:00:12. > :00:14.died. He was 88. Tributes have been paid from both sides of the
:00:15. > :00:18.political divide to the former Cabinet minister and veteran
:00:19. > :00:21.left-wing campaigner. Tony Benn will be remembered as a champion of the
:00:22. > :00:26.powerless, as a conviction politician. As someone of deep
:00:27. > :00:30.principle and integrity. I disagreed with most of what he said, but he
:00:31. > :00:34.was always engaging and interesting and you were never bored when
:00:35. > :00:39.reading or listening to him. Also this lunchtime. Crisis talks. The US
:00:40. > :00:43.and Russia meet in London to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Mystery
:00:44. > :00:50.deepens over the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. Was it tracked
:00:51. > :00:53.flying out over the Indian Ocean? An investigation is under way into a
:00:54. > :01:00.helicopter crash in Norfolk in which four people died. And Winter
:01:01. > :01:03.Paralympic history. Jade Etherington and her guide Caroline Powell become
:01:04. > :01:14.the most successful British women ever. Later on BBC London, facing
:01:15. > :01:19.jail, the cyber gang whose sole from British banks and forced from their
:01:20. > :01:37.homes by coal, now residents refused to return.
:01:38. > :01:44.Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News At One. Tony Benn, one of
:01:45. > :01:50.the towering figures on the left of British politics for more than six
:01:51. > :01:53.decades, has died. He was 88. He died peacefully at home this
:01:54. > :01:58.morning, surrounded by his family who said they would remember his
:01:59. > :02:01.long, full and inspiring life. The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, called
:02:02. > :02:04.him an iconic figure of our age, who won the respect of political friend
:02:05. > :02:09.and foe alike, as a speaker, campaigner and political diarist.
:02:10. > :02:17.Our political correspondent, Ben Wright, looks back at his life. We
:02:18. > :02:26.will not accept the cuts that they are trying to make. The voice, the
:02:27. > :02:31.passion, the certainty. Instantly familiar to old and young, Tony Benn
:02:32. > :02:36.were still rousing crowds in his 80s. Frailer, but still fervent
:02:37. > :02:39.beliefs. He once said politics should be about issues than
:02:40. > :02:44.personalities but he was one of its biggest. The thing about Tony Benn
:02:45. > :02:49.commie always knew what he stood for and who he stood up for. I think
:02:50. > :02:52.that's why he was admired right across the political spectrum. There
:02:53. > :02:55.are people who agreed with him and disagreed with him, including in my
:02:56. > :02:58.own party, but I think people admire that sense of conviction and
:02:59. > :03:05.integrity that shone through from Tony Benn. He spent his last years
:03:06. > :03:09.campaigning against war and for socialism, as he had done for
:03:10. > :03:12.decades. Is, rising radicalism won him fans and made him enemies, but
:03:13. > :03:16.today, there was affection and respect. I disagreed with most of
:03:17. > :03:19.what he said, but he was always engaging and interesting and you
:03:20. > :03:24.were never bored when reading or listening to him. And the country
:03:25. > :03:31.has lost a great campaigner, great writer. His first campaign was to
:03:32. > :03:35.keep his seat in the House of Commons, which he entered in 1915.
:03:36. > :03:41.His manner the people image belied privileged background, when his
:03:42. > :03:45.father died in 1960, he inherited the title, which forced him to quit
:03:46. > :03:49.Parliament, a three-year fight in the court led to a change in the
:03:50. > :03:54.law. He then became the first appear to renounce his title and he return
:03:55. > :03:57.to the Commons. We have defeated the House of Lords. We have defeated the
:03:58. > :04:04.courts. You have changed the constitution of this country by your
:04:05. > :04:07.Rome power. He was then known as a Labour moderate, serving in the
:04:08. > :04:11.government of Harold Wilson as Minister for technology, championed
:04:12. > :04:17.the development of Concord. Harold Wilson said he a chore to age and in
:04:18. > :04:23.the 70s, is politics swung to the left. In 1981, he split the party
:04:24. > :04:27.down the middle by challenging Denis Healey for the deputy leadership and
:04:28. > :04:31.was the guiding light of the left, but is influence began to wane
:04:32. > :04:40.through the 80s. He could've been a much influence, but he went for the
:04:41. > :04:44.populist, ultra left, and cut himself off from the mainstream and
:04:45. > :04:47.potential leadership. He remained prominent in Parliament arguing for
:04:48. > :04:54.nationalisation and denouncing the House of Lords and the EU. They have
:04:55. > :04:59.got together and said you can't do that because we have agreed with the
:05:00. > :05:03.Dutch that if they do that, the Belgians won't object to what the
:05:04. > :05:07.Italians are said to them. So the minister has got no power anywhere.
