:00:00. > :00:00.Nearly ?7 billion pledged at a London conference
:00:07. > :00:12.Years of conflict have left millions homeless -
:00:13. > :00:16.Britain offers more than a billion pounds in extra aid.
:00:17. > :00:22.Today has been and is a day of hope, a day about saving lives,
:00:23. > :00:25.a day about building futures, the day
:00:26. > :00:30.about giving people the chance of a future.
:00:31. > :00:33.A lost generation - calls for cash to put every refugee
:00:34. > :00:50.I'm in Lebanon, one of the places where the refugee crisis is most
:00:51. > :00:54.acute. Roughly a quarter of the population here are Syrian refugees.
:00:55. > :00:57.Will these latest pledges be turned into hard cash?
:00:58. > :01:00.Also tonight: A UN panel of legal experts says the Wikileaks founder,
:01:01. > :01:01.Julian Assange, is being unfairly detained.
:01:02. > :01:06.Is Age UK pushing the elderly into expensive energy deals?
:01:07. > :01:12.The industry watchdog will investigate.
:01:13. > :01:15.A friendly face for Top Gear - Matt LeBlanc joins the line up
:01:16. > :01:21.And on Reporting Scotland at 6.30: Further delays to allowing
:01:22. > :01:25.heavy lorries back on the Forth Road Bridge.
:01:26. > :01:27.And, a man is cleared of causing the deaths of three people,
:01:28. > :01:29.including his wife and seven-year-old daughter,
:01:30. > :01:53.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
:01:54. > :01:56.On a day when yet another government offensive in Syria has turned
:01:57. > :02:00.tens of thousands more into refugees David Cameron has warned
:02:01. > :02:04.of a "critical shortfall" in aid for its people.
:02:05. > :02:07.He was speaking at an international fund-raising conference in London.
:02:08. > :02:12.So far nearly ?7 billion has been pledged by donor countries.
:02:13. > :02:15.Britain alone has offered an extra ?1.2 billion
:02:16. > :02:21.That money will fund jobs and education -
:02:22. > :02:23.part of the government's strategy to help refugees
:02:24. > :02:28.But past pledges of cash have not always been honoured
:02:29. > :02:37.as our diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall reports.
:02:38. > :02:40.This is the scale of the problem, camps in Jordan stretching
:02:41. > :02:47.Across the region, Syrian refugees may soon number over 4.5 million,
:02:48. > :02:51.with 13.5 million more displaced inside the country.
:02:52. > :03:01.there was a feeling this pledging conference must do more to help.
:03:02. > :03:04.Syria's neighbours say they are near breaking point.
:03:05. > :03:08.Soon Lebanon will no longer be able to contain
:03:09. > :03:13.an eruption that could involve further migration to distant shores,
:03:14. > :03:18.de-stabilisation and devolved security threats.
:03:19. > :03:32.Looking into the eyes of my people, and seeing
:03:33. > :03:35.Looking into the eyes of my people, and seeing the hardship and distress
:03:36. > :03:38.they carry, I must tell you we have reached our limit.
:03:39. > :03:40.Last year, the world only gave the United Nations
:03:41. > :03:42.half the aid they needed, so in the end food rations
:03:43. > :03:46.one reason so many decided to move on to Europe.
:03:47. > :03:49.Which means today in London, there is new self interest,
:03:50. > :03:50.give aid to ease conditions in the region,
:03:51. > :03:52.and maybe stem the flow coming towards Europe.
:03:53. > :04:05.There have been previous donor conferences, is a the same thing is
:04:06. > :04:09.happening this time round and all your impressive pledges will ring
:04:10. > :04:15.rather hollow? It will make a difference in terms of saving lives,
:04:16. > :04:17.in terms of providing medicine, shelter and food, and these are
:04:18. > :04:20.important because we are fulfilling our moral was sponsored that the as
:04:21. > :04:23.countries to those people who are caught up in this terrible conflict.
