:00:10. > :00:12.Hello, welcome to Midlands Today with Suzanne Virdee and Nick Owen.
:00:12. > :00:19.The headlines tonight: Divided families: after his son was taken
:00:19. > :00:22.to Thailand, a father campaigns to help other parents. I realise
:00:22. > :00:25.nobody would help so I had to do it myself.
:00:25. > :00:33.Demands for new safety measures after a spate of drownings in the
:00:33. > :00:36.River Severn. It has taken too many lies, he will be next?
:00:36. > :00:39.Crops in the shops two weeks early, thanks to the fast-fading memory of
:00:39. > :00:49.an unseasonably hot spring. And he'll train here for 2012, now
:00:49. > :00:56.
:00:56. > :00:58.another national squad will make Good evening and welcome to
:00:58. > :01:02.Wednesday's Midlands Today. Tonight more and more parents face the
:01:02. > :01:05.agony of seeing a child snatched and taken abroad. There's been a
:01:05. > :01:10.big increase in the number of children abducted and taken by one
:01:11. > :01:15.parent against the wishes of the other. A leading charity working in
:01:15. > :01:17.the field says cases are up by a third this year. One father who saw
:01:17. > :01:20.his own child taken is now campaigning to help other parents
:01:20. > :01:30.who face a similar ordeal. Our special correspondent, Peter Wilson,
:01:30. > :01:32.
:01:32. > :01:35.has been investigating. What would you do if you came home
:01:35. > :01:38.and found your foreign-born wife had left along with your son? Sean
:01:38. > :01:41.Felton from Norton Canes near Cannock had been married for five
:01:41. > :01:44.years but his Thai wife known as Kim disappeared with Jo. His father
:01:44. > :01:54.spent six months tracking him down using a false Facebook account and
:01:54. > :01:59.pretending to be a millionaire American playboy. I looked on
:01:59. > :02:04.Google, I saw this handsome guy standing next to a Ferrari and
:02:04. > :02:06.basically just set up a false Facebook account. I requested her
:02:06. > :02:10.to be friends. He gleaned information and
:02:10. > :02:18.eventually tracked his son down to a hut on the Thai-Burmese border.
:02:18. > :02:22.He eventually, legally, brought his son home. He wasn't speaking Thai
:02:23. > :02:28.or English, I think the trauma he had been through it was gibberish.
:02:28. > :02:34.He bob obviously got to hand for, what was it like getting your son
:02:34. > :02:38.back -- you have obviously got your hands full. He had got chipped
:02:38. > :02:41.teeth, his fingernails had been ripped out on his thumbs, he had
:02:41. > :02:44.bruises on his back which were permanent.
:02:44. > :02:50.Sean is setting up a charity called Abducted Angels to give other
:02:50. > :02:54.parents advice. Since I have been talking to people all over the
:02:54. > :03:00.world and helping them, that has boosted me up again. The fight I
:03:00. > :03:03.had searching for him, it has helped me carrying on an helping
:03:03. > :03:06.all these other people. Almost three years ago, this Birmingham
:03:06. > :03:11.mother received a text message from her estranged husband saying he
:03:11. > :03:15.wouldn't be bringing her two sons home after his weekend with them.
:03:15. > :03:23.Instead, he was fleeing the country to Syria. Despite all the recent
:03:23. > :03:27.protests and upheavals, Dr Yusra Abo Hamed did eventually find them.
:03:27. > :03:37.These CCTV pictures show the moment when she was reunited with Sami and
:03:37. > :03:37.
:03:37. > :03:44.Rami. But the trauma the children experienced was awful. They were
:03:44. > :03:51.extremely damaged, the little one, when we first saw him, I opened by
:03:51. > :03:57.an arms, he wanted to come at me. And the other started to shout at
:03:57. > :04:00.me. I felt at that moment he was too scared about his brother, that
:04:00. > :04:03.they were going to take him away from him.