:05:08. > :05:13.And through all those commie kept a daily diary, an eight volume conical
:05:14. > :05:16.post-war British politics. When the final diary was published in
:05:17. > :05:20.October, I asked them how we felt about coming to the end of his life.
:05:21. > :05:26.When you are my age, you do ask yourself, what will it be like when
:05:27. > :05:31.you die? My wife said she thought death was a great adventure. And she
:05:32. > :05:37.was dying of cancer for five years, and her courage, when she knew her
:05:38. > :05:41.time was up was very great, and impressed me very much. And so I
:05:42. > :05:46.learned from her how to die. And I have thought a lot about it. But I'm
:05:47. > :05:52.not afraid of dying at all. And Ben is with me. That was such a rich
:05:53. > :05:55.moving interview that you did with him, not really that many months
:05:56. > :06:00.ago. Hard to believe such a towering figure has gone. He was frail,
:06:01. > :06:05.surrounded by books in the flat he just moved into. Jim McCabe of tea,
:06:06. > :06:11.talking with huge pride about his family, of course, his son is in
:06:12. > :06:16.Parliament now -- drinking a cup of tea. Seeing the Tony Benn who became
:06:17. > :06:21.a hero on Home Counties book circuits in recent years, and a
:06:22. > :06:26.grandfatherly figure in Britain, that he was at a divisive character
:06:27. > :06:30.in his time. He was a huge hero to the left but there are people on the
:06:31. > :06:34.right who thought he was the most dangerous man in Britain. The
:06:35. > :06:38.completely polarised political opinion. I asked him whether he had
:06:39. > :06:42.any doubts about what he stood for all these years and he said in 2007
:06:43. > :06:47.he had a dream where he realised he'd been wrong about everything,
:06:48. > :06:52.but he still hopes in the years to come he will be vindicated, capital
:06:53. > :06:55.of and the socialism will come about. I don't think he changed
:06:56. > :07:00.politics very much full survey certainly, though, was colourful. I
:07:01. > :07:07.think his diaries will be as lasting legacy. Thank you. Now the rest of
:07:08. > :07:10.the day 's news. The diplomatic effort to solve the crisis in
:07:11. > :07:13.Ukraine has moved to London. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and
:07:14. > :07:16.his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, are meeting here for talks,
:07:17. > :07:21.two days before people in Crimea are due to vote on whether to rejoin the
:07:22. > :07:24.Russian Federation. Yesterday, Mr Kerry warned Russia it would face
:07:25. > :07:29.immediate and very serious steps if it annexed Crimea. We'll have the
:07:30. > :07:31.latest on those talks in just a moment. But first here's our world
:07:32. > :07:38.affairs correspondent, Nick Childs, on the morning's developments. Is
:07:39. > :07:42.this the last chance for diplomacy over Ukraine? If so, hopes aren't
:07:43. > :07:47.high. The previous encounters between America's and Russia's top
:07:48. > :07:50.diplomats have got nowhere. The Americans say Russia must do more to
:07:51. > :07:52.defuse this most serious of East-West stand-offs ahead of
:07:53. > :08:00.Sunday's referendum in Crimea which the West says is unconstitutional.
:08:01. > :08:13.Obviously we have a lot to talk about. I look forward to an
:08:14. > :08:16.opportunity to... Dig into the issues and possibilities about how
:08:17. > :08:21.to move forward together, to resolve some of the differences between us.
