:00:07. > :00:10.UK fuel prices in the spotlight - the trading watchdog starts a
:00:10. > :00:13.review. It will look at whether motorists
:00:13. > :00:20.are being ripped off at the pumps - the results will be published in
:00:20. > :00:24.January. There's been a national feeling of anger building up that
:00:24. > :00:28.when oil prices go up, pump prices rocket almost instantaneously, but
:00:28. > :00:29.when oil prices fall, people look at the pumps and think, that
:00:29. > :00:31.doesn't seem to have come down too well.
:00:31. > :00:36.Also on tonight's programme: David Cameron's new-look Cabinet
:00:36. > :00:42.has its first meeting. The Prime Minister says everyone round the
:00:42. > :00:47.table will be going for growth. want the Communities Department
:00:47. > :00:49.building houses. I want the culture department rolling out broadband. I
:00:50. > :00:53.want the agriculture Department back British food. This is a
:00:53. > :00:57.Government that means business, and we've got the team to deliver it.
:00:57. > :01:01.It's the same old faces, the same old policies and no change
:01:02. > :01:05.reshuffle. Mr Speaker, if he really wants to cut through the dither,
:01:05. > :01:07.there's no place like home. The row over a new runway at
:01:07. > :01:10.Heathrow rages on. Mr Cameron appoints a new commission to look
:01:10. > :01:14.at airport capacity. Sarah Storey makes it a hat-trick.
:01:14. > :01:17.She celebrates her time trial gold medal with her husband.
:01:17. > :01:23.The ten-year study that's revealed the secrets of the human genome -
:01:23. > :01:27.and the promise of new medical treatments.
:01:27. > :01:37.Tonight on BBC London: Big problems on the North Circular
:01:37. > :01:56.
:01:56. > :01:59.Good evening, welcome to the BBC news at 6.00pm. The spiralling cost
:01:59. > :02:02.of petrol is to come under fresh scrutiny with the Office of Fair
:02:02. > :02:04.Trading launching a review into whether motorists are getting a
:02:04. > :02:08.fair deal at the pumps. The watchdog says it will examine
:02:08. > :02:10.whether falling costs of crude oil are reflected in the prices paid by
:02:10. > :02:19.motorists. Our business correspondent Emma Simpson is at a
:02:19. > :02:23.petrol station in West London, Emma. Well, after a bit of a respite,
:02:23. > :02:27.George, fuel prices are creeping upwards again - as if we didn't
:02:27. > :02:32.know it. What's happening at the pumps, of course, is a growing
:02:32. > :02:39.political issue. Now the OFT is going to try to clarify once and
:02:39. > :02:44.for all whether this market is working as it should. We can't live
:02:44. > :02:48.without fuel, and the growing cost of it is a real worry for hard-
:02:48. > :02:52.pressed consumers. I use the car last because I can't afford to keep
:02:52. > :02:56.the car running. Things seem to go down a bit and everyone gets
:02:56. > :03:02.excited, and it goes up more than before. If you want to drive from A
:03:02. > :03:09.too B, you have to pay the price. Remember April when petrol hit an
:03:09. > :03:12.all-time high of just over �142p for an average price of unleaded.
:03:12. > :03:18.Crude Oil was dropping. Prices have come down a little since then. The
:03:18. > :03:23.question is, was it fast enough? There has been a national feeling
:03:23. > :03:28.of anger that when oil prices go up, prices go up almost instantly, but
:03:28. > :03:31.when they fall, people look at the pumps and think, that hasn't seem
:03:31. > :03:37.to have come down too well. The other things we need to look at,
:03:38. > :03:40.which the OFT say they are going to look at, is why petrol and diesel
:03:40. > :03:45.can be 8p different on the same High Street.
:03:45. > :03:47.The OFT is looking at whether supermarkets and others are making
:03:48. > :03:52.it more difficult for small retailers to compete and if there
:03:52. > :03:59.is a lack of competition supplying rural communities. This independent
:03:59. > :04:05.retailer is feeling the squeeze. From a �30 spend, about �18 of that
:04:05. > :04:14.goes in tax and VAT. About �12 to the oil company. We get about a
:04:14. > :04:22.pound, and that's the pay all of our staff, heats, lights, et cetera.
