:00:12. > :00:15.David Cameron's direct message to public sector workers - call off
:00:15. > :00:20.your strike. Preparing for one of the biggest
:00:21. > :00:25.walkouts of recent times, the Prime Minister insists his pension
:00:25. > :00:28.proposals are fair. These strikes are wrong. For you, for the people
:00:28. > :00:32.you serve, for the good of the country.
:00:32. > :00:37.Thousands of schools in England and Wales will close their doors on
:00:37. > :00:41.Thursday. Some teachers say they have no choice.
:00:41. > :00:45.As a young teacher, having to work until I'm 68 now, so they're
:00:45. > :00:50.changing the goalposts all the time. Also on tonight's programme - a
:00:50. > :00:54.general strike in Greece turns violent. Demonstrators oppose plans
:00:54. > :00:58.to slash spending. After all the tension, bitterness
:00:58. > :01:02.and frustration of recent days, it was almost inevitable that there
:01:02. > :01:06.would an outbreak of violence. Another high street name in trouble
:01:06. > :01:12.as shoppers stay away. Thousands of jobs at TJ Hughes are at risk.
:01:12. > :01:17.It's a shame really, isn't it? I used to come here with my mum years
:01:17. > :01:21.ago. It's been part of your life. Hidden charges on credit and debit
:01:21. > :01:26.cards. Travel companies are told to be upfront with the customer.
:01:26. > :01:36.It hurt but a foot injury is not enough to keep him out. Nadal is
:01:36. > :01:59.
:01:59. > :02:03.still on course to meet Murray at Wimbledon. Good Evening. Welcome to
:02:03. > :02:06.the BBC News at Six. Just two days before they go on strike, David
:02:06. > :02:09.Cameron has told hundreds of thousands of public sector workers
:02:10. > :02:13.that they are wrong. In a speech aimed directly at
:02:13. > :02:17.teachers and civil servants, he said the Government's planned
:02:17. > :02:20.changes to pensions are fair to them and fair to the taxpayer. It's
:02:20. > :02:25.the first time he's intervened publicly in a row that could lead
:02:25. > :02:29.to one of the biggest walkouts of recent years. Here is our Deputy
:02:29. > :02:34.Political Editor, James Landale. The talks are over, it's time to
:02:34. > :02:38.get ready to strike. Across the country, activists like these from
:02:38. > :02:41.the PCS Civil Service union are cutting, pasting and sticking their
:02:41. > :02:45.placards, preparing for Thursday when up to 750,000 public sector
:02:45. > :02:52.workers are expected to walk out against pension changes that civil
:02:52. > :02:56.servants like Sian Ruddock say are unfair. My pension will be worth
:02:56. > :03:01.�46,000 less, I'll have to work an extra six years and pay �60 extra a
:03:01. > :03:05.month which is difficult to afford. Cameron... Out... In Birmingham
:03:05. > :03:08.today, David Cameron avoided the demonstration waiting for him
:03:08. > :03:12.outside, but inside, he threw his personal weight behind the
:03:12. > :03:14.Government's pension reforms. They were essential, he said and fair to
:03:14. > :03:19.taxpayers and low-paid workers alike.
:03:19. > :03:25.So to those considering strike action, at a time when discussions
:03:25. > :03:29.are ongoing, I would say to you, these strikes are wrong for you,
:03:29. > :03:33.for the people you serve, for the good of the country.
:03:33. > :03:38.The problem is that we are all living about six years longer than
:03:38. > :03:41.we were in 1980, meaning public sector pension funds face a black
:03:41. > :03:46.hole of almost �10 billion by 2015. The Government wants public sector
:03:46. > :03:49.workers to pay more into their pensions and work for longer.