:08:22. > :08:27.I look forward to a good conversation. According to Mr
:08:28. > :08:35.Lavrov, the situation is difficult and a lot of time has been lost. The
:08:36. > :08:38.serious faces say at all. And this is part of the backdrop to the
:08:39. > :08:41.talks. New Russian military manoeuvres near the border with
:08:42. > :08:45.Ukraine. From Moscow's perspective what happened in Ukraine was a
:08:46. > :08:49.Western inspired coup. And it's just protecting its interests and people.
:08:50. > :08:51.To the West and the new Ukrainian authorities, this is Russian
:08:52. > :08:58.sabre-rattling as it just continues to tighten its grip on Crimea. This
:08:59. > :09:06.is absolutely and entirely unacceptable. In the 21st-century.
:09:07. > :09:07.To resolve any kind of conflict, with tanks, artillery and boots on
:09:08. > :09:15.the ground. And after this renewed overnight
:09:16. > :09:18.violence in eastern Ukraine, between pro-and anti-Russian protesters, a
:09:19. > :09:25.new warning from Moscow that it reserves the right to protect its
:09:26. > :09:32.compatriots in the country. A new reminder that this crisis could
:09:33. > :09:35.escalate further. In a moment we'll be getting the latest on that
:09:36. > :09:42.referendum from Ben Brown who's in Crimea. But first Paul Adams who's
:09:43. > :09:48.at the talks in central London. Really, what prospect of any
:09:49. > :09:54.movement there? William Hague said this morning that it is they've
:09:55. > :09:58.formidably difficult job. He said about that referendum but it's
:09:59. > :10:00.taking place without a campaign, without an electoral roll, without
:10:01. > :10:04.political leaders of the country being allowed to visit, and in the
:10:05. > :10:09.presence of thousands of troops from another country. As far as he and
:10:10. > :10:12.John Kerry are concerned, that referendum is illegitimate. But they
:10:13. > :10:15.recognise that it is going to go ahead. There's nothing they can do
:10:16. > :10:19.to stop it but what they're trying to do was to make sure the situation
:10:20. > :10:24.after Sunday doesn't deteriorate further full suite just heard in
:10:25. > :10:28.that report, those disturbing scenes from other cities in eastern
:10:29. > :10:32.Ukraine, concerns about what Russian troop manoeuvres along Ukraine's
:10:33. > :10:36.eastern border might mean, and that alarming language from the Russian
:10:37. > :10:39.Foreign Minister saying it reserves the right to look after the
:10:40. > :10:43.interests of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. What John Kerry
:10:44. > :10:47.wants to do was to make sure that the situation doesn't deteriorate
:10:48. > :10:52.after that referendum, even sanctions go into place as as
:10:53. > :10:57.Monday. Let's go to Crimea. What sense are you getting of what people
:10:58. > :11:03.are saying? It's meant to be the day after tomorrow. Yes, Jane, dude
:11:04. > :11:11.excitement among the Russians here in Crimea. -- huge excitement. The
:11:12. > :11:13.Russian flag is already flying here at the Crimean parliament, which is
:11:14. > :11:17.where they took the decision last month to help this referendum. You
:11:18. > :11:20.have some Russian self defence volunteers guarding the building as
:11:21. > :11:25.well. I don't think the Russians here are in any doubt they will win
:11:26. > :11:28.this referendum pretty easily. The minority Ukrainian and tartar
:11:29. > :11:32.populations in Crimea, many of them are going to boycott the vote and
:11:33. > :11:35.say they won't even vote at all and already, some of the Russians are
:11:36. > :11:39.taking steps to make this more Russian. Street names today are
:11:40. > :11:44.being changed from Ukrainian language to the Russian already, so
:11:45. > :11:49.we will get results within three hours of the polls closing and I
:11:50. > :11:53.think, by Sunday night, it's pretty clear that Crimea, this place will
:11:54. > :11:58.be part of Russia, whether the rest of the world likes it or not. Thank
:11:59. > :12:00.you. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Malaysia
:12:01. > :12:05.Airlines plane deepened this morning. Radar and satellite data
:12:06. > :12:08.suggests that a plane, possibly Flight 370, deliberately veered off
:12:09. > :12:11.course away from its intended route to Beijing and instead flew west
:12:12. > :12:27.over the Indian Ocean, towards the Andaman Islands. This report
:12:28. > :12:30.contains flash photography. This is a Malaysia airlines staff member
:12:31. > :12:35.trying to explain to Chinese relatives of those on board Flight
:12:36. > :12:41.370 why they still know so little about the plane's fate. He gets a
:12:42. > :12:44.pretty hostile reception. But then imagine what it must be like for
:12:45. > :12:50.these people. Not knowing whether family members are alive or dead or
:12:51. > :12:55.where they are. Planes from 13 countries are still looking
:12:56. > :13:02.everyday. But the complete absence of any wreckage is forcing them to
:13:03. > :13:08.look in new areas. 57 ships and 48 aircraft are already surging zones
:13:09. > :13:12.in the South China Seas. Now it's been suggested the plane may have
:13:13. > :13:17.been flown towards the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. Unnamed
:13:18. > :13:23.US sources say radar and satellite evidence points to an aircraft
:13:24. > :13:28.thought to be Flight 370 being flown off course and a planned direction.