:04:03. > :04:06.One Midlands charity, Reunite, has seen a 34% increase in reports of
:04:06. > :04:11.children being removed from one parent and abducted abroad by
:04:11. > :04:14.another. Tonight Dr Abo Hamed had a meeting with the British Foreign
:04:14. > :04:24.Office but her fight to get her children back seems no nearer
:04:24. > :04:25.
:04:25. > :04:27.In our Leicester studio now is Sharon Cook from Reunite, an
:04:27. > :04:32.international helpline and advice centre for parents worldwide who
:04:32. > :04:42.face these types of problems. The increase in people contacting you
:04:42. > :04:46.this year is astonishing 34%. Why do you think it is? Unfortunately,
:04:46. > :04:51.it increases every year and we believe it is due to mixed national
:04:51. > :04:58.marriages. Trouble is more available to people now and more
:04:58. > :05:02.affordable -- travel is more affordable. And people often work
:05:02. > :05:07.for international companies, travel abroad for work and we are seeing
:05:07. > :05:10.more people relocate to foreign countries. We are seeing a downside
:05:10. > :05:15.of our global society, the increase of marrying into different
:05:15. > :05:20.cultures? Possibly, yes. Without talking about specific cases, we
:05:20. > :05:24.saw a man in our reports and a woman who still has not been able
:05:24. > :05:29.to get her son's home. Do you think it is more difficult for women?
:05:29. > :05:32.not necessarily, I think it is different for every parent --
:05:32. > :05:37.difficult for every parent but it is different for different
:05:38. > :05:42.countries. It may be more difficult for children and parents to go to
:05:42. > :05:47.court. Briefly, are the authorities doing enough to help parents whose
:05:47. > :05:50.children have been abducted? Again, that is difficult also. That is why
:05:50. > :05:55.we have focused on prevention measures and tried to get the
:05:55. > :05:58.awareness up to parents when it comes to other government
:05:59. > :06:05.authorities. If the child is removed to another country, you are
:06:05. > :06:08.governed by the law in that country, and that is the case. Thank you.
:06:08. > :06:14.Thanks for joining us. Later, with Stoke City the big spenders, all
:06:14. > :06:17.the very latest on transfer deadline day.
:06:17. > :06:22.24 bodies have been pulled out of the River Severn in Shrewsbury in
:06:23. > :06:27.just six years. Although the majority were suicides, others were
:06:27. > :06:30.people who'd been drinking and fallen in. Police are now working
:06:30. > :06:32.with pubs in the town, but relatives of those who've died
:06:32. > :06:35.accidentally say more safety measures are needed. Cath Mackie
:06:35. > :06:38.reports. It's a heartbreaking site. Emma
:06:38. > :06:43.Davies brings her little boy Oliver to the river in Shrewsbury where
:06:43. > :06:46.his father drowned. We were asked not to film the child's face. Mark
:06:46. > :06:55.Hodnett had been on a night out with friends earlier this month and
:06:55. > :06:58.was on his way home when he fell into the river. It is a river,
:06:58. > :07:05.people come to see it, but it is too dangerous. It has taken too
:07:05. > :07:08.many lives. He will be next -- who will be next? The town is pretty
:07:08. > :07:12.much enclosed by the River Severn. 24 people have died here in the
:07:12. > :07:15.past six or seven years. Police say up to ten were drunk and walking
:07:15. > :07:18.home alone. The water might look idyllic today but the sad fact is
:07:18. > :07:21.that according to the police, more people drown in the river here in
:07:22. > :07:28.Shrewsbury than in any other town of a comparable size in the whole
:07:28. > :07:34.of the UK. We are working with pubs and nightclubs, they are helping to
:07:34. > :07:36.find people who are intoxicated and help them make their home way
:07:36. > :07:39.safely. Catherine Moore-Hughes' fiance,
:07:39. > :07:45.Josh Wreford, drowned after a night out last summer. She supports a
:07:45. > :07:48.campaign for improved river safety including more railings. It could
:07:48. > :07:52.have been stopped, there is no need. Do people have to take
:07:52. > :07:57.responsibility for how much they drink? People will be drinking and
:07:57. > :08:02.walk past the river so they should do something to prevent that
:08:02. > :08:08.happening. We will put more fencing in where risk assessments indicate
:08:08. > :08:14.there is a particular risk, but in reality, it presents its own
:08:14. > :08:17.practical problems with flooding, The council say they've made other
:08:17. > :08:20.safety improvements too. It's hoped this latest tragedy will at least
:08:20. > :08:24.raise awareness. Oliver Hodnett will be two next week, the first of
:08:24. > :08:27.many birthdays without his dad. I'm joined now by Peter Cornall of
:08:27. > :08:29.ROSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents who's
:08:29. > :08:39.outside their headquarters in Birmingham. Is this a problem
:08:39. > :08:42.