:03:49. > :03:55.David Cameron today was not just making his case to the unions, but
:03:55. > :03:58.also appealing to a wider audience. In this dispute, the battle for
:03:58. > :04:01.public opinion will be as vital as the argument over the detail. It
:04:01. > :04:05.wasn't just the Prime Minister who was trying to capture the public
:04:05. > :04:08.mood. The Labour Leader too said the strikes were wrong. I do think
:04:08. > :04:12.the strikes are a mistake, yes, they shouldn't be going ahead
:04:12. > :04:15.because they'll inconvenience parents and children. Public sector
:04:15. > :04:18.pensions do need to be reformed, but the Government's got to take
:04:18. > :04:22.its share of responsibility because they've gone about these
:04:22. > :04:25.negotiations in quite a reckless, provocative way. My message to both
:04:25. > :04:29.sides is get round the negotiating table.
:04:29. > :04:33.But the leader of this union said they were right to strike. I think
:04:33. > :04:36.the Prime Minister's comments today show how totally out of touch he is
:04:36. > :04:39.with ordinary people in this country. He's urging them not to
:04:39. > :04:43.strike while he's forcing them to work eight years longer, pay
:04:43. > :04:48.thousands more and get half of their pension back.
:04:48. > :04:51.So for now, the politicians' appeals are falling on deaf ears
:04:51. > :04:58.and preparation force Thursday's strikes continue. The question is,
:04:58. > :05:01.houf often will the placards be used after this week -- how often.
:05:01. > :05:05.Tonight, the National Union of Teachers says it's expecting 85% of
:05:05. > :05:10.schools in England and Wales to be affected on Thursday, leaving
:05:10. > :05:14.millions of parents up and down the country trying to work out who to
:05:14. > :05:22.do with their children for the day. Danny Savage has been gauging the
:05:22. > :05:25.mood in Halifax. At Parkinson Lane School in Halifax, the school run
:05:25. > :05:28.won't be happening on Thursday, one of thousands of schools where
:05:28. > :05:33.teachers will be on strike and the children have been told to stay
:05:33. > :05:37.away. Jo Mansfield is one of those taking
:05:37. > :05:40.action because of prosed pension changes and having to work longer.
:05:40. > :05:47.It's a great job to do, but the amount of training we do, then to
:05:47. > :05:51.say we have to pay more and get less in the outcome. As a young
:05:51. > :05:56.keeper, having to work until I'm 68 now, so they're changing the
:05:56. > :06:00.goalposts all the time. Later this week come the consequences. All 500
:06:00. > :06:04.pupils have been given a letter to take home telling parents the
:06:04. > :06:07.school will be completely closed on Thursday and thanks them for their
:06:08. > :06:12.patience and understanding. But how much patience and understanding do
:06:12. > :06:13.the parents have? The answer is quite a bit. At least
:06:13. > :06:18.for now. What the Government are doing is
:06:18. > :06:22.wrong. You know, the teachers, we are in full support of them. It was
:06:22. > :06:27.an inconvenience on Thursday, we'll overcome that. Halifax is a town
:06:27. > :06:31.where quite a few people struggle to get by. And many have little
:06:31. > :06:36.sympathy with teachers. I think they're asking too much. I don't
:06:36. > :06:39.know. The country's in a bad debt with all this noun pay back and
:06:39. > :06:42.everything like that. I have some sympathy, but having said that, I
:06:42. > :06:47.work in the private sector, my terms and conditions have been
:06:48. > :06:52.changed as well. Even has to tighten their belts. Get set...
:06:52. > :06:56.But teachers argue that a poorer pension will lead to a poorer
:06:56. > :07:00.quality of person wanting to join the profession. A lot of people
:07:00. > :07:02.will be put off and you won't get the high calibre of teachers coming
:07:02. > :07:06.into the profession that you could have.
