The pro-unionist campaign will see that as a pretty
:21:33. > :21:35.strong argument for why a currency union couldn't happen for the
:21:36. > :21:39.Bigley, the Scottish Government are saying this is part of the bluster
:21:40. > :21:43.we will get in the run-up to the referendum and it's predictable what
:21:44. > :21:46.the Treasury are saying. They take issue with the Treasury Machover 's
:21:47. > :21:53.own analysis. They point to their own economic experts who helped them
:21:54. > :21:56.draw up the currency union plan, who said in an article today, it
:21:57. > :22:00.completely illogical to continue using the pound across the UK.
:22:01. > :22:04.That's what a Westminster government would agree to. Politics may cloud
:22:05. > :22:14.that view as a referendum approach. Thank you. The number of people
:22:15. > :22:16.being signed up for new workplace pensions has reached almost three
:22:17. > :22:19.million. Nine million will eventually join the schemes by 2018.
:22:20. > :22:22.But there are worries that employers aren't putting enough in, as our
:22:23. > :22:29.personal finance correspondent Simon Gompertz reports. The world's oldest
:22:30. > :22:34.factory, in Derbyshire. After 230 years, they had started workplace
:22:35. > :22:39.pensions, but will they be enough? Like millions, Julie has won for the
:22:40. > :22:45.first time. She is 54, paying ?7 a month, and only likely to get around
:22:46. > :22:49.?350 a year when she retires. If the state pension is not going to be as
:22:50. > :22:55.good as it used to be, then, yeah, I'm doing this, and it's not going
:22:56. > :23:01.to be brilliant. Her son, Gareth, 32, puts in ?12 a month, and will
:23:02. > :23:06.get nearly 3000 a year but that's still a small fraction of his wage.
:23:07. > :23:11.Having a mortgage, this is all I can afford to pay into it. The saviour
:23:12. > :23:15.should be what added by the company but currently, across the UK, that's
:23:16. > :23:22.not much. At the moment, employers have to put in at least 1% of a
:23:23. > :23:24.worker's salary into a pension. They can put in more than that but we
:23:25. > :23:31.have discovered from the biggest pension providers, that between two
:23:32. > :23:37.thirds and 90% of companies put in no more than the absolute minimum.
:23:38. > :23:39.With the costs involved, has to be attracting putting more money into
:23:40. > :23:45.the pension, and employing more people to grow the business. John
:23:46. > :23:48.Smedley is where the John in long johns comes from yet there is a
:23:49. > :23:53.danger that the pensions will be pretty threadbare. Between them and
:23:54. > :23:57.their employees, we need to get to a point where more money is going in,
:23:58. > :24:01.otherwise the employees are going to be disappointed when they retire.
:24:02. > :24:11.The pensions are a good start here, but you only get out what you put
:24:12. > :24:15.in. Lloyds Bank, which is partly owned by the taxpayer, has announced
:24:16. > :24:21.an 8% rise in the amount it pays in bonuses. It's also reported a profit
:24:22. > :24:26.for the first time since 2010. ?415 million last year, compared with a
:24:27. > :24:30.loss of ?606 million in 2012. The Prince of Wales says there's not a
:24:31. > :24:33.moment to lose to stop the slaughter of elephants, rhino and other
:24:34. > :24:36.endangered animals. With his two sons by his side, he warned an
:24:37. > :24:40.international wildlife conference in London, that that the demands for
:24:41. > :24:48.animal products must be curbed. Our royal correspondent Nicholas
:24:49. > :24:53.Witchell reports. Two future British kings and Prince Harry as we don't
:24:54. > :24:58.often see them. Taking the lead to mount a very public joint campaign
:24:59. > :25:03.to combat the criminal gangs who are responsible for this. The slaughter
:25:04. > :25:07.of tens of thousands of elephants and rhinoceros in Africa for their
:25:08. > :25:10.tusks and horns. A trade which is now said to be the fourth most
:25:11. > :25:16.lucrative criminal activity in the world. After drugs, arms and human
:25:17. > :25:19.trafficking. And so, organised by the Buddhist government, largely at
:25:20. > :25:24.the instigation of Prince Charles, delegates from 40 countries are
