:00:09. > :00:15.flooding despite a break in the weather. The sheer volume of rain in
:00:16. > :00:24.recent weeks means water levels are still rising. The Government's been
:00:25. > :00:29.defending its response. We are dealing with an extraordinary set of
:00:30. > :00:32.weather events and it is taking time to mobilise the re-sources.
:00:33. > :00:37.The head of the European Commission says it may be impossible for an
:00:38. > :00:40.independent Scotland to join the EU. And hopes are high for British
:00:41. > :00:57.talent to triumph at tonight's BAFTA awards.
:00:58. > :01:02.Good evening. The Defence Secretary says the Army
:01:03. > :01:08.will carry out urgent checks on all flood defences to assess the damage
:01:09. > :01:10.caused by the recent heavy rains. Phillip Hammond also defended the
:01:11. > :01:17.government's handling of the crisis, as parts of England and Wales remain
:01:18. > :01:21.at risk. Water levels on the River Thames are expected to rise in the
:01:22. > :01:33.coming days. Jeremy Cooke is in Wraysbury in Surrey for us tonight.
:01:34. > :01:38.As you can see, plenty of water still here. The good news is the
:01:39. > :01:45.levels are beginning to drop. But this place, like so many others are
:01:46. > :01:51.still under severe flood warnings. In Wraysbury, the sunshine has come
:01:52. > :01:57.out. Of course, the water is still here but for now at least it is
:01:58. > :02:02.slowly, slowly in retreat. In this road, they could do nothing to stop
:02:03. > :02:06.the water rising through the ground. But things are drier today and there
:02:07. > :02:13.is relief in the air. It is much lower than it has been. There is
:02:14. > :02:18.still a lot of water. Basically I have been sleeping in the armchair
:02:19. > :02:22.in my lounge with my Wellington boots on. Many layers of clothes
:02:23. > :02:31.because my heating went. It was a bit chilly. Make no mistake, the
:02:32. > :02:36.crisis is still with us, in Chertsey they are still pumping out the
:02:37. > :02:40.houses. And in the Somerset Levels, it is getting worse before it gets
:02:41. > :02:46.better. Water levels here on the rise again. So the extreme weather
:02:47. > :02:52.means a widespread inconvenience for many, and for a few, tragedy.
:02:53. > :02:59.85-year-old James was killed when a freak wave hit a cruise liner in the
:03:00. > :03:09.English Channel. He was close to the window. Then he fell sideways. He
:03:10. > :03:13.did not move. The crisis has tested Britain's flood defences to the
:03:14. > :03:18.limit. Temporary emergency barriers and the permanent staff but costs
:03:19. > :03:22.millions. The government knows it has all taken a battering. We have
:03:23. > :03:28.agreed with the Environment Agency we will use Royal Engineers to do a
:03:29. > :03:33.rapid inspection of all flood defences. We will try to do in five
:03:34. > :03:38.weeks what would normally be a two-year inspection to assess the
:03:39. > :03:42.level of damage. News welcomed by the Environment Agency which is also
:03:43. > :03:48.using caution, more rain is expected. But for now, in Wraysbury
:03:49. > :03:53.the chickens can finally come home to roost, after a week away from
:03:54. > :03:58.their flooded home. A small indication that things are
:03:59. > :04:02.improving. Everyone has been brilliant and everyone has looked
:04:03. > :04:07.after everyone else. Looking out for people, the Army have been here
:04:08. > :04:12.doing a fantastic job, the fire brigade and the police. People have
:04:13. > :04:17.come from so many different areas. For some, the direction of travel is
:04:18. > :04:21.good, but all eyes here and in so many across the country, are on the
:04:22. > :04:24.water level and the weather forecast.
:04:25. > :04:29.Tonight, the government has responded to suggestions it could
:04:30. > :04:32.have act did earlier to get the Army involved in the flood relief effort
:04:33. > :04:39.and ministers are saying that in future they will act faster to get
:04:40. > :04:42.the military involved. The Labour leader Ed Miliband has
:04:43. > :04:45.warned that climate change is now a matter of national security, and the
:04:46. > :04:48.Defence Secretary Philip Hammond says it's "clearly a factor" in the
:04:49. > :04:51.recent storms. New research suggests the main weather system which
:04:52. > :04:56.affects the UK known as the jet stream, is being altered by recent
:04:57. > :05:07.warming of the Arctic. Here's our science correspondent, Pallab Ghosh.