:07:06. > :07:11.It's years since teachers have gone on strike on this scale, but the
:07:11. > :07:18.letters have gone home and playgrounds are set to fall silent
:07:18. > :07:21.as teachers make their point. Police in Greece have fought
:07:21. > :07:25.running battles with demonstrators in Athens today at the start of a
:07:25. > :07:30.two-day general strike against Government plans to raise taxes and
:07:30. > :07:35.cut spending. The country's economy is teetering on the edge of
:07:35. > :07:40.bankruptcy and its Parliament is due o vote on austerity measures
:07:40. > :07:45.tomorrow. Gavin Hewitt is in the Greek capital for us tonight.
:07:45. > :07:49.The Greek Parliament is currently in session, discussing those
:07:49. > :07:53.austerity measures, which are a condition for receiving further aid
:07:53. > :07:56.without which the country is heading for bankruptcy. There are
:07:56. > :08:01.still thousands of protestors outside of Parliament, the mood
:08:01. > :08:07.tonight, I have to say, is pretty festive. But during the afternoon,
:08:07. > :08:12.the mood here was violent and angry. Greek police expected trouble. This
:08:12. > :08:17.was the key moment when Parliament was about to debate and vote on
:08:17. > :08:23.further austerity measures. The protest almost immediately
:08:23. > :08:27.turned violent. The unions had called a 48-hour general strike.
:08:27. > :08:30.For hours, there were running battles in the square outside
:08:30. > :08:34.Parliament. Satellite trucks were attacked and
:08:34. > :08:37.set on fire. After all the tension, bitterness
:08:37. > :08:43.and frustration of recent days, it was almost inevitable there would
:08:43. > :08:48.be an outbreak of violence. The police fired hundreds of
:08:48. > :08:51.volleys of stun grenainds teargas to try and clear the area in front
:08:51. > :08:56.of Parliament -- grenades. One of them landed around us and in the
:08:56. > :09:00.face of a BBC cameraman. There is real anxiety in the Greek
:09:00. > :09:03.Government about the extent of the riots. The main vote on the
:09:03. > :09:07.austerity package doesn't take place until tomorrow.
:09:07. > :09:13.Away from this square, large parts of the Greek economy were brought
:09:13. > :09:16.to a halt by strikes. Earlier in the day, there had been
:09:16. > :09:21.protest marches. The Government insists that austerity measures are
:09:21. > :09:25.needed to qualify Greece for a further emergency loan from the EU
:09:25. > :09:28.and IMF, without them Greece is heading for bankruptcy. But many
:09:28. > :09:33.ordinary Greeks simply don't accept that.
:09:33. > :09:35.We've tried this system, it doesn't get us out of the crisis. They are
:09:35. > :09:39.lying, they are lying and everybody knows that.
:09:39. > :09:44.Time and again, I heard ordinary Greeks telling me that they were
:09:44. > :09:48.not to blame for the debt crisis. We are protesting against the Greek
:09:48. > :09:56.government, the IMF and the European Union because they are
:09:56. > :10:00.trying to make us pay a debt we didn't create. As the afternoon
:10:00. > :10:03.wore on, the violence continued. 21 policemen were injured. It only
:10:03. > :10:07.deepens doubts as to whether the Government can implement spending
:10:07. > :10:12.cuts in the face of such resistance. You will have such a public
:10:12. > :10:15.reaction to these measures that it will be very problematic for the
:10:15. > :10:19.Government to continue governing. In the chaos, some Greeks turned on
:10:20. > :10:24.each other, trying to stop the violence. But it wasn't just
:10:24. > :10:29.anarchists attacking the police, many ordinary Greeks are deeply
:10:29. > :10:33.angry, especial sli with further taxes on people with low incomes --
:10:33. > :10:37.especially. The expectation is that when it comes to the vote tomorrow,
:10:37. > :10:41.these austerity measures will be approved, but every indication is
:10:42. > :10:45.the vote will be very tight. Today, the President of the European
:10:45. > :10:49.Council said these were critical hours, not just for Greece, but for
:10:49. > :10:53.the eurozone. But I have to say, it's going to be
:10:53. > :10:57.very difficult for this government to push through these reforms under
:10:57. > :11:02.volleys of teargas. I think one of the questions beyond this week will
:11:03. > :11:07.be, say the Government gets a yes vote, will it be able to implement
:11:07. > :11:10.very controversial austerity measures, including 50 billion
:11:10. > :11:13.euros of privatisation plans, and there is widespread opposition to
:11:13. > :11:17.those, George. Thank you.
