19/08/2014

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:00:00. > :00:11.Rail fares on the rise. Millions of commuters will see

:00:12. > :00:13.prices go up from January. It's a 3.5% hike on average.

:00:14. > :00:25.Many travellers are not happy. The prices are already produce all

:00:26. > :00:28.button. If they were to be any more expensive, it would be crippling. If

:00:29. > :00:29.you are looking at booking last-minute commie you might as well

:00:30. > :00:35.forget it. With house prices also climbing -

:00:36. > :00:37.we'll look at what it means for the cost of living.

:00:38. > :00:40.Also tonight... The UN launches a major aid

:00:41. > :00:43.operation for refugees in Iraq. The fighting returns to Gaza -

:00:44. > :00:47.as the ceasefire breaks down. After the death of an Afghan Sikh

:00:48. > :00:50.in a Tilbury shipping container - police arrest a man in

:00:51. > :00:53.Northern Ireland. And War Horse goes East to China,

:00:54. > :00:56.with a little help from the National Theatre.

:00:57. > :01:06.Tonight on BBC London. Jailed, the smash and grab gang who

:01:07. > :01:08.dressed in burqas to rob from Selfridge's.

:01:09. > :01:11.Tonight on BBC London. And guns, drugs and cash are seized

:01:12. > :01:27.in a series of raids ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival.

:01:28. > :01:33.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

:01:34. > :01:36.Rail passengers in England are again to face an increase in ticket

:01:37. > :01:39.prices that's above inflation. That's despite figures out today,

:01:40. > :01:42.showing that the rate of inflation itself has actually fallen.

:01:43. > :01:48.Average ticket prices for fares set by the government will

:01:49. > :01:53.go up by 3.5% from January. In some cases, fares could

:01:54. > :01:57.even rise by as much as 5.5%. It means that fares will have gone

:01:58. > :02:00.up by almost a quarter since 2010. That compares to a rise

:02:01. > :02:06.in average wages of just under 7% over the same period.

:02:07. > :02:09.Our transport correspondent Richard Westcott is at King's Cross

:02:10. > :02:10.in central London with more details for us now.

:02:11. > :02:17.Richard. Something has been happening on the

:02:18. > :02:21.railways that the last ten years which really explains what has gone

:02:22. > :02:24.on today. Billions of pounds has been pumped into the network to make

:02:25. > :02:26.it run better but the government have slowly been cutting the amount

:02:27. > :02:31.of money they are putting towards the final bill. But the money has

:02:32. > :02:35.got to come from somewhere which is why ticket prices just keep on going

:02:36. > :02:39.up. They have been going up for more than a decade, normally above

:02:40. > :02:43.inflation and they are going up again next year.

:02:44. > :02:47.It is the one thing you can rely on with the railways, the annual fare

:02:48. > :02:50.rise. Almost every year for a decade, the government has put up

:02:51. > :02:58.ticket prices by more than inflation and it is happening again next year,

:02:59. > :03:01.with no end in sight. I would like to see the long-term aspiration of

:03:02. > :03:04.affairs going up by no more than inflation every year. But we are at

:03:05. > :03:10.a time of investing ?40 billion in the railway, the biggest investment

:03:11. > :03:14.since Victorian times. From January, regulated fares come which include

:03:15. > :03:21.season tickets, will go up by an average of 3.5%. It brings the

:03:22. > :03:26.annual neutron was to Birmingham up to ?1500 and from Liverpool to

:03:27. > :03:32.magister to ?3000 per year. If you want to get from Reading to London,

:03:33. > :03:34.the total cost is over ?4000. The prices are already pretty

:03:35. > :03:38.exorbitant. If they were to be more expensive, it would be quite

:03:39. > :03:43.crippling. I think they are high in. I would not be able to afford it

:03:44. > :03:47.myself if my company did not pay. If you are looking at not booking in

:03:48. > :03:53.advance, you might as well forget it. For every ?1 spent, around 26p

:03:54. > :03:58.goes on things like this, new stations, 25p goes on staff, 22p

:03:59. > :04:01.goes attaining the trained on track. Take out money for leasing the

:04:02. > :04:06.trains, fuel and interest payments and it leaves 3p in the pound as the

:04:07. > :04:10.average profit per train companies. Labour would also put fares up but

:04:11. > :04:13.they would abolish what is known as the Flex system which allows rail

:04:14. > :04:19.companies to increase some tickets by a further 2% if they cut prices

:04:20. > :04:23.elsewhere. At a time when most people 's wages are stagnant or in

:04:24. > :04:26.some cases falling, we think that is the gap between what people are

:04:27. > :04:31.earning and what they are paying for their season tickets is too wide. We

:04:32. > :04:36.want to close the gap. In Scotland, the average rise will be lower,

:04:37. > :04:41.2.5%, with off-peak fares frozen altogether. The level in Wales has

:04:42. > :04:45.not been set yet and there is no planned rise in Northern Ireland.

