Detecting language using up to the first 30 seconds. Use `--language` to specify the language Detected language: English [00:00.000 --> 00:04.720] in the breeze. And the breeze gets stronger through Monday night into Tuesday. A significant [00:04.720 --> 00:08.560] strengthening of the wind linked into this deepening area of low pressure. Another stormy [00:08.560 --> 00:12.360] low. We've seen some over the past few weeks. Another one to come through Monday night into [00:12.360 --> 00:16.680] Tuesday. Prompting the Met Office to issue an early warning of strong winds across the [00:16.680 --> 00:21.400] UK. 50 to 70 miles an hour gusts possible quite widely across the country, even more [00:21.400 --> 00:25.400] than that around the coast and the hills. We will see heavy rain as well to begin the [00:25.400 --> 00:30.120] day. Easing to the southeast for the afternoon. Snow then packing into northwest Scotland, [00:30.120 --> 00:33.600] but there will be the risk of some minor flooding from that rain. Temperatures lifting a little [00:33.600 --> 00:38.320] bit. Temperatures will lift further on Wednesday after a chilly start. Dryest, brightest for [00:38.320 --> 00:42.320] longest to the south and the east, but more cloud and rain and hill snow for Scotland [00:42.320 --> 00:46.960] starting to push in from the northwest later. Temperatures around 7 to 10 Celsius. So topsy [00:46.960 --> 00:58.160] turvy week of weather. Your five day forecasts are online and there's more later on the [00:58.160 --> 00:59.160] news channel. [00:59.160 --> 01:23.600] The United Nations World Food Programme say 10 million others in this corner of Africa [01:23.600 --> 01:25.960] are going to need their help in the next few months. [01:25.960 --> 01:30.640] This is the image of London that has flashed around the world. It was a day which changed [01:30.640 --> 01:36.320] America and the world. One fighter told me that Mohammed Gaddafi said to him, what did [01:36.320 --> 01:41.440] I do to you? He said he took the decision for the good of the country. Are we better [01:41.440 --> 01:49.200] off outside the hero? You bet we are. Extraordinary events, unparalleled coverage. In 2012, stay [01:49.200 --> 01:52.200] with BBC News. [01:52.200 --> 02:15.160] Hello. How are you? Can you just give me one minute? Yes, I know. No, we're fine. You're [02:15.160 --> 02:28.200] busy. That's why renewing your TV license is easy. Visit tvlicensing.co.uk. [03:15.160 --> 03:28.040] The final countdown begins for London 2012, but there's a new warning about betting syndicates. [03:28.040 --> 03:32.960] Celebrations as the Olympic year gets underway, but the government says it's concerned about [03:32.960 --> 03:35.400] those who want to spoil the party. [03:35.400 --> 03:39.240] I'm very worried about it and it's not just me. The president of the International Olympic [03:39.240 --> 03:44.380] Committee thinks that this is the biggest threat facing sport this year. [03:44.380 --> 03:49.040] So tonight, grim tidings. Europe's leaders warn 2012 will be even more difficult than [03:49.040 --> 03:55.760] last year, but insist the Eurozone will emerge from the economic crisis. Plans to make subletting [03:55.760 --> 04:01.440] council houses a criminal offence. Tenants who rent out their homes could face jail. [04:01.440 --> 04:10.600] The Duke of Edinburgh walks to church to join the other royals for a New Year's Day service. [04:10.600 --> 04:29.840] And Sunderland snatch it with a last-dast goal against league leaders Manchester City. [04:29.840 --> 04:34.040] Good evening. Events have taken place today to mark the start of the Olympic year. The [04:34.040 --> 04:39.000] chairman of London 2012, Lord Coe, said the games would show that Britain was open for [04:39.000 --> 04:44.520] business. But the dangers ahead were highlighted by the Olympics minister. He warned that betting [04:44.520 --> 04:49.280] syndicates are aiming to fix the outcome of competitions. Our sports correspondent James [04:49.280 --> 04:54.520] Pearce is in London's Trafalgar Square now. James. [04:54.520 --> 04:59.200] Good evening. This countdown clock seems to hold special significance this evening. 