:00:00. > :00:11.European leaders gather tonight in boroughs toast work out how to
:00:12. > :00:14.respond to shock of the anti-EU election results. David Cameron
:00:15. > :00:20.arrives this evening, he say it is can't be business as usual. Brussels
:00:21. > :00:25.has got too big, too bossy too interfering. We need more for nation
:00:26. > :00:28.states. It should be nation states where possible. Europe only where
:00:29. > :00:32.necessary. Labour and the Liberal Democrats try to form late their own
:00:33. > :00:44.response to win back response. Also tonight: Are -- Rolf Harris begins
:00:45. > :00:47.his defence against allegations of sexual abuse and even breaks into
:00:48. > :00:54.song. The bank that likes to say yes is up for sale. With a flotation on
:00:55. > :01:00.the stock market. The missing Nigerian schoolgirls. Now the army
:01:01. > :01:05.claims it knows where they are, but it's too dangerous to rescue them.
:01:06. > :01:09.Ahead of the Tour de France's arrival in Yorkshire, lessons from a
:01:10. > :01:14.veteran in his 80s on the effects of endurance cycling. Tonight, on BBC
:01:15. > :01:17.London. As counting continues at Tower Hamlets there are allegations
:01:18. > :01:19.of intimidation during the local election. And, "every parents
:01:20. > :01:20.nightmare", how a judge described a former teacher who sexually
:01:21. > :01:33.assaulted children. Good evening and welcome to the BBC
:01:34. > :01:36.News at Six. The Prime Minister has arrived in Brussels along with other
:01:37. > :01:40.national leaders to discuss the implications of the weekend's
:01:41. > :01:44.sweeping electoral gains by anti-EU parties. David Cameron has already
:01:45. > :01:47.said Brussels is too big and too bossy and that the EU must change in
:01:48. > :01:53.response to the victory of parties such as UKIP. Our Europe editor,
:01:54. > :02:01.Gavin Hewitt, is in Brussels for us this inning. Evening. Are we likely
:02:02. > :02:06.to see change? It's an informal dinner and one of the more important
:02:07. > :02:09.European gatherings. How will Europe's leaders respond to the fact
:02:10. > :02:12.that a significant number of voters turned against the European
:02:13. > :02:19.establishment? There is lots of talk here of change, but whatle exactly
:02:20. > :02:23.do they have in mind? Late afternoon, with the leaders
:02:24. > :02:28.motorcades began sweeping into Brussels for an inquest into an
:02:29. > :02:31.election that saw huge gains by eurosceptic parties. David Cameron
:02:32. > :02:36.was quick to push an agenda for change. The European Union cannot
:02:37. > :02:40.just shrug off these results and carry on as before. We need change.
:02:41. > :02:44.We need an approach that recognises that Europe should concentrate on
:02:45. > :02:47.what matters, on growth and jobs and not try to do so much. We need an
:02:48. > :02:53.approach that recognises that Brussels has got too big, too bossy
:02:54. > :02:57.to interfering. The French President, Francois Hollande, said
:02:58. > :03:02.he was looking to reorientate economic policy towards growth and
:03:03. > :03:07.protecting jobs. In Brussels, all eyes were on the German Chancellor,
:03:08. > :03:13.Angela Merkel, now more influential than ever. Will she back an EU doing
:03:14. > :03:18.less, but better? Will she respond to voters turning against austerity?