:08:42. > :08:46.that's getting worse? Certainly with alcohol-related journeys. The
:08:46. > :08:52.numbers of people that are drowning as a result of possibly taking a
:08:52. > :08:57.trip home along the river after they have been out having a drink
:08:57. > :09:05.and having a good time, that seems to be the case. What, if anything,
:09:05. > :09:10.can be done to prevent deaths at there? I think it is a case of
:09:10. > :09:15.trying to break the journey in a couple of places. Silage and public
:09:15. > :09:20.rescue, but also to make people aware of the hazards of drinking
:09:20. > :09:26.water slides -- signed age and public rescue. Getting the warning
:09:26. > :09:32.message out as well that alcohol and walks alongside the water do
:09:32. > :09:37.not mix late at night. It is difficult to fence off an entire
:09:37. > :09:44.river, isn't it? Yes, and we would not like to see that. If fencing is
:09:44. > :09:48.used, it should be used in the right place. There is an onus on
:09:48. > :09:56.responsibility of the individual as well so it is getting the balance
:09:56. > :10:06.right. We do not want to put a fence across the whole of the River
:10:06. > :10:06.
:10:06. > :10:09.Severn. A spinal anaesthetic, which was
:10:09. > :10:12.mistakenly kept in place for more than two days, has left a teenager
:10:12. > :10:14.permanently paralysed from the waist down. Sophie Tyler from
:10:14. > :10:17.Newport in Wales was 14 when she was admitted to Birmingham
:10:17. > :10:20.Children's Hospital in 2008 to have gallstones removed. But an epidural
:10:20. > :10:29.she'd been given for pain control was left in place for too long,
:10:29. > :10:36.causing permanent damage to her spinal cord. It was depression at
:10:36. > :10:41.first. I just lay in bed wishing that it had never happened. Or was
:10:41. > :10:44.in that they had killed me. Because I had to live with the reality and
:10:44. > :10:46.consequences of someone else's mistake.
:10:46. > :10:49.Birmingham Children's Hospital said staff were deeply sorry for the
:10:49. > :10:59.distress caused to Sophie and her family. The Chief Medical Officer
:10:59. > :11:02.
:11:02. > :11:06.The Solihull carmaker Land Rover has released the first images of
:11:06. > :11:11.the car on which it plans to base an all-new version of its iconic
:11:11. > :11:15.Defender. The DC-100 will make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor
:11:15. > :11:19.Show next month and is due to go on sale in 2015. The first Land Rover
:11:19. > :11:29.was introduced in 1948 and the Defender name was first used in the
:11:29. > :11:29.
:11:29. > :11:32.early 1990s, shortly after the launch of the Discovery.
:11:32. > :11:34.Two fire stations in Warwickshire shut for the final time today
:11:34. > :11:37.despite fierce opposition, led by the Fire Brigades Union.
