:00:00. > :00:10.Flooding hits many parts of the UK as officials warn of some of the
:00:11. > :00:13.worst weather for years. The South West bears the brunt as strong winds
:00:14. > :00:18.combine with high tides to send massive waves crashing into the
:00:19. > :00:21.coastline. There are severe flood warnings are in place for coastal
:00:22. > :00:30.communities. Roads have collapsed and some towns are under water. The
:00:31. > :00:33.levels here do rise remarkably quickly. Talking to the locals, they
:00:34. > :00:36.haven't seen anything like this since 1999. This is the scene live
:00:37. > :00:41.over Gloucestershire where earlier the river rose to a dangerously high
:00:42. > :00:44.level. Also this lunchtime. A British man's been killed in Libya.
:00:45. > :00:48.It's reported he was shot along with a woman from New Zealand. One in
:00:49. > :00:54.three people around the world are overweight with obesity rising
:00:55. > :00:57.fastest in developing countries. And more misery for England down under,
:00:58. > :01:05.as they throw away another good start in the final Ashes Test.
:01:06. > :01:12.The latest figures showed the rate of cycling deaths on the roads
:01:13. > :01:15.continues to get worse. And people in parts of Surrey and Berks warned
:01:16. > :01:35.of possible further flooding. Hello. Good afternoon and welcome to
:01:36. > :01:38.the BBC News At One. The Environment Agency has warned that weather
:01:39. > :01:44.conditions in some parts of Britain could be the worst for five to ten
:01:45. > :01:47.years. The South West saw the worst of this morning's storm with the Met
:01:48. > :01:49.Office warning of strong winds and rain in Scotland and Northern
:01:50. > :01:52.Ireland this afternoon. The Environment Agency has issued eight
:01:53. > :01:55.severe flood warnings which indicate a risk to life across England and
:01:56. > :02:04.Wales, with heavy rain and gusts of 60mph. And there are now 136 flood
:02:05. > :02:08.warnings in place, a lower category, which still requires people to take
:02:09. > :02:12.action. In Scotland, a tidal surge is expected shortly around the Firth
:02:13. > :02:15.of Clyde, Solway Firth and Ayrshire. The government's emergency committee
:02:16. > :02:25.is due to meet around now to discuss the situation. In a moment we will
:02:26. > :02:28.be assessing the weather conditions across the UK with our
:02:29. > :02:30.correspondents Hywel Griffith in Newport in South Wales, James Cook
:02:31. > :02:37.in Ardrossan in North Ayrshire and Andy Martin in Belfast. But first to
:02:38. > :02:46.Jon Kay who's on the beach at Perranporth in Cornwall. Kate, it
:02:47. > :02:51.enormous waves against here this lunchtime but at least for now, they
:02:52. > :02:55.are way outside the beach itself. A very different story along the coast
:02:56. > :02:59.first thing this morning, though. The sea came all the way in here,
:03:00. > :03:01.going over the top of the wall, flooding properties up the road
:03:02. > :03:05.which haven't been flooded for decades. The one advantage, though,
:03:06. > :03:09.living near a beach, there's a ready supply of sand, so people are
:03:10. > :03:19.sandbagging this lunchtime, preparing for more storms yet to
:03:20. > :03:24.come. Cornel's early morning wake-up call. This was nucleotide tide. As
:03:25. > :03:31.the latest storm thundered in. -- Cornwall. Crowds gathered well
:03:32. > :03:37.before dawn, warned by the authorities to keep a safe distance.
