27/03/2014

:00:08. > :00:10.official investigation into claims that millions of consumers have paid

:00:11. > :00:18.too much for their gas and electricity. New evidence that

:00:19. > :00:26.profits and prices have risen, and competition has not worked as well

:00:27. > :00:30.for consumers. Energy bosses warn of delays to investment - and the

:00:31. > :00:34.possibility of blackouts. With new power stations, there is the risk

:00:35. > :00:40.that at certain times of the year we will have to do have some sort of

:00:41. > :00:43.demand constraint. We'll be looking at the implications for the industry

:00:44. > :00:51.- and for the consumer. Also this lunchtime. What is going on there?

:00:52. > :00:53.How many children have you got? Failed by police - the Home

:00:54. > :01:00.Secreatry demands urgent changes for victims of domestic violence. Being

:01:01. > :01:03.overweight has become the new normal and England's Chief Medical Officer

:01:04. > :01:06.warns that most parents are unable to recognise if their child has a

:01:07. > :01:09.weight problem. The dramatic moment a helicopter rescues a 4-year-old

:01:10. > :01:16.boy from the roof of his home destroyed in a mudslide in the

:01:17. > :01:24.United States. I am in Papua New Guinea to find out which creatures

:01:25. > :01:31.will survive as emissions of CO2 make the seas more acidic. On BBC

:01:32. > :01:34.London... A commitment to transform the Met in five years - Commissioner

:01:35. > :01:37.Hogan Howe pledges to increase police diversity to match the

:01:38. > :01:40.capital's ethnic mix. And new targets to improve out of hours

:01:41. > :01:55.emergency and maternity care in the capital ARE raising standards.

:01:56. > :01:59.Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. The energy market

:02:00. > :02:09.is to face a full-scale investigation into whether consumers

:02:10. > :02:11.are getting a fair deal. The big six energy firms which control around

:02:12. > :02:14.95% of Britain's energy supply market have been referred to the

:02:15. > :02:17.Competition and Markets Authority by the energy watchdog, OFGEM. The

:02:18. > :02:20.inquiry could last up to two years and could lead to companies being

:02:21. > :02:22.broken up. The companies argue that a lengthy inquiry will delay

:02:23. > :02:28.investment and could lead to blackouts. Our industry

:02:29. > :02:32.correspondent John Moylan reports. It is an industry that touches

:02:33. > :02:38.everyone of us but in recent years, consumers have seen tariffs rise and

:02:39. > :02:44.profits at the suppliers grow. Now, admit growing mistrust, the energy

:02:45. > :02:49.market is to face a competition investigation. There is evidence

:02:50. > :02:53.that profits have risen, prices have risen, and competition has not

:02:54. > :02:58.worked as well for consumers. On that basis, it is vital to rebuild

:02:59. > :03:02.trust in consumers, and to persuade consumers that the price they pay

:03:03. > :03:07.for energy is fair. A full investigation that clears the air,

:03:08. > :03:12.that looks as all areas, is the best way to restore consumer trust. The

:03:13. > :03:19.move follows a review of the market that found low levels of switching,

:03:20. > :03:24.not enough people shop around. It highlighted the dominance of the big

:03:25. > :03:32.six suppliers. There was evidence to of tacit Corporation. Dash-macro

:03:33. > :03:37.coordination. It has derailed, look. Richard Jackson believes it is

:03:38. > :03:41.time the industry got back on track. He switched energy supplies several

:03:42. > :03:46.times that is not convinced he is getting the best deal for his

:03:47. > :03:49.family. I personally feel very annoyed and confused when I look at

:03:50. > :03:56.the tariffs, and I do not feel I should have to switch every six

:03:57. > :04:01.months. I do not want to make sure I am on a decent deal. The big six

:04:02. > :04:06.firms broadly welcome this new probe but feel it could lead to companies

:04:07. > :04:11.being broken up. The boss of the UK's the guest supplier told me that

