:00:00. > :00:25.early 1990s. That's all from the BBC News at Six. It's goodbye from
:00:26. > :00:36.We will ask what impact the new route will have on our economy.
:00:37. > :00:40.Also tonight; Not just the bookies raking it in ` the Cheltenh`m
:00:41. > :00:43.businesses odds on to boost profits in Festival week. Making schence fun
:00:44. > :00:46.` the Big Bang fair getting children hooked.
:00:47. > :00:54.We meet Mr Blue Sky himself. ELO's Jeff Lynne finally gets his place on
:00:55. > :00:58.the Walk of Stars. I am thrhlled to have it. I never dream of h`ving
:00:59. > :01:01.anything like it. And for various sporting fixtures
:01:02. > :01:04.over the weekend and the Chdltenham Gold cup to come tomorrow, will the
:01:05. > :01:10.weather be on winning form? I'll tell you later.
:01:11. > :01:15.Good evening. Birmingham is to become the first UK airport outside
:01:16. > :01:19.London to operate direct flhghts to Beijing. In 2012, the year of the
:01:20. > :01:27.Olympics, the Chinese visitor market was worth ?15 million to thd West
:01:28. > :01:29.Midlands economy. And Birmingham is now the fourth most popular
:01:30. > :01:32.destination for Chinese vishtors in England. But the flights will only
:01:33. > :01:37.operate during the summer months. Here's our transport correspondent,
:01:38. > :01:40.Peter Plisner. The Chinese Prime Minister enjoying the delights
:01:41. > :01:43.Stratford`upon`Avon two years ago. He flew direct on a
:01:44. > :01:46.specially`chartered flight `nd this summer others will too, with a
:01:47. > :01:52.series of charter flights dhrect from Beijing. At the airport today,
:01:53. > :02:01.passengers were looking forward to yet another new destination. It will
:02:02. > :02:05.certainly put Birmingham whdre it should be as a regional airport It
:02:06. > :02:12.is going international so it is a good idea. I have been thred times
:02:13. > :02:16.and I probably want `` wouldn't want to go again. To China? I wotld like
:02:17. > :02:19.it. And already at this Birlingham travel company there have bden
:02:20. > :02:25.plenty of enquiries from those hoping to use the new service.
:02:26. > :02:30.Always a lot of people make enquiries and lots of peopld demand
:02:31. > :02:37.whether there is a direct flight to China from Birmingham. The number of
:02:38. > :02:41.people travelling to China has tripled in the last decade. Bringing
:02:42. > :02:45.them here rather than he threw should mean the growth comes even
:02:46. > :02:48.faster. Operated by China Southern Airlines, the direct servicd will be
:02:49. > :02:51.limited to just six flights during the summer. A bit disappointing for
:02:52. > :02:54.this Chinese`owned lighting firm based in south Birmingham. What they
:02:55. > :03:03.want to a regular service from the city. It saves us going to London
:03:04. > :03:07.and parking charges you inctr there. If you fly from Birmingham, the
:03:08. > :03:11.alternative is flying to thd Middle East and I have done that once. I
:03:12. > :03:15.don't intend to do it again. The new route to China will be the
:03:16. > :03:18.second long`haul service to use the airport's extended runway. Ht's
:03:19. > :03:22.still under construction and is due to be completed at the beginning of
:03:23. > :03:25.May. Our business correspondent hs at the
:03:26. > :03:33.airport this evening. So, Pdter it's only six flights. What
:03:34. > :03:39.difference will it actually make? It is a tale in the water, testing
:03:40. > :03:44.the market for direct flights to China. Joining me is David from the
:03:45. > :03:47.airport. How much differencd will it make? It will make a huge
:03:48. > :03:51.difference. We are confident there is a real
:03:52. > :04:01.demand in the market for direct routes to trying. But only six
:04:02. > :04:15.flights? But it is hugely significant `` routes to Chhna. It
:04:16. > :04:19.is a unique partnership with various organisations who are all confident.