:03:38. > :03:43.Look at that. Spectacular, isn't it? Fantastic. Have you ever seen at
:03:44. > :03:48.this high before? No, I've never seen it like this before. It's an
:03:49. > :03:53.absolutely awesome sight. Frightening power. You wouldn't want
:03:54. > :03:59.to be in the sea or too close to it. It really is frightening. In this
:04:00. > :04:03.fishing port, 20 properties were flooded as the already high tide was
:04:04. > :04:10.whipped up further by howling winds. In the seaside town of
:04:11. > :04:13.Perranporth, similar story, just three days ago, they were
:04:14. > :04:20.celebrating New Year's Eve in this pub and now they start the year
:04:21. > :04:25.badly. This was the kitchen with six inches of water. Janine only took
:04:26. > :04:29.over this cafe three months ago but last night, the sea came in. Now she
:04:30. > :04:34.and her team are preparing for the next surge. She feels the council
:04:35. > :04:36.should be compelled by law to provide sandbags for vulnerable
:04:37. > :04:42.properties. The moment, that's not the case. There's no point in them
:04:43. > :04:47.whilst we are flooding. We need them before that to prevent it. If you
:04:48. > :04:51.had had moored sandbags in time last night, do you think your cafe could
:04:52. > :04:56.have been saved? I don't think it would've been as bad as it was. This
:04:57. > :04:59.afternoon, she has taken matters into her own hands, filling bags
:05:00. > :05:04.with sand from the beach the next surge tonight. Another low pressure
:05:05. > :05:08.system coming through this weekend and may move on into the weeks as
:05:09. > :05:12.well to come. With the ground saturated, even moderate rain could
:05:13. > :05:17.cause more flooding. The coast of west Wales have been battered by the
:05:18. > :05:21.Irish Sea. This coastal road in Pembrokeshire ripped apart by the
:05:22. > :05:27.waves. And the Victorian prom at Aberystwyth has also been left in
:05:28. > :05:30.tatters. Along the notorious River Severn in Gloucestershire, there's
:05:31. > :05:35.been some flooding but it's not been as bad as feared. The wind is not
:05:36. > :05:41.quite as high as it has been, so far. At least. Well, we saw the
:05:42. > :05:45.sandbags being filled up on the beach and this is where they end up
:05:46. > :05:48.at these properties on the street. There are high tide the street.
:05:49. > :05:51.There are high tides denied with waves expected to be ten metres
:05:52. > :05:57.high, so you can understand why people are taking precautions. The
:05:58. > :06:01.parish council in Perranporth has asked people to come down to the
:06:02. > :06:05.beach later on and try to fill as many bags as they can to try to
:06:06. > :06:09.protect as many oddities. It's strange, because the wind is
:06:10. > :06:14.dropped, the rain is falling, but it's not that dramatic but, at the
:06:15. > :06:17.same time, there's more to come. The police say it's an ongoing major
:06:18. > :06:22.incident and it's set to last into the weekend. OK, thank you for that
:06:23. > :06:27.update. As we heard in that report, there's also been flooding in West
:06:28. > :06:30.Wales. About 30 properties have been affected in Cardigan where a
:06:31. > :06:33.pregnant woman has been rescued and some people are trapped in their
:06:34. > :06:39.homes. Hywell Griffith is in Newport for us with more. Give us the latest
:06:40. > :06:44.update. Yes, high wind still whipping around the Welsh coastline.
:06:45. > :06:49.They arrived shortly after high tide this morning. That may just have
:06:50. > :06:53.been enough to avert major flooding on the coastline for the Wii a share
:06:54. > :06:58.in Newport on the edge of a static caravan park which had to be
:06:59. > :07:02.evacuated -- we are here. Police said there was a red alert and they
:07:03. > :07:06.should leave now. They came back this morning to find, thankfully,
:07:07. > :07:09.the water had not overturned these flood defences however, this
:07:10. > :07:15.afternoon, they have been warned the high tide tonight expected that
:07:16. > :07:20.8:45pm, may add further risk so they will be evacuated again this
:07:21. > :07:28.evening. 870 miles of coastline in Wales flood alert all the way, so
:07:29. > :07:32.places in Cardigan, further north already affected and concern this
:07:33. > :07:36.lunchtime about North Wales. Its also had an impact on traffic and
:07:37. > :07:40.travel. Roads are closed and a lot of the rail network is underwater.
:07:41. > :07:43.The line between here and Newport and Cardiff is underwater, and
:07:44. > :07:49.Swansea and West Wales also affected, are people trying to make
:07:50. > :07:51.their way around the country having their journeys disrupted. And
:07:52. > :07:56.concern about what the weekend may bring. Indeed, thank you very much.