:04:46. > :04:48.There is one glimmer of hope are struggling commuters. The government

:04:49. > :04:51.has a track record of cutting the rise at the last minute. With the

:04:52. > :04:56.election looming, it could happen again.

:04:57. > :04:59.A glimmer of hope but it is all eyes on the Autumn statement which is due

:05:00. > :05:04.later this year. I would not get your hopes up, though. We are still

:05:05. > :05:06.talking about a smaller fare rise. Nobody from any party is talking

:05:07. > :05:11.about cutting fares in the future. It's not just rail fares that are

:05:12. > :05:14.putting a strain on people's pockets.

:05:15. > :05:16.UK house prices hit a record high in the 12 months to June,

:05:17. > :05:19.rising by 10%, and almost double that in London.

:05:20. > :05:22.But prices are soaring outside the capital too, as

:05:23. > :05:31.our personal finance correspondent Simon Gompertz reports.

:05:32. > :05:37.London, prices in the capital are sky high, more than double the

:05:38. > :05:42.average elsewhere. So our London home is the most unaffordable? No,

:05:43. > :05:48.that distinction goes to places like the Cotswolds, rural rule Stow on

:05:49. > :05:53.the Wold. Prices are high enough here. You can pay ?500,000 for a

:05:54. > :05:58.three-bedroom house. But wages are lower than in major cities, so

:05:59. > :06:04.would-be buyers can find a basic home far out of reach. Buyers like

:06:05. > :06:08.Becky, who is getting married in the spring but has lost hope of

:06:09. > :06:14.purchasing a property in the town where she was brought up, even on

:06:15. > :06:19.two salaries. It makes me feel bad. I don't want to live in my parents

:06:20. > :06:24.pocket. I want to start out on my own. It makes me feel awful. You are

:06:25. > :06:29.trying to afford staff and you get put down all the time. Second homes,

:06:30. > :06:33.dream homes for people retiring, property here is snapped up before

:06:34. > :06:39.moguls, mostly on less than ?20,000 per year, get a look in. -- before

:06:40. > :06:44.locals. The typical home in London is worth ten times the average local

:06:45. > :06:51.wage. But it is 13 times in Hamilton in North Yorkshire, Stratford, and

:06:52. > :06:54.15 times in Purbeck in Dorset, and amongst the highest, in the

:06:55. > :07:01.Cotswolds, 19 times the average wage. So build more homes, that is

:07:02. > :07:07.the need in hotspots across the UK, and it is happening on a disused

:07:08. > :07:12.airfield outside Stow. We have 386 homes being built. The problem is,

:07:13. > :07:18.only a minority are designated affordable homes for first-time

:07:19. > :07:24.buyers. This is on the market for ?390,000. Four bedrooms. You look in

:07:25. > :07:28.the estate agents' windows and you think you can't afford to live here

:07:29. > :07:33.but you can afford to rent. It takes most of my pension but never mind. I

:07:34. > :07:39.sold one quite a long time ago now and should have kept it. Prices can

:07:40. > :07:42.get too high, and estate agents say in London they are coming off the

:07:43. > :07:44.boil, but it would take a major chill in the market to make towns

:07:45. > :07:48.like this one affordable. With me now is

:07:49. > :07:57.our business editor Kamal Ahmed. Mail fares and house prices have

:07:58. > :08:04.gone up but the rate of inflation has come down. -- rail fares. What

:08:05. > :08:08.is going on. As ever, the British economy is sending out mixed

:08:09. > :08:11.messages. As we heard in the reports, rail prices look like they

:08:12. > :08:15.are going up and house prices are going up at near record levels. But

:08:16. > :08:21.there is some good news in this cost of living debate in the figures. The

