:00:11. > :00:16.This is BBC World News Today with Belgium's agony as a school skiing
:00:16. > :00:18.trip in Switzerland ends in tragedy. In one of Europe's worst ever road
:00:18. > :00:28.accidents, 22 children and six adults are killed after their bus
:00:28. > :00:29.
:00:29. > :00:36.crashes in a tunnel as they head All the children have broken legs
:00:36. > :00:39.and arms. Our teacher and monitor, they are dead.
:00:39. > :00:42.Found guilty of raising an army of child soldiers and stealing their
:00:42. > :00:44.childhood - Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga, now faces a life
:00:44. > :00:54.behind bars. Also coming up in the programme:
:00:54. > :01:01.Celebrating the rock solid, special David Cameron gets a warm and
:01:01. > :01:06.lavish welcome from President Obama as Afghanistan dominates the agenda.
:01:06. > :01:10.We will not give up on this mission because Afghanistan must never
:01:10. > :01:13.again be a safe haven for Al-Qaeda to launch attacks against us.
:01:13. > :01:16.And scientists say medical research in Britain is under threat after
:01:16. > :01:26.ferry companies and airlines bow to pressure from animal rights groups
:01:26. > :01:36.
:01:36. > :01:41.and stop importing animals destined Hello. Belgium is in mourning after
:01:41. > :01:46.a coach crash in Switzerland left 28 people dead, 22 of them children.
:01:46. > :01:56.They had started the journey home from a skiing trip when their bus
:01:56. > :02:02.smashed into the wall of a tunnel at 9:15pm last night. It happened
:02:02. > :02:10.at Sierre. Most of the dead and injured were flown to hospitals and
:02:10. > :02:14.the families have an agonising wait to see if there children are alive
:02:14. > :02:24.or dead. A day of an emotional pull trauma
:02:24. > :02:27.for the families, I imagine. -- imaginable trauma.
:02:27. > :02:31.It is ours since this tragedy happened and instead of what should
:02:31. > :02:35.have been the end of a happy week with children returning home to
:02:35. > :02:40.tell their families about a wonderful skiing holiday, their
:02:40. > :02:45.parents are here at the spot where many of their children died, many
:02:45. > :02:55.of them injured. Eight has been a traumatic day for the families, for
:02:55. > :02:57.
:02:57. > :03:02.the rescue workers and this small They worked through the night
:03:02. > :03:07.freeing the survivors in cramped, traumatic conditions. Embedded in
:03:08. > :03:11.the tunnel wall, the coach, full of 11 and 12 year old children. Those
:03:11. > :03:19.who could have clambered from the wreckage but there were many still
:03:19. > :03:22.trapped. Over 200 emergency workers rushed to the scene. There were 12
:03:22. > :03:31.ambulances and eight helicopters that ferried the injured to
:03:31. > :03:39.hospital. When we saw the first patients coming out, it was the
:03:39. > :03:44.first horrific moment for last. You could imagine how it would look
:03:44. > :03:48.inside the tunnel. Be full horror was written in the wreckage they
:03:48. > :03:54.removed this morning. So violent the impact that the front third of
:03:54. > :03:59.the coach was torn apart. 28 people died, among them, 22 children and
:03:59. > :04:03.both drivers. This is the opposite side of the tunnel that we drove
:04:03. > :04:07.through today. The prosecutor has ruled out any suggestion that the
:04:07. > :04:15.driver was bleeding but the coach appears to have hit the right hand
:04:15. > :04:20.wall before colliding with a pilaf. It is unlikely driver fatigue Bobby
:04:20. > :04:30.to blame Mrs that school party were over an hour into their return
:04:30. > :04:39.
:04:39. > :04:46.journey. -- is to blame. An investigation is underway. The
:04:46. > :04:50.victims were from Flanders. Cards and flowers are being laid. When
:04:50. > :04:55.the school gates opened, parents were still learning of the accident
:04:55. > :05:01.and while a number have confirmation their children had
:05:01. > :05:06.survived, those had to assume the worst. We have children here at our
:05:06. > :05:13.school and eight children, we don't know what is happening with them.