:04:12. > :04:17.he believes investment could be put on hold. If we do not get new power

:04:18. > :04:21.stations built, there is the risk that at certain times of the year we

:04:22. > :04:26.will have to have some sort of demand constraint and that is bad

:04:27. > :04:31.news for customers. The energy market has become a political

:04:32. > :04:36.battlefield. Labour wants to freeze prices and reset the market. The

:04:37. > :04:40.energy secretary insisted that a full investigation was the right

:04:41. > :04:45.option. This is not a quick fix but it is the right way to restore

:04:46. > :04:51.people's trust that the energy markets are working for their

:04:52. > :04:55.benefit. It is the right way to create long-term certainty for

:04:56. > :05:00.investment. Instead of defending the big six and asking for their

:05:01. > :05:05.cooperation, why does he not enforce a price freeze right now? This

:05:06. > :05:10.investigation will take the politics out of the energy row, and seek to

:05:11. > :05:14.clear the air once and for all. It is a landmark moment that food

:05:15. > :05:19.change the energy landscape. Well, John's here now. Some people have

:05:20. > :05:24.been calling for this for years. Yes, they have. We had a review

:05:25. > :05:29.which gave us the reasons why they are going ahead with it. There are

:05:30. > :05:35.startling fact. We tell profits, it has gone up from 233 million to 1.1

:05:36. > :05:43.billion in just over four years. 34% of consumers distrust the energy

:05:44. > :05:46.firms. We heard this line about tacit coordination, the energy firms

:05:47. > :05:51.raising their prices at the same time. We have heard these arguments

:05:52. > :05:56.before. If you look back to the autumn, the whole row over energy

:05:57. > :06:01.prices, it reached extraordinary levels, and I think most people

:06:02. > :06:07.think that billions have been wiped off the energy companies, and people

:06:08. > :06:11.have decided that the only way to go forward is to reset the market and

:06:12. > :06:14.have a full probe of the industry. There are risks in all of this will

:06:15. > :06:19.stop the government insists there are reforms in place to allow

:06:20. > :06:24.investors to come in and build power plants, but we heard the boss of

:06:25. > :06:27.British Gas telling us that investment has been on hold for some

:06:28. > :06:30.time and it could be on hold for another two years. Our chief

:06:31. > :06:36.political correspondent Norman Smith is in Westminster. Will this take

:06:37. > :06:41.the political heat out of the argument? My sense is that it may

:06:42. > :06:47.have the opposite effect. Why? Because of the politics. The whole

:06:48. > :06:52.issue is being long grassed because this enquiry will not report until

:06:53. > :06:55.2016, and then they have to use government legislation which could

:06:56. > :06:59.take two years. Fundamental reform of the energy market could be years

:07:00. > :07:05.off. The energy industry itself is up in arms because they say that

:07:06. > :07:10.creates uncertainty, deters investment and damages security.

:07:11. > :07:14.This lunchtime, the Conservative chairman of the energy select

:07:15. > :07:21.committee said such uncertainty could even lead to the lights going

:07:22. > :07:25.out. Thank you, Norman. And you can find out more about the competition

:07:26. > :07:28.inquiry on the BBC website. Victims of domestic violence are routinely

:07:29. > :07:35.being failed by police forces across England and Wales. A report by HM

:07:36. > :07:38.Inspectorate of Constabulary criticised poor evidence gathering

:07:39. > :07:41.and said there was an "alarming" and ineffective response to victims'

:07:42. > :07:44.complaints. The Home Secretary, Theresa May has called for urgent

:07:45. > :07:52.changes and has said she will personally oversee improvements.

:07:53. > :08:00.June Kelly reports. A film which is part of one police force's Internet

:08:01. > :08:06.campaign against domestic violence. They are actors but the 999 call is

:08:07. > :08:12.real. What is going on there? How many children have you got? We spoke

:08:13. > :08:16.to a mother of two whose husband tried to strangle her. She was ready

:08:17. > :08:22.to testify against him in court but she was let down by the police.

