:00:00. > :00:09.The death of Robin Williams draws tributes from the worlds
:00:10. > :00:10.of entertainment and politics. President Obama hails
:00:11. > :00:20.an immeasurable talent. His quick wit shone through
:00:21. > :00:24.in his film roles, but he fought depression for many decades.
:00:25. > :00:27.He had a great heart, he was very compassionate.
:00:28. > :00:30.But he was also like a benchmark, in what he did.
:00:31. > :00:33.He did what he did the best. He was a great comedian,
:00:34. > :00:37.and to make people laugh in our days is a serious business.
:00:38. > :00:39.We'll look back at the career of one of Hollywood's biggest stars
:00:40. > :00:43.and reflect on his troubled private life.
:00:44. > :00:46.Also tonight, Thousands of people are managing to
:00:47. > :00:52.escape Sinjar mountain in Iraq, but the UN warns many remain trapped.
:00:53. > :00:57.A Spanish priest who helped Ebola patients in Liberia has died.
:00:58. > :01:01.The WHO says untested drugs can now be used,
:01:02. > :01:04.given the scale of the outbreak. The Chief Constable of
:01:05. > :01:09.Greater Manchester Police faces a criminal investigation over
:01:10. > :01:13.an alleged child abuse case. And, is she or isn't she?
:01:14. > :01:14.Keepers at Edinburgh Zoo think Tian Tian
:01:15. > :01:18.the giant panda may be pregnant. The mother of a man found burned to
:01:19. > :01:23.death accuses the Met of a cover-up And attempts to encourage sex
:01:24. > :01:52.workers to report crimes Good evening and welcome to the
:01:53. > :01:55.BBC News at Six. Barack Obama has led the tributes to
:01:56. > :02:00.the actor and comedian, Robin Williams, who's died at the
:02:01. > :02:05.age of 63, in a suspected suicide. President Obama said he touched
:02:06. > :02:07.every element of the human spirit. The director Steven Spielberg
:02:08. > :02:12.described him as a lightening storm of comic genius.
:02:13. > :02:15.But behind the humour, Robin Williams suffered for years
:02:16. > :02:20.with depression, and tried to fight an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
:02:21. > :02:29.From Los Angeles, here's our correspondent Alistair Leithead.
:02:30. > :02:35.Well, there has been a huge outpouring of grief and sadness
:02:36. > :02:44.around the world, but particularly here in Hollywood, where people have
:02:45. > :02:51.been coming to his star on the walk of Fame, to leave flowers, to cast
:02:52. > :02:57.their mind back over all of those films. President Obama touched on
:02:58. > :02:58.that, saying he arrived as an alien but ended up coming to catch every
:02:59. > :03:02.element of our hearts. correspondent Alistair Leithead.
:03:03. > :03:04.Good morning, Vietnam! Robin Williams brought
:03:05. > :03:09.his own incredible energy and comic twinkle to every role he played.
:03:10. > :03:13.Is that me, or does that sound like an Elvis Presley movie?
:03:14. > :03:17.Nanu Nanu! What a unique way to emerge
:03:18. > :03:20.as one of the most influential stars of the last four decades.
:03:21. > :03:24.Mork And Mindy was a huge TV hit in the late 70s and early 80s.
:03:25. > :03:27.But he'll be best remembered for his big-screen blockbusters.
:03:28. > :03:32.Euphegenia Doubtfire, dear. I specialise in the education
:03:33. > :03:35.and entertainment of children. He was funny, he was versatile.
:03:36. > :03:40.Surprise! But he was hounded by addiction.
:03:41. > :03:43.For much of his life, battling against drugs and alcohol.
:03:44. > :03:49.Robin Williams had been suffering severe depression when he was found
:03:50. > :03:56.dead at his home near San Francisco. The coroner suspects suicide.
:03:57. > :03:59.His wife of three years paid tribute to her husband and her best friend,
:04:00. > :04:02.to one of the world's most beloved artists and beautiful human beings.
:04:03. > :04:03.I'm utterly heartbroken, she said. His daughter, Zelda,
:04:04. > :04:19.quoted the Little Prince. Fans paid tribute at his Walk
:04:20. > :04:22.of Fame star in Hollywood. Just yards away, some of
:04:23. > :04:24.the biggest names of his generation arrived for a red-carpet premiere.