:05:13. > :05:19.All of the children have broken legs and arms. Our teacher and
:05:19. > :05:23.monitor, they are dead. families flew to Switzerland aboard
:05:23. > :05:28.a specially chartered flight. The Belgian Prime Minister, who visited
:05:28. > :05:32.the scene this afternoon, spoke of a national tragedy. Switzerland has
:05:32. > :05:37.some of the strictest driving regulations in Europe and this is
:05:37. > :05:41.their worst coach accident in 30 years. Tonight, 24 people remain in
:05:41. > :05:47.hospital. Three of them young children, still in a coma. In
:05:47. > :05:54.Belgium, a small community is grieving and their more -- nation
:05:54. > :06:02.mourns with them. In this community here, Switzerland
:06:02. > :06:05.is grieving and in morning to. This part of the world, every parent
:06:05. > :06:12.knows you send your children off for a it school week every year.
:06:12. > :06:15.They go and come back on coaches. Today, 22 children didn't come back.
:06:15. > :06:20.All day long where I have been standing near the tunnel, families
:06:20. > :06:25.have been coming, laying flowers, paying their respects in this
:06:25. > :06:32.terrible tragedy. Have all the dead been identified?
:06:32. > :06:38.Do all the parents know the worst or are able to have some relief?
:06:39. > :06:43.The last we heard from the Swiss authorities is the process of
:06:43. > :06:47.identification is still going on. One policeman pointing out that
:06:47. > :06:55.your own kids don't always have their IED in their pockets. This
:06:55. > :07:01.may take some time. -- IED. Everybody hopes everything can be
:07:01. > :07:04.cleared up and they can get used as soon as possible. The last we heard
:07:04. > :07:10.was that the process of identification was still going on.
:07:10. > :07:14.Speed has been ruled out, hasn't it? This was at the start of the
:07:14. > :07:18.journey so it seems unlikely that driver fatigue would be the cause
:07:18. > :07:24.of this. The police have said publicly that
:07:24. > :07:32.they don't think speed was a factor. There were two drivers on that bus.
:07:32. > :07:39.Both were killed. The bus had just left the ski resort. They had
:07:39. > :07:44.rested all day. Those children had gone skiing yesterday. They set off
:07:44. > :07:49.in the early evening. The driver had been driving for about an hour
:07:49. > :07:54.so driver fatigue is not possible. The police are looking at whether
:07:54. > :08:00.the driver was taken suddenly ill. A heart attack or something or
:08:00. > :08:10.vehicle Aref. The coach is not far from where I am standing in a
:08:10. > :08:12.
:08:12. > :08:16.police hanger. It is being examined. Thank you very much.
:08:16. > :08:21.Some breaking news now. United States military officials in
:08:21. > :08:25.Afghanistan say an American soldier accused of killing 16 after gang
:08:25. > :08:35.civilians has been flown out of the country. Officials say the legal
:08:35. > :08:36.
:08:36. > :08:40.proceedings against him will be Other stories and staying in
:08:40. > :08:47.Afghanistan, a member of the Nato- led forces has been injured in an
:08:47. > :08:54.incident with a vehicle at an airbase in southern Afghanistan.
:08:54. > :08:57.The vehicle was driven on to the runway of Camp Bastion before it
:08:57. > :09:03.burst into flames. The driver has been arrested.
:09:03. > :09:09.Syrian troops are reported to have attacked the city of Deraa.
:09:09. > :09:16.Intensified assaults come a day before the anniversary of the
:09:16. > :09:22.uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
:09:22. > :09:27.A small Tsunami hit Japan's north- eastern coastline after a strong
:09:28. > :09:34.earthquake rocked the region. The quake struck off the island of
:09:34. > :09:44.Hokkaido. It happened a year on from one of the worst Tsunami as in
:09:44. > :09:52.which thousands died. Burma's media has made an election
:09:52. > :09:56.broadcast. Aung San Suu Kyi called for media freedom and independent
:09:56. > :10:00.judiciary. He started off as a Congolese Trade
:10:00. > :10:05.and tribal chiefs and went on to command an RB of constricted child
:10:05. > :10:09.soldiers in a bloody jungle war. Thomas Lange could spend the best
:10:09. > :10:13.of his days behind bars. The criminal court has found him guilty
:10:13. > :10:19.of forcing children as young as 11 to fight and commit atrocities. As
:10:19. > :10:24.well as being the ICC's first verdict, it is the first
:10:24. > :10:28.international trial focusing on the use of child soldiers.
:10:28. > :10:33.Thomas Lubanga was brought to court in the Hague this morning to
:10:33. > :10:38.receive the judgment. Six years after being transferred from...
