Data reveals England's fattest areas

4 February 2014 Last updated at 18:06

England's fattest areas: Copeland 'most overweight borough'

Experts predict more than 50% of the UK population will be obese by 2050

Copeland in West Cumbria is the fattest local authority area in England, according to new government figures.

The borough has 75.9% of its population classed as overweight or obese, the Public Health England data show.

Overall, 63.8% of adults in England have a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or over - a figure of between 18.5 and 24.9 is deemed healthy for an adult.

The fattest region is the North East, where 68% of people are overweight, followed by the West Midlands at 65.7%.

Other obesity hotspots include Doncaster (74.4%), East Lindsay in Lincolnshire (73.8%) and Ryedale in North Yorkshire (73.7%).

The thinnest local authority areas include several in London, such as Kensington and Chelsea (45.9%) and Richmond upon Thames (47.6%).

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum (NOF), said: "The publication of these figures has to be welcomed because they will give local authorities a better chance of fighting obesity than did 15 years of tackling the epidemic from Westminster.

"County and town halls were handed the poisoned chalice of doing something about the epidemic only last April but were underfunded for the task."

Dr Jane Rossini, Cumbria & Lancashire centre director at Public Health England (PHA), said: "Even in the areas with lowest prevalence of people who are overweight and obese, levels are still high.

"Overweight and obesity are complex issues and influenced by a variety of factors, including social and economic deprivation and age.

"The variation in levels of overweight and obesity across the area, and England as a whole, highlights the extent of the challenge faced by many local authorities."

'Catalyst for action'

Last month, the NOF said estimates that half the UK population would be obese by 2050 "underestimated" the problem and called for GPs to proactively discuss weight management with patients, and routinely measure children's height and weight and adults' waist size.

Joseph Clift, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "These new figures hold a mirror in front of the country's waistline and it reflects a very unhealthy picture.

"The Westminster government need to introduce consistent regulation for advertising unhealthy products on TV and online to stop food companies exploiting loopholes.

"Local authorities need to be designing towns and cities in ways which encourage people to be more active, whether that's by walking or cycling."

Prof Kevin Fenton, director of health and wellbeing at PHA, added: "Many local authorities are already working hard to reduce obesity levels and these new data will help all local areas monitor their progress in tackling these long-standing problems.

"There is no silver bullet to reducing obesity; it is a complex issue that requires action at individual, family, local and national levels."

The figures are based on adjusted, self-reported height and weight measurements collected via questions in the Active People Survey by Sport England since January 2012.

Kidnap gang 'boss' was Tory activist

4 February 2014 Last updated at 18:02

Mujeeb Bhutto: Kidnap gang 'boss' was Conservative activist

By Mike Deri Smith & Jim Reed BBC Newsnight

Grant Shapps: "He is not now a member of the Conservative Party"

Convicted kidnap gang "boss" Mujeeb Bhutto was a Conservative activist before he joined the UK Independence Party, BBC Newsnight has learned.

In 2008, Bhutto, 35, of Leeds, was released from prison after serving a sentence over a kidnapping in Pakistan.

He joined the Tory party two months later for a year. He later joined UKIP and acted as its Commonwealth spokesman in 2013 but quit the party in December.

The Tories said an application to rejoin them had been rejected.

Newsnight has seen photographs and documents indicating Bhutto, who was a Conservative Party member in 2008/9, was involved in campaigning and supporting the party between 2008 and 2011.

A letter dated June 2010, which was sent to Bhutto by senior Yorkshire-based Conservative Julia Mulligan, thanks him for his help during the May 2010 general election campaign.

'Huge help'

"I just wanted to write to thank you for the huge amount of help you gave me during the election campaign," said Ms Mulligan, who is now the police and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire.

"Taking on all those deliveries made an enormous difference to our ability to deliver a strong campaign."

Ms Mulligan instructed a North Yorkshire councillor to invite Bhutto to a garden party in July 2010, so that she could meet him for the first time.

The BBC has also seen a series of emails to Bhutto which appear to suggest his attempt to rejoin the party was approved.

Mujeeb Bhutto tried to rejoin the Conservatives after leaving UKIP

In one message, dated 30 January 2014, Robert Winfield, the deputy chairman of Leeds West Conservatives, said: "I am just dropping you a brief email to say that I was delighted to learn that you have rejoined the Conservative Party.

"I hope to speak to you soon but unfortunately I am just getting over flu. I assume this means that you have severed your connections with UKIP."

'Application scrutinised'

Bhutto told the BBC that he had not yet been contacted by the Conservatives to inform him that his application had been rejected.

But Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said it had.

When presented with the email messages on the BBC's Daily Politics programme, he said: "Every person who joins, and particularly when they join online, automatically receives a welcoming letter.