:04:22. > :04:24.Selling fuel is a multi-billion- pound business. The likely
:04:24. > :04:28.counterargument from the supermarkets will be that the price
:04:28. > :04:31.at the pump is not just made up of their own contribution. A large
:04:31. > :04:36.part of it is for Government taxes and, indeed, the oil companies have
:04:36. > :04:40.been saying for a number of years now that they run the forecourts at
:04:40. > :04:45.marginal profit or even, depending on the price, at a loss. This is
:04:45. > :04:48.just a short fact-finding review, but it could ultimately lead to a
:04:49. > :04:53.formal investigation and fines if the industry is found to be
:04:53. > :04:58.breaking competition laws. Now, all this may not ultimately
:04:58. > :05:03.lead to cheaper prices down the line, but it could help the push
:05:03. > :05:07.for more transparency, and that's the key to this whole debate. It's
:05:07. > :05:11.certainly been happening in several other European countries. We'll
:05:11. > :05:17.find out the outcome here at the start of 2013. George?
:05:17. > :05:22.Emma, thank you. David Cameron has apointed the former head of the
:05:22. > :05:25.financial watchdog Howard Davis to lead a commission to look at
:05:25. > :05:29.airport capacity in the UK but the move has failed to dampen the row
:05:29. > :05:33.about what to do about Heathrow. In the last hour Boris Johnson has
:05:33. > :05:36.described the commission as a fudge. The continuing row over Heathrow
:05:36. > :05:42.comes as the new-look Cabinet met for the first time. Our political
:05:43. > :05:45.editor reports from Westminster. Didn't you used to be Transport
:05:45. > :05:49.Secretary? There was plenty for the Cabinet's new team to talk about at
:05:49. > :05:53.their first meeting, since more than half of them changed their
:05:53. > :05:57.jobs. Every department around this table - everyone around this table
:05:57. > :06:01.is actually involved in the effort to deal with getting the deficit
:06:01. > :06:04.down and the economy moving. Every department is an economic
:06:04. > :06:07.department. Every Minister has been told that the time for dithering is
:06:07. > :06:11.at an end. It's time now for delivery. With that we should get
:06:11. > :06:15.down to business. Sometimes getting down to business is easier said
:06:15. > :06:20.than done, and nothing proves that more than the brewing row about
:06:20. > :06:26.where to build new airport capacity. That's one reason there is a new
:06:26. > :06:29.Transport Secretary. Because, unlike the old one,
:06:29. > :06:33.Patrick McLoughlin is not committed to opposing the expansion of
:06:33. > :06:37.Heathrow - unlike, that is, a rather more famous Tory. Politician
:06:38. > :06:41.of the year, Boris Johnson. Last night, hours after condemning the
:06:41. > :06:46.reshuffle, the Mayor of London was picking up a gong and lapping up
:06:46. > :06:48.the applause, but on the morning after the night before, he was
:06:48. > :06:56.uncharacteristically tongue tied. Downing Street is very cross
:06:56. > :07:02.because they say I'm, you know, criticising - I'm not criticising
:07:02. > :07:05.David, who I like and admire hugely. At the moment, a lot of people
:07:05. > :07:08.think that there's going to be a U- turn and that they're sort of
:07:08. > :07:13.gearing up to ditch the commitment against the third runway.
:07:13. > :07:17.business is telling the Government that the skies over Britain should
:07:17. > :07:20.be filled with more planes, which allow them to do more business
:07:20. > :07:25.abroad, and yet guess what - David Cameron, who unveiled the
:07:25. > :07:29.Ministerial team that wouldn't dither has now decided to set up an
:07:29. > :07:33.independent commission on whether to build a new airport or a new
:07:33. > :07:38.runway at Heathrow. The man who will chair it is Howard
:07:38. > :07:41.Davis, former head of the business lobby group the CBI. He'll produce
:07:41. > :07:45.his thoughts next year, but a final report after the election. There's
:07:45. > :07:48.a good reason for that. This row isn't just about planes and the
:07:48. > :07:55.economy. It's about political promises. This is what David
:07:55. > :08:00.Cameron said before we voted: "No third runway at Heathrow. No
:08:00. > :08:03.if's, no, but's." Order. Broken promises was exactly
:08:03. > :08:06.what the Labour leader asked the Prime Minister about at his first
:08:06. > :08:09.opportunity since the summer. the last two-and-a-half years,
:08:09. > :08:13.we've seen announcements on infrastructure failed,
:08:13. > :08:18.announcements on housing failed, announcements on planning failed.