208 [04:59.200 --> 05:04.780] days to go, but one wait is over. Here we are now in 2012. Today there have been special [05:04.780 --> 05:10.600] celebrations in this part of London, Olympic-themed with the Lord Mayor's New Year Parade. I should [05:10.600 --> 05:16.120] warn you that this report contains some flash photography. [05:16.120 --> 05:22.040] The dawn of a new year over London's Olympic Stadium. 2012, the year for which all of this [05:22.040 --> 05:29.700] has been built. In the centre of the city, the annual New Year's Parade with an Olympic [05:29.700 --> 05:36.440] theme as the build-up to the Games intensifies. Economically, the coming months carry uncertainty, [05:36.440 --> 05:42.960] but the message from London 2012 is that the party spirit mustn't be dampened. [05:42.960 --> 05:48.400] This is a country that is open for business and we need to use every opportunity we can [05:48.400 --> 05:56.200] off the back of the Games to showcase the fantastic creativity, our fantastic businesses, [05:56.200 --> 06:03.520] our artistic endeavour, our sporting endeavour and most crucially, what we are as a nation. [06:03.520 --> 06:08.680] But many challenges still remain. In November, three Pakistani cricketers were jailed for [06:08.680 --> 06:13.840] their involvement in a betting plot. Today, the Sports Minister warned about the risk [06:13.840 --> 06:18.640] of a similar scandal at the Olympics. It absolutely is a possibility and the real [06:18.640 --> 06:23.760] danger lies in spot-fixing. Just consider how easy it is to bet on something like the [06:23.760 --> 06:28.960] first short corner in a hockey game. Any team sport you can bet on an individual action [06:28.960 --> 06:32.980] or occurrence. So you look at the number of team sports that there are in the Olympics [06:32.980 --> 06:38.100] and the threat, the real threat, becomes very obvious. [06:38.100 --> 06:43.040] This being London, one of the other great unpredictables is the weather. Those taking [06:43.040 --> 06:49.960] part in today's parade got soaked. Not that that deterred one Olympic champion who's hoping [06:49.960 --> 06:55.120] that by August he'll have another medal to hold alongside his gold from Beijing. [06:55.120 --> 06:59.640] I think what's most exciting about 2012 is not the fact that we can necessarily go and [06:59.640 --> 07:04.680] win gold medals but the amount of enthusiasm that the country has for the Olympics. We've [07:04.680 --> 07:09.080] been competing for this Olympics for years but it's really exciting to see the country [07:09.080 --> 07:13.840] sort of almost wake up and have that moment of revelation, the fact that 2012 is the Olympic [07:13.840 --> 07:17.440] year and we as a country are going to celebrate it and come away with some fantastic gold [07:17.440 --> 07:18.980] medals to boot. [07:18.980 --> 07:28.560] The venues are almost ready. The year is here. The London Olympics suddenly feel very close. [07:28.560 --> 07:32.480] The organisers will hope that when that countdown clock gets to zero the weather is going to [07:32.480 --> 07:37.360] be very different than it has been today. We've had torrential rain throughout the afternoon [07:37.360 --> 07:41.040] but the organisers have done a good job so far getting us to where we are at the start [07:41.040 --> 07:45.560] of 2012 with all those venues pretty much ready for action but as the sports minister [07:45.560 --> 07:50.080] has highlighted there are still some very big issues to be faced before the Games can [07:50.080 --> 07:51.080] begin. [07:51.080 --> 07:54.160] James, thank you very much. [07:54.160 --> 07:58.840] Eurozone leaders have given a gloomy assessment of the year ahead, exactly ten years after [07:58.840 --> 08:04.560] euro coins and banknotes first went into circulation. The French president Nicolas Sarkozy warned [08:04.560 --> 08:09.340] that the worst economic crisis since the Second World War would continue to hurt households [08:09.340 --> 08:14.680] in 2012 while Angela Merkel said that for millions of Germans this year would be more [08:14.680 --> 08:16.080] difficult than last. [08:16.080 --> 08:18.920] Stephen Evans reports from Berlin. [08:18.920 --> 08:25.760] Nobody's crying for 2011, the year of riots in Greece as belts got tighter and tighter [08:25.760 --> 08:31.680] and friends fell out as euro tensions got tougher and tougher and