:08:23. > :08:28.Having made that decision, and having mentally prepared myself for

:08:29. > :08:35.it, I got a phone call to say that the police had not put my case

:08:36. > :08:41.together, and the CPS would not take it forward to prosecution. That was

:08:42. > :08:43.devastating. Every fortnight in England and Wales, three women are

:08:44. > :08:48.killed by their current or ex-partner. Men are also victims of

:08:49. > :08:54.domestic violence. The report says that in most forces it is a priority

:08:55. > :08:59.on paper but not in practice. That is what the leading domestic

:09:00. > :09:04.violence charity, Refuge, has been saying for years. We need a huge

:09:05. > :09:09.cultural change around domestic violence. It needs to be seen as

:09:10. > :09:13.real crime. It is just as serious as any other violent crime, if not more

:09:14. > :09:18.serious because the attacker has a key to the front door. Among the

:09:19. > :09:24.issues highlighted are a lack of leadership by senior officers, what

:09:25. > :09:32.are described as alarming weaknesses when it comes to collecting

:09:33. > :09:36.evidence, and some victims who feel they are not believed. This is

:09:37. > :09:41.appalling, we need urgent action, and I hope you lead that action.

:09:42. > :09:46.Police targeted football fans with their campaigns. There is often an

:09:47. > :09:51.increase in attacks after matches. This is a poster used by the Greater

:09:52. > :09:55.Manchester force. We think we need to be more ambitious and a different

:09:56. > :10:00.system of protection through the courts which will get us in front of

:10:01. > :10:04.the magistrates much quicker, without requiring a victim to make a

:10:05. > :10:09.complaint. This will allow a range of different professionals to give

:10:10. > :10:13.evidence. Like other police leaders, he says the focus has to be

:10:14. > :10:21.on all parts of the criminal justice system, not just the police.

:10:22. > :10:24.A Thai satellite has spotted about 2-300 objects floating in the

:10:25. > :10:27.Southern Indian Ocean - close to the area being searched in the hunt for

:10:28. > :10:31.the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. The objects vary in size, but some

:10:32. > :10:34.were thought to be up to 16 metres long. They were seen in a region 200

:10:35. > :10:36.kilometres from where a French satellite spotted 122 objects last

:10:37. > :10:39.weekend. The search itself is partially suspended again today

:10:40. > :10:44.because of bad weather with planes grounded but ships continuing their

:10:45. > :10:47.efforts. The IT firm, ATOS, which has been assessing whether benefits

:10:48. > :10:49.claimants are fit to work, is quitting its contract. Its

:10:50. > :10:55.replacement will be appointed early next year. Disability campaigners

:10:56. > :11:04.have criticised ATOS' tests for being "ridiculously harsh." ATOS

:11:05. > :11:07.said last month it no longer wanted to undertake fitness to work tests.

:11:08. > :11:11.It was reported its staff were receiving death threats. Being

:11:12. > :11:14.overweight has become the new normal in England - that's according to the

:11:15. > :11:17.Chief Medical Officer. In her annual report on the state of the nation's

:11:18. > :11:20.health, Dame Sally Davies says the majority of adults are now

:11:21. > :11:23.overweight or obese. The report also says that most parents of overweight

:11:24. > :11:25.children are unable to recognise that their child has a weight

:11:26. > :11:29.problem. Our health correspondent Dominic Hughes reports. Burning of

:11:30. > :11:32.some excess energy at a sports centre near Wigan. Many of these

:11:33. > :11:37.children have been identified as being overweight. This is a chance

:11:38. > :11:42.for them to get some exercise in a friendly, relaxed environment. It is

:11:43. > :11:52.nice, and fun. It is nice to hit balls. Exercise, losing weight, it

:11:53. > :11:57.really helps. It is fun. 20 or 30 years ago, and exercise class like

