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tv   BBC News at Six  BBC News  September 12, 2024 6:00pm-6:31pm BST

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and praise forjon bonjovi, as the singer helps a woman in distress back from the brink of a bridge. and coming up on bbc news — the manchester united manager erik ten haag says christiano ronaldo is a long way away as he responds to criticism from his former star. good evening. hundreds of miles above earth, a bit of history has been made with the first—ever privately funded spacewalk. until recently, it's been governments which have backed space exploration, but the tech entrepreneur jason isaacman teamed up with elon musk�*s spacex to finance the groundbreaking venture. and this is the image of mr isaacman emerging from the spacecraft silhouetted against
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a spectacular view of earth. here's our science correspondent pallab ghosh. back at home, we all have a lot of work_ back at home, we all have a lot of work to— back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. — back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here earth looks_ work to do, but from here earth looks like — work to do, but from here earth looks like a _ work to do, but from here earth looks like a perfect world. historic worlds for an _ looks like a perfect world. historic worlds for an historic _ looks like a perfect world. historic worlds for an historic moment. . looks like a perfect world. historic| worlds for an historic moment. out comes the first private sector astronaut to walk in space, silhouetted in earth orbit, billionaire jarrod isaacman paid millions for this experience. your mind is partly in the capsule, so more like baby steps, but a chance to move around to test the mobility of the spacesuit. the to move around to test the mobility of the spacesuit.— of the spacesuit. the entire operation — of the spacesuit. the entire operation is _ of the spacesuit. the entire operation is two _ of the spacesuit. the entire operation is two hours, - of the spacesuit. the entire operation is two hours, so l of the spacesuit. the entire l operation is two hours, so we of the spacesuit. the entire - operation is two hours, so we will see how everything progresses, but we don't need very long out there, we don't need very long out there, we are not building structures on the international space station or repairing anything, soon as soon as we can get the data we have, we will
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cycle another crew member out. but at the crewmember is sarah gillis, her first at the crewmember is sarah gillis, herfirst time and at the crewmember is sarah gillis, her first time and space, and she at the crewmember is sarah gillis, herfirst time and space, and she is already making history, standing outside the capsule. most crewed spacecraft have an airlock, which is a sealed door between the vacuum of space and the rest of the spacecraft. normally, it's depressurised when the astronauts go in and out, but dragon doesn't have an airlock, so the entire craft was depressurised. the non—spacewalking astronauts were fully suited up and strapped into their seats, and extra nitrogen and oxygen tanks have been installed to repressurise the capsule when the spacewalk is over. the astronaut blasted off on tuesday, going further into space since the apollo moon missions of the 1960s and 1970s. the spacecraft
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reached a maximum altitude of 870 miles above the earth, that's nearly three and a half times the distance to the international space station, which is 250 miles. its orbit to go to the region of space that is higher in radiation, called the van allen belt, which starts at about 600 miles, but the astronauts were safe inside the spacecraft. the muscle then came below the radiation dose to 435 miles of the astronauts could carry out their spacewalk safely. lip could carry out their spacewalk safel . , ., , , safely. up until now, every single sacewalk safely. up until now, every single spacewalk has — safely. up until now, every single spacewalk has been _ safely. up until now, every single spacewalk has been professionall spacewalk has been professional astronauts through a government agency, eitherthe astronauts through a government agency, either the soviets or the americans, the russians these days, so to have the first one done commercially is a big step forward for the commercial sector and will push the boundaries of what they can do, and it will extend their capabilities, and we are likely to see many more of these in the future. it see many more of these in the future. . , ~:: , ., , see many more of these in the future. ~:: , ., ., see many more of these in the future.