:08:18. > :08:21.Now, what's the reason for this economic failure? The reason is
:08:21. > :08:25.that his fundamental economic approach is wrong. What has he done
:08:25. > :08:29.over the summer? Where are the policies on welfare? Nothing. Where
:08:29. > :08:34.are the policies on education? Nothing. Where is the great plan
:08:34. > :08:39.for our economy? His only answer to a debt crisis is to spend more,
:08:39. > :08:43.borrow more and put up the debt. The new Cabinet may be able to
:08:43. > :08:47.unite around an independent review of where to build a new airport or
:08:47. > :08:50.runway, but tonight Boris Johnson warned the new Transport Secretary
:08:50. > :08:59.and Number Ten - it was a fudge which will cost British business
:08:59. > :09:04.dear. Northern Ireland's First Minister
:09:04. > :09:09.has made his first public comments on three nights of violence in
:09:09. > :09:13.Belfast. Peter Robinson he'd been working behind the scenes stop the
:09:13. > :09:17.rioting. Three police officers were injured last night. Our Northern
:09:17. > :09:21.Ireland correspondent reports. Day three of the North Belfast
:09:21. > :09:25.violence - it wasn't as bad as the first two night, but try telling
:09:25. > :09:30.that to these police officers - 65 have been injured this week, most
:09:30. > :09:33.of them by loyalists. There is a long history of trouble here.
:09:34. > :09:37.Police have been trying to keep rival Loyalists and republicans
:09:37. > :09:41.apart. Tensions were raised in July when a loyalist band was accused of
:09:41. > :09:45.playing a sectarian tune outside a Catholic Church. Politicians have
:09:45. > :09:47.tried, but failed, to stop this week's trouble, and questions have
:09:47. > :09:52.been asked about Northern Ireland's First Minister, but today, he hit
:09:52. > :09:59.back. It is inaccurate to suggest that I'd done nothing when I spent
:09:59. > :10:02.the last few days in discussions with people from North Belfast - is
:10:02. > :10:07.clearly inaccurate, and I'm content to leave it there, and I think we
:10:07. > :10:13.should move on. More talks took place today to try to defuse the
:10:13. > :10:18.situation. The main issue discussed was parades. There are hundreds of
:10:18. > :10:24.marches every year - most of them pass off peacefully. An independent
:10:24. > :10:28.body, The Parades Commission, deals with any disputes, and it has the
:10:28. > :10:33.power to stop or reroute marches. Loyalists claim the commission is
:10:33. > :10:36.biased against them, and they want it scrapped. Loyalist community
:10:36. > :10:40.worker Winston Irvine says the fact that the parades issue is now at
:10:40. > :10:44.least being discussed is progress and could help to stop the violence.
:10:45. > :10:48.Well, I think there is what can only be described as an uneasy calm.
:10:48. > :10:51.There is still a lot of resentment, and there are issues that still
:10:51. > :10:56.need to be resolved, but I think we can bring about a peaceful
:10:56. > :11:00.situation, and hopefully, we can move the situation forward.
:11:00. > :11:04.next major parade in North Belfast is in three weeks' time, and the
:11:04. > :11:08.march is due to pass the flash point area. It has the potential to
:11:08. > :11:12.make a bad situation here even worse, and it means that
:11:12. > :11:16.politicians are not just trying to stop this week's violence, but make
:11:16. > :11:21.sure more trouble doesn't break out later this month. Tonight, all is
:11:21. > :11:31.quiet at the trouble spot. It's even attracting tourists, but the
:11:31. > :11:34.
:11:34. > :11:38.police are not far away - just in case.
:11:38. > :11:40.The Paralympic cyclist Sarah Storey has won her third gold medal at the
:11:40. > :11:43.London games with a resounding victory in her women's time-trial
:11:43. > :11:45.at Brands Hatch. As our sports correspondent Andy Swiss reports,
:11:45. > :11:48.she's now just one medal away from equalling Baroness Tanni Grey
:11:48. > :11:51.Thompson's 11 Paralympic titles. A glorious day in Brands Hatch, but
:11:51. > :11:55.would it be another glorious one for British cycling? After the
:11:55. > :11:59.success in the Velodrome, the fans now flocked to the road racing and
:11:59. > :12:03.another chance to cheer one of the biggest stars these Games have seen.
