:00:07. > :00:11.Hundreds of schoolchildren are feared dead as a ferry capsizes off
:00:12. > :00:20.the coast of South Korea. The ship quickly began to sink. It was mostly
:00:21. > :00:23.carrying children on a school trip. Rescuers pulled passengers off the
:00:24. > :00:28.ship as the waters rose. Survivors tell of confusion on board.
:00:29. > :00:33.TRANSLATION: The announcement told us that we should stay still, but
:00:34. > :00:36.the ship was already thinking. Desperate relatives wait for news as
:00:37. > :00:39.rescuers continue to hunt in the darkness for any survivors. We're
:00:40. > :00:44.live at the scene in South Korea to bring you the latest. Also tonight:
:00:45. > :00:49.For the first time in four years, wages are rising faster than prices,
:00:50. > :00:53.and unemployment's falling, too. Ukrainian jets patrol the skies in
:00:54. > :00:55.the east of the country, but on the ground there are reports Ukrainian
:00:56. > :00:59.soldiers have abandoned their armoured vehicles to pro-Russians.
:01:00. > :01:02.For the first time, all primary school children in England have
:01:03. > :01:08.found out on the same day if they've got into their first choice of
:01:09. > :01:11.school. And Royal touchdown in Australia as
:01:12. > :01:13.a poll shows the Will, Kate and George factor has increased support
:01:14. > :01:17.for the monarchy there. Tonight on BBC London: An anxious
:01:18. > :01:20.wait for parents as 20,000 miss out on their first choice primary
:01:21. > :01:25.school. And the capital gets its own domain
:01:26. > :01:43.name. From today you can apply for your own .london web address.
:01:44. > :01:48.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. A ferry carrying
:01:49. > :01:53.hundreds of schoolchildren has capsized and sunk off the coast of
:01:54. > :02:02.South Korea. 164 people have been rescued, but now 18 hours on almost
:02:03. > :02:04.300 are still missing. Five are confirmed dead. That number is
:02:05. > :02:07.expected to rise considerably. Teams of divers are working in darkness
:02:08. > :02:10.now to find any more survivors. Almost two thirds of those on board
:02:11. > :02:13.were schoolchildren who boarded the overnight ferry at Incheon for a
:02:14. > :02:17.14-hour journey to the tourist island of Jeju. Three hours from its
:02:18. > :02:21.destination, distress calls were made and the ferry sank near Jindo.
:02:22. > :02:28.Our correspondent Lucy Williamson is there. Lucy. This has all the
:02:29. > :02:34.makings of a desperate tragedy. What is the latest? We have been talking
:02:35. > :02:38.to some of the parents here in this coastal town tonight. They are very
:02:39. > :02:41.angry. They say the ferry should not have been allowed to leave port at
:02:42. > :02:45.all because the weather conditions were too bad. That's something the
:02:46. > :02:54.Coast Guard has said to us is not true. Some of those on board have
:02:55. > :02:58.said they felt a big thud before the ship began to list. That is
:02:59. > :03:02.something that the investigators will be focusing on once all the
:03:03. > :03:07.passengers are accounted for, and we are a long way off that yet.
:03:08. > :03:13.12 miles of the South Korean coast, the first clips of this disaster. A
:03:14. > :03:18.ferry full of schoolchildren slowly sinking in the sea. By the time
:03:19. > :03:25.rescue boats arrived, several floors were already underwater. One by one,
:03:26. > :03:32.they climbed out of cabin windows, each rescue a small victory. Down
:03:33. > :03:38.below, others waited in the water for rescue. They had jumped into the
:03:39. > :03:45.sea to survive. They were the lucky ones. The speed and scale of this
:03:46. > :03:48.disaster was no match for rescuers. With hundreds of passengers still
:03:49. > :03:57.trapped inside, the ship began to sink. An hour later, only this
:03:58. > :04:01.remained. Dry land brought warmth and comfort for survivors, and the
:04:02. > :04:07.first stories of what had happened. The schoolchildren, said one, had
:04:08. > :04:12.done exactly what they were told. TRANSLATION: The announcement told
:04:13. > :04:14.us we should stay still, but the ship was already sinking, and there
:04:15. > :04:20.were a lot of students who didn't get out of the ship.
