0:00:00 > 0:00:01fell into my life, I fell into her life. It
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Tonight on BBC London News.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13Turning her back on extremism -
0:00:13 > 0:00:16the mother who fled Syria before her ex husband went on to
0:00:16 > 0:00:18fight for so called Islamic State.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20There were snipers, the bullets were flying -
0:00:20 > 0:00:23I remember passing my kids out under the barbed wire, putting
0:00:23 > 0:00:26the stroller under - it was so scary.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Now she's campaigning to educate other vulnerable women.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Also tonight.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33I'm in Surrey where an investigation has been launched into
0:00:33 > 0:00:41allegations of child sex abuse spanning three decades.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Plus calling time on the decline of the British pub...
0:00:43 > 0:00:51the Mayor's plan to reverse the downward trend.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54And heading for a new life in London.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56As Harry and Megan announce their engagement we get reaction
0:00:56 > 0:01:00to news of a royal wedding.
0:01:00 > 0:01:13We can't wait for the day. Congratulations, Meghan and Harry.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Good evening and welcome to the programme.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20I'm Victoria Hollins.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21First tonight a woman from north-west London,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24who married the American leader of so-called Islamic State
0:01:24 > 0:01:26has spoken to the BBC about turning her back on extremism.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Tania Georgelas, who grew up in Harrow, travelled
0:01:30 > 0:01:33to Syria with her children - but fled the country before her now
0:01:33 > 0:01:35ex-husband went on to fight for IS.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40She's now dedicated her life to countering extremism and wants
0:01:40 > 0:01:43to warn other women about how an ill-judged mistake cost her,
0:01:43 > 0:01:49her family and 10 years of her life.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51She's been speaking to Rickin Majithia
0:01:51 > 0:01:52from the BBC's Asian Network.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54My name is Tania Georgelas.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56For a decade I was an Islamic extremist.
0:01:56 > 0:02:02My ex-husband became a leading member of the Islamic State and now
0:02:02 > 0:02:04I'm hoping to counter his ideology.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07In the late 1990s, Tania went to high school here in Harrow.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11It's a middle-class, diverse London suburb.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I grew up here myself, and went to school just three
0:02:13 > 0:02:14miles down the road.
0:02:14 > 0:02:20I didn't know her at the time but know many people who did.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22They have all described her as a pretty normal teenager.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24They say that she sometimes had boyfriends and played
0:02:24 > 0:02:25truant from school.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28She wasn't known to be especially religious or even
0:02:28 > 0:02:29politically engaged.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30So when did it all change?
0:02:30 > 0:02:33I turned to religion in my life when I was 17.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34I just wanted to change my identity.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I didn't want to be Tania from Harrow any more.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39I wanted to be someone pious, someone that people
0:02:39 > 0:02:40didn't call a tart.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44So it gave me structure in my life that I needed and helped me feel
0:02:44 > 0:02:46like I belonged somewhere.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49In her late teens and early 20s, Tania mixed with various
0:02:49 > 0:02:54radical groups in London.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56They changed the way she looked at the world.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Our minds were being filled with these images,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02terrible, disturbing images.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05They would give examples of what happened in Srebrenica and Bosnia.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08We were made to feel this shared sense of guilt because we're
0:03:08 > 0:03:11a community and it was our duty to do something.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15And that something was jihad.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17In 2003, she married John Georgelas, an American
0:03:17 > 0:03:18convert she had met online.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Over the next eight years, they lived across the UK,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22the US and the Middle East.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24By the time they reached Syria in 2013, Tania was pregnant
0:03:24 > 0:03:26with their fourth child.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30I stayed in abandoned homes by ex-military.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33The windows had been blown out and every single night,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36I had become accustomed to hearing gunfire.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38By this point, Tanya said she had started
0:03:39 > 0:03:40to question the life of jihad.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43She wanted to take the children back to America.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45After three weeks in Syria, she pleaded with John
0:03:45 > 0:03:46to let them escape.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48He agreed.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51There were bullets, like snipers, on these towers,
0:03:51 > 0:03:56shooting, and we could see the bullets flying everywhere.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00I remember putting my kids through the barbed wire
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and the Syrian refugees, they were just guys,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04they were helping us as much as they could.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I put the stroller in and then John passed me another baby.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09It was so scary.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12John remained in Syria and went on to join
0:04:12 > 0:04:13the so-called Islamic state.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Until earlier this year, the group controlled vast
0:04:15 > 0:04:18areas of Syria and Iraq, where it implemented brutal rule
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and killed thousands.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Tania says she hasn't heard from John in over a year,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and doesn't know if he's alive or dead.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29The last thing he told me, the last message, was that he apologises
0:04:29 > 0:04:32for the wrong that he's done to me and the children, and that
0:04:32 > 0:04:36if I don't hear from him in six months, it's most likely
0:04:36 > 0:04:43because he's dead because he has to fight, because the fight
0:04:45 > 0:04:46Tania now lives in the United states.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Her children are looked after by John's parents and seem
0:04:49 > 0:04:50well adjusted to American life.