:03:19. > :03:23.Some of the election winners have been setting out their approach in
:03:24. > :03:29.the new European parliament. Here is the French far right leader, Marie
:03:30. > :03:34.Le Pen. Our objective is to block with our elected members all harmful
:03:35. > :03:38.developments by the European Union which involves defending the
:03:39. > :03:43.interests of France and the interests of French. In a sign of
:03:44. > :03:48.the new tension that exists. The powerful German Finance Minister
:03:49. > :03:53.today denounced her party as fascist. Another victor, Nigel
:03:54. > :03:59.Farage, was back in Broughsels, looking for allies but rejecting any
:04:00. > :04:05.alliance with Le Pen. There is no chances at all of any accommodation
:04:06. > :04:15.of any kind being found between UKIP and the French National Front. It
:04:16. > :04:19.won't be easy over dinner tonight. David Cameron does see an
:04:20. > :04:25.opportunity and he does have allies in arguing that what Europe needs is
:04:26. > :04:30.less Brussels and doing things better. On the other hand, we also
:04:31. > :04:37.heard another leader coming in today saying - you know the eurosceptic
:04:38. > :04:39.surge when the economy improves. It will be difficult tonight reaching
:04:40. > :04:45.an agreement as to what to do. Fiona. OK, Gavin, in Brussels, thank
:04:46. > :04:48.you very much. Here, as party leaders absorb the shock of UKIP's
:04:49. > :04:52.surge in the European elections, they have been setting out how they
:04:53. > :04:56.intinned to claw back support. The Liberal Democrat leader, Nick
:04:57. > :04:59.Clegg,, insists he won't stand down. Ed Miliband says it's
:05:00. > :05:02."understandable" people worry aboutle immigration, but leaving
:05:03. > :05:05.Europe is not the answer for Britain. The Labour leader was
:05:06. > :05:13.speaking in Thurrock, where his party lost control of the council on
:05:14. > :05:19.Thursday. This report from our Carole Walker has flash photography.
:05:20. > :05:23.Territory where UKIP is making serious in-roads. Thurrock is a key
:05:24. > :05:27.target for Labour. A seat it must seize if it is to win the general
:05:28. > :05:32.election, but where the party has just is lost control of the council.
:05:33. > :05:36.Ed Miliband said he had listen #d to voters concerns, but therwill be no
:05:37. > :05:40.move to the right on immigration. I'm on the side of immigrants.
:05:41. > :05:42.Immigration benefits our country. I'm proud to say immigration
:05:43. > :05:46.benefits our country. I think you know here you have to engage people
:05:47. > :05:50.on the issue of immigration, saying what you can do and what you can't
:05:51. > :05:54.do. I totally agree with you though, that part of the key to this is to
:05:55. > :05:58.show there is a different vision of the future. The man who won three
:05:59. > :06:02.elections for Labour said that's the right approach. Many of those people
:06:03. > :06:08.who come in as immigrants to our country are creative, innovative,
:06:09. > :06:14.hard-working diligent and contribute to our economy. If Labour was to go
:06:15. > :06:21.down and (inaudible) UKIP it would be a massive mistake and wouldn't
:06:22. > :06:24.bring us many votes in my view. The message on immigration is not
:06:25. > :06:30.getting through to voters. That was apparent from some we spoke to. I
:06:31. > :06:34.used to vote for Labour, but I don't vote any more. I don't think they
:06:35. > :06:39.take the imgays seriously. Maybe now they are taking - looking at what
:06:40. > :06:44.people think. I think everyone is upset with how the country is going
:06:45. > :06:48.at the moment. I think that is why everyone everyone is doing the UKIP
:06:49. > :06:51.thing. Even though I don't think it's the right decision. I voted for
:06:52. > :06:57.UKIP. I believe there is too much immigration over here. The yes. It's
:06:58. > :07:03.a small country. We are getting over populated. Ed Miliband is promising
:07:04. > :07:06.a radical and bold offer at the next election. The questions he faced
:07:07. > :07:10.here certainly youing ises he has work to do if he is to win back
:07:11. > :07:15.voters in places like this, who feel the established parties are simply
:07:16. > :07:19.not addressing their concerns. We met two young Labour members who
:07:20. > :07:29.said the problem is not just the message, it's the man. He's not on
:07:30. > :07:36.Tony Blair's type of level of attracting voters. I still think - I
:07:37. > :07:38.don't believe he's good at the propaganda side of things. He
:07:39. > :07:44.doesn't really get across to us as much as previous. He is still
:07:45. > :07:47.decent. Yeah. The Lib Dem leader is under pressure too to show how he
:07:48. > :07:55.will reconnect with voters. He says he won't stand down or change his
:07:56. > :08:00.pro-European stance despite his party's drubbing at the polls. It
:08:01. > :08:05.has been a massive setback for us last week. We were right to stick to
:08:06. > :08:07.our values and right to seek to make that case. No-one else was doing it.
:08:08. > :08:15.No-one else is doing it in British politics. The votes of Essex man and
:08:16. > :08:16.woman could be critical in deciding the next election. This could well
:08:17. > :08:20.be a popular destination for all the party leaders in the year ahead.