:13:29. > :13:33.But, at the daily press briefing, officials refused to be drawn. They
:13:34. > :13:39.won't confirm or deny any line of enquiry. Two days ago, the search
:13:40. > :13:45.areas widened to include Andaman Islands. Together we are now pushing
:13:46. > :13:49.further east into the South China Sea and further into the Indian
:13:50. > :13:53.Ocean. We want nothing more than to find the plane as quickly as
:13:54. > :13:58.possible, but the circumstances forced us to widen our search. As
:13:59. > :14:02.each date ticks by with no news, the fear is that what happened to Flight
:14:03. > :14:10.370 are becoming more and more outlandish. This situation of the
:14:11. > :14:13.giant airliner vanishing without a trace is so unprecedented, that the
:14:14. > :14:19.authorities have to consider them all. However unlikely. The
:14:20. > :14:23.government of the Prime Minister has taken some flak for its reticence
:14:24. > :14:27.but they've never dealt with this kind of attention before. Like
:14:28. > :14:33.everyone else, they are struggling to make sense of this mystery.
:14:34. > :14:38.Investigations are continuing into a helicopter crash in Norfolk, in
:14:39. > :14:41.which four people died. It's been confirmed that one of those was the
:14:42. > :14:45.Northern Ireland Conservative peer and industrialist, Lord Ballyedmond.
:14:46. > :14:48.His stately home is close to the crash site near Gillingham from
:14:49. > :14:58.where our correspondent, Ben Ando, sent this report. In Norfolk field,
:14:59. > :15:03.all that remains of a helicopter that crashed last in thick fog with
:15:04. > :15:06.the deaths of four people on board, among them Lord Ballyedmond,
:15:07. > :15:08.described as Northern Ireland's wealthiest man. A helicopter came
:15:09. > :15:15.down shortly after taking off from the stately home in South Norfolk.
:15:16. > :15:18.Close to the border with Suffolk. Police say the debris strewn over
:15:19. > :15:22.fields and rents and they have cordoned off the area. During the
:15:23. > :15:26.morning, as the fog lifted, painstaking work at the scene
:15:27. > :15:30.continued. For now, the wreckage remains in situ as a crash
:15:31. > :15:34.investigators inspected. Initial questions as to the cause of the
:15:35. > :15:38.crash are likely to focus on the condition of the aircraft and on
:15:39. > :15:41.weather conditions at the time of the accident. The aircraft that
:15:42. > :15:47.crashed as understood by the BBC to be this one, and Augustin 139, often
:15:48. > :15:51.used for the IP or corporate flights. The company says it will
:15:52. > :15:54.support the investigation but would not comment on reports that Lord
:15:55. > :15:57.Ballyedmond had raised safety concerns. A former pilot who lives
:15:58. > :16:05.near the crash scene said he was surprised the pilots took off in
:16:06. > :16:09.such heavy fog. There are visibility criteria when taking off and
:16:10. > :16:13.landing, so if the fog was as bad as it was in Beccles at the time, I am
:16:14. > :16:18.surprised he would take off in something like that. Lord
:16:19. > :16:20.Ballyedmond was a successful businessman and chairman of nor
:16:21. > :16:27.Brooke and a major employer in Newry, County Down. He served in the
:16:28. > :16:30.upper houses of both the British and Irish parliaments. Politicians of
:16:31. > :16:34.all sides have paid tribute to him. Now, work goes on to establish the
:16:35. > :16:41.cause of the crash that led to his death and the deaths of three
:16:42. > :16:46.others. Our top story this lunchtime. The
:16:47. > :16:50.political world has been paying tribute to veteran labour politician