:11:17. > :11:22.Here, the amount of money families have to spend has seen the biggest
:11:22. > :11:25.fall since the late 1970s. The new official figures come as the
:11:25. > :11:30.discount department store, TJ Hughes, signalled it was in deep
:11:30. > :11:37.financial trouble. It's not alone. Chocolate maker Thorntons says it's
:11:37. > :11:41.closing up to 180 branches. Jon Kay has been gauging reaction.
:11:41. > :11:47.99 years after TJ Hughes was founded, tonight its future hangs
:11:47. > :11:52.in the balance. The company which is based in Liverpool has nearly 60
:11:52. > :11:55.stores nationwide and 4,000 staff. But now it intends to call in the
:11:55. > :12:00.administrators. It's a shame really, isn't it? I
:12:00. > :12:04.used to come here with my mum years ago and it's been sort of part of
:12:04. > :12:10.your life. It's been another bad day on the nation's high street.
:12:10. > :12:15.The chocolate makers, Thorntons, are closing up to 180 shops, to
:12:15. > :12:20.concentrate on franchises instead. Carpetright says it could close 50
:12:20. > :12:25.stores. In the last few days, the fashion retailer, Jane Norman, has
:12:25. > :12:29.shut 89 branches and across the country, Habitat stores like this
:12:29. > :12:33.one in Bristol are selling off their stock. We won't have any
:12:33. > :12:37.shops left, will we, they'll all be charity shops and estate agents.
:12:37. > :12:42.Until we are all given a bit more money, then it's going to keep
:12:42. > :12:46.happening. That squeeze on our finances is confirmed tonight by
:12:46. > :12:53.new figures from the Office for National Statistics. The last year
:12:53. > :12:57.has seen the biggest drop in real, disposable household income since
:12:57. > :13:02.1977. We are seeing an emerging perfect storm. We have a number of
:13:02. > :13:06.things coming together, the effects of the Internet on top of that,
:13:06. > :13:11.reduced consumer spending, credit controls and shifting trends in the
:13:11. > :13:15.market. Despite the casualties, there are still some retail winners.
:13:15. > :13:19.Especially companies luring customers online. I think you have
:13:19. > :13:23.got more choice and more competition in prices, so I think
:13:23. > :13:31.you can find better deals. Our high streets have changed dramatically
:13:31. > :13:35.in the last two years and the changes won't end here.
:13:35. > :13:38.Our Chief Economics Correspondent, Hugh Pym, is with me. Jon talked
:13:38. > :13:42.about the squeeze on households. The fact is people can't shop like
:13:42. > :13:44.they used to? Yes, we have reported on this a lot, the squeeze on
:13:44. > :13:49.household budgets and there was more confirmation of it today with
:13:49. > :13:54.the figures that Jon's referred to. The scale of it I think took it a
:13:54. > :13:58.bit by surprise, the 2.7% drop over the year to the first three months
:13:58. > :14:02.of 2011 was the biggest drop in take home pay after inflation and
:14:02. > :14:07.tax since the late 1970s. That's one of the reasons why retailers
:14:07. > :14:10.are in trouble, some of them, I have to say, not the whole of the
:14:10. > :14:14.high street. Sir Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England,
:14:14. > :14:18.was asked about this subject by MPs earlier today. He said that yes,
:14:18. > :14:21.there was a very substantial squeeze in his words, on real
:14:21. > :14:26.living standards. He was concerned about it. But he said it's not easy
:14:26. > :14:31.to do very much about it because he said this is part of the economy,
:14:31. > :14:34.rebalancing after the recession, moving away, if you like, from
:14:34. > :14:38.borrowing and consuming towards saving and investing. It will
:14:38. > :14:42.happen and he said it will be uncomfortable while that happens.