:04:24. > :04:25.Of course, announcing big aid packages in London
:04:26. > :04:28.is one thing, actually delivering the aid where it is needed
:04:29. > :04:36.But anyway, everyone agrees, any amount of funding
:04:37. > :04:47.for humanitarian assistance or long-term development
:04:48. > :04:51.is all very well, but what is really needed is a way to end the war.
:04:52. > :04:55.On the ground, the bombardments from Russian air strikes backing
:04:56. > :04:57.Syrian government troops have just got heavier.
:04:58. > :05:00.This is around the city of Deraa in the last two days.
:05:01. > :05:02.Fierce fighting has put under threat the fledgling peace talks
:05:03. > :05:04.in Geneva, when they had hardly begun.
:05:05. > :05:07.That is even before the outside world works out how to unite
:05:08. > :05:09.against the so-called IS jihadists in the east.
:05:10. > :05:12.World leaders this morning said it was time to act, not talk.
:05:13. > :05:14.But whatever is achieved here in London, it seems
:05:15. > :05:20.unlikely it will bring this conflict any nearer to a close.
:05:21. > :05:23.Well, as we've heard, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon desperately need
:05:24. > :05:26.long-term support to cope with the huge influx from Syria.
:05:27. > :05:30.Over four million refugees are now living in the region.
:05:31. > :05:32.One million of them are in neighbouring Lebanon,
:05:33. > :05:42.Our correspondent Clive Myrie is in one of them.
:05:43. > :05:53.Plenty of words here, what are the facts on the ground? Yes, George, a
:05:54. > :05:56.lot of money has been pledged, but where is it needed most? There is no
:05:57. > :06:01.question the vast majority of refugees here would like to work to
:06:02. > :06:05.provide for their families, and some of the donor money will go towards
:06:06. > :06:09.opening the Labour market here and creating jobs. But many refugees are
:06:10. > :06:13.children and funding is sorely needed for their education.
:06:14. > :06:22.They have had a rough ride in life, these children, victims of a war
:06:23. > :06:27.they are too young to understand. In this refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa
:06:28. > :06:32.valley, they are being given back their childhoods, a few hours at a
:06:33. > :06:41.time. Meet Muhammad who was 13, and his brother Mr far a year older.
:06:42. > :06:45.They attend school five days a week, like the 270 other youngsters at the
:06:46. > :06:52.camp -- Mustafa. But when school is out, they and some of the other kids
:06:53. > :06:57.receive a lesson in life. They work in the brick factory that borders
:06:58. > :07:03.their home. The pay, around 40p a day. It is dusty and smelly.
:07:04. > :07:17.their home. The pay, around 40p a but necessary work for this family.
:07:18. > :07:22.because our little brother is sick. He has cancer. Then they
:07:23. > :07:27.because our little brother is sick. in Syria. Around sunset
:07:28. > :07:35.because our little brother is sick. firing, he said, then
:07:36. > :07:35.because our little brother is sick. As they toiled and
:07:36. > :07:43.because our little brother is sick. for Syria, raised more money to pay
:07:44. > :07:46.for the education of refugee children and create well
:07:47. > :07:49.for the education of refugee opportunities for their parents.
:07:50. > :07:55.Over lunch, Mustafa and Mohammed admits life is hard. Lunch over, it
:07:56. > :08:06.is back to work. Those two young men are mature
:08:07. > :08:10.beyond their years, like so many other child refugees, they have had
:08:11. > :08:16.to grow up fast. The boys told me they want to return home to Syria.
:08:17. > :08:21.But what are the prospects of that in the near future? Frankly, they
:08:22. > :08:24.are incredibly slim. The nascent peace talks have been suspended.
:08:25. > :08:32.Islamic State holds large swathes of land. Pledges of funds from the
:08:33. > :08:37.London conference will help make lives of those in exile a lot
:08:38. > :08:40.better, it is hoped, but when will they return home? Not for some
:08:41. > :08:44.considerable time. George, back to you. Thank you.
:08:45. > :08:55.A UN panel of legal experts has decided that the Wikileaks founder,
:08:56. > :08:57.Julian Assange, is being unfairly detained.
:08:58. > :08:59.More than three years ago Mr Assange sought political asylum
:09:00. > :09:01.in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid detention.
