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[00:00.000 --> 00:04.720]  in the breeze. And the breeze gets stronger through Monday night into Tuesday. A significant
[00:04.720 --> 00:09.080]  strength in other wind linked into this deepening area of low pressure. Another stormy low we've
[00:09.080 --> 00:12.840]  seen some over the past few weeks. Another one to come through Monday night into Tuesday.
[00:12.840 --> 00:17.720]  Prompting the Met Office to issue an early warning of strong winds across the UK. 50
[00:17.720 --> 00:22.340]  to 70 mile gusts possible quite widely across the country. Even more than that around the
[00:22.340 --> 00:26.720]  coasts and the hills. We will see heavy rain as well to begin the day. Easing to the south
[00:26.720 --> 00:30.320]  east for the afternoon. Snow then packing into north west Scotland but there will be
[00:30.320 --> 00:34.360]  the risk of some minor flooding from that rain. Temperatures lifting a little bit. Temperatures
[00:34.360 --> 00:38.800]  will lift further on Wednesday after a chilly start. Dryest, brightest for longest to the
[00:38.800 --> 00:42.880]  south and the east but more cloud and rain and hill snow for Scotland starting to push
[00:42.880 --> 00:47.240]  in from the north west later. Temperatures are around 7 to 10 Celsius. So a topsy turvy
[00:47.240 --> 00:50.720]  week of weather. Your five day forecast are online and there's more later on the news
[00:50.720 --> 00:57.400]  channel. This is a highly volatile situation. We have to leave, it's getting violent. Thomas
[00:57.400 --> 01:02.040]  Gaddafi, how do you end this crisis? Keep your head down, keep your head down. As far
[01:02.040 --> 01:07.640]  as the eye can see you've got destruction and devastation. It's been a truly memorable
[01:07.640 --> 01:13.680]  occasion. Mr President, what would he have had to do to be captured? It's extremely tense
[01:13.680 --> 01:18.400]  here right in the heart of Athens. This is the very tumble day of my life. The United
[01:18.400 --> 01:23.880]  Nations World Food Programme says 10 million others in this corner of Africa are going
[01:23.880 --> 01:27.960]  to need their help in the next few months. This is the image of London that has flashed
[01:27.960 --> 01:34.040]  around the world. It was a day which changed America and the world. One fighter told me
[01:34.040 --> 01:39.680]  that Mama Gaddafi said to him, what did I do to you? He said he took the decision for
[01:39.680 --> 01:45.000]  the good of the country. Are we better off outside the hero? You bet we are. Extraordinary
[01:45.000 --> 01:52.000]  events, unparalleled coverage. In 2012, stay with BBC News.
[02:15.000 --> 02:22.120]  You're busy. That's why renewing your TV licence is easy. Visit tvlicensing.co.uk.
[02:45.000 --> 02:53.000]  Thank you.
[03:15.000 --> 03:22.000]  The final countdown begins for London 2012, but there's a new warning about betting syndicates.
[03:28.000 --> 03:32.960]  Celebrations as the Olympic year gets underway, but the government says it's concerned about
[03:32.960 --> 03:37.600]  those who want to spoil the party. I'm very worried about it and it's not just me. The
[03:37.600 --> 03:41.880]  President of the International Olympic Committee thinks that this is the biggest threat facing
[03:41.880 --> 03:48.400]  sport this year. Also tonight, grim tidings. Europe's leaders warn 2012 will be even more
[03:48.400 --> 03:54.920]  difficult than last year, but insist the Eurozone will emerge from the economic crisis. Plans
[03:54.920 --> 03:59.320]  to make subletting council houses a criminal offence, tenants who rent out their homes
[03:59.320 --> 04:04.480]  could face jail. The Duke of Edinburgh walks to church to join the other Royals for a New
[04:04.480 --> 04:05.480]  Year's Day service.
[04:05.480 --> 04:12.480]  And Sunderland snatch it with a last gasp goal against league leaders Manchester City.
[04:29.840 --> 04:34.080]  Good evening. Events have taken place today to mark the start of the Olympic year. The
[04:34.080 --> 04:38.920]  chairman of London 2012, Lord Coe, said the Games would show that Britain was open for
[04:38.920 --> 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 --> 04:59.160]  Good evening. This countdown clock seems to hold special significance this evening. 208
[04:59.160 --> 05:04.800]  days to go, but one wait is over. Here we are now in 2012. Today there have been special
[05:04.800 --> 05:10.360]  celebrations in this part of London, Olympic themed with the Lord Mayor's New Year Parade.