:14:42. > :14:45.Obviously, as part of that, manufacturing is dog better and we
:14:45. > :14:52.had confirmation that there was growth in manufacturing in the
:14:52. > :14:56.first three months of this year. A policeman who is being
:14:56. > :15:01.investigated over the deaths of two police dogs is being treated in
:15:01. > :15:05.hospital after throwing himself from a moving car. The dogs had
:15:06. > :15:08.been left in an unventilated vehicle outside a police training
:15:08. > :15:12.centre on one of the hottest days of the year.
:15:12. > :15:15.Now the cheap flights that turn out to be not quite as cheap as they
:15:15. > :15:18.look. The trading watchdog the Office of Fair Trading has
:15:18. > :15:20.threatened travel companies with legal action over hidden charges
:15:20. > :15:27.for online, debit and credit card bookings. Our personal finance
:15:27. > :15:32.correspondent Simon Gompertz has the details.
:15:32. > :15:37.Credit and debit card charges have taken off, with EasyJet adding at
:15:37. > :15:43.least �8 to most card sales and total airline surcharges climbing
:15:43. > :15:50.to �300 million a year. Rail booking agencies are charging too.
:15:50. > :15:58.Trainline levies �3.50 for credit card bookings. Charges for using
:15:58. > :16:03.debit cards should be banned says the Office of Fair Trading. Now it
:16:03. > :16:06.is threatening court action. We're glad a number of companies have
:16:06. > :16:10.agreed to increase the transparency of their surcharging. Where they
:16:10. > :16:14.don't go far enough we'll take action to ensure consumers can make
:16:14. > :16:18.the right choice. If you're buying online, you can't use cash and
:16:18. > :16:22.often what you see is not what you get because it can be hard to see
:16:22. > :16:27.what the surcharges are, so you could end up paying tens of pounds
:16:27. > :16:33.to use the card, when in fact the cost to the company is 2% if it's a
:16:34. > :16:38.credit card and just 20p, on average, if it's a debit card.
:16:38. > :16:42.Easyjet and trainline said they'd work with the Office of Fair
:16:42. > :16:46.Trading, though Ryanair argued it wouldn't have to change its fees.
:16:46. > :16:50.Shoppers in Belfast made it clear how much they disliked card
:16:50. > :16:53.surcharges. Surely, it would be more convenient for them paying by
:16:53. > :16:56.card, you know, as opposed to anything else. What's the
:16:56. > :17:00.alternative? There is no alternative. It's ridiculous. You
:17:00. > :17:04.ask for one payment. That's all you should be paying. You shouldn't be
:17:05. > :17:09.paying any extra. There could be more restrictions in store for
:17:09. > :17:14.surcharges. A European directive is being drawn up to prevent companies
:17:14. > :17:19.levying any more than the true cost of processing a payment.
:17:19. > :17:22.The time is a little after 6.16pm. Our top story tonight:
:17:22. > :17:27.David Cameron has told public sector workers they are wrong to go
:17:27. > :17:33.ahead with a strike on Thursday. Coming up: Royal Family finance -
:17:33. > :17:39.how much the Prince of Wales costs the taxpayer.
:17:39. > :17:43.Later on the BBC News Channel, more gloomy news from the High Street as
:17:43. > :17:48.Thornton's and Carpet Right together announce plans to close
:17:48. > :17:54.hundreds of stores, and why petrol pumps have run dry in one of the
:17:54. > :17:57.world's largest producers of oil. Universities which offer degrees
:17:57. > :18:01.with poor job prospects will be named and shamed under new plans
:18:01. > :18:04.for a shake-up of higher education. With fees at England's universities
:18:04. > :18:07.due to rise to a maximum of �9,000 a year in 2012, Ministers have
:18:07. > :18:11.defended the proposals, saying students should be able to tell if
:18:11. > :18:17.they are getting value for money. Our education correspondent Reeta
:18:17. > :18:21.Chakrabarti is here with the details.