:09:02. > :09:03.Today Downing Street said the UN panel's ruling
:09:04. > :09:06.Our correspondent Caroline Hawley is outside the embassy
:09:07. > :09:17.It is true it is not legally binding. It is also true that if
:09:18. > :09:22.Julian Assange was to walk out of the embassy, he would be arrested.
:09:23. > :09:25.But this is a UN body which is used to criticising countries with some
:09:26. > :09:30.of the worst human rights records in the world, so it does put Britain
:09:31. > :09:39.and Sweden in a difficult position. It is a controversial decision, but
:09:40. > :09:42.at the very least, it is a PR coup for Julian Assange.
:09:43. > :09:45.This was Julian Assange back in 2012, the summer he sought refuge
:09:46. > :09:52.Now a UN panel has heard him, and to the dismay of
:09:53. > :09:54.Britain and Sweden, to the deight of his supporters,
:09:55. > :09:56.and to some surprise, it has upheld his complaint.
:09:57. > :09:59.I really hope that as a consequence of this ruling, that Julian can
:10:00. > :10:02.leave the embassy and go to Ecuador, where he can benefit
:10:03. > :10:08.I fear the British government might ride roughshod
:10:09. > :10:10.over this, but I think it would be really
:10:11. > :10:12.unfortunate, and send a terrible message internationally,
:10:13. > :10:13.about our recognition of international
:10:14. > :10:18.Julian Assange first made headlines in 2010,
:10:19. > :10:19.when Wikileaks began to publish hundreds
:10:20. > :10:21.of thousands of American state secrets.
:10:22. > :10:23.In August that year, allegations were made of sexual
:10:24. > :10:27.Two years later, Ecuador granted political asylum to Mr Assange,
:10:28. > :10:32.on the grounds that he risked being extradited on to the US.
:10:33. > :10:34.Last year, police announced that officers would no longer
:10:35. > :10:37.be stationed outside the Ecuadorian Embassy.
:10:38. > :10:42.They had cost the British taxpayer more than ?12 million.
:10:43. > :10:45.This morning, Julian Assange said he would accept arrest
:10:46. > :10:48.by the British police, if the UN panel ruled against him.
:10:49. > :10:52.Of course, we now know it has ruled in his favour.
:10:53. > :10:58.One of the things I would be interested to hear from the UN
:10:59. > :11:01.is why they regard this as a detention, when essentially,
:11:02. > :11:05.The UK has a European Arrest Warrant for very
:11:06. > :11:07.serious charges from Sweden, a well-respected jurisdiction,
:11:08. > :11:10.and that will still have to be enforced come what may.
:11:11. > :11:12.Today, a high-profile visitor for Mr Assange,
:11:13. > :11:14.in the form of the fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.
:11:15. > :11:20.The UN panel's decision is a big victory for Julian Assange,
:11:21. > :11:23.and an embarrassment for Sweden and the UK.
:11:24. > :11:26.But unless Julian Assange really is ready to be arrested,
:11:27. > :11:34.for the moment at least, the Ecuadorian Embassy will remain home.
:11:35. > :11:37.The Bank of England has cut its prediction for economic
:11:38. > :11:39.growth and warned that wages are likely to increase
:11:40. > :11:44.The bank's governor, Mark Carney, blamed "unforgiving" conditions
:11:45. > :11:49.It was also announced the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee
:11:50. > :11:53.voted unanimously to keep interest rates on hold at its latest meeting.
:11:54. > :11:58.It's now thought they may not rise this year.
:11:59. > :12:00.Detectives in Birmingham are hunting two men after a company boss
:12:01. > :12:03.was shot dead during an attempted robbery in Birmingham last night.
:12:04. > :12:07.Akhtar Javeed, who ran a soft drinks company,
:12:08. > :12:11.was fatally wounded during the raid by two masked men at a warehouse.
:12:12. > :12:17.Police described the attack as targeted and a murder
:12:18. > :12:24.The charity Age UK has been accused of promoting unfavourable
:12:25. > :12:27.gas and electricity deals in return for cash.