:04:21. > :04:23.This video, apparently filmed by a survivor, seems to show the
:04:24. > :04:31.passengers in life jackets waiting patiently on board. For those now
:04:32. > :04:36.reunited with their families, the horror of what might have been is
:04:37. > :04:41.already fading. For others, it's the hope that is ebbing away. Tonight,
:04:42. > :04:45.this list of survivors is what divides families. Hundreds of
:04:46. > :04:49.parents have been scanning these boards, searching for their
:04:50. > :04:55.children's names. Most of them are not here. Here in the town's
:04:56. > :04:59.gymnasium tonight, the stillness of those still waiting masks deep
:05:00. > :05:07.anger. Families here say they want more information, and fewer
:05:08. > :05:10.mistakes. TRANSLATION: Here, no one is organising the information that
:05:11. > :05:13.is being given to us, and not knowing what is happening is
:05:14. > :05:24.increasing the pain of the big Tims' families. To -- victims'
:05:25. > :05:27.families. Tonight, the search continues for South Korea's missing
:05:28. > :05:32.children. Until they find them, few will sleep. Eight U.S. Navy ship is
:05:33. > :05:36.now on its way to help with the search, but there is no news yet
:05:37. > :05:40.from the rescue teams behind me, and bad weather is predicted for
:05:41. > :05:43.tomorrow. Lucy Williamson in Jindo, thank you.
:05:44. > :05:46.For the first time in four years, wages are rising faster than prices.
:05:47. > :05:48.There's only 0.1% of a difference between them, but coupled with
:05:49. > :05:51.falling unemployment figures, the Government says it's evidence that
:05:52. > :05:54.its policies are working - but there's much more to do. Our
:05:55. > :06:01.economics correspondent Hugh Pym has more.
:06:02. > :06:07.It has been a major issue. Pay growth lagging prices. Now, wage
:06:08. > :06:11.rises including bonuses have caught up with inflation for the first time
:06:12. > :06:18.since 2010. The annual figure for the three months to February was
:06:19. > :06:22.1.7%, and inflation was 1.6. Here is one of the main reasons. The economy
:06:23. > :06:32.is gathering speed. Companies like this one RX banding, and that is
:06:33. > :06:37.better news for wages. This firm supplies kitchen worktops and
:06:38. > :06:42.flooring, but only now is the Oscar starting to offer pay rises. We want
:06:43. > :06:45.to retain the excellent staff we already have, and the state of the
:06:46. > :06:50.economy is now allowing us to pay higher wage, whereas a couple of
:06:51. > :06:54.years ago, it would have been difficult. Lynn, who runs the
:06:55. > :07:02.office, says managing her family budget should now be a bit easier, .
:07:03. > :07:06.Just having that little bit more potentially in your pocket means
:07:07. > :07:11.that maybe you can do something with the children that you couldn't have
:07:12. > :07:16.done a couple of years ago. Maybe you can go out for a few more days
:07:17. > :07:20.here and there. On paper, the long squeeze on spending power is over.
:07:21. > :07:23.The news was welcomed by ministers, but with an acknowledgement it would
:07:24. > :07:28.be awhile before the recovery complete.
:07:29. > :07:32.There is still a very long way to go to ensure that our economy is fully
:07:33. > :07:35.recovered and living standards are growing in a sustainable way, which
:07:36. > :07:39.is why we have to stick to the plan that we have laid out which has got
:07:40. > :07:44.us this far in terms of economic growth. But Labour argued that, for
:07:45. > :07:49.many, but cost of living problem had not gone away. There is still an
:07:50. > :07:52.awful lot more to do to tackle rising prices, particularly gas and
:07:53. > :07:57.electricity bills, and making sure that wages start to increase,
:07:58. > :07:59.particularly for those people in part-time jobs or zero hours
:08:00. > :08:07.contracts who are struggling to make ends meet. The latest wages figures
:08:08. > :08:10.come along with all the data on the jobs market. Unemployment has
:08:11. > :08:14.dropped below 7% of the workforce, and the number signing on job
:08:15. > :08:20.centres is at its lowest since November 2008. Finding a job can
:08:21. > :08:23.take time. Jacqueline from Belfast who has been out of the workforce
:08:24. > :08:28.from while because of ill-health is having to new skills. There are so
:08:29. > :08:33.many opportunities now, but you have to be very determined. You have to
:08:34. > :08:37.maintain your determination, and you can't lose your focus. In Northern
:08:38. > :08:44.Ireland as well as Scotland, unemployment rose slightly, showing
:08:45. > :08:47.there are varying experiences around the UK's labour market.