:08:22. > :08:25.UK economy is strong. The currency is strong. That means that things we

:08:26. > :08:31.import are cheaper. That is feeding through to cheaper food, fuel and

:08:32. > :08:37.clothing. That is good for the cost of living debate. What this all

:08:38. > :08:41.feeds into is what it means for interest rates. If inflation was

:08:42. > :08:44.rampant, going through the roof, I am sure interest rate rises would be

:08:45. > :08:50.ahead, closer than they are at the moment. The message from the

:08:51. > :08:54.inflation figures mean that the economic consensus is that interest

:08:55. > :08:58.rate rises are probably pushed out rather further. The better news is

:08:59. > :08:59.probably beating the bad news in some of the figures. Thank you for

:09:00. > :09:08.joining us. The Israeli military says it has

:09:09. > :09:11.carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip, in response to fresh

:09:12. > :09:14.Hamas rocket attacks. The violence began despite an

:09:15. > :09:16.agreement struck in Egypt last night to extend the current cease-fire.

:09:17. > :09:18.Israel says it has now withdrawn its negotiating team from Cairo.

:09:19. > :09:25.Our Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell is in Gaza City.

:09:26. > :09:32.This was the ninth consecutive day of cease-fire. How serious is the

:09:33. > :09:35.outbreak of violence? It looks very serious. Certainly, the cease-fire

:09:36. > :09:40.arrangements have looked shaky before but this was a clear breach,

:09:41. > :09:45.a total of five Palestinian rockets, fired into southern Israel in the

:09:46. > :09:48.past few hours will stop two of them were intercepted by the Israeli

:09:49. > :09:53.missile defences to and then a series of Israeli air strikes across

:09:54. > :09:58.Gaza in response to that, really from north to south. While we have

:09:59. > :10:01.had no serious injuries reported, large numbers of Palestinians have

:10:02. > :10:05.again fled their homes, to the east of us in Gaza city. They had only

:10:06. > :10:12.just returned home from neighbourhoods badly affected by

:10:13. > :10:15.Israel's military offensive. This all has worrying implications for

:10:16. > :10:19.those indirect talks on a longer term cease-fire deal that had been

:10:20. > :10:23.taking place in Cairo. But we already knew there were very big

:10:24. > :10:30.gaps between the sides, with Israel saying security cannot be, might and

:10:31. > :10:35.the Palestinians wanting an easing of the border restrictions by both

:10:36. > :10:38.Israel and Egypt. The Israeli delegation has been told to pull out

:10:39. > :10:42.of Cairo but we don't know if it has happened, or if this signifies a

:10:43. > :10:46.complete collapse in the talks. Thank you for joining us.

:10:47. > :10:49.Yolande Knell is in Gaza City. In northern Iraq, the United Nations

:10:50. > :10:52.is mounting a major aid operation for more than 500,000 people who

:10:53. > :10:54.fled for their lives from extremist Islamic State fighters.

:10:55. > :10:57.The aid effort comes as Iraqi government forces attempt to push

:10:58. > :11:00.the militants out of Tikrit, which is north of Baghdad.

:11:01. > :11:03.And Kurdish forces, also fighting the militants, are now fully

:11:04. > :11:09.in control of the strategically important Mosul Dam, although

:11:10. > :11:11.hostilities aren't completely over. Many of the refugees have arrived

:11:12. > :11:15.in Dahuk, and for them, UN help can't come

:11:16. > :11:22.soon enough, as our correspondent Jeremy Cooke has been finding out.

:11:23. > :11:29.They say that help is coming. It is desperately needed. In this

:11:30. > :11:37.windswept dust bowl, in the searing heat, the camps keep growing. In

:11:38. > :11:43.each tent, a family. Each family with time, now, to reflect on horror

:11:44. > :11:50.and loss. They did not do their job well. This father calls himself

:11:51. > :11:55.Henry. That is what the US troops in Iraq named him when he translated

:11:56. > :12:02.for them to six years. Now he wants actuary for his whole family,

:12:03. > :12:07.especially his kids. Where do you want to go? Anywhere, any country,

:12:08. > :12:13.Europe, Australia, Canada, America, anywhere. Children, they're asked so

:12:14. > :12:17.many here. They have escaped and they are alive but they are still

:12:18. > :12:23.traumatised and vulnerable after days without food and water. The