:12:28. > :12:30.The Sun newspaper has alleged that energy deals offered by Age UK
:12:31. > :12:34.with the supplier E.On may have been much more expensive
:12:35. > :12:40.Age UK strongly reject the allegations while E.On says
:12:41. > :12:45.The claim is to be examined by the energy and charities
:12:46. > :12:53.regulators as Simon Gompertz reports.
:12:54. > :13:02.It is called Age UK, but on the side, this charity offers broadband,
:13:03. > :13:07.computers, insurance and one of its biggest earners, gas and
:13:08. > :13:11.electricity. Beth Porter from East Sussex is one of thousands who
:13:12. > :13:17.signed up for the energy deal, then felt she was paying too much. I
:13:18. > :13:21.trusted that Age UK's promotion of something that was in my best
:13:22. > :13:27.interest would be in my best interest. Then I found out it was
:13:28. > :13:33.not. I also trusted them to give me peace of mind, as well as savings of
:13:34. > :13:40.money and promised that this was the best deal for me. And then I found
:13:41. > :13:45.out it wasn't. Age UK's two-year fixed-rate contract supplied by the
:13:46. > :13:52.energy giant E.On had the average user paying ?1049 last year. Some
:13:53. > :13:57.calculated that was ?245 more for some customers than yon's cheapest
:13:58. > :14:03.rate. Age UK received ?6 million from E.On or ?41 for each customer
:14:04. > :14:07.signed up. With donations and government money harder to come by,
:14:08. > :14:11.Age UK has had to look for cash elsewhere. It says its gas and
:14:12. > :14:15.electricity officer has been good value and helped maintain the
:14:16. > :14:20.charity, while E.On says the latest offer was the cheapest of its kind
:14:21. > :14:25.on the market when it was launched, and customers who find a cheaper
:14:26. > :14:30.deal can switch without penalty. No one from Age UK would be interviewed
:14:31. > :14:34.about today's allegations, but there was some support in the charity
:14:35. > :14:38.world for its business partnerships. I think it is perfectly right we
:14:39. > :14:42.have the appropriate relationships with commercial companies to raise
:14:43. > :14:47.money to support our beneficiaries. It is how do we support in this case
:14:48. > :14:51.frail elderly people and the work Age UK do? I do not criticise them
:14:52. > :14:56.from having that relationship. I think it is a good thing and I think
:14:57. > :15:02.many charities who do that are right to do so. Beth thinks if Age UK
:15:03. > :15:05.wants to sell energy, they should do the legwork to find the best
:15:06. > :15:11.Our top story this evening: commission.
:15:12. > :15:16.Nearly ?7 billion has been pledged at a London conference
:15:17. > :15:20.And still to come: The British pig farmers who say falling pork prices
:15:21. > :15:28.And coming up on Reporting Scotland at 6.30: We talk to Scotland's
:15:29. > :15:30.wheelchair tennis champion Gordon Reid who's back home
:15:31. > :15:36.And Aberdeen put on the pressure as they get within three points
:15:37. > :15:49.Suicide is one of the biggest causes of death in the UK and yet it's one
:15:50. > :15:55.New figures out today reveal the scale of the problem.
:15:56. > :16:01.They show that in 2014, 6,122 people killed themselves.
:16:02. > :16:04.And the majority of those - 75% - were men.
:16:05. > :16:07.In fact it's the biggest cause of death for men under 50
:16:08. > :16:12.Our Social Affairs Correspondent Michael Buchanan reports on how one
:16:13. > :16:17.Trust in Liverpool is trying to tackle the problem.
:16:18. > :16:20.I am disappointed and I feel let down.
:16:21. > :16:22.And there are times when I feel quite furious.
:16:23. > :16:26.When things go wrong and I am trying to sort things out with my children,
:16:27. > :16:29.I am angry that he didn't realise on that day it was the wrong
:16:30. > :16:46.Rebecca Gibson's husband Andy killed himself 15 months ago,
:16:47. > :16:48.a debilitating shock to her and her two sons.