leaders got shunted [08:31.680 --> 08:37.720] out as voters got less and less patient. [08:37.720 --> 08:46.080] So welcome 2012 with fireworks over the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the annual message to her [08:46.080 --> 08:55.480] people from Chancellor Merkel. She did not promise a happy new year. [08:55.480 --> 09:00.440] Europe is growing together in the crisis. The path to overcoming this remains long and [09:00.440 --> 09:05.480] won't be free from setbacks. But at the end of it, Europe will emerge stronger from the [09:05.480 --> 09:11.320] crisis than it went into it. [09:11.320 --> 09:17.880] And in Paris, the fireworks were subdued but a new year's glow shone over the Eiffel Tower, [09:17.880 --> 09:25.600] a glow in the gloom of the message from the president. [09:25.600 --> 09:30.000] We have to be courageous and we have to be lucid. What's happening in the world announces [09:30.000 --> 09:36.360] that 2012 will be a year full of risks but also full of possibilities, full of hope if [09:36.360 --> 09:42.080] we know how to face the challenges, full of dangers if we stand still. [09:42.080 --> 09:48.160] There is a new year ritual in Germany. Everybody watches a remake of an old British comedy [09:48.160 --> 09:53.840] about a Duchess and her butler. This year there was a twist, a spoof with Chancellor [09:53.840 --> 10:05.240] Merkel and President Sarkozy. [10:05.240 --> 10:10.640] In real life, they are now linked together to save the euro. They meet again in a few [10:10.640 --> 10:17.440] days' time to try to agree on greater integration of eurozone policies. [10:17.440 --> 10:22.320] Even here in Germany, Europe's strongest economy, the forecasts are for growth not [10:22.320 --> 10:28.840] much more than zero. Throughout the rest of Europe, it may well be recession. 2012 does [10:28.840 --> 10:33.280] not promise to be better than 2011. [10:33.280 --> 10:39.320] Germans take to the icy water in another new year ritual. Their government is not promising [10:39.320 --> 10:47.280] any warm-up of the economy, quite the contrary. And that's bad news for every economy in Europe. [10:47.280 --> 10:51.760] Stephen Evans, BBC News, Berlin. [10:51.760 --> 10:56.720] A soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan was named today as Private John King from [10:56.720 --> 11:01.360] First Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment. Private King, who was 19 and from Darlington, was [11:01.360 --> 11:08.680] killed in a blast in the Naeysaraj district of Helmand province on Friday. [11:08.680 --> 11:12.800] Council tenants who sublet their homes for money will face prosecution and could be jailed [11:12.800 --> 11:17.200] under new government plans for England and Wales. Higher earners may also be forced to [11:17.200 --> 11:22.960] pay the market rate for living in their council property in proposals outlined today. [11:22.960 --> 11:26.960] Political correspondent Vicky Young reports. [11:26.960 --> 11:31.400] They're pocketing money at the taxpayers' expense. That's what ministers think of council [11:31.400 --> 11:38.440] tenants who sublet their property. Around 160,000 tenants move out and take up to £1,000 [11:38.440 --> 11:44.240] a week in rent from someone else. The government says it's a form of fraud to profit from accommodation [11:44.240 --> 11:50.800] that's no longer needed, and they're promising to change the law to make it a criminal offence. [11:50.800 --> 11:55.800] It's not fair, it's not right. Hard-working taxpayers pay billions of pounds to build [11:55.800 --> 11:59.640] social housing. It should go to the people who really need it, not people who are committing [11:59.640 --> 12:01.760] that kind of fraud and abuse. [12:01.760 --> 12:06.440] Many local authorities already tell their tenants not to sublet, but often the worst [12:06.440 --> 12:11.800] penalty they face is losing the property. In future, they could go to jail. [12:11.800 --> 12:16.120] Around eight million people in England and Wales live in a home owned either by the council [12:16.120 --> 12:21.440] or a housing association, but there's a lengthy waiting list too, with almost two million [12:21.440 --> 12:27.160] families hoping to be housed. Ministers believe that making subletting illegal is