:04:25. > :04:29.He was also a friend, I admired him and he's a legend.
:04:30. > :04:33.He's unbelievable. Everything is a bad day when someone
:04:34. > :04:35.like that is gone, you know? Tragic loss.
:04:36. > :04:39.He's gone too soon. He should have stuck around.
:04:40. > :04:40.But that's the way it is. You don't get a second shot.
:04:41. > :04:51.And God help him. The tributes continue to come in for
:04:52. > :04:54.a man who embraced stardom, brought such joy and obviously faced such a
:04:55. > :05:00.struggle with his own personal Demons.
:05:01. > :05:04.It's still early in the morning on Hollywood Boulevard, still people
:05:05. > :05:08.coming here and leaving flowers, paying tribute to this man whose
:05:09. > :05:11.humour and versatility really have this remarkable ability to touch
:05:12. > :05:17.people around the world. His character, and the characters that
:05:18. > :05:19.he developed, I think, the things that people will remember for a long
:05:20. > :05:22.time to come. And God help him.
:05:23. > :05:24.Robin Williams had enormous range as a performer.
:05:25. > :05:27.As well as the comedy, he excelled in darker, dramatic roles, winning
:05:28. > :05:30.an Oscar for Good Will Hunting. Our arts correspondent David Sillito
:05:31. > :05:37.looks back at a glittering career and a troubled life.
:05:38. > :05:39.This is why had to give up alcohol. Because you have to pay
:05:40. > :05:45.the next day. Dear Lord, please don't hurt me now.
:05:46. > :05:54.At his peak, he could create, comedy faster than you could process it.
:05:55. > :05:56.Dear Lord, please don't hurt me now. The phrase used over
:05:57. > :05:58.and over was manic energy. Those routines about drink
:05:59. > :06:03.and drugs, he was speaking from real experience.
:06:04. > :06:13.I took them, because in those days, OK, let's do it. Three days later I
:06:14. > :06:17.was like, boy, why am I in Bombay? I was still going. You are up and up.
:06:18. > :06:19.But when you crash, even the devil is going, this is not going to go
:06:20. > :06:24.well. from real experience.
:06:25. > :06:27.In case of emergency, the exits are here, here, here, anywhere.
:06:28. > :06:29.In Aladdin, they simply wrote the film
:06:30. > :06:34.around his exuberant performance. And it wasn't just a quick fire
:06:35. > :06:35.arm of jokes and characters. Use your imagination.
:06:36. > :06:38.Say anything that pops into your head.
:06:39. > :06:41.His best roles revealed an actor who seemed to have great
:06:42. > :06:43.geysers of emotion lying just below the surface.
:06:44. > :06:46.He may have kept the drink and depression at bay
:06:47. > :06:51.for many years, but in recent months that sobriety needed, in the words
:06:52. > :06:54.of his publicist, some fine tuning. So often people are surprised
:06:55. > :06:59.when you say someone who spread such joy had bouts of depression.
:07:00. > :07:03.But I understand recently he was severe depression.
:07:04. > :07:08.So much so that he checked himself back into rehab just weeks ago.
:07:09. > :07:13.His mother, he said, had at times also been a drinker.
:07:14. > :07:14.There were childhood experiences he occasionally alluded to with
:07:15. > :07:26.a shudder. The story of the comedian who is
:07:27. > :07:31.come off stage, sad and depressed, has almost become a cliche. But Tony
:07:32. > :07:37.Hancock, Charlie Chaplin, Spike Milligan, he was in that company.
:07:38. > :07:40.When the gods gift you, there is a price to pay. There always is. It
:07:41. > :07:43.doesn't come from nothing. It probably comes
:07:44. > :07:45.price to pay. There always is. It doesn't come from nothing. It from
:07:46. > :07:53.deep concerns inside, all sorts of fears, but he could always channel
:07:54. > :07:57.those things and turn them into some thin gold. The last thing he posted
:07:58. > :08:02.was in July, a birthday message for his daughter, who he said had always
:08:03. > :08:06.been his baby girl. He was, in the words of one tribute, joyful,
:08:07. > :08:10.unafraid hilarity. A light has gone out.