[05:10.360 --> 05:16.140]  I should warn you that this report contains some flash photography.
[05:16.140 --> 05:22.240]  The dawn of a new year over London's Olympic Stadium. 2012, the year for which all of this
[05:22.240 --> 05:29.240]  has been built. In the centre of the city, the annual New Year's Parade with an Olympic
[05:29.800 --> 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's 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 --> 05:55.400]  off the back of the Games to showcase the fantastic creativity, our fantastic businesses,
[05:56.200 --> 06:03.200]  our artistic endeavour, our sporting endeavour and most crucially what we are as a nation.
[06:03.560 --> 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 --> 06:16.420]  of a similar scandal at the Olympics.
[06:16.420 --> 06:20.800]  It absolutely is a possibility and the danger, the real danger lies in spot fixing. Just
[06:20.800 --> 06:25.720]  consider how easy it is to bet on something like the first short corner in a hockey game.
[06:25.720 --> 06:30.980]  Any team sport you can bet on an individual action or occurrence. So you look at the number
[06:30.980 --> 06:35.120]  of team sports that there are in the Olympics and the threat, the real threat becomes very
[06:35.120 --> 06:38.120]  obvious.
[06:38.120 --> 06:43.060]  This being London, one of the other great unpredictables is the weather. Those taking
[06:43.060 --> 06:50.000]  part in today's parade got soaked. Not that that deterred one Olympic champion who's hoping
[06:50.000 --> 06:55.160]  that by August he'll have another medal to hold alongside his gold from Beijing.
[06:55.160 --> 06:59.640]  I think what's most exciting about 2012 is not the fact that we can necessarily go and
[06:59.640 --> 07:04.920]  win medals but the amount of enthusiasm that the country has for the Olympics. We've been
[07:04.920 --> 07:09.280]  competing for this Olympics for years but it's really exciting to see the country sort
[07:09.280 --> 07:13.880]  of almost wake up and have that moment of revelation. The fact that 2012 is the Olympic
[07:13.880 --> 07:17.460]  year and we as a country are going to celebrate it and come away with some fantastic gold
[07:17.460 --> 07:19.020]  medals to boot.
[07:19.020 --> 07:28.580]  The venues are almost ready. The year is here. The London Olympics suddenly feel very close.
[07:28.580 --> 07:32.520]  The organisers will hope that when that countdown clock gets to zero the weather is going to
[07:32.520 --> 07:36.880]  be very different than it has been today. We've had torrential rain throughout the
[07:36.880 --> 07:40.720]  afternoon but the organisers have done a good job so far getting us to where we are
[07:40.720 --> 07:45.040]  at the start of 2012 with all those venues pretty much ready for action but as the sports
[07:45.040 --> 07:49.940]  minister has highlighted there are still some very big issues to be faced before the games
[07:49.940 --> 07:50.940]  can begin.
[07:50.940 --> 07:54.200]  James, thank you very much.
[07:54.200 --> 07:58.880]  Eurozone leaders have given a gloomy assessment of the year ahead, exactly ten years after
[07:58.880 --> 08:04.600]  euro coins and banknotes first went into circulation. The French president Nicolas Sarkozy warned
[08:04.600 --> 08:09.360]  that the worst economic crisis since the second world war would continue to hurt households
[08:09.360 --> 08:14.700]  in 2012 while Angela Merkel said that for millions of Germans this year would be more
[08:14.700 --> 08:19.160]  difficult than last. Steven Evans reports from Berlin.
[08:19.160 --> 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 --> 08:42.720]  out as voters got less and less patient. So welcome 2012 with fireworks over the Brandenburg
[08:42.720 --> 08:49.480]  gate in Berlin and the annual message to her people from Chancellor Merkel. She did not
[08:49.480 --> 08:55.480]  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 --> 09:48.240]  There is a new year ritual in Germany. Everybody watches a remake of an old British comedy
[09:48.240 --> 09:53.880]  about a duchess and her butler. This year there was a twist, a spoof with Chancellor
[09:53.880 --> 10:05.280]  Merkel and President Sarkozy.