:07:57. > :07:58.Scotland now then. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has
:07:59. > :08:04.currently issued 38 flood warnings, but at present none of them are
:08:05. > :08:07.severe. Let's get an update. James Cook is in Ardrossan in North
:08:08. > :08:16.Aryshire. What's the situation there, James? Yes, quite serious,
:08:17. > :08:21.really, in terms of the storm surge which is now just coming ashore. You
:08:22. > :08:25.can see it is picking any moment now. You can see the force of that
:08:26. > :08:30.water as it's coming over the shore front share in Ardrossan, breaking
:08:31. > :08:36.against the shore front, and that's causing flooding to the roads. You
:08:37. > :08:40.can see the roads here has been shut, and this is a similar picture
:08:41. > :08:45.on the coastal road up and down the West coast of Scotland. At the
:08:46. > :08:50.moment, we are being told that there are problems with flooding here in
:08:51. > :08:54.Ayreshire and also in Dumfries and it and there have been problems
:08:55. > :09:00.further north as well. More reports of damage flooding to property, no
:09:01. > :09:09.reports, but it's only due to peak around now. High tide due at 1:20pm,
:09:10. > :09:14.and this surge of water expected to reach its peak for the dubbing is
:09:15. > :09:18.not gusting at their strongest levels but it's not been the kind of
:09:19. > :09:22.storm which has caused the problem. It has been the coastal water which
:09:23. > :09:28.is, sure, but winds gusting at more than 60 mph in parts of Scotland.
:09:29. > :09:33.Nearly 40 flood warnings in place. The advice really is for people to
:09:34. > :09:38.keep away from the coastline and to keep off roads which are shut.
:09:39. > :09:41.Indeed. James, thank you bring much for that update for Scotland. The
:09:42. > :09:43.predictions with regard to the level of flooding have been downgraded
:09:44. > :09:47.slightly in Northern Ireland. Andy Martin is in East Belfast for us
:09:48. > :09:53.now. Is that expected to change or has Northern Ireland seen the worst
:09:54. > :09:58.of it? I think Northern Ireland, the worst of it is past. There were huge
:09:59. > :10:00.concern is just under an hour ago that the high tide might cause
:10:01. > :10:07.difficulties in this part of Belfast. You can see the railway
:10:08. > :10:11.bridge behind me, normally there are metres of free air here but you can
:10:12. > :10:19.see with a high tide is reached, and the difficulty, of course, is
:10:20. > :10:23.that... It's very windy, but to the left of your screen is an intensely
:10:24. > :10:30.built-up area of Belfast and there are thousands of homes here. There
:10:31. > :10:34.have been thousands and thousands of sandbags put here in case the river
:10:35. > :10:39.spilled over. That hasn't happened since 1974. The tactical support
:10:40. > :10:44.group, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, are more used to
:10:45. > :10:48.getting involved in riot situations. They are on stand-by to pull anybody
:10:49. > :10:52.from their houses should they get into any difficulties and the Coast
:10:53. > :10:56.Guard has been here at the high tide passed about 50 minutes ago and
:10:57. > :11:00.there was no flooding. So Northern Ireland, for the most part, has
:11:01. > :11:06.avoided the difficulties. We are getting an indication some parts of
:11:07. > :11:08.the coast around County Antrim are experiencing difficulties at the
:11:09. > :11:13.moment but for the most part, Northern Ireland has got away
:11:14. > :11:17.further -- fairly easily so far. Andy, thank you for your update.
:11:18. > :11:21.John Hammond is with me now. So John what's driving all this wet weather.
:11:22. > :11:26.Where's it coming from? The atmosphere is fluid around the world
:11:27. > :11:29.and it's something unusual is happening in one part of WorldCom is
:11:30. > :11:33.more than likely because something unusual is happening in another part
:11:34. > :11:38.of the world. In North America, it's pretty unusual in as much as we have
:11:39. > :11:41.a very, very tight temper the contrast with intensely cold air
:11:42. > :11:47.coming down from the Arctic. A lot of snow across North America and it
:11:48. > :11:51.is this tight temperature contrast which drives the jet stream,
:11:52. > :11:58.conductor Rod of the weather, and the stronger the Jetstream, the more
:11:59. > :12:00.intense hour storm systems are. There it goes, whizzing up in the
:12:01. > :12:05.atmosphere across the Atlantic, and it whips up the weather at the
:12:06. > :12:09.surface, and the stronger the Jetstream, the stronger the weather.