one way [12:27.160 --> 12:31.880] to try and provide council homes for those who really need them. [12:31.880 --> 12:37.580] The government is also considering allowing councils to raise rents for high-earning tenants. [12:37.580 --> 12:43.360] Those with an income over £100,000 may have to pay more, although only 6,000 people are [12:43.360 --> 12:46.060] likely to be affected. [12:46.060 --> 12:51.000] But Labour say these measures won't do anything to tackle a far deeper problem. [12:51.000 --> 12:56.540] The reality is the housing crisis is only going to be solved by building new affordable [12:56.540 --> 13:01.240] houses and Grant Shapps as housing minister should stop re-announcing things that aren't [13:01.240 --> 13:06.000] going to make an immediate big difference and get on with building new houses. [13:06.000 --> 13:10.240] The government will consult on its proposals soon, but the housing charity Shelter has [13:10.240 --> 13:15.520] called for bigger and bolder solutions, not more tweaks to social housing policy. [13:15.520 --> 13:18.200] Vicky Young, BBC News. [13:18.200 --> 13:22.760] The Archbishop of Canterbury has said in his New Year message that society is letting down [13:22.760 --> 13:28.520] young people. Dr Rowan Williams says the suspicion and negativity shown towards young people [13:28.520 --> 13:34.280] is driving them into unhappiness and anxiety. He said last August's riots in England were [13:34.280 --> 13:38.640] part of a much bigger and more serious problem. [13:38.640 --> 13:43.440] Iran has test-fired a new medium-range missile during naval exercises close to the Strait [13:43.440 --> 13:48.200] of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest shipping routes for transporting oil. The announcement [13:48.200 --> 13:53.320] of the test firing was followed shortly afterwards by Tehran saying it has successfully tested [13:53.320 --> 13:59.040] a nuclear fuel rod made from uranium enriched from within Iran for the first time. [13:59.040 --> 14:02.840] Nick Childs reports. [14:02.840 --> 14:07.840] Iran's naval forces show off their firepower, manoeuvres at sea that look like a riposte [14:07.840 --> 14:12.920] to Western diplomatic manoeuvres to tighten sanctions on Iran over its suspected nuclear [14:12.920 --> 14:15.840] ambitions. [14:15.840 --> 14:20.720] This naval commander says Iran is able to defend all its coastline and hit any target [14:20.720 --> 14:26.480] at any time it chooses. In the midst of 10 days of exercises, it warned last week that [14:26.480 --> 14:31.040] it would shut the Strait of Hormuz if its own oil exports were squeezed. It may have [14:31.040 --> 14:35.440] backed off those comments later, but it's all a reminder of the fears for the oil market, [14:35.440 --> 14:39.200] fragile Western economies and stability in the Gulf. [14:39.200 --> 14:43.520] Iran straddles the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the mouth of the Gulf. The waterway's strategic [14:43.520 --> 14:48.640] significance stems from the fact that it carries more than a third of all oil shipped by sea. [14:48.640 --> 14:53.600] That's one reason the US Navy has the headquarters for its fifth fleet in the Gulf in Bahrain. [14:53.600 --> 14:57.080] Britain stations a small force of naval mine hunters there too. [14:57.080 --> 15:02.560] The decision to test a missile is simply to engage in some sort of brinksmanship to show [15:02.560 --> 15:07.320] that in the event of any attack they would have retaliatory capabilities, but it's also [15:07.320 --> 15:12.040] a gesture, a way of upping the pressure to make audiences in the West feel they should [15:12.040 --> 15:15.360] stay back. [15:15.360 --> 15:19.640] Iranian television also today proclaimed a new milestone in its nuclear developments, [15:19.640 --> 15:24.500] the production of its first fuel rod with domestically produced uranium. The images were [15:24.500 --> 15:29.540] meant to reinforce its position that its nuclear plans are purely peaceful. It's also hinted [15:29.540 --> 15:34.600] it might be ready to resume negotiations on its nuclear programme. But President Obama [15:34.600 --> 15:40.080] has just signed a bill that could tighten US sanctions on Iran, even as the West ponders [15:40.080 --> 15:43.220] this mixture of