17/02/2014 BBC News at One


17/02/2014

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Alex Salmond said attempts to dictate from on high are damaging

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the democratic process. Scots, he said, don't like being bullied. To

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be told there are things we can't do will certainly elicit a Scottish

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response that is as resolute as it is uncomfortable to the no campaign.

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We'll be getting the latest in the increasingly bitter dispute with our

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Scotland editor. Also this lunchtime:

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With 16 severe flood warnings still in place in England, the Prime

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Minister pledges more financial support for businesses and farmers.

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We also need this ?10 million fund, money that will be distributed to

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the local authorities that are affected, so they can help

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businesses that have either been directly or indirectly hit by the

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flood. Tourism bosses in the South West

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urge half-term holiday-makers not to be put off by recent images of their

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battered coastline. The moment a co-pilot hijacked his

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own plane and flew it to Switzerland to claim asylum.

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This is obviously one male who can be relied upon not to step on his

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partner's feet. And the real robots of the future -

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less like humans, more like insects. Later on BBC London:

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Despite the better weather, fears that river levels could rise again

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this week. And four bus drivers a day are

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attacked or verbally abused in London, according to new figures.

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Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. The war of words

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over Scottish independence got hotter today as First Minister Alex

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Salmond hit back at claims that an independent Scotland wouldn't be

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able to keep the pound. Last week the Chancellor, George Osborne, said

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that if Scotland voted yes in September's referendum, it couldn't

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keep the currency. But in a speech in Aberdeen, Mr Salmond insisted

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that not sharing the pound would cost businesses south of the border

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many hundreds of millions of pounds - and accused other parties of

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bullying Scotland. Our Scotland correspondent Laura Bicker is in

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Aberdeen. Well, now we know there is no plan B

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when it comes to the Scottish Government's choice of currency for

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an independent Scotland. Alex Salmond said today that the pound

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was the best option and he said when all this campaigning stops, the

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common-sense will start. Otherwise it will cost businesses across the

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UK hundreds of millions of pounds. Now it was his turn. On his home

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turf in Aberdeen, Alex Salmond chose to make a speech to supporters but

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his message was for the Chancellor and his colleagues in Westminster.

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To be told that we have no rights to assets jointly built up is as

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insulting as it is demeaning. To be told there are things we can't do

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will certainly elicit a Scottish response that is as resolute as it

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is uncomfortable to the no campaign. It is yes, we can. It would cost the

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rest of the UK millions if an independent Scotland could not use

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the pound, he said. A charge he dubbed the Georgian attacks. The

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Chancellor wants Scotland last week that if they walked away from the

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union they walked away from the pound. A currency union, he said,

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would not work. And the outgoing European Commission President Jose

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Manuel Barroso said it would be extremely difficult, if not

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impossible, for an independent Scotland to join the European Union.

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Alex Salmond today dismissed those remarks but opponents of

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independence say the First Minister still has questions to answer on

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both the pound and Europe. People don't want to be in a position where

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they going to vote when they have no idea what the alternative is, what

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the replacement for the pound would be. I think the argument about

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currency is absolutely critical, just as critical as the European

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argument, and the wheels are coming off the wide. It simply does not

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stack up. So if it came to it, could an independent Scotland use the

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pound without agreement was not Why continuing to use the pound, it

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would make nonexistent any exchange costs of going from north or south

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of the border, both to businesses and households. There are good

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reasons for wanting to use the pound. Alex Salmond was preaching to

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the converted and these supporters believe the First Minister inspires

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confidence. He reassured the business community that his plan is

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the correct one. I don't think we need a plan B because we have the

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correct plan going forward and he answered all the questions that

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business people were looking for the answers to and came out with a

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positive message. And confidence will be key in this campaign. With

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seven months ago, both sides are trying to convince voters that only

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they have a clear vision of Scotland's future. It will be very

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interesting to see how the last week plays out with voters. The yes camp

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and Alex Salmond said today that voters who feel bullied by

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Westminster are being pushed their way. Better Together says the last

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week has shown Alex Salmond to be a man without a plan. Seven months to

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go, seven months to decide. Thank you. In a moment, we'll be

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live in Westminster but first a Glasgow and our Scotland political

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editor Brian Taylor. There is no plan B but Alex Salmond says

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Westminster's so-called bullying is playing in his favour. I think there

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is a destructive plan B, which is to continue to use the pound, much as

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Panama uses the dollar. -- a deep fact to plan B. Alex Salmond says

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the UK government will claim all the assets and he says that in those

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circumstances the liabilities and debts would also fall to the

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remainder of the UK. Is he saying that is a good idea? No, he is not.