:12:10. > :12:13.That's what we have hard weeks and weeks and weeks of it. On the
:12:14. > :12:19.satellite picture comes you can see what's happening right now with yet
:12:20. > :12:22.another series of storms heading our way and that's what's responsible
:12:23. > :12:27.for the strong wind at the moment. If we look ahead through this week,
:12:28. > :12:31.we can see more wind and more rain. Incidentally, for a time on
:12:32. > :12:37.Saturday, we could season snow across northern areas. More ice to
:12:38. > :12:42.the West. The next explosion of storms underneath that Jetstream
:12:43. > :12:46.which means more wind and rain for all of us through Sunday. We are
:12:47. > :12:51.keeping a close eye on it but no sign of the weather settling down.
:12:52. > :12:55.The Jetstream remains very strong indeed. OK, a full update later on
:12:56. > :12:58.in the programme. Thank you very much. And for the latest on the
:12:59. > :13:00.situation you can tune in to your local BBC Radio station on FM,
:13:01. > :13:15.digital radio, and online. Now, in other news. The Foreign
:13:16. > :13:19.Office has confirmed that a British man has been killed in Western
:13:20. > :13:22.Libya. His body, and that of a New Zealand woman, were found next to
:13:23. > :13:25.their untouched luggage near a gas and oil complex. It's thought they'd
:13:26. > :13:33.been shot. Our Correspondent, Nick Beake, is at the Foreign Office.
:13:34. > :13:36.What more are you able to tell us? The Foreign Office has now confirmed
:13:37. > :13:40.they know the identity of this British man who has been killed in
:13:41. > :13:44.Libya. His next of kin have been informed. They happened, though,
:13:45. > :13:47.released his name. That hasn't been put into the public domain. In terms
:13:48. > :13:53.of official information, there is little to go on. We are reliant on
:13:54. > :13:56.reports and sources within Libya if we had time to build a picture of
:13:57. > :14:01.what's happened here in the past 24 hours. For example, Libyan security
:14:02. > :14:06.sources say that they think this man and woman he was with, who was from
:14:07. > :14:10.New Zealand, were shot dead four that they were apparently found
:14:11. > :14:14.surrounded by their luggage, which was untouched and, in terms of a
:14:15. > :14:18.motive, that's very much unclear. Their bodies were found outside this
:14:19. > :14:22.island gas complex which is about 60 miles to the west of the capital,
:14:23. > :14:27.Tripoli. Initial reports suggested they may have been teachers. We are
:14:28. > :14:29.told that is not the case. There are reports they may have been teachers.
:14:30. > :14:32.We are told that is not the case. There are reportedly worth workers
:14:33. > :14:35.within that oil complex, which is owned by an Italian company. This
:14:36. > :14:41.comes one month after an attack in the eastern city of Benghazi. An
:14:42. > :14:46.American teacher was killed. He was out running when he was targeted and
:14:47. > :14:50.shot dead. In the wake of that, the Foreign Office he said Westerners
:14:51. > :14:54.should be aware of further attacks against them, in particular
:14:55. > :14:57.spontaneous attacks. Now, we are waiting for more information from
:14:58. > :15:01.the Foreign Office in terms of what has happened here in the past 24
:15:02. > :15:09.hours but it could be that we get that in the coming hours. OK, thank
:15:10. > :15:14.you. There are fresh calls for governments around the world to tax
:15:15. > :15:16.unhealthy foods to deal with rising global obesity. The Overseas
:15:17. > :15:20.Development Institute says the number of overweight and obese
:15:21. > :15:23.adults in developing countries has quadrupled since 1980, contributing
:15:24. > :15:29.to huge increases in health problems like diabetes and stroke. Tulip
:15:30. > :15:34.Mazumdar has the details. Far too many sausages! Many of us no
:15:35. > :15:40.doubt overdid it over Christmas, but there are fresh concerns about our
:15:41. > :15:42.globally expanding waistlines. Researchers say it is particularly
:15:43. > :15:46.alarming in the developing world, where people are choosing to spend
:15:47. > :15:52.the increasing disposable income on unhealthy fast food. The future
:15:53. > :15:59.diets report analysed existing data on global obesity rates. It found
:16:00. > :16:03.that in 1980 one in five people worldwide were overweight or obese.