new messages from Tehran. [15:43.220 --> 15:45.740] Nick Childs, BBC News. [15:45.740 --> 15:48.960] The Duke of Edinburgh has joined the rest of the royal family for the New Year's Day [15:48.960 --> 15:53.200] service at Sandringham. Prince Philip was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as he [15:53.200 --> 15:57.640] walked to church just a few days after he was released from hospital following surgery [15:57.640 --> 15:59.440] for a blocked artery. [15:59.440 --> 16:02.120] Mark Worthington reports. [16:02.120 --> 16:06.240] After more than a week's rest, the Duke of Edinburgh's New Year message was that he's [16:06.240 --> 16:12.580] now firmly back on his feet. Striding as usual at the head of the royal party, he made the [16:12.580 --> 16:19.800] short walk to the morning Sandringham church service to the sound of spontaneous applause. [16:19.800 --> 16:24.720] The hundreds of well-wishers who lined the route, far more than normal, and all visibly [16:24.720 --> 16:30.000] pleased that just a few days after leaving Papworth Hospital, Prince Philip appeared [16:30.000 --> 16:31.760] to be in good health. [16:31.760 --> 16:36.000] As he came up, people were clapping and genuinely pleased and were all excited saying he's here, [16:36.000 --> 16:38.600] he's here. So, yeah, I think everyone was really pleased to see him. [16:38.600 --> 16:43.700] I'd like to think I looked as good when I'm 91. But, yeah, he looked good, yeah. [16:43.700 --> 16:47.660] A very well-looking Prince Philip, yes. He looked really well and it was nice to see [16:47.660 --> 16:50.660] him out walking. [16:50.660 --> 16:55.640] After the service, the Duke of Edinburgh emerged from the church to be greeted once more by [16:55.640 --> 17:05.320] applause. It was a show of support he clearly appreciated. [17:05.320 --> 17:10.320] The Queen may have made the journey to and from church by car, but by arriving and leaving [17:10.320 --> 17:15.360] under his own steam, Prince Philip was sending a clear message that his Christmas health [17:15.360 --> 17:19.040] scare is behind him. [17:19.040 --> 17:25.400] And the whole royal family can now look ahead to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Year. [17:25.400 --> 17:28.920] Mark Worthington, BBC News, Sandringham. [17:28.920 --> 17:33.320] On to football. Manchester City still lead the Premier League, but only on goal difference [17:33.320 --> 17:39.120] after suffering a shock defeat against Sunderland. Joe Wilson, watch the action. [17:39.120 --> 17:44.040] For Mancini's Man City, 2012 promises the Premier League title. It's simple enough to [17:44.040 --> 17:48.560] do. Manchester United's defeat to Blackburn was a reminder of the dangers that lurked [17:48.560 --> 17:52.680] throughout the league. And here, rejuvenated Sunderland should have opened the scoring [17:52.680 --> 17:56.600] after two minutes. Nicholas Bentner, the squanderer. [17:56.600 --> 18:01.600] City rested their star forwards, well, some of them. There was still Edin Dzeko, thwarted [18:01.600 --> 18:08.320] by Sunderland's keeper, the masked Minule, with a recently fractured nose and eye socket. [18:08.320 --> 18:14.440] A stalemate, Mancini added sparkle from the substitutes, Aguero and Silva both on, no change. [18:14.440 --> 18:19.760] City dominated possession, but time and time again, Sunderland kept them out with organisation, [18:19.760 --> 18:25.280] bravery and a bit of good luck. A goalless draw seemed well earned until the third minute [18:25.280 --> 18:32.760] of injury time, and a young South Korean called Ji Dong-won. Possibly offside, no one cared [18:32.760 --> 18:39.480] for Sunderland. Teams managed by Martin O'Neill never give up, as Man City have just discovered. [18:39.480 --> 18:44.440] Joe Wilson, BBC News. Everton climbed into the top half of the Premier [18:44.440 --> 18:49.480] League table after a 1-0 win at West Brom. With just three minutes of the game left to [18:49.480 --> 18:55.040] substitute Victor Anchaby, playing his first game since August because of injury, pounced [18:55.040 --> 19:01.800] on some poor defensive work to score from close range. In Rugby's Aviva premiership, [19:01.800 --> 19:07.920] struggling Bath beat London Irish by 33 points to 3. The pick of the tries