:00:00. > :00:00.quarterfinals of the FA Cup. The BAFTA is awarded to 12 Years A
:00:00. > :00:00.Slave. And it is A Slave. And it isn't my fault -- a night of triumph
:00:07. > :00:23.for British talent at the film awards in London.
:00:24. > :00:29.Good evening. The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel
:00:30. > :00:33.Barroso, says it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for an
:00:34. > :00:38.independent Scotland to join the European Union. But his remarks have
:00:39. > :00:42.been dismissed by the Scottish National Party Ospreys boss trust.
:00:43. > :00:45.-- preposterous. Opponents of independence say the comments are
:00:46. > :00:52.bit set back for the yes campaign. Laura Bicker has the story.
:00:53. > :00:55.The question seems simple. Would an independent Scotland be a member of
:00:56. > :01:00.the European Union? But the answer is never been clear and today came a
:01:01. > :01:04.warning. It is a new country and so I believe it is going to be
:01:05. > :01:10.extremely difficult, if not impossible, and new member state
:01:11. > :01:14.coming out of one of our countries, getting the agreement of the other,
:01:15. > :01:18.but having said that it is now for the British people and the Scottish
:01:19. > :01:22.people, of course in their referendum, to decide their future.
:01:23. > :01:27.If Scotland has too applied to join the 27 country club it would need
:01:28. > :01:33.the approval of all its members and convincing Spain might be tricky.
:01:34. > :01:37.Catalan separatists fighting for independence and Spain would be wary
:01:38. > :01:42.of setting a precedent which may make it easier for Catalonia to
:01:43. > :01:46.break away from Madrid. Opponents of Scottish independence say that is
:01:47. > :01:51.just one reason why negotiations would not be easy. Even when the
:01:52. > :01:55.European Union has been absolutely united in admitting new members it
:01:56. > :01:58.takes an inordinately long time to agree everything. You would not have
:01:59. > :02:01.that. This is the first time a country would be breaking away from
:02:02. > :02:06.existing member state and applying to get back in again. The SNP has
:02:07. > :02:11.always asserted an independent Scotland would be welcome the EU.
:02:12. > :02:15.And there would be no need to reapply for membership, they say,
:02:16. > :02:19.despite what Mr Barroso says. I think his remarks really don't
:02:20. > :02:23.represent the reality, given that not a single member state of the
:02:24. > :02:27.European Union has in any way suggested that they would veto
:02:28. > :02:31.Scotland's membership of the European Union. Voters in Scotland
:02:32. > :02:35.have had a lot to think about this week. George Osborne, backed by all
:02:36. > :02:39.three main UK parties, told them voting yes would mean walking away
:02:40. > :02:44.from the pound. Tomorrow, Alex Salmond will make a speech in which
:02:45. > :02:49.-- which he claims will deconstruct the Chancellor's intervention on the
:02:50. > :02:53.currency union point by point. It certainly feels that this referendum
:02:54. > :03:00.campaign is stepping up a gear, as both sides battle for every vote.
:03:01. > :03:04.The Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has defended the government's
:03:05. > :03:08.handling of the floods crisis, but says in future the military would be
:03:09. > :03:12.deployed sooner. It comes as the Environment Agency says the overall
:03:13. > :03:16.picture is starting to improve, though there are still 16 severe
:03:17. > :03:20.flood warnings in place and water levels in some areas are expected to
:03:21. > :03:26.rise. Jeremy Cooke reports from Wraysbury in Berkshire.
:03:27. > :03:32.In flood ravaged Wraysbury, the sun has come out. Of course, the water
:03:33. > :03:37.is still here, but for now at least it is slowly, slowly in retreat. It
:03:38. > :03:43.is much lower than it has been. But there is still a lot of water, yes,
:03:44. > :03:47.so I have been sleeping in my armchair in the lounge with my
:03:48. > :03:51.wellies on, because everything was sodden and many layers of clothes
:03:52. > :03:57.because my heating went for several days, so it was a bit chilly. Here
:03:58. > :04:00.on the village green it is another place where there is actually some
:04:01. > :04:03.good news because believe it or not the water levels here are dropping.
:04:04. > :04:09.But everyone knows that the ground water level is now so high that any
:04:10. > :04:17.more rain here or upcountry could bring a new wave of flooding. Make
:04:18. > :04:22.no mistake then. The crisis is still with us. The water still being
:04:23. > :04:25.pumped out of houses. And in many communities the military is on the
:04:26. > :04:30.ground, amid suggestions that they could have been ordered in earlier.