:16:04. > :16:08.By 2008, it had risen to one in three. The report also found that in
:16:09. > :16:14.the developed world, countries like the UK and the US, rates went from
:16:15. > :16:18.320 million up to 571 million. But in developing countries like Egypt
:16:19. > :16:25.and Mexico, numbers almost quadrupled from 250 million up to
:16:26. > :16:29.904 million. It is these sorts of greasy fattening, sugary processed
:16:30. > :16:33.foods that are causing the problem. This class of drink has more than
:16:34. > :16:37.the daily recommended amount of sugar in it, around 13 teaspoons.
:16:38. > :16:47.Get through enough of this often enough, and you risk getting serious
:16:48. > :16:50.illnesses. The report says Western governments which have been dealing
:16:51. > :16:55.with the obesity problem for longer have so far failed. It suggests
:16:56. > :16:59.taxing unhealthy food. Things that change is the prices of food, I
:17:00. > :17:03.think, would be particularly effective in changing consumption
:17:04. > :17:07.patterns, and we know from the experience of the USA, where certain
:17:08. > :17:12.states have introduced taxes on sweets, for example, that it does
:17:13. > :17:16.affect the amount that is consumed. You cannot say to a slim person, you
:17:17. > :17:22.have to pay extra for this because other people are abusing it. It is a
:17:23. > :17:26.blunt tool, taxing, forcing people through their pockets. Much of the
:17:27. > :17:35.industry is not keen, Eva and argued the only thing that will get lighter
:17:36. > :17:40.is people's wallets. -- keen either. Our main story this lunchtime:
:17:41. > :17:45.Flooding hits many parts of the UK as officials warn of some of the
:17:46. > :17:49.worst weather for years. Still to come, the British film tipped to win
:17:50. > :17:53.at this month's Golden Globes, based on a true life story of slavery in
:17:54. > :17:58.the American South, we will hear from one of its stars.
:17:59. > :18:02.Later on BBC London, we meet the marathon man, David Bedford, the
:18:03. > :18:07.former athlete and race director has been awarded an OBE. And remember in
:18:08. > :18:08.Peter the wild boy, brought to London by George I and still
:18:09. > :18:22.honoured today. Documents from 30 years ago released
:18:23. > :18:25.this morning revealed that Margaret Thatcher secretly considered calling
:18:26. > :18:29.up troops at the height of the miners' strike. Plans were drawn up
:18:30. > :18:33.for thousands of members of the armed forces to drive lorries to
:18:34. > :18:36.move coal to power stations. The Cabinet papers also reveal that
:18:37. > :18:40.Libyan officials twice want the Foreign Office of potential violence
:18:41. > :18:44.hours before policewoman Yvonne Fletcher was murdered outside the
:18:45. > :18:50.Libyan Embassy in London. News correspondent Ben Ando has more.
:18:51. > :18:57.It was one of the most violent and bitter industrial disputes in
:18:58. > :19:01.British history. The year-long miners' strike from 1984 to 1985 saw
:19:02. > :19:04.hundreds injured on both sides in brutal clashes on picket lines
:19:05. > :19:12.between striking miners and the police. You are blocking the
:19:13. > :19:16.footpath... Miners leader Arthur Scargill was himself arrested during
:19:17. > :19:21.the Battle of Orgreave, and he claimed that the administration had
:19:22. > :19:27.a secret it lists of pits earmarked for closure. We do not want to see
:19:28. > :19:30.that closures and a rundown on manpower levels, bearing in mind
:19:31. > :19:36.they have a hit list of 70 pits and a reduction of about 70,000 in
:19:37. > :19:40.manpower. But Mrs Thatcher said the Government wanted to close just 20,
:19:41. > :19:42.and in the end the strike bailed. The miners were defeated, and the
:19:43. > :19:48.power of the trade unions was broken. Now records from the
:19:49. > :19:53.national archives released under the 30 year rule show that Arthur
:19:54. > :19:58.Scargill was right, there was a secret hit list of 75 pits that had
:19:59. > :20:01.been identified for closure over the next three years. The document was
:20:02. > :20:06.marked that it was not to be copied or circulated outside the private
:20:07. > :20:10.office. Mrs Thatcher's then an adviser says the need for secrecy