0:04:50 > 0:04:58Why should America give you a second chance?I think they should give me
0:04:58 > 0:05:02a second chance because I realise I was wrong and I've made mistakes. I
0:05:02 > 0:05:06really want to make up for my mistakes.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08She says she's turned her back on extremism in order
0:05:08 > 0:05:10to use her experiences to deter others from making
0:05:10 > 0:05:11the same mistakes.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15If you were to meet a woman who was thinking about going down
0:05:15 > 0:05:18the same path that you once took, what would you say to her?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I would say, I lost my family, I lost my home, I lost ten years
0:05:21 > 0:05:24of my life that I should have been, you know, working towards
0:05:24 > 0:05:29an education and my career.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31I have four children who don't have a dad now.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Is this the situation you want to be in?
0:05:36 > 0:05:41Lots more to come including....
0:05:41 > 0:05:44The former councillor who claimed he could walk zero
0:05:44 > 0:05:45metres in zero minutes
0:05:45 > 0:05:55walks free from court after being convicted of benefit fraud.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57A man who seriously injured a model and her cousin
0:05:57 > 0:06:00when he threw acid at them through a car window has admitted
0:06:00 > 0:06:04intentionally causing the pair grievous bodily harm.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07The attack happened in Beckton in east London last June and left
0:06:07 > 0:06:09both victims with scars on their faces and bodies.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15Ayshea Buksh reports.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18They were two relatives travelling through East London on their way to
0:06:18 > 0:06:23celebrate a birthday. Rashid Khan had just turned 21 and returned to
0:06:23 > 0:06:31England after returning from abroad. Her cousin Jamil was driving and had
0:06:31 > 0:06:36an argument with a passer-by. When they stopped the became victims of a
0:06:36 > 0:06:41terrible acid attack. Jamil described what happened.He had some
0:06:41 > 0:06:45sort of liquid bottle, it looked like water to me and he started
0:06:45 > 0:06:55squeezing it in our faces and all over me. A lot of it went on her.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Within seconds she was screaming, her eyes were blistering, her face
0:06:58 > 0:07:06was melting, my clothes started burning there was smoke coming off
0:07:06 > 0:07:14the seats. Their attacker was John Tomlin, from Canning town. He went
0:07:14 > 0:07:17on the run and slept rough in Epping Forest before handing himself into
0:07:17 > 0:07:32the police. Both Resham and Jameel suffered severe injuries and Jameel
0:07:32 > 0:07:41was placed in an induced coma. This arm is a mess, this part of my rest,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45my arm, my back and legs.Today in Snaresbrook John Tomlin pleaded
0:07:45 > 0:07:51guilty to two ounce of GBH with intent. The judge asked for
0:07:51 > 0:07:54psychiatric reports on Tomlin to be prepared in order for her to
0:07:54 > 0:08:07ascertain his dangerousness to the public. Has posted images of her
0:08:07 > 0:08:12recovery and Jameel is in terrible pain from his injuries.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Tomlin will be sentenced early next year.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Surrey police say a "large and complex" investigation
0:08:23 > 0:08:26is being carried out into historical allegations of sexual abuse
0:08:26 > 0:08:29at a children's home near Woking.