:12:04. > :12:09.Sarah Storey was defending champion in the time trial - 16 kilometres
:12:09. > :12:14.against the clock, and again storey Storey was unstoppable. She
:12:14. > :12:19.chargeds around the course some 94 seconds faster than her rival, a
:12:19. > :12:22.huge margin of victory. It is just the latest highlight of an
:12:22. > :12:25.extraordinary career. She started off as a swimmer. She was just 14
:12:25. > :12:29.when she made her Paralympic debut, and she went on to win five gold
:12:29. > :12:33.medals in the pool, but an ear infection forced her to switch to
:12:33. > :12:36.cycling with equally impressive results - five more golds, ten now
:12:36. > :12:40.in total, just one off the British record. Her brother Simon told me
:12:40. > :12:45.it's the result of years of dedication. She's an incredibly
:12:45. > :12:49.driven person even when she started swimming 20 years ago, you could
:12:49. > :12:52.tell she had a passion for it. She trained every day. She always
:12:52. > :12:55.wanted to train harder and longer than anybody else. This is one of
:12:55. > :12:59.the few Paralympic events you can watch without a ticket. The course
:12:59. > :13:03.extends from Brands Hatch out here on to the surrounding roads, and
:13:03. > :13:11.lots of fans have come here hoping to see more British success. They
:13:11. > :13:16.got it too. Just three years ago Mark Colbourne broke his back in a
:13:16. > :13:20.paragliding accident. Today he raced to a silver but perhaps the
:13:20. > :13:24.most poignant man went to this man. Once a Formula One driver, he lost
:13:24. > :13:28.both legs in an accident. Today he returned to Brands Hatch, a motor
:13:28. > :13:31.racing circuit, and won his hand cycling event. It capped a day of
:13:31. > :13:37.golden moments - Storey with another race tomorrow, will be
:13:37. > :13:41.hoping it's not her last. And at the Olympic Park there was
:13:41. > :13:44.no rest for double gold medallist David Weir. He was back in the
:13:44. > :13:49.stadium after winning last night's 1500m race to compete in the 800m
:13:49. > :13:52.heat. Spectators got their first glimpse of wheelchair rugby,
:13:52. > :13:59.nicknamed "murderball." and Ollie Hynd has just won a goal in the
:13:59. > :14:02.pool. James Pearce has been keeping up with the action.
:14:02. > :14:06.Representing Great Britain, David Weir. David Weir is having the week
:14:06. > :14:11.of his life. This morning he received his gold medal for last
:14:11. > :14:18.night's 1500m in front of a full stadium and under gloriously sunny
:14:18. > :14:22.skies. Right now, everything is going right for him. Qualifying for
:14:22. > :14:26.tomorrow evening's 800m final was a breeze. Nobody could get close to
:14:26. > :14:30.him. He's currently on course for four gold medals - two already
:14:30. > :14:34.secured, and he still has this event and a marathon. And that was
:14:34. > :14:39.just so, so impressive. Here's one sport that's not for the faint
:14:39. > :14:42.hearted - the London 2012 debut of wheelchair rugby - no need to
:14:43. > :14:46.explain why it's nicknamed murderball.
:14:46. > :14:50.Wheelchair rugby is a sport that not many people in the UK have ever
:14:50. > :14:54.seen before, but look at the interest it's already generated.
:14:55. > :15:00.Here in front of the big screen in the park, it's absolutely packed -
:15:00. > :15:05.people as far as you can see. Paralympics G had a tough start to
:15:05. > :15:12.the competition up against a defending champions the USA. The
:15:12. > :15:15.home team worked hard, but still went down to a 56-44 defeat.
:15:15. > :15:19.Ollie Hynd has a degenerative condition which severely weakens
:15:19. > :15:23.his leg, but at the age of 17, he's already established himself as one
:15:23. > :15:28.of the world's best Paralympic swimmers.
:15:28. > :15:33.Ollie Hynd digs in. Tonight he has become a gold medallist for the
:15:33. > :15:40.first time winning the 200m in the Now let's have at look at the medal
:15:40. > :15:43.table. China still leads by a long way with 54 golds. Paralympics GB
:15:43. > :15:47.are second with 25 golds and 86 medals in total. Russia are just
:15:48. > :15:51.behind on 24 golds. And there's more on the Paralympics on our
:15:51. > :16:01.website. The schedule of events, Britain's prospects and the
:16:01. > :16:02.