:11:58. > :12:03.this one would have been unheard of. Now it is much more common. Part of

:12:04. > :12:06.the problem is that parents have problems identifying when their own

:12:07. > :12:10.children are at risk of becoming overweight. The report highlights

:12:11. > :12:15.the rapid growth in the number of overweight and obese people in the

:12:16. > :12:19.last 30 years. In England, two thirds of adults are classified as

:12:20. > :12:22.being overweight or obese. A third of children are heavier than they

:12:23. > :12:27.should be. Three quarters of parents of overweight children failed to

:12:28. > :12:37.identify when their truth and have put on weight. The average weight is

:12:38. > :12:42.overweight. We need to protect people from being unhealthy will

:12:43. > :12:46.stop we need them to understand that being overweight is unhealthy, and

:12:47. > :12:52.we need to help them understand what they can do about it. Weight if they

:12:53. > :12:59.sensitive issue for children who risk being bullied. If you get a

:13:00. > :13:02.letter saying your child is overweight, the first thing you feel

:13:03. > :13:08.is that they are trying to say you are bad parents, and that is not the

:13:09. > :13:15.case. They can have a healthy diet but if they are not active, they put

:13:16. > :13:19.on weight. Being overweight increases the risk of diabetes,

:13:20. > :13:22.strokes and cancer. If people do not recognise that their weight is a

:13:23. > :13:27.problem, they can do nothing about it and I can have serious

:13:28. > :13:33.consequences for the health of the nation in years to come. The first

:13:34. > :13:35.stage of the overhaul in the pensions industry, announced in the

:13:36. > :13:38.Budget, has come into force. It means some people will be given

:13:39. > :13:41.greater access to their pension pots. Our personal finance

:13:42. > :13:51.correspondent Simon Gompertz reports. The government says 400,000

:13:52. > :13:55.workers in the process of retiring will be able to take advantage of

:13:56. > :13:57.the relaxation of tax rules starting today. 60-year-old Paul Lester says

:13:58. > :14:00.it will polish up his finances nicely. He does not need the

:14:01. > :14:12.Lamborghini one minister said people would be able to spend the money on.

:14:13. > :14:15.He will spend more time on his Yamaha, bought by cashing in his

:14:16. > :14:21.?3,500 pot of pension money, most of which would have gone in tax before.

:14:22. > :14:25.It's going to make a huge difference to me because I can now invest it,

:14:26. > :14:29.spend it, do what I want to do with it, which is the whole point of

:14:30. > :14:33.saving it to start with. If what you want is a regular income, you can

:14:34. > :14:37.now take out more than before per year, and thus avoid having to buy

:14:38. > :14:41.an annuity. If you want to cash it all in and have less than ?30,000

:14:42. > :14:52.saved in different pension pots, you can take it all out at once subject

:14:53. > :14:59.to normal income tax. You can cash in pots with less than ?10,000,

:15:00. > :15:02.however much you have put by. All this is designed for those like

:15:03. > :15:05.Paul, setting out with those pensions, who have saved something

:15:06. > :15:12.in an investment fund, not in the salary linked pensions that nurses,

:15:13. > :15:15.teachers and some others get. So pensioner households will be revved

:15:16. > :15:19.up by these new freedoms to the tune of what could be billions of pounds

:15:20. > :15:22.a year. That brings with it the danger that they could make the

:15:23. > :15:26.wrong investment choices, they could even be ripped off. People are going

:15:27. > :15:29.to need a lot of help and support to really think through some of the

:15:30. > :15:32.implications about whether they should take the money as a lump sum,

:15:33. > :15:36.whether they might end up paying more tax that way if they took it as

:15:37. > :15:38.a lump sum rather than an annuity. The government has promised

:15:39. > :15:42.face-to-face guidance once the full reforms kicks in next year. From the

:15:43. > :15:44.age of 55, there will be no upper limit on how much you can take out