:08:11. > :08:12.a shudder. Tens of thousands
:08:13. > :08:15.of civilians are still trapped on a mountain in northern Iraq,
:08:16. > :08:19.after fleeing Islamic State militants, formerly known as ISIS.
:08:20. > :08:31.United Nations monitors say a tragedy
:08:32. > :08:33.of huge proportions is unfolding. Some have managed to flee
:08:34. > :08:35.Mount Sinjar, and cross into Syria and into Iraqi Kurdistan.
:08:36. > :08:37.From there Caroline Wyatt has sent this report.
:08:38. > :08:40.At last, the men and women from the mountain
:08:41. > :08:42.reach sanctuary - of a sort. Yazidi families are streaming over
:08:43. > :08:44.the border in their hundreds, into Kurdistan.
:08:45. > :08:55.Carrying their children and little else,
:08:56. > :08:58.their ordeal etched on every face. The memory of the day that fighters
:08:59. > :09:02.from the Islamic State attacked their villages is hard to bear,
:09:03. > :09:08.even though this woman and her six children escaped with their lives.
:09:09. > :09:12.TRANSLATION: We've tried for 15 years to make a home for us.
:09:13. > :09:16.In a minute, ISIS comes and destroys everything.
:09:17. > :09:21.They killed my sister. She left two kids.
:09:22. > :09:24.A girl and a boy. We left them
:09:25. > :09:28.because we couldn't help them. The kids of my sister.
:09:29. > :09:34.There is news that they make it, to run from ISIS,
:09:35. > :09:39.and they are in the mountain now. For the youngest, finally
:09:40. > :09:44.a chance to sleep without fear, though the mothers remain watchful.
:09:45. > :09:51.For the eldest, simple relief of this chance to sit
:09:52. > :09:54.after their long walk to safety. Somehow, these families have
:09:55. > :09:56.survived not only the massacre by Islamist militants,
:09:57. > :10:03.but the next enemies waiting on their journey, hunger and heat.
:10:04. > :10:05.The families here came down from the mountain
:10:06. > :10:10.and they have walked four days to get here, through Syria, and now to
:10:11. > :10:16.the relative safety of Kurdistan. At last, they are able to get food
:10:17. > :10:19.and water after days without. The aid agencies say
:10:20. > :10:26.while they are doing their best, the needs here are immense.
:10:27. > :10:29.For now, they are handing out the basics while well-wishers
:10:30. > :10:32.from local towns have brought clean clothes and food.
:10:33. > :10:36.This man and his family of nine have walked
:10:37. > :10:40.for two days from the mountain. They have just heard there are
:10:41. > :10:44.vehicles ahead that can take them to a derelict building
:10:45. > :10:47.in the nearest town. Others have no idea
:10:48. > :10:50.of where they are going next. All they know is that
:10:51. > :10:52.they can't go back. Their villages are now dominated
:10:53. > :10:57.by the Islamic State, no longer under Iraq's control.
:10:58. > :11:06.Their fate is at the mercy of the shifting realities
:11:07. > :11:08.of the new Middle East. RAF Tornado jets have arrived
:11:09. > :11:11.in Cyprus, to help with the humanitarian
:11:12. > :11:13.mission in northern Iraq. The planes will carry out
:11:14. > :11:16.surveillance, supporting RAF cargo planes which are dropping
:11:17. > :11:21.essential supplies to the people still stranded on Mount Sinjar.
:11:22. > :11:24.Britain and America have said there will be no boots on the ground,
:11:25. > :11:27.but what is the US and British strategy in Iraq?
:11:28. > :11:35.Here's our diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall.