:04:31. > :04:34.We offered troops quite a long while ago to civil authorities who wanted
:04:35. > :04:38.them. What we have done over the last ten days is pushed them a bit
:04:39. > :04:43.more aggressively up to civil authorities. For some, the extreme
:04:44. > :04:48.weather has brought tragedy. Last week a freak wave hit the Marco Polo
:04:49. > :04:52.cruise liner in the English Channel. 85-year-old James Swinstead
:04:53. > :04:55.was killed but the ship's owners have denied accusations by his widow
:04:56. > :05:01.that it was poorly maintained. I said to my husband, that is a rusty
:05:02. > :05:05.patch. There was water on the windowsill next to him and there was
:05:06. > :05:11.a woman behind me who was looking in an agitated way because the sea was
:05:12. > :05:16.big, then suddenly it blew in. For some so, today has been a day of
:05:17. > :05:21.respite. But the Environment Agency is urging caution, more rain is
:05:22. > :05:26.expected. But for now, here in Wraysbury, the chickens can finally
:05:27. > :05:30.come home to roost after a week away from their flooded homes. A small
:05:31. > :05:35.indication that things may be improving. Everyone has been
:05:36. > :05:38.absolutely brilliant. Everyone has looked after everyone else, looking
:05:39. > :05:42.out for people, the army have been here doing a fantastic job, the
:05:43. > :05:47.police, the Fire Brigade, people have come from so many different
:05:48. > :05:52.areas. It is unbelievable. The direction of travel is good for now,
:05:53. > :05:59.but all eyes here are on the water levels, set to rise again in the
:06:00. > :06:04.coming days. The labour leader Ed Miliband has
:06:05. > :06:06.warned that climate change is now a matter of national security and the
:06:07. > :06:11.Defence Secretary Philip Hammond says it is clearly a factor in the
:06:12. > :06:14.recent storms. New research suggests the main weather system which
:06:15. > :06:18.affects the UK, known as the jet stream, is changing, and some
:06:19. > :06:23.scientists believe that is because of recent warming of the Arctic.
:06:24. > :06:26.Here is our science correspondent, Pallab Ghosh.
:06:27. > :06:32.The storms in Britain have gone on for weeks. While America has
:06:33. > :06:36.experienced one of its most bitter winters. The meteorologists at this
:06:37. > :06:42.weather station in Illinois have seen nothing like it for many a
:06:43. > :06:45.year. Not only just below average conditions but really much below
:06:46. > :06:53.average. For instance, the month of January in Chicago, ranked as the
:06:54. > :06:58.10th coldest on record, dating back to 1872. Chicago is used to freezing
:06:59. > :07:03.winters, but data taken from this weather station chose it has been
:07:04. > :07:06.one of the coldest on record and the same is true across many other parts
:07:07. > :07:10.of the United States. So the big question is whether this can be
:07:11. > :07:15.explained by natural variability, or whether something has gone wrong
:07:16. > :07:19.with our weather. Some scientists are worried that the recent warming
:07:20. > :07:23.in the Arctic has shifted the main system that drives weather patterns
:07:24. > :07:29.in northern Europe and North America. A current of fast flowing
:07:30. > :07:34.air, in red and green, called the jet stream. This year, it has dipped
:07:35. > :07:38.down lower than usual, which has meant weather has stayed the same
:07:39. > :07:42.for weeks on end keeping the cold weather in North America and the
:07:43. > :07:47.storms over Britain. At a science meeting in Chicago Jennifer Francis
:07:48. > :07:52.has presented new evidence that in recent years these tips have been
:07:53. > :07:56.deeper and they have been happening more often. I think we can expect
:07:57. > :08:01.more of the same and we should expect it to occur more frequently,
:08:02. > :08:06.it being these very wavy patterns in the jet stream that tend to result
:08:07. > :08:10.in weather conditions being very persistent in one place, so it seems
:08:11. > :08:15.like your weather is kind of stuck for a long time. It is too soon to
:08:16. > :08:19.tell whether this shift in the jet stream is permanent, or whether it
:08:20. > :08:24.is a direct result of man-made climate change, but the new research
:08:25. > :08:33.does suggest we may have to get used to winters were spells of whether go
:08:34. > :08:37.on for weeks, or even months. In Syria, around 300 men are still
:08:38. > :08:43.being held for questioning after leaving the rebel held part of the
:08:44. > :08:45.city of Homs last week during Annie Machon -- evacuation. The Foreign
:08:46. > :08:50.Secretary has called for their release, while the Syrian government
:08:51. > :08:54.insists the men will not be mistreated. Lyse Doucet has been
:08:55. > :08:58.given access to the centre of Homs, weathermen are being held.