:16:02. > :16:05.Our top story tonight: UK fuel prices in the spotlight.
:16:05. > :16:15.The trading watchdog will look at whether motorists are paying too
:16:15. > :16:17.
:16:17. > :16:27.Can Michelle Obama convince women voters to back her husband for a
:16:27. > :16:29.
:16:29. > :16:35.The financial watchdog calls for a clampdown on the commission paid
:16:35. > :16:42.for selling financial products and make-or-break time for Nokia as
:16:42. > :16:45.they pin their hopes on a new phone Scientists have published the most
:16:45. > :16:51.detailed study yet of the human genome, the blueprint that makes us
:16:51. > :16:54.who we are. It's the work of 400 researchers in 32 laboratories in
:16:54. > :16:57.five countries including Britain. Our medical correspondent Fergus
:16:57. > :17:07.Walsh visited the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, the home of
:17:07. > :17:07.
:17:07. > :17:11.British genetics, and sent this It is 12 years since the first
:17:11. > :17:16.draft of the Human Genome was published and made a global fanfare.
:17:16. > :17:22.And scientists here decoded more of it than anywhere else. But it was
:17:23. > :17:28.just the start. A human genome is one person's complete set of DNA.
:17:28. > :17:35.Arranged in pairs, along a spiral shape, the famous double helix, it
:17:35. > :17:39.is a chemical coat of just four letters. Act G. It amounts to an
:17:39. > :17:43.instruction manual for how our bodies work. A decade ago there was
:17:43. > :17:48.a breakthrough. Scientists map the entire genetic code for the first
:17:48. > :17:55.time. But it was mostly in a language we had yet to learn. Now
:17:55. > :18:01.there has been a giant leap in our understanding of what it all means.
:18:01. > :18:07.It has been a huge challenge. Inside each cell are 3 billion
:18:07. > :18:12.pairs of coat. Most of the focus today has been on small sections of
:18:12. > :18:18.DNA cord jeans, which contain the instructions for which chemicals,
:18:18. > :18:22.proteins, each cell should produce but those genes make up just 2% of
:18:22. > :18:27.the genome, much of the rest was a mystery and sometimes even called
:18:27. > :18:32.junk DNA, because no one was sure what it did. Now scientists writing
:18:32. > :18:39.in the journal Nature have around 80% of our genome has a specific
:18:39. > :18:45.function. Different sections of DNA are active in our organs and
:18:45. > :18:49.specialist sales, and they have begun to understand how that works.
:18:49. > :18:53.They had discovered hour genome is like a giant control panel, packed
:18:53. > :19:01.with switches in the honour off position. The scientists identified
:19:01. > :19:05.a staggering 4 million of them and they're often in order places for
:19:05. > :19:10.example a DNA switch and the heart muscle gene it regulates may be a
:19:10. > :19:12.long distance apart on the genome. Many of those that is are linked to
:19:12. > :19:18.changes of risk in disease will for all sorts of diseases, heart
:19:18. > :19:21.disease, diabetes, mental illness also all the researchers, studying
:19:21. > :19:25.those different diseases, have a completely new world to explore and
:19:25. > :19:30.those will lead to avenues of research and maybe new treatments
:19:30. > :19:34.in the future. Aside from the Human genome will take many more decades
:19:34. > :19:42.but the better it is understood, the more scientists will know why
:19:42. > :19:46.our bodies malfunction and how to keep us healthy.
:19:46. > :19:51.The Crown Prosecution Service has announced a couple who shot
:19:51. > :19:54.intruders will not face charges. Andy and Tracey Ferrie were
:19:54. > :19:58.arrested at the farm, in Welby, after telling police they had fired
:19:58. > :20:05.a legally-held shotgun at the group of burglars. No one was seriously
:20:05. > :20:08.injured. One man has pleaded guilty to the burglary.
:20:08. > :20:11.The insurance group, Direct Line, which is part of RBS, has announced
:20:11. > :20:14.plans to cut almost 900 jobs. The proposals include closing an office
:20:14. > :20:17.in Stockton-on-Tees, where 500 staff are based. In total, Direct
:20:17. > :20:20.Line employs 15,000 people across the UK.