:11:37. > :11:40.Warwickshire County Council says the decision to close them was
:11:40. > :11:48.taken not to cut costs but to improve the service. Nadine Towell
:11:48. > :11:50.It served the local community for more than 50 years. But today,
:11:50. > :11:53.Brinklow Fire Station in Warwickshire was forced into
:11:53. > :11:57.retirement. Last night, a closing ceremony was held to mark the
:11:57. > :12:06.occasion. In Brinklow and in Warwick, the retained fire crews
:12:06. > :12:11.have been scrapped. Local people and the union campaign strongly
:12:11. > :12:18.against the closure plans but as of 9 o'clock this morning,
:12:18. > :12:23.Warwickshire has two few fully operational fire stations. We have
:12:23. > :12:29.always said this is about safety of firefighters and the public. With
:12:29. > :12:31.the reduction of people, you have not got as many people to help each
:12:31. > :12:33.other. The fates of these fire stations
:12:33. > :12:40.were sealed last summer when county councillors agreed with proposals
:12:40. > :12:43.put forward by the Chief Fire Officer. It will be covered from
:12:43. > :12:49.Nuneaton and rugby, but it is not like having your own fire station
:12:49. > :12:52.down the road, is it? Suddenly it is upon us now and it is here so it
:12:52. > :12:58.is a bit sad. The county council says the
:12:58. > :13:02.closures are about improving the fire service and not cutting costs.
:13:02. > :13:06.We are halfway through our improvement plans and we have
:13:06. > :13:10.increased firefighter training which we said we would do and
:13:10. > :13:15.reduced our unnecessary journeys to on wanted fire alarms by 70%, we
:13:15. > :13:18.said we would do that. And there is 15% less house fires in and around
:13:18. > :13:24.Warwickshire. We said we would do all that.
:13:24. > :13:27.A third fire station, Studley, will close next year.
:13:27. > :13:30.Still to come this evening, it's the last day of August, but did it
:13:30. > :13:33.live up to expectations? See what you think later.
:13:33. > :13:43.And the Brummie legend whose boxing memorabilia is being auctioned. The
:13:43. > :13:49.
:13:49. > :13:51.fascinating life story of Gentleman The future for generating large-
:13:52. > :13:54.scale solar power in this country has been thrown into doubt after
:13:54. > :13:57.the Government changed its rules on subsidies. For one Birmingham
:13:57. > :14:00.company, it means a promising new source of business has been cut off
:14:00. > :14:08.at a very difficult time. Here's our science correspondent, David
:14:08. > :14:15.Gregory. Building projects like this which
:14:15. > :14:17.have been mothballed us -- our size of a slowdown.
:14:17. > :14:20.The economic outlook for many companies is still gloomy.
:14:20. > :14:28.Birmingham electrical contractors JT Hawkes usually wire up big, new
:14:28. > :14:31.buildings. Usually. It stop. Doors have shut with the recession and so
:14:31. > :14:37.we have looked for other avenues of business.
:14:37. > :14:43.And there's one sector that appeared to have a bright future.
:14:43. > :14:47.This is a plan view of the development. Each of these blue
:14:47. > :14:50.strips is four rows of solar panels. It's one of Britain's biggest solar
:14:50. > :14:53.farms to date. Normally it would take three months to complete the
:14:53. > :14:55.wiring. But they did the job in just half that time, racing to
:14:56. > :14:58.finish before the Government slashed solar power subsidies for
:14:58. > :15:06.big installations. And cutting subsidies has cast a shadow over
:15:06. > :15:14.this new line of work. I have had a company from Italy phone me, two
:15:14. > :15:16.from Germany. Each one has suddenly said no, the client will not go
:15:16. > :15:18.ahead. With the cutting of subsidies, it's
:15:18. > :15:21.unlikely anyone will attempt something on this scale again,
:15:21. > :15:24.closing off a promising new source of business for this company.
:15:24. > :15:31.And David joins us now in the studio. So, David, why has the
:15:31. > :15:36.Government changed the rules? There's only so many subsidies and
:15:36. > :15:39.the Government is trying to refocus things. If you talk to the
:15:39. > :15:43.Government department responsible, they say large-scale solar farms
:15:43. > :15:47.could soak up the money intended to help small businesses and homes
:15:47. > :15:54.generate electricity. They are trying to generate things away from
:15:54. > :15:59.beget schemes to smaller schemes. - - from bigger schemes. So where can
:15:59. > :16:03.people start? It is a bit overwhelming. It is like putting in
:16:03. > :16:08.a kitchen or double glazing. Ask friends if they would recommend
:16:08. > :16:18.companies, get some quotes and then also there are two different
:16:18. > :16:21.
