02/04/2014 BBC News at One

take extra care when they are outdoors. Reduce the amount of

strenuous physical activity you do outdoors, and be aware that you may

need to use your inhalers more on this had polluted days.

Several people have been killed in Chile after an earthquake with a

magnitude of 8.2 hits the country. Seconds out, round two - the stage

is set for Farage versus Clegg, the rematch.

Nervous neighbours - the Baltic states on Russia's doorstep look to

NATO to help safeguard their borders. This aircraft can be

scrambled within minutes, but it is not just about reassuring the Baltic

states, it is also about sending a clear message to Russia as well.

And two hugely valuable paintings by Gauguin and Bonnard stolen in London

over 40 years ago have turned up in a pensioner's flat in Sicily.

On BBC London: House prices in the capital are up by 18% in one year.

And former Ford employees take their pension campaign to Westminster.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One. Parts of England

are being warned about abnormally high levels of air pollution today.

It's being caused by a combination of dust blown over from the Sahara

and vehicle exhaust emissions, and is expected to move across southern

England and the Midlands, with East Anglia at the highest possible

threat level. People with lung or heart conditions are being told to

take special care if they're outside. Here's our Science

Correspondent, Pallab Ghosh. As the sun rose, people in parts of

England will want to expect a very high levels of air pollution. --

people were warned. The government has a ten point scale for measuring

air quality, with one meaning a low risk of pollution and ten being very

high. Levels hit the maximum of ten in north-west Norfolk yesterday, and

it is still thought to be a hotspot today. The purple areas are forecast

to be the most polluted. Dark red indicates a likelihood of poor air

quality, with green being the best. Experts said it is an unusual

event. It is a combination of several factors, none of which in

themselves is particularly unusual, but it is the combination of four

individual factors, some of which are to do with chemistry, some with

emissions and some with air quality. They have all combined to give us

what we are experiencing. Cars and lorries are one of the main causes

of poor air quality. Although they are much less polluting than they

used to be, there are much more of them on the road. And here is

another cause. High winds have whipped up sand from the Sahara

desert, and it has been blown directly over the UK, making its

mark as it rained earlier this week. Sand and dust from the Sahara comes

to the UK a few times a year, but on this occasion, the effects have been

particularly bad. They have combined articles that have won over from

Europe and air pollution has been particularly bad in the UK. For some

of us, it has meant sore throats and sore eyes, but those with throat and

lung diseases have been asked to take particular care. People with

asthma or conditions of that sort, where doing strenuous activity

outdoors, you may notice an increase in your symptoms, so you may need to

reduce the activity you take outdoors if you are in one of the

highest polluted areas. And you may need to use your inhalers more than

usual. Pollution levels are expected to peak today and disappear by the

end of the week. But campaigners say the high levels highlight the fact

that most local authorities don't meet that target. In February, the

European Commission launched legal proceedings against the UK for

failing to improve air quality. Let's get more from our environment

analyst, Roger Harrabin. Roger, how bad is bad? How does the air in

London compared to Delhi or Beijing? At the moment, we are in a

particularly bad episode. We have this strange combination of the

Saharan dust, plus severe local pollution, plus pollution from the

continent. Assorted groups of heart and lung patients are angry, because

although we cannot affect the Saharan dust, we can affect what

happens on our own shores. The government is 15 years behind in its

efforts to meet a directive from the European Union to improve air

quality. London has some of the worst air quality in Europe, and so

to do a lot of other native cities. But making the comparison you just

made with Beijing or Delhi, for instance, we are suffering a bad

episode now, but generally speaking, much lower levels than those. And

the Saharan dust does bring some benefit? It has a bizarre benefit. A

large proportion of the Atlantic is fertilised by nutrients in it, and

it blows right away over the Atlantic and over to Brazil and

fertilisers parts of the rainforest, so it is an ill wind

that blows nobody any good. Six people have died after a

powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Chile. Thousands more were

told to leave their homes because of fears that the quake might have

triggered a tsunami. Those warnings have now been relaxed. The quake,

which had a magnitude of 8.2, followed days of powerful tremors

across the region. Here's our world affairs correspondent, Emily

Buchanan. 8:50pm. Last-minute shopping before

dinner, and then suddenly, the terrifying tremors. The ground shook

as people ran out of the supermarket. The shelves were

shaking so violently that good is were thrown onto the floor.