:04:20. > :04:23.There is a genuine demand hdre so we are confident it will be a
:04:24. > :04:28.springboard for other opportunities. It is another airline
:04:29. > :04:37.using the new extended runw`y. You can build it, but will the
:04:38. > :04:44.airline scam? We are highly confident we will attract a whole
:04:45. > :04:53.crowd full of jewels. How mtch do you expect the flights to boost
:04:54. > :04:57.tourism? We would hope it to be significant. Nearly 50,000
:04:58. > :05:04.travellers passed through Bhrmingham who had to go via European hubs but
:05:05. > :05:09.now they have the opportunity to fly direct and we will give thel a warm
:05:10. > :05:11.welcome. Those six flights will happdn in
:05:12. > :05:14.July and hopefully in the ftture there will be more.
:05:15. > :05:17.Coming up later in the programme: Feeling the benefits of the tea cosy
:05:18. > :05:21.effect ` the external insul`tion raising temperatures and lowering
:05:22. > :05:24.bills, but for how much longer? More than a quarter of millhon
:05:25. > :05:27.people are expected to visit the region this week for the Chdltenham
:05:28. > :05:31.National Hunt Festival. For many businesses around the town, it's one
:05:32. > :05:39.of the most lucrative weeks of the year and it's not just about the
:05:40. > :05:44.racing. Steve Knibbs reports. Welcome to Cheltenham Town centre
:05:45. > :05:47.where winners and it seems dven the losers are celebrating. For the
:05:48. > :05:52.bars, it is their biggest wdek of the year.
:05:53. > :05:57.If I can equate to Friday which is our busiest day, I would take almost
:05:58. > :06:03.a week 's take just on the Friday alone.
:06:04. > :06:11.The bands are cashing in also. At the town centre 's newest hotel it
:06:12. > :06:15.is their first race week. Wd have been planning special events because
:06:16. > :06:19.it is the biggest week of the year for us. We have had lots of
:06:20. > :06:24.consultations with local residents and bars to make sure everyone has a
:06:25. > :06:28.good time. There is something for everxone
:06:29. > :06:34.Many clubs offer lap dancing and it is big business with 500 dancers
:06:35. > :06:41.working in the town this wedk. They can earn a lot during race week so a
:06:42. > :06:45.lot of girls want to registdr. Everyone is working hard and making
:06:46. > :06:49.the most of it. For the chatffeurs and taxi drivers it can almost be
:06:50. > :06:53.nonstop. Every night is like a very good
:06:54. > :07:00.Saturday night and you can go anywhere and people jump in and ask
:07:01. > :07:05.you for London or Manchester. It has only just gone nine o'clock
:07:06. > :07:10.and this light `` this lot have a long night ahead and deep pockets it
:07:11. > :07:12.seems. The festival is a cash cow for local businesses in the town
:07:13. > :07:18.centre. Teaching staff from two Birlingham
:07:19. > :07:21.schools have been arrested on suspicion of the possession of
:07:22. > :07:24.extreme pornography. The three men in their 30s work at Park Vhew
:07:25. > :07:27.Academy and Golden Hillock School. They were detained at their homes in
:07:28. > :07:31.Birmingham and Wolverhampton as part of a long running investigation
:07:32. > :07:34.It's claimed around 20,000 skilled jobs will be created in
:07:35. > :07:37.Staffordshire after a so`called "City Deal" was agreed with the
:07:38. > :07:39.government. The agreement ndgotiated by Staffordshire County Council and
:07:40. > :07:45.Stoke`on`Trent City Council is thought to be worth over ?100
:07:46. > :07:48.million to the local economx. The Walsall child`killer Raxmond
:07:49. > :07:52.Morris has died in prison at the age of 84. Morris was jailed for life
:07:53. > :07:55.for the murder of seven`year`old Christine Darby in 1967, and was
:07:56. > :08:00.also suspected of killing two other young girls in what became known as
:08:01. > :08:03.the "Cannock Chase Murders". The bodies of all three girls wdre found
:08:04. > :08:13.dumped at the Staffordshire beauty spot.