"We reserve the right to scrutinise that application. And before that person is accepted we can take a decision on their membership. He is not now a member of the Conservative Party."

He added: "He attempted to re-join the party last week after having been the UKIP spokesman. Because he's the spokesman for another party, we simply rejected that application."

As revealed by Newsnight on Monday, Bhutto served as UKIP's Commonwealth spokesman between March and December 2013. He appeared on behalf of the party on national television and radio programmes.

His role at the Conservative Party was as a grassroots activist helping with canvassing and leafleting, not as an official spokesman.

Watch Newsnight's film from Monday on Bhutto and UKIP

A senior Tory party source compared his membership to someone who paid the television licence fee, saying such a person could not be seen to represent the BBC.

'Cameron selfies'

Photographs posted to Bhutto's deleted Facebook account show his active support of the Conservative Party before he joined UKIP. He confirmed they were his photographs and identified the people in them.

They appear to show two attempted "selfies" with David Cameron.

A third image shows Bhutto in front of a Conservative "Vote for Change" banner.

It is understood he was also active in the campaign to maintain the current Westminster voting system in a referendum in 2011, posing in pictures with MPs Nigel Evans and Stuart Andrew.

During his time with UKIP, Bhutto organised a trip to a Leeds mosque for party leader Nigel Farage and, during the 2012 Rotherham by-election, canvassed with UKIP candidate Jane Collins.

UKIP said: "When we recently became aware of possible issues relating to his past and raised the matter with him, he resigned his membership."

Bhutto's gang were behind a high-profile kidnapping in Karachi in 2004 and he then took a £56,000 ransom payment in Manchester.

In 2005, Bhutto, of Leeds, admitted being the gang's "boss" and was jailed for seven years by a UK court for conspiracy to blackmail.

Georgia in Sochi warning to Russia

4 February 2014 Last updated at 16:07

Georgia PM Garibashvili in Sochi warning to Russia

By Chris Morris BBC News, Brussels

Irakli Garibashvili: "If there are any surprises we will of course react adequately"

Georgia has warned it will take action if Russia makes any move to bolster the independence claims of two breakaway Georgian regions during ceremonies at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

PM Irakli Garibashvili said he hoped there would be no official welcome for the "so-called Abkhazian and South Ossetian authorities."

Russia is one of a few countries that recognise the regions' independence.

Georgia has had no diplomatic ties with Moscow since their brief war in 2008.

Tbilisi already expressed deep concern about Russia's decision last month to expand its Olympic security zone into Abkhazia, which is less than 40 km (25 miles) along the Black Sea coast from Sochi.

"It was a tough decision not to boycott the Games [in the first place]," Mr Garibashvili said during an interview on a visit to Brussels, where he has been meeting EU and Nato leaders.

"But if there are any surprises we will of course react adequately," he warned.

There have been demonstrations in the Georgian capital Tbilisi calling for a boycott of the Games, but the prime minister said he was trying to take a constructive approach.

"We offered to co-operate with Russia on security as well," he said. "I don't want to believe there will be any surprises, [but] this conflict issue remains the biggest concern."

If the leaders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are given prominence at Sochi, domestic pressure to withdraw Georgia's small Olympic team will intensify.

Mr Garibashvili refused to be drawn on how exactly he would respond, but the option of withdrawal clearly remains open.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov argued recently that the problems between the two countries stem from Georgia's refusal to recognise realities on the ground.

"The reality is that there is only one country on our territory," Mr Garibashvili argued. "And this is Georgia."

Hundreds of protesters rallied in the Georgian capital on Saturday calling for a Games boycott

At the age of 31, Irakli Garibashvili is the youngest democratically-elected head of government in the world. But he has a lot on his plate.

He admits that he has been watching events in Ukraine closely and "with extreme concern. "

Under pressure from Moscow, the Ukrainian government changed course last year and abandoned a wide-ranging trade and co-operation deal with the European Union, triggering the recent protests.

But Georgia is determined to continue pursuing a path of closer relations with the EU, and membership of Nato. It hopes to formally sign its own partnership deal with the EU later this year.

That is why many in Georgia are braced for a lot more pressure from Russia on this issue once the Winter Olympics are over.

Mr Garibashvili himself strikes a note of defiance, while trying to hold out an olive branch.

"We are less dependent on Russia - [it] doesn't have so many political or economic leverages on us," he said.

"[But] we have to convince Russia that Georgia's Euro-integration is not a threat. Russia should be interested in having a strong, reliable and democratic neighbour."

Woman jailed for Caribbean killing

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:57

Nicole Reyes: Cardiff woman jailed for 12 years in Caribbean

Nicole Reyes has been jailed for killing Jorge Quintanilla Reyes

A Cardiff woman has been convicted of killing her husband in a road crash in the Dominican Republic.

