17/11/2013 BBC Weekend News

Tributes are paid to one of Britain's greatest novelists after

Doris Lessing dies at the age of 94. Over six decades, she wrote more

than 50 books, winning the affection of readers - and the Nobel Prize for

Literature. So if I give you 300, could you try

and get four? Is that all right? The former Chairman of the Co-op Bank

apologises, after claims he bought illegal drugs.

As Qatar is accused of "ruthless exploitation" of World Cup

construction workers, a special report from Nepal on the desperate

demand for the jobs - whatever the conditions.

And South Africa overpower Scotland in a decisive win at Murrayfield.

Tributes are being paid to one of Britain's most celebrated authors -

Doris Lessing, who's died at her home in London at the age of 94.

Over a 60-year period, she wrote more than 50 works of fiction and

non fiction, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007. Tonight, the

novelist Salman Rushdie remembered the "warmth, sharp mind and

ferocity" of a writer who challenged convention. Nick Higham looks back

at Doris Lessing's life. Doris Lessing heard she had won the

Nobel Prize from reporters camped on her doorstep. Her reaction was

typical. Have you heard? You have won the Nobel Prize. Oh, Christ. Her

early life on a farm in Africa shaped much of her writing. Her

father lost a leg in the First World War and the evils of war became a

constant theme. The plight of women was another theme. Her first novel

was about a white woman's affair with a black man, set among what she

called the drunk and re-route world of white Rhodesians. She married

twice, separated twice, escape to England and became a writer. She

abandoned her earlier communism but remained political. The possible

future resident of the US only four years ago was talking about using an

atom bomb quite casually, a conventional weapon. What guarantee

is there that another slightly off-balance general might put the

whole world into war? Her breakthrough novel, The Golden

Notebook, appeared in 1962. Complex, it was hailed by feminists, although

Doris Lessing was hardly a conventional feminist. I don't think

my writing can be described as feminist or non-feminist. I write

about all kinds of men and women. I have never in my life met a woman

who was not a feminist. She published over 50 works including

short stories, science fiction and what she called in a space fiction.

She wrote a cross a huge variety of genres, but if there was a theme in

her work, I guess it was this exploration of working out how it is

that we can be to ourselves or good, and how we can be good for

society. These two things don't always go hand-in-hand. She admitted

she was often abrasive and her view of the world was often bleak. But

she was also a writer of scepticism, fire and visionary power.

Doris Lessing, who has died aged 94. The former chairman of the Co-op

Bank has apologised after a newspaper published a video

apparently showing him paying over ?300 for illegal drugs. The Mail on

Sunday says Paul Flowers bought and used the drugs - thought to be

cocaine - shortly after appearing before a committee of MPs. Mr

Flowers - who is also a Methodist minister - said he'd done things

that were stupid and wrong. Danny Savage reports.

We were the first and we are still the only bank to have actually

issued an unethical operating plan. He was the hype revile chairman of

the Co-op Bank. -- a high-profile chairman. But after being at the

helm of a so-called ethical bank, his own ethics are now being

questioned. So if we give you 300, if you can try and get for... A

paper says this footage shows him handing over money to buy illegal

drugs. It was filmed by an acquaintance who said he met Mr

Flowers online and claims to be disgusted by his hypocrisy. It said

he was behaving like this just days after he was questioned by the

Treasury said committee about the poor performance of the Co-op Bank.

Members of that committee have reacted with shock today. I was

absolutely astounded. When the Reverend came before us, I would not

have guessed that these were the sort of activities he was involved

in. Paul Flowers, who stood down as chairman of the bank earlier this

year, has released a statement, saying:

he has also been suspended from his job as a Methodist minister of this

church in Bradford. But the issue which will confirm -- concern many

is this was a man being paid ?132,000 a year to be chairman of

the bank which prides itself on its high ethical standards. Things did

go wrong on Paul Flowers's watch. West Yorkshire Police says it has

been made aware of the allegations and is now making further enquiries.

Large, destructive tornadoes have struck the US states of Illinois and

Indiana, as a major storm system crosses America's Midwest. One

person has been killed and state officials are warning that hundreds

may have been injured. One tornado passed through the city of Peoria in

Illinois, flattening homes. More than a week after Typhoon

Haiyan struck the Philippines, aid is starting to reach the most remote

areas affected. Helicopters from the American aircraft carrier USS George

Washington have been helping deliver much-needed supplies. Our

correspondent joined one of the flights to the remote town of

Guiuan. A glimmer of hope in a desperate

scramble for survival. These villagers living in one remit area

are finally getting aid, a week after the typhoon hit. The US

military has been working with the Philippine government to coordinate

relief efforts across this ever stated island. -- this devastated

island. We were given access to the American Navy's flagship carrier,

which serves as a mobile airport. With over 6000 sailors on board, it

is working at maximum capacity. We provide critical support to the

Philippine government as they restore infrastructure. I think the

carrier is a good sign of our relationship with the Philippines.

This is just one of 23 helicopters the U.S. Navy is operating out of

the USS George Washington. I making doubles -- they are making dozens of

trips every day, taking supplies to much-needed areas. Over 6000 kg of

food, water and medicine have been handed out. As soon as it is loaded

up, it is gone. What is left of this airport has become a hub for

American aid efforts. This area was almost completely destroyed. People

here don't just need food and water, they are also looking for a way out.