:11:36. > :11:42.Preparing for take-off for northern Iraq. British Tornado crews at RAF
:11:43. > :11:47.Marham in Norfolk today. Their mission, not offensive strikes, but
:11:48. > :11:54.strictly humanitarian, to provide surveillance for the safe delivery
:11:55. > :11:59.of aid to refugees. There have already been two UK aid missions,
:12:00. > :12:02.the latest was last night. Water canisters and lamps that can also
:12:03. > :12:08.charge mobile phones. The government is considering adding Chinook
:12:09. > :12:15.helicopters to help with aid drops. But the focus is on safety. So far,
:12:16. > :12:18.Britain is resisting pressure to counter the Islamic State extremists
:12:19. > :12:22.in a military role. There is a balance to be struck a tween the
:12:23. > :12:27.risks of doing this versus the accuracy we can get being relatively
:12:28. > :12:31.low. We take that into consideration when planning these missions and
:12:32. > :12:36.make sure we get it done safely. How powerful is the Islamic State
:12:37. > :12:40.threat? Let's not forget, they control a third of Syria, a source
:12:41. > :12:44.of weapons, funds and fighters, which is fuelling their advance
:12:45. > :12:48.across northern Iraq. The lines on the map show what they hold. Air
:12:49. > :12:53.strikes by the United States might have slowed down their advance, but,
:12:54. > :12:57.as the US admits, they have done little to degrade the militant's
:12:58. > :13:03.capacity to fight. The plight of people stranded on Mount Sinjar
:13:04. > :13:09.remains serious. Latest estimates say 35,000 Yazidis are there. Aid is
:13:10. > :13:14.helping. Some 20,000 gallons of water have been delivered by Britain
:13:15. > :13:18.and the United States, along with 85,000 meals for people, some of
:13:19. > :13:23.whom have not eaten for well over a week. Meanwhile, in Baghdad, there
:13:24. > :13:32.are some signs the precarious political situation might be
:13:33. > :13:36.easing. The outgoing Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, who has resisted
:13:37. > :13:41.moves to replace him, today hinted he would not fight to stay, telling
:13:42. > :13:45.Army officers to keep out of politics and focus on the terrorist
:13:46. > :13:52.threat instead. But even the new Iraqi government may not be able to
:13:53. > :13:58.keep the country together. US Navy fighter jets, launching air strikes
:13:59. > :14:03.from the Persian Gulf, a limited intervention to buy time so Iraq can
:14:04. > :14:07.send itself, so long as this crisis is not already out of control.
:14:08. > :14:17.Let's talk to Paul would from Erbil. I know you have been to a town from
:14:18. > :14:25.which the Kurds have just got back from, what are people saying to you
:14:26. > :14:29.there? There is a lot of anger, and frankly shame over what happened
:14:30. > :14:32.over the last few days. Political and military leaders told me there
:14:33. > :14:37.was a collapse in their forces in some places, then abandoning their
:14:38. > :14:39.post, even senior officers abandoning their post in a scene
:14:40. > :14:47.reminiscent of the Iraqi army, earlier. I watched soldiers get out
:14:48. > :14:53.of a truck, shouting cowards, local men, who shouted back. Local
:14:54. > :14:57.diplomats say this mood of panic had spread to Erbil, the capital of what
:14:58. > :15:00.the Kurds hope will one day be their embryonic state. He thought there
:15:01. > :15:08.was a dangerous moment last week, when huge swathes of territory,
:15:09. > :15:13.including the Arbel, -- Erbil could have fallen. Are you talking about
:15:14. > :15:18.Islamic State continually advancing, or is there a sense in some quarters
:15:19. > :15:22.that they can be stopped? They have been stopped and indeed turned back
:15:23. > :15:27.in places like the town I visited today. Local people are not going
:15:28. > :15:29.back to these towns. They don't trust their own security forces to
:15:30. > :15:35.keep them safe. They are appealing, and I heard it many times on the
:15:36. > :15:37.streets, for the Americans to carry out more bombing raids, for there to
:15:38. > :15:45.be more international support. The Kurds are very likely armed, and the
:15:46. > :15:48.is like state have captured 1000 tonnes of ammunition in recent
:15:49. > :15:52.advances, as well as armoured vehicles and tanks. It is only,
:15:53. > :15:54.Kurdish people have told me, with American help and air power that
:15:55. > :16:01.they will be turned back and perhaps stopped.
:16:02. > :16:06.Out top story: A huge number of tributes have been paid to the actor
:16:07. > :16:15.and comedian, Robin Williams, who's died in a suspected suicide.
:16:16. > :16:21.And still to come, a sculpture to remember the land girls.
:16:22. > :16:26.Later on BBC London. The family of a man from Tooting
:16:27. > :16:27.demands he be allowed home now that he's completed his sentence
:16:28. > :16:30.for terror offences. And how a tooth infection got
:16:31. > :16:39.the better of double Olympic Champion, Mo Farah.