for the home side [19:07.920 --> 19:13.000] came in the 58th minute when they ran the ball from inside their own 22. With the South [19:13.000 --> 19:21.400] Africa scrum half Michael Klaasens, who finished off the move by going over in the corner. [19:21.400 --> 19:25.000] As we've heard, today marks the start of a big year for Britain, and it began with a [19:25.000 --> 19:30.760] spectacular fireworks display in London, the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games. The [19:30.760 --> 19:36.520] display featured 12,000 fireworks producing some 50,000 projectiles and lasted nearly [19:36.520 --> 19:44.160] quarter of an hour. Louisa Baldini takes another look. [19:44.160 --> 19:49.600] Big Ben chimed in the new year in London, leading a magnificent fireworks display for [19:49.600 --> 19:59.280] which thousands have gathered along the banks of the Thames. The fireworks at Edinburgh [19:59.280 --> 20:08.320] Castle saw the longest ever midnight display put on for the Hogmanay celebrations. [20:08.320 --> 20:13.520] Across the pond in New York, Lady Gaga was at the centre of proceedings in Times Square [20:13.520 --> 20:26.040] with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The celebration in Moscow was more muted, but Red Square lit [20:26.040 --> 20:32.400] up by fireworks was a breathtaking spectacle as ever. It was cold there, but in Brazil [20:32.400 --> 20:36.880] it was wet, though the heavy rains didn't put off two million people from seeing in [20:36.880 --> 20:46.400] the new year on Copacabana Beach in Rio. Back in London it was wet too, but that didn't [20:46.400 --> 20:51.840] dampen the celebrations which were welcoming in not just another new year, but the Olympic [20:51.840 --> 20:58.840] year with a bang. Louisa Baldini, BBC News. [20:58.840 --> 21:03.480] Happy New Year to you. I'll be back with more from the newsroom at 10 past 10. Now on BBC [21:03.480 --> 21:14.240] One it's time to join our news teams where you are. [21:14.240 --> 21:17.680] Hello good evening you're watching BBC News with me Anita McVey and let's get a little [21:17.680 --> 21:24.560] more now on the Olympic Games. We're just 208 days away now from the opening ceremony [21:24.560 --> 21:28.440] and our sports news correspondent James Pearce has been in Trafalgar Square where the New [21:28.440 --> 21:32.920] Year's Day Parade has been taking place with an Olympic theme. [21:32.920 --> 21:38.680] Behind me you can see the countdown clock just 208 days to go. Here in Trafalgar Square [21:38.680 --> 21:43.280] in 2005 many people gathered to watch the announcement that London was going to be the [21:43.280 --> 21:48.200] host city for those 2012 games. It seemed so far away at the time, but here it is. I'm [21:48.200 --> 21:51.960] delighted to say alongside us we have an Olympic gold medalist, hopefully a two times gold [21:51.960 --> 21:55.600] medalist by the end of this year, and his fiancee Fliss. Zach Purchas thank you very [21:55.600 --> 21:59.040] much for joining us. I'm going to say if medals were awarded today you should get one. You've [21:59.040 --> 22:04.240] come all the way from Oxfordshire just for this. But here's a medal that really matters, [22:04.240 --> 22:09.320] your Beijing medal. Try and put into words what it feels like as a British athlete to [22:09.320 --> 22:14.520] wake up and look at the calendar and see that it really is 2012. Well you know what, it [22:14.520 --> 22:17.880] didn't really hit me until we saw the fireworks going off last night. We sat home and watched [22:17.880 --> 22:22.080] the TV and we saw those fireworks going off to the eye and the Olympic theme to them and [22:22.080 --> 22:26.640] you just realise that there's only, as you say, 208 days to go and time to really get [22:26.640 --> 22:30.040] cracking with some training. Does it actually feel different this morning being in Olympic [22:30.040 --> 22:34.280] gear? I really hope it's not raining like this in August, I'll tell you that. But no, [22:34.280 --> 22:37.640] it feels really special. You're used to water being in a rowing boat anyway. Yeah, you're [22:37.640 --> 22:42.960] used to water but hopefully it won't be coming down from the sky. What do you now have to [22:42.960 --> 22:48.000] do? Obviously the days get