:16:51. > :16:58.Tony Benn, who has died at the age of 88. Coming up, Gold Cup Day here
:16:59. > :17:05.at Cheltenham, where jump racing fix the sunlight and Bobs Worth tries to
:17:06. > :17:09.become one of the greats. Later on BBC London, Boris Johnson's Father
:17:10. > :17:14.appeals to his son to support his Camden campaign against HS2. And the
:17:15. > :17:16.chance to get up close to the World Cup Trophy, thousands join the queue
:17:17. > :17:29.as it visits the capital. In March 2011, a demonstration began
:17:30. > :17:34.in the southern Syrian town of Deraa against the government of President
:17:35. > :17:38.Assad. Three years on the country is mired in a bloody civil war that has
:17:39. > :17:43.killed tens of thousands. Since the conflict began, an estimated 140,000
:17:44. > :17:48.people have died. 6.5 million people have been displaced from their homes
:17:49. > :17:53.within Syria and the number of people who have fled to neighbouring
:17:54. > :17:58.countries is estimated at 2.5 million. One of the biggest refugee
:17:59. > :18:02.camps is in Zaatari. It is so big it is actually the fourth biggest city
:18:03. > :18:07.by population in Jordan. What was once a temporary home for thousands
:18:08. > :18:11.is now fully established, with its own power supply, schools and shops.
:18:12. > :18:19.Our correspondent Yolande Knell now reports from there.
:18:20. > :18:25.Buying groceries at the supermarket gives a taste of normal life. This
:18:26. > :18:30.new Safeway store is full Syrian refugees. It has just opened at the
:18:31. > :18:34.vast Zaatari camp in northern Jordan. And there is no need for
:18:35. > :18:41.cashier. The shop accepts United Nations food vouchers. As I walk
:18:42. > :18:46.home with this man and his son, he points out other improvements in the
:18:47. > :18:52.camp. It bustles with activity, but he says that life here remains
:18:53. > :18:58.tough. He and his neighbours all come from Deraa, in southern Syria.
:18:59. > :19:00.It is where the revolution started, with anti-government protests
:19:01. > :19:04.exactly three years ago. They did not expect it to turn out like this.
:19:05. > :19:09.TRANSLATION: We thought it would last for a month
:19:10. > :19:15.or two, at the maximum a year, but it continues until now. We went to
:19:16. > :19:22.the streets calling for freedom, but the Syrian government responded with
:19:23. > :19:27.bullets. After the conflict in Syria escalated into a full-scale civil
:19:28. > :19:32.war, refugees began flooding out of the country. There are now about
:19:33. > :19:36.100,000 Syrians living here, and Zaatari camp. Very quickly it has
:19:37. > :19:44.grown to the size of the fourth biggest city in Jordan. And these
:19:45. > :19:48.makeshift homes are being constantly upgraded. Many refugees have rigged
:19:49. > :19:56.up their own electricity. Some have running water and toilets. But for a
:19:57. > :20:00.few refugees, enough is enough. Everyday buses from Zaatari camp
:20:01. > :20:04.take dozens of people to the border am so they can cross back into
:20:05. > :20:09.Syria. Most here long to make the same journey, but it is so fraught
:20:10. > :20:18.with danger that for now they dare not.
:20:19. > :20:22.You can see more special coverage of Syria, three years on, all day on
:20:23. > :20:24.the BBC News Channel and also lots of information on the special
:20:25. > :20:31.section of the BBC website, bbc.co.uk/syria.
:20:32. > :20:35.It is the 10th day of the trial of Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of
:20:36. > :20:39.murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Today, the court has been
:20:40. > :20:44.hearing from the head of police, who took charge of the crime scene.