:08:21. > :08:24.Carole Walker, BBC news, Thurrock. Our political editor, Nick Robinson,
:08:25. > :08:28.is in Westminster for us. Nick, it's clear the main parties have their
:08:29. > :08:34.work cut out to, a, win back support and, b, make headway in Europe? That
:08:35. > :08:38.is right. Each in their own way, of the party leaders, are trying to
:08:39. > :08:42.move they get it, they heard the anger of sectors of the electorate.
:08:43. > :08:45.David Cameron talking tough in Brussels. Ed Miliband conceding that
:08:46. > :08:49.Labour had lost the link with the very people who founded the Labour
:08:50. > :08:52.Party, the link with what we used to call the working-classes and he now
:08:53. > :08:57.calls working people. It's Nick Clegg who is fighting for his job
:08:58. > :09:00.tonight. Extraordinary development, Vince Cable, the Business Secretary,
:09:01. > :09:06.a Liberal Democrat of course, has just released a statement condemning
:09:07. > :09:10.one of his own friends, his own allies, for paying for an opinion
:09:11. > :09:13.poll designed to show that he, Vince Cable, would do a better job as
:09:14. > :09:17.leader of the Liberal Democrats than Nick Clegg. That he would be more
:09:18. > :09:24.likely to persuade people to vote for the party. Dr Cable has just
:09:25. > :09:28.said it was "totally inexcusable and unacceptable, there is no leadership
:09:29. > :09:32.issue as far as I'm concerned". He may think that. There clearly is
:09:33. > :09:36.one. My hunch is Nick Clegg will survive and can survive, but his
:09:37. > :09:42.party persists in talking about whether he should. Nick Robinson, at
:09:43. > :09:46.Westminster, thank you. Rolf Harris has denied abusing a friend of his
:09:47. > :09:50.daughter's as he began his defence against charges of indecent assault.
:09:51. > :09:54.Mr Harris, who is 84, described the early years of his career, even
:09:55. > :09:57.breaking into song. He described himself as a "touchy-feely" kind of
:09:58. > :10:03.person, but denied prosecution claims he had abused four girls
:10:04. > :10:08.between 1968 and 1986. From Southwark Crown Court, David
:10:09. > :10:11.Sillito, sent this report. Rolf Harris arrived as he has done every
:10:12. > :10:14.day during this trial, with his wife and daughter. There were more
:10:15. > :10:19.cameras today because this was finally his chance to speak. It was
:10:20. > :10:24.going to be a day of revelations. Some of the most painful and
:10:25. > :10:31.embarrassing secrets of Rolf Harris' life. He was questioned about how he
:10:32. > :10:35.had become a star. His songs, he treated the jury to a brief burst of
:10:36. > :10:40.Jake the Peg. # There's the Jake the Peg... #
:10:41. > :10:43.It moved on to his personal life. His home in south London and a
:10:44. > :10:50.friend of his daughter, who they took on holiday when she was 13. In
:10:51. > :10:57.court, Rolf Harris was asked if he had indecently assaulted her. She
:10:58. > :11:00.said, no. It was put to him: The alleged victim said that you hugged
:11:01. > :11:06.her, and she found it creepy. Have you hugged her? Yes I'm a
:11:07. > :11:12.touchy-feely person. In a sexual way or not? No. He admitted they did a
:11:13. > :11:17.sexual relationship. He sat down. His votes was quiet her. He said - I
:11:18. > :11:20.find it very hard to discuss this. It's very embarrassing, a married
:11:21. > :11:26.man, a much younger girl. I shunneden have been doing it. He was
:11:27. > :11:30.asked, did she appear to be a willing participant or not? He said,
:11:31. > :11:35.she did. On the other charges he said he had never been to the
:11:36. > :11:40.Portsmouth Community Centre where one woman said she had been
:11:41. > :11:44.assaulted. The allegation in Cambridge, he said he was in Canada
:11:45. > :11:48.at the time. All the charges were denied. The friend of his daughter
:11:49. > :11:53.he said it was a betrayal. He said he felt sickened by what he'd done.