:16:49. > :16:51.There were circumstances I believe that led to his death but I still,
:16:52. > :16:54.I still can't believe that he would go ahead and do
:16:55. > :16:58.Some people feel that suicide is a selfish thing to do.
:16:59. > :17:01.I do think it is a selfish, or a self-centred thing to do.
:17:02. > :17:04.I think it is very hard for those, selfish for those who are left
:17:05. > :17:10.Andy Gibson was 54 when he died, today's figures show three quarters
:17:11. > :17:14.of suicides are by men, most are in middle age.
:17:15. > :17:20.On average 13 men kill themselves each day.
:17:21. > :17:23.Here at the Mersey Care Mental Health Trust they are determined
:17:24. > :17:27.They have adopted a zero suicide policy, copying an
:17:28. > :17:35.The aim, to stop all suicides of patients by 2020.
:17:36. > :17:39.Their new approach includes working with American researchers to produce
:17:40. > :17:43.an app which will tell medics when someone is feeling suicidal.
:17:44. > :17:45.Patients who agree to it will have all their communications monitored
:17:46. > :17:51.E-mails, social media, even phone calls.
:17:52. > :17:54.The data will be analysed in real-time with doctors alerted
:17:55. > :18:02.We think we can anticipate people who may be likely to harm themselves
:18:03. > :18:05.with greater accuracy than we currently do and therefore
:18:06. > :18:10.be able to do something about it and save their lives.
:18:11. > :18:13.The app will be trialled in about a year, an innovative
:18:14. > :18:17.effort to stop the crippling consequences of suicide.
:18:18. > :18:20.The mess that they leave behind, he will never see his grandchildren,
:18:21. > :18:23.he will never see what his children achieve, he will never
:18:24. > :18:27.Everything I thought I had to look forward to as my children grew up,
:18:28. > :18:36.Rachel Gibson ending that report by Michael Buchanan.
:18:37. > :18:39.And if you've been affected by these issues and would like details
:18:40. > :18:43.of organisations which offer advice and support,
:18:44. > :18:47.then you can go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline or call
:18:48. > :18:51.the BBC Action Line to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066.
:18:52. > :19:01.Lines are open 24 hours and calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
:19:02. > :19:04.David Cameron has been continuing negotiations about changes
:19:05. > :19:09.to Britain's membership of the European Union today.
:19:10. > :19:12.The Prime Minister has been discussing the draft deal
:19:13. > :19:17.with his EU counterparts and officials.
:19:18. > :19:21.A source close to the negotiations has told the BBC that nobody is
:19:22. > :19:23.happy with the proposal. Our Deputy Political Editor James
:19:24. > :19:34.Landale is in Downing Street. Are we getting a sense of how these
:19:35. > :19:39.talks are going? The Prime Minister has had a busy day, he has seen the
:19:40. > :19:45.Prime Minister's of Belgium, Sweden and Greece. He is off to Poland
:19:46. > :19:48.tomorrow, and will see the Danes. He has been meeting with the president
:19:49. > :19:53.of the European Parliament and today we have got a sense of a bit of
:19:54. > :19:58.concern, resistance to the draft reform deal published earlier in the
:19:59. > :20:02.week. Evidence it is still very much a draft deal. The Bulgarian Foreign
:20:03. > :20:08.Minister said more negotiation had to be done over the idea to try and
:20:09. > :20:11.restrict benefits of EU migrants. The European Parliament per resident
:20:12. > :20:16.who I have just spoken to said there are concerns about these plans to
:20:17. > :20:21.try and cram the style of the Eurozone and protect the countries
:20:22. > :20:26.outside of the euro. Also a source in Brussels today said that Donald
:20:27. > :20:29.Tusk, the politician in charge of all these negotiations, when he has
:20:30. > :20:33.made his initial assessment talking to the other countries, the other
:20:34. > :20:39.countries said nobody is happy. Does this mean the deal is about to