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it has only been astronauts working for government space agencies to have done this. until now. this is the first—ever sector grew to have walked in space. the aim is to reduce costs so that space travel can become more commonplace and humans can have a long—term presence on the moon, and possibly even on mars. . ., , on the moon, and possibly even on mars. . . , , , , on the moon, and possibly even on mars. . ., , , ,, ., mars. rather than “ust stepping out of a spacecraft. — mars. rather than just stepping out of a spacecraft, next _ mars. rather than just stepping out of a spacecraft, next time - mars. rather than just stepping out of a spacecraft, next time they - of a spacecraft, next time they might be stepping onto the surface of the moon, building research bases, places for people to live for extended periods of time on the moon. everything is incremental, but there is real forward moon. everything is incremental, but there is realforward momentum now. the historic spacewalk now over, and are so many first already achieved, the cru's attention returns to carrying out experiments before beginning theirjourney home in two days' time. pallab ghosh, bbc news. and pallab is with me. are we entering a new era
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of space exploration? it isa it is a new era, and i am excited too. 50 years ago, 12 men landed on the moon, and then nothing, not a lot happened, but that rush is back on, and it was triggered by china announcing that it wanted to see an astronaut on the moon. so all of a sudden, it became about geopolitics, dominance and space, national security, so after decades of not caring, the us congress suddenly started pouring money into it, and other nations have their interest, in europe and asia, and if you add to that the private sector that is getting bolder and bolder, driving down the costs of space travel, all taken together, we will get back to the moon, we will get there often, and we are likely to stay. {lilia the moon, we will get there often, and we are likely to stay. 0k, thank ou ve and we are likely to stay. 0k, thank you very much. _ and we are likely to stay. 0k, thank you very much, pallab _ and we are likely to stay. 0k, thank you very much, pallab ghosh - and we are likely to stay. 0k, thank you very much, pallab ghosh there. the statistics and people's lived experiences have for years now told a story of an nhs in england
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under severe strain. now the prime minister has concluded the nhs is "broken but not beaten", after a review by lord darzi, a surgeon and former labour minister. it found long waits for care and poor survival rates for cancer. sir keir starmer said investing in the health service would always be a priority, but he added before the money taps were turned on, the plumbing had to be fixed. the government said three big shifts were needed — preventing illness in the first place, moving more care from hospitals to care in the community, and continuing to improve technology to create a digital nhs. here's our health editor, hugh pym. voices from the nhs front line today. it's a really difficult time to be a gp. the attitude and some of the rhetoric that you hear is just really demoralising. when i talk to people, it's, "i can't wait for my retirement, i've got this amount of time left." it's a burnt—out workforce. and callers to the bbc included patients. i just thought what brilliant people thatjoined those dots
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and literally saved my life. i think it is really important that no—one expects anything to change overnight. all on a day when a bleak report on the state of the nhs in england was published. louise's experience sums up one of the key problems — long—waiting lists. we spoke to her in april, when she'd waited a year and a half for a knee replacement and had to take early retirement as a teacher. my mobility was so poor that i didn't feel comfortable or safe in the classroom. five months later, we meet her again. she's had the operation — but went private. she felt she just couldn't wait any longer on the nhs. i feel selfish for doing that and for betraying something that i believed in very firmly all my life. but i _ believed in very firmly all my life. but i fell — believed in very firmly all my life. but i fell i — believed in very firmly all my life. but i felt i didn't have any choice, and i_ but i felt i didn't have any choice, and i feel— but i felt i didn't have any choice, and i feel so guilty about the people — and i feel so guilty about the people who can't do what i've done and are _ people who can't do what i've done and are not— people who can't do what i've done and are not lucky enough to have a pension— and are not lucky enough to have a
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pension to — and are not lucky enough to have a pension to ride. i mean, we are not wealthy, _ pension to ride. i mean, we are not wealthy, i'rn — pension to ride. i mean, we are not wealthy, i'mjust pension to ride. i mean, we are not wealthy, i'm just a teacher, my husband — wealthy, i'm just a teacher, my husband is _ wealthy, i'm just a teacher, my husband isjust an it, but were still— husband isjust an it, but were still lucky— husband isjust an it, but were still lucky enough to do it. the prime minister says the answer is nhs reform, rather than just money, but what does that mean in practice? you talk about shifting resources into community health care, improving technology, and prevention of ill health. but these ideas have been talked about for some time, some progress has already been made. what's new and different about your reform ideas? that we've got a raw and honest assessment of where we're really at, that we're clear—eyed about this, meaning we need a ten—year plan, not a short—term set of decisions, and that we've got the mandate for change to carry this through. the diagnosis of what's gone wrong came from this leading surgeon, lord darzi. he carried out a rapid review for the government. the nhs is in a critical condition, but the vital signs are stable. we need, as i said, the resources, we need to motivate the staff, we need the infrastructure to transform every pathway of care,