:25:25. > :25:28.meeting in London to try to combat poaching and save endangered
:25:29. > :25:33.wildlife. There is not a moment to lose if we are to save the species
:25:34. > :25:39.whose loss will not only diminish us all, but also expose their abandoned
:25:40. > :25:45.habitat to ever greater risk of destruction with dire consequences
:25:46. > :25:50.for humanity. It is the demand for ivory and rhino horn in Asia Bigley
:25:51. > :25:55.in China, which is driving the illegal trade. Today's meeting will
:25:56. > :26:00.discourage the demand from consumers and intensify action against the
:26:01. > :26:05.poaching gangs. Poachers think they can act with impunity. We will show
:26:06. > :26:09.them they are wrong. The planning for this conference has been going
:26:10. > :26:14.on for months, driven very much by Prince Charles. It wasn't helped, it
:26:15. > :26:18.must be said, by the decision of William and Harry to go on a wild
:26:19. > :26:23.boar hunt in Spain at the weekend. But the focus today is very much on
:26:24. > :26:24.trying to find practical ways of reducing the killing of endangered
:26:25. > :26:33.species in Africa and elsewhere. Three of Britain's best medal hopes
:26:34. > :26:37.have been in action this morning at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. James
:26:38. > :26:41.Woods in the freestyle skiing. Lizzy Yarnold who's going for gold in the
:26:42. > :26:44.Skeleton. And Elise Christie, who made it into the final of the
:26:45. > :26:53.women's 500 metres short track skating. Our sports correspondent
:26:54. > :26:58.Andy Swiss is in Sochi. Yes, what drama we have seen here over the
:26:59. > :27:02.last hour, and what disappointment for Elise Christie. She thought she
:27:03. > :27:06.had one Briton's second medal of his Winter Olympics but instead of a
:27:07. > :27:11.medal, there was only heartache. It was the final of drama, controversy
:27:12. > :27:15.and, for Elise Christie, at a heartbreak. The 500 metres is not
:27:16. > :27:18.her main event, but after scorching through the early rounds, she had a
:27:19. > :27:25.shot at glory but the race descended into chaos. She was among three of
:27:26. > :27:30.the four riders to crash leaving only one still standing. She got up,
:27:31. > :27:34.got back skating and ultimately crossed the line second, seemingly
:27:35. > :27:38.winning the silver medal, but seconds later, it was decided she
:27:39. > :27:44.had caused the crash by clipping an opponent. For a matter of moments,
:27:45. > :27:49.she was disqualified, and she will hope for better in her two other
:27:50. > :27:53.events. I had the speed, so I moved up and, unfortunately, she hate me
:27:54. > :28:00.off my feet and that meant I hate everybody else as I went down. --
:28:01. > :28:04.hits me. Earlier, Briton's hopes in the Skeleton got off to the
:28:05. > :28:07.smoothest start. It is the ultimate white knuckle ride and Lizzy Yarnold
:28:08. > :28:12.is currently the best in the business. His first two Rand showed
:28:13. > :28:15.white, fearless and near flawless. With two runs tomorrow, she is
:28:16. > :28:20.nearly half a second ahead of their rivals, hefty lead in a sport of
:28:21. > :28:29.tiny margins. His team-mate is down in 11. Lizzy Yarnold is halfway to
:28:30. > :28:34.history and dreaming of gold. I was twisting and turning in my bed, so
:28:35. > :28:37.exciting. I kept asking if it was time, and having to go back to
:28:38. > :28:40.sleep, so now I've start of the competition and I'm really, really
:28:41. > :28:47.pleased with how it's going so far. There are also high hopes for James
:28:48. > :28:52.Woods. He was going for gold in the ski event. He has been battling a
:28:53. > :28:56.hip injury this week but he flicked his way to a fine first run. It
:28:57. > :29:02.briefly put in silver medal position but he has slipped back to finish
:29:03. > :29:06.fifth, not too disappointed, though. There was good news for Britain Mac
:29:07. > :29:10.boss women's curling team. The captain securing the second win of
:29:11. > :29:18.their campaign with the very last stone as they beat China 8-7. Yes,
:29:19. > :29:21.good day for the colonels, but what disappointment for Elise Christie.