0:08:29 > 0:08:3617 people have been arrested or questioned about allegations
0:08:36 > 0:08:38from former boarders at Kinton Approved School,
0:08:38 > 0:08:39also known as the Oaks Centre.
0:08:39 > 0:08:48Marc Ashdown is at Guildford Police Station.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53The police say they lost the investigation in May, 2013 when they
0:08:53 > 0:08:57received allegations of child sex abuse between 1970 and the early
0:08:57 > 0:09:012000 global Mac at this residential children's home. It has long since
0:09:01 > 0:09:05closed, we don't do much about it, we believe it was a home for boys
0:09:05 > 0:09:13aged 13-18. They stayed and studied there. The figures involved are
0:09:13 > 0:09:19quite staggering. The police say they've spoken to 200 people in
0:09:19 > 0:09:22their search for victims and witnesses and say they have
0:09:22 > 0:09:27interviewed or arrested 17 people and question some under caution and
0:09:27 > 0:09:34say they have 1500 separate lines of enquiry. This children's home was
0:09:34 > 0:09:40won by Surrey County Council between 1974 and when it closed in the early
0:09:40 > 0:09:442000s it was known latterly as the Oaks Centre. They haven't been very
0:09:44 > 0:09:48helpful today, we asked questions about how many pupils would have
0:09:48 > 0:09:51studied there, how many members of staff and so far we have had no
0:09:51 > 0:09:57answers. Safe to say the investigation is vast.Interesting
0:09:57 > 0:10:03because there has been a case about this school before.That's right, in
0:10:03 > 0:10:092006 a man named Keith Hammerton, aged 69, had been a house warden,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13was convicted of a string of sex assaults against two boys aged under
0:10:13 > 0:10:1816 and was jailed for six years. There's nothing to say that this
0:10:18 > 0:10:22investigation is to do with him but what is alarming is that the police
0:10:22 > 0:10:26have launched this wide-ranging investigation in 2013 and yet seven
0:10:26 > 0:10:29years earlier a prominent figure at the school was convicted of child
0:10:29 > 0:10:34sex offences. Surrey County Council say they are cooperating fully but
0:10:34 > 0:10:39the police they that more victims and potential suspects are coming to
0:10:39 > 0:10:44light all the time and they urge anyone who has anything to do with
0:10:44 > 0:10:47the Oaks Centre in the 70s, 80s and 90s to get in touch with them
0:10:47 > 0:10:52urgently and in confidence.Thank you for joining us.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Nine out of ten councils raking in the most money
0:10:54 > 0:10:59from parking charges are in London.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01And between them, they net more £200 million.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05The RAC Foundation found Westminster topped the list, making
0:11:05 > 0:11:08more than 70 million last year.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11That's almost double the amount of the council in second place,
0:11:11 > 0:11:12Kensington and Chelsea.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17A former councillor who claimed disability benefit
0:11:17 > 0:11:19but was then caught driving and building a shed
0:11:19 > 0:11:21has escaped a prison sentence.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Robert Woodbridge, former Labour deputy leader
0:11:24 > 0:11:26of Swanley Town Council, claimed he could walk "zero
0:11:26 > 0:11:29metres for zero minutes" because of the pain he was in.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31He was convicted after an investigation by the Department
0:11:31 > 0:11:32of Work and Pensions.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Peter Whittlesea reports.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Captured on camera, Robert Woodbridge pulling
0:11:38 > 0:11:45a trailer across a road.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48This footage taken by surveillance teams from the Department of Work
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and Pensions and prove the former councillor from Swanley could easily
0:11:51 > 0:11:53carry out everyday tasks and had fraudulently claimed more
0:11:53 > 0:12:01than £3,000 in benefits.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03It was working in his allotment, he was sawing fences,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05he was pulling trailers along, opening and closing doors,
0:12:05 > 0:12:10walking along at a normal place.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13The covert surveillance was done over three months and we did 14-16
0:12:13 > 0:12:16days and picked different days throughout the week.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21Very unlikely we'd actually catch him on a good day every day.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Woodbridge claimed he was so disabled he could walk zero
0:12:24 > 0:12:28metres in zero minutes, and throughout his trial
0:12:28 > 0:12:31maintained the footage was taken while he was having a good day
0:12:31 > 0:12:36or had overdosed on painkillers.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Judge David Griffith-Jones QC told Woodbridge that he was a man
0:12:39 > 0:12:44of standing in the community, someone who should have been a role
0:12:44 > 0:12:47model to others, but by his actions had betrayed those who were entitled
0:12:47 > 0:12:51to look up and respect him.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Mr Woodbridge, the judge said you failed to take
0:12:53 > 0:12:56responsibility for your actions, what do you say to that?