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and we can get it back. he is highlights crumbling nhs buildings and low investment in equipment. tackling that, he says, will make the nhs more efficient, but that will need money which ministers warn is hard to find right now. hugh pym, bbc news. our political correspondent joe pike is at westminster. how high are the stakes for the prime minister? they are incredibly high, reeta, is partly what we've seen today from sir keir starmer is a big dose of expectation management. as with the public finances, he wants to make it clear there will not be a quick or easy fix, and he wants voters to give it ten years to sort it all out. but from my conversations with government, there are a couple of other things he was trying to do in that speech. one of the things was making a plea to those within the nhs to change their culture. we have
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seen stories in recent years of things going wrong in hospitals, in some cases being covered up, senior manager being accused of not taking the wrap. as one source told me today, we need the nhs facing up to things going wrong, sounding the alarm when it does, and shock the nhs out of that cover up culture for the sake of patient safety, of course. the other thing that i'm told sir keir starmer wanted to do was try and set the landscape for the battles ahead, make it clear that the diagnosis is bad because the prescription will not be easy. those within government think they could be significant battles over further public health interventions, restrictions, battles with unions, battles over the complexities of social care, and also potentially battles over a larger role for the private sector, and therefore keir starmer wants to make it clear how bad things are before those battles begin. but also, finally, reeta, he has made it clear that health in england is at the centre of his premiership, and now there is
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pressure to try and deliver, and as one in government told me today, failure is not an option. thank you very much, joe panik reporting from westminster. well, earlier today, the government confirmed that a ban on junk—food adverts being shown on tv before 9pm will come into force on 1st october 2025 as part of a drive to improve public health. in addition, online adverts for products that are high in fat, salt and sugar will be banned altogether. the inquiry into how the countess of chester hospital handled lucy letby�*s crimes has been told about a review of letby�*s time at a different hospital where she did placements in 2012 and 2105. the inquiry heard that liverpool women's hospital found that babies' breathing tubes became dislodged at a markedly higher rate when lucy letby was working there. judith moritz reports. the crimes lucy letby�*s been convicted of all stem from one year of her time as a neonatal nurse in chester. hello — lucy, is it? yesm _
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but after her trial, the police confirmed that they were investigating her full career, including training placements elsewhere. letby spent three months at liverpool women's hospital in 2012 and another few months there in 2015. she's been convicted of attempting to murder a baby at chester by dislodging her endotracheal, or breathing, tube. today, the public inquiry heard that it's very rare for such tubes to move during a nursing shift, but the hospital in liverpool has made a startling discovery. you will hear evidence that it generally occurs in less than 1% of shifts. as a side note, you will hear that in audit carried out by liverpool women's hospital recorded — that whilst lucy letby was working there, dislodgment of endotracheal tubes occurred in 40% of shifts that she worked. one may wonder why. the inquiry heard opening statements on behalf of the babies' parents. those families are anonymised
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because of court orders, but today their lawyer said some of them are concerned that that's cultivated an environment where people feel able to voice vile opinions about the case on social media whilst humanising letby. they also pointed their anger at the hospital's former executives, having seen the written statements they provided to the inquiry. their continuing denials and deflections are painful to bear. it is hoped and expected that by the time they attend to give evidence before you in a few weeks' time, they will demonstrate far greater understanding of what went wrong at their hospital. the families pointed the finger at former chief executive tony chambers, who they say should have overseen investigations into why babies were dying, along with medical director ian harvey. they said consultants who'd tried to raise concerns at the hospital were met with the obdurately closed minds of their managers. tomorrow, the inquiry will hear opening remarks on behalf of some of those bosses who were running the countess of chester hospital
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during lucy letby�*s time there. judith moritz, bbc news. a court has been hearing that a placard held by a pro—palestinian demonstrator depicting rishi sunak and suella braverman as coconuts was "racially abusive". marieha hussain, who's 37, held the poster up at a protest last year. she pleaded not guilty to racially aggravated public—order offences and her lawyer says the placard was political criticism. scotland's only oil refinery will close next year, with 400 jobs set to be cut. petroineos, the owners of the grangemouth plant on the firth of forth, confirmed that the company would transform the site into a terminal for importing rather than refining. the unite union called the closure "an act of industrial vandalism". our scotland editor, james cook, is in grangemouth. james. yes, this site contains three businesses —