:20:11. > :20:16.was clear. When you are in a negotiation of this kind, you want
:20:17. > :20:21.to show as little of your hand as you can to those with whom you are
:20:22. > :20:24.negotiating, particularly if the purposes of those people are
:20:25. > :20:31.clearly, as they were in this case, malign. To learn after 30 years that
:20:32. > :20:39.the leader had been right is now a bitter pill for those who fought and
:20:40. > :20:43.lost. Not wrong in everything, he said that it was to butcher the
:20:44. > :20:47.industry, nobody ever disputed that from this side. He has been proved
:20:48. > :20:53.right, there was an ulterior motive in what they were doing. One month
:20:54. > :20:56.after the start of the strike in April 1980, Mrs Thatcher's
:20:57. > :21:01.government was faced with a new crisis, the murdered in a London
:21:02. > :21:03.street of a policewoman by a gunman hidden in the Libyan Embassy. That
:21:04. > :21:09.the murder. Armed police surrounded the
:21:10. > :21:12.embassy. WPC Yvonne Fletcher had been killed and 11 people who had
:21:13. > :21:15.been demonstrating had been injured, but new documents show that
:21:16. > :21:19.the British ambassador in Libya, Oliver Miles, had been warned by the
:21:20. > :21:25.authorities in Tripoli of possible trouble. I took it seriously, which
:21:26. > :21:30.is why I reported it to the Foreign Office, but I did not believe it,
:21:31. > :21:34.no. After an 11 day stand-off, those under siege were allowed to leave.
:21:35. > :21:39.The documents reveal Mrs Thatcher saw this as a pragmatic decision to
:21:40. > :21:46.protect Britons in Tripoli, even if it meant the suspected killer of
:21:47. > :21:50.Yvonne Fletcher went free. Benefit fraud costs the country more
:21:51. > :21:54.than ?1 billion per year, and that figure has not fallen in the past
:21:55. > :21:57.five years. The Government is trying to find the best way to bring it
:21:58. > :22:02.down and is trialling six project around the UK, each with a different
:22:03. > :22:06.way of tackling the problem. Local government correspondent Mike
:22:07. > :22:11.Sergeant explains. Some cases have hit the headlines.
:22:12. > :22:15.Like the drag queen who fraudulently claimed tens of thousands of
:22:16. > :22:18.pounds, the superfit boxing instructor who receives disability
:22:19. > :22:24.benefits, or the livestock trader who said he could barely walk but
:22:25. > :22:28.was filmed working vigorously. The Government want anyone suspected of
:22:29. > :22:33.benefit cheats or concerned about their own situation to get in touch.
:22:34. > :22:37.People tend to see benefit fraud as something that is not against
:22:38. > :22:40.anybody in particular, because it is against the Government, but it is
:22:41. > :22:47.very serious, a criminal offence, and it is an offence against the
:22:48. > :22:51.likes of us, the taxpayer. Benefits cheats often begin the deception
:22:52. > :22:55.slowly, almost casually, maybe they take on a couple of extra hours'
:22:56. > :22:59.work per week or moving with partner without telling the authorities, but
:23:00. > :23:03.in time the fraud can bring a significant cost to the taxpayers
:23:04. > :23:07.who do play the rules. Benefit investigators, like these in
:23:08. > :23:11.Cardiff, are beginning pilots in six areas of the UK, a mixture of
:23:12. > :23:16.internet ads, newspaper campaigns and letters. The idea is to compare
:23:17. > :23:20.different methods of alerting the public to find out what works best.
:23:21. > :23:25.Fraud accounts for a small fraction of the welfare bill but still costs
:23:26. > :23:30.the taxpayer ?1 billion per year. Overpayments because of error cost
:23:31. > :23:34.even more, 1.6 billion. Those who failed to disclose information they
:23:35. > :23:43.say ?2000 fine or a possible prison sentence for serious offences. --
:23:44. > :23:47.faced eight ?2000 fine. You may have made a mistake, but let us know nice
:23:48. > :23:51.and early so we do not go down the route of conviction. Critics say
:23:52. > :23:54.previous attempts to raise awareness have not had much effect on the
:23:55. > :23:57.level of fraud detected, that ministers say the message needs to
:23:58. > :24:03.go out that cheats should be stopped.