:12:24. > :12:31.clinic is overwhelmed, from 50 patients a day, it is now 500, with

:12:32. > :12:37.a single doctor. Can you imagine a child is sick as this, children aged

:12:38. > :12:40.12, no, water or milk for one week or two, they are all vomiting. Now

:12:41. > :12:49.you can see in this bed, three children on a single bed. This is

:12:50. > :12:53.just one part of one camp. You really get the feeling that an

:12:54. > :12:58.entire people have been displaced. Most of them are telling us they

:12:59. > :13:07.believe they can never go home. But how can they stay here? Look at this

:13:08. > :13:11.family. Every child was ill. Hard to believe but yes, it can get even

:13:12. > :13:16.worse. The camps are so full that many are forced to fend for

:13:17. > :13:24.themselves, out here, with temperatures nudging 50 Celsius. We

:13:25. > :13:33.want a UN safe house, for the children, our girls, our religion.

:13:34. > :13:38.You understand? The camps are being improved, and finally, there is the

:13:39. > :13:42.promise of a major UN aid effort. They would welcome shelter and food,

:13:43. > :13:49.but how can it begin to replace all that they have lost?

:13:50. > :13:53.A man's been arrested in Northern Ireland over the death

:13:54. > :13:55.of an immigrant, who was found in a container at Tilbury Docks

:13:56. > :13:57.on Saturday. The man will be questioned

:13:58. > :13:59.on suspicion of manslaughter. 34 people,

:14:00. > :14:01.who were discovered alive in the container, are claiming asylum.

:14:02. > :14:07.Our correspondent Jo Black sent this report from Tilbury.

:14:08. > :14:15.It was supposed to be the journey to a new life, but it turned out to be

:14:16. > :14:20.an horrific ordeal. 34 stairways survived and are led away. But a

:14:21. > :14:24.40-year-old father, Meet Singh Kapoor, has already died inside the

:14:25. > :14:28.container. Days later, they are in a much happier place. Today, they

:14:29. > :14:35.spoke to members of the local community. They are in a state of

:14:36. > :14:45.shock, but still, they know that they are going to be processed

:14:46. > :14:48.through the UK BAe. -- border agency. But they are happy with the

:14:49. > :14:53.help they received from hospitals, the temple, the local food bank, who

:14:54. > :14:57.provided them with clothes, the other people that come from

:14:58. > :15:02.Afghanistan, the minority committee, and the majority committee, when

:15:03. > :15:05.they claim asylum in the West, they come because of the fear of

:15:06. > :15:09.insecurity and instability in their country, that is the main reason.

:15:10. > :15:12.The Home Office has said it won't comment on individual cases or

:15:13. > :15:15.confirm that the immigrants are staying here but those who have been

:15:16. > :15:21.speaking to the group today say they are keen to stay in the UK and

:15:22. > :15:25.cooperate with the authorities. This morning in Northern Ireland, a man

:15:26. > :15:26.has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and facilitating

:15:27. > :15:38.illegal entry into the UK. Our top story this evening.

:15:39. > :15:41.Ticket prices for millions of commuters are due to go up

:15:42. > :15:48.by an average of 3.5%. Still to come:

:15:49. > :15:59.Jonnie Peacock adds European Gold. Laser eye surgery.

:16:00. > :16:03.Jonnie Peacock adds European Gold. Laser Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger on

:16:04. > :16:15.why Champions League qualification is a must for the Gunners.

:16:16. > :16:19.Prisons in England and Wales face problems with

:16:20. > :16:22.violence, suicides and staff shortages the Justice Secretary,

:16:23. > :16:25.Chris Grayling, admitted today. But he insisted there was no crisis.

:16:26. > :16:30.According to official figures, there were over 15,000 prison

:16:31. > :16:36.assaults in the year to March 2014, up 6% on the previous year.

:16:37. > :16:40.The number of assaults on prison staff in the same period was

:16:41. > :16:43.over 3,300, an increase of 12%. A report today into the

:16:44. > :16:46.ISIS Young Offenders' Institution in London has again put

:16:47. > :16:56.the focus on rising levels of prison violence, as Sima Kotecha reports.

:16:57. > :17:00.Justin is spraying graffiti here legally, but his teenage experience

:17:01. > :17:03.with crime began in a gang doing this outside the law.