Mother-of-two Nicole Reyes, 37, of Rumney, has been jailed for 12 years for killing Jorge Quintanilla Reyes in July 2012.

The 38-year-old was knocked off his motorbike by Reyes, but she has always maintained it was an accident.

Reyes's mother, Jeanette Clements, has told BBC Wales her daughter is the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

"I am absolutely devastated," Ms Clements said.

"I really believed she was coming home with me - we were sitting in a court room not hearing evidence against her.

"It's a miscarriage of justice."

Ms Clements said the family will appeal against the verdict.

Reyes was jailed by a court in the city of Santiago.

The Foreign Office said: "We are aware that a British national, Nicole Reyes, has been detained in the Dominican Republic since July 2012.

"We are monitoring events closely. We continue to provide consular assistance to Ms Reyes and her family."

Mother jailed for Caribbean killing

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:51

Nicole Reyes: Cardiff mother jailed for 12 years in Caribbean

Nicole Reyes has been jailed for killing Jorge Quintanilla Reyes

A Cardiff woman has been convicted of killing her husband in the Dominican Republic in a road crash.

Mother-of-two Nicole Reyes, 37, of Rumney, has been jailed for 12 years for killing Jorge Quintanilla Reyes in July 2012.

The 38-year-old was knocked off his motorbike by Reyes, but she has always maintained it was an accident.

Reyes's mother, Jeanette Clements, has told BBC Wales her daughter is the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Flood delay a tragedy, says Charles

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:46

Somerset flood delay a 'tragedy', says Prince Charles

Prince Charles travelled to the flood-hit village of Muchelney by boat

Continue reading the main story

The Prince of Wales has met residents and farmers in the flood-hit Somerset Levels and said it was a "tragedy" that nothing had happened for so long.

Thousands of hectares of land remain under water in the area, where whole villages have been cut off for weeks.

Residents have expressed anger at the pace at which the Environment Agency and the government have responded.

The Met Office is warning of more rain and strong winds in the south-west of the UK, with gusts of up to 60mph.

Speaking during his visit to Somerset, the Prince of Wales said: "There's nothing like a jolly good disaster to get people to start doing something.

"The tragedy is that nothing happened for so long."

Many residents have said there has been a slow response from the authorities to the flooding, which has affected many parts of the Somerset Levels since the end of December.

Some have also suggested that a lack of river dredging by the Environment Agency could have exacerbated the scale of the flooding.

'Feels sorry'

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson - who visited the area last week - was harangued by some residents about the "Third World" conditions they were living in.

The Prince of Wales also said during his visit that he "feels very sorry for all the people affected by the flooding".

Asked to respond to the Prince's comments, David Cameron's official spokesman said: "The prime minister has repeatedly said... that the situation that a number of communities in the Somerset area find themselves in is unacceptable.

"That is why the government is working so closely with the Environment Agency, the local authority and other agencies to do as much as we can to help those communities."

The Met Office's yellow warning - meaning "be aware" - also applies across southern England and Wales on Wednesday. Between 10 and 20mm of rain is predicted.

Another band of rain is expected to arrive from the south on Thursday, adds the Met Office.

The Environment Agency says it expects the strong winds and high waves to cause flooding in coastal areas.

It no longer has any "danger to life" severe flood warnings in place, but there are more than 50 lesser flood warnings - mainly in the Midlands, south-east and south-west of England - and more than 150 flood alerts across England and Wales.

But the agency said the flood risk would continue over the next week.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has six flood alerts in place, meaning flooding is possible.

The Prince of Wales was taken to areas cut off by the flood in a boat

The Prince of Wales posed for photographs with residents on his arrival in Somerset

Prince Charles was then taken on a tractor trailer through flooded roads to visit a farm

Pumps are still active at Burrowbridge on the Somerset Levels

River levels remain high in other areas including Old Windsor, Berkshire

The Prince of Wales visited the Somerset Levels as patron of the Prince's Countryside Fund, which allocates grants to rural projects and for help in emergencies.

He arrived shortly after noon and spoke to people at Williams Hall in Stoke St Gregory before touring the area.

Prince Charles was taken to the village of Muchelney by boat and later climbed on to a tractor-towed trailer for a journey along flooded roads to a farm in Thorney.

The Prince's Countryside Fund is donating £50,000 to help the region. It has allocated £25,000 to the Farming Help Partnership, with the remainder given to the Somerset Community Foundation.

Earlier, Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith told the BBC dredging of river channels was part of the answer for Somerset but a comprehensive solution was needed.

He said one option in future was to try to hold back water further up the catchment to prevent so much reaching the Levels, which lie below sea level.

Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith: ''Our top priority is making sure that we save human lives''

But Lord Smith reiterated there was not a limitless amount of money available for tackling floods.