:24:04. > :24:05.Fans of the Formula One champion Michael Schumacher have gathered
:24:06. > :24:09.outside the French hospital where he remains in a critical condition
:24:10. > :24:13.after suffering head injuries while skiing at the weekend. They marked
:24:14. > :24:23.his 45th birthday by joining a silent vigil. His family has
:24:24. > :24:28.remained at his bedside. 12 Years A Slave is an unflinching
:24:29. > :24:31.portrayal of slavery in the American South from British director Steve
:24:32. > :24:36.McQueen. So far it is jointly leading the nominations for the
:24:37. > :24:40.Golden Globe awards alongside American Hustle. Based on the true
:24:41. > :24:44.story of a freeman sold into slavery, it stars Chiwetel Ejiofor,
:24:45. > :24:48.and Will Gompertz has been to meet him.
:24:49. > :24:52.Solomon Northup is an expert player of the violin. I was born a freeman,
:24:53. > :24:58.lived with my family in New York until the day I was deceived,
:24:59. > :25:01.kidnapped and sold into slavery. True story, did you know it
:25:02. > :25:07.beforehand to me I had never heard of him. I had never heard of Solomon
:25:08. > :25:13.Northup or the kidnappings in the North that happened.
:25:14. > :25:18.I am a freeman. You have no right whatsoever to detain me. You are
:25:19. > :25:22.nothing but a Georgia away. When you went out to Louisiana, when you went
:25:23. > :25:27.out in New Orleans and talk to people about what you were doing,
:25:28. > :25:31.was the story still in the soil? Do people still connect with it, or was
:25:32. > :25:35.it fresh to them as well? There are places which have a rich investment
:25:36. > :25:39.still to what happened in there, whereas there are places that are
:25:40. > :25:42.tending to museums, for example, you can talk to people who are the
:25:43. > :25:47.descendants of the plantation owners, in the times of slavery. And
:25:48. > :25:52.then there are other places in Louisiana which seem very removed
:25:53. > :25:56.from all of that, almost as if it never happened, you know. And so
:25:57. > :26:01.there is that kind of psychology as well, but on the plantations you
:26:02. > :26:04.feel that there is a real sense of dancing with ghosts, that everything
:26:05. > :26:19.is still, you know, very much alive and present, in the soil.
:26:20. > :26:23.SINGING It is highly likely you will be short listed for an Oscar
:26:24. > :26:28.nomination for the performance. Similarly, your mate Idris Elba, who
:26:29. > :26:34.played Mandela, another staggering performance, he could get short
:26:35. > :26:39.listed. How does that feel? I spoke to Idris the other day, and it is
:26:40. > :26:43.amazing, it is really great, and I am really excited about the prospect
:26:44. > :26:49.of that. Who is going to get the schedule me who knows? It has been
:26:50. > :26:56.such an incredible journey that whatever happens now, regardless of
:26:57. > :27:00.that, it has been an extraordinary time with films that I am deeply
:27:01. > :27:04.proud of. Thank you very much indeed.
:27:05. > :27:08.Now cricket, and it has been a familiar tale for England after the
:27:09. > :27:11.opening day of the final Ashes Test in Sydney. The tourists made a great
:27:12. > :27:17.start before the Australians once again took control and rally from
:27:18. > :27:23.97-5 to finish 326 all out. In reply, England are 8-1. Dan Roan has
:27:24. > :27:27.been watching the action. There are few better places to make
:27:28. > :27:31.a fresh start, and in a city synonymous with New Year, English
:27:32. > :27:35.cricket had made a resolution to turn the tide. The tourists had seen
:27:36. > :27:39.another, a trio of players and debuts. Having wielded the axe,
:27:40. > :27:44.England won the toss for the first time the series, and the decision to
:27:45. > :27:48.bowl on a grassy pitch was clearly vindicated. Australia were reduced
:27:49. > :27:52.to 97-5 shortly after lunch, the tourists finally getting it off
:27:53. > :27:56.their chests. But as sure as night follows day is, Brad Haddin will
:27:57. > :28:00.come to the rescue, and sure enough he was full of his usual swash and
:28:01. > :28:05.buckle as the hosts recovered. These were not the debuts that the English
:28:06. > :28:09.players had hoped for, Boyd Rankin was hamstrung, Scott Borthwick
:28:10. > :28:13.simply hammered, as Brad Haddin took the game away from them. The
:28:14. > :28:17.wicketkeeper was eventually out for 75, but his accomplice Steve Smith
:28:18. > :28:23.continued in the same vein, bringing up a sparkling century in grand
:28:24. > :28:27.style. But just as a weary England sank to new levels of despondency
:28:28. > :28:31.came some late solace, Ben Stokes was the one ray of light on an
:28:32. > :28:36.otherwise gloomy tour, wrapping up the tail with three victims in an
:28:37. > :28:40.over. His six wicket haul gave the team something to celebrate,
:28:41. > :28:44.Australia all out for 326. But by then the damage was done, and under
:28:45. > :28:48.a ferocious evening assault from Mitchell Johnson, Michael Carberry
:28:49. > :28:53.was out for a duck, England limping off on 8-1. You have to wonder once
:28:54. > :28:58.again what might have been. We started really well, we had the 95,
:28:59. > :29:05.and then Brad Haddin and Smith counter-attacked the start that we
:29:06. > :29:10.got. We gave them too many. So a new year and some new faces, but the
:29:11. > :29:15.same old story for England, failing to capitalise after a good start.