:11:54. > :11:56.David Sillito, BBC News, Southwark Crown Court. The police have begun
:11:57. > :12:00.an investigation into attempts to fix a World Cup friendly between
:12:01. > :12:03.Scotland and Nigeria that is due to be played in London tomorrow. The
:12:04. > :12:07.Scottish Football Association have been contacted by the National Crime
:12:08. > :12:10.Agency. With more, Daniel Boettcher is at Craven Cottage for us, where
:12:11. > :12:15.the game is due to be played. Daniel, what more can you tell us
:12:16. > :12:19.abouts it? Tomorrow evening, between Nigeria and Scotland, as part of
:12:20. > :12:24.Nigeria's preparation for the World Cup, it appears that the game was
:12:25. > :12:29.red flagged. Some kind of alert was raised. Whether it was due to
:12:30. > :12:37.monitoring to betting or intelligence we don't know. The NCA
:12:38. > :12:49.acted. The Scottish FA is meeting with the authorities and will
:12:50. > :12:54.prepare for the match as normal. There is no suggestion that any
:12:55. > :12:57.individual involved in the game is under suspicion. The game, as far as
:12:58. > :13:03.we know, will continue as planned tomorrow evening. Thank you very
:13:04. > :13:08.much. Sorry. We had a few technical problems. Shares are to be sold in
:13:09. > :13:12.the high street bank, TSB, for the first time in nearly 20 years.
:13:13. > :13:16.Lloyds Banking Group, which owns TSB, will float a quarter of the
:13:17. > :13:20.shares on the stock market next month and the rest will be sold off
:13:21. > :13:24.entirely by the end of next year to create a new challenger bank. The
:13:25. > :13:27.sale is a condition of the agreement struck with the Government when it
:13:28. > :13:30.bailed out Lloyds after the banking crash. Here's our business
:13:31. > :13:35.correspondent, Simon Jack. You may have noticed the return of an old
:13:36. > :13:38.brand to the high street. TSB is back. Lloyds is sell Egg selling it
:13:39. > :13:46.to the public with the first 25% of shares up for grabs next month. The
:13:47. > :13:54.new TSB is selling itself on back to basics banking, the kind it did 200
:13:55. > :13:59.years ago. The new TSB will start life with 631 branches across the
:14:00. > :14:03.country from which it will serve 4.5 million customers, a number it hopes
:14:04. > :14:07.to grow. That makes it the seventh biggest bank in the UK. Starting
:14:08. > :14:10.life with millions of current account customers gives it a massive
:14:11. > :14:15.advantage over the rest of the new entrance. Why? We are still very
:14:16. > :14:20.reluctant to change our current account. I have been with them for a
:14:21. > :14:24.very long time. I am very happy with them. It's a case of trusting
:14:25. > :14:31.people. I have two bank accounts. I'm very happy with them. You become
:14:32. > :14:34.lazy and can't get bothered. Unless some spectacular offer was
:14:35. > :14:39.introduced to us. There are quite a few new kids on the block. TSB will
:14:40. > :14:44.have to work hard. There Are small players out there with distinctive
:14:45. > :14:47.offers like Metro Bank and the supermarket banks. TSB is
:14:48. > :14:51.essentially a clone of Lloyds. I find it difficult to understand what
:14:52. > :14:55.it will bring to the market that is distinctive. It's hoped small
:14:56. > :14:59.investors will buy a fifth of the shares. Those who hang on to them
:15:00. > :15:03.for a year will get a loyalty bonus. In a more crowded market, a new bank
:15:04. > :15:10.will needed to hang on tos old customers. Simon Jack, BBC News.