"Most people would say lives come first, and homes and businesses have to come after that," he said.

On Monday, the government announced an additional £300,000 of funding on top of financial support already available to local authorities to repair bridges and roads, bringing its total cash support to £7m.

The Environment Agency has opened a cheaper helpline for flooding victims in England after complaints that callers were being charged up to 41p a minute to ring the existing number when using a mobile phone, with the money going to a private company.

Several coastal towns in south-west England were hit by fresh flooding on Monday, which disrupted businesses and severed road and rail links.

Are you in Somerset? Send us your pictures and video of the Prince's visit by using the form below.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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MP murder suspect dies in Tunis raid

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:37

Tunisian MP killing suspect reported among dead in police raid

Police say they tried to capture the militants alive

Continue reading the main story

A suspect in the killings of two prominent Tunisian MPs is reported to have died in a clash with security forces.

Kamel Gadhgadhi was among seven militants killed in the raid on a house in Tunis.

One policeman also died in the operation, which began on Monday afternoon.

Tunisian security forces have fought a long campaign against Islamist militants over the past two years.

Gadhgadhi was wanted in connection with the killing of prominent left-wing MPs Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi last year.

The assassinations plunged Tunisia into a protracted political crisis, which the country has only now emerged from.

The raid comes a week after Tunisia's parliament adopted a new constitution - its first since the revolution three years ago.

The siege ended in dramatic style on Tuesday afternoon as special units from the National Guard stormed the house.

The Tunisian news agency TAP named the policeman who was killed as Atef Jebri, a 29-year-old corporal in the specialist unit in the National Guard.

One militant was arrested by police, TAP reported.

Police said the men were heavily armed.

"They had suicide bomb belts and explosive material," interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui told Reuters news agency.

Units from the National Guard led the operation, which left seven militants dead

The raid started on Monday afternoon and lasted almost 24 hours

The fighting took place in a poor suburb of Tunis

Militant groups

More than 20 members of the Tunisian security forces were killed last year during operations against Islamist militants in the west of the country.

Analysts say politicians hope the new constitution will send out a message of stability after months of deadlock between Islamist and secular parties.

Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, won the first democratic elections after long-time ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced from power in 2011.

But it has faced fierce opposition from secular groups, who have accused it being too close to militant organisations - charges it strongly denies.

Earlier this month, Ennahda Prime Minister Ali Larayedh stepped down and was replaced by Mehdi Jomaa, who heads the newly-appointed caretaker government.

Judge regrets 'drink game' reference

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:38

Judge Rosemary Watters regrets 'drink game' reference

A Northern Ireland judge who was filmed at a family event drinking a shot and saying "neck and nominate" has said she recognises her "foolish behaviour".

Rosemary Watters said she would discourage anyone else from repeating what she did.

NekNomination is a game in which people are encouraged to drink alcohol in one go before posting a video online.

The Lord Chief Justice's Office, issued a statement, saying: "The video was taken at a family event."

It added: "Judge Watters recognises her foolish behaviour and would discourage anyone else from repeating what she did."

The concept of the game has been described as 'neck your drink, nominate another' person to do the same within 24 hours.

They post a video of themselves completing the challenge and nominate two of their friends to do the same.

Jonny Byrne died after jumping into the River Barrow

"Neknominees" who refuse and break the chain are subject to online ridicule.

On Monday, a Northern Ireland-based Facebook page sharing videos of the drinking game was discontinued after the death of an Irish teenager.

Jonny Byrne, who was 19 and from County Carlow, died after jumping into the River Barrow in Carlow on Saturday.

His family said he had been playing 'NekNomination and believe the craze has turned into a form of bullying.

Jonny Byrne entered the River Barrow on Saturday night and after hours of searching, his body was recovered shortly after 11:00 GMT on Sunday.

The teenager's father, Joe Byrne, told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ: "I'm pleading to every youngster to think of the things they're doing.

"It has cost my son his life. The whole family is devastated and our lives will never be the same again."

Teen guilty of murdering grandmother

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:24

Lewis Dale guilty of murdering grandmother Irene Dale

Irene Dale was in bed when she was stabbed to death by her grandson

A teenager has been found guilty of the murder of his grandmother and the attempted murder of his grandfather in an attack "like the film Psycho".

Irene Dale, 78, and husband Allan, 80, were stabbed in bed at their home in Summergangs Road in Hull last April.

Their grandson Lewis Dale, 17, who lived with them, admitted killing her but denied murder and attempted murder due to diminished responsibility.

He will be sentenced at Hull Crown Court later this month.

Dale had told the court he regularly used the drug mephedrone, also known as M-Cat, and could not remember attacking his grandparents.