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He says Scotland wishes to sharing those debts but only as part of a

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sterling zone. There is politics going on here as well as the

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statistics. George Osborne is making it clear he is against the idea of

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sharing a currency postindependence. Why? A, because he is against it. B,

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because it would be very hard to sell it to the people of England. It

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would be a hard marketing deal and so he turns away from it. Alex

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Salmond's demeanour today was one of reassurance and calm, rather than

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the bombastic rhetoric he knows might appeal to the nationalists he

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is trying to soothe and assuage. He says this can ultimately be sorted

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out in the event that there is a vote for independence. Thank you.

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Let's go to our chief political correspondent Norman Smith in

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Westminster. Is there any sense in the no team that this accusation of

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bullying holds some weight? My sense is, talking to figures in

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government, they believe that for the first time in this campaign,

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Alex Salmond has been significantly and seriously forced onto the back

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foot. Not just because of the arguments on whether Scots could

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keep the pound or remain in the EU but because of who is making the

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arguments. The critical interventions have not come from

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David Cameron or George Osborne or Ed Balls but from independent

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officials, like the governor of the Bank of England, the president of

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the European Commission. These figures who cannot be dismissed as

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posh English Tory boys going north of the border to tell Scots what

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they should think. It matters because these arguments address some

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of the keeper lives of reassurance that Alex Salmond has sought to

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create - to reassure Scots they would keep the Queen, remain in

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NATO, keep the pound, stay in the EU. Two of those pillars are looking

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decidedly wobbly. Lastly, this is personal. It's not just about

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raising doubts about whether Scots would keep the pound or whether they

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could stay in the EU, it's raising doubts about Alex Salmond himself

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and whether he can be trusted. Thank you.

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The Prime Minister has been visiting people in more flood-hit areas this

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morning. He's described the flooding as a tragedy and promised an extra

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?10 million for businesses affected by the disaster. There's been a lull

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in the recent bad weather but forecasters say more rain is on the

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way. 16 severe flood warnings are still in place and 3,000 troops have

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been deployed to help in the flood relief effort. Our correspondent

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Sian Lloyd is in Upton-upon-Severn in Worcestershire.

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Yes, David Cameron was here a couple of hours ago seeing for himself just

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how this community is coping with the floods. It has the unenviable

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record of being one of the most frequently flooded places in the UK

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and the Prime Minister was here to spread the word on just how these

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communities across the land will get help.

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Swathes of land still submerged and the water levels show little sign of

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receding. Homes and businesses along the banks of the River Thames have

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been among the worst affected. The River Severn, too, has risen to

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record levels. In Worcestershire, only one main route into

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Upton-upon-Severn is open to normal traffic and the community is being

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helped by the Army to get around. I think it's an excellent service. I

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wouldn't personally come into town just to get a couple of bottles of

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milk if I've got to go the long way round. But this was ideal. We can

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stock up, help the local community. Brilliant. This morning, the prime

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minister visited the market town. He heard concerns from local business

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people about a drop in trade. The government has allocated ?10 million

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to support businesses hit by the floods. We've announced that we're

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going to have a grant system for up to ?5,000 for businesses that have

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been flooded so they can better protect themselves in future but we

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also need this ?10 million fund, money that will be distributed to

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the local authorities affected, so they can help businesses that have

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either indirectly or directly been hit by the flood. That is actually

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helpful to businesses. Ralph Thomas's pub is not underwater but

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he says customers are staying away. He isn't convinced about the

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government scheme. Am I going to see any of this ?10 million, like a

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reduction in rates while the roads are closed? I really don't know.

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Without these flood defences, Upton-upon-Severn would be under

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feet of water. The ?4.5 million investment was completed just over a

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year ago. In the past, the town suffered severe flooding. In 2007,

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we struggled to get to the site because the flooding was so bad. A

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permanent defence is the best option if you can but, obviously, any

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defence is better than nothing. This community has been flooded 80 times

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in the last 40 years. The people here are well rehearsed in dealing

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with the rising River Severn. The Prime Minister acknowledge that,

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across the country, there are still lessons to be learned. And also,

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David Cameron yet again defended the government's handling of these

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floods against some criticism that has been levied at them during this

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time. He praised the efforts of the Army and the volunteers who have

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been helping in this community and right across the country.