0:12:56 > 0:12:58No comment, I'm not commenting at all to you.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01The judge also said you betrayed all those people you stood
0:13:01 > 0:13:02for as a counsellor.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08What would you say to those people who voted for you over the years?
0:13:08 > 0:13:11We have no comment, thank you.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15Investigating officers say he refused to comment even
0:13:15 > 0:13:17when he was confronted with the covert surveillance
0:13:17 > 0:13:24and showed no remorse when his dishonesty was exposed in court.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Still to come.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31The Londoner whose career is going downhill fast -
0:13:31 > 0:13:33we catch up with the 21-year-old hoping to secure a place
0:13:33 > 0:13:35at the Winter Olympics.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39And...
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I will be reporting from Windsor where many residents are keeping
0:13:42 > 0:13:47their fingers crossed this will be where Prince Harry marries his
0:13:47 > 0:13:54fiancee, Meghan, in these bring. Pass in the spring.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57For many of us, going to the pub for lunch
0:13:57 > 0:13:59or a drink with friends is a popular past-time.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01But there's been a big drop in the number of bars
0:14:01 > 0:14:03here in the capital in recent years.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05In 2001 there was almost 4,900 pubs in London,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08but last year that had dropped to just over 3,500 -
0:14:08 > 0:14:11a fall of 25%.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16Now the Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged to do something to stop the closure
0:14:16 > 0:14:20of these much loved institutions, as part of his wider
0:14:20 > 0:14:21plan for London.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23More on that in a moment.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27First Frankie McCamley has been guaging reaction
0:14:27 > 0:14:36at a pub in Central London.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Welcome to the old Cheshire cheese, one of London's oldest pubs, right
0:14:40 > 0:14:45in the heart of Fleet Street.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Downstairs here was built in the 13th century and survived the great
0:14:49 > 0:14:55Fire of London. This is one of London's in many pubs that have huge
0:14:55 > 0:14:57cultural importance but what Sadiq Khan wants to do is to make sure
0:14:57 > 0:15:02developers across London are taking pubs like this into consideration
0:15:02 > 0:15:08when building new homes, making sure they are soundproofed for example so
0:15:08 > 0:15:15that when new homes are built, people living in them will not then
0:15:15 > 0:15:20complain about the noise that some of these pubs have. However in
0:15:20 > 0:15:27London over the last 15 years there has been a 25% loss of pubs. Joining
0:15:27 > 0:15:32me now, Tom from the campaign for real ale. We've lost a lot of pubs
0:15:32 > 0:15:38in London. Sadiq Khan wants to save some, is it too little, too late?
