:00:00. > :00:08.It's emerged hostages held in Syria by Islamic State are being guarded
:00:09. > :00:15.America says it tried to rescue captives earlier this year,
:00:16. > :00:23.Foley. A fellow prisoner who was later released says US hostages are
:00:24. > :00:25.A fellow prisoner who was later released says US hostages are
:00:26. > :00:42.Being an American it was probably more targeted.
:00:43. > :00:48.There's been a rise in the proportion
:00:49. > :00:59.of GCSE A star to C grade passes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland,
:01:00. > :01:10.And American aid worker with the Ebola virus will be released from
:01:11. > :01:15.hospital. Figures show more women than men
:01:16. > :01:19.have entered into same sex marriages since the law changed in March.
:01:20. > :01:28.A new museum for Bomber Command has opened in London.
:01:29. > :01:33.On BBC London: Met officers who had alleged relationships whilst
:01:34. > :01:34.undercover will not face charges. And solar farm the size of four
:01:35. > :01:47.pitches in Surrey. Good afternoon and welcome to the
:01:48. > :01:49.BBC News at One. It?s emerged this lunchtime that
:01:50. > :01:52.foreign hostages held by Islamic State in Syria, are being
:01:53. > :01:56.guarded by three British jihadists. It's alleged they've been
:01:57. > :02:02.nicknamed John, Paul and Ringo. Here the intelligence services and
:02:03. > :02:05.the police are trying to identify the masked man who's also believed
:02:06. > :02:08.to be British, filmed murdering the The White House has revealed
:02:09. > :02:15.US Special Forces launched a secret mission this summer to
:02:16. > :02:19.rescue American hostages in Syria, including James Foley
:02:20. > :02:24.but couldn't find them. Our Home Affairs correspondent
:02:25. > :02:36.Dominic Casciani reports. James Foley, be headed in Syria by
:02:37. > :02:42.Hamas could kill. An international manhunt continues. It emerged the
:02:43. > :02:48.jihadists may be part of a group of three British men, nicknamed the
:02:49. > :02:54.Beatles, John, Paul and Ringo. MI5 is laying a key role in the FBI
:02:55. > :02:59.investigation. The security services is using all the tricks of the trade
:03:00. > :03:04.to identify the subject. Forensic experts will be scrutinising the
:03:05. > :03:08.area in the video. They will be trying to pick up clues from his
:03:09. > :03:13.physique. His eyes will be checked against photos in security
:03:14. > :03:19.databases. But the most importantly could come from his British voice.
:03:20. > :03:24.It is part of the jigsaw of evidence that might lead to identifying the
:03:25. > :03:28.speaker in the DBD. You cannot use voice identification evidence to
:03:29. > :03:35.identify totally, an individual. It is not like fingerprinting or DNA
:03:36. > :03:41.profiling. Hundreds of writ -ish men who have fought in Syria are back
:03:42. > :03:45.home. MI5 is monitoring these men, certain they know who the killer is.
:03:46. > :03:50.The security services hope the lead will not come from their technical
:03:51. > :03:56.toolkit but inside the Muslim communities. They are working behind
:03:57. > :04:03.the scenes with Muslim leaders. Many people are involved in efforts to
:04:04. > :04:09.deter young men from going to Syria. It is in the interests of the Muslim
:04:10. > :04:13.community. It is to make sure they don't go to join forces like that
:04:14. > :04:17.and they have hijacked our faith. They don't represent our faith and
:04:18. > :04:24.imams across the country are using mosques to give out the message, but
:04:25. > :04:29.also social media. Syria is a war zone so there is no guarantee the
:04:30. > :04:37.killer could be apprehended, even if his identity is already known. He
:04:38. > :04:41.may spend years of aiding justice. -- evading justice.
:04:42. > :04:45.The United States has carried out more airstrikes against
:04:46. > :04:46.Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, despite threats
:04:47. > :04:50.by the killer of James Foley to murder a second American captive,
:04:51. > :04:56.Our world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge reports.
:04:57. > :05:05.James Foley filming in Aleppo before he was abducted. Now he is one of a
:05:06. > :05:10.number of American hostages US forces attempted to rescue. America
:05:11. > :05:15.says it at the best of the United States military in harms way to try
:05:16. > :05:20.to bring them home. They say every branch of the military was involved.