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There are still 16 severe flood warnings in place in the Thames

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Valley, the South West and Central England. Ben Brown is in Old Windsor

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in Berkshire. Thank you very much. Let's show you

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where we are with the flood waters here because, actually, the

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situation has improved quite a lot. This is as high as they came,

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between knee height and waist height, but the flood waters here

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are ankle-deep now so that is an improvement. The weather is dry and

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that is encouraging people here but everybody from this little village

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has left their homes. They've been evacuated. There is no one much

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around. They've left their community is -- canoes, which is how they were

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trying to get around. One of the concerns was the health situation.

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The water is contaminated with sewage and the fear is that although

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the water levels have dropped quite considerably, they could come back

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up again because the Environment Agency is warning that maybe by

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Thursday they will be back up to where they were. All the rainwater

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we had over the weekend has got to filter through the River Thames and

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over the next few days, that will send the flood levels here shooting

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back up. Now, for many schools across the

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country this week is half term - and many people would normally take

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breaks in the UK. But what effects will the recent storms - and the

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images of the battered coastline - have on the tourism industry this

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week? John Maguire has been to Cornwall to find out.

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This is the video postcard from Cornwall that has been beamed around

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the world in recent weeks. And as school half term gets under way, the

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county's tourism board has launched its wet weather programme. The way

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it's reported, it is almost as if Cornwall is entirely shot off. I did

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eight week the other day and said, "it's a lovely sunny morning and I

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went for a swim". The coast is famed for its rugged beauty, a landscape

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Lodge and into shape by the Atlantic Ocean. Here in Bude, the businesses

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that are open our stoic. The biggest problem we've got is that people

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couldn't get to Cornwall, so trying to get the message across that the

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motorway and the trunk roads are open has been the biggest challenge.

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It has reduced bookings but has made very little difference to those that

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were already booked. We're heading to a village where resilience is

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branded into the DNA. It's now ten years since Boscastle was shocked by

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flash flooding. Sally runs a B and B and lives in a nearby village and

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she realised they had to fight to recover the tourism business here.

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Extreme events over recent years - what impact have they had on you and

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the business? Devastating. We had the foot and mouth crisis and the

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flooding in Boscastle in 2004. After the flood, we realised that we must

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work together as a community, promote the area, do things to bring

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people out of season, and it has worked. As Cornish as the cream tea

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is the desire to attract visitors in all weathers. This is never going to

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be a make or break week for the tourism business but it does provide

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a cherry on the icing of the cake for those businesses that are open

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this early on in the season. What's that cherry worth? In Cornwall

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alone, it equates to 90,000-100,000 visitors, spending ?30 million.

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Easter may be the traditional start of the main tourism season but many

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businesses stay open all year round, whether the weather is

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fine... Or whether the weather is downright awful.

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And you can find out more about the awful weather conditions, on the BBC

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News website. And there are, of course, updates on your BBC Local

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Radio station. Three former employees of Barclays

:16:35.:16:47.

Bank have been charged in relation to the alleged manipulation of the

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interbank interest rate. The men will appear at Westminster

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Magistrates' Court. In 2012, Barclays Bank paid fines of ?219

:17:00.:17:08.

million to settle charges -- 200 ?90 million. The Serious Fraud Office

:17:09.:17:10.

says an investigation into the scandal is invest -- continuing.

:17:11.:17:13.

An Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot hijacked a plane bound for Rome this

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morning, and flew it to Geneva, where he wanted to seek asylum.

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Swiss police say the co-pilot took control when the main pilot went to

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the bathroom. He's now being questioned by the authorities, as

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our security correspondent Frank Gardner reports.

:17:27.:17:32.

An airliner hijacked by the plain's and co-pilot, then diverted to this

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runway in Geneva. Swiss police scramble to react this morning when

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this Ethiopian airlines scheduled flight to Rome was diverted here.

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Flying over Italy, the co-pilot had waited for the pilot to go to the

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toilet, then locked himself inside the cockpit and alerted air traffic

:17:53.:17:56.

control to what he was doing. This is the actual cockpit recording.