:16:40. > :16:43.United Nations medical experts have cleared the use
:16:44. > :16:47.of experimental drugs on people infected with the Ebola virus.
:16:48. > :16:51.The World Health Organization has ruled that it is ethical,
:16:52. > :16:54.given the scale of the outbreak, to give patients drugs which have
:16:55. > :17:00.not yet been tested on humans. So far the disease has been
:17:01. > :17:07.confirmed in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
:17:08. > :17:09.More than 1,000 people are believed to have died.
:17:10. > :17:11.And at least 1,800 more have been infected.
:17:12. > :17:15.A Spanish priest who was working in Liberia has become one
:17:16. > :17:16.of the latest to be killed by the virus, as our Medical Correspondent,
:17:17. > :17:25.Fergus Walsh reports. This is Miguel Pajares, a Catholic
:17:26. > :17:29.missionary who spent his life amongst the sick and poor. He
:17:30. > :17:34.contracted Ebola in Liberia, where he had been treating patients. He
:17:35. > :17:38.was flown home to Madrid last week, amid the tightest bio-security but
:17:39. > :17:42.died this morning. His body swiftly cremated to minimise the chance of
:17:43. > :17:49.Ebola spreading. He's one of just three people treated with an
:17:50. > :17:54.experimental drug, known as ZMapp. The others, two American aid
:17:55. > :18:00.workers, are recovering. In a highly-unusual move, global health
:18:01. > :18:06.experts said it was ethical to offer untested drugs to Ebola patients In
:18:07. > :18:09.the past ten years, research efforts into Ebola treatments and vaccines,
:18:10. > :18:16.means, that for the first time, we have a range of potential treatments
:18:17. > :18:20.and vaccines, they could be supporting our efforts to control
:18:21. > :18:26.Ebola viruses. ZMapp is the only experimental drug
:18:27. > :18:30.which has been used so far. It's created by exposing mice to Ebola.
:18:31. > :18:36.Their serum contains three antibodies which are then grown in
:18:37. > :18:40.tobacco plants but there are just two dozes. All have been allocated
:18:41. > :18:44.or used. There will be no more until the end of the year. Another
:18:45. > :18:49.potential treatment is to use serum from patients who have recovered
:18:50. > :18:53.from ebowl la. There are also anti-viral drugs -- Ebola. As for
:18:54. > :18:57.prevention, there are two vaccines in development but all of these have
:18:58. > :19:00.only been tested in monkeys. We have to make sure there is informed
:19:01. > :19:05.consent from the patient, if the patient is conscious and able to
:19:06. > :19:12.give that. Otherwise from the family, or the community. And we
:19:13. > :19:16.also have to ensure that data is properly collected and the cases are
:19:17. > :19:21.well-documented, so we will get information on whether or not these
:19:22. > :19:24.treatments work. Global health officials said there had been
:19:25. > :19:30.limited research into Ebola drugs because it was largely a disease of
:19:31. > :19:35.the poor in West Africa. The virus can overwhelm the immune system but
:19:36. > :19:40.intravenous fluids, oxygen, modern emergency medicine can help. It
:19:41. > :19:45.won't be experimental drugs, but better health care and the early
:19:46. > :19:47.isolation of infected patients that will bring this nightmare epidemic
:19:48. > :19:55.to an end. Fergus Walsh reports.
:19:56. > :19:58.The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Peter Fahy,
:19:59. > :20:01.has been told he is facing a criminal investigation - in relation
:20:02. > :20:03.to the handling of inquiries about a suspected sex offender. Sir Peter
:20:04. > :20:05.says it's right that his decision-making is being
:20:06. > :20:06.scrutinised. Our correspondent, Ed Thomas, is at Greater Manchester
:20:07. > :20:15.Police Headquarters. Sir Peter Fahy is one of the
:20:16. > :20:19.country's most senior police officers, now under pressure, like
:20:20. > :20:22.never before. He faces a criminal investigation that could lead to a
:20:23. > :20:27.court case. He faces misconduct claims that could lead to him being
:20:28. > :20:32.sacked as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. All this relates
:20:33. > :20:34.to evidence from a whistleblower, a serving officer inside Greater
:20:35. > :20:41.Manchester Police, who has made a number of accusation against senior
:20:42. > :20:49.officers. These be a cuecations include cronyism and bullying. The
:20:50. > :20:58.claim on Sir Peter Fahy is he was involved in an auto a -- in a parly
:20:59. > :21:01.handled investigation into a child sex offender. He is not the only
:21:02. > :21:05.Chief Constable to face inquiries like this. Across England and Wales,
:21:06. > :21:10.five chief constables have faced criminal investigations whilst in
:21:11. > :21:14.office. Sir Peter Fahy has not left the office it make a statement on
:21:15. > :21:19.camera but he gave the BBC some words. He said "You face complex
:21:20. > :21:24.decisions on a daily basis... It is right this decision-making is
:21:25. > :21:26.scrutinised and that I am held to account."