:05:21. > :05:26.Special personnel were dropped into Syria but did not find hostages.
:05:27. > :05:29.They engaged in a firefight with Islamic State of militants before
:05:30. > :05:35.leaving. Exactly how long this was before the Islamic state posted
:05:36. > :05:42.their video online showing James Foley's brutal death, is not clear.
:05:43. > :05:45.But his parents expressed their gratitude to President Obama. He
:05:46. > :05:50.shared with us what the Administration has done, which they
:05:51. > :05:55.could not share with us before. We appreciated that knowing the things
:05:56. > :06:02.they tried. And we thanked him, but we begged they might consider other
:06:03. > :06:08.ways of dealing such that Stephen and the others may be spared.
:06:09. > :06:10.Another American journalist, produced in the same
:06:11. > :06:13.Another American journalist, produced in video by the Islamic
:06:14. > :06:19.state militants, they say his fate will depend on President Obama's
:06:20. > :06:23.next move. What has also emerged from one of James Foley's employees
:06:24. > :06:34.is the family were contacted either militants. The family received an
:06:35. > :06:37.e-mail from the kidnappers that was full of rage against the United
:06:38. > :06:45.States for the bombing. They stated they would execute James. We
:06:46. > :06:49.communicated with them, pleaded with them for mercy. Also seized while
:06:50. > :06:55.covering the conflict in Syria, but released in April was this French
:06:56. > :06:58.journalist. For seven months he was held with James Foley and spoke of
:06:59. > :07:05.his generosity. Anything he could share, he would share it. If we were
:07:06. > :07:10.cold, he would share his blankets. If we were starving and missing
:07:11. > :07:14.food, he would share his rations. He believes the American was probably
:07:15. > :07:19.treated differently because of his nationality. Many countries do
:07:20. > :07:26.negotiate. I don't know if it is money or prisoner exchange and some
:07:27. > :07:32.countries like America, but also like the UK, do not negotiate. He
:07:33. > :07:33.said he was horrified I James Foley's killing. A sentiment echoed
:07:34. > :07:39.around the world. Our security correspondent Frank
:07:40. > :07:50.Gardner is here. What have we learned this week how
:07:51. > :07:55.the Islamic state uses hostages as bargaining tools? It is a big is
:07:56. > :07:59.this, it is the strategic arm of the operation. They have been doing it
:08:00. > :08:05.since they have been in Syria but they have at least 20 hostages. They
:08:06. > :08:11.ransom them for big sums of money. There is somebody in charge of this
:08:12. > :08:15.at the prisoner handling level. We have had confirmation there are
:08:16. > :08:19.three British jihadists doing that. They treat prisoners badly,
:08:20. > :08:23.especially when they are angry about US air strikes on jihadist 's
:08:24. > :08:30.positions. They have these nicknames, John, Paul and Ringo, as
:08:31. > :08:33.in the Beatles and James Foley was singled out for bad treatment
:08:34. > :08:40.because he was American. The sums of money are very big, millions of
:08:41. > :08:51.dollars. Around 11 hostages have been released. Most of those, if not
:08:52. > :09:00.all, for money. Despite the pledges made at the G8 summit in Northern
:09:01. > :09:03.Ireland recently, by all G8 countries not to pay money to
:09:04. > :09:07.terrorists for Ransomes, all except for Britain and the US, allegedly
:09:08. > :09:15.have been handing over money, or many
:09:16. > :09:18.There's been a rise in the proportion of GCSE A star
:09:19. > :09:20.to C passes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this year, but
:09:21. > :09:23.Grades in Maths have improved sharply,
:09:24. > :09:33.Sarah Campbell joins us from Norwich.