closer and closer. Is it just a matter of training and training [22:48.000 --> 22:52.520] or is there a lot of mental work to be done? What's the secret to success now? The secret [22:52.520 --> 22:57.880] for us is going to be real consistency. We know we can be good, we've won the last world [22:57.880 --> 23:01.840] championships and the one before that and for us it's about putting in the right work [23:01.840 --> 23:05.620] at the right time and making sure whatever we do is really effective and it's not going [23:05.620 --> 23:10.400] to go too much the wrong way. Let's talk more in a moment but let's introduce Fliss as well. [23:10.400 --> 23:13.760] You're getting married in August this year? That's right, two weeks after the Olympics [23:13.760 --> 23:18.120] finish which is great planning. What's it like being engaged to someone who's focus [23:18.120 --> 23:23.600] probably isn't on the wedding right now? Well, I'll let him off I think. He's got a lot of [23:23.600 --> 23:26.760] work to do and I'm happy to be doing most of the planning whilst he's away and on training [23:26.760 --> 23:31.840] camps, it's fine by me. Do you find yourself a bit of a sporting widow at the moment? Yeah, [23:31.840 --> 23:35.000] I think as that goes away in another four days' time on a three-week training camp [23:35.000 --> 23:39.520] that'll be hard as always but you sort of get used to it. We've kind of got used to [23:39.520 --> 23:45.000] it by now haven't we and it's been six years of the same routine now so yeah, I'm really [23:45.000 --> 23:49.200] excited. The key question for you Zach is are you going to do it? You've done it once [23:49.200 --> 23:54.840] with your partner Mark Hunter, confident you can do it again this year? I think with the [23:54.840 --> 23:58.120] form we've shown over the last few years then if things go right then there shouldn't be [23:58.120 --> 24:01.760] any reason why the opportunity doesn't present itself in a good way. Obviously there's a [24:01.760 --> 24:05.720] lot of stuff to do between now and then, injury and illness permitting, we should come out [24:05.720 --> 24:09.960] on top. And rowing really perhaps should be the strongest sport for Team GB? We have a [24:09.960 --> 24:14.520] fantastic tradition in sport, you know, throughout the years we are the only sport that's come [24:14.520 --> 24:18.600] out with a gold medal at every single Olympics for the last few times so it's really exciting [24:18.600 --> 24:22.400] to be part of that and that history really spurs us on. We can be sitting now on the start [24:22.400 --> 24:27.160] line knowing that we are part of not only a very successful team within Team GB but [24:27.160 --> 24:31.480] a very successful rowing team as part of that and it's really inspiring to be part of that [24:31.480 --> 24:34.160] history. Well don't spend too much time looking at the clock behind you because I tell you [24:34.160 --> 24:37.280] what, it's going down all the time, it's getting close but thanks so much for joining us, you've [24:37.280 --> 24:41.760] done a much better job than me of keeping your hair dry as well. So from one Olympic [24:41.760 --> 24:46.320] gold medalist, back to you in the studio. James Pearce there in a very wet Trafalgar [24:46.320 --> 24:50.640] Square, let's check out the rest of the weather forecast now, that's with Matt Taylor. Hello [24:50.640 --> 24:54.320] there, persistent rain we've seen across the eastern areas this afternoon will clear through [24:54.320 --> 24:59.720] and as it goes we introduce much colder air across the whole of the UK. Now that colder [24:59.720 --> 25:04.000] air comes with it's some showers, that cold air chasing away the persistent rain we've [25:04.000 --> 25:08.440] seen in the east quite quickly but eastern areas do become dry and clear for a time but [25:08.440 --> 25:11.800] it's in the west, the showers will continue and for northwest England, Northern Ireland [25:11.800 --> 25:16.760] and Scotland they'll become increasingly wintry. For all temperatures very close to freezing, [25:16.760 --> 25:21.480] much colder than recent nights, frost and where the ground is damp, a risk of ice that [25:21.480 --> 25:24.920] is more of a significant risk for northwest England, Scotland and Northern Ireland