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Through the open cockpit window, the hijacker let himself down the road

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then gave himself up to the Swiss authorities. Around 200 passengers

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and crew left the plane unharmed, then the Swiss convened a hasty

:18:32.:18:38.

press conference. The co-pilot hijacker was born in 1983. He is of

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Ethiopian origin. His act was motivated by his claim that his

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safety is threatened in his country and he wants to seek asylum in

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Switzerland. Ethiopian Airline say no weapons were involved in though

:18:52.:18:54.

one was in danger, but just why the hijacker did not wait to disembark

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in Rome is not clear. He now faces the prospect of up to 20 years in a

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swish jail. -- Swiss jail. The time is 1:19pm. Our top story

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this lunchtime: the war of words over independence hots up as Alex

:19:15.:19:18.

Salmond accuses Westminster on bullying Scotland over the pound. On

:19:19.:19:20.

the 10th stage of the British curling teams. Can they qualify for

:19:21.:19:25.

the semifinals at the Winter Olympics -- and a tense day. Later

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on BBC London: Chaos for commuters this morning after flooding causes

:19:30.:19:31.

delays and cancellations. And he's one of the greatest long-distance

:19:32.:19:34.

runners of all-time. Haile Gebrselassie is announced as the

:19:35.:19:36.

lead pacemaker for this year's London Marathon.

:19:37.:19:44.

To many, this is still the image they have of a robot. A machine in

:19:45.:19:49.

some kind of human form which, however gentle it appears, has

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always felt a bit scary. But scientists say this isn't right,

:19:56.:19:58.

that robots of the future are more likely to behave like insects. Our

:19:59.:20:00.

Science Correspondent, Pallab Ghosh, is in Chicago and has gone to meet

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some of them. Gigan is one male who could be

:20:03.:20:16.

relied upon not to step on his part speed. This is how we imagined

:20:17.:20:22.

robots would be in the future in the 1950s, but 60 years on this is how

:20:23.:20:25.

they have turned out. It looks like a toy car, but actually it's an

:20:26.:20:30.

intelligent robot that can see and learn. It is navigating its way

:20:31.:20:32.

through this obstacle course or on its own. And here is the ant that

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they are based on. The research team spent several weeks studying it in

:20:43.:20:45.

Spain, and based on what they learned, this is what they built. A

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robot that can make its way through rough terrain. This is in and's eye

:20:50.:20:56.

view of the world. The picture is coarse and simplified, but even so,

:20:57.:21:01.

it's an awful lot of visual data, and it has been a complete mystery

:21:02.:21:06.

as to how a creature with the brain the size of a pinhead can process

:21:07.:21:11.

that amount of information. If you have tried to build a robot

:21:12.:21:14.

yourself, you can't help but be amazed when you look at an animal,

:21:15.:21:18.

even a simple animal and how well it interacts with the world and how

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many competencies it has, how compact is, how low powered it is,

:21:22.:21:25.

how robust it is. We can't build anything like it, so there's a lot

:21:26.:21:32.

to learn. In Chicago, researchers are developing robot fish. This

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camera shows how it is avoiding the coloured obstacles. It uses electric

:21:36.:21:42.

fields to sense its surroundings. In murky waters, it could be used to

:21:43.:21:46.

assess damage in oil spills, assessed danger for divers or go

:21:47.:21:51.

where cameras cannot see. It is a group of fish that live in the

:21:52.:21:56.

rivers of the Amazon, and those rivers are very, very murky. So as a

:21:57.:22:01.

result, they have had to evolve a different way of sensing. It seems

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increasingly that robot builders are drawing their inspiration from the

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animal kingdom. So no robot servants to look after us in the foreseeable

:22:13.:22:16.

future. And some might say, thank goodness.

:22:17.:22:25.

17 people who were trapped in an abandoned gold mine east of

:22:26.:22:29.

Johannesburg have been brought to safety. South African police say

:22:30.:22:32.

they face charges of illegal mining. An unknown number of miners are

:22:33.:22:34.

still underground. It's thought they fear being arrested when they return

:22:35.:22:37.

to surface. Our correspondent Nomsa Maseko is at the site east of

:22:38.:22:42.

Johannesburg. What is happening there at the moment? At the moment,

:22:43.:22:48.

rescue officials have confirmed in the last half an hour or so that

:22:49.:22:51.

they have lost all communication with the gold-diggers, who are still

:22:52.:22:58.

underground. About 11 of them have come out today, and 11 yesterday, so

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in total, 22. They were treated full -- they were taken for medical

:23:13.:23:16.

checkups and were found not to have sustained any injuries. They are

:23:17.:23:19.

facing charges of illegal mining. Thank you very much for that update.

:23:20.:23:26.