:20:40. > :20:43.collapse? No, but it shows it is not a done deal and it is not automatic
:20:44. > :20:44.that there will be an agreement at a big summit in Brussels in two weeks'
:20:45. > :20:49.time. Thank you very much. A brief look at some of the day's
:20:50. > :20:52.other other news stories Coastguards have cordoned off
:20:53. > :20:55.a beach in Norfolk where a sperm The animal is alive but isn't
:20:56. > :20:59.expected to survive. It's two miles from where another
:21:00. > :21:01.sperm whale was washed up The full re-opening
:21:02. > :21:05.of the Forth Road Bridge has been HGVs have been banned
:21:06. > :21:08.from the bridge, just North of Edinburgh, since it
:21:09. > :21:10.was closed in December Engineers say further
:21:11. > :21:17.work is still necessary. The legendary Belfast blues-man
:21:18. > :21:20.Van Morrison became a Sir today, when he collected his Knighthood
:21:21. > :21:23.for services to the music industry from Prince Charles
:21:24. > :21:24.at Buckingham palace. He has been a fixture in the music
:21:25. > :21:29.scene for over 50 years. Welsh Assembly ministers would be
:21:30. > :21:32.made to take a 10% pay cut if the Conservatives win
:21:33. > :21:37.May's Assembly elections. Welsh Tory leader, Andrew RT Davies,
:21:38. > :21:40.says if he becomes First Minister, it would be a condition of getting
:21:41. > :21:45.a job in his cabinet. The British pig farming industry
:21:46. > :21:48.is facing a crisis - due to a glut of cheap pork
:21:49. > :21:51.from the continent and a fall That's according to farmers who say
:21:52. > :21:57.that it's led to a sharp drop in price for their produce
:21:58. > :21:59.and a real struggle to make Our Correspondent Sian Lloyd
:22:00. > :22:22.is at a pig farm in Stonehouse This farm specialises in rare breeds
:22:23. > :22:26.like Gloucester old spot to claim a premium from customers. But that
:22:27. > :22:27.prices farmers have been paid across the country have dropped to an
:22:28. > :22:29.eight-year low. These piglets were born just a few
:22:30. > :22:33.weeks ago to some of the 3000 sows owned by Midland Pig Producers,
:22:34. > :22:35.one of the biggest suppliers But ten years ago the company had
:22:36. > :22:40.double the number and was sending almost two and a half thousand pigs
:22:41. > :22:42.to market every week. Now the company is closing
:22:43. > :22:46.two of its ten farms. 18 jobs will go and the size
:22:47. > :22:49.of the business will be cut Every pig we sell per week
:22:50. > :22:54.at the moment is losing us money, Currently we are losing ?50,000
:22:55. > :23:01.a month and that is unsustainable. Which is a great shame
:23:02. > :23:04.because there should be So why are pig farms
:23:05. > :23:10.like this one struggling? There is currently a glut of pigs
:23:11. > :23:13.on the European market due to a Russian ban on importing
:23:14. > :23:17.pork and pork products. Production costs in Europe
:23:18. > :23:21.are cheaper, partly due to stricter welfare laws here, and customer
:23:22. > :23:26.demand for pork is dropping. There are only a handful of pig
:23:27. > :23:28.producers on this scale left So what, if anything,
:23:29. > :23:34.can be done to halt the decline? Zoe Davies runs the organisation
:23:35. > :23:37.which speaks for the We would like consumers to think
:23:38. > :23:43.about what they are buying We are also asking the retailers
:23:44. > :23:48.to continue to support us, those that are 100% on fresh
:23:49. > :23:51.British pork. But also those that are not,
:23:52. > :23:54.we would like to see a 5% increase We will definitely see more
:23:55. > :24:01.producers go out of business, There have been health warnings
:24:02. > :24:05.about eating too much processed meat I would always try and buy
:24:06. > :24:22.British pork if I can. Because I firmly believe
:24:23. > :24:24.in supporting the farming industry A lot of people, especially
:24:25. > :24:29.if you have got families and young children, you need
:24:30. > :24:31.to put price first. By scaling back its business this
:24:32. > :24:33.pig producer is hoping But prices are expected to drop