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james. yes, this site contains three businesses which _ james. yes, this site contains three businesses which employ _ james. yes, this site contains three businesses which employ around i james. yes, this site contains three i businesses which employ around 2000 people between them. there is a petrochemicals plant, there is a pipeline handling system for crude oil coming from the north sea and then there is the refinery. the operators of those first two businesses say they will be largely unaffected by the decision to close the refinery but that still comes as a big blow to the workforce here. it is also a blow to the local economy and it's a blow to both the scottish and it's a blow to both the scottish and uk governments who had said they would do what they could to try to persuade petroineos and assist petroineos in keeping the refinery open. grangemouth has been refining the fuels for a century, but it's now losing thousands of pounds a day, struggling with declining demand for petrol and diesel as the world begins to shift to renewable energy. and so the site is going to import petrol, diesel and aviation fuel instead of making them, and that will mean at least 400 job losses.
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well, there's a realfear and real anger amongst the workforce and amongst the community here. this is the first test of a just transition in this country and it's failed miserably, it's been failed by the company, and the people have been failed by the politicians. this could be economic and industrial vandalism of the biggest scale we've seen, and this town could be decimated if we do not do something about it. ministers here in edinburgh and in london say they're investing £100 million in the local economy and exploring longer term options for the site. there will be investment in the site's long term—future. the scottish government and the united kingdom government have bothjointly funded the project willow study which has identified a short list of credible options to begin the building of a new long—term industry at the refinery site, including low—carbon hydrogen, clean e—fuels and sustainable aviation fuel. but even if project willow works out, those jobs are years away — cold comfort for staff being laid off in the coming months. well, i do not accept for a second
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that we're losing any of those skilled workers. yes, this is really disappointing for them, also because they've had the not knowing, the uncertainty for such a long time with this refinery, it's been ten years of roller—coaster. i think what we're doing is making sure that those skills transfer into some of the green energyjobs of the future. could better management and more investment have saved this refinery? in public, the bosses and the workers here disagree on the answer, but in private, they are united in accusing politicians of failing to deliver a smooth, just transition from fossil fuels to greener power. james cook, bbc news, grangemouth. the time is 6.18. our top story this evening: 60 years after the first moonwalk, a private enterprise has stepped out into space. coming up.... the youngest ever british formula one driver prepares to compete again this weekend. also coming up:
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coming up on bbc news — the opening ceremony of the solheim cup takes place in virgina this evening with the european team looking to retain the trophy for a record fourth time — but the usa are huge favourites to win it back. scandal have been told by the prime minister the government will compensate them as quickly as it can. sir keir starmer was speaking after the former sub—postmistress jo hamilton launched a scathing attack on ministers at the national television awards last night — where the itv drama mr bates versus the post office won three awards. our political correspondent harry farley reports. cheers and applause. awards for the show that brought the story to millions, but those at the heart of it say they haven't had their own victory yet. i went to westminster a couple of weeks back and saw
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the new minister and, trust me, nothing has changed. and almost... audience groans and boos. and almost all of these people behind me haven't been paid yet. this morning, jo hamilton said the government was still messing them around. we've proved everything in court, why the hell can't theyjust pay us, you know? i myself, personally, have been settled but i had to settle short because i was running out of years. between 1999—2015, the post office prosecuted hundreds of sub—postmasters it accused of stealing money, but an error from the horizon computer scheme was to blame, leaving many in prison and others financially ruined. in 2019, a group of victims won a legal case when they proved the role of horizon. five years later, injanuary 2024, the previous conservative government set aside £1 billion for compensation and announced a law to overturn
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the criminal convictions. byjuly, there were four compensation schemes in place, but hundreds have yet to receive their payments. well, look, we've made a commitment in relation to this compensation and we will keep to that commitment. obviously, almost everywhere we look, there's a bigger problem than we anticipated. everything, pretty well, has been broken by the last government, so we are getting on with this as quickly as they can. agreeing the right level of compensation can be legally complicated and take time. the new government says it's trying to speed up the process, but ministers are also facing competing demands from victims of other scandals. for the sub—postmasters still waiting, they say it's been long enough. harry farley, bbc news, in westminster. a rape crisis centre in edinburgh has been criticised in a review for failing to put survivors first and to protect women—only spaces. it also said the chief executive