:18:21. > :18:25.Thank you, George. Well, English universities come in many shapes
:18:25. > :18:29.and sizes offering academic and vocational courses. The differences
:18:29. > :18:34.will be more stark from next year with tuition fees ranging from a
:18:34. > :18:38.maximum of nine to �6,000, and FE colleges doing degrees for less.
:18:38. > :18:41.Ministers want future students to know more about what they'll get,
:18:41. > :18:44.viewing them as consumers who will demand more because they'll be
:18:44. > :18:48.paying more, so students will be able to compare universities
:18:48. > :18:52.according to hours of teaching, teaching quality and what to expect
:18:52. > :18:57.from future salaries for graduates once they leave. We will put
:18:57. > :19:01.students at the heart of the system, improving the academic experience
:19:01. > :19:07.with universities and colleges more accountable to their students than
:19:07. > :19:10.ever before. We will also take steps to improve social mobility
:19:10. > :19:14.without compromising academic excellence or institutional
:19:14. > :19:18.autonomy. There are other changes too - student numbers are fixed for
:19:18. > :19:22.universities at present, but from next year, one in four places will
:19:22. > :19:26.be fought over. Universities will be able to recruit more bright
:19:26. > :19:30.students, those getting at least two As and a B, and those offering
:19:30. > :19:34.cheaper degrees of less than �7,500, will also be able to recruit more.
:19:34. > :19:38.But the overall number - about half a million students each year - will
:19:38. > :19:42.stay the same, meaning universities in the middle could get squeezed.
:19:42. > :19:49.To begin with, welcome... University of West London is to
:19:49. > :19:51.charge an awe average of �7,500 for its courses. Its Vice Chancellor
:19:51. > :19:57.acknowledges they could be under pressure. Inevitably, universities
:19:57. > :20:01.in the middle, perhaps, who can't compete with the AAB and upwards
:20:01. > :20:04.might get squeezed. That's of a concern because we offer the
:20:04. > :20:08.widening participation. We offer the students who have not had a
:20:08. > :20:13.chance to go to university before, the first of their families to go
:20:13. > :20:17.into higher education. Ministers were surprised over half of all
:20:17. > :20:22.English universities are charging �9,000 for half or all of their
:20:22. > :20:25.courses. That's expensive as fees are paid up front by the Government.
:20:25. > :20:28.Far more universities are charging more than the Government had
:20:28. > :20:32.planned for, causing huge political embarrassment for the Government
:20:32. > :20:36.and creating a crisis for the Treasury, yet the real substance of
:20:36. > :20:39.this White Paper is a desperate drive to cut fees no matter what
:20:39. > :20:44.the effect on quality. These are big changes, and tomorrow the
:20:44. > :20:47.Education Secretary in Scotland will outline how he plans to plug a
:20:47. > :20:51.multi-million-pound university funding gap. Ministers have ruled
:20:51. > :20:52.out raising fees for Scottish students, but might charge those
:20:52. > :20:58.from England, Wales and Northern Ireland more.
:20:58. > :21:08.Thank you. The amount of funding Prince
:21:08. > :21:09.
:21:09. > :21:13.Charles received from the tax pair increased last year by nearly 18%
:21:13. > :21:15.or over �300,000. But the amount he pays in tax has also gone up by
:21:15. > :21:19.more than �900,000. Daniel Boettcher has the details.