:24:34. > :24:36.further, leading to fears He's best known for his role as Joey
:24:37. > :24:46.in the American sitcom - Friends - but today
:24:47. > :24:48.it was announced that Matt LeBlanc is to join Chris Evans
:24:49. > :24:51.as a presenter on Top Gear. He's already a familiar face
:24:52. > :24:53.on the motoring show - He says he's a "car nut and massive
:24:54. > :24:59.fan" of the programme - which is set to return
:25:00. > :25:16.later this year. Please welcome, Matt LeBlanc! Keys
:25:17. > :25:25.already had a taste of Top Gear, he was a star in a reasonably priced
:25:26. > :25:29.car. Matt LeBlanc, Joey from Friends is the secret weapon of the Top Gear
:25:30. > :25:36.relaunch. It itself was relaunched with huge success 14 years ago, with
:25:37. > :25:41.characters such as the team dressing driver, the state. This was the most
:25:42. > :25:46.widely watched factual programme in the world. With Jeremy, James and
:25:47. > :25:51.Richard out, will those territories resubscribe? It's worth a lot of
:25:52. > :25:57.money to the BBC. Chris Evans is not merely known globally but Matt
:25:58. > :26:01.LeBlanc is. He's already had a taste of presentation with this
:26:02. > :26:08.compilation programme which you can see is available now. Top Gear is a
:26:09. > :26:14.way of making money from cars for the corporation. I was on the next
:26:15. > :26:21.plane to England. And original Lamborghini, I had no idea. And in
:26:22. > :26:27.1963 Porsche. But beautiful cars don't always make brilliant TV, Top
:26:28. > :26:30.Gear was, a few years ago, under threat of cancellation. What saved
:26:31. > :26:34.it was Jeremy Clarkson and the realisation that it was all about
:26:35. > :26:40.the presenters, the chemistry and the comedy. Matt LeBlanc is an actor
:26:41. > :26:43.and we all project fantasies onto him and he will have to show his
:26:44. > :26:46.real self to the viewers to make this work because what the previous
:26:47. > :26:56.trio did was make us feel as if we knew them very well. He was, he said
:26:57. > :27:00.today, honoured. Of course Top Gear has had many presenters. I have
:27:01. > :27:03.three mirrors, one on the left... But these days it's no longer just a
:27:04. > :27:17.car programme, it's a global brand. Bit of a wet blanket of cloud
:27:18. > :27:22.heading our way, so for the next 12 hours or so not much happening on
:27:23. > :27:27.the weather front, just a cloud, mild air coming of the Atlantic,
:27:28. > :27:31.dribs and drabs of rain and an increasing breeze. Beyond that over
:27:32. > :27:34.the weekend into next week it will turn quite rough. This is what it
:27:35. > :27:39.looks like first thing on the morning on Friday for the early
:27:40. > :27:44.birds, mild and damp in the south and the North. Heavy rain for
:27:45. > :27:49.Ireland and West and Scotland. Strengthening winds as well, gale
:27:50. > :27:53.force across western and southern coasts. Chile air reaching Scotland
:27:54. > :28:01.and Northern Ireland in the second half of the afternoon. Could have
:28:02. > :28:06.quite a bit of rain. Into the weekend turning very windy and there
:28:07. > :28:12.will be some wet weather around, it will come and go, this low pressure
:28:13. > :28:15.will bring nasty weather for South West and southern areas, in fact to
:28:16. > :28:21.read the country it would be a great day on Saturday. You'll force winds
:28:22. > :28:26.around that caused, and inland, if you're planning a trip out it looks
:28:27. > :28:33.pretty rough. Further north of wind not so strong but still showers on
:28:34. > :28:36.and off. Sunday a little better but not completely because we are going
:28:37. > :28:42.to have gale force winds across the South. The South will get its fair
:28:43. > :28:46.share of blustery weather because in the last few weeks it's always been
:28:47. > :28:51.the North West but this time it's the South. Scenes like this not just
:28:52. > :28:53.through the weekend but into next week as the low pressure will be
:28:54. > :28:56.barrelling across the UK. That's all from the BBC News at Six
:28:57. > :28:59.- so it's goodbye from me -