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of the centre — a transwoman — failed to behave professionally. the review began after a tribunal ruled that the edinburgh rape crisis centre unlawfully discriminated against a member of staff who suggested a rape victim should know the sex of her counsellor. lorna gordon is in edinburgh. tell us more about this. edinburgh ra -e crisis tell us more about this. edinburgh rape crisis centre _ tell us more about this. edinburgh rape crisis centre provided - rape crisis centre provided specialist support and counselling to more than 1000 survivors of sexual violence last year but this report said some staff that it did not put the needs of sexual assault survivors, the vast majority of whom are women, first. it went on to say the centre's values were inappropriate and that their actions of some staff had a detrimental impact on some women the centre should have been helping. it went on to say that this chief executive,
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who is a transgender woman, failed to behave professionally and understand the limits of her authority. rape crisis scotland, which is the national charity which sets standards for member centres, has expressed concern that the centre in edinburgh failed to provide women only spaces for 16 months and has paused referrals to the centre here in edinburgh, though survivors can still refer themselves. meanwhile, the board at edinburgh rape centre has apologised and says it recognises it got things wrong. it has refused to say whether the chief executive remains on leave or is back in post and added it is addressing all the concerns raised, including publishing the centre's definition of a woman.— including publishing the centre's definition of a woman. thank you. a teenauer definition of a woman. thank you. a teenager has _ definition of a woman. thank you. a teenager has been _ definition of a woman. thank you. a teenager has been arrested - definition of a woman. thank you. a teenager has been arrested in - teenager has been arrested in connection with a cyber attack on london's transport network at the start of the month. transport for london warned the bank account data of around 5000 customers may have been accessed in the attack. the
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national crime agency said the 17 year boy was detained in warsaw and later released on bail. police in tennessee have praised jon bon jovi for helping a distressed woman who was on the ledge of a bridge in nashville. cctv footage shows the rock star approaching the stranger, before talking to her and lifting her over the barrier to safety. he then embraces the woman with a hug. meghan owen has the story. the video, shared by nashville police, shows a woman in blue, highlighted in the left corner, standing precariously on the ledge of a pedestrian bridge over the cumberland river, hanging onto the railings. several people walk by. one woman glances back. a little further up, the rock starjon bonjovi can be seen arriving with a camera crew. according to posts on social media, he was shooting a music video on the bridge. he immediately walks over with a crew member, waves and leans on the railing. he calmly talks to the woman for less than a minute before the pair lift her over the railings
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back onto the bridge walkway. bonjovi continues to talk to the stranger before giving her a hug. they then leave the bridge together. the singer has been widely praised for his actions. it's really amazing to see. it's so good to see somebody approaching somebody who they can see is really in desperate trouble, and giving them that opportunity to talk. that opportunity to share what's going on for them, because it's never too late and there's always hope and that opportunity for somebody to save a life. and for those who have, the video strikes a chord. jessica stopped someone from ending their life on a train platform six years ago. at the time, i'd been very hesitant as to whether i should act or not, and then kind of went on my gut instinct and kind of went arm in arm with this person and stopped them from doing anything. and then afterwards, they kind of stopped me and thanked me and gave me a hug. and i think that's what really resonated from this video, was seeing that hug at the end and seeing thatm actually,
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that split second in which you feel something isn't right, if you act and do something and kind of trust your gut, you can...you can save someone's life. nashville's police department added to the praise in a post on x, saying... "bonjovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the cumberland river to safety." in a brief statement, chiefjohn drake said... "it takes all of us to help keep each other safe." meghan owen, bbc news. if you are suffering distress or despair and need support, including urgent support, a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066. an original print of the famous portrait of winston churchill was found in italy after going missing
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from hotel in canada. the 1941 photograph which features on the british £5 note was found in a private collection. the new owner was not aware it had been stolen and a canadian man has been arrested. the policing minister diana johnson had her purse stolen whilst attending a conference for senior police officers on tuesday. msjohnson gave a speech to the police superintendents' association where she spoke about the growing problem of theft and shoplifting. a 56—year—old man from coventry has been arrested in connection with the incident. the formula one driver ollie bearman is preparing to compete again this weekend after becoming the youngest british driver in f1 history earlier this year. at the saudi arabian grand prix in march, the ferrari reserve driver finished a remarkable seventh — beating one of his idols sir lewis hamilton. on sunday, he'll be competing again — this time in azerbaijan for american team haas. our sports correspondent natalie pirks has been catching up with him.