:10:38. > :10:46.This was the first trial and the only one that so far that has been
:10:46. > :10:51.-- that has dealt with the issue of child soldiers. It is alleged that
:10:51. > :10:59.he had used children under the age of 15 during the conflict in need
:10:59. > :11:02.DRC a decade ago. The chamber has reached his decision unanimously.
:11:02. > :11:08.The chamber concludes that the prosecution has proved beyond
:11:08. > :11:12.reasonable doubt that Mr Thomas Lubanga is guilty of the crimes of
:11:12. > :11:18.conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 years into the
:11:18. > :11:28.F B L c and using them to participate actively in hostilities
:11:28. > :11:31.
:11:31. > :11:37.within the meaning of articles 82 p, Severn and 25. From early September
:11:37. > :11:41.2000 and so -- To 1002 to 13th August 2003.
:11:41. > :11:47.It has been widely established that tells orders were an integral part
:11:47. > :11:51.of the war. A conflict in which an estimated 4 million people died.
:11:51. > :11:55.The prosecution have wanted him convicted in order to send a strong
:11:55. > :12:01.message that there will be no impunity for those who recruit
:12:01. > :12:09.children to fight. Today's verdict sets a stage for Prevention of
:12:09. > :12:16.future crimes. It ensures full protection of children and for
:12:16. > :12:23.countries to take steps to demobilise and reintegrate. Thomas
:12:23. > :12:30.Lubanga will be sentenced later. It marks a coming of age for the ICC
:12:30. > :12:39.and there are high expectations of what it can achieve.
:12:39. > :12:44.With me is have a temper. How important is the verdict? -- Vava
:12:44. > :12:53.Tampa. This is a man who is responsible for thousands of crimes
:12:53. > :12:59.against humanity and using thousands of children as soldiers
:12:59. > :13:04.through a period of five years. Even this case didn't run smoothly
:13:04. > :13:09.despite the fact that he had been put into custody by the Congolese
:13:09. > :13:15.authorities while so many others are still at large. It is a small
:13:15. > :13:24.fish in a deep-sea. He was armed and trained by the Ugandans before
:13:24. > :13:30.he became trained by the Rwandan us. Despite he his -- despite the fact
:13:30. > :13:38.that he is brought to justice, we need to see his command and others
:13:38. > :13:43.brought to justice. Who is protecting those people now? The
:13:43. > :13:51.campaign has had huge coverage. Who else is at large and who is
:13:51. > :14:01.protecting them? There is one man who is shielded by the president of
:14:01. > :14:06.
:14:06. > :14:10.Rwanda. The second is a man who is incredibly relevant to this case
:14:10. > :14:15.because he helped Thomas Lubang Go and they were in charge of the same
:14:15. > :14:19.army that killed thousands of people. What is happening in terms
:14:19. > :14:24.of the rehabilitation of those children who had their child would
:14:24. > :14:28.rob from them? Those that have survived and committed or trust is,
:14:28. > :14:31.how successful has the programme been in bringing them back and
:14:31. > :14:37.rehabilitating them back into society? Unicef has done an amazing
:14:37. > :14:43.job in helping out. You need to recognise that this is an
:14:43. > :14:50.incredibly massive issue. It has a population of 60 million and half
:14:50. > :14:55.of those are under the age of 16. You have millions who are under 16
:14:55. > :15:04.and have no access to education. Why is this such an African problem
:15:04. > :15:10.because it all stems from poverty? Congolese is a specific case. We
:15:10. > :15:15.have had complete -- conflict since 1988. Over 5.4 million people have
:15:15. > :15:18.died and you have a situation where the national institution doesn't
:15:18. > :15:24.function. The President doesn't want to bring anyone to justice
:15:24. > :15:32.because all of the top officials appointed in the army since he
:15:32. > :15:38.became president for all wanted for Including the President of Sudan as
:15:38. > :15:43.well? Absolutely. The ICC was the only way we could get justice.
:15:43. > :15:46.Tampa, thank you. Kindred spirits and a rock-solid
:15:46. > :15:48.alliance - that's how the leaders of the United States and Britain
:15:48. > :15:51.described the relationship between their two countries today. The
:15:51. > :15:53.sentiments were matched by the lavishness of the ceremony as
:15:53. > :15:57.President Obama welcomed David Cameron to the White House with a
:15:57. > :16:00.marching band and a 19-gun salute. But the serious part of the visit
:16:00. > :16:05.came when the men sat down to talks, with recent events in Afghanistan
:16:06. > :16:13.at the top of the agenda. Let's talk to the BBC's Katty Kay,
:16:13. > :16:18.who's in Washington. Looking extremely glamorous, are you
:16:18. > :16:22.dressed up for tonight's gala dinner? No, Tim, I put this on just
:16:22. > :16:26.for you. But I have just come from a state lunch hosted by the Vice-
:16:26. > :16:30.President for the Prime Minister and Samantha Cameron. There's a
:16:30. > :16:33.state dinner this evening, a big black tie affair, with some 400
:16:33. > :16:38.people at the White House. The President himself will be hosting.