[10:05.280 --> 10:10.640]  In real life, they're 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 euro's own policies.
[10:17.440 --> 10:22.880]  Even here in Germany, Europe's strongest economy, the forecasts are for growth not much more
[10:22.880 --> 10:29.640]  than zero. Throughout the rest of Europe, it may well be recession. 2012 does not promise
[10:29.640 --> 10:33.320]  to be better than 2011.
[10:33.320 --> 10:39.360]  Germans take to the icy water in another new year ritual. Their government is not promising
[10:39.360 --> 10:47.360]  any warm up of the economy, quite the contrary. And that's bad news for every economy in Europe.
[10:47.360 --> 10:51.800]  Stephen Evans, BBC News, Berlin.
[10:51.800 --> 10:56.760]  A soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan was named today as Private John King from
[10:56.760 --> 11:01.360]  1st 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 Nasaraj district of Helmand province on Friday.
[11:08.680 --> 11:12.840]  Council tenants who sublet their homes for money will face prosecution and could be jailed
[11:12.840 --> 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. Political
[11:22.960 --> 11:26.960]  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 --> 11:56.000]  It's not fair. It's not right. Hardworking taxpayers pay billions of pounds to build
[11:56.000 --> 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 --> 12:27.140]  families hoping to be housed. Ministers believe that making subletting illegal is one way
[12:27.140 --> 12:31.880]  to try and provide council homes for those who really need them.
[12:31.880 --> 12:37.560]  The government is also considering allowing councils to raise rents for high-earning tenants.
[12:37.560 --> 12:43.200]  Those with an income over 100,000 pounds may have to pay more, although only 6,000 people
[12:43.200 --> 12:46.040]  are likely to be affected.
[12:46.040 --> 12:50.960]  But Labour say these measures won't do anything to tackle a far deeper problem.
[12:50.960 --> 12:56.520]  The reality is the housing crisis is only going to be solved by building new affordable
[12:56.520 --> 13:01.200]  houses and Grant Shapps as housing minister should stop reannouncing things that aren't
[13:01.200 --> 13:05.960]  going to make an immediate big difference and get on with building new houses.
[13:05.960 --> 13:10.220]  The government will consult on its proposals soon, but the housing charity Shelter has
[13:10.220 --> 13:15.480]  called for bigger and bolder solutions, not more tweaks to social housing policy.
[13:15.480 --> 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 --> 13:28.480]  young people. Dr Rowan Williams says the suspicion and negativity shown towards young people
[13:28.480 --> 13:34.280]  is driving them into unhappiness and anxiety. He said last August, riots in England were
[13:34.280 --> 13:38.620]  part of a much bigger and more serious problem.
[13:38.620 --> 13:43.440]  Iran has test-fired a new medium-range missile during naval exercises close to the Strait
[13:43.440 --> 13:47.720]  of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest shipping routes for transporting oil.
[13:47.720 --> 13:52.000]  The announcement of the test firing was followed shortly afterwards by Tehran, saying it has
[13:52.000 --> 13:57.920]  successfully tested a nuclear fuel rod made from uranium enriched from within Iran for
[13:57.920 --> 14:02.840]  the first time. 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 --> 14:12.840]  to Western diplomatic manoeuvres to tighten sanctions on Iran over its suspected nuclear
[14:12.840 --> 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 --> 14:23.280]  at any time it chooses.
[14:23.280 --> 14:27.520]  In the midst of 10 days of exercises, it warned last week that it would shut the Strait of
[14:27.520 --> 14:32.680]  Hormuz if its own oil exports were squeezed. It may have backed off those comments later,
[14:32.680 --> 14:36.920]  but it's all a reminder of the fears for the oil market, fragile Western economies and
[14:36.920 --> 14:38.920]  stability in the Gulf.
[14:38.920 --> 14:43.540]  Iran straddles the narrow Strait of Hormuz, the mouth of the Gulf. The waterway's strategic
[14:43.540 --> 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 U.S. 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 --> 15:15.040]  stay back.
[15:15.040 --> 15:19.660]  Iranian television also today proclaimed a new milestone in its nuclear developments,
[15:19.660 --> 15:24.400]  the production of its first fuel rod with domestically produced uranium. The images
[15:24.400 --> 15:28.920]  were meant to reinforce its position that its nuclear plans are purely peaceful. It's
[15:28.920 --> 15:34.680]  also hinted it might be ready to resume negotiations on its nuclear program. But President Obama
[15:34.680 --> 15:40.120]  has just signed a bill that could tighten U.S. sanctions on Iran, even as the West ponders
[15:40.120 --> 15:43.240]  this mixture of new messages from Tehran.