:16:21. > :16:30.schemes that somebody should be a part of. Also with those two you
:16:30. > :16:33.should be up to a good start. All the details are on my blog.
:16:33. > :16:38.background noise was a bit difficult to fight against! We will
:16:38. > :16:45.come back to that later. Not too much solar energy around
:16:45. > :16:49.this summer. It's been the coldest August for 17 years. Despite that,
:16:49. > :16:52.farmers say many crops are reaching their peak two weeks early and its
:16:52. > :16:55.all thanks to some unseasonable weather earlier in the year. It may
:16:55. > :16:57.seem a distant memory, but this spring saw under 50% of normal
:16:57. > :17:00.rainfall and across England it was the warmest spring ever recorded.
:17:00. > :17:02.Temperatures, in fact, hit 28 degrees Celsius during April. Andy
:17:02. > :17:08.Newman reports now from the fields of Worcestershire.
:17:08. > :17:11.Runner beans, winning the race to be harvested. It may be late August
:17:11. > :17:13.in the fields of Worcestershire, but it looks more like early
:17:13. > :17:17.september. At Top Barn Farm near Worcester they're picking not just
:17:17. > :17:25.beans but other crops, up to two weeks early, and its thanks to an
:17:25. > :17:28.unusual sequence of weather conditions. We had an early spring,
:17:28. > :17:32.a very dry spring and that has brought a lot of the crops on early.
:17:32. > :17:36.The lack of rain has not been an issue, we can irrigate but in
:17:36. > :17:42.general, it is the climate that has brought the runner beans on a day
:17:43. > :17:48.earlier. And the orchards are hanging prematurely heavy with
:17:48. > :17:53.fruit. These apples would not normally be as rosy and juicy as
:17:53. > :17:57.this for another couple of weeks but they are ready to eat today.
:17:57. > :18:03.More exotic crops like butternut squash have also been thriving in
:18:03. > :18:07.the unseasonal conditions, and an added bonus for grow are trying to
:18:07. > :18:12.diversify into new markets. It is good, to be honest. To be up to get
:18:12. > :18:16.them on to the shells early is good for the farmer, sometimes we see a
:18:16. > :18:20.modest increase in price and also good for the consumer. In a world
:18:20. > :18:27.of global warming and broken weather patterns, it seems even our
:18:27. > :18:30.plant life cannot be relied on to stick to a timetable. It means an
:18:30. > :18:37.early autumn effectively for the farmers, let's hope winter does not
:18:37. > :18:40.follow suit. Football now, and it's one of the
:18:40. > :18:43.most frantic days of the season with clubs scrambling to make
:18:43. > :18:46.signings before the transfer window shuts until January. And it's Stoke
:18:46. > :18:50.City who've been by far the busiest of our clubs, as Nick Clitheroe
:18:50. > :18:53.reports. After three years in the Premier
:18:53. > :18:58.League Stoke City are becoming an established force and all the signs
:18:58. > :19:01.are that they want to take that next step up. Two new strikers
:19:01. > :19:04.could be on their way to the Britannia Stadium. A fee has been
:19:04. > :19:08.agreed with Birmingham City for Cameron Jerome and this evening it
:19:08. > :19:14.seems Peter Crouch is on his way to the Potteries for talks. It's all
:19:14. > :19:17.left the fans hanging around the club excited but a little confused.