:15:45. > :15:51.your pots of pension money. Local councils in England have been

:15:52. > :15:54.told by the government to look again into allegations that Jimmy Savile

:15:55. > :16:01.carried out sexual abuse in 21 schools and children's homes. Tom

:16:02. > :16:05.Symonds has this report. The ripples from his life of abuse

:16:06. > :16:11.continue to spread. Jimmy Savile preyed on his victims in TV studios

:16:12. > :16:15.and hospitals, but also children's homes and schools. Now, councils in

:16:16. > :16:21.England are being asked to look closely at them and what happened

:16:22. > :16:26.and why. The 21 institutions named to date include children's homes

:16:27. > :16:31.like parklands in Gloucestershire, now closed. It provided

:16:32. > :16:37.accommodation for young people from the 1950s until 2002. The list also

:16:38. > :16:41.names schools, including Sevenoaks in Kent, an independent school,

:16:42. > :16:46.whose board of governors has been asked to carry out an

:16:47. > :16:50.investigation. We welcome any investigation that will reveal how

:16:51. > :16:54.widespread this abuse was perpetrated, and at the end of all

:16:55. > :16:59.these different enquiries, there must be some drawing together, says

:17:00. > :17:03.lessons can be learned, and we ensure it doesn't happen again. It

:17:04. > :17:07.is thought no new allegations have come to light, instead, local

:17:08. > :17:11.authorities will follow up accounts which were given to police and

:17:12. > :17:16.children's charities in 2012, when the investigations began in two

:17:17. > :17:21.Jimmy Savile's activities. Allegations go back to the 1960s

:17:22. > :17:25.until the 1980s. Even at those institutions still open, most

:17:26. > :17:30.potential witnesses will have moved on or died. The government says it

:17:31. > :17:36.wants to make sure wherever possible lessons are learned.

:17:37. > :17:39.Our top story this lunchtime. The big six energy companies face

:17:40. > :17:42.official investigation into claims that millions of consumers have paid

:17:43. > :17:45.too much for their gas and electricity.

:17:46. > :17:48.And, still to come: 100 days to go. The countdown starts to the world's

:17:49. > :17:51.most famous bike race coming to the UK.

:17:52. > :17:58.Later on BBC London: The gay couples preparing a midnight marriage, to

:17:59. > :18:00.take advantage of a change in the law.

:18:01. > :18:03.And, have you got a nose for love? The new-style speed dating which

:18:04. > :18:11.could help you sniff out the perfect partner.

:18:12. > :18:16.The emissions from modern society that are heating the climate are

:18:17. > :18:18.also making the seas more acidic, killing off corals and other

:18:19. > :18:22.organisms. Scientists are due to report next week that about a third

:18:23. > :18:28.of our CO2 emissions are mixing into the water from the atmosphere. The

:18:29. > :18:31.report to the UN, seen by BBC's Newsnight, says the last time the

:18:32. > :18:38.sea changed this rapidly there were mass extinctions. Our environment

:18:39. > :18:40.analyst Roger Harrabin reports from a research site off the coast of

:18:41. > :18:48.Papua New Guinea. Coral reefs, the most diverse

:18:49. > :19:05.natural systems in the seas. Under threat from the way we live.

:19:06. > :19:07.Emissions of CO2 from our homes, cars and power stations are

:19:08. > :19:11.unquestionably changing the chemistry of sea water, according to

:19:12. > :19:15.a UN report next week. We need to know how the oceans will react, as

:19:16. > :19:23.more of the CO2 from human society dissolves in the sea water, making

:19:24. > :19:27.it more acidic. That is what has brought us here, to this remote spot

:19:28. > :19:31.off the tip of Papua New Guinea, to see a unique site that offers a

:19:32. > :19:34.glimpse into the future of the seas. The sea bed is bubbling. The gas is

:19:35. > :19:44.pure carbon dioxide, from volcanic rocks. The bubbles turn the sea