:09:34. > :09:41.this is the first time reforms have come into effect. Pupils here, as
:09:42. > :09:46.elsewhere have picked up their results and are either celebrating
:09:47. > :09:49.or commiserating. The emotional scenes in schools
:09:50. > :09:56.across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on results stay the same as
:09:57. > :10:00.they do each year, but in England the contents of those envelopes have
:10:01. > :10:10.been almost impossible to predict. My mother is going to be doing
:10:11. > :10:13.cartwheels. These peoples in Norwich are among the first to be tested by
:10:14. > :10:15.My mother is going to be doing cartwheels. the new system. Instead
:10:16. > :10:16.of modules, the focus is on final exams held at the end of the
:10:17. > :10:19.two-year courses. are among the first to be tested
:10:20. > :10:22.This system in the past incentivised schools to enter pupils for
:10:23. > :10:26.different modules as they sought to raise the grades the children could
:10:27. > :10:32.achieve. As a consequence they lost out on the large amount of teaching
:10:33. > :10:40.time retaking these exams. The overall picture is a slight rise in
:10:41. > :10:45.the number of A star to C. The volatility is in the key subjects.
:10:46. > :10:52.Results in maths have risen 4.8 points. Then there is English, which
:10:53. > :10:59.has seen a drop, the sharpest since GCSEs were introduced. Schools were
:11:00. > :11:04.warned to expect the unexpected and as at this school in Norwich, that
:11:05. > :11:10.is what has happened. They have seen a huge spike in the number of pupils
:11:11. > :11:12.awarded the top grades but there is concern over borderline pupils
:11:13. > :11:16.because of this drop in the pass rate for English, such an important
:11:17. > :11:21.subject. We are concerned there may be some students who want to go to
:11:22. > :11:24.college or get into a sixth form but cannot because they don't have the
:11:25. > :11:29.grades. It is not down to what they have done but down to the changes
:11:30. > :11:33.the government has made. It is a real shame. Wales and Northern
:11:34. > :11:39.Ireland have opted not to change GCSEs. Peoples in England can only
:11:40. > :11:42.hope being the first to take the new exams has not put them at a
:11:43. > :11:48.disadvantage. Schools are looking at their results, particularly this
:11:49. > :11:50.drop in English. It is the first year the speaking and listening
:11:51. > :11:56.component has not counted towards the final mark. Here, they think it
:11:57. > :11:59.has contributed to that drop. The government says these results are
:12:00. > :12:05.encouraging but teachers across the board are not so sure. The head
:12:06. > :12:06.teachers union said candidates have done worse than expected and they
:12:07. > :12:13.are worse -- victims of change. Our Wales correspondent,
:12:14. > :12:28.Hywel Griffith, How have the results gone down where
:12:29. > :12:34.you are? All of the envelopes have been opened and I have seen plenty
:12:35. > :12:41.of smiling bases. Suggesting overall the mood is good and there is a
:12:42. > :12:43.record number of A star to C grades this year at 66.6%. It is still
:12:44. > :12:51.behind England and Northern Ireland, but the gap is closing slightly and
:12:52. > :12:54.there has been a lot of focus on the Welsh education system in terms of
:12:55. > :12:58.how it compares to the UK and internationally and its need to
:12:59. > :13:02.catch up. But there is a difference growing between Wales and the rest
:13:03. > :13:06.of the UK and that is how GCSE is done. In England the focus has been
:13:07. > :13:11.on the end of two-year exams, in Wales they are sticking with the
:13:12. > :13:15.modular version where people can sit and resit. And the headteacher here
:13:16. > :13:19.was keen to show me some of his results this year, showing pupils in
:13:20. > :13:24.year ten, 15-year-olds, have been able to get plenty of A star and he
:13:25. > :13:28.says it is a system that helps pupils grow over the two years, so
:13:29. > :13:34.he does not want the same focus in England, where it is becoming loaded
:13:35. > :13:41.with the end of year exam. Thank you very much.
:13:42. > :13:45.An American doctor who contracted Ebola after treating victims,
:13:46. > :13:50.The charity that employs Dr Kent Brantly says he was
:13:51. > :13:52.discharged after being treated with an experimental drug in the US.
:13:53. > :13:58.Our world affairs correspondent Nick Childs reports.
:13:59. > :14:06.Amid rigorous precautions, the doctor was infected in Liberia who
:14:07. > :14:09.were rushed back to the United States for treatment, including an
:14:10. > :14:15.experimental drug. This was him being helped from the ambulance to
:14:16. > :14:19.the hospital in Atlanta. Now it seems he is well enough to leave and
:14:20. > :14:24.the signs looked encouraging. They are getting supportive care. We are
:14:25. > :14:28.hearing, but I don't have direct knowledge of this, but what has been
:14:29. > :14:35.announced is they have also received this cocktail of antibodies, which
:14:36. > :14:41.is designed to block the virus. The reports we are getting from Atlanta
:14:42. > :14:44.is that is having a positive effect. The World Health Organization has
:14:45. > :14:51.declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the worst ever, global
:14:52. > :14:55.health emergency and has approved the use of experimental drugs to
:14:56. > :15:03.contain it. Yesterday, in the Liberian capital, police clashed
:15:04. > :15:06.with crowds protesting their neighbourhood had been quarantined.