:05:08. > :05:12.The storms in Britain never seem to end, while America has experienced
:05:13. > :05:18.bitterly cold conditions. Chicago is used to freezing winters, but data
:05:19. > :05:22.taken from this weather station shows it has been one of the coldest
:05:23. > :05:27.on record. The same is true across many other parts of the US. The big
:05:28. > :05:31.question is whether this can be explained by natural variability or
:05:32. > :05:36.whether something has gone wrong with our weather. Some scientists
:05:37. > :05:40.are worried the recent warming in the Arctic has shifted the main
:05:41. > :05:44.system that drives weather patterns in northern Europe and North
:05:45. > :05:50.America. Occurrence of fast flowing air in red and green called the
:05:51. > :05:54.Jetstream. This year, it has dipped lower than usual, which has meant
:05:55. > :05:59.weather has stayed the same for weeks on end, keeping the cold
:06:00. > :06:04.weather in North America and the storms over Britain. At a science
:06:05. > :06:09.meeting in Chicago, Jennifer Francis has presented new evidence that in
:06:10. > :06:13.recent years, these tips have been deeper and they have been happening
:06:14. > :06:16.more often. I think we can expect more of the same and I think we
:06:17. > :06:23.should expect it to occur more frequently. It being these patterns
:06:24. > :06:27.in the Jetstream that tend to result in weather conditions being very
:06:28. > :06:32.persistent in one place, so it seems like your weather is kind of stuck
:06:33. > :06:37.for a long time. I do think that will happen more often in the
:06:38. > :06:40.future. It is too soon to tell whether the shift in the Jetstream
:06:41. > :06:47.is permanent, or if it is a direct result of man-made climate change.
:06:48. > :06:50.But new research suggests we may need to get used to winters were
:06:51. > :06:57.spells of whether go on for weeks or even months.
:06:58. > :06:59.The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, has
:07:00. > :07:01.said it would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible" for an
:07:02. > :07:04.independent Scotland to join the European Union. His remarks have
:07:05. > :07:15.been dismissed by the SNP as "preposterous". Our Scotland
:07:16. > :07:18.correspondent, Laura Bicker reports. The question seems simple. Would an
:07:19. > :07:23.independent Scotland be a member of the European Union? But it has never
:07:24. > :07:28.been clear, and today came a warning. It is a new country, so I
:07:29. > :07:34.believe it is going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible for a
:07:35. > :07:37.new member state coming out of one of our countries, getting the
:07:38. > :07:41.agreement of the others. Having said that, it is now for the British
:07:42. > :07:49.people and the Scottish people in the referendum. If Scotland has to
:07:50. > :07:54.apply to join it would need the approval of all its members. And
:07:55. > :08:00.convincing Spain might be tricky. Catalan separatists are fighting for
:08:01. > :08:04.independence and Spain would be weary of setting a precedent which
:08:05. > :08:10.may make it easier for Catalonia to break away from Madrid. Opponents of
:08:11. > :08:15.Scottish independence say that is one reason why negotiations would
:08:16. > :08:19.not be easy. Even when the European Union has been united in admitting
:08:20. > :08:25.new members, it takes a long time to agree everything. Here, you would
:08:26. > :08:29.not have that, it would be the first time a country would be breaking
:08:30. > :08:32.away from existing member state and then applying to get back in again.
:08:33. > :08:37.But the SNP said independent Scotland would not be a new state
:08:38. > :08:44.and despite what Josey Manuel Russo says there would not be a need to
:08:45. > :08:50.reapply to the EU. I don't think his remarks represent reality, given not
:08:51. > :08:56.a single state of the EU would veto Scotland's membership. There is no
:08:57. > :09:00.precedent to this process, no country has ever had to apply for
:09:01. > :09:05.membership of the EU after having already been part of the club. If
:09:06. > :09:10.there is a yes vote, it will be followed by months of negotiations.
:09:11. > :09:16.The yes campaign who say they feel bullied by Westminster say that
:09:17. > :09:21.Scots don't like being told what they can and cannot do. The better
:09:22. > :09:25.together campaign has shown the last week that Alex Salmond is a man
:09:26. > :09:30.without a plan. It feels this referendum debate has stepped up a
:09:31. > :09:36.gear as both sides campaigned for every vote.
:09:37. > :09:38.With all the sport, here's Lizzie Greenwood Hughes at the BBC Sport
:09:39. > :09:45.Centre. Thanks very much. Good evening.
:09:46. > :09:48.It's been another busy day of FA Cup fifth round action with a place in
:09:49. > :09:51.the quarterfinals at stake. Everton are through after beating Swansea
:09:52. > :09:55.City 3-1, Nottingham Forest also lost 3-1 to Sheffield United. Tim
:09:56. > :10:00.Hague reports. Arsenal needed to put down a marker
:10:01. > :10:05.after this fixture eight days ago. 5-1 they were humiliated at
:10:06. > :10:09.Liverpool, but it began casually in this one as well. Daniel Sturridge
:10:10. > :10:17.should have scored. He couldn't, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could.