:19:45. > :19:47.water locally more acidic. Part of the site shows the same level of

:19:48. > :19:52.acidity predicted for the world's oceans later this century, as

:19:53. > :19:55.mankind continues to emit CO2. It seems, here, between a third and

:19:56. > :20:03.half of corals cannot survive the change. In Australia, a new ?20

:20:04. > :20:06.million centre employs industrial technology to predict how corals

:20:07. > :20:15.will react to higher CO2, and high temperatures. In this experiment, we

:20:16. > :20:19.have corals and sponges from different species. We are trying to

:20:20. > :20:21.tease apart the combined effects of ocean acidification, and elevated

:20:22. > :20:24.sea temperature. Sponges like this might thrive under

:20:25. > :20:34.high CO2. But other key creatures are likely to be wiped out. This is

:20:35. > :20:38.a baby coral. It is very sensitive to acidification, it cannot grow,

:20:39. > :20:44.and will often die in areas of high CO2. One example of many, and

:20:45. > :20:47.scientists are finding, more and more, that a lot of marine species

:20:48. > :20:52.and ecosystems are likely to be highly affected by ocean

:20:53. > :20:55.acidification. Back at the volcanic site, it is

:20:56. > :21:01.clear the branching corals that shelter fish cannot cope with extra

:21:02. > :21:04.CO2. They are missing from the reef. The UN scientists warn our emissions

:21:05. > :21:14.could make countless species of sea life extinct.

:21:15. > :21:20.You can see that report in full on Newsnight, tonight on BBC Two, at

:21:21. > :21:23.10:30pm. A mine manager has gone on trial in

:21:24. > :21:26.connection with the deaths of four miners in a Swansea Valley colliery.

:21:27. > :21:29.Malcolm Fyfield was the manager of Gleision drift mine, when it flooded

:21:30. > :21:37.in September 2011. He denies all charges. Hywel Griffith is at

:21:38. > :21:41.Swansea Crown Court. When the four men became trapped in

:21:42. > :21:46.the narrow galleries of the Gleision mine, their families, the country

:21:47. > :21:51.hoped they could be reached. When their bodies were recovered, they

:21:52. > :21:55.were found filled with dirty water and silt. Today, the mine manager

:21:56. > :21:58.who was with them and the directors of the company went on trial accused

:21:59. > :22:03.of being responsible for their deaths.

:22:04. > :22:09.At the mouth of the mine, rescue teams were left exhausted after

:22:10. > :22:15.spending more than 24 hours trying, in vain, to reach the four men

:22:16. > :22:20.trapped below. Garry Jenkins, Philip Hill, David Powell and Charles

:22:21. > :22:26.Breslin, were all experienced miners, all were fathers, all

:22:27. > :22:32.drowned 275 metres into the colliery. The manager of the mine,

:22:33. > :22:36.Malcolm Fyfield, was also injured in the collapse. He arrived at court to

:22:37. > :22:42.stand trial accused of causing the deaths through gross negligence. In

:22:43. > :22:46.court, he sat silently as the jury heard he still suffered from

:22:47. > :22:51.post-traumatic stress disorder. The jury was told there were seven men

:22:52. > :22:54.underground on the morning and old wall collapsed allowing water to

:22:55. > :23:00.flood through. The sound was deafening, like a jet engine. The

:23:01. > :23:04.miners shouted out one, but only three made it out. When he came to

:23:05. > :23:09.the surface, Malcolm Fyfield said simply, they have gone. The rescue

:23:10. > :23:14.workers who tried to reach the miners had to dig through tonnes of

:23:15. > :23:18.silt and rock with their hands. The trial will centre on conditions deep

:23:19. > :23:24.underground, and how much was known by the manager and the company about

:23:25. > :23:28.the risk of a flood. The families of the miners have waited two and a

:23:29. > :23:32.half years for the trial to begin. They hope that, over the next three

:23:33. > :23:38.months, there questions will finally be answered.