:15:07. > :15:09.Liberia and the other infected countries have struggled to cope.
:15:10. > :15:15.The three effect the doctors treated with the same drug as the Americans
:15:16. > :15:23.have shown significant improvements. The new experimental drugs offer
:15:24. > :15:25.hope and help. But more health workers and strict isolation
:15:26. > :15:38.remained the key to control this crisis.
:15:39. > :15:50.were being guarded by three men recruited from Great Britain. We are
:15:51. > :15:55.Lincolnshire as the county prepares to remember those who served and
:15:56. > :15:59.lost their lives with bomber command. The number of sexual
:16:00. > :16:05.assaults on public transport in the capital is on the rise. In the
:16:06. > :16:09.pursuit of happiness. Why Londoners are some of the most miserable
:16:10. > :16:16.people in the country. All of that in 15 minutes.
:16:17. > :16:20.Four branches of McDonalds have closed in Russia, after
:16:21. > :16:22.alleged "sanitary violations." Critics however say it's
:16:23. > :16:26.the latest move in tit-for-tat sanctions with the West.
:16:27. > :16:30.The Russian federal authorities announced the closures
:16:31. > :16:37.after carrying out inspections this week, but have a history
:16:38. > :16:40.of banning food from countries out of favour with the Kremlin. Steve
:16:41. > :16:42.Rosenberg is in Moscow. Well, this is Pushkin Square
:16:43. > :16:46.in the heart of Moscow. And every time I come here,
:16:47. > :16:51.I remember the day nearly 25 years ago when Russia's first McDonald's
:16:52. > :16:53.opened its doors here in the USSR. I was studying in Moscow
:16:54. > :16:56.at the time and came down here to join the queue.
:16:57. > :17:02.The crowds that day were incredible and the queue went all
:17:03. > :17:05.the way around Pushkin Square. It took me three hours to get
:17:06. > :17:09.inside and be served, such was the level of excitement
:17:10. > :17:12.here that American burgers had burst through the Iron Curtain
:17:13. > :17:14.and were being served up in Moscow. Today is a different story.
:17:15. > :17:19.There is no queue today. In fact, there are no
:17:20. > :17:22.customers because it is shut. The food safety watchdog has called
:17:23. > :17:29.for the temporary closure of this and three other McDonald's.
:17:30. > :17:32.In a statement, the watchdog said it had conducted
:17:33. > :17:41.a number of tests and had uncovered numerous sanitary violations.
:17:42. > :17:44.McDonald's says it is studying the complaints and its priority remains
:17:45. > :17:46.to provide a safe, quality product. Even before the closures were
:17:47. > :17:51.announced, there were protests here outside the restaurant.
:17:52. > :17:54.But critics of the government argue that this
:17:55. > :17:57.has nothing to do with food safety but it's all about geopolitics .
:17:58. > :18:00.Because of the conflict in Ukraine, relations between Russia
:18:01. > :18:03.and the West are at their lowest levels since the fall of communism.
:18:04. > :18:06.In fact, some of the rhetoric coming out of Moscow and Washington
:18:07. > :18:08.recently has sounded very Cold War. So the suspicion is that
:18:09. > :18:11.because McDonald?s is one of the symbols of America, that is why
:18:12. > :18:14.it is encountering problems now. It is not just McDonald's,
:18:15. > :18:17.a number of Russian MPs have called for checks on other US brands
:18:18. > :18:20.like Burger King and KFC. What do Moscow citizens think
:18:21. > :18:20.about the ban on the burgers? TRANSLATION:
:18:21. > :18:24.Personally, I prefer beetroot soup and Russian
:18:25. > :18:32.dumplings but I know a lot of young people do like those burgers.