:08:14. > :08:18.Local UK Independence party leaders are dismissing an attack on their
:08:19. > :08:27.leader as a distraction frol the real issues. Nicky Sinclair was
:08:28. > :08:31.voted in as an MEP a few ye`rs ago but will be standing for thd We
:08:32. > :08:37.Demand A Referendum Now. Shd launched a state `` scathing attack
:08:38. > :08:42.in Strasbourg. Mr Farage, with unemployment a
:08:43. > :08:49.problem in the UK and across Europe, does he think it is a fair tse of
:08:50. > :08:53.taxpayers money, namely his secretarial allowance, to elploy his
:08:54. > :08:58.wife and his former mistress. Is it a responsible use of taxpaydrs
:08:59. > :09:03.money, Mr Farage? A spokesman of Mr Farage later
:09:04. > :09:10.rejected those claims. Is it significant she may be attacking the
:09:11. > :09:16.Parliament? Yes, it gives her Parliamentary
:09:17. > :09:21.privilege. She said she had been wanting to explain this for some
:09:22. > :09:24.time and only now had she the opportunity.
:09:25. > :09:34.What does UKIP say? They say they are to busy
:09:35. > :09:40.campaigning to give intervidws. But one member said that the public
:09:41. > :09:47.would see right through this. I put that to Nicky Sinclair.
:09:48. > :09:55.I am exposing the hypocrisy of Nigel Farage who told all UKIP MPs that
:09:56. > :10:00.they could not employ their wives. Each MEP gets three times the
:10:01. > :10:06.national average wage and hd chooses to employ his spies. It is
:10:07. > :10:12.hypocrisy. Let me remind yot that the only tangible thing being done
:10:13. > :10:16.in the last five years is about to withdraw from the European Tnion and
:10:17. > :10:19.that was my petition. There are still two months to go to
:10:20. > :10:23.the European election and it is shaping up to be a bruising
:10:24. > :10:28.campaign? It is and we have been focusing on
:10:29. > :10:36.the battle between UKIP and the three larger parties but thhnk about
:10:37. > :10:41.this, Nicky Sinclair and Mike Nattrass have gone on to setup their
:10:42. > :10:47.own parties the bitter rivalry and we're just the early skirmishes of
:10:48. > :10:48.that now, that may be the ddfining feature of the European elections
:10:49. > :10:58.coming up. A home insulation scheme in
:10:59. > :11:02.Worcester has been hailed the best in the country by the Climate Change
:11:03. > :11:05.Minister. But there are concerns that funding
:11:06. > :11:08.for similar projects could be cut, leaving some home owners out in the
:11:09. > :11:10.cold next winter. Cath Mackhe reports.
:11:11. > :11:13.It's called the tea cosy effect External insulation is fittdd to
:11:14. > :11:17.solid wall homes in Worcestdr. 50 have been done so far under a green
:11:18. > :11:28.levy known as ECO, paid for by energy firms. We have done 250
:11:29. > :11:31.properties of private homeowners. Homeowners Lynda and David Burgess
:11:32. > :11:39.are feeling the benefits. Their wallet is too. Did you notice the
:11:40. > :11:42.difference straightaway? Yes, even before they finished. The
:11:43. > :11:51.Climate Change Minister was delighted to hear it. These are the
:11:52. > :11:55.best I've seen anywhere in Britain. So, a PR triumph? Or maybe not
:11:56. > :12:02.because the ECO policy is bding reduced. It means some homes will
:12:03. > :12:07.have to wait for insulation. Since the autumn statement things have got
:12:08. > :12:11.more difficult. Representing the major housing association, H have
:12:12. > :12:13.still got 250 properties to find funding for.
:12:14. > :12:17.Average gas prices for housdholders in the UK have risen by 41% since
:12:18. > :12:20.2007. Electricity has gone tp by around 20%. It's a huge polhtical
:12:21. > :12:23.argument and, not surprisingly, it's one that gets ministers out of
:12:24. > :12:35.Westminster and into places like Worcester. We are putting an extra
:12:36. > :12:40.?80 million in our green fund and I will announce a whole slew of local
:12:41. > :12:42.authorities who successfullx bid for that funding.
:12:43. > :12:45.The Government say the changes they've made have allowed energy
:12:46. > :12:47.firms to cut bills, but there's no knowing yet if it's enough to keep
:12:48. > :12:55.people warm next winter. Our top story tonight: From
:12:56. > :12:59.Birmingham to Beijing ` the first UK airport outside London to fly direct
:13:00. > :13:08.to China. Your detailed weather forecast to come shortly from
:13:09. > :13:11.Shefali. Also in tonight's programme: Big hopes for thd Big
:13:12. > :13:14.Bolster, the Gold Cup contender trained in Gloucestershire who'll be
:13:15. > :13:17.ridden by a Herefordshire jockey. And, from graffiti to commissioned
:13:18. > :13:27.art ` the Banksy style paintings creating a splash in Malvern.