:17:04. > :17:09.It soon escalated into violence and ended with him behind bars, and the

:17:10. > :17:12.environment there was brutalising. I realised straightaway,

:17:13. > :17:17.if you don't fight. If you don't show you're tough.

:17:18. > :17:20.If you don't act out with some sort of extreme violence, then you're

:17:21. > :17:24.going to get basically terrorised. It's not a nice place for a kid to

:17:25. > :17:27.be when you're away from your family and stuff for the first time.

:17:28. > :17:32.Today's report into ISIS Prison in London paints a similar picture

:17:33. > :17:35.of jail life for young inmates. It says, "the number of fights

:17:36. > :17:46.and assaults have been high. Many were serious and more than

:17:47. > :17:48.we usually see involved weapons. Often groups were attacking single

:17:49. > :17:51.inmates and nearly a third of prisoners felt unsafe."

:17:52. > :17:53.Many would argue that thousands of young people

:17:54. > :17:57.in Britain's jails deserve to be there as part of their punishment.

:17:58. > :18:01.But if rehabilitation is important also, the fear is

:18:02. > :18:07.the current environment could turn them into more serious criminals.

:18:08. > :18:11.One former prison officer, who worked with young offenders for more

:18:12. > :18:16.than 30 years, said the situation is getting out of control.

:18:17. > :18:22.Going into work was sometimes harrowing.

:18:23. > :18:25.I didn't know what I was going in to.

:18:26. > :18:28.I didn't know if I was going in to a fight.

:18:29. > :18:30.I didn't know if I was going in to somebody being killed.

:18:31. > :18:34.I was getting anxious about it. To be honest, it affected my work.

:18:35. > :18:36.In recent weeks, several prison reports have been damning with

:18:37. > :18:39.allegations of high rates of drug use and extreme violence.

:18:40. > :18:45.The Justice Secretary insists jails are not deteriorating.

:18:46. > :18:48.We've got 40% more violent offenders in our jails today

:18:49. > :18:52.than there were 10 years ago. Of course that is a challenge.

:18:53. > :18:55.Of course I can't say there will never be violence in our prisons.

:18:56. > :18:58.By definition, our prisons are full of violent people.

:18:59. > :19:00.We have to work hard to minimise the violence where ever we can.

:19:01. > :19:03.It has got worse. You admit it's got worse?

:19:04. > :19:06.In the last 12 months, the number of assaults has gone up.

:19:07. > :19:08.It's lower than it was two years ago.

:19:09. > :19:10.It's lower than it was five years ago.

:19:11. > :19:14.But critics argue a bursting prison population

:19:15. > :19:17.and fewer staff means the challenge of rehabilitating young, vulnerable

:19:18. > :19:18.and often violent offenders is arguably tougher than ever.

:19:19. > :19:29.Sima Kotecha, BBC News. Four people have gone

:19:30. > :19:32.on trial accused of conning a number of women out of tens

:19:33. > :19:43.of thousands of pounds through an internet dating agency, Match.com.

:19:44. > :19:45.The alledged victims were duped into handing over money

:19:46. > :19:48.after they responded online to men they thought might be a match.

:19:49. > :19:49.From Winchester Crown Court, Duncan Kennedy reports.

:19:50. > :19:55.It's the website where millions of people go to find love. But the

:19:56. > :20:00.prosecution say Match.com is where the gang went to exploit the

:20:01. > :20:08.emotions and finances of innocent women. Women like Suzanne Hardman,

:20:09. > :20:12.on the left. A divorcee who used the online sight looking for

:20:13. > :20:17.relationship. -- site. She told the court the gang played with her

:20:18. > :20:23.emotions and she was persuaded to hand over ?174,000. The gang up fake

:20:24. > :20:28.profiles on Match.com. Even producing bogus passports, like this

:20:29. > :20:33.unwith, to prove who they were. In a private email, the non-existent

:20:34. > :20:39.James Richards wrote to Susanne Hardman saying:

:20:40. > :20:53.The prosecution say all that talk of love was a con. Once in a

:20:54. > :21:00.relationship the women would be asked for money to pay legal bills

:21:01. > :21:16.in India. In all, 14 women were involved handing over ?250,000. The

:21:17. > :21:19.prosecution say this alleged online scam depended on the trust of the

:21:20. > :21:23.victims who were targeted with the language of love. Duncan Kennedy,