:18:33. > :18:34.I think 99% of this is politics. Closing these restaurants is
:18:35. > :18:36.Russia's response to Western sanctions.
:18:37. > :18:38.And the authorities say there are going to be more checks at more
:18:39. > :18:41.McDonald's across the country. It does seem that -
:18:42. > :18:49.if not the public, then the people in power - are losing their appetite
:18:50. > :18:51.for American fast food. There were more than 1,400 same-sex
:18:52. > :18:54.marriages in England and Wales between March and June this year,
:18:55. > :19:00.when new laws allowing them came into force.
:19:01. > :19:02.Official figures show that 56 per cent of unions were between
:19:03. > :19:07.women,with 44 percent between men. Robert Pigott has more.
:19:08. > :19:15.How do these figures compare with the number of civil partnerships? If
:19:16. > :19:24.you look at the figures from the Office of National Statistics,
:19:25. > :19:30.between March and June this year, in England and Wales, the interesting
:19:31. > :19:40.thing is to compare it with civil partnerships. It is hampered by the
:19:41. > :19:46.fact the last year we have figures is 2012. If you look at the figures,
:19:47. > :19:53.there were 1427 civil partnerships. It seems that, despite the fact that
:19:54. > :19:58.2014 was the first year, there was not a huge surge. It is worth saying
:19:59. > :20:06.that civil partnerships are still taking place, some couples still
:20:07. > :20:12.prefer them. The overall number of gay unions may not have changed much
:20:13. > :20:15.but it is a fair bet that it has shifted from partnership to
:20:16. > :20:18.marriage. The other interesting thing is that first weekend in March
:20:19. > :20:23.where people were competing to be the first to tie the knot and the
:20:24. > :20:30.government were flying rainbow flags from buildings. There were 95 of
:20:31. > :20:34.those same-sex marriages in England and Wales in that first weekend.
:20:35. > :20:42.When the first civil partnerships took place in 2005, there were other
:20:43. > :20:49.frenzies taking place. An interesting comparison. It is worth
:20:50. > :20:55.saying that there is some mystery in all of this. It is clear that people
:20:56. > :21:03.cannot convert their civil partnerships intermarriages. In the
:21:04. > :21:04.future, when they are able to, we will get a better judgement of what
:21:05. > :21:09.the popularity is. Robert Pigott has more.
:21:10. > :21:12.Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has faced questions from
:21:13. > :21:15.MSPs for the last time before Scotland votes in the referendum on
:21:16. > :21:22.independence next month. Mr Salmond defended the Scottish Government's
:21:23. > :21:24.independence next month. Mr Salmond defended the Scottish Government's
:21:25. > :21:27.estimates of oil reserves after a warning yesterday from a leading
:21:28. > :21:28.industry figure. Our Scotland correspondent Lorna Gordon reports.
:21:29. > :21:34.He is First Minister of Scotland's devolved government and for the
:21:35. > :21:40.final time ahead of the referendum, he faced his weekly questions. This
:21:41. > :21:43.is about the future of our country. Labour seized on comments by a
:21:44. > :21:51.well-known figure in the oil industry, Sir Ian Wood. He added,
:21:52. > :21:55.most operators would feel more confident if Scotland remained part
:21:56. > :22:02.of the UK. I asked the First Minister again, why did he say that
:22:03. > :22:08.in the interests of our children and odd grandchildren? Alex Salmond in
:22:09. > :22:14.turn said the figures show there is a lifetime of oil in Scotland's
:22:15. > :22:20.sees. This poor country was visited with the great curse of 15 billion
:22:21. > :22:25.barrels of oil. Every other country in the world would give their eye
:22:26. > :22:32.teeth for such a substantial source of oil. The Conservatives chose to
:22:33. > :22:35.attack on this issue. Our young voters must be fully aware that by
:22:36. > :22:40.the time they are middle aged, Scotland will have little offshore
:22:41. > :22:44.gas and oil production. The First Minister said the Westminster have
:22:45. > :22:51.meant and a track record of playing down oil. Given the evidence of the
:22:52. > :22:57.last 40 years, most people in Scotland will say, let's give it our
:22:58. > :23:02.turn for the benefit of Scottish people. No more questions here for a
:23:03. > :23:10.while. The next time these politicians meet the country will
:23:11. > :23:18.have decided its future. James Cook is in Holyrood now. James, we are
:23:19. > :23:21.seemingly heading to the home straight pulls up thank goodness! We
:23:22. > :23:32.feel like we have been having this debate for years! At one point
:23:33. > :23:40.today, drawing the question is, the presiding officer ordered I heard
:23:41. > :23:43.charges to behave and shook her head in exasperation, and I think that
:23:44. > :23:49.exasperation may be felt by some of the voters egos they are subjected
:23:50. > :23:53.to a daily barrage of statistics. They have to find their way through
:23:54. > :23:59.that. The politicians will leave this place this afternoon, go into
:24:00. > :24:02.the communities for the next month, across Scotland, and put their
:24:03. > :24:05.arguments to the people. They will decide four weeks today the future
:24:06. > :24:22.of Scotland and the UK. correspondent Lorna Gordon reports.