:15:11. > :15:16.The top story this evening: David Cameron's in Brussels for talks with
:15:17. > :15:23.EU leaders on how to respond to the european election results. And still
:15:24. > :15:26.to come... UEFA launches an investigation into the treatment of
:15:27. > :15:29.a disabled Chelsea football fan. Later on BBC London. The smash and
:15:30. > :15:32.grab raid in which thieves stole ?150,000 worth of luxury goods And
:15:33. > :15:34.could Spurs be on the verge of signing this man as their new
:15:35. > :15:49.manager? Senior military leaders in Nigeria
:15:50. > :15:52.claim that they know where more than 200 schoolgirls, kidnapped by a
:15:53. > :15:55.militant Islamist group, are being held. They won't reveal the exact
:15:56. > :15:58.location where Boko Haram are holding the girls and they've ruled
:15:59. > :16:01.out using force to free them saying it's too dangerous. They were taken
:16:02. > :16:07.six weeks ago from their school in Chibok in the northern state of
:16:08. > :16:10.Borno. It's thought they're being held somewhere in the Sambisa forest
:16:11. > :16:14.reserve - an area 16 times the size of London - near the border with
:16:15. > :16:20.Cameroon. Will Ross reports on the latest developments from the
:16:21. > :16:23.capital, Abuja. There has been no sign of the abducted girls since
:16:24. > :16:26.this video was released by Boko Haram more than two weeks ago. All
:16:27. > :16:33.very embarrassing for the military which had deployed ground troops and
:16:34. > :16:36.surveillance planes. But when a crowd turned up in support of the
:16:37. > :16:40.much criticised military, it was announced that the girls had finally
:16:41. > :16:46.been located. The good news is that we know where the girls are but we
:16:47. > :16:53.cannot tell you. We cannot comment on specifics. Leave us alone, we are
:16:54. > :16:56.working and will get the girls back. He did suggest using force to get
:16:57. > :17:00.the teenage students out would be too risky to try. This is what is
:17:01. > :17:04.left of the school in Chibok from where the girls were seized. They
:17:05. > :17:11.were taken in the middle of the night and loaded onto trucks. A
:17:12. > :17:14.father whose daughters are missing told the BBC what he made of the
:17:15. > :17:17.latest news on the military. TRANSLATION: I used to be completely
:17:18. > :17:19.downhearted but now that we have some information about their
:17:20. > :17:22.whereabouts, we are beginning to feel comforted. The government
:17:23. > :17:27.should do everything it can to secure their release alive. The news
:17:28. > :17:29.may be seen as a breakthrough but there are plenty of people who are
:17:30. > :17:34.reluctant to take official statements at face value. In
:17:35. > :17:38.churches and mosques, Nigerians keep praying for the return of the girls
:17:39. > :17:44.and an end to the relentless violence. Almost 500 people have
:17:45. > :17:48.been killed by Boko Haram since the girls were abducted six weeks ago.
:17:49. > :17:55.Using the military is of course not the only option available to the
:17:56. > :17:57.government. The BBC has learned that negotiations have been attempted
:17:58. > :18:00.with Boko Haram and a deal was almost struck that would have seen
:18:01. > :18:03.50 of the girls released in exchange for setting free 100 Boko Haram
:18:04. > :18:06.prisoners, but that government backed out of the deal at the 11th
:18:07. > :18:17.hour. More marches and demonstrations are planned. On the
:18:18. > :18:27.city streets across Nigeria, the calls to bring back our girls alive
:18:28. > :18:31.ring out. Ukraine says its troops now control
:18:32. > :18:37.the main airport in the eastern city of Donetsk after a fierce battle
:18:38. > :18:40.with pro-Russian militants. The separatists seized the airport
:18:41. > :18:43.yesterday - they say more than 30 of their fighters have been killed.
:18:44. > :18:45.Ukraine's new President, Petro Poroshenko, has vowed to tackle the
:18:46. > :18:48.eastern uprising within hours not months. Russia has called for an
:18:49. > :18:51.immediate end to military action. Pope Francis has announced he will
:18:52. > :18:54.meet a group of people who were sexually abused by the clergy at the
:18:55. > :18:58.Vatican next month. Speaking after his Middle East tour, the Pope said
:18:59. > :19:01.he would show zero tolerance for anyone in the Roman Catholic Church
:19:02. > :19:04.who abuses children. The church has been strongly criticised in the past
:19:05. > :19:06.for covering up accusations of abuse to protect its priests. Here's our
:19:07. > :19:11.Diplomatic Correspondent James Robbins. He keeps breaking new
:19:12. > :19:14.ground. Flying home from the Middle East, Pope Francis promised a hugely
:19:15. > :19:20.symbolic first meeting with victims of sexual abuse by priests.
:19:21. > :19:24.TRANSLATION: In the first days of June, I will have a mass with six to
:19:25. > :19:32.eight people who have been abused and then they will have a meeting
:19:33. > :19:36.with me. Two are from Germany and two are from England or Ireland, I
:19:37. > :19:39.am not sure, and others as well. On this issue, we must go forward,
:19:40. > :19:50.forward, zero tolerance. So what is the first reaction from victims?