:19:17. > :19:23.Frustrating really, but you have to trust the manager. We should be all
:19:24. > :19:28.right. A big amount of fuss over a lot of nothing, really. Linked with
:19:28. > :19:32.a lot of players and we have not seen much happening. It has been
:19:32. > :19:36.hectic in the training ground. We have been walking to and from. We
:19:36. > :19:38.don't know whether it will happen. Jerome's exit might not be the only
:19:38. > :19:41.one from Birmingham City. The central defender Scott Dann has
:19:41. > :19:45.travelled to Blackburn for a medical even though no fee has yet
:19:45. > :19:48.been agreed by the two clubs. Across the city Aston Villa are
:19:48. > :19:50.close to signing the midfielder Jermaine Jenas on a season long
:19:50. > :19:56.loan and the defender Alan Hutton permanently from Tottenham but it's
:19:56. > :19:59.all quiet at Wolves and West Brom. And if you're a fan of Villa, Blues,
:19:59. > :20:09.Albion or Wolves there's a Football Phone-in with Mark Regan about
:20:09. > :20:10.
:20:10. > :20:14.today's transfer activity on BBC WM Very exciting but frustrating.
:20:14. > :20:17.With just under a year to go to the London Olympics, we already know
:20:17. > :20:20.two of the biggest track and field teams, the US and Jamaica, will be
:20:20. > :20:23.basing themselves in our region. Other countries are expected to
:20:23. > :20:25.send their athletes here too. Among them, the tiny Caribbean island
:20:25. > :20:33.state of Dominica. Ben Godfrey has the details of this latest
:20:33. > :20:37.announcement. Which sport and where are they going? Take a look at this
:20:37. > :20:43.because I am at Wolverhampton, the boxing club. It is all about
:20:43. > :20:52.sparring in a nice Indoor gene. In Dominica, it is all done at hitting
:20:52. > :21:00.eight punchbag hanging from a tree. They are coming to the area but
:21:00. > :21:05.they are not the first, Birmingham is also receiving the US and
:21:05. > :21:13.Jamaican team. And the boxers, the four Dominican boxers are coming
:21:13. > :21:19.here. It is around 4,000 miles away, has a population of around 75,000
:21:19. > :21:26.people, and the boxers are heading to Wolverhampton. Let us talk to
:21:26. > :21:32.John Thomas, an amazing trick, how did you get the box as coming here?
:21:32. > :21:37.We helped boxes earlier with all the equipment. The equipment you
:21:37. > :21:42.have sent over a has inspired boxes over in that country? Yes, that is
:21:43. > :21:48.correct. The offer has been reciprocated as well. What do you
:21:48. > :21:55.need to do to get this gymnasium ready for the boxers? We basically
:21:55. > :21:58.need finance because we are putting up 20 people, four boxes and we
:21:58. > :22:07.need the finance, that is the main thing. Somebody somewhere to help
:22:07. > :22:11.us. How important is it to the City of Wolverhampton? This is one of
:22:11. > :22:17.the best things that has happened to Wolverhampton since been made
:22:17. > :22:20.the city. OK, we will leave it there! That take a look around this
:22:20. > :22:25.gymnasium or stop young lads here sparring at the moment. They
:22:25. > :22:30.started from the age of eight and men are here as well. We have had
:22:30. > :22:37.British champions here as well. It takes in a lot of people from local
:22:37. > :22:47.schools. And be that there is up for big things. One more thing
:22:47. > :22:48.
:22:48. > :22:58.about America. We have heard about boxing because one Frank Bruno, --
:22:58. > :23:02.
:23:02. > :23:09.Sorry for the extraneous noise, lot going on there! Boxing is a great
:23:09. > :23:13.way of getting rid of surplus energy. I will not ask any more!
:23:13. > :23:15.From boxers of today to a past champion. The Lonsdale belt of the
:23:15. > :23:18.Birmingham boxer Jack Hood is coming up for auction after being
:23:18. > :23:21.wrapped in a pillow case for decades. Gentleman Jack, as he was
:23:21. > :23:23.known, was a national hero in the Twenties and Thirties, the
:23:23. > :23:31.undefeated welterweight champion of Britain, Europe and the Empire.