[15:43.240 --> 15:45.760]  Nick Childs, BBC News.
[15:45.760 --> 15:49.000]  The Duke of Edinburgh has joined the rest of the royal family for the New Year's Day
[15:49.000 --> 15:53.240]  service at Sandringham. Prince Philip was greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as he
[15:53.240 --> 15:57.640]  walked to church just a few days after he was released from hospital following surgery
[15:57.640 --> 16:02.120]  for a blocked artery. 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 --> 16:12.560]  now firmly back on his feet. Striding as usual at the head of the royal party, he made the
[16:12.560 --> 16:19.760]  short walk to the morning Sandringham church service to the sound of spontaneous applause.
[16:19.760 --> 16:24.680]  The hundreds of well-wishers who lined the route, far more than normal, and all visibly
[16:24.680 --> 16:29.960]  pleased that just a few days after leaving Papworth Hospital, Prince Philip appeared
[16:29.960 --> 16:31.240]  to be in good health.
[16:31.240 --> 16:35.520]  As he came up, people were clapping and genuinely pleased, and we're all excited saying he's
[16:35.520 --> 16:38.680]  here, he's here. So, yeah, I think everyone's really pleased to see him.
[16:38.680 --> 16:43.680]  I'd like to think I looked as good when I was 91. But, yeah, he looked good, yeah.
[16:43.680 --> 16:47.620]  A very well-looking Prince Philip, yes. He looked really well, and it was nice to see
[16:47.620 --> 16:50.640]  him out walking.
[16:50.640 --> 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 --> 17:25.160]  And the whole royal family can now look ahead to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year.
[17:25.160 --> 17:28.880]  Mark Worthington, BBC News, Sandringham.
[17:28.880 --> 17:33.280]  On to football. Manchester City still lead the Premier League, but only on goal difference
[17:33.280 --> 17:39.080]  after suffering a shock defeat against Sunderland. Joe Wilson watched the action.
[17:39.080 --> 17:44.400]  For Mancini's Man City, 2012 promises the Premier League title. It's simple enough to say.
[17:44.400 --> 17:49.160]  Manchester United's defeat to Blackburn was a reminder of the dangers that lurked throughout
[17:49.160 --> 17:53.920]  the league. And here, rejuvenated Sunderland should have opened the scoring after two minutes.
[17:53.920 --> 17:59.680]  Nicholas Bentner, the squanderer. City rested their star forwards, well, some of them. There
[17:59.680 --> 18:05.360]  was still Edin Dzeko, thwarted by Sunderland's keeper, the masked Minule, who had recently
[18:05.360 --> 18:08.360]  fractured nose and eye socket.
[18:08.360 --> 18:13.680]  Stale mate, Mancini added sparkle from the substitute. Seguero and Silva both on. No
[18:13.680 --> 18:18.840]  change. City dominated possession, but time and time again Sunderland kept them out with
[18:18.840 --> 18:24.560]  organisation, bravery and a bit of good luck. A goalist draw seemed well earned until the
[18:24.560 --> 18:32.160]  third minute of injury time, at a young South Korean called Ji Dong-won. Possibly offside,
[18:32.160 --> 18:37.880]  no-one cared in Sunderland. Teams managed by Martin O'Neill never give up, as Man City
[18:37.880 --> 18:39.600]  have just discovered.
[18:39.600 --> 18:42.680]  Joe Wilson, BBC News.
[18:42.680 --> 18:47.840]  Wilson climbed into the top half of the Premier League table after a 1-0 win at West Brom.
[18:47.840 --> 18:52.520]  With just three minutes of the game left, substitute Victor Antjebi, playing his first
[18:52.520 --> 18:57.440]  game since August because of injury, pounced on some poor defensive work to score from
[18:57.440 --> 19:00.120]  close range.
[19:00.120 --> 19:06.400]  In Rugby's Aviva Premiership, struggling Bath beat London Irish by 33 points to three. The
[19:06.400 --> 19:10.520]  pick of the tries for the home side came in the 58th minute when they ran the ball from
[19:10.520 --> 19:15.640]  inside their own 22. With the South Africa scrum-half Michael Claessens, we finished
[19:15.640 --> 19:21.400]  off the move by going over in the corner.