:21:24. > :21:34.BBC News in Winchester. A Malaysian man has been charged

:21:35. > :21:36.with the murder of two British students earlier this month

:21:37. > :21:38.in Borneo. Neil Dalton

:21:39. > :21:41.and Aidan Brunger were stabbed to death after an argument broke out

:21:42. > :21:44.in a cafe on the island of Kuching. The two medical students were

:21:45. > :21:46.working in a local hospital. Their alleged attacker will go

:21:47. > :21:47.on trial next month. If found guilty, he faces

:21:48. > :22:00.a mandatory death sentence. The IPC European Championships

:22:01. > :22:03.for para-athletes opened today in Swansea.

:22:04. > :22:05.More than 500 disabled sportsmen and women from all over Europe will

:22:06. > :22:08.be competing over the next five days for gold.

:22:09. > :22:10.And, for Team GB, these Championships are essential

:22:11. > :22:12.preparations for the Rio Paralympics in two years' time.

:22:13. > :22:19.One star is Jonnie Peacock, who raced today in the 100 metres.

:22:20. > :22:22.Andy Swiss watched the race. Former World record holder

:22:23. > :22:26.and the favourite to take the Gold here today.

:22:27. > :22:28.Two years ago, he lit up London. Now, could Jonnie Peacock sparkle

:22:29. > :22:32.in Swansea? The European title had been the only

:22:33. > :22:35.gap on his CV and Peacock has struggled with injury this season

:22:36. > :22:40.but, with a home crowd behind him, you'd scarcely have guessed it.

:22:41. > :22:49.Britain's biggest para sport event since London 2012 had

:22:50. > :22:51.the most popular of winners. Peacock, now the Paralympic, World

:22:52. > :22:53.and European Champion - 100m domination, complete.

:22:54. > :22:57.It's sounds good, you know. Obviously, I'm going to have to

:22:58. > :22:59.go home and let it sink in. It's a great relief.

:23:00. > :23:02.You know, three out of three is not bad, you know.

:23:03. > :23:04.I'd like to say I'm a Championship performer, you know.

:23:05. > :23:07.I come here, it's all about getting medals. Earlier,

:23:08. > :23:12.Britain's first Gold had come from wheelchair racer,

:23:13. > :23:16.Sammi Kinghorn in the 400m, a European Champion at just 18.

:23:17. > :23:19.With just two years to go until the next Paralympics in Rio,

:23:20. > :23:23.this week is a chance for Britain's athletes to prove themselves.

:23:24. > :23:27.It's also a chance for the British fans to show that their appetite

:23:28. > :23:31.for para sport hasn't faded. It certainly hadn't

:23:32. > :23:33.at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where Paralympic stars,

:23:34. > :23:38.like Aled Davis, performed alongside their Olympic counterparts.

:23:39. > :23:42.But exclusively disability sport events, like this,

:23:43. > :23:44.remain a harder sell. For all the progress,

:23:45. > :23:47.there's still not parity. We're still a long way

:23:48. > :23:49.from being the same as able-bodied. At least we're heading

:23:50. > :23:52.in the right direction. This is just another steppingstone

:23:53. > :23:55.and it's up to Rio now to try and fuel the fire of Paralympic

:23:56. > :23:59.sport and hoping it will grow. People want to see Paralympic sport

:24:00. > :24:02.these days, that is the main thing. They do have a tough act to follow.

:24:03. > :24:05.COMMENTATOR: It's Gold for Great Britain.

:24:06. > :24:08.Last week, Britain's able-bodied team enjoyed their best

:24:09. > :24:10.European Championships ever. Now it's up to

:24:11. > :24:12.the para-athletes to round off a golden summer in glittering style.

:24:13. > :24:29.Andy Swiss, BBC News, Swansea. The First World War play War Horse

:24:30. > :24:33.has been seen by nearly six million people in theatres around the world.

:24:34. > :24:36.But now it's about to take one of its biggest steps yet, into China.

:24:37. > :24:38.The National Theatre has begun a collaboration to translate

:24:39. > :24:41.the play into Chinese and to produce the show with

:24:42. > :24:42.an entirely Chinese cast and crew. Our China editor, Carrie Gracie,

:24:43. > :24:57.reports. China has had puppets for hundreds

:24:58. > :25:01.of years, but nothing like this. Getting under the skin of the

:25:02. > :25:03.War Horse. The National Theatre's big star,

:25:04. > :25:07.Joey, is taking his first steps in China.