:08:48. > :08:51.And our deputy political editor James Landale joins me. James, a
:08:52. > :08:57.significant day. Is the government crowing?
:08:58. > :09:00.Certainly not. Clearly the idea of wages rising faster than prices is
:09:01. > :09:03.good news for the coalition, but what has been striking today is how
:09:04. > :09:08.farming it does have gone to not declare victory. They know that many
:09:09. > :09:17.people are still feeling the pinch and they don't want to be accused of
:09:18. > :09:21.complacency. Clearly now the squeeze on spending power is beginning to
:09:22. > :09:25.come to an end, and what has been interesting is how Labour have
:09:26. > :09:28.responded to that. They say that the cost of living crisis is still
:09:29. > :09:33.there, to use their language. They said that in 2015, people will still
:09:34. > :09:37.be worse off than they were in 2010. But they are also trying to change
:09:38. > :09:40.the debate, and saying that cost of living is not just about wages and
:09:41. > :09:44.prices, it is also about job insecurity and have fairly the
:09:45. > :09:49.benefits of the economic growth are spread. So there are two challenges.
:09:50. > :09:53.Labour have to think of something new to say about the economy, and
:09:54. > :09:57.the Conservatives have to find a way of benefiting politically from all
:09:58. > :10:03.this economic news, because at the moment, they are not.
:10:04. > :10:08.James Landale, thank you. NATO says it is reinforcing its
:10:09. > :10:16.military borders in the face of what it calls Russia's military forcing
:10:17. > :10:20.Ukraine. In the eastern town of Ukraine, a Ukrainian convoy was
:10:21. > :10:28.brought to a halt by anti-government separatists. Daniel Sandford is in
:10:29. > :10:31.done yet for us. Today has been an extraordinary day,
:10:32. > :10:36.where many armoured vehicles with orders not to shoot tried again to
:10:37. > :10:42.exert some sort of authority here in Ukraine's rebellious East. But we
:10:43. > :10:47.watched as the pro-Russian gun men and their supporters in the towns
:10:48. > :10:52.and villages did everything they could to prevent it.
:10:53. > :10:56.Since first light, armoured vehicles loyal to the Government in Kiev have
:10:57. > :11:01.been manoeuvring through East in Ukraine. But time and again, they
:11:02. > :11:05.were foiled by rebellious villagers. These vehicles tried to
:11:06. > :11:09.get to the local airfield but were stopped by people who were upset by
:11:10. > :11:13.what had been branded an anti-terrorism operation.
:11:14. > :11:21.TRANSLATION: Do I look like a terrorist? I have just been planting
:11:22. > :11:26.onions. Attack helicopters went overhead,
:11:27. > :11:31.and even fighter jets, but in the end, the soldiers had to give up.
:11:32. > :11:37.And so, blockaded by the villagers, the armoured personnel carriers are
:11:38. > :11:39.having to turn around and find another way through what is becoming
:11:40. > :11:50.increasingly hostile territory. In some places, there were
:11:51. > :11:55.scuffles, and even the occasional gunshot. But it was largely
:11:56. > :12:00.peaceful. These soldiers found themselves locked in, and were
:12:01. > :12:03.forced to surrender. Their vehicles, now under a Russian flag,
:12:04. > :12:11.Wood driven in triumph to the anti-government stronghold. The
:12:12. > :12:14.captured army personnel carriers are now on display here as trophies in
:12:15. > :12:21.the very centre of the most rebellious town. Round the corner,
:12:22. > :12:26.we found one of the captors, who described the surrender.