:21:27. > :21:51.Thank you. Police say they are concerned for
:21:52. > :21:55.three brothers from Sundayer who have gone missing. They were last
:21:56. > :22:01.seen yesterday evening boarding a train to Newcastle station. The mat
:22:02. > :22:04.lock brothers were in foster care -- Matlock.
:22:05. > :22:07.The invaluable work done by tens of thousands of women during the first
:22:08. > :22:13.and Second World Wars, is being commemorated in a work of heart. The
:22:14. > :22:17.women's Land Army, or Land Girls as they became known, helped feed
:22:18. > :22:22.soldiers and the nation. By 1944 there were some 80,000 of them. Now
:22:23. > :22:26.work is under way on a sculpture which will be unveiled later this
:22:27. > :22:29.year. Sian load has been to meet the artist and one of her models. --
:22:30. > :22:36.Sian Lloyd. The call for women to work the land.
:22:37. > :22:44.Over the course of two world wars and beyond, thousands of women left
:22:45. > :22:49.their old lives behind and joined ed Land Army or Timber corps, ploughing
:22:50. > :22:55.the fields and chopping wood. Jobs until then that had been done by
:22:56. > :22:59.men. Mary Wright was one. In 1947 when food was still in short supply,
:23:00. > :23:04.17-year-old Mary answered an advert in her local paper When I first
:23:05. > :23:13.joined the Land Army I don't know whether I ever imagined that I would
:23:14. > :23:19.be farming, still, at my age. The contribution of the Land Girls and
:23:20. > :23:25.lumberjilles, as members of the Timber Corps are known, is now being
:23:26. > :23:29.officially commemorated. We've had access to the statues being made.
:23:30. > :23:33.The year-long project begins with a steel frame being discovered in clay
:23:34. > :23:38.a pain-staking process for the artist. My great-aunt was a Land
:23:39. > :23:42.Girl. It intrigued me. It was nice to have a sculpture that means
:23:43. > :23:47.something. I can think of her while I'm doing it as well. Modelling the
:23:48. > :23:54.figures takes months, as layer upon layer of clay is moulded. Their
:23:55. > :24:02.features are carefully copied. The Land Girl is modelled on Is Abel
:24:03. > :24:09.Wright. She's following on her grandmother's footsteps, working in
:24:10. > :24:15.the family farm Nanny and every Land Girl and LumberJill worked so hard
:24:16. > :24:21.to keep the can untrigoing. It makes us proud. -- keep the country going.
:24:22. > :24:26.At this stage, the figures are still in pieces. At this stage the fist
:24:27. > :24:33.coat of wax gets all the detail. It will he be a two months before it is
:24:34. > :24:37.finished and placed in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
:24:38. > :24:40.It'll mark a period in social history that saw many women's
:24:41. > :24:50.everyday lives, change forever. Edinburgh Zoo says its giant panda,
:24:51. > :24:52.Tian Tian, may be pregnant, and could give birth at the end
:24:53. > :24:54.of the month. Keepers
:24:55. > :24:57.at the zoo have been monitoring Tian Tian since she was artifically
:24:58. > :25:00.inseminated earlier this year. If all goes to plan, this will be
:25:01. > :25:03.the first giant panda to be born in the UK, as Lorna Gordon reports.