:21:19. > :21:22.Prince of Wales had a busy diary last year. Today the latest
:21:22. > :21:29.accounts showing how that's paid for - funding from the taxpayer was
:21:29. > :21:34.up almost 18%, rising to �1.96 million. Private funding from the
:21:34. > :21:38.Duchy of Cornwall rose 4% to almost 17.8 million. But Prince of Wales
:21:38. > :21:44.was left with a higher tax bill too, up by nearly a quarter to nearly
:21:44. > :21:48.�4.4 million. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall travelled
:21:49. > :21:53.less, but costs rose. His officials said that's because the previous
:21:53. > :21:55.year's figures were unusually low. They deliver lat for the British
:21:55. > :22:00.Government's objectives overseas. They support British relations all
:22:00. > :22:03.around the world. For example, when we were in Spain, Portugal and
:22:03. > :22:07.Morocco, there was important work we were doing on sustainability,
:22:07. > :22:10.the environment, trade and investment. Other costs that rose
:22:10. > :22:13.significantly include entertaining and receptions, but that's paid for
:22:13. > :22:16.by Prince Charles himself. Even though funding from the public
:22:16. > :22:20.purse has gone up, Clarence House insists that travel costs are still
:22:20. > :22:25.below recent averages and that it's money well spent, but what about
:22:25. > :22:28.public perception at a time of cuts across the board? To be truthful, I
:22:28. > :22:32.think it's quite good because I think he's good for the country.
:22:32. > :22:36.don't think he really needs all that, surely. He can just, you know
:22:36. > :22:40.- maybe he can get a bike or something. The figures don't
:22:40. > :22:43.include his contributions to the cost of the Royal wedding. Some
:22:43. > :22:48.details may be included in the next account, but the total figure will
:22:48. > :22:51.remain private. The defending Wimbledon men's
:22:51. > :22:54.champion Rafael Nadal will be able to defend his title. His future in
:22:54. > :22:58.the tournament looked in doubt last night when he injured his foot on
:22:58. > :23:07.court. But a scan revealed there was no damage and he could be one
:23:07. > :23:11.game away from a semi-final against Andy Murray. Tim Franks reports.
:23:11. > :23:15.Rafael Nadal, the muscle man of tennis, was in such pain last night,
:23:15. > :23:20.he thought he'd broken his foot. thought I am never going to win
:23:20. > :23:24.this match, and I am worried for sure. I'm going to do the MRI.
:23:24. > :23:28.We'll see what's going on. answer, happily for everyone except
:23:28. > :23:31.his future opponents, seems to be that he's going on. Rafael Nadal
:23:31. > :23:36.was back on the practise courts this afternoon, but the experts say
:23:36. > :23:40.his approach to the game will catch up with him. I mean, he's wonderful
:23:40. > :23:44.to watch, but, you know, the positions he gets into and the
:23:44. > :23:47.force he uses on every shot in comparison with someone like Roger
:23:47. > :23:53.Federer, who is sort of - almost like a ballet dancer - is just
:23:53. > :23:59.totally different. Should Andy Murray, training earlier today, win
:23:59. > :24:02.his game tomorrow along with Rafael Nadal, they'll face each other in
:24:02. > :24:12.the semi-finals. Andy's best preparation may be to steer clear
:24:12. > :24:13.
:24:13. > :24:19.Yesterday it showed Nadal, even on one foot, able to defeat his highly
:24:19. > :24:23.talented opponent. Most mortals, it seems, couldn't beat Nadal if he
:24:23. > :24:27.were bound and gagged and staked to the baseline. So the tale of Rafa's
:24:27. > :24:32.foot has provided one twist to these Championships, but the
:24:32. > :24:34.fleetest footwork of the day has had to belong to the Wimbledon
:24:34. > :24:39.administrators who have had to reschedule a slew of rain-sodden
:24:39. > :24:47.matches. Even under the roof of Centre Court,
:24:47. > :24:52.the weather demanded it be heard. The unseeded participant was on her
:24:52. > :24:59.way to winning her quarter-final, but not before she'd been made to
:24:59. > :25:08.flinch. Her semi-final match will be against the former champ Maria
:25:08. > :25:11.Sharapova. She confirmed her status as tournament favourite.