:19:51. > :19:53.Inevitably, mixed. Kate Walmsley was abused by a priest in Derry
:19:54. > :19:57.repeatedly from the age of eight. My childhood was taken away from me,
:19:58. > :20:01.you know? Really, really bad, and I do not want to go and see the Pope
:20:02. > :20:05.and kiss his ring, and bow down to him and things like that because I
:20:06. > :20:18.do not believe he is any higher than any other victims. The sexual abuse
:20:19. > :20:23.of children by priests was rarely discussed in public before the
:20:24. > :20:28.1970s. It was not until the 1980s that the first cases came to light
:20:29. > :20:30.in the United States and Canada. In the '90s, revelations by the
:20:31. > :20:33.American priest John Geoghan caused public outrage. In 2009, reports
:20:34. > :20:42.revealed thousands of victims of abuse in Ireland, stretching back
:20:43. > :20:45.decades. The next year, it emerged the head of the Irish Catholic
:20:46. > :20:47.Church Cardinal Sean Brady had interviewed children who had been
:20:48. > :20:54.abused. He is accused of telling them to keep silent about it. The
:20:55. > :20:57.Catholic Church is still under enormous pressure to abandon any
:20:58. > :21:00.appearance that abusers or those who covered up for them can still get
:21:01. > :21:03.away with it. Pope Francis has used the words "zero tolerance" and there
:21:04. > :21:12.are plenty of people waiting to judge the extent to which he lives
:21:13. > :21:16.up to that promise. When a Chelsea fan who also happens to be in a
:21:17. > :21:19.wheelchair went to cheer on her team at a game in Paris, she didn't
:21:20. > :21:23.expect to be placed with jeering home fans, let alone spat on and
:21:24. > :21:26.have bottles thrown at her. But sadly her experience is not that
:21:27. > :21:28.unusual - the incident is being investigated by UEFA and could have
:21:29. > :21:39.implications for clubs in the Premier League. Katie Gornall
:21:40. > :21:43.reports. A glamour tie in the Champions League between two of the
:21:44. > :21:48.richest clubs in the world. Almost Chelsea fans, this was a chance to
:21:49. > :21:51.enjoy the surroundings and cheer on their team. These supporters were
:21:52. > :21:56.denied the chance because they were sat in the wheelchair section. There
:21:57. > :22:02.were ten of us and thousands of them. We thought, we are not going
:22:03. > :22:07.to get out of here. At that point, I thought, this is going to get worse.
:22:08. > :22:12.Somebody is going to get to is the injured and it seemed like hell. It
:22:13. > :22:18.seemed like I was sitting in hell. Lisa and other disabled fans were
:22:19. > :22:24.forced to sit just yards away from the Paris St Germain crowd. They
:22:25. > :22:27.were left terrified. I have seen her get upset before but she was shaking
:22:28. > :22:38.and crying and I could not calm her down. It made me really angry. UEFA
:22:39. > :22:50.is investigating and the team is facing a partial stadium closure if
:22:51. > :22:52.found guilty of discrimination. Here at Manchester City, disabled
:22:53. > :22:55.supporters are always looked after and always sat with their own fans
:22:56. > :22:58.but campaigners say that is not the case elsewhere in the Premier
:22:59. > :23:01.League. Last season, five clubs sat away fans with opposing supporters,
:23:02. > :23:05.this happened at Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs
:23:06. > :23:10.and West Ham. Clubs should be treating disabled fans exactly the
:23:11. > :23:15.same. They are the people who pay their wages, let them be part of the
:23:16. > :23:21.game. UEFA and Harry St Germain have declined to comment while the
:23:22. > :23:29.investigation is ongoing. The dry for change continues. -- Harry St
:23:30. > :23:33.Germain. The world's greatest cycling race, the Tour de France,
:23:34. > :23:35.will begin - in Yorkshire - this summer. Sir Bradley Wiggins, Chris
:23:36. > :23:42.Froome and Mark Cavendish are among those hoping to compete in one of
:23:43. > :23:45.the most gruelling events in sport. But what effect does such endurance
:23:46. > :23:48.exercise have on the body? Our medical correspondent Fergus Walsh -
:23:49. > :23:51.who's a keen cyclist - has tried to find out, and began by meeting one
:23:52. > :23:55.of the heroes of British cycling. Yorkshire born and bred, Brian
:23:56. > :23:58.Robinson is still cycling at 83. He is a true sporting icon, the first
:23:59. > :24:06.Briton to finish the Tour de France, and the first to win a stage of the
:24:07. > :24:11.race. Hello, Brian. Hello. Nice to go for a bike ride. It is great,
:24:12. > :24:17.isn't it? FRENCH COMMENTARY.