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ollie bearman had just ordered lunch when he got a call that would change his life. hours later, he was making history, racing injeddah and going on to become the youngest driver to ever score points on his formula 1 debut. this weekend, the car may be different but the opportunity is just as big. i'll try and keep the emotions away from it as much as possible because that makes your life a bit easier. but no doubt i'll be a little bit nervous when those lights are going on. at 16, afterfinishing his gcses, he was living the dream... # baby, baby, baby, ohh...#. ..moving to italy full—time tojoin the ferrari driver academy, after impressing in his karting career. he's been learning the language, and the cooking. but in a sport of huge privilege, it hasn't come without sacrifice. i didn't know anyone, i didn't speak the language and it got very lonely, as well. it was very difficult at times, but, you know, life's about sacrifice and i'm very happy to say that it's got me to where i am today.
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now still only 19, his future lies with american team haas from next season. this weekend, he'll get a taste of what he's got coming, replacing kevin magnussen, who's serving a one race penalty. but it's lewis hamilton's footsteps he hopes to follow one day. i'm really happy to see lewis going to ferrari. it's a combination that will be hugely successful, i hope. of course, one day, i would love to be in red as well. my goal in my life is to win an f1 world championship. f1 is just a step towards that but i'm really happy to get my chance in f1 and show what i'm capable of. sunday, then, another opportunity to prove he has the talent to back up the ambition. natalie pirks, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker. a bit chilly, isn't it? it certainly is. when we step out of the front door tomorrow it is going
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to be fresh outside. fresh! i warn you, in fact, to be fresh outside. fresh! i warn you, infact, it to be fresh outside. fresh! i warn you, in fact, it will feel like autumn. a cold start with a touch of rural frost but lots of sunshine. the sun still has some power to it so it will warm up quickly. look at the motion of the clouds on the satellite picture, coming all the way from iceland, the arctic, streaming on this north—westerly breeze. that cold air has faded many parts of north—western europe. still a few showers left over around some eastern and western coasts but generally, clearskies, light winds. these are the city temperature is so widely around three or four. coastal areas will be a bit more balmy. the isles of scilly might be about 12 but a frost on the cards outside of town, particularly across central and northern britain. temperatures below zero in some spots for sure. it was around freezing last night in a couple of spots. lots of sunshine right from the word go. later in the day, it might turn hazy in northern
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ireland. these are the temperatures, typically the mid—teens for most of us. remember, the sun is still strong this time of the year so that big contrast in how things feel between the morning in the afternoon. saturday, a reversal of the wind, so coming in from the south—west. temperatures will start to pick up during the course of saturday, back to about 19 for hull and norwich, the mid or high teens for most of us. on sunday, admittedly, yes, a weatherfront sneaks through and will deliver some cloud and spots of rain but i think the overall message is for high pressure starting to build on from the south—west, which means that we have got a dose of late summer weather on the way. temperatures back into the 20s. belfast, not far off 20 by tuesday. we are not done yet with summer! that is good news, thank you. and that's bbc news at six. you can keep up with all the latest developments on bbc website.
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