:23:39. > :23:44.The jury had been shown a detailed plan of the mine underground which

:23:45. > :23:49.became soaked in the rescue attempt. The three managers deny the charges

:23:50. > :23:52.against them. 90 people are still missing after a

:23:53. > :23:55.massive mudslide in Washington state on Saturday. Dramatic footage from

:23:56. > :23:58.the small town near Seattle has emerged of the helicopter rescue of

:23:59. > :24:01.a four-year-old boy who was pulled from the roof of his submerged home.

:24:02. > :24:11.Our correspondent David Willis has this report.

:24:12. > :24:17.Plucked to safety from a sea of mud. A four-year-old boy somehow managed

:24:18. > :24:21.to survive a massive mudslide. Jacob Spillers was on the second floor,

:24:22. > :24:25.when his home was hit by a deadly tide of mud and rock. His father and

:24:26. > :24:33.three siblings were downstairs, and are still missing. A fellow survivor

:24:34. > :24:38.said when she came across him, he was scared and shivering. I stripped

:24:39. > :24:44.him down and bundled him in a blanket and said, I am grandma, I am

:24:45. > :24:47.going to take care of you, we are going to find your mummy. Searching

:24:48. > :24:50.the mile-square site of this disaster continues apace. 90 bodies

:24:51. > :25:00.could lie buried beneath the wreckage. Finding them all could

:25:01. > :25:03.take months. We need to take a step back, and look at the magnitude of

:25:04. > :25:07.what happened. The debris is huge, it is complex, it is dangerous. And

:25:08. > :25:15.I don't think we have a lot of answers. All I can definitively say

:25:16. > :25:17.is we have the number at 90 and we are going to pursue it as much as we

:25:18. > :25:23.can. There are pockets of mud at 40 feet

:25:24. > :25:25.deep. Factor in the presence of toxic chemicals from crushed cars,

:25:26. > :25:29.that amounts to a difficult and dangerous recovery operation. The

:25:30. > :25:36.rescuers' biggest problem now, the weather. It has been raining

:25:37. > :25:38.constantly these last few days. That has not only hampered the recovery

:25:39. > :25:46.operation, it has also raised the possibility of further mudslides

:25:47. > :25:49.here. It's 100 days to go before the

:25:50. > :25:54.world's most famous cycle race comes to the UK. The Tour de France starts

:25:55. > :25:57.in Leeds on July the 5th, and is expected to attract up to three

:25:58. > :26:00.million spectators. It will take in some of the best-known hills in

:26:01. > :26:03.British cycling, including the longest continuous climb in England,

:26:04. > :26:12.Cragg Vale. Our chief sports correspondent Dan Roan is in

:26:13. > :26:16.Harrogate in Yorkshire. Right here in Harrogate is where the

:26:17. > :26:20.first day of the Tour de France will finish, the second day goes from

:26:21. > :26:24.York to Sheffield, then Cambridge to London. This is a cultural

:26:25. > :26:31.phenomenon as well as a sporting one. We saw the launch of an arts

:26:32. > :26:38.festival in the build-up to the biggest event Yorkshire has seen.

:26:39. > :26:43.Yorkshire is gearing up for the ride of its life, on the horizon, the

:26:44. > :26:48.start of the Tour de France, looming into view. In Harrogate, the

:26:49. > :26:52.countdown began and those who represent the region say it is a

:26:53. > :26:58.once in a lifetime opportunity. It is so exciting, this is a massive

:26:59. > :27:03.event, hundreds of millions of people watch the Tour de France. For

:27:04. > :27:10.Yorkshire to be able to put ourselves on the map nationally and

:27:11. > :27:13.in Europe and across the planet is a fantastic opportunity. With the Tour

:27:14. > :27:18.de France won by British riders for the last two years, the sport has

:27:19. > :27:24.established itself. The event coming here provides another boost, Ilkley,