:25:04. > :25:11.She is one half of Britain's most famous animal couple. And now, Chang
:25:12. > :25:16.Chang has a cub on the way. The zoo are hoping this could be third time
:25:17. > :25:22.lucky for the giant panda after previous disappointments, the signs,
:25:23. > :25:26.this time are good. But panda pregnancies are notoriously hard to
:25:27. > :25:30.monitor. In part, because the incubating baby is tiny, compared to
:25:31. > :25:35.its mum. At the moment I would imagine it is the size of a bean.
:25:36. > :25:40.The panda cub develops very quickly. The actual pregnancy, the length of
:25:41. > :25:48.time we don't know for sure, I would hazard a guess of something between
:25:49. > :25:54.24 and 30 days. For visitors today the focus was on the wait. She was
:25:55. > :26:01.kept away from public view. Then there is the daddy. Seemingly
:26:02. > :26:05.oblivious to the attention. And Edinburgh's giant pandas, popular
:26:06. > :26:10.already, will be more in demand if the patter of tiny panda paws are
:26:11. > :26:12.heard. I think it is really cool. But I wish they would
:26:13. > :26:15.the patter of tiny panda paws are heard. I come out and play. Well,
:26:16. > :26:20.they are endangered and I think not many people get to see pandas during
:26:21. > :26:24.their lifetime. It is fantastic for Edinburgh. It is a fantastic
:26:25. > :26:27.achievement for the zoo and to promote Scotland. These triplets
:26:28. > :26:32.were recently born in China. And while the zoo here is urging
:26:33. > :26:40.caution, the first giant panda, or pandas, to be born in Britain,
:26:41. > :26:41.should, all going well, be adding to this endangered species' numbers in
:26:42. > :26:46.just a few weeks' time. Follow that, Matt, Taylor with the
:26:47. > :26:51.Will forecast. How is it looking? Follow that, Matt, Taylor with the
:26:52. > :26:56.Will forecast. How is it looking? Maybe Midsummer but I bet even you
:26:57. > :27:00.thought the word autumn through the head. It has for many. If you were
:27:01. > :27:04.in Scotland today, across the central belt, cloudy, driving winds,
:27:05. > :27:07.pouring rain, 13 in Glasgow and Edinburgh in an August avenue. A
:27:08. > :27:10.disappointment. Things will get better here tomorrow. The area of
:27:11. > :27:14.cloud that has brought that persistent rain is pushing
:27:15. > :27:17.southwards bringing heavy rain into the far north of England.
:27:18. > :27:19.southwards bringing heavy rain into the far north It'll fragment as it
:27:20. > :27:22.works southwards. Lively thunderstorms nor parts of Wales,
:27:23. > :27:27.the Midlands and southern England through the fist part of the night.
:27:28. > :27:34.Most will grad will youly decay. To the end of the night a scattering of
:27:35. > :27:38.showers, through the central belt and Scotland.
:27:39. > :27:41.And there will be a bit of breeze strongest across the north-east of
:27:42. > :27:45.Scotland. Further bursts of heavy rain around. Winds touching
:27:46. > :27:49.galeforce. The rest of Scotland into Northern Ireland, a vastly improved
:27:50. > :27:54.picture compared with today. More dry and bright weather around. Cloud
:27:55. > :27:59.across north England north Midlands and north Wales with occasional rain
:28:00. > :28:02.which will work southwards. The showers we have in the
:28:03. > :28:06.south-west, not quite as heavy as they were this morning.
:28:07. > :28:10.The story for Wednesday is slightly fewer showers, slightly lighter. If
:28:11. > :28:13.you don't stay dry all day long, any wet spell will only be fairly
:28:14. > :28:17.short-lived as the showers push through on the north-west breeze.
:28:18. > :28:21.Because that breeze is lighter, it'll feel warmer out there. Most
:28:22. > :28:23.notably across parts of Scot lands and Northern Ireland, after today's
:28:24. > :28:28.conditions. But it is cooler again as we go into Thursday. Still a
:28:29. > :28:32.notable breeze. Heavier showers developing from Wales, across the
:28:33. > :28:35.Midlands, southern England and rumbles of thunder and hail with
:28:36. > :28:40.that. It'll decay from the west and Friday and Saturday look drier.
:28:41. > :28:48.Try to keep some optimism. Thank you very much. That's all from the BBC
:28:49. > :28:49.News at Six. Goodbye from me. On BBC One, we join the teams