'Hitchcock film'

The jury was told Mr and Mrs Dale had gone to bed at about 10:30 GMT on 26 April.

Later that night Dale entered the couple's bedroom and stabbed his grandfather in the chest.

Mrs Dale woke up during the attack and her grandson stabbed her several times before running from the room.

Mr Dale told the jury his grandson had behaved like the character Norman Bates from the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho.

He told the jury: "I know it was Lewis but I can't understand it, why it happened."

West Ham lose Carroll red card appeal

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:21

Andy Carroll: West Ham striker's red card appeal rejected

West Ham striker Andy Carroll has failed to overturn his red card against Swansea on Saturday after the Football Association dismissed his appeal.

The 25-year-old was sent off after clashing with Swans defender Chico Flores during his side's 2-0 win.

He will now miss the Hammers' Premier League games against Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton.

In apparent reaction to the decision, Carroll, who set up both goals on Saturday, tweeted: "Disgraceful." 

More to follow.

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Motorway reopens after coach crash

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:23

M4 motorway reopens after coach crash near Newport

Thirteen people were hurt but their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening

The M4 motorway has completely reopened near Newport more than seven hours after a serious crash in which 13 people were injured.

A lorry, car and coach carrying 44 students collided at about 09:30 GMT eastbound at junction 25 (Caerleon) causing major traffic disruption.

Two people were seriously injured but most casualties were described as walking wounded.

Gwent Police said all lanes reopened by 17:00 GMT but traffic was still slow.

The students were taken to a nearby rest centre.

The eastbound carriageway had been shut between junction 28 (Tredegar Park) and junction 24 (Coldra) as emergency services dealt with the incident.

Part of the westbound carriageway was also closed for several hours while accident investigators examined the scene.

Tailbacks stretched as far as the toll booths near the Severn bridges westbound and the Cardiff Gate junction eastbound.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said it was receiving "walking wounded" casualties at the Royal Gwent Hospital's accident and emergency department in Newport, which was increasing pressure on staff.

Several casualties were treated for minor injuries in Newport and one was admitted with more serious injuries, a spokesman for the health board added.

Two off-site triage centres were also set up - at St Julian's clinic and the Newport Centre.

The driver of the bus was flown to Morriston Hospital in Swansea while another casualty was treated at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Accident investigations were being carried out on the eastbound carriageway on the M4

The coach was carrying 57 students

The drivers of the lorry and car were treated at the scene but did not require hospital treatment.

Nick Smith, of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "We assessed and treated a number of causalities at the scene of the road traffic collision, 11 of which have been taken to hospitals across south Wales with varying degrees of injuries.

"Incidents involving multiple casualties can be challenging, but staff both in our control room and on the frontline have worked hard with our emergency service colleagues, the local authority and local health board to provide immediate and seamless healthcare for patients.

"The students involved in the collision have remained very calm while our clinicians have assessed and treated them, helping the situation to run smoothly."

There were miles of tailbacks with many drivers reportedly spending several hours on the road.

Mike Edwards, from Newport, was travelling behind a fire engine as it arrived at the scene.

"Children were being escorted off the motorway via the slip road in a very well controlled fashion," he said.

"The driver of the bus was visible and looked quite poorly but I could see him moving.

"It was a very shocking scene to witness."

Creative and therapeutic art student Abbey Murphy was trying to get to an exam at the University of South Wales' Caerleon campus for 14:45 GMT.

She had travelled just 700m on the A48(M) from Cardiff to Newport in just under two hours.

"It's absolutely ridiculous, I've never been stuck in a traffic jam like it," she said.

Alex McDonald, who was trying to get to work in Bristol, told BBC Wales he spent more than four hours stuck on the A48 near Cardiff before finally reaching the M4 shortly after 15:00 GMT.

Earlier, he said: "The signs say there are delays rather than the motorway being shut.

"We're basically being parked here just to keep the traffic okay elsewhere.

"It's annoying when the signs don't give any indication of what's happening."

Another motorist, Kash Amin, had been trying to get to his business in Newport from Cardiff.

He said he had only been travelling a short distance on the motorway before it ground to a halt.

"People are getting frustrated," he said. "I've only moved 100m in the past 70 minutes.

Diversions

"I've got staff and two shops that are closed."

Ch Insp Paul Evans of Gwent Police apologised to motorists for the closure, saying "the decision to do so is never taken lightly and we fully recognise the impact this has on motorists as well as the communities affected by diversions".

He added: "We need to ensure we investigate every such collision thoroughly, gathering all evidence possible, and also ensuring the safety of everyone involved as well as other motorists who will be using this road once it's reopened."

The driver of the bus was taken to hospital

Charlie Chaplin novella published

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:02

Charlie Chaplin novella finally published

Chaplin was interviewed by the BBC on the eve of Limelight's premiere

The only known novella by film star Charlie Chaplin has been published, 66 years after it was written.