:27:25. > :27:30.home to the biggest cycling club now in the country. 1200 members, 40% of

:27:31. > :27:37.which are women. Rides go out every day of the week. What it is doing

:27:38. > :27:46.for Yorkshire is raising awareness, and kick-starting people using the

:27:47. > :27:51.outdoors. When the world's cyclists ride here it will showcase this

:27:52. > :27:57.dramatic scenery to a global audience and the economy is set to

:27:58. > :28:02.benefit. The route cuts directly through this farm in Holmfirth. With

:28:03. > :28:08.millions of spectators expected, they intend to capitalise. We have

:28:09. > :28:12.provision for around 1000 tenths. Would that be a boost to your

:28:13. > :28:17.finances? A big boost if it comes off and people come to visit.

:28:18. > :28:22.Interest from the home of the event is growing, one French cycling

:28:23. > :28:27.legend rode the route this week. It may be in Yorkshire for two days,

:28:28. > :28:33.but the feel-good factor could last for years.

:28:34. > :28:37.Organisers hope Yorkshire will benefit from a 100 missing pound

:28:38. > :28:42.boost to its economy and today a new three-day long international race on

:28:43. > :28:48.the cycling candour has been announced, to take place from next

:28:49. > :28:50.year. A sporting legacy as well as a financial one.

:28:51. > :28:53.President Obama is at the Vatican for his first meeting with Pope

:28:54. > :28:56.Francis. Although they disagree on many issues, including abortion and

:28:57. > :28:57.gay marriage, they are expected to find common ground, when it comes to

:28:58. > :29:09.the fight against global poverty. Time for a look at the weather.

:29:10. > :29:20.We have seen just about everything fall from the sky is. Cold, easterly

:29:21. > :29:25.winds are around. Temperatures will peak at around 20 degrees at the

:29:26. > :29:32.weekend. High pressure is blocking weather fronts moving in from the

:29:33. > :29:39.Atlantic. An area of low pressure is to the south-west. Quite a bit of

:29:40. > :29:46.cloud is billowing up. A lot of it is shower cloud. We have seen heavy

:29:47. > :29:51.showers already across the Midlands. We will see Hale and thunderstorm

:29:52. > :29:57.mixed in. Not many showers across the far south-east of England. Not

:29:58. > :30:04.too many showers the North West Wales. North-east England, a

:30:05. > :30:10.miserable day, persistent outbreaks of rain, snow and thunderstorms.

:30:11. > :30:15.Temperatures around the coast, five degrees. Northern Ireland, this is

:30:16. > :30:19.where the best of the weather is. Dry conditions with sunshine.

:30:20. > :30:23.Overnight, a band of rain will be slow moving across the North of

:30:24. > :30:32.England. We could see an inch of rain. South-west England, further

:30:33. > :30:37.thunderstorms. Maybe some snow over higher ground. On Friday, a cloudy

:30:38. > :30:43.start. Bright smiles and scattered showers. The showers will form

:30:44. > :30:47.across western areas of England and Wales, turning warmer across the

:30:48. > :30:54.south-east of England with more sunshine. Temperatures reaching 15

:30:55. > :31:02.degrees. This weekend, an area of low pressure will move winds over

:31:03. > :31:09.the British Isles. They will bring in milder air. Temperatures will

:31:10. > :31:14.rise. Up to around 20 degrees probably across the eastern side of

:31:15. > :31:23.England. But across the north-east of England, and Scotland, a

:31:24. > :31:29.combination of low cloud, drizzle and missed practice over the coast.

:31:30. > :31:34.It will be quite cold, around seven degrees. You can check out the

:31:35. > :31:37.weather where you live on our website.

:31:38. > :31:45.Now, a reminder of our top story this lunchtime.

:31:46. > :31:47.The energy companies face official investigation into claims millions

:31:48. > :31:50.of consumers have paid too much for their gas and electricity.

:31:51. > :31:51.That's all from us. Now, on BBC One, it's