:23:31. > :23:35.Sarah Falkland reports. In an age before television, it was
:23:35. > :23:42.the light entertainment at thousands flocked to see. Even
:23:42. > :23:47.royalty were fans of boxing. In 1926, one man, Jack Hood was
:23:47. > :23:50.fighting for the British welterweight champion title.
:23:50. > :23:55.According to Prescott is at the time, every round was an epic. It
:23:56. > :23:59.has here it was a contest of brainy manoeuvre. No actual knock-downs
:23:59. > :24:02.but plenty of solid hitting to satisfy the crowd.
:24:02. > :24:10.He went on to defend his title twice, winning the right to keep
:24:10. > :24:17.the Lonsdale belt. Now the gold and enamel treasure is up for auction.
:24:17. > :24:21.It is very emotional. Thinking how hard he worked for it. I have known
:24:21. > :24:26.him come from a seven mile went in the morning and skip. You never saw
:24:26. > :24:30.the rope, it was so fast. I always wanted to skip that fast but I
:24:30. > :24:33.never made it! He was a wonderful dancer as well. Hood's victories
:24:33. > :24:36.were even more impressive because he could only fight properly with
:24:36. > :24:44.his left hand. In his right hand, the bones were
:24:44. > :24:50.very brittle. The knuckle bones used to break. Only around 20 belts
:24:50. > :24:52.like this were ever made. They were commissioned by the bon viveur and
:24:52. > :24:58.explorer, Hugh Lowther, Fifth Earl of Lonsdale. 11 years ago, a
:24:58. > :25:03.similar one belonging to Leamington boxer Randy Turpin went for 23,000.
:25:03. > :25:07.The enamel on it is amazing. And we are very privileged to sell it.
:25:07. > :25:10.Jack Hood retired from boxing in 1935 at the age of 32. He was
:25:10. > :25:19.landlord of a pub in Tanworth in Arden for over 30 years where he
:25:19. > :25:24.hung his champions belt behind the Amazing to be a boxing champion
:25:24. > :25:34.when you have got brittle bones. Unbelievable. What a prize that
:25:34. > :25:36.
:25:36. > :25:39.would be as well. And now for a For the Midlands, the figures for
:25:39. > :25:43.the weather will be a slap a different story. I think the August
:25:43. > :25:46.figures will be published on Friday but we can get an overview. It has
:25:46. > :25:50.been drier than normal this August with half the rainfall you would
:25:50. > :25:54.normally expect for Shropshire and also quite dull with less than
:25:54. > :25:58.normal sunshine but temperatures have been around average for the
:25:58. > :26:02.time of year. But some as a whole for the entire country has been the
:26:02. > :26:07.coolest since 1993 and we are just about holding on to that summary
:26:07. > :26:10.weather. Temperatures looking good by Friday. Getting back to tonight,
:26:10. > :26:15.it is quite cloudy across the region. We could see some breaks
:26:15. > :26:19.and where they occur, some mist patches but temperatures will be
:26:19. > :26:26.falling in those areas. Generally speaking, quite healthy between 10-
:26:26. > :26:29.13 Celsius with the lows. And a dry night. Tomorrow morning is looking
:26:29. > :26:33.dole for some places but it is during the afternoon that we see
:26:33. > :26:37.the best of the brightness and sunshine. It is not the sunshine
:26:37. > :26:45.that will list the temperatures, it is the change of the wind
:26:45. > :26:49.directions. Light winds and the best of the temperatures in
:26:50. > :26:56.southern counties. Getting on to Friday, and when the South Eastern
:26:56. > :27:00.lease settle into the area, we will start seen temperatures getting to
:27:00. > :27:03.around 23 Celsius. On Friday, the sunshine breaks through from the
:27:03. > :27:11.damage will. Tomorrow night will be quite clear but the sunshine across
:27:11. > :27:14.all parts coming in and then rain over the weekend.
:27:14. > :27:22.A look at tonight's main headlines: There are reports that one of the
:27:22. > :27:31.men wanted for WPC Fletcher's killing has been found in Libya.