:13:28. > :13:33.What would it be like to botnce around on the surface of Mars, or
:13:34. > :13:37.build a bridge out of chocolate They are just some of the things
:13:38. > :13:40.visitors can try as part of the Big Bang Science Fair taking pl`ce at
:13:41. > :13:46.the NEC. Sarah Falkland has been along.
:13:47. > :14:00.This schoolboy is demonstrating how to catch a neutron. Welcome to fish
:14:01. > :14:05.`` show designed to make yot think. Since its launch, organisers say
:14:06. > :14:12.this show has helped change the way youngsters view science. If we ask
:14:13. > :14:16.young women across the King `` country aged 11 to 14 if thdy see an
:14:17. > :14:24.engineering career as desir`ble only a quarter will see it. A visit
:14:25. > :14:33.to this show doubles that ntmber. We put that to the test. A sports
:14:34. > :14:38.scientist. A fashion designdr. No engineers there then. It is
:14:39. > :14:46.estimated there will be 2.7 million jobs vacant in the next few years in
:14:47. > :14:50.engineering. There is nothing more gratifying for me as an olddr
:14:51. > :14:55.astronaut and to see the sp`rkle in their eyes to think they might be
:14:56. > :15:00.the first person to walk on Miles `` Mars.
:15:01. > :15:05.If you are still wondering what it is like to walk on Mars, relember
:15:06. > :15:11.sometimes science isn't enotgh and you have to use your imagin`tion.
:15:12. > :15:18.Bands around. The planet is dusty and red. Pupils at this school are
:15:19. > :15:21.on Mars. That looks like fun. He's a
:15:22. > :15:24.musician, singer and songwrhter and this evening ELO's Jeff Lynne will
:15:25. > :15:27.be honoured with a place on Birmingham's Walk of Stars. He'll
:15:28. > :15:31.join fellow musicians Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Roy Wood in having a
:15:32. > :15:33.star etched with his name on Broad Street. Ben Sidwell has been to meet
:15:34. > :16:00.the rock legend. Back in Brum for the unveilhng of
:16:01. > :16:09.his star. A lot's changed shnce Jeff Lynne grew up as a kid in the Shard
:16:10. > :16:15.End area of the Birmingham. I used to have my own studio in thd front
:16:16. > :16:18.room of mums house which I commandeered as a recording studio.
:16:19. > :16:30.It was a big bundle of junk and it used to drive her nuts. Of course I
:16:31. > :16:33.would let everyone in there. We used to play a different place
:16:34. > :16:37.every night for a month and then start again. After failing to set
:16:38. > :16:41.the charts alight in the 1960s with his band the Idle Race, Jeff went on
:16:42. > :16:45.to join the Move, which in turn became ELO ` selling tens of
:16:46. > :16:57.millions of records and winning fans across the world. I'm from Cardiff.
:16:58. > :17:01.We are from Spain. We are from Denmark. A few lucky fans h`ve got
:17:02. > :17:09.tickets for tonight's Walk of Fame event and the chance to meet their
:17:10. > :17:16.idol. Wonderful. I don't know what I would say. I think I'd just cry I
:17:17. > :17:20.have dreamt of this all my life I'm looking forward to see him. If I
:17:21. > :17:24.could talk with him that wotld be excellent. I've liked his mtsic all
:17:25. > :17:30.my life. What would it mean if you gdt the
:17:31. > :17:37.chance to talk to him? It would be the greatest thing in my life. It
:17:38. > :17:43.makes me humble, I can tell you that much. It is just weird. When it is
:17:44. > :17:48.yourself they are coming for, you just don't believe it. It is... Wow!
:17:49. > :17:52.But it's not just as an arthst where he's been a huge success. Jdff has
:17:53. > :17:55.produced such names as Roy Orbision and Tom Petty. And in the 1890s
:17:56. > :18:03.when the three remaining melbers of the biggest group in historx
:18:04. > :18:08.reformed, it was Jeff they called. I had a couple of sleepless nhghts
:18:09. > :18:14.thinking, how the hell am I going to this `` to do this? Paul cale up to
:18:15. > :18:21.me and said, you've done it Well done and he gave me a hug so that
:18:22. > :18:35.was a treat. Singer, drama, guitarist. He can do it all. He s
:18:36. > :18:40.not bad at all. `` drama. `` he has been a drama.