US planes have been flying people to bigger cities, but it is a long,

tiring weight. -- wait. Living is difficult, so we have to go to

Manila, to our relatives. I want to take my sister, who is pregnant. I

want to go because I'm worried. This landscape lies bruised, broken and

battered. The US military says it is here to help for as long as it is

needed, but this is just the beginning of a relief operation that

has no clear end in sight. Trade union leaders have said

government plans to hold an inquiry into union tactics during industrial

disputes are "politically motivated". The inquiry will examine

allegations of intimidation by members of the Unite union during

the recent dispute at the Grangemouth oil refinery.

Ireland's President Michael Higgins is to visit the UK next year - the

first ever official visit by an an Irish head of state. The Queen has

formally invited the President and his wife to stay at Windsor Castle.

It follows her historic state visit to the Irish Republic in 2011.

One of Britain's most senior public health officials has called for a

national debate on whether the age of consent should be lowered.

Professor John Ashton, who's president of the Faculty of Public

Health which advises ministers, said a change to the current age of 16

could help protect children and reduce teenage pregnancies. Downing

Street says there are no plans for any change, as Jon Brain reports.

Sex education in this country has come a long way in recent years, but

the UK still has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe.

According to the latest survey, nearly one third of children have

sex before reaching the age of consent. A leading health expert

claims lowering the age to 15 would encourage more task for sexual

health advice and contraception. We got significant numbers of

pregnancies in the under 16 's, infection with chlamydia and other

infections, but we bury our heads in the sand. We live in a fantasy land.

If the politicians are not going to address the sexualisation of

childhood, we need other practical measures in place to pick up the

pieces. Latest figures reveal nearly 6000 girls under 16 became pregnant

in England and Wales alone in 12 months - double the age of France,

where the age of consent is 15, and Germany, where it is just 14. But a

random poll in the centre of London this afternoon revealed opposition

to lowering the age to 15 here. That is too young to feel about sex -- to

think about sex. If it is lowered to 15, they wouldn't have sex whenever

they want, they would have thought twice about it. Would you have an

under more pressure to have sex? Probably. I would say that,

definitely. I know people that have. I think 16 is better. I think

changing the age of consent wouldn't stop teenagers from doing what they

do now, but as a parent, I'm more comfortable with it being 16. Child

protection experts also have their doubts. By having 16 as the legal

limit, that is one tall children have in their pockets to say to

people putting them under pressure, actually, this is illegal, we should

not be doing that. -- one tool. The government says there are no plans

to change the status quo. A new report has accused companies

in Qatar of "ruthless exploitation" of migrant workers on construction

projects for the 2022 World Cup. Amnesty International says many face

dangerous working conditions, squalid accommodation, and go unpaid

for months. It follows similar criticism from the United Nations.

The Qatari authorities insist they are tackling abuses with a workers

charter to protect migrants' rights. Many have travelled to Qatar from

Nepal. Our correspondent Andrew North reports from there, on the

demand for work - and the sacrifices of migrants and their families.

The Himalayas of Nepal. The highest country in the world. But it is also

one of the poorest. We're going to a remote mountain village with an ever

more common story. Every household depends on someone working abroad to

make ends meet. This woman's husband got a job in Qatar helping to build

the new World Cup airport. He was earning just ?100 a month. But she

hoped it would change their life. Now, she has to care for their

daughter and his parents alone. This summer, he died of a heart attack,

just 29 years old. TRANSLATION: My husband was healthy when he left.

The doctor would have sent him back if he was ill. But he was always

complaining about the long working hours in the heat, and the rotten

food. I'm sure that is what killed him. Others who work there say they

were lucky to survive. Qatar has become a dirty word here.

TRANSLATION: I will never go to guitar again. That is what I tell my

friends. It is better to die here. Every day, more people leave to work

in their oral rich neighbour. They are drawn by a construction boom as

it prepares to host the World Cup will stop -- their oil rich

neighbour. The Qatari authorities reject that, saying the problem has

been exaggerated. This is where the desperate exodus begins. At the

government labour agency, where the oven -- potential migrants keep

coming. Up to 10,000 Nepal is passed through here every week now. The

authorities are struggling to keep control. Tempers fraying as they

always do. All Nepal is have to come here to sort out their papers. Most

of them are going to Qatar. Their plight may now be more in the

spotlight, but that means little to this woman and her daughter. Instead

of a new beginning, the World Cup has only brought their misery.

Rugby, and Scotland has suffered a bruising defeat to South Africa at

Murrayfield, losing 28-0. Patrick Gearey was watching the action.

By beating Japan last week, Scotland began the autumn on a high, but that

looked the carriers when South Africa arrived. Within five minutes,

the Springboks sprung. Willem Alberts was at the front of a drive

for the line which granted the Scots. Scotland tried to push

forward, but the South Africans ambushed them. Willie Le Roux's case

brought a second try. South Africa are known for their brawn, but there

was evidence of their brain as well. This time, Willie Le Roux picked out

JP Peterson, who in turn picked out the line. After the break, a return

of their heavy industry. Scotland needed a spark but could only

produce hot air. When they did work up some steam in the last ten

minutes, South Africa insured they quickly ran out of track. It if it

is an uncomfortable afternoon for Scotland. South Africa specialise in

handing those out. You can see more on today's stories

on the website. Now, the news where you are.