:08:59. > :09:04.This school in Homs is where hundreds of young men now await a
:09:05. > :09:09.decision on their fate. Family members can visit them, but they
:09:10. > :09:14.can't leave. Many who escaped the besieged wall city already know
:09:15. > :09:21.their future will be tough. In this first room we visit, all the men
:09:22. > :09:24.have suffered serious injuries. 14-year-old Abdul was shot in the
:09:25. > :09:29.leg when he was out buying bread. His father died long ago, his mother
:09:30. > :09:39.died of malnutrition. He tells me he has no one in the world. This boy
:09:40. > :09:44.can't walk. His nine-year-old sister does not leave his side. There was
:09:45. > :09:50.no medical care inside the old city, he says, and no food. We had to eat
:09:51. > :09:58.grass, and cats. Families were ready to kill for food. Many men did not
:09:59. > :10:02.want to be on camera. Some told us they were involved in the fighting,
:10:03. > :10:07.but they had no choice but to come out. If they stayed they would have
:10:08. > :10:14.died. Now, they face a different kind of danger. It is in these
:10:15. > :10:18.classrooms on the top floor that the interrogations involving the police
:10:19. > :10:21.and intelligence services are taking place. Everyone we have spoken to,
:10:22. > :10:25.who has been through this process, say they are being asked a lot of
:10:26. > :10:29.questions about their own activities and also about the rebel fighters
:10:30. > :10:34.still inside the old city. That is what made many people uneasy about a
:10:35. > :10:39.humanitarian mission that is also turning into an intelligence
:10:40. > :10:43.gathering operation. We saw men going in and out of these rooms.
:10:44. > :10:50.Some were told they will be freed. But others were not. They are
:10:51. > :10:58.fearful. They are being lectured here. This is called re-education.
:10:59. > :11:03.The governor tells them, we are all Syrian, all the side. But what about
:11:04. > :11:07.the men who told us they will not be freed?
:11:08. > :11:12.TRANSLATION: I believe most of the men will be
:11:13. > :11:15.cleared, or given an amnesty. I -- they will be free to go wherever
:11:16. > :11:20.they wish. For those who are not, they will be tried in civilian
:11:21. > :11:24.courts. The UN is keeping a close eye on what happens here, but they
:11:25. > :11:33.admit as time goes on that may not always be possible.
:11:34. > :11:36.With all the sport, here's Lizzie Greenwood Hughes at the BBC Sport
:11:37. > :11:41.Centre. Good evening. Arsenal have knocked
:11:42. > :11:43.Liverpool out of the FA Cup. Today's 2-1 victory means they are
:11:44. > :11:49.through to the quarterfinals, where they will play Everton, who beat
:11:50. > :11:54.Swansea city 3-1. Tim Hague reports. Arsenal needed to put down a marker
:11:55. > :11:58.after this fixture eight days ago. 5-1 they were humiliated at
:11:59. > :12:02.Liverpool. They began casually in this match. Daniel Sturridge should
:12:03. > :12:07.have scored in under two minutes. He couldn't, but his England team-mate
:12:08. > :12:13.Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could. But Arsenal did not settle for just one.
:12:14. > :12:16.Oxlade-Chamberlain turning provider next full Lukas Podolski. But after
:12:17. > :12:20.conceding a penalty, which Steven Gerrard scored, it got nervy and
:12:21. > :12:26.even more so when Daniel Agger headed wide of an open goal. But
:12:27. > :12:31.Arsene Wenger's Arsenal are not. Everton away to the quarterfinals
:12:32. > :12:36.and then matzo -- their manager, a cup winner with Wigan last season,
:12:37. > :12:40.got the perfect start against Swansea. Traore using his lengthy
:12:41. > :12:43.frame to meet effect. While Swansea equalised, Everton regained control,
:12:44. > :12:47.scoring two second-half goals including this one from Steven
:12:48. > :12:53.Naismith to move a match away from Wembley.
:12:54. > :12:57.Here is the draw for the next round. Sunderland will travel to brighten a
:12:58. > :13:02.whole, there is a repeat of last year's final as Manchester City face
:13:03. > :13:05.Wigan and there could be a Sheffield derby as United, who beat Nottingham
:13:06. > :13:09.Forest today, will play either Sheffield Wednesday or Charlton.