:24:18. > :24:20.This was Brian in 1959, finishing 20 minutes ahead of the rest of the
:24:21. > :24:30.field after a gruelling 126 mile stage, one of the biggest winning
:24:31. > :24:34.margins in tour history. More than half a century later, the tour is
:24:35. > :24:41.coming to Yorkshire. He will be there and hopes he has more years of
:24:42. > :24:44.cycling to come. I can recommend it and they do say that it puts ten
:24:45. > :24:49.years on your life. If it gives me another ten years, I will be happy!
:24:50. > :24:55.Elite cyclists are among the fittest people on the planet. One small
:24:56. > :24:58.study suggested they live eight years longer than the general
:24:59. > :25:06.population but the same may not be true for the growing army of
:25:07. > :25:10.Lycra-clad amateurs. When you're doing a climb like this it does not
:25:11. > :25:13.feel that good for your health but what effect does this sort of
:25:14. > :25:15.continuous endurance exercise have on the body? At the University of
:25:16. > :25:18.Kent, scientists tested older endurance cyclists like me and
:25:19. > :25:32.pushed them to the limit on the bike. Well done. Well done. That was
:25:33. > :25:39.tiring! They found their heart health was as good as fit adults
:25:40. > :25:42.decades their junior. That means you are at a lower risk of having
:25:43. > :25:54.vascular disease and will also lower your risk of a fatality. So your
:25:55. > :26:00.advice to the middle aged men in Lycra is to keep cycling? Continue
:26:01. > :26:05.what you are doing. That is my best win. It is a big race. Brian
:26:06. > :26:08.Robinson is living proof of the benefits of cycling and says his
:26:09. > :26:14.only health problems have been when he has fallen off his bike. Time for
:26:15. > :26:18.a look at the weather with Louise Lear.
:26:19. > :26:22.he has fallen off his bike. Time for a look at the weather with Half term
:26:23. > :26:26.week continues and I suspect there have been skies like this across
:26:27. > :26:31.eastern England. It has been pretty miserable indeed. The wettest
:26:32. > :26:35.weather will be in the east with brighter skies perhaps if we are
:26:36. > :26:43.lucky. There has been this rain spilling in off the North Sea,
:26:44. > :26:47.winning a fair amount of rain in. Summer showers in the West, some
:26:48. > :26:50.thundery. There have been glimpses of sunshine, not a bad afternoon
:26:51. > :26:56.across the West and North East Scotland, but underneath the cloud,
:26:57. > :27:04.that rain keeps on coming. There is another conveyor belt of wet weather
:27:05. > :27:10.tonight 's -- tonight, particularly towards the east of the Pennines.
:27:11. > :27:13.Tomorrow will be a great start but predominantly dry in the south.
:27:14. > :27:18.Hopefully, a little bit of brightness in the south-west. That
:27:19. > :27:22.rain will sit across North Wales, the Midlands and through eastern
:27:23. > :27:27.England with a brisk easterly winds, making it feel quite cool. A level
:27:28. > :27:31.of uncertainty just how far north this rain will go, potentially
:27:32. > :27:36.pushing into southern Scotland. The far north of Northern Ireland, it
:27:37. > :27:41.starts off largely fine and dry. You will see showers develop in Northern
:27:42. > :27:47.Ireland is. You can see the grey, wet afternoon here. To the north and
:27:48. > :27:51.south, a little bit brighter with highs of 17 degrees, lighter winds
:27:52. > :27:57.in the south-west. As we move on to Thursday, that weather front sits
:27:58. > :28:05.there. The weather front will decay somewhat. Signs of something a
:28:06. > :28:15.little warmer with 19 degrees and drier weather. Thank you. A reminder
:28:16. > :28:19.of our main story... David Cameron is in Brussels for talks with EU
:28:20. > :28:23.leaders about how to respond to the European election results. That's
:28:24. > :28:24.all from the BBC News at Six - so it's goodbye from me and