0:15:38 > 0:15:43No, we are encouraged by the movie has made in terms of recognising the
0:15:43 > 0:15:49huge value that pubs have two our culture and our economy. They employ
0:15:49 > 0:15:549000 people across the UK and bring in 20, 30 billion to the economy so
0:15:54 > 0:15:58it's reassuring to see how important he feels they are to London and the
0:15:58 > 0:16:05country.Why are some money pubs in the city struggling?A lot of
0:16:05 > 0:16:08reasons, pressure from developers, people make more money out of a plot
0:16:08 > 0:16:13of land as residential Buttler convenience stores. At the moment we
0:16:13 > 0:16:20are seeing taxation threatened by the late-night level, adding money
0:16:20 > 0:16:24to the cost that consumers have to pay at the bar.Why is the local pub
0:16:24 > 0:16:29so important to us?They are vital, I've already mentioned employment
0:16:29 > 0:16:34but we've done studies showing they are incredibly important in terms of
0:16:34 > 0:16:39the social well-being and happiness they bring. Just by going to a pub
0:16:39 > 0:16:44you become part of a social network that you don't get in any other way.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48What we would call on, Sadiq Khan has done a lot but with the London
0:16:48 > 0:16:52boroughs we need to take it to heart and ensure what was in doubt is
0:16:52 > 0:16:56built into their local plan so it isn't just talk, it is doing.Thank
0:16:56 > 0:17:03you for joining us. I'm going to leave you with this historical pub
0:17:03 > 0:17:06question, how many Tube stops in London are named after pubs? I got
0:17:06 > 0:17:08three but there are more.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Well that's the picture down at the pub.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14But it's just one of a range of issues where the mayor is setting
0:17:14 > 0:17:15out policy this week.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16Our Political Editor Tim Donovan is here.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And Tim, this is because he has significant powers to shape
0:17:19 > 0:17:22development in the capital?
0:17:22 > 0:17:29Yes, later in the week it's called the London plant, the draft of it,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33is 600 pages. There's virtually nothing about the look and feel of
0:17:33 > 0:17:37the capital that this won't deal with in terms of development. He has
0:17:37 > 0:17:41started to pre-announce such as the announcement on the pubs, and has
0:17:41 > 0:17:45said he will add extra protection is on the green belt. He said the
0:17:45 > 0:17:50pressure is beginning to build, the number of applications to build on
0:17:50 > 0:17:53green belt has doubled over the last couple of years. He wants fast food
0:17:53 > 0:17:58to be enshrined in local planning permission is that you don't build
0:17:58 > 0:18:03fast food restaurants anywhere within 400 metres of the school. Men
0:18:03 > 0:18:08tomorrow we are led to believe there will be stuff on cycling and walking
0:18:08 > 0:18:13and the use of public transport. The idea here, trying to achieve a modal
0:18:13 > 0:18:21shift in the end. He once a 2% to use those forms, and there will be
0:18:21 > 0:18:24recommendations about more cycle parking for instance on new housing
0:18:24 > 0:18:31estates.I'm sure one thing that cannot be ignored is housing.Yes,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and it's fundamental to nearly all the other conditions such as cutting
0:18:35 > 0:18:40down on the number of car parking spaces, increasing the number of
0:18:40 > 0:18:44cycling spaces. The big focus will be on him reinforcing, saying again
0:18:44 > 0:18:49he thinks we should be building 66,000 new homes per year, and there
0:18:49 > 0:18:56will be a real emphasis this time on how you build them, whether you we
0:18:56 > 0:19:03are building densely enough. He thinks there should be more density.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Lots to get through, thanks very much indeed.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Charlie Raposo left the UK at the age of 13
0:19:08 > 0:19:10to follow his dream of skiing at the Olympics.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Now 21, he's close to securing a place in the Giant Slalom
0:19:13 > 0:19:16at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea next February.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18When he's back in the UK, he calls Chelsea home,
0:19:18 > 0:19:25and Sara Orchard caught up with him at the Hemel Hempstead snow centre.