:16:38. > :16:42.I've been lucky enough to get an invite to that. It is a day of
:16:42. > :16:45.festivities. My understanding from talks with the White House is this
:16:45. > :16:49.is their opportunity to reciprocate for the visit that the Obamas had
:16:49. > :16:53.on their state visit last year, when they were received by the
:16:53. > :16:58.Queen, as well as by the British Government. They wanted to pay back
:16:58. > :17:02.in kind, so they'velogical gone all out during the course of David
:17:02. > :17:07.Cameron's visit here to Washington. It was interesting watching the
:17:07. > :17:10.press conference today in the rose garden. In terms of substantive
:17:10. > :17:16.issues and any new developments, for example on Afghanistan, there
:17:16. > :17:22.was very little. There isn't very much news made. Part of this visit
:17:22. > :17:27.is the Pomp and Circumstance and the pay-back for the visit the
:17:27. > :17:32.Obamas had in London. I sat next to a White House official and he said
:17:32. > :17:37.America want to reassure Britain that they really do appreciate
:17:37. > :17:39.Britain's leadership on a number of issues: Afghanistan, Libya, Syria,
:17:40. > :17:44.that the White House cares about. So this is a relationship where
:17:44. > :17:48.there is not a huge amount of difference and not a huge amount of
:17:48. > :17:51.news being made during this trip. Perhaps some shifting on the
:17:51. > :17:56.timetable of bringing troops out of Afghanistan. But it is President
:17:56. > :17:59.Obama's chance to say that the relationship is strong and not only
:17:59. > :18:04.do we understand that the relationship is special and
:18:04. > :18:08.sometimes White House officials will roll their eye as bit at that,
:18:08. > :18:11.at British sensitivities over that, but on a range of issues they do
:18:11. > :18:16.appreciate the Prime Minister's leadership. President Obama in
:18:16. > :18:20.particular spoke quite often didn't he about the G20 in Chicago in May
:18:20. > :18:25.as if that was the time when we were going to hear much more detail
:18:25. > :18:29.about things. On this issue of austerity, I have had White House
:18:29. > :18:33.officials say to me in the past, talking about Britain's economic
:18:33. > :18:37.plan, how is that austerity things working out for you over there? And
:18:37. > :18:41.suggesting that the White House feels that under President Obama
:18:41. > :18:44.America has taken a much better path, not cutting too rapidly, and
:18:44. > :18:48.they do see a difference between themselves and the economic
:18:48. > :18:51.policies of Great Britain. But I think this is not the occasion when
:18:51. > :18:54.you are going to hear differences. Clearly this is the occasion when
:18:54. > :18:57.they are going to be stressing similarities. Will it be
:18:57. > :19:05.interesting to see whether in Chicago we have much more substance
:19:05. > :19:08.on the specifics of austerity. for the dinner tonight Richard
:19:09. > :19:14.Branson, you, Downton Abbey... That's all the Americans are
:19:14. > :19:19.turning up for. At one point at lunch today Lord Grantham was there
:19:19. > :19:24.and the Americans were flocking to see him. For more interested in
:19:24. > :19:28.meeting him than in meeting the British Prime Minister.
:19:28. > :19:30.Bonneville goes from strength to strength. Have fun.