:12:27. > :12:31.It was peaceful, without any shooting. Now they are having some
:12:32. > :12:45.food and a wash because they were hungry and dirty. Just 20 yards away
:12:46. > :12:51.in the Park, after weeks of being bombarded by Russian propaganda,
:12:52. > :12:56.many people fear their own troops. TRANSLATION: I am worried about the
:12:57. > :12:59.helicopters and planes flying overhead. I am worried that the Kiev
:13:00. > :13:05.government said that against peaceful citizens. As government
:13:06. > :13:10.troops reinforced their airfield, NATO said it was strengthening its
:13:11. > :13:12.forces in Eastern Europe, while the Ukrainian prime minister claims
:13:13. > :13:17.Russia is erecting a new Berlin Wall. Tomorrow's talks in Geneva
:13:18. > :13:19.take place with relations between Russia and the West at their worst
:13:20. > :13:32.since the end of the Cold War. Let's have a look at some of the
:13:33. > :13:34.other stories making the news today. The former chairman of the
:13:35. > :13:38.Co-operative Bank, Paul Flowers, has been charged with possession of
:13:39. > :13:41.class A and class C drugs. Mr Flowers stepped down as head of the
:13:42. > :13:44.bank last summer amid claims of illegal drug use and because of
:13:45. > :13:45.concerns about his expenses claims and the state of the bank's
:13:46. > :13:48.finances. Seven people have been taken to
:13:49. > :13:52.hospital after a collision involving five vehicles which blocked the M26
:13:53. > :13:55.in Kent. Two lorries, two cars and a box van were involved in the pile-up
:13:56. > :13:58.this morning. The crash closed the motorway in both directions, with
:13:59. > :13:59.police warning drivers that it will stay shut into this evening's rush
:14:00. > :14:13.hour. The former editor of the News of the
:14:14. > :14:16.World, Andy Coulson, said he knew nothing about phone hacking at his
:14:17. > :14:19.paper. Today he admitted he had listened to a hacked voice mail
:14:20. > :14:22.message, but only on one occasion, relating to the Home Secretary at
:14:23. > :14:24.the time, David Blunkett. Mr Coulson denies conspiring to hack phones and
:14:25. > :14:27.charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office. Tom
:14:28. > :14:29.Symons has more. How much did he know about phone
:14:30. > :14:35.hacking at the News of the World? Today, this was the big story in
:14:36. > :14:39.front of the Old Bailey jury, obtained in 2004 after hacking the
:14:40. > :14:46.former minister's voice mails. The reporter was Neville Thurlbeck.
:14:47. > :14:52.While he was on holiday in Italy, the reporter said that he called him
:14:53. > :14:56.saying that he had voice mails proving that David Blunkett was
:14:57. > :15:08.having an affair. I was quite angry about it.
:15:09. > :15:14.He said he returned to the UK, and in his office, Neville Thurlbeck
:15:15. > :15:18.laid some of the tapes to him. The only time that that happened, he
:15:19. > :15:24.said. Andy Coulson said he later visited Mr Blunkett to confront him.
:15:25. > :15:28.The jury heard a tape of the exchange. He didn't reveal that the
:15:29. > :15:33.paper had voice mails, but conceded that if he had, the police could
:15:34. > :15:39.have become involved. In 2006, the paper was worried that the story it
:15:40. > :15:42.was planning about Calum Best might be leaked. Mr Coulson sent an
:15:43. > :15:49.e-mail, do his phone, but today insisted he was talking about a
:15:50. > :15:52.reporter, asking for his phone records, and they didn't prove any
:15:53. > :15:55.leak. According to Andy Coulson, in 2002,
:15:56. > :16:01.phone hacking was just something that was gossiped about. Today, he
:16:02. > :16:05.said, he knew in 2004 a reporter had voice miles. But he didn't resign as
:16:06. > :16:14.editor in the wake of the phone hacking scandal until 2007.