:24:23. > :24:24.The Football Association is investigating the conduct
:24:25. > :24:26.of the former Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay, following allegations
:24:27. > :24:29.of racist,sexist and homophobic text messages while at the club.
:24:30. > :24:32.Mr Mackay is now understood not to be in the running for the vacant
:24:33. > :24:33.manager's job at Crystal Palace. Our Sports Correspondent Natalie
:24:34. > :24:38.Pirks is at Wembley for us now, It's Fill us in on the back round into
:24:39. > :24:41.the investigation on macro three. Today, the Daily Mail has printed
:24:42. > :24:48.the alleged text between Ian Moody, the former head of recruitment at
:24:49. > :24:54.Cardiff City and Malky Mackay. They form part of a dossier sent by
:24:55. > :25:01.Cardiff to the FA after lawyers radiates Ian Moody's house looking
:25:02. > :25:06.for financial irregularities. They are of a discriminatory nature,
:25:07. > :25:12.these alleged acts. They are of sexist and racist natures. They
:25:13. > :25:17.talked about a list of potential signings. It said, not many white
:25:18. > :25:24.faces amongst lot, but worth considering. Malky Mackay was high
:25:25. > :25:29.up on the list to replace the current Crystal Palace manager. They
:25:30. > :25:34.dropped the idea when it was clear that the allegations would become
:25:35. > :25:40.public. The BBC has contacted Malky Mackay and Ian Moody but they are
:25:41. > :25:47.unavailable for comment. The FA is investigating. The anti racism
:25:48. > :26:05.campaign has said they are not shocked. Thank you.
:26:06. > :26:08.Pirks is at Wembley for us now, It's It is thought 55,000 people lost
:26:09. > :26:10.their lives, as part of Britain's Bomber
:26:11. > :26:12.Command during the Second World War. Lincolnshire was home to thousands
:26:13. > :26:16.of personnel even being dubbed "Bomber County," and today the first
:26:17. > :26:18.turf has been cut on the site of a planned memorial.
:26:19. > :26:20.Ed Thomas is at Canwick Hill in Lincolnshire for us now.
:26:21. > :26:23.Yes, today, Lincolnshire remembers. In 30 minutes' time, the final pair
:26:24. > :26:27.of Lancaster bombers will make their way over the tops of the trees into
:26:28. > :26:34.the distance here. We have hundreds of people to remember them. Earlier
:26:35. > :26:36.today, we were lucky enough to go and see the planes arrive at RAF
:26:37. > :26:43.Waddington. in Lincolnshire for us now.
:26:44. > :26:46.Through grey Lincolnshire skies appeared a rare and precious sight.
:26:47. > :26:51.The last pair of Lancasters left flying roared over RAF Waddington.
:26:52. > :27:01.This, the same journey thousands once made during World War II.
:27:02. > :27:04.Here, Britain's only airworthy bomber joined by Vera,
:27:05. > :27:10.a Lancaster from the Royal Canadian Air Force, to recognise those who
:27:11. > :27:14.served the Bomber Command. There were 55,500 men who gave
:27:15. > :27:17.their lives during Bomber Command in the Second World War but there were
:27:18. > :27:20.some incredible tales of bravery. I think what we can use these
:27:21. > :27:27.aeroplanes for is not just for commemoration but also
:27:28. > :27:31.for inspiration. The stories of what came out of
:27:32. > :27:33.what they did and how they did it. Joined together on the tarmac,
:27:34. > :27:36.the only two flying Lancasters. It is hard to believe now but once,
:27:37. > :27:40.more than 7,000 of these bombers were in the skies.