:13:10. > :13:12.Celtic's lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership is back to 21
:13:13. > :13:18.points. A hat-trick from Anthony Stokes gave them a 3-0 victory over
:13:19. > :13:22.St Johnstone and a record equalling 12 clean sheet for the keeper. Great
:13:23. > :13:27.Britain's Young halfpipe skier rowing Cheshire suffered concussion
:13:28. > :13:31.after a serious fall in training at the Winter Olympics. It comes after
:13:32. > :13:35.a difficult day for Team GB, including Zoe Gillings narrowly
:13:36. > :13:41.missing out on the final of the snowboard cross. Andy Swiss reports.
:13:42. > :13:48.It is perhaps sport's greatest roller-coaster ride. The snowboard
:13:49. > :13:53.cross. Drama guaranteed. The first three qualified for the women's's
:13:54. > :13:57.final and in the white bib, Britain's Zoe Gillings thought she
:13:58. > :14:02.had scraped through. But a photo finish showed she had just missed
:14:03. > :14:08.out. The final was won by the Czech Republic's delighted Eva Samkova.
:14:09. > :14:13.Meanwhile, there was a rip -- the return of an Olympic fairy tale. 12
:14:14. > :14:18.years after their last appearance, the Jamaican bobsleigh team were
:14:19. > :14:22.back. 46-year-old Winston Watts and his team-mate Marvin Dixon had to
:14:23. > :14:27.raise their own funds to get here. They got down safely, but they are
:14:28. > :14:32.in 30th and last place at the halfway stage. Britain 23rd. But
:14:33. > :14:35.there is also been worrying news for Team GB that 18-year-old halfpipe
:14:36. > :14:39.skier rowing Cheshire was knocked unconscious during a training
:14:40. > :14:43.accident this evening and had to be stretchered from the course --
:14:44. > :14:46.rowing Cheshire. The British team say she is staying in hospital
:14:47. > :14:51.overnight for further assessment. They will make a decision in the
:14:52. > :14:55.coming days over whether she can compete in her event here on
:14:56. > :14:59.Thursday. There was one of the story for you
:15:00. > :15:03.this evening. England's Dan Cole will miss the rest of rugby union's
:15:04. > :15:09.Six Nations championship with a neck injury.
:15:10. > :15:13.It is the biggest night of the year for the British film industry, with
:15:14. > :15:19.the BAFTA awards ceremony taking place in London. 12 Years A Slave
:15:20. > :15:22.won best film and the best actor award for Chiwetel Ejiofor. Will
:15:23. > :15:24.Gompertz was that the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and his
:15:25. > :15:31.report contains some flash photography.
:15:32. > :15:35.A sea of super celebrities roll-out the Royal Opera house red carpet,
:15:36. > :15:41.stopping for a photo, twirling for the telly and head off for the 2014
:15:42. > :15:45.BAFTAs. Whoever Winston Wright is likely to be a good evening for the
:15:46. > :15:49.British film industry which is enjoying a purple patch. British
:15:50. > :15:54.actors and directors are in high demand and technicians and studios
:15:55. > :15:57.based here are proving a magnet for big Hollywood blockbusters,
:15:58. > :16:01.particularly those with a digital dimensional. And it was just such a
:16:02. > :16:13.film that turned out to be the big winner tonight. And the BAFTA goes
:16:14. > :16:23.to... Gravity. Gravity. Gravity. Gravity. Grab hold of anything you
:16:24. > :16:27.can. The British made space thriller won six BAFTAs, including its
:16:28. > :16:34.director, Alfonso Cuaron. I consider myself a part of the British film
:16:35. > :16:41.industry. I live in London for the last 13 years and I have done almost
:16:42. > :16:44.half of my films in the UK. Steve McQueen, the Turner prize-winning
:16:45. > :16:50.British film director, saw his film 12 Years A Slave win the prestigious
:16:51. > :16:54.Best film category. I just hope that 150 years from now, our ambivalence
:16:55. > :17:01.will not allow another film-maker to make this film. Thank you so much
:17:02. > :17:06.for this trophy, thank you. The film star, Chiwetel Ejiofor, picked up
:17:07. > :17:09.the best actor award for his performance as Solomon Northrup,
:17:10. > :17:22.free black man who was kidnapped and enslaved in the American South. Wow.
:17:23. > :17:26.The best supporting actor went to Barkhad Abdi. Cate Blanchett won
:17:27. > :17:29.best actress award for her role in blue jasmine. And Jennifer Lawrence
:17:30. > :17:35.picked up the best supporting actress BAFTA for her part in the
:17:36. > :17:40.1970s crime caper American Hustle. Please welcome to the stage Dame
:17:41. > :17:42.Helen Mirren. Prince William presented Dame Helen Mirren with
:17:43. > :17:49.Fellowship of the British Academy, and with that the show was over. A
:17:50. > :17:52.case of next stop, the Oscars, in two weeks' time.