:16:15. > :16:20.Andy Coulson denies three charges. It is just gone 6.15.
:16:21. > :16:24.Our top story this evening. Rescuers are searching for hundreds of
:16:25. > :16:30.people, many of them children, after a South Korean ferry capsized. And
:16:31. > :16:32.the alien invaders in our rivers and gardens putting our native wildlife
:16:33. > :16:35.at risk. Later on BBC London: The human
:16:36. > :16:38.remains found under a driveway in Purley close to an ancient Anglo
:16:39. > :16:41.Saxon burial site. And have you seen this hat? The
:16:42. > :16:43.little red bonnet that means so much to one mother who lost her premature
:16:44. > :16:54.daughter. It's Britain's biggest retailer,
:16:55. > :16:57.with more than 3000 stores in the UK, but today, Tesco announced that
:16:58. > :17:03.profits have fallen for the second year in a row and sales are down
:17:04. > :17:07.too. The figures showed a 6.9% drop in profits, to just over ?3 billion.
:17:08. > :17:09.The company's blaming the increasingly competitive market,
:17:10. > :17:18.with the rise of discounting stores like Aldi and Lidl. And it's piling
:17:19. > :17:22.pressure on chief executive Philip Clarke, but today he told the BBC
:17:23. > :17:26.he's determined to do what it takes to take to turn the business around.
:17:27. > :17:33.Here's our business editor Kamal Ahmed.
:17:34. > :17:37.After announcing poor results, Tesco has come out fighting today. The
:17:38. > :17:42.Chief Executive says he will spend more on cutting prices, a move which
:17:43. > :17:48.could be good for customers, if not for profits. He insists it is not a
:17:49. > :17:52.price war but the message is clear. You can never feel proud when you
:17:53. > :17:57.announce results which have profits going backwards. We still generate
:17:58. > :18:04.profits of over ?3 billion, it is an amazing business but in the middle
:18:05. > :18:10.of a big change. When you spend more than you have already put into price
:18:11. > :18:13.decreases? We will do whatever it takes for our customers to recognise
:18:14. > :18:20.the great value we will give them. If that means we have to spend
:18:21. > :18:24.more, we will spend more. Tesco has long enjoyed its position at the top
:18:25. > :18:31.of the retail tree. But here is a problem. I am on a high street in
:18:32. > :18:36.London. Two doors down is a 99p store. Further down the road is a
:18:37. > :18:43.little. The discount is on nibbling away at the big retailers. Wide you
:18:44. > :18:48.shop at Middle? Because you can get really good brands, popular
:18:49. > :18:53.products, obviously cheaper. Nothing against Lidl but it does seem to be
:18:54. > :18:58.more cheaper brands or the equivalent cheaper brands. I do not
:18:59. > :19:05.really tend to shop in places like that. In 1997, when Mr Clarke's
:19:06. > :19:11.predecessor took over Tesco, the business was worth just over ?7.7
:19:12. > :19:18.billion. Under him, the supermarket chain grew rapidly, reaching a peak
:19:19. > :19:22.with a value of over ?35.5 billion in 2007. But now with markets
:19:23. > :19:28.changing, the business is worth a lot less, the lowest value in over
:19:29. > :19:32.ten years. Investors are not quite calling for divine intervention but
:19:33. > :19:37.they are concerned at the speed of change. Mr Clarke still needs to
:19:38. > :19:41.prove himself. Investors are disappointed by what they have seen
:19:42. > :19:45.from Tesco. This is a business which is going through transition and is
:19:46. > :19:50.struggling with the competitive forces at play in the market.