:27:41. > :27:46.In one sense, this is where the Lancaster belongs.
:27:47. > :27:50.Lincolnshire was nicknamed Bomber County because
:27:51. > :27:55.so many missions flew through here and today about remembering
:27:56. > :27:57.the bravery of the crews on-board . More than 55,000 Bomber Command crew
:27:58. > :28:02.members lost their lives in the Second World War.
:28:03. > :28:06.Their average age was just 22. One man who knows the story
:28:07. > :28:08.of that sacrifice all too well is 90-year-old John Whitehouse,
:28:09. > :28:15.a former RAF corporal who worked on the Lancasters.
:28:16. > :28:18.I worked on the flights for about a year and it was exciting
:28:19. > :28:21.but it was terrible when the crews did not come back.
:28:22. > :28:34.Quite often, on their first operation, they failed to return.
:28:35. > :28:42.Today was about so much more than just a show.
:28:43. > :28:43.This was a reminder of the story of Bomber Command and
:28:44. > :28:52.the crews who risked everything. Everybody here is getting ready to
:28:53. > :28:58.meet those planes as they fly over. This is also the spot where
:28:59. > :29:02.Lincolnshire's permanent memorial to Bomber Command will be. It will be a
:29:03. > :29:09.spire, 100 feet tall. On that spire, the name of every person who died in
:29:10. > :29:11.the service of Bomber Command, 20,000 names. Those stories will not
:29:12. > :29:17.be forgotten. the crews who risked everything.
:29:18. > :29:27.Time for a look at the weather. It may be the middle of August but
:29:28. > :29:31.it is feel autumnal at the moment. A cold start to the day and it will
:29:32. > :29:36.feel call through the afternoon. Fairly showery as well. The radar
:29:37. > :29:40.picture shows us where we had the heavy showers, particularly across
:29:41. > :29:44.Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, as well as the
:29:45. > :29:49.south-west. Some sunshine to be enjoyed towards the South East, but
:29:50. > :29:54.quite breezy and feeling cool in the breeze. Temperatures of around 18 or
:29:55. > :29:59.maybe 20 in the sunshine. Towards the south-west, more of a chance of
:30:00. > :30:03.catching a shower. Cloudy skies across Wales, the Midlands and
:30:04. > :30:07.northern England. Across Scotland, it would feel quite cool in the
:30:08. > :30:13.breeze, just 12 degrees in some areas, and a chance of heavy
:30:14. > :30:16.showers. Northern Ireland, a mix of sunny spells and scattered showers.
:30:17. > :30:22.Those are showers continued through the night, being blown South East on
:30:23. > :30:27.the breeze. Not as cold tonight as it was last night. In central areas,
:30:28. > :30:31.double figures, but further north, a cooler start to the day under those
:30:32. > :30:38.clear skies. More optimistic on Friday. More in the way of sunshine.
:30:39. > :30:42.More scattered showers around, quite heavily towards the East of Scotland
:30:43. > :30:50.and eastern England. A degree or so warmer tomorrow than it is today.
:30:51. > :30:57.Lots of festivals happening this weekend. Leeds should remain dry, as
:30:58. > :31:04.Will Reading. The breeze will take the edge of that temperatures. A few
:31:05. > :31:08.scattered showers for eastern parts of Scotland and England. In the
:31:09. > :31:12.sunshine on Saturday, 20 degrees. On Saturday night, it will be very
:31:13. > :31:25.chilly with a touch of frost so tax extra bank I -- bank -- blankets.
:31:26. > :31:29.Look at this rain, waiting in the wings. That is just in time for a
:31:30. > :31:33.bank holiday Monday. Sunday night into Monday, it looks like a spell
:31:34. > :31:40.of wet and breezy weather heading across many of. All in all, Saturday
:31:41. > :31:43.brings some Sunny spells with one or two showers, and Sunday will be the
:31:44. > :31:48.better of the two days. Sunshine to be enjoyed but by bank holiday
:31:49. > :31:53.Monday, things will turn wet and windy. A wet bank holiday, that is a
:31:54. > :31:54.shock. That is it from us,