:20:45. > :20:54.Andrew Harding is at the court in Pretoria. What has the court been
:20:55. > :20:58.hearing today Jamaat. They have been seeing graphic images, photos taken
:20:59. > :21:01.at the crime scene after Reeva Steenkamp was killed, including one
:21:02. > :21:06.of the athlete himself and I should warn you that it is quite disturbing
:21:07. > :21:11.photo. It shows Mr Pistorius in the garage of his house, an hour or so
:21:12. > :21:15.we understand after he had shot Reeva Steenkamp. He is not wearing a
:21:16. > :21:20.shirt, as you can see, and he has got blood on his arms. He is staring
:21:21. > :21:26.at the camera looking dazed and exhausted. We also heard more
:21:27. > :21:29.evidence from the defence lawyers, who have been fiercely
:21:30. > :21:34.cross-examining the first and most senior policeman on the scene about
:21:35. > :21:37.the sequence of events that night, what Oscar Pistorius's team are
:21:38. > :21:41.trying to show is that the police may have either moved evidence,
:21:42. > :21:47.tampered with evidence or fabricated their testimonies of who arrived
:21:48. > :21:52.when, on the scene. The defence is looking for room to show that the
:21:53. > :21:58.prosecution has not proved its case about Oscar Pistorius deliberately
:21:59. > :22:03.killing his girlfriend. Andrew Harding at the court in
:22:04. > :22:07.Pretoria. New pricing rules which are supposed to make it easier to
:22:08. > :22:11.find a cheaper energy supplier are still confusing, according to the
:22:12. > :22:15.consumer group Which?. It has carried out a survey which showed
:22:16. > :22:18.that most people who were shown the new tariffs still chose the wrong
:22:19. > :22:23.deal. Our business correspondent John Moylan has more details.
:22:24. > :22:27.Like many people Patrick Newman struggles to find the best energy
:22:28. > :22:33.deal. And that really matters because his annual energy bill for
:22:34. > :22:38.his four-bedroom houses around ?2000 a year. You have got the standing
:22:39. > :22:43.charge and the tariff rate, which vary from supplier to supplier and
:22:44. > :22:47.it is extremely difficult as it were to get a kind of level playing
:22:48. > :22:51.field. The industry regulator introduced what are called simpler,
:22:52. > :22:55.clearer tariffs in January. They require all energy deals to be
:22:56. > :22:59.presented as a standing charge with a single unit rate for gas or
:23:00. > :23:04.electricity. But when the consumer group Which? Put these new tariffs
:23:05. > :23:08.to the test it found only 35% of people spotted the cheapest deal,
:23:09. > :23:11.the rest either chose the wrong tariff or could not calculate the
:23:12. > :23:16.best one. You are bobbing consumers are finding tariffs too complicated.
:23:17. > :23:19.That is bad news for consumers who need to find the best deal in the
:23:20. > :23:23.market. It stops people switching around and we have a less
:23:24. > :23:29.competitive energy market as a result. Bath-time Which? Tested
:23:30. > :23:36.tariffs only 8% of people found the cheapest one so the changes may have
:23:37. > :23:39.helped but for many it is still a challenge. I looked to change in
:23:40. > :23:43.January and it is such a minefield I can't say it has changed. I thought
:23:44. > :23:48.it was complicated and difficult and I didn't bother. They have made it
:23:49. > :23:52.appear to look easier but it is still hidden. It is confusing. You
:23:53. > :23:57.need a degree in maths to work it out. I haven't got a degree. We have
:23:58. > :24:02.put through reforms to make the market simpler already. At the end
:24:03. > :24:05.of March there is new information reforms that will mean that
:24:06. > :24:09.consumers can get personalised information that will allow them to
:24:10. > :24:14.compare tariffs, like-for-like, meaning they will find the best deal
:24:15. > :24:18.for them much more easily. Ofgem insists its reforms will work and
:24:19. > :24:20.that the recent rise in switching rates suggests more people are
:24:21. > :24:26.taking a closer look at their energy bills.
:24:27. > :24:29.The partially sighted British skier Jade Etherington and her guide
:24:30. > :24:35.Caroline Powell have become the most successful British women in Winter
:24:36. > :24:38.Paralympic history. They won silver in the visually impaired super
:24:39. > :24:45.combines at the Paralympics in Sochi. The wind brings their medal
:24:46. > :24:49.tally to four so far. Here is our sports correspondent, Andy Swiss.