:19:51. > :19:55.Although Tesco's results are poor, Mr Clarke has bought himself some
:19:56. > :20:00.time with his turnaround plan. Now customers will want to see an
:20:01. > :20:03.improvement in prices and investors an improvement in the supermarket
:20:04. > :20:06.performance. For the first time, parents in
:20:07. > :20:09.England have all found out on the same day if their children got into
:20:10. > :20:12.their first choice of primary school. Places have been under
:20:13. > :20:16.increasing pressure, with many schools struggling to keep pace with
:20:17. > :20:19.a rising birth rate. It's been a mixed picture.in one inner London
:20:20. > :20:22.borough only 60% got their first choice, but in one part of
:20:23. > :20:30.Lincolnshire it was over 97%, as our Education Correspondent Reeta
:20:31. > :20:34.Chakrabarti reports. Libby Thomas who lives in Bath has
:20:35. > :20:39.her hands full. Her twin baby boys are just a few weeks old and she had
:20:40. > :20:44.hoped to get her 40 rolled daughter Rosie into a good school. All her
:20:45. > :20:51.local schools were church schools and as a non-churchgoers she has
:20:52. > :20:56.ended up with her last choice. It is probably less than a 32nd walk from
:20:57. > :21:01.our front door to the school gates. The option we have been left with is
:21:02. > :21:07.over the other side of Bath so it is probably a 30 minute round trip in
:21:08. > :21:11.the car. She is not the only one to face disappointment today. With high
:21:12. > :21:16.birth rates and immigration, there were nearly 100,000 more primary
:21:17. > :21:22.school pupils last year. In some areas most got their first choice.
:21:23. > :21:35.In Cambridgeshire, it was 90%. In Bristol it was just 82%. Some areas
:21:36. > :21:37.have a surplus. Last year overall there were 430,000 places empty. For
:21:38. > :21:40.those enjoying the spring sunshine, it seemed every parent had a
:21:41. > :21:43.different experience. I found it fine. I did it online and this
:21:44. > :21:49.morning I got an e-mail to say she had got her place so I was happy. I
:21:50. > :21:52.think just because I live outside the area, why should I not be able
:21:53. > :22:01.to have my daughter go to that school because I thought it was a
:22:02. > :22:04.better school. Some parents have gone as far to rent a temporary home
:22:05. > :22:07.to be near a school. In Camden they say they will crack down on that,
:22:08. > :22:11.using their powers to crack down on any wind they believe of using a
:22:12. > :22:17.property to obtain their school plays. How do councils explain the
:22:18. > :22:21.pressure on places? Part of the problem we have got is that
:22:22. > :22:24.government will not allow us to open new schools. They all have to be
:22:25. > :22:29.academies or free schools and we think that is wrong. But the
:22:30. > :22:34.government says free schools are popular with parents and they have
:22:35. > :22:38.doubled the funding to councils to create new places. Most children
:22:39. > :22:41.have been winners today but not all. What do the grey squirrel, Japanese
:22:42. > :22:45.knotweed and the harlequin ladybird have in common? They are all alien
:22:46. > :22:50.invaders - species flourishing in the UK, but not native to this
:22:51. > :22:53.country. And there's growing concern about the impact these incomers have
:22:54. > :22:56.on local wildlife and the environment. It's a Europe-wide
:22:57. > :23:02.problem and today the European parliament voted to ban many alien
:23:03. > :23:05.species. Our correspondent Claire Marshall is at the RHS Garden in
:23:06. > :23:09.Wisley, where some species of rhododendron could end up on the new
:23:10. > :23:19.blacklist. Rhododendrons? Surely not. I know, it is an open
:23:20. > :23:24.question, that is the issue. This is a beautiful sight, what more could
:23:25. > :23:30.you want, a typical English garden? This new law is designed to protect
:23:31. > :23:36.this with colours you see like this. Alien invader species actually come
:23:37. > :23:41.into areas like this, like Japanese knotweed and calls all sorts of
:23:42. > :23:46.damage, a logical, environmental and financial. The idea of this new law
:23:47. > :23:51.is it will stop this happening and extra checks will be introduced. Let
:23:52. > :23:56.me show you one creature you will not want to see on your doorstep.