[19:21.400 --> 19:24.960]  As we've heard, today marks the start of a big year for Britain, and it began with
[19:24.960 --> 19:30.760]  a spectacular fireworks display in London, the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games.
[19:30.760 --> 19:36.520]  The display featured 12,000 fireworks producing some 50,000 projectiles and lasted nearly
[19:36.520 --> 19:44.160]  a 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 --> 19:57.960]  which thousands have gathered along the banks of the Thames.
[19:57.960 --> 20:02.920]  The fireworks at Edinburgh Castle saw the longest ever midnight display put on for the
[20:02.920 --> 20:08.640]  Hogmanay celebrations.
[20:08.640 --> 20:13.560]  Across the pond in New York, Lady Gaga was at the centre of proceedings in Times Square
[20:13.560 --> 20:22.280]  with Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
[20:22.280 --> 20:28.360]  The celebration in Moscow was more muted, but Red Square lit up by fireworks was a breathtaking
[20:28.360 --> 20:34.160]  spectacle as ever. It was cold there, but in Brazil it was wet, though the heavy rains
[20:34.160 --> 20:41.640]  didn't put off two million people from seeing in the new year on Copacabana Beach in Rio.
[20:41.640 --> 20:48.680]  Back in London it was wet too, but that didn't dampen the celebrations which were welcoming
[20:48.680 --> 20:53.680]  in not just another new year, but the Olympic year with a bang.
[20:53.680 --> 20:58.840]  Louisa Baldini, BBC News.
[20:58.840 --> 21:03.160]  Happy New Year to you. I'll be back with more from the newsroom at ten past ten. Now on
[21:03.160 --> 21:08.120]  BBC One, it's time to join our news teams where you are.
[21:08.120 --> 21:17.660]  Hello, good evening. You're watching BBC News with me, Anita McVeigh, and let's get a little
[21:17.660 --> 21:24.540]  more now on the Olympic Games. We're just 208 days away now from the opening ceremony,
[21:24.540 --> 21:28.400]  and our sports news correspondent James Pearce has been in Trafalgar Square where the New
[21:28.400 --> 21:32.400]  Year's Day Parade has been taking place with an Olympic theme.
[21:32.400 --> 21:38.640]  Behind me you can see the countdown clock, just 208 days to go. Here in Trafalgar Square
[21:38.640 --> 21:43.240]  in 2005, many people gathered to watch the announcement that London was going to be the
[21:43.240 --> 21:48.160]  host city for those 2012 Games. It seemed so far away at the time, but here it is. I'm
[21:48.160 --> 21:51.920]  delighted to say alongside us we have an Olympic gold medalist, hopefully a two-times gold
[21:51.920 --> 21:55.700]  medalist by the end of this year, and his fiancée Fliss. Zach Perk, just thank you very much
[21:55.700 --> 21:59.000]  for joining us. I have to say that medals were awarded today. You should get one. You've
[21:59.000 --> 22:04.200]  come all the way from Oxfordshire just for this. But here's a medal that really matters,
[22:04.200 --> 22:09.280]  your Beijing medal. Try and put into words what it feels like as a British athlete to
[22:09.280 --> 22:14.400]  wake up and look at the calendar and see that it really is 2012. Well, you know what, it
[22:14.400 --> 22:17.880]  didn't really hit me until we saw the fireworks going off last night. We sat at home watching
[22:17.880 --> 22:22.320]  the TV and we saw those fireworks going off the eye and the Olympic theme to them. You
[22:22.320 --> 22:26.960]  just realise that there's only, as you say, 208 days to go and time to really get cracking
[22:26.960 --> 22:30.640]  with some training. Does it actually feel different this morning being in Olympic gear?