:19:30. > :19:33.Some leading scientists are warning that medical research is under
:19:33. > :19:36.threat as pressure from campaigners reduces the number of animals being
:19:36. > :19:38.brought into the UK for testing. It's emerged that all ferry
:19:38. > :19:41.companies and all but two airlines have stopped importing animals
:19:41. > :19:46.destined for laboratories where researchers are testing new drugs
:19:46. > :19:50.or medical techniques. Our science editor, David Shukman, reports. Up
:19:50. > :19:53.and down the country animals are used to research new drugs and
:19:53. > :19:58.treatments everything from cancer to Parkinson's. Most animals are
:19:58. > :20:00.bred here but some are imported because they have particular
:20:00. > :20:05.genetic traits. But campaigners have targeted the airlines that
:20:05. > :20:10.bring them in. And most have caved in to pressure. Scientists are
:20:10. > :20:16.worried they are not getting the animals they need. This is vital
:20:16. > :20:22.research for the UK population, and actually for the world population,
:20:22. > :20:25.so it is important that we solve this issue to convince the
:20:25. > :20:30.transport companies that it is a good thing to transport animals for
:20:30. > :20:33.research. The latest figures show that more than 3 million animals
:20:33. > :20:39.are used in scientific research every year. Of those just over
:20:39. > :20:44.26,000 came from outside the UK. But campaigners say that's cruel
:20:44. > :20:48.and should stop. We have asked our supporters to say peacefully and
:20:48. > :20:52.politely to the transport companies that they would prefer to travel
:20:52. > :20:56.with airlines and with shipping companies that do not cause
:20:56. > :21:00.suffering to animals. One by one the ferry companies have also
:21:00. > :21:05.refused to carry animals for research. So the Government is now
:21:05. > :21:10.trying to get these imports restarted. What I'm proposing is a
:21:10. > :21:13.code of practice on the quality and standards for the transport ation
:21:13. > :21:16.of animals, so everybody can be confident that once again we've got
:21:16. > :21:22.the best standards in the world. And then try to get the transport
:21:22. > :21:25.companies as a whole to agree that they will all of them be willing to
:21:25. > :21:27.transport animals under those controlled conditions, so it is not
:21:27. > :21:31.a matter of individual companies being singled out. Britain is a
:21:31. > :21:34.major centre for this kind of work, but research on animals has long
:21:34. > :21:39.been a highly sensitive issue. It's a test of will and of public
:21:39. > :21:42.opinion. Alistair Currie is a spokesperson
:21:42. > :21:44.for PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - and
:21:44. > :21:54.Professor Robin Lovell-Badge is a geneticist at the National
:21:54. > :21:55.
:21:55. > :21:59.Institute for Medical Research. Jeopardising essential medical
:21:59. > :22:04.research which may lead to real help for people with Alzheimer's
:22:04. > :22:08.and other serious illnesses? don't see it that way. We think we
:22:08. > :22:12.are better off as scientist looking away from using animals. Animal
:22:12. > :22:16.research isn't delivering. 90% of drugs that pass animal trials fail
:22:16. > :22:20.when they come into trials with human beings. That's a massive
:22:21. > :22:24.failure rate. Over the last decade or so we've seen animal experiments
:22:24. > :22:29.going up but productivity going down in terms of new drugs.
:22:29. > :22:33.this is highly regulated isn't it? In terms of animal husbandry and
:22:33. > :22:37.vets on site, these animals are really being cared for as well as
:22:37. > :22:44.think possibly can? Well, I don't think the issue of being cared for
:22:44. > :22:51.makes a difference if you are talking about a mouse being
:22:51. > :22:56.genetically engineered for research into concerns or a mime ate from
:22:56. > :23:01.Vietnam which is given treatment which may give it seizures. Most
:23:01. > :23:06.mice are kept in shoe boxes effectively within this country.
:23:06. > :23:09.There is animal suffering throughout the whole chain. Robin
:23:09. > :23:13.Lovell-Badge, couldn't computer modelling do this without the, I
:23:13. > :23:18.presume you accept there is suffering for the animals?
:23:18. > :23:24.Basically no, it can't. Living beings are very complicated and
:23:24. > :23:28.sophisticated things. There are attempts to model aspects of how a
:23:28. > :23:32.particular organ works or a particular tissue developments and
:23:32. > :23:35.functions but these models are naive and they don't work well
:23:35. > :23:40.enough when you are trying to understand how the whole organism
:23:40. > :23:43.works, the physiology of an animal. What do you say to the argument
:23:43. > :23:46.that it is cheaper to use mice, that they are easily bought and
:23:46. > :23:51.they can be discarded quickly rather than developing computer
:23:51. > :23:56.programmes perhaps which would be more sophisticated. Animal research
:23:56. > :24:00.is very expensive. I would disagreement we don't do animal
:24:00. > :24:03.research lightly. It is carefully reviewed, judged by ethical review
:24:04. > :24:09.processes, and the Home Office. We don't do it unless it is necessary.