:20:20. > :20:23.The inquest into the death of Lance Corporal Christopher Roney, who was
:20:23. > :20:27.killed in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2009, has heard
:20:27. > :20:32.from other British soldiers. They have been describing the moment
:20:32. > :20:40.they came under heavy fire from US Apache helicopters. Our
:20:40. > :20:45.correspondent Ed Thomas reports from Sunderland. Christopher Roney
:20:45. > :20:51.was devoted to his newborn son before he was killed on his first
:20:51. > :20:57.Tour of Afghanistan. The 23-year- old was stationed here, the most
:20:57. > :21:02.dangerous part of the country. In December 2009, his patrol base was
:21:02. > :21:06.attacked by insurgents. The coroner heard how two heavily armed
:21:06. > :21:10.American Apache helicopters were sent to assist the platoon. The
:21:10. > :21:14.idea of what the pilots could see below was sent back to HQ but
:21:14. > :21:20.watching in a control room observers decided this patrol based
:21:20. > :21:24.was a Taliban compound and ordered the Apache pilots to attack. 200
:21:24. > :21:30.rounds were fired before they realised their mistake. 11 soldiers
:21:30. > :21:33.were wounded. Lance-corporal Christopher Roney died a day later.
:21:33. > :21:43.Alexander swim home was in the patrol base when the patches opened
:21:43. > :21:50.
:21:50. > :21:53.The coroner said there were sites inside the base which would have
:21:53. > :21:57.worn the pilots not to open fire. In these pictures taken after the
:21:57. > :22:02.attack, you can see a washing line with British Army uniforms on. The
:22:02. > :22:07.American Apache cruise were not given and didn't ask for the exact
:22:07. > :22:11.location of the patrol base. And there had been bad communication.
:22:11. > :22:15.The coroner also heard from rifleman Denver Freddie, here
:22:15. > :22:20.walking at the back. He said they were not given any notice the
:22:20. > :22:24.Apaches were about to fire and he thought he was going to die. Lance
:22:24. > :22:27.corporal Christopher Roney's inquest will finish on Friday.
:22:27. > :22:30.The man who was Colonel Gaddafi's intelligence chief has been handed
:22:31. > :22:34.over to the Libyan authorities. Abdullah al-Senussi fled Libya
:22:34. > :22:37.after last year's uprising that toppled Colonel Gaddafi. He was
:22:37. > :22:40.sent to Tripoli from Mauritania where he was arrested six months
:22:40. > :22:47.ago. He'll face trial for crimes allegedly committed during his time
:22:47. > :22:49.as Gaddafi's right-hand man. Scotland's First Minister, Alex
:22:49. > :22:53.Salmond, has carried out his biggest reshuffle since taking
:22:53. > :22:56.office five years ago. Mr Salmond's deputy Nicola Sturgeon is leaving
:22:56. > :22:58.her role as Health Secretary to take up a new post which will
:22:58. > :23:05.include responsibility for the independence referendum planned for
:23:05. > :23:15.autumn 2014. Our Scotland Correspondent, Lorna Gordon, is at
:23:15. > :23:15.
:23:15. > :23:19.Holyrood for us now. So Lorna, what can we read into all of this?
:23:19. > :23:24.think this is a significant reshuffle. It is the positioning
:23:24. > :23:30.key people in that push ahead of that referendum on independence,
:23:30. > :23:35.which looks likely to take place in a little over two years' time. Alex
:23:35. > :23:39.Salmond is moving his most trusted lieutenant, Nicola Sturgeon, from
:23:39. > :23:45.health into the new role of Cabinet Secretary for infrastructure,
:23:45. > :23:51.Investment. She will have two key roles. Spear heading the Scottish
:23:51. > :23:55.government's programme for economic recovery and a second role,
:23:55. > :23:59.Minister for independence. She really is seen as an extremely
:23:59. > :24:04.capable politician and also a highly respected politician, not
:24:05. > :24:10.just by her own party but also from opposition politicians here in
:24:10. > :24:13.Edinburgh. One other key move is Alex Neil, will take over her role.