:10:18. > :10:20.Arsenal did not settle for just one, Oxlade-Chamberlain turning provider
:10:21. > :10:26.for Lukas Podolski. After conceding a penalty, which Steven Gerrard
:10:27. > :10:29.scored, they looked nervous. Even more so when Daniel Agger headed
:10:30. > :10:36.wide of an open goal. But Arsenal hung on. All Everton and wait in the
:10:37. > :10:39.quarterfinals, and their manager already a cup winner with Wigan last
:10:40. > :10:48.season, got the perfect start against Swansea. While Swansea
:10:49. > :10:53.equalised, Everton regained control scoring two second-half goals
:10:54. > :10:56.including this one from Steven Naismith to move just one match away
:10:57. > :10:58.from Wembley. Arsenal will play Everton at home in
:10:59. > :11:12.the next round. Celtic's lead at the top of the
:11:13. > :11:16.Scottish Premiership is back to 21 points. A hat-trick from Antony
:11:17. > :11:20.Stokes gave them a 3-0 victory over St Johnstone and a record-equalling
:11:21. > :11:26.12th clean sheet in the league for keeper Fraser Forster.
:11:27. > :11:31.It's been a difficult day for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics. The
:11:32. > :11:35.18-year-old half-pipe skier, Rowan Cheshire, was seriously injured in
:11:36. > :11:38.training. And earlier Zoe Gillings narrowly missed out on the final of
:11:39. > :11:41.the snowboard cross. Our Correspondent Andy Swiss reports
:11:42. > :11:44.from Sochi. It is perhaps bought's greatest
:11:45. > :11:54.roller-coaster ride. The snowboard cross, drama guaranteed. The first
:11:55. > :11:57.three qualified for the women's final and Zoe Gillings thought she
:11:58. > :12:05.had scraped through by a snowflake. But a photo finish showed she just
:12:06. > :12:10.missed out. The final one by the athlete from the Czech Republic. The
:12:11. > :12:15.two-man bobsleigh heat meant a much anticipated return from the Jamaican
:12:16. > :12:21.team. Winston Watson and Marvin Dixon had to raise their own funds.
:12:22. > :12:29.They got down safely but are in last place. Britain 21st. There has also
:12:30. > :12:33.been bad news for the British team. Reports that Rowan Cheshire was
:12:34. > :12:36.knocked unconscious during a training accident this evening and
:12:37. > :12:40.had to be stretchered off. Rowan Cheshire is due to compete on
:12:41. > :12:46.Thursday. Tonight, Team GB said she had been taken to a medical centre
:12:47. > :12:57.and was being assessed. That is all the sports are now.
:12:58. > :13:01.There are high hopes for British film talent at the BAFTA Awards
:13:02. > :13:03.ceremony in London tonight. 12 Years a Slave directed by Steve McQueen,
:13:04. > :13:06.is favourite to win Best Film. Dame Helen Mirren will also be honoured
:13:07. > :13:12.with the Fellowship Award. Our Arts Editor Will Gompertz is there.
:13:13. > :13:18.There is much excitement and screaming here as people walk up the
:13:19. > :13:21.red carpet. Leo DiCaprio almost had a deafening scream. I think tonight
:13:22. > :13:33.is going to be about the British film industry.
:13:34. > :13:36.Gravity, the film set in space but made in England leads the way at the
:13:37. > :13:42.BAFTAs with a lemon nominations. Including one for its director and
:13:43. > :13:51.for its actress, Sandra Bullock. -- 11 nominations. The film tipped to
:13:52. > :13:56.sweep the board is 12 Years A Slave, a 19th century story about
:13:57. > :14:01.enslavement in the American South. Steve McQueen, the director is among
:14:02. > :14:14.the nominees, as are the film's stars.
:14:15. > :14:17.The 1970s crime caper, American Hustle has nominations in all four
:14:18. > :14:22.acting categories with Christian bale providing some British
:14:23. > :14:29.interest. What if he is a drug addicts? Steve Coogan earns an
:14:30. > :14:34.adapted screenplay nomination for Philomena with Dame Judi Dench's
:14:35. > :14:41.performance in the title role gets her the nod against Emma Thompson in
:14:42. > :14:50.the best actress category. She plays the author of Mary Poppins in Saving
:14:51. > :14:54.Mr Banks. We already know one winner, Dame Helen Mirren will be
:14:55. > :14:59.awarded Fellowship of the British Academy by its president, Prince
:15:00. > :15:03.William. We will find out who the winners are
:15:04. > :15:08.in a couple of hours, after which they will be getting on aeroplanes
:15:09. > :15:11.across the Atlantic for the final ceremony in this season, the Oscars
:15:12. > :15:12.in two