0:19:25 > 0:19:31It's that time of year again.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Ski Sunday is coming and so are the 2018 Winter Olympics
0:19:44 > 0:19:46and whilst London might not
0:19:46 > 0:19:49be famous for its mountainous ski slopes, Charlie Raposo is thankful
0:19:49 > 0:19:55for his family holidays in Switzerland that have allowed him
0:19:55 > 0:19:57to get within touching distance of his dreams.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00It's everything I've wanted since I was a really young kid,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02the Olympics by me up, people running fire me up,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I love watching it and actually being able to do it,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08doesn't happen all the time but when it does, it's amazing.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13The Olympics is where I want to be.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16When he's back in the UK he calls Chelsea home but it he took
0:20:16 > 0:20:20a calculated risk to get to the top of the sport by moving to Vermont
0:20:20 > 0:20:23in the USA to join a ski academy and it paid off.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26He is a three-time British champion and this time the world
0:20:26 > 0:20:34Junior Championships, he finished sixth.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36The reigning giant slalom champion is the USA's
0:20:36 > 0:20:43Ted Ligarty and as he continues
0:20:43 > 0:20:46to collect points for the Olympics in 2018,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Charlie hopes it will normalise the skill of competing for Team GB.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52It doesn't seem like a race I will be doing in two weeks' time,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I have to treated the same, you are standing at the opening
0:20:55 > 0:20:57ceremony, thousands of people there watching, not specifically
0:20:57 > 0:21:00you but you as a whole, the athletes, you get used to it,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05I've done World Championships, four world junior championships.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Charlie's time in London is brief but when he's here he's training
0:21:08 > 0:21:09and feeds off the city's energy.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13I come back and the first day I come back I am walking to the gym,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17feeling the city buzz around, watching these people
0:21:17 > 0:21:20who have their own hustle and fight going on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:21Everyone is busy trying
0:21:21 > 0:21:24to make their way in life and I get a lot of energy from that.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28The Winter Olympics start on the 9th of February.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30It's the one story that's dominated the headlines -
0:21:30 > 0:21:36news of a Royal wedding next spring.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Following days of intense speculation, Prince Harry
0:21:38 > 0:21:39and Meghan Markle today announced their
0:21:39 > 0:21:40much-anticipated engagement.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44Now come the questions surrounding the arrangements for the big day.
0:21:44 > 0:21:53From Windsor, Sarah Harris reports.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57A lot of people excited here in winter, as they have been everywhere
0:21:57 > 0:22:01we've gone in London today. Harry is a popular member of the Royal family
0:22:01 > 0:22:10and most people are happy that he is happy. A lot of eagle eyed residents
0:22:10 > 0:22:15have known that they pull the 20th seems to have been booked out but no
0:22:15 > 0:22:20official word yet. Meghan making London her home now, where she is
0:22:20 > 0:22:24already established herself on the social scene.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29Soho house, one of the most exclusive private members club in
0:22:29 > 0:22:31London, it's where behind closed doors Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
0:22:31 > 0:22:36hit it off at the start of their relationships. Members were
0:22:36 > 0:22:41celebrating the news of their engagement.I can't wait for it.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46Just like William's where everyone was united and loved it, we cannot
0:22:46 > 0:22:51wait for the day.My mum said if everybody had a child with someone
0:22:51 > 0:22:58who was a different race from them, it would solve all the wars in the
0:22:58 > 0:23:02world and racism.Congratulations! Prince Harry is one of the most
0:23:02 > 0:23:10popular members of the Royal family and the goodwill extends to best
0:23:10 > 0:23:17wishes for his wedding.In a way it is good, it is good for us lot in
0:23:17 > 0:23:21this country that he's getting married, he's a good boy.This time
0:23:21 > 0:23:26last year Prince Harry and Meghan came here to Battersea Park to
0:23:26 > 0:23:29choose their wrist mystery for Nottingham Cottage where they live
0:23:29 > 0:23:33at Kensington Palace. This year there's a few brokenhearted ladies
0:23:33 > 0:23:40wishing it was them.Absolutely gutted. He is so amazing.We were