:24:14. > :24:16.Lorna, thank you very much. With just two months to go until the US
:24:16. > :24:19.presidential election, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, has offered a
:24:19. > :24:21.spirited defence of her husband's record. Addressing the Democratic
:24:21. > :24:26.Party convention, she acknowledged that bringing about change was hard
:24:26. > :24:32.and slow. But she insisted Barack Obama understood the struggles of
:24:32. > :24:42.the American people. The speech was especially targeted at women voters.
:24:42. > :24:48.
:24:48. > :24:52.Our correspondent Steve Kingstone A show of sister had from Democrats.
:24:52. > :25:02.There unmistakable message, we are the party of women whose votes in
:25:02. > :25:07.his election will outnumber those of men. Pitching for the boats, the
:25:08. > :25:12.woman who calls herself Americas mum In Chief. I can honestly say,
:25:12. > :25:17.when it comes to his character and convictions and his heart, Barack
:25:17. > :25:23.Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago
:25:23. > :25:28.because, for him, success is not about how much money you make. It's
:25:28. > :25:34.about the difference you making people's lives. Back at the White
:25:34. > :25:37.House, he was watching with the couple's daughters. Democrats are
:25:37. > :25:41.presenting and packaging Michelle Obama as a thoroughly modern
:25:41. > :25:44.American woman. Someone who has at Career Success, and raised a family.
:25:44. > :25:50.Someone who understands the struggles of the middle class,
:25:50. > :25:55.because that's where she comes from. The same cannot be said of the
:25:55. > :26:03.family of Mitt Romney. He's worth $200 million and once joked his
:26:03. > :26:06.wife and a couple of cataracts. love women. But she brings to Rome
:26:06. > :26:10.* powerful that a survivor of breast cancer, she energised the
:26:11. > :26:15.Republican convention with a more traditional appeal to women. We are
:26:15. > :26:22.the mothers, we are the wides, we are the Grand mothers, we are the
:26:22. > :26:25.big sisters, we are the Little Sisters and we are the daughters.
:26:25. > :26:30.So on the North Carolina you go mad, how do the mothers, daughters and
:26:30. > :26:35.wives of America feel about the way both parties are courting them?
:26:35. > :26:40.think it's important, as women, we let our voices be heard. The woman
:26:40. > :26:45.is all was behind the man and what they do represents what is going to
:26:45. > :26:51.happen in the future if elected President. Back in the hall, the
:26:52. > :26:57.reception spoke volumes. She is the most popular woman in America and
:26:57. > :27:01.this desperately close race is now a team effort.
:27:01. > :27:05.It is looking good out there. Let's take a look at the weather
:27:05. > :27:15.now with Jon Hammond. It would appear summer is back for a second
:27:15. > :27:18.term at least. Plenty of sunshine Across the bulk of the UK it will
:27:18. > :27:24.stay dry and find it but the far north of Scotland will turn cloudy
:27:24. > :27:29.and wet and windy. Further south, though, clear and cold couples will
:27:29. > :27:35.in urban spots, down to 10 degrees but in rural areas, down to four.
:27:35. > :27:39.Fog patches, too. For most of us tomorrow, another stunner. By stark
:27:39. > :27:47.contrast for Scotland, some pretty wet weather around, particularly in
:27:47. > :27:53.the north and west of Scotland. Wet and windy. Met Office warnings are
:27:53. > :27:58.in. A bright start formal Ireland. Patchy, I cloud for them but for
:27:58. > :28:03.most of England and Wales, a sunny day. It will stay that way. There
:28:03. > :28:08.will be a bit of all around. Most likely in river valleys where there
:28:08. > :28:12.are most year. In the Severn Valley, we could see some fog but it will
:28:12. > :28:18.lift. Lots of sunshine to come. For Northern Ireland, it will cloud
:28:18. > :28:23.over but the thick cloud and rain will spread across most of Scotland.
:28:23. > :28:29.Strong winds. Things should brighten up at the end, as well. 22
:28:29. > :28:32.degrees inevitably. The weather front response was edging further
:28:32. > :28:38.south so some dampness for northern England and Northern Ireland, but
:28:38. > :28:43.it should go northwards again. The sunshine will win through. Most
:28:43. > :28:46.parts of UK can look through to sunshine for the weekend. Further
:28:46. > :28:52.north and west, though, increasingly cloudy with some
:28:52. > :28:54.A reminder of tonight's main news. UK fuel prices in the spotlight.