:29:22. > :29:25.She says she doesn't feel she was responsible for that crashed, but
:29:26. > :29:29.says she accepts the decision and will hope for much better things in
:29:30. > :29:32.her next two events over the course of the Winter Olympics. Thank you.
:29:33. > :29:35.Time for a look at the weather. Here's Peter Gibbs. It is the calm
:29:36. > :29:44.between the storm. The next system is not too far away.
:29:45. > :29:47.Yesterday storm moving into the northern part of the North Sea.
:29:48. > :29:52.Speckled cloud at the moment giving us a few showers but, yes, behind
:29:53. > :29:56.me, the next batch is heading towards us. The third instalment of
:29:57. > :30:01.the severe weather. More heavy rain. The rest of today, not as windy that
:30:02. > :30:03.has been, that's for sure, but a few showers feeding through and a wintry
:30:04. > :30:08.element across northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. They
:30:09. > :30:11.will gradually fade away this evening and overnight. Some long,
:30:12. > :30:15.clear spells developing eventually, that behind me, this next batch of
:30:16. > :30:19.rain moving in towards the south-west by the end of the night.
:30:20. > :30:23.A sign of things to come tomorrow. I had of that, though, a cold start of
:30:24. > :30:27.the day, actually, in the North. Temperatures close to freezing in
:30:28. > :30:30.Scotland. Here and in Northern Ireland, northern England, too,
:30:31. > :30:36.there could be ice about if things don't dampen down. East Anglia
:30:37. > :30:41.looking quite chilly, too. Further south, we meet the rain. By 8am,
:30:42. > :30:44.pushing in across the south-west, and we have an amber weather warning
:30:45. > :30:49.from Cornwall right through to Dorset. And Somerset. A lot of rain
:30:50. > :30:54.tomorrow, and they could be an inch in places, perhaps more of a higher
:30:55. > :30:57.ground. That batch of rain working northwards through the day
:30:58. > :31:01.accompanied by a strengthening wind. A little bit of snow in Wales, the
:31:02. > :31:07.Pennines, as well, Northern Ireland, and southern Scotland. Behind that,
:31:08. > :31:10.further heavy showers moving in and it turns milder in the south but
:31:11. > :31:15.cold in the North. The contract has been driving the storms in recent
:31:16. > :31:18.weeks. The storm setting in across the high ground of Scotland through
:31:19. > :31:22.tomorrow evening, problems perhaps over the high-level routes, once
:31:23. > :31:29.again, but in the south, the wind is the main focus for the problems. 70
:31:30. > :31:31.mph in south-west Wales and along the south coast of England,
:31:32. > :31:34.overnight into the early hours of Saturday morning, they could cause
:31:35. > :31:42.problems accompanied by the high tide. Inland in the south-east, up
:31:43. > :31:45.to 70 mph. Damaging wind potential for further destruction. I rather
:31:46. > :31:51.stormy start of the weekend. Storms on Saturday. Less rain, it's
:31:52. > :31:55.beginning to ease away. The trend continues into Sunday. Sunday looks
:31:56. > :31:59.like a lovely day, dry virtually everywhere, bright. The wind will
:32:00. > :32:04.ease down as well. Hopefully a sign of things to come. Perhaps, the
:32:05. > :32:07.first glimpse of light at the end of the culvert.
:32:08. > :32:11.Peter, thanks very much. Now a reminder of our top story this
:32:12. > :32:14.lunchtime. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses are without
:32:15. > :32:17.power after gale-force winds batter the UK, leading to huge disruption
:32:18. > :32:18.to road and rail services. That's