The space thriller Gravity and the drama 12 Years a Slave were the two

:23:27.:23:29.

big winners at last night's star-studded BAFTAs. Gravity won six

:23:30.:23:33.

awards including Best British film, with Chiwetel Ejiofor being named

:23:34.:23:37.

best actor for his portrayal of the slave Solomon Northup. Our

:23:38.:23:38.

entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba was there. 12 Years A Slave.

:23:39.:23:46.

It may not have won the most awards, but 12 Years A Slave took

:23:47.:23:49.

the night's most prestigious prize, Best Film, as well as the best actor

:23:50.:23:57.

award for Chiwetel Ejiofor. It felt so great to be supported in that

:23:58.:24:00.

way, by your peers and friends and family. It was a really wonderful

:24:01.:24:07.

feeling. I was thrilled. Its main rival, space thriller Gravity was

:24:08.:24:11.

the winner of half a dozen awards, including best director. 1970s

:24:12.:24:16.

comedy drama American Hustle took home three awards, including Best

:24:17.:24:19.

supporting actress for Jennifer Lawrence. And other winners included

:24:20.:24:24.

Cate Blanchett, best actress for Blue Jasmine. An unexpected

:24:25.:24:29.

highlight was a musical performance where rapper tiny temper gave a high

:24:30.:24:33.

five to the future King -- tiny temper. The recipient of this year

:24:34.:24:39.

's Fellowship, I should probably call granny. Prince Philip was there

:24:40.:24:46.

to award Helen Mirren with the Academy's highest honour. With

:24:47.:24:52.

voting currently underway in America in the Academy Awards, 12 Years A

:24:53.:24:55.

Slave might be disappointed overall tonight, but they will be pleased

:24:56.:24:59.

that they won the big one, Best Film. However, Gravity team will

:25:00.:25:04.

still be hopeful that their six awards will help them exert a

:25:05.:25:07.

significant pull on Oscar voters ahead of the ceremony in two weeks

:25:08.:25:08.

time. It was a crucial day for Great

:25:09.:25:14.

Britain's curling teams today at the Winter Olympics. The men are

:25:15.:25:21.

struggling to qualify for the semi-finals after losing their game

:25:22.:25:25.

against Germany. -- China. They have one last chance to get through

:25:26.:25:28.

tomorrow if they beat Norway. The women are guaranteed at least a

:25:29.:25:31.

play-off spot after beating Russia 9-6 this morning. The weather

:25:32.:25:34.

meanwhile has forced other events to be postponed. Our correspondent Andy

:25:35.:25:35.

Swiss is in Sochi for us now. Yes, a huge day for Britain's

:25:36.:25:47.

curlers in Sochi. They came here with high hopes but have sometimes

:25:48.:25:50.

struggled over the first week, and they knew that today they simply had

:25:51.:25:57.

to produce their best. For Britain's medal hopes, it was make

:25:58.:26:03.

or break time. Curling is a sport of touch and tactics, the aim to slide

:26:04.:26:06.

your stones into the target and knock out your opponents. Against

:26:07.:26:10.

Russia, the women's team showed why they are amongst the favourites.

:26:11.:26:14.

It's still all came down to the wire, the captain Eve Muirhead kept

:26:15.:26:18.

her cool to secure the two points at the final end and victory. It means

:26:19.:26:23.

if they win their last match later on, they are into the semifinals.

:26:24.:26:29.

Really pleased with that. The girls played fantastic. It's one of those

:26:30.:26:33.

games we knew we had to win, so there is always tension, but we went

:26:34.:26:36.

out there and stayed relaxed and pulled off some great shots. The

:26:37.:26:40.

British men will face a play-off tomorrow to see if they go through

:26:41.:26:43.

to the semifinals after losing their final round robin match against

:26:44.:26:49.

China. Meanwhile, Britain's freestyle skier role in Cheshire

:26:50.:26:52.

tweeted this photograph of herself after spending the night in hospital

:26:53.:27:00.

with concussion -- Rowan. Two snowboarders, including this

:27:01.:27:05.

Norwegian, also had to be stretchered off the slopes. But

:27:06.:27:08.

organisers insist conditions here are no more dangerous than previous

:27:09.:27:13.

games. At the moment, the figures are there is no difference at all,

:27:14.:27:16.

no significant difference from Vancouver. Winter sport, snow

:27:17.:27:22.

sports, they are not without their risks, but we don't see any

:27:23.:27:27.

different -- difference between these Winter Olympics and the rest.

:27:28.:27:33.