:25:08. > :25:10.He won't be ready to meet his Chinese public for a year.

:25:11. > :25:14.But these are the actors who'll bring him to life.

:25:15. > :25:16.Small steps, but loads of effort. Training them presents new

:25:17. > :25:20.challenges for a British puppeteer. I think sometimes there's a fear

:25:21. > :25:23.of getting it wrong. And, I think, there's a desire,

:25:24. > :25:27.strong desire, to get it right from the very beginning,

:25:28. > :25:31.which is impossible with puppetry. My approach is to get in the room

:25:32. > :25:36.and play, make mistakes, discover things through trial and error.

:25:37. > :25:41.For the National Theatre of China, this is a rehearsal unlike any

:25:42. > :25:45.they've done before. TRANSLATION:

:25:46. > :25:48.Every morning I get up early feeling like a newborn.

:25:49. > :25:50.I know I'm going to learn new things.

:25:51. > :25:53.It's exciting. TRANSLATION:

:25:54. > :25:56.The British trainers make us learn from our own experience

:25:57. > :26:02.and feelings, not like Chinese teachers who say - do it like this,

:26:03. > :26:05.and do it like that. China has thousands

:26:06. > :26:08.of new theatres and the old communist culture of bussing

:26:09. > :26:12.in an obedient audience is over. So it needs lots of shows that are

:26:13. > :26:17.compelling enough to sell these seats, but not so challenging as

:26:18. > :26:22.to upset the government's senses. Cue the story of a Devon farm boy

:26:23. > :26:26.and his horse, fighting impossible odds in the First World War.

:26:27. > :26:30.For everyone involved, there's a lot riding on this production.

:26:31. > :26:33.So everywhere it's the Year of the Horse, but here it's

:26:34. > :26:45.the year of the War Horse. Carrie Gracie, BBC News, Beijing.

:26:46. > :26:54.Time for a look at the weather, here's Alex Deakin.

:26:55. > :27:00.Today looked warmer than it felt. I suspect it was chilly on top of the

:27:01. > :27:05.Peak District where this beautiful photograph was taken. The cold theme

:27:06. > :27:09.continues, chilly over night tonight for the time of year. Why so cold?

:27:10. > :27:13.The air is coming down from the north. These brisk breezes bringing

:27:14. > :27:16.a few showers around at the moment. The showers fade, as do the winds.

:27:17. > :27:21.Under the clear skies, those temperatures are going to drop.

:27:22. > :27:25.Towns and cities just about staying in double digits. Spin the values

:27:26. > :27:29.around to show the temperatures in rural areas and widely down to

:27:30. > :27:33.single digits. A few places down to two or three degrees. A cold start

:27:34. > :27:38.tomorrow morning. A few will start off with sunshine. Showers to Wales

:27:39. > :27:41.and south-west England. More will be scattered about during the afternoon

:27:42. > :27:45.across Northern Ireland, one or two developing further south as well.

:27:46. > :27:48.The showers will be scattered and there will be a fair bit of

:27:49. > :27:52.sunshine. The winds will be a touch lighter tomorrow. Temperatures are

:27:53. > :27:56.still only going to reach about 17-18 or 19 degrees Celsius. Lower

:27:57. > :28:00.than that if you catch one or two of these showers. There will be some

:28:01. > :28:04.across the Midlands and Wales. Not too many across northern England.

:28:05. > :28:08.Scattering of showers for Northern Ireland. Largely dry for the central

:28:09. > :28:11.belt of Scotland. Maybe later in the day persistent rain to the far

:28:12. > :28:15.north-west. A weather system which moves south on Thursday. O cloudier

:28:16. > :28:21.day to southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, the far north of England.

:28:22. > :28:25.That is where most of the showers will be. In the south a chance of

:28:26. > :28:30.seeing sunshine, temperatures in the teens. Feeling cooler where it's

:28:31. > :28:36.cloudier further north. Friday, low pressure will pull away. Chilly with

:28:37. > :28:39.a sprinkling of showers. Behind me, this little bump is high pressure

:28:40. > :28:41.which promises many of us a fine start to the weekend.

:28:42. > :28:50.That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me,

:28:51. > :28:51.and