Footlights, the basis for his 1952 film Limelight, has been reconstructed by Chaplin's biographer, David Robinson.

Drafts of the work were uncovered in the Chaplin archive at the Cineteca di Bologna in Italy.

The novella will be launched on Tuesday at BFI Southbank in London during an event to mark the centenary of Chaplin's 'Little Tramp' character.

Footlights is 70 pages long and contains around 34,000 words. It took Chaplin around three years to adapt his book into a film script.

Limelight was Claire Bloom's big break

It is being published as part of a larger book called The World of Limelight, compiled and written by Robinson.

Limelight is considered by many to be one of Chaplin's last great films.

Time lord

It tells the story of a clown - played by Chaplin - who saves a dancer (Claire Bloom) from suicide and helps her resume her dancing career.

It includes a sequence where Chaplin and Buster Keaton, who plays Chaplin's stage partner, appear on screen together - the only time they did so.

Bloom will appear at Tuesday's event alongside Robinson, author of many books about Chaplin's life and work.

After Limelight, Bloom was named best newcomer at the 1953 Baftas and went on to appear with Richard Burton in Look Back in Anger (1956) and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965).

In recent years she has been seen as Queen Mary in The King's Speech, ITV's Doc Martin and a mysterious Time Lord in Doctor Who.

The Cineteca di Bologna's digitisation of the vast Chaplin archive comprises more than 100,000 documents.

Doubt and reassurance

4 February 2014 Last updated at 15:23

Article written by Brian Taylor Political editor, Scotland

• More from Brian

Scottish independence: Doubt and reassurance

BP's chief executive Bob Dudley says there is a question mark about the currency to be used by an independent Scotland

And so, from the boss of BP, further questions concerning the big question, to be addressed by the people of Scotland in September. And once again, it is the elements of interdependence - rather than independence - which are prompting debate.

Bob Dudley of BP speaks of uncertainties surrounding the referendum offer. Specifically, he talks about a "question mark" over the currency to be used by an independent Scotland and the pace of settling potential membership of the EU.

It will be noted that both these issues require agreement from power blocs beyond Scotland. It will be noted that, consequently, advocates of independence are unable to offer an unalloyed, unilateral guarantee on either point.

Not unwilling. Unable.

That is because sharing the pound post independence, as part of a sterling zone, requires the remainder of the UK to assent. That is because membership of the EU and the concomitant terms require negotiation with Brussels and agreement from existing EU member states.

Debated endlessly

The response from Scottish government ministers is to argue that it would be in the interests of the rest of the UK (rUK) to share the pound - and in the interests of the EU to retain the people of Scotland in membership.

On the Nationalist side, there is apparent exasperation at issues being raised, again, which they regard as having been debated endlessly and, they would argue, settled.

On the Unionist side, there is evident delight that a big name business leader has voiced concern - while simultaneously stressing that BP was continuing to invest substantially in Scotland.

Those campaigning to retain the Union believe that the weak points in the Nationalist case lie with those interdependent issues - because, by definition, they feature intrinsic uncertainty for the very basic reason that they are not decisions to be taken by one party.

Now, are the Unionist side talking up the doubts to assist their case? Of course they are. They now hope that other business leaders will express concern.

To be clear, Mr Dudley's view is not uniformly shared across the business sector. Many, including senior figures, have argued that independence would enhance the Scottish economy and give Scotland a distinctive marketing pitch.

Significant role

But others will share Mr Dudley's doubts. To date, relatively few business leaders have come forward.

In the 1979 referendum, the business sector played a significant role in casting a shadow of doubt over the then proposals for devolution.

By 1997, it appeared evident that the revised plan for devolved self-government had substantial popular support - as did the newly-elected UK Labour government which was advancing the scheme.

Cautious business leaders could see that the scheme was going ahead, that the Tories had been heavily defeated - and that, for the foreseeable future, they would require to work with Labour. Those few who voiced doubts were chided, bluntly, by John Prescott.

Similar pragmatism may be at play now, at least in Scotland. Some business leaders may be reluctant to speak out too bluntly for fear of upsetting the incumbent Scottish government. Even Mr Dudley modulates his remarks by stressing the solidity of his company's presence in Scotland.

The points raised by Mr Dudley are not new. But, once more, they will drive the two sides to respond. Better Together will talk up the doubts. Yes Scotland will seek to offer reassurance. Doubt and reassurance.

Hester named new RSA Insurance boss

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:12

Stephen Hester named new RSA Insurance boss

Stephen Hester resigned as the boss of RBS in June last year

Stephen Hester, the former boss of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), has been appointed as the new chief executive of troubled insurance firm RSA.