In the mountains, heavy fog forced postponements. After the recent warm

:27:34.:27:36.

weather, organisers were hoping for a bit of the white stuff, but not

:27:37.:27:43.

quite like this. Tricky conditions in the mountains. To give you an

:27:44.:27:49.

update on Rowan Cheshire, she is being released from hospital today,

:27:50.:27:52.

and they will assess her condition over the next few days before

:27:53.:27:55.

deciding if she can compete in her event on Thursday.

:27:56.:27:58.

Warm weather there, but a record breaking snowstorm in Japan has

:27:59.:28:07.

killed at least 12 people and injured more than 1,000 others. More

:28:08.:28:10.

than a metre of snow fell in some areas, the sheer weight causing the

:28:11.:28:13.

roofs of several buildings to collapse. It's also led to flight

:28:14.:28:16.

cancellations, havoc on the roads and Toyota and Suzuki both say they

:28:17.:28:19.

are having to shut production at several car plants.

:28:20.:28:21.

Time for a look at the weather. Here's Stav Danaos. There is some

:28:22.:28:26.

snow here. Phenomenal amounts in the Scottish

:28:27.:28:36.

mountains, but elsewhere it has been considerably mild across the UK this

:28:37.:28:41.

winter. You could see, yesterday, Sunday's clear weather across the UK

:28:42.:28:45.

brought us a gorgeous sunny day, but we are seeing more in the way of

:28:46.:28:49.

cloud, and behind me looms the wind and rain on Thursday. More cloud

:28:50.:28:56.

piling in today, so a cloudier and damp today than yesterday with

:28:57.:29:00.

outbreaks of rain. Not very heavy for many areas, but it is pepping up

:29:01.:29:04.

across western areas, particularly the South West and Wales where there

:29:05.:29:08.

is a keen southerly wind. To the east, East Anglia and the

:29:09.:29:11.

south-east, still dry, but the rain will arrive as we go through the

:29:12.:29:16.

course of the afternoon. However, outbreaks of rain per Scotland, a

:29:17.:29:20.

strong easterly wind and snow falling again over the mountains,

:29:21.:29:24.

even in low levels. But for the Northern Isles, dry and bright,

:29:25.:29:29.

Bocelli. Of rain for Northern Ireland. -- but Chile. Driver now in

:29:30.:29:35.

the south-east, but turning wetter later on. The heaviest bursts across

:29:36.:29:41.

Wales and the South West, but Western Cornwall will see some

:29:42.:29:44.

sunshine, and that is the theme through the afternoon, some

:29:45.:29:46.

brightness pushing in towards the south-west. Through the evening, the

:29:47.:29:51.

band of rain spreads towards the east, reaching the eastern parts and

:29:52.:29:56.

there are heavy bursts. Across northern areas, damp, misty, murky,

:29:57.:30:00.

further rain and snow in the hills. Across the South West, heavy showers

:30:01.:30:05.

pushing up. For most of us, it will be a frost free night apart from the

:30:06.:30:09.

Northern Isles. Tomorrow looks like being a cloudy day, but more

:30:10.:30:13.

sunshine than today. Sunny spells pushing into the West then the

:30:14.:30:17.

Midlands. Heavy showers affecting central and southern parts of

:30:18.:30:20.

England. Some of these containing hail and thunder, but for Scotland

:30:21.:30:24.

and Northern Ireland, a grey day with outbreaks of rain continuing.

:30:25.:30:28.

For Wednesday, nondescript day. A lot of cloud, some brightness, but

:30:29.:30:34.

one or two spots of rain across western areas. Notice the

:30:35.:30:38.

temperatures, ten or 11 degrees, so sticking with the mild theme.

:30:39.:30:42.

Thursday we see the change, a mass of cloud comes in, tighter isobars,

:30:43.:30:47.

and heavy rain. Nothing is stormy as we have seen over the past few weeks

:30:48.:30:51.

though. Really, this week there will be some way -- rain around, but not

:30:52.:30:57.

as windy, although the winds will pick up on Thursday and Friday and

:30:58.:31:01.

into the weekend. And remaining on the mild side for many of us. Thank

:31:02.:31:03.

you very much. Now a reminder of our top story this

:31:04.:31:12.

lunchtime: the war of words over the Scottish independence referendum

:31:13.:31:14.

hots up as Alex Salmond accuses Westminster of bullying the Scots

:31:15.:31:17.

over the pound. That's all from us. Now

:31:18.:31:18.

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