[22:30.640 --> 22:34.480]  I really hope it's not raining like this in August, I'll tell you that. But no, it feels
[22:34.480 --> 22:37.680]  really special. You're used to water being in a rowing boat anyway. Yeah, you're used
[22:37.680 --> 22:42.960]  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 --> 22:52.480]  or is there a lot of mental work to be done? What's the secret to success now? The secret
[22:52.480 --> 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 --> 23:01.960]  championships, the one before that. And for us it's about putting in the right work at
[23:01.960 --> 23:05.600]  the right time and making sure whatever we do is really effective and it's not going
[23:05.600 --> 23:09.520]  to go too much of the wrong way. Let's talk more in a moment but let's introduce Fliss
[23:09.520 --> 23:13.360]  as well. You're getting married in August this year? That's right, two weeks after the
[23:13.360 --> 23:17.640]  Olympics finish, which is great planning. What's it like being engaged with someone
[23:17.640 --> 23:21.240]  who's focus probably isn't on the wedding right now? Well, maybe it is but maybe it
[23:21.240 --> 23:23.640]  shouldn't be. I'll let him off, I'll let him off I think. No, he's got a lot of work
[23:23.640 --> 23:26.720]  to do and I'm happy to be doing most of the planning whilst he's away and on training
[23:26.720 --> 23:30.880]  camps, it's fine by me. Do you find yourself a bit of a sporting widow at the moment?
[23:30.880 --> 23:34.920]  Yeah, I think as that goes away in another four days time on a three week training camp
[23:34.920 --> 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 --> 23:44.560]  it by now haven't we and it's been sort of six years of the same routine now so yeah,
[23:44.560 --> 23:48.840]  I'm really excited. The key question for you Zach is are you going to do it? You've done
[23:48.840 --> 23:54.560]  it once with your partner Mark Hunter. Confident you can do it again this year? I think that
[23:54.560 --> 23:58.040]  with the form we've shown over the last few years then if things go right then there shouldn't
[23:58.040 --> 24:01.640]  be any reason why the opportunity doesn't present itself in a good way. Obviously there's
[24:01.640 --> 24:05.560]  a lot of stuff to do between now and then, injury and illness permitting, we should come
[24:05.560 --> 24:09.880]  out on top. And rowing really perhaps should be the strongest sport for Team GB. We have
[24:09.880 --> 24:14.200]  a fantastic tradition in the sport, you know, throughout the years we are the only sport
[24:14.200 --> 24:17.920]  that's come out with a gold medal at every single Olympics the last few times so it's
[24:17.920 --> 24:21.800]  really exciting to be part of that and that history really spurs us on. We can be sitting
[24:21.800 --> 24:25.600]  down on the start line knowing that we are part of not only a very successful team within
[24:25.600 --> 24:30.680]  Team GB but a very successful rowing team as part of that and it's really inspiring
[24:30.680 --> 24:33.560]  to be part of that team. Well don't spend too much time looking at the clock behind you
[24:33.560 --> 24:36.520]  because I tell you what, it's going down all the time, it's getting close but thanks so
[24:36.520 --> 24:39.840]  much for joining us, you've done a much better job than me of keeping your hair dry as well
[24:39.840 --> 24:45.400]  so from one Olympic gold medallist back to you in the studio. James Pierce there in a
[24:45.400 --> 24:48.920]  very wet Trafalgar Square, let's check out the rest of the weather forecast now, that's
[24:48.920 --> 24:53.200]  with Matt Taylor. Hello there, persistent rain we've seen across eastern areas this
[24:53.200 --> 24:57.760]  afternoon will clear through and as it goes we introduce much colder air across the whole
[24:57.760 --> 25:02.640]  of the UK. Now that colder air comes with it, some showers, that colder air chasing
[25:02.640 --> 25:06.940]  away the persistent rain we've seen in the east quite quickly but eastern areas do become
[25:06.940 --> 25:10.920]  dry and clear for a time but it's in the west the showers will continue and for North West
[25:10.920 --> 25:15.560]  England, Northern Ireland and Scotland they'll become increasingly wintry. For all temperatures
[25:15.560 --> 25:20.160]  very close to freezing, much colder than recent nights, frost and where the ground is damp,
[25:20.160 --> 25:24.280]  a risk of ice that is more of a significant risk for North West England, Scotland and
[25:24.280 --> 25:28.000]  Northern Ireland where there'll be wintry showers throughout the day tomorrow. North
[25:28.000 --> 25:31.760]  West England, Northern Ireland, rain and sleet, Scotland sleet and snow even to lower levels,
[25:31.760 --> 25:35.200]  mainly rain across southern counties of England during the morning but they will gradually
[25:35.200 --> 25:39.560]  clear through I think for the most part. Eastern areas generally drier and brighter than the
[25:39.560 --> 25:44.240]  west where the showers will continue through the day but for all it will be a much colder
[25:44.240 --> 25:48.800]  day, particularly in the breeze, four to seven Celsius at best. Turn stormy on Tuesday, more
[25:48.800 --> 25:55.840]  details on that online and in half an hour. Great things happen when people come together.