He replaces Simon Lee, who quit RSA in December after a series of profit warnings and accounting irregularities in its Irish business.

Mr Hester said he would be "getting started immediately" on a review of the firm's activities.

He resigned from RBS in June after nearly five years in charge.

He was credited with helping to turn around the banking giant, which came to the brink of collapse during the financial crisis and was bailed out by the government.

RSA, which owns the More Than brand, was forced to sack several executives at its Irish division after it found that misreporting of financial information had led to a £200m hole in its finances.

In a statement, Mr Hester said the "challenges of recent months have demonstrated that we have not lived up to our stakeholders' expectations and performed to our true potential".

"I look forward to getting started immediately and working closely with the board on the business review to ensure that we are able to deliver strength and value to all of our stakeholders and re-emerge as an attractive solidly performing group."

The BBC's business editor Robert Peston says Mr Hester will earn a salary of £950,000, with a bonus worth up to 80% of that, plus longer-term incentive schemes potentially worth millions of pounds more.

Miro sale cancelled at last minute

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:08

A sale of Joan Miro artwork is cancelled amid a legal dispute

Joan Miro's Women and Birds had been expected to fetch one of the highest bids, between $6.5m and $11.5m

A sale of 85 paintings by Spanish artist Joan Miro by the Portuguese government has been cancelled.

The state took over the artworks - valued at $49m (£30m) - as part of the assets of Portugal's BPN bank, which was nationalised in 2008.

The sale had been due to go ahead in London on Tuesday.

But it was unexpectedly cancelled by auctioneer Christie's, which blamed "a dispute before the Portuguese Court, to which Christie's is not a party".

A court in Portugal had earlier rejected an injunction by opposition politicians attempting to block the sale, which aimed to recoup some of the millions the government lost rescuing the failed bank during the financial crisis.

Legislators belonging to the opposition Socialist Party had requested the injunction, saying the paintings had been taken out of Portugal illegally.

More than 9,000 people signed an online petition calling for the collection to be kept in Portugal, according to Reuters news agency.

The most highly valued piece in the collection, Women and Birds (Femmes et Oiseaux), had been expected to fetch between $6.5m and $11.5m.

Another of Joan Miro's most valued works, Painting: Blue Star (Peinture: Etoile Bleue), was valued between $4m and $5.7m.

The 1927 work set an auction record for the Spanish painter when it sold for more than $37m in London in 2012.

Christie's described the collection as "one of the most extensive and impressive offerings of works by the artist ever to come to auction".

The authorities in Portugal have had to enforce drastic austerity measures over the past three years under a bailout agreement.

VIDEO: Rural roads may have to close

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Cornish Council may withdraw maintenance of roads

4 February 2014 Last updated at 17:03 GMT

Councils are warning that parts of Britain's road network could become so unsafe the they will need to be shut completely.

Local authorities in some areas say finances are so squeezed they may have to consider withdrawing maintenance from their rural road network.

Cornwall relies heavily on its rural road network for agricultural use and a thriving tourist industry.

Councillor Bert Biscoe spoke to the BBC's Mike Sergeant.

4 February 2014 Last updated at 00:02

The rare art of cheese-making in DR Congo

By Maud Jullien BBC Africa, Goma

Hot water is added to curdled milk to harden the cheese

Continue reading the main story

A hillside village in the Democratic Republic of Congo is an unlikely site for the production of fine cheese. But here, one man continues a legacy started by Belgian priests in 1975.

Andre Ndekezi cuts carefully through thick, curdled milk with a large fork and then stirs it with his bare hands. He is making cheese in a bathtub.

His workshop is a small, wooden cabin perched on the lush hills of Masisi, in the east of the DR Congo.

The conditions are basic, but Ndekezi has a rare savoir-faire when it comes to dairy products.

The curd will spend a month on a shelf in a dark room in the back of the workshop and eventually become a refined cheese.

Simply known as Goma cheese - Goma is the largest town in the area - it is like a milder version of French gruyere, softer in texture.

Ndekezi is 52 years old and he learned how to do his job 30 years ago. At the time, all sorts of cheese was produced in eastern DR Congo.

''I know how to make camembert and mozzarella,'' explains Ndekezi. "But we no longer have the necessary equipment or products to make those cheeses. During the war, everything was looted or destroyed.''

Hundreds of small dairy farms lined up on the hills of Masisi produce cheese using no more than a bathtub, fishnets, buckets, and some metal pots.

With its cool climate and abundant cattle, the area offers the ideal conditions for dairy production.

That is what prompted Belgian priests to first start making cheese here in the 1970s.

''The priests started in 1975, they set up factories on the hills, not only here but also in Rwanda and Uganda," Ndekezi explains. Today, cheese from Masisi is the only local dairy product to be sold across the DRC.