:25:11. > :25:20.It's seen a garden vandalised, an elephant out of control - and a lot
:25:20. > :25:22.of sticky back plastic. Now after more than 50 years, Blue Peter is
:25:22. > :25:25.moving out of BBC Television Centre - to Salford. Our Arts
:25:25. > :25:28.correspondent David Sillito has been looking back at the
:25:28. > :25:31.programme's memorable moments and forward to ask - will it ever be
:25:31. > :25:36.the same again? For more than tift years Blue Peter
:25:36. > :25:44.has -- 50 years, Blue Peter has entertained children. Say hello to
:25:44. > :25:49.dad. "Hello, dads. Nice to see you!" It's the last show of the
:25:49. > :25:52.series. And my last one ever. it's the last time you'll ever see
:25:52. > :25:57.Blue Peter here at Television Centre in London. Today it, and
:25:57. > :26:02.some of its former presenters, bade farewell to its famous home, TV
:26:02. > :26:08.centre, with some record-breaking hulahooping.
:26:08. > :26:18.I was just in awe of this place, and every time I come back, it
:26:18. > :26:22.still evokes those memories. From the early days at Lime Gro and Lulu,
:26:22. > :26:27.the badly behaved elephant, to the campfire that got out of control.
:26:27. > :26:30.We're on fire, so we'll just get the firemen in! The doors that
:26:30. > :26:35.wouldn't open. LAUGHTER
:26:35. > :26:40.The doors are shut! We've got some rather bad news. The vandalised
:26:40. > :26:44.Blue Peter garden. It's a show that for many evokes powerful memories.
:26:44. > :26:49.Do you feel westful seeing it? Yeah. It was a huge part of my life
:26:49. > :26:52.and the grammar and geography and the geometry of the television
:26:52. > :27:02.studio is instantly familiar. next time you see the Blue Peter
:27:02. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:12.garden, it will be on a rooftop of Well, time for the weather now with
:27:12. > :27:17.What an afternoon it was across parts of central and Southern
:27:17. > :27:21.England. Here's where the rain was falling during the afternoon. From
:27:21. > :27:25.that, hundreds of lightning strikes, large hail, flooding, disruption to
:27:25. > :27:28.transport. The good news is it's all leaving us - drier and clearer
:27:28. > :27:31.for this evening. The last of the rain clearing from East Anglia now.
:27:31. > :27:34.Just one or two showers across those eastern parts overnight.
:27:34. > :27:43.Heavy showers in Northern Ireland, easing for a time, but more
:27:43. > :27:46.returning later. For most of us, a clear, rather cool night - 8C into
:27:47. > :27:53.Wednesday morning. Here's a look at tomorrow's rush hour, dry for many
:27:53. > :27:59.of us, a bit more cloud building for north-west England but brighter
:27:59. > :28:05.prospects further east. Cloud lingering along eastern coasts. For
:28:05. > :28:11.central England, a sunnier start. To the south-west and Wales, whilst
:28:11. > :28:15.there will be some sunshine, you'll notice the cloud already taking on
:28:15. > :28:21.a cauliflower appearance, a few showers by 8.00am, not many. Many
:28:21. > :28:24.will Dr A dry commute. Most will be working eastwards across Northern
:28:24. > :28:27.Ireland, sunshine in between. Most of Scotland, particularly south-
:28:27. > :28:31.eastern areas, a dry and bright start to Wednesday. But I think
:28:31. > :28:36.it's the morning which will be drier than the afternoon for some.
:28:36. > :28:40.It will be a story of clouds building up, transferring eastwards.
:28:40. > :28:44.Northern Ireland and Northern England likely to see showers, some
:28:44. > :28:49.heavy. For most, few showers. One or two will get into Wimbledon by
:28:49. > :28:53.the end of the day. Most will have a dry day, temperatures of 21C. By
:28:53. > :29:01.the end of the week, we have lost the heat to start with. Most of us