where [25:24.920 --> 25:27.960] there will be wintry showers throughout the day tomorrow. Northwest England, Northern [25:27.960 --> 25:32.440] Ireland rain and sleet, Scotland sleet and snow even to lower levels, mainly rain across [25:32.440 --> 25:36.080] southern counties of England during the morning but they will gradually clear through I think [25:36.080 --> 25:40.020] for the most part. Eastern areas generally drier and brighter than the west where the [25:40.020 --> 25:44.680] showers will continue through the day but for all it will be a much colder day, particularly [25:44.680 --> 25:49.400] the breeze, four to seven Celsius at best. Turn stormy on Tuesday, more details on that [25:49.400 --> 26:18.400] online and then half an hour. [26:19.400 --> 26:30.400] Hello and a very good evening to you. This is BBC News with me, Anita McVey. A summary [26:30.400 --> 26:35.320] of our main stories now at almost half past five. Events have taken place across London [26:35.320 --> 26:41.160] today to mark the start of the Olympic year. The chairman of London 2012, Lord Coe, said [26:41.160 --> 26:45.280] the games would show that Britain was open for business. However, there was a warning [26:45.280 --> 26:50.640] from Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson who has described event fixing by betting syndicates [26:50.640 --> 26:58.320] as the biggest threat to the 2012 games. European leaders have given a sombre assessment of [26:58.320 --> 27:03.340] the financial prospects for the year ahead. President Sarkozy said the Eurozone debt crisis [27:03.340 --> 27:08.480] was not yet finished while the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was experiencing [27:08.480 --> 27:15.220] its most severe test in decades. Here council tenants who sublet their homes could face [27:15.220 --> 27:20.240] prosecution under proposals to be set out by the government. Tenants on high wages may [27:20.240 --> 27:25.360] also have to pay market rates for their homes or face eviction. It's estimated that up to [27:25.360 --> 27:32.500] 6,000 people living in social housing have incomes of more than £100,000. A British [27:32.500 --> 27:37.660] soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on Friday has been named by the Ministry of [27:37.660 --> 27:43.340] Defence as 19-year-old Private John King. The serviceman from First Battalion, the Yorkshire [27:43.340 --> 27:51.000] Regiment was killed in an explosion in the Nare Siraj district of Helmand Province. Hundreds [27:51.000 --> 27:55.740] of well-wishers gathered at Sandringham earlier to see Prince Philip make his first public [27:55.740 --> 28:00.340] appearance since having surgery on a blocked artery just before Christmas. The Duke of [28:00.340 --> 28:07.500] Edinburgh joined the rest of the royal family for a New Year's Day church service. More [28:07.500 --> 28:12.500] from me at 6 o'clock but right now it's World Olympic Dreams. Matthew Pinsent meets young [28:12.500 --> 28:15.980] athletes from around the world aiming to make it to London 2012. [28:42.500 --> 28:53.060] Welcome to World Olympic Dreams, the series that follows 26 athletes from all across the [28:53.060 --> 28:59.620] globe in their preparations for the London Olympics. This is Lords and the Long Room, [28:59.620 --> 29:07.420] the home of cricket, and it's through these doors that players walk on their way to bat. [29:07.420 --> 29:12.900] Cricket has been played here since 1814 but this week Old Father Time is looking down [29:12.900 --> 29:20.980] on the world's best archers as they compete in a London archery classic. It's an official [29:20.980 --> 29:26.580] test event for London 2012, giving around 100 of the world's top archers the perfect [29:26.580 --> 29:31.900] chance to acclimatise to conditions here in central London and hopefully I'll be able [29:31.900 --> 29:42.260] to have a go myself. Also coming up in this edition of World Olympic Dreams, Milinda Kalmendi, [29:42.260 --> 29:47.300] a judo fighter whose Olympic aspirations are threatened by political wranglings in the [29:47.300 --> 29:55.300] former Yugoslavia. From the war ravaged banks of Baghdad's River Tigris to the idyllic calm [29:55.300 --> 30:03.900] of Lake Bled in Slovenia, Iraqi rower Haider Rashid tells me about...