:18:41. > :18:43.He may be a global music st`r, but to one of the people there tonight,
:18:44. > :18:51.Jeff will always be her babx brother. We came from a famhly where
:18:52. > :19:00.praise wasn't lavished upon so I don't know if we have ever said how
:19:01. > :19:05.proud we are. And as for his award? I am chuffed I have got one. Thank
:19:06. > :19:08.you very much. Jasper Carrot is Chair of the
:19:09. > :19:11.Birmingham Walk of Stars ` `nd joins us now from the Library of
:19:12. > :19:16.Birmingham where the ceremony is taking place. You've known Jeff for
:19:17. > :19:26.a number of years. Why has ht taken so long to get his star on the walk?
:19:27. > :19:31.I first approached him about four years ago and it has taken `ll this
:19:32. > :19:35.time to coincide his movements with ours. Eventually, he is herd and
:19:36. > :19:41.waiting to come on and therd is a load of people waiting to sde him.
:19:42. > :19:45.The place is buzzing. The ptblicity has been enormous and Jeff hs
:19:46. > :19:51.genuinely thrilled to be here and we'll be thrilled to see hil.
:19:52. > :19:54.We had in that report his international appeal. How would you
:19:55. > :20:00.sum up, if possible, his contribution to music?
:20:01. > :20:04.When the Beatles approached him to do that single, it said it `ll. They
:20:05. > :20:11.could have gone to anyone in the wild but they went to Jeff Lynne.
:20:12. > :20:17.His CD is all over the world on CD, DVD and film scores, you nale it and
:20:18. > :20:21.that is an incredible achievement. Paul McCartney described hil as not
:20:22. > :20:26.bad at all. How would you ddscribe him?
:20:27. > :20:34.He is a down`to`earth honest Brummie and that is what we love about him.
:20:35. > :20:40.Who next? There is a whole list of people.
:20:41. > :20:51.There is Ian Lavender from Dad s Army. And The Wimbledon Chalpion.
:20:52. > :20:55.There is only so much room so I think we will have to move to the M
:20:56. > :21:02.six. The Birmingham City manager, Lee
:21:03. > :21:05.Clark, is to report referee James Linington for allegedly mocking the
:21:06. > :21:08.club's captain, Paul Robinson, while booking him during their 3`3 draw
:21:09. > :21:11.with Burnley last night. Birmingham came from behind three times in the
:21:12. > :21:14.match, including this brillhant goal from Emyr Hughes. The third
:21:15. > :21:27.equaliser from Federico Macheda came deep into stoppage time. Thd
:21:28. > :21:32.Midlands has dominated day three of the Cheltenham Festival.
:21:33. > :21:36.Herefordshire jockeys Richard Johnson and Tom Scudamore h`ve won
:21:37. > :21:39.one and two races respectivdly. And Cotswold trainer Jonjo O'Nehll has
:21:40. > :21:42.also won two, including Mord of That, who took today's big race the
:21:43. > :21:45.World Hurdle, ahead of the previously unbeaten Annie Power
:21:46. > :21:48.Thumbs up from Jonjo then, `fter three winners at the meeting so far.
:21:49. > :21:55.So, can a Midlands horse trhumph in tomorrow's big race, the Gold Cup?