:29:16. > :29:19.They now face a huge batting day, but in truth the prospect of a 5-0
:29:20. > :29:25.series whitewash remains all too real.
:29:26. > :29:30.OK, time for a full look at the weather with John Hammond.
:29:31. > :29:37.It is quieter down under, it is wild back home, as you are well aware.
:29:38. > :29:43.This is the flood line number, more stormy weather in prospect. This is
:29:44. > :29:47.today's beast, it is the winds of most concern, battering the western
:29:48. > :29:49.and southern coasts. We have some footage from Ayrshire of flooding
:29:50. > :29:55.taking place, very strong gusts indeed. Our attention turns to areas
:29:56. > :29:59.further south later this afternoon and into the evening, with another
:30:00. > :30:05.high spring tide expected, and in the last hour or so we have actually
:30:06. > :30:09.seen gusts of over 90 mph along some exposed clifftops along the southern
:30:10. > :30:14.coast of England. Inland, some really squally showers, a land
:30:15. > :30:18.thunder mixed in, nasty driving conditions. -- hail and thunder
:30:19. > :30:23.mixed in. Technically mild in the south, but it does not feel pleasant
:30:24. > :30:25.with the wind and rain. Looking ahead towards this evening, very
:30:26. > :30:29.windy with an ongoing risk of flooding in the south for a time,
:30:30. > :30:34.the winds dying down, blustery showers rattling in, cold across the
:30:35. > :30:38.North for some slippery surfaces later towards dawn. By that time,
:30:39. > :30:43.more trouble brewing across southern counties of England, yet another
:30:44. > :30:47.area of rain. A lot of uncertainty about the detail tomorrow, but the
:30:48. > :30:50.prospect is there for a few hours of wet weather across southeastern
:30:51. > :30:53.areas, just where we do not need it, and this area of rain looks like it
:30:54. > :30:57.is moving across the country, engaging colder in northern
:30:58. > :31:02.England, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland, bringing a real
:31:03. > :31:07.risk of snow even at low levels. We could see some significant snow, we
:31:08. > :31:09.will keep an eye on that one for sure. This is the picture for the
:31:10. > :31:12.afternoon, brightening up, technically mild in the south but
:31:13. > :31:18.cold with a risk of snow further south. That is Saturday. You have
:31:19. > :31:22.probably heard all about Sunday, the next explosive deepening area of low
:31:23. > :31:26.pressure, that means more wet and windy weather sweeping in from the
:31:27. > :31:30.south-west. The winds and not of so much concern, it is the rain, with
:31:31. > :31:36.another 20 millimetres in some places double that. Some areas
:31:37. > :31:41.starting bright and cold in the East, but more trouble looming. To
:31:42. > :31:45.sum up the weekend, if you really want to know, it is going to be
:31:46. > :31:48.pretty rough, rain on Saturday, a risk of snow on Sunday, then wet and
:31:49. > :31:52.windy weather spreading into more areas.
:31:53. > :31:59.Thank you so much! That is our main story at 1:30, flooding heats many
:32:00. > :32:03.parts of the UK as officials warn of the worst weather for years. That is
:32:04. > :32:04.it from the News At One