0:23:40 > 0:23:44trying to hunt him down but we couldn't find him and now Meghan has
0:23:44 > 0:23:49got him.But she is amazing and gorgeous so fair play to her.Meghan
0:23:49 > 0:23:53was already established on the social scene here in the capital.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58She is often seen buying flowers and whole foods in the Royal Borough of
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Kensington and Chelsea. But will the old families living near the Kings
0:24:01 > 0:24:08Road take her into the fold?It's great for morale in the country at
0:24:08 > 0:24:14this point.Are you pleased with his choice of bride?Yes. Could have
0:24:14 > 0:24:19been a lot worse, couldn't it?Not everyone agrees with the monarchy
0:24:19 > 0:24:26but most like a wedding and a love story, and a royal one at that.So
0:24:26 > 0:24:31the guessing game is on. No one knows officially yet exactly when or
0:24:31 > 0:24:35where this royal wedding will be but I can tell you that Prince Charles
0:24:35 > 0:24:40married Camilla here at St George 's Chapel, as did Prince Edward, who
0:24:40 > 0:24:43married Sophie. One of the owners of the souvenir shops has said he's
0:24:43 > 0:24:49already sent off Prince Harry and Meghan's photograph to go on the
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Windsor tea towels so I hope for his sake he is right.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Now let's check on the weather with Elizabeth Rizzini.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02And it's felt a little bit chilly today, I have to say.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05It is chilly this afternoon but actually it was really quite mild
0:25:05 > 0:25:06this morning.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14It was quite a wet start and temperatures peaked at 10 degrees
0:25:14 > 0:25:18which is a lot milder than it was at the weekend. Then we have the older,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23more sunny stuff coming through the afternoon. If the weekend was too
0:25:23 > 0:25:26cold for you, it's time to look away now because it will get even colder
0:25:26 > 0:25:31as we had through this week, progressively colder. We will see
0:25:31 > 0:25:35this cold air coming from the Arctic and temperatures will drop away with
0:25:35 > 0:25:40a chilly northern wind around to boot. This week we are talking about
0:25:40 > 0:25:47it turning colder again and that hanging on for quite some time. It
0:25:47 > 0:25:49should stay mostly dry but there could be showers towards eastern
0:25:49 > 0:25:53areas, then it will turn briefly but only briefly milder as we had
0:25:53 > 0:25:57through the weekend. This is tonight, we are into the colder air
0:25:57 > 0:26:01so it will feel chilly. There will be cloud coming and going, in the
0:26:01 > 0:26:04more sheltered spots away from the brisk wind we will probably see
0:26:04 > 0:26:09temperatures drop a little bit below freezing but otherwise hanging on at
0:26:09 > 0:26:13around three Celsius into tomorrow morning. Chilly start the day
0:26:13 > 0:26:17tomorrow. There will be cloud around in the morning but it will clear
0:26:17 > 0:26:29away quickly. It should stay dry through the day and we could season
0:26:29 > 0:26:31sunshine but we still have the brisk north-westerly wind around and that
0:26:31 > 0:26:33will make everything feel cold. Temperatures reaching 8 degrees so
0:26:33 > 0:26:36much colder feeling day, maybe some showers as we head towards the end
0:26:36 > 0:26:38of the day. That was Tuesday. Wednesday is looking similar. The
0:26:38 > 0:26:42best of any sunshine is likely to be towards western areas, where further
0:26:42 > 0:26:47east there will be quite a bit of cloud. The wind could drive some
0:26:47 > 0:26:58showers a way as we had through into Thursday and Friday. Some of those
0:26:58 > 0:26:59showers turning icy at times and it
0:26:59 > 0:27:02showers turning icy at times and it is turning a lot colder. Thank you
0:27:02 > 0:27:06very much indeed.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Now the main headlines....
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Clarence House has announced that Prince Harry
0:27:09 > 0:27:11is to marry his girlfriend, the American actress
0:27:11 > 0:27:12Megan Markle, next spring.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14The couple, who will live at Kensington Palace,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16became engaged in the capital earlier this month.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Two pharmaceutical firms have announced they are investing
0:27:18 > 0:27:20more than a billion pounds in the UK, creating more
0:27:20 > 0:27:30than 1800 jobs in London and Manchester.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33A man who seriously injured a model and her cousin when he threw
0:27:33 > 0:27:35acid at them has admitted intentionally causing the pair
0:27:35 > 0:27:36grievous bodily harm.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37That's it.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40I'll be back later during the ten o'clock news, but for now
0:27:40 > 0:27:42from everyone on the team have a lovely evening.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Goodbye.