:21:56. > :21:59.Well, The Giant Bolster will love the drying ground. Meet The Giant
:22:00. > :22:00.Bolster. He's intelligent and inquisitive. Perhaps a bit too
:22:01. > :22:08.inquisitive. When we filmed him turned ott in a
:22:09. > :22:11.field he couldn't resist nibbling at the camera. We'd move and hd'd just
:22:12. > :22:21.follow us. He even played a cameo role in the trainer's interview He
:22:22. > :22:25.is beyond our dreams. But hd's also talented. The Giant Bolster has
:22:26. > :22:29.finished second and fourth hn the last two Gold Cups. And winning at
:22:30. > :22:37.Cheltenham in January, the stable feel he's a live Gold Cup contender
:22:38. > :22:43.once more. If we have a fludnt round, you need to get into a rhythm
:22:44. > :22:48.and if we can do that, I've got no reason to say we won't be in the
:22:49. > :22:52.first three. It has been the wettest winters
:22:53. > :22:56.since records began but somdone tipped wet and muddy. So, spare a
:22:57. > :22:59.thought for all those involved in Harry Topper. He's trained just a
:23:00. > :23:02.few miles from Cheltenham at Andoversford by Kim Bailey. But
:23:03. > :23:05.Harry Topper's best in the lud. And the recent warmer weather mdans
:23:06. > :23:17.they've scrapped plans to rtn in the Gold cup. He's simply not as good
:23:18. > :23:21.when the going faster. I don't want to see him tailed off last because
:23:22. > :23:25.he is not fast enough. I don't want to see that. 15 miles away `t
:23:26. > :23:29.Stow`on`the`wold Wyck Hill Farm and the Giant Bolster will be flying the
:23:30. > :23:32.flag for the small stables hn tomorrow's Gold Cup. He's one of
:23:33. > :23:35.only 30 horses in training. The Giant Bolster is top of the class
:23:36. > :23:37.here. And they hope tomorrow he ll aiming for top grades in thd Gold
:23:38. > :23:54.Cup itself. A bus stop in Worcestershird town ``
:23:55. > :23:57.a Worcestershire town has bdcome an unusual attraction as painthngs that
:23:58. > :24:07.which appeared at the weekend have caused quite a stir.
:24:08. > :24:13.At 4am, these prints appeardd. It is Sir Edward Elgar working, rdsting,
:24:14. > :24:25.watching and just hanging ott. Quite a sight on this bus route through
:24:26. > :24:31.Malvern. It felt like walking past a bank with accountants behind it
:24:32. > :24:41.They are amazing. It has added some excitement. Some say this one is
:24:42. > :24:46.similar to Banksy. The artist has since apologised for these works of
:24:47. > :24:51.art for not getting prior approval adding they do not condone `ny sort
:24:52. > :24:57.of public graffiti but they do not want to be interviewed. The pair are
:24:58. > :25:03.to 34`year`olds who are old school friends from Malvern. I don't think
:25:04. > :25:08.they can be classed as graffiti Over a hundred hours of work has
:25:09. > :25:10.gone into them and they havd been executed with skill and
:25:11. > :25:18.professionalism and we are delighted to see them. There was even praise
:25:19. > :25:23.from art galleries in the town. It can only bring the profile of the
:25:24. > :25:28.area up as an art that is `` destination. The police caught them
:25:29. > :25:34.in the act but did not take any action. We are told this is a gift
:25:35. > :25:45.to the town as you wait ages for one and then three come along at once.
:25:46. > :25:55.If you are out on the road last night you were probably crawling
:25:56. > :25:59.through the fog. How is it looking? There are fresh warnings in force
:26:00. > :26:06.for fog for the early hours. Visibility will drop down to about
:26:07. > :26:10.30 metres, which is quite unusual so that is something to take note of.
:26:11. > :26:15.Other than that, not much to be concerned about and certainly if you
:26:16. > :26:25.compare this march to last Larch which was the coldest on record
:26:26. > :26:38.More in the way of cloud around Breezy and that will rid us of much
:26:39. > :26:42.of the fog. Under the clear skies, we are seeing missed and Merck
:26:43. > :26:52.developed already which will thicken into fog. `` it will be misty and
:26:53. > :26:57.murky. Temperatures will go down to near freezing in some spots. Patchy
:26:58. > :27:05.frost as we head to some pl`ces towards tomorrow. Gradually through
:27:06. > :27:11.the day, under the sunshine, the fog will disburse quite quickly.
:27:12. > :27:17.However, the frontal systems will nudge down from the north`wdst with
:27:18. > :27:20.more in the way of cloud. Btt with a south`westerly wind, temper`tures
:27:21. > :27:25.will rise which will be gre`t for the Gold cup tomorrow so thdre will
:27:26. > :27:31.not be as much fog. The headlines: A former News of the
:27:32. > :27:36.World journalist claims it was Princess Diana who leaked a
:27:37. > :27:44.controversial royal phonebook. The first airport outside London to fly
:27:45. > :27:48.direct to China, Birmingham. Have a good evening.