Cheese is not usually part of traditional food in Africa, and in fact much of the cheese found on the continent is imported from Europe.

Ndekezi's face lights up when he talks about his job, and how he learned it.

He was taught to make cheese by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Masisi, before being hired by a local dairy farm run by Belgian priests.

That's where he acquired the skills to make more sophisticated dairy products, including the famous French camembert and Italian mozzarella but also yoghurt and butter.

At the time, dozens of parishes produced dairy goods across eastern DR Congo. The area, with its fertile soil and immense mineral wealth, was one of the most prosperous in the country.

Andre was able to earn a living producing cheese until the late 1990s, when the war forced him and hundreds of thousands of others to flee to the biggest nearby town.

"My family and I left Masisi for Goma, and I had to find a different job. I worked in a hotel. I managed to feed my family, but I didn't make cheese for 20 years."

The cheese curd is packed down into pots to create the round shapes

As he speaks, two apprentices come into the workshop carrying buckets of hot water. "This is to harden the cheese," he says. They pour it into the bathtub while Ndekezi continues to stir.

Three decades of war dislocated the east of the country and left many people struggling to survive, let alone find a job.

In November last year, one of the country's most dangerous rebel groups, the M23, was defeated by the Congolese army backed by UN troops, raising hopes for a more stable future.

The war is far from over in eastern DR Congo, where over 30 armed groups still target civilians, but parts of Masisi have been experiencing relative peace in the past few years.

Many people from the area, including Ndekezi, have returned home.

The prospect of stable employment played a big role in his decision to return. "Now I earn a better living. This is what I am good at. It is what I love to do".

He speaks over the metallic sounds his apprentices make as they squeeze the curd into small round pots.

The mixture is stirred quickly to bring it to the right temperature

Two batches of cheese are prepared each day in Ndekezi's factory

Once made, the cheese rests in the storeroom for one month

"I am proud to be able to say that my country DR Congo produces cheese.''

He has bigger ambitions. For him, this tiny factory is only a first step back into the business. He is convinced that with his skills, he can achieve much more.

"Little by little, I will build on this. I want to get equipment shipped from Europe so I can also start making camembert here. You'll see, one day I will send some to you, in France.''

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Hair tongs and mugs top burns list

4 February 2014 Last updated at 02:35

Hair straighteners and mugs top child burns list

By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online

A young child's skin is thinner than an adult's, making it more susceptible to scalds and burns

Hair straighteners and hot mugs are the leading causes of childhood scalds and burns, and one-year-olds are at greatest risk, data reveals.

Researchers looked at admissions to three leading burns units as well as five emergency departments in the UK.

The commonest injury was from toddlers reaching up for a steaming cup.

Parents appear unprepared and underestimate how mobile and far youngsters can reach, say the authors in Archives of Diseases in Childhood.

Nearly three-quarters of the 1,215 children treated in a two-year period were under the age of five, with most burn and scald injuries occurring in one-year-olds.

Any hot drink can scald a baby even 15 minutes after it's been made.

All scald injuries - 709 in total - had occurred in the home. Hot drinks accounted for more than half of these and in half of cases the child had tipped boiling drink down their front after pulling down the cup or mug from a table or counter top.

Contact burns in the under-fives were mostly caused by items, such as irons and hair straighteners, that had been left within a child's reach. Some were caused by oven hobs, and a few were from hot baths.

The study authors, Prof Alison Mary Kemp, from Cardiff University, and colleagues, say parents need to be more attuned to the risks posed to adventurous toddlers by everyday objects in the home.

They said: "The peak prevalence in infants started at nine months of age, when independent mobility begins, infants are exploring their environment without the awareness of dangers.

"Parents appear to be unready for this developmental stage in terms of preventative strategies. They may underestimate the potential reach height of their toddler."

The average height of one-year-olds is about 75cm (2ft 6in), which is about the same height as a dining table, and kitchen work surfaces or cooker hobs will still be in arm's reach.

The prevalence of burns and scalds falls dramatically at three years of age, which the researchers say may coincide with an increased cognitive awareness of the dangers of heat, a more vigilant approach by parents or a greater proportion of time spent outside the home.

Katrina Philips, chief executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, said: "This research bears out the sad truth that burns are all too common in under-fives, with injuries peaking in one-year-old babies. Babies develop as such a rapid pace - suddenly they can grab, pull themselves up, crawl and reach things that parents thought were out of reach. This makes them very vulnerable to burns.

"Getting into habits early on, like always putting your hair straighteners on a high shelf or in a heat-proof pouch to cool, always putting hot drinks far out of reach, keeping children out of the kitchen when you're cooking, etc. all help to greatly reduce the risk of them suffering the pain of serious burns."