[25:55.840 --> 26:01.240]  So in the run up to London 2012, world class are inviting schools across the world to partner
[26:01.240 --> 26:06.840]  around. Inspired by the Olympic spirit, pupils can reach out to each other across the globe
[26:06.840 --> 26:12.380]  to learn about life in another country, share ideas and join in the excitement counting
[26:12.380 --> 26:19.640]  down to the Games. So twin your school for 2012. Go to bbc.co.uk world class to find
[26:19.640 --> 26:30.040]  out how. Hello and a very good evening to you. This is BBC News with me, Anita McVeigh,
[26:30.040 --> 26:34.840]  the summary of our main stories now at almost half past five. Events have taken place across
[26:34.840 --> 26:41.040]  London today to mark the start of the Olympic year. The chairman of London 2012, Lord Coe,
[26:41.040 --> 26:45.280]  said 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's described event fixing by betting syndicates
[26:50.640 --> 26:58.280]  as the biggest threat to the 2012 Games. European leaders have given a sombre assessment of
[26:58.280 --> 27:03.320]  the financial prospects for the year ahead. President Sarkozy said the eurozone debt crisis
[27:03.320 --> 27:08.460]  was not yet finished, while the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was experiencing
[27:08.460 --> 27:15.200]  its most severe test in decades. Here, council tenants who sublet their homes could face
[27:15.200 --> 27:20.240]  prosecution under proposals to be set out by the government. Tenants on high wages may
[27:20.240 --> 27:25.020]  also have to pay market rates for their homes or face eviction. It's estimated that up
[27:25.020 --> 27:32.480]  to 6000 people living in social housing have incomes of more than £100,000. A British
[27:32.480 --> 27:37.660]  soldier killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on Friday has been named by the Ministry of
[27:37.660 --> 27:43.360]  Defence as 19-year-old Private John King. The serviceman from 1st Battalion, the Yorkshire
[27:43.360 --> 27:51.000]  Regiment, was killed in an explosion in the Nare Siraj district of Helmand Province. Hundreds
[27:51.000 --> 27:55.720]  of well-wishers gathered at Sandringham earlier to see Prince Philip make his first public
[27:55.720 --> 28:00.320]  appearance since having surgery on a blocked artery just before Christmas. The Duke of
[28:00.320 --> 28:07.480]  Edinburgh joined the rest of the royal family for a New Year's Day church service. More
[28:07.480 --> 28:12.200]  for me at six o'clock, but right now it's World Olympic Dreams. Matthew Pinsent meets
[28:12.200 --> 28:40.040]  young athletes from around the world aiming to make it to London 2012.
[28:40.040 --> 28:53.040]  Welcome to World Olympic Dreams, the series that follows 26 athletes from all across the
[28:53.040 --> 28:59.600]  globe in their preparations for the London Olympics. This is Lord's and the Long Room,
[28:59.600 --> 29:07.400]  the home of cricket, and it's through these doors that players walk on their way to bat.
[29:07.400 --> 29:12.920]  Cricket has been played here since 1814, but this week Old Father Time is looking down
[29:12.920 --> 29:21.000]  on the world's best archers as they compete in a London archery classic. It's an official
[29:21.000 --> 29:26.600]  test event for London 2012, giving around 100 of the world's top archers the perfect
[29:26.600 --> 29:31.880]  chance to acclimatise to conditions here in central London. And hopefully I'll be able
[29:31.880 --> 29:35.640]  to have a go myself.
[29:35.640 --> 29:43.320]  Also coming up in this edition of World Olympic Dreams, Mylinda Kalmendi, a judo fighter whose
[29:43.320 --> 29:50.800]  Olympic aspirations are threatened by political wranglings in the former Yugoslavia. From
[29:50.800 --> 29:57.360]  the war ravaged banks of Baghdad's River Tigris to the idyllic calm of Lake Bled in Slovenia,
[29:57.360 --> 30:07.080]  Iraqi rower Haider Rasheed tells me about...