:24:09. > :24:12.What about the point of suffering though, which PETA would say that
:24:12. > :24:17.animals are suffering as a result of this. Did you accept there is
:24:17. > :24:22.sumping felt by animals? certain types of experiment yes,
:24:22. > :24:30.but it is a question of balance, so if the research is particularly
:24:30. > :24:34.critical, we will accept some level of suffering. But against we try to
:24:35. > :24:42.keep it to a minimum always. Alistair Currie m people would say
:24:42. > :24:44.that you are a minority tolding these views and by your slightly
:24:44. > :24:49.intimidating campaigns against these travel companies you are
:24:49. > :24:53.holding up what the majority want to continue? I don't think the
:24:53. > :24:59.evidence really supports that. is the evidence? Polls tend to come
:24:59. > :25:03.and go on this, but the most recent definitive poll said about 33% of
:25:03. > :25:07.people did not support animal experimentation. That's substantial
:25:07. > :25:10.minority. But it's a minority. Rather more than voted for the
:25:10. > :25:16.Conservative Party in the last election for instance. These are
:25:16. > :25:19.people whose voices should be recognised. People feel an
:25:19. > :25:24.instinctive disquiet and revulsion towards animal experiments. The
:25:24. > :25:27.support of those people who do offer support is based on the asuch
:25:27. > :25:31.thags the animals are well looked after and there is no alternative.
:25:31. > :25:36.Neither of those things is true. Come back on those points professor.
:25:36. > :25:40.First of all I disagree about the survey. It depends how you ask the
:25:40. > :25:44.questions. If you ask is it acceptable to use animals in
:25:44. > :25:49.research for important medical reasons? The vast majority will say
:25:49. > :25:55.yes. OK. The animals are looked after extremely well. They are
:25:55. > :25:59.looked after well in animal facilities the UK which are very
:25:59. > :26:03.tightly regulated. Transport which is the issue which came up today,
:26:03. > :26:08.again animals transported to the UK are looked after very carefully.
:26:08. > :26:12.The transport companies are regulated. And, the reason why
:26:12. > :26:16.animals are brought into this country and also exported from this
:26:16. > :26:20.country, it is not just a one-way traffic, is because these are the
:26:20. > :26:24.best animal models for studying human conditions that people want
:26:24. > :26:33.to acquire. And so if you stop that transport you stop the best animal
:26:33. > :26:35.models being used. I'm afraid we are out of time. But Professor
:26:35. > :26:38.Robin Lovell-Badge and Alistair Currie, thank you.
:26:38. > :26:41.A reminder of our main news: Swiss police say a bus loaded with school
:26:41. > :26:44.children that crashed on Tuesday night, killing 28 people, slammed
:26:44. > :26:48.into a tunnel wall head-on. The bus was taking the children home to
:26:48. > :26:52.Belgium after a skiing holiday. 22 children and six adults were killed.
:26:52. > :27:02.That is our sad main headline today. From me Tim Willcox and the team in
:27:02. > :27:03.
:27:03. > :27:07.Hello there. We did eventually see sunshine across the country.
:27:07. > :27:10.Tomorrow, a slight change in that we are steadily losing our area of
:27:10. > :27:16.high pressure, allowing weather front into the north and the west.
:27:16. > :27:19.With a bit more of a breeze I think we will see more sunshine fro early
:27:19. > :27:23.on in the day. As a result some higher temperatures. It will feel
:27:23. > :27:27.warm. The exception is towards the north and west, where we still have
:27:27. > :27:30.thicker cloud, some patchy rain in western Scotland and parts of
:27:30. > :27:34.Northern Ireland. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon we've got sunshine
:27:34. > :27:37.through north-east England. Temperatures at around 13-14
:27:37. > :27:42.degrees. This breeze from the South West, that's helping to lift the
:27:42. > :27:46.temperatures to the South East. We could see a 17 or 18 somewhere.
:27:46. > :27:51.Feeling spring-like. But always thicker cloud across the west of
:27:51. > :27:54.the country. Temperatures here more like 10 or 11. It should be dry
:27:54. > :28:00.throughout the day. Wales seeing the best of the breaks
:28:00. > :28:03.in the east, but for west Wales it is a cloudy and cool afternoon.
:28:04. > :28:07.Northern Ireland starting to see patchy light rain and drizzle in
:28:07. > :28:10.the afternoon. Heaviest in the north-west corner. Wetter weather
:28:10. > :28:13.moving into western Scotland. But for eastern Scotland Thursday