:24:50. > :24:54.They had already won a bronze on two silver is so this time, could it be
:24:55. > :24:57.gold? They would need the race of their lives. Jade Etherington and
:24:58. > :25:01.her guide Caroline Powell were three seconds behind the leaders after the
:25:02. > :25:06.first run will stop for their second they had to go for broke and they
:25:07. > :25:11.did. Etherington, who has only 5% vision, hitting speeds of 60 miles
:25:12. > :25:17.an hour, with a dazzling display of Porth -- poise and pace. That put
:25:18. > :25:21.them in gold medal position. Now it was all down to the leader,
:25:22. > :25:25.Russia's Aleksandra Frantceva. Unable to match Etherington's speed
:25:26. > :25:29.heard three second caution was melting away, but would it not
:25:30. > :25:34.quickly enough? COMMENTATOR:
:25:35. > :25:37.It is very close... By barely half a second, Etherington and Powell had
:25:38. > :25:43.been pipped once again, but the pair who only met last year are now the
:25:44. > :25:47.most successful British women in Winter Paralympic history. Not about
:25:48. > :25:51.silver lining. It was the fastest and best raced we have done together
:25:52. > :25:55.so we are very happy. It is a shame it was so close to the gold again,
:25:56. > :25:58.but we tried hard and we said we did not want to come down and finish and
:25:59. > :26:05.get the silver, we really fought for it. Britain had other hopes on the
:26:06. > :26:09.slopes with an attorney, the same blistering speed, the same or
:26:10. > :26:10.nothing approach, but not the same result.
:26:11. > :26:16.COMMENTATOR: And she has taken a high-speed fall.
:26:17. > :26:23.Fortunately she was fine, but proof once again that success in snow
:26:24. > :26:28.sport can be a precarious business. It is Gold Cup Day at Cheltenham and
:26:29. > :26:32.can the favourite, Bobs Worth, make it two wins in a row? That seems to
:26:33. > :26:35.be where the money is going, possibly with good reason. The Nicky
:26:36. > :26:41.Henderson trained steeplechaser has won every time he has run at the
:26:42. > :26:46.track. Let's go to our sports correspondent, Joe Wilson. Are you
:26:47. > :26:50.allowed a flutter? I can tell you the fog has cleared here and the
:26:51. > :26:54.gold cup is normally easier to predict than the Grand National, for
:26:55. > :26:58.example. It is maybe foolish to concentrate on two horses but the
:26:59. > :27:02.Gold Cup seems to be between one horse which fell when going well
:27:03. > :27:08.last year and the 2013 champion, Bobs Worth. The horse I went to
:27:09. > :27:12.meet. In the blue corner the defending champ, Bobs Worth, a horse
:27:13. > :27:16.which thrives where others simply strive. Over the years at Cheltenham
:27:17. > :27:20.in various races he has always finished first and last year he won
:27:21. > :27:25.the big one, the Gold Cup. Today, he is back to try to do it again. He is
:27:26. > :27:29.very, very tough and when he gets into that battle coming up that hill
:27:30. > :27:36.he puts his head down and it will take a hard-won to get past him, if
:27:37. > :27:41.he gets past him, nobody will get past him. History tell use --
:27:42. > :27:47.history tells you that retaining the Cheltenham Gold cup is difficult,
:27:48. > :27:51.even for a Cheltenham expert. Only six horses I've ever won the Gold
:27:52. > :27:59.cup in consecutive years. 50 years ago, Arkle won the first of his
:28:00. > :28:02.hat-trick of Gold Cups. Great feats make a reputation and remembered
:28:03. > :28:06.here but protecting racing's integrity is an ongoing issue.
:28:07. > :28:11.Today, last instalment will be led into the Gold Cup by a trainer. The
:28:12. > :28:20.horse tested negative for drugs this month but his trainer faces charges
:28:21. > :28:24.of possessing banned substances. This is a horse owned by four
:28:25. > :28:29.families, representing the more ordinary. He is in there to give it
:28:30. > :28:34.a go. He is a fantastic jumper and might unsettle warm two of them.