:23:57. > :24:01.This is the Demon shrimp and it arrived in the UK a couple of years
:24:02. > :24:05.ago. It eats everything in its surroundings. It is thought to have
:24:06. > :24:09.come here hitching a lift in the ballast water of ships. It is clear
:24:10. > :24:14.that no one wants that but what is not clear is what else is on the
:24:15. > :24:20.list. Could the rhododendron be included? It is not actually native
:24:21. > :24:25.and some species could be considered in Vasa. 300 varieties could
:24:26. > :24:29.potentially be included on the list. In theory, you could have people
:24:30. > :24:32.saying you could not buy any of these rhododendrons and you could
:24:33. > :24:37.not keep any so the whole landscape like this could in theory change.
:24:38. > :24:40.Thank you. Thousands of people lined the steps
:24:41. > :24:44.of Sydney Opera House to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to
:24:45. > :24:46.Australia. The couple, with eight-month-old Prince George, have
:24:47. > :24:51.just arrived in the country, after ten days in New Zealand. And they
:24:52. > :24:54.seem to be working some magic on the monarchy as a new poll showed
:24:55. > :24:57.support for an Australian republic has dropped to a 20 year low. Our
:24:58. > :25:04.royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell was there.
:25:05. > :25:08.He is the baby who has already launched a thousand front pages and
:25:09. > :25:13.here he is making his debut in another country where destiny says
:25:14. > :25:20.he will be king. George was brought down the steps of the aeroplane by
:25:21. > :25:26.his mother. VIP Handsworth shaken and in the arms of his father, there
:25:27. > :25:31.was a vigorous bout of bouncing. Most of Sydney carried on as normal.
:25:32. > :25:36.In the sunshine, thousands had gathered at Sydney Opera House in
:25:37. > :25:41.the sunshine. In a speech, the Duke outlined how much Australia means to
:25:42. > :25:45.the family. There was evidence that Republican ambitions may have been
:25:46. > :25:49.stemmed. This is the Sydney Morning Herald, the main newspaper here and
:25:50. > :25:55.a front page headline, as Royals arrive, the Republic concedes. The
:25:56. > :25:57.story states support for an Australian republic has slumped to
:25:58. > :26:05.its lowest level in more than three decades. A poll had found 51% wanted
:26:06. > :26:10.to keep the monarchy, 42% favoured a republic. But leaders of the
:26:11. > :26:14.republican movement here are not deterred. Most Australians or of the
:26:15. > :26:19.view that the next head of state should respectfully be an
:26:20. > :26:25.Australian. Rather than by default inheriting your King Charles,
:26:26. > :26:29.Australians we believe will want to have an Australian chosen on merit.
:26:30. > :26:35.For the moment, curiouser tea about this couple means monarchy seems to
:26:36. > :26:36.be winning the day. -- curiosity about this couple.
:26:37. > :26:49.Now time for a look at the weather. The Easter weekend will start off OK
:26:50. > :26:54.with some dry sunny weather but later on it turns increasingly wet
:26:55. > :26:57.from the south-east. At the moment, rain is spreading into the
:26:58. > :27:06.north-west of the UK. In Scotland we will see some patchy rain extending
:27:07. > :27:11.into Northern Ireland. Further south it stays dry and quite chilly across
:27:12. > :27:19.southern areas. There may be a touch of frost. Tomorrow will be a cloudy
:27:20. > :27:25.day. Still some sharp showers in Scotland. You will notice it takes
:27:26. > :27:32.all day for it to cloud over in the south-east. Another bright and
:27:33. > :27:39.pretty warm day stop it will brighten up across many northern
:27:40. > :27:44.parts of the UK through the day. On Good Friday, high pressure is back
:27:45. > :27:50.in charge. That is good news. It should be a fine start to the
:27:51. > :27:56.holiday weekend. Dry, not exactly warm with a cool breeze with the
:27:57. > :28:06.best of the sunshine in the mid-teens. Saturday will be mostly
:28:07. > :28:23.dry and bright with your Ciao. And then trouble looms on Easter Day. It
:28:24. > :28:28.will turn wet and windy. On Easter Monday, probably some showers
:28:29. > :28:36.scattered across many parts of the UK.
:28:37. > :28:40.Thank you. A reminder of our main story: Rescuers are searching for
:28:41. > :28:43.hundreds of people after a South Korean ferry capsized.
:28:44. > :28:44.That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's