:28:35. > :28:39.This ground will be great for him, he has won here before. He will
:28:40. > :28:45.enjoy himself. He is an underdog. T43 may scrape third, Bobs Worth
:28:46. > :28:50.will not accept being beaten. Not as small as he looks. For many, he just
:28:51. > :28:57.resembles a champion. Of course, that may soon change. We should
:28:58. > :29:01.remember that when the horses are travelling at over 30 miles an hour,
:29:02. > :29:05.jumping the big fences, anything can happen donned often does. There is
:29:06. > :29:08.an element of uncertainty in the Cheltenham Gold cup. Everyone hopes
:29:09. > :29:13.for an exciting race but also a safe one.
:29:14. > :29:20.Joe Wilson at Cheltenham, looking lovely sunny there. How is it
:29:21. > :29:23.looking all over the country? It is dry down south but it is not
:29:24. > :29:27.the story everywhere. If you take a look at the north of the UK, we have
:29:28. > :29:31.had plenty of rain across the North and the West of Scotland. That has
:29:32. > :29:35.been quite a feature through the last few hours. Much drier further
:29:36. > :29:39.south. The story here was of the fog, which has gradually been
:29:40. > :29:43.clearing away. You can see how it has broken up, particularly on land.
:29:44. > :29:49.Vesicular lily Irish Sea Coast remaining Foster -- foggy and grey
:29:50. > :29:53.in the afternoon. The wind is strong across the northern heart for the
:29:54. > :29:56.country, particularly Scotland, where we are seeing severe gales
:29:57. > :30:00.affecting the Northern Isles this afternoon. A windy day across
:30:01. > :30:04.Scotland with outbreaks of rain continuing across the north and
:30:05. > :30:07.west, particularly for Argyll and the Highlands. Drier further east.
:30:08. > :30:13.Breezy and dry for Northern Ireland and the far north of England. As we
:30:14. > :30:19.head further south, Central and eastern areas doing the best with
:30:20. > :30:23.the sunshine. Grey and misty with some sea fog affecting north-west
:30:24. > :30:26.England, West and Wales and also the south-west of England. It is looking
:30:27. > :30:30.great for the Gold cup at Cheltenham and we have been watching the mist
:30:31. > :30:33.and fog breakaway over the last few hours. There will be plenty of
:30:34. > :30:36.sunshine in the afternoon, temperatures may be higher than this
:30:37. > :30:40.and wins are light. This evening and overnight we have a breeze across
:30:41. > :30:45.the whole country. Very strong across the north of the UK, full
:30:46. > :30:48.Scotland windy and wet, but with variable amounts of cloud and the
:30:49. > :30:55.breeze tonight will not be as cold as the last few nights. 5-8dC across
:30:56. > :30:59.the board. The pressure chart for the weekend shows a large area of
:31:00. > :31:03.high pressure taking control. Some weather fronts skirting the north of
:31:04. > :31:07.the UK will bring more in the way of cloud, maybe outbreaks of rain
:31:08. > :31:11.further south it is looking fine. In a nutshell, the weekend is looking
:31:12. > :31:16.dry for most of the UK. Some warm, springlike sunshine to be had in
:31:17. > :31:19.places and it will remain relatively breezy. Saturday starts on a
:31:20. > :31:24.generally cloudy, breezy note. The cloud breaks up quickly and we
:31:25. > :31:27.should see sunny spells. Windier and wetter across the far north,
:31:28. > :31:32.particularly the north and west of Scotland, but that is about it.
:31:33. > :31:35.Elsewhere, dry and somewhere could see 20 Celsius on Saturday
:31:36. > :31:40.afternoon. The mid teens for most places. On Sunday, cloudy across
:31:41. > :31:44.western areas, outbreaks of rain across the West of Scotland but
:31:45. > :31:49.lovely spells of sunshine and we could even dust stuff our
:31:50. > :31:54.barbecues! That is tempting fate. Thank you.
:31:55. > :32:00.The top story this lunchtime, one of the towering figures of British
:32:01. > :32:01.politics, Tony Benn, has died. That is