Nearby in the port city of Iquique, the moment of the quake. All one

woman could do was pray as her house shook precariously. Outside, you

could hear the sound of walls and windows breaking. Then the lights

went out. The pitch darkness in this district was broken only by a huge

fire. People were desperate to flee the area, but they faced mayhem in

the streets. If you had been killed by collapsing walls or from heart

attacks. It was very strong and it went on a long time, this woman

cried. Another said, the police have told us to leave. But it was hard to

find shelter. The hospitals themselves were being cleared of

Haitians. The government has declared a state of emergency --

hospitals were cleared of patients. Some inmates escaped from a women's

prison full of Chile's president missed that she would continue to

work to confront the emergency and protect people and their families.

Chile has escaped relatively lightly. A large tsunami did not

materialise, although dangerous waves could hit countries across the

Pacific. But scientists warn of more big quakes to come. Emily Buchanan,

BBC News. Tonight sees the rematch between the

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, and the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage,

in the debate over Britain's future in Europe. Tonight's debate is

likely to see Mr Farage questioned on his views about Vladimir Putin,

having described the Russian President as the leader he admires

most. Here's our chief political correspondent, Norman Smith.

So, now we move to round two of the televised tussle between Messrs

Clegg and Farage. Last time, the UKIP man was judged the winner, at

least in the polls, although many in the Westminster village thought that

actually, Nick Clegg had done better. Both men have had a solid

week to hone their key arguments, although we already know many of

their big pitches. We should not sacrifice a single job just to

fulfil this dogmatic view that we should turn our backs on the rest of

the world. The debate is between a tired status quo, defending a

crumbling European Union that frankly is not working any more, and

a fresh approach which says, let's be friendly with Europe and trade

with them, but not be governed by their institutions. So, what will be

the key crunch points? Obviously, the referendum. Last time, Mr

Farage's message was that we need one because you can't trust the

politicians. This was Nick Clegg's riposte. You have referenda in our

democracy when there is an important question to answer, when new powers

are being transferred to our country to the European Union. That is when.

It should not be done by government, it should be done by you in a

referendum, and I and the government of which I am part have guaranteed

that in law. Another cringe -- crunch point - immigration. Nick

Clegg said not to exaggerate it. This was Nigel Farage's reply. We

need to operate a system of work permits in terms of the shortages we

have and skills others may want to bring to us. But perhaps the real

crunch point could come with a slip or a gaffe or an unexpected

question, because no matter how much the two men have repaired the

tonight, there is no hiding place in a live, televised, face-to-face

debate. And we can talk to Norman now. So

you talked about Europe and immigration. What else might we look

forward to tonight? My sense is that we could be facing a real humdinger

of a debate tonight, because both men are promising a more competent,

combustible contest. Team Clyde are saying there will be less facts and

figures on their man, less Mr sensible, and more passionate about

the case for Europe. And team Farage are saying their man is "ready to

Rumble". We have already had some pre-match sparring over the issue of

president Putin, with Mr Farage's claim last time that the EU had

blood on its hands. This morning, Mr Farage was absolutely standing by

his remarks. I was asked a couple of months ago which world leader I

admire, and I said Vladimir Putin, as an operator, particularly with

the way he managed to stop the West getting militarily involved in

Syria. But I don't like him and I would not want to live there. I am

sure there will be a ding-dong over that. I think simply to regard the

bloodshed in Syria as a game I'm aware he admires blood amid Putin's

role in that, just shows how irresponsible his view is of the

world. This is the real world. You need to make serious decisions,

particularly in the face of a terrible human Terry and disaster

such as in Syria -- humour disaster. Despite all the fighting talk, it

seems that both men could yet stagger from the ring victorious and

the real losers could be Messrs Miliband and Cameron, who are not

taking part tonight, risking accusations that they are afraid to

enter the fray and afraid to risk exposing divisions within their own

parties over the issue of Europe. A reminder that you can watch the

debate live on BBC Two from seven o'clock this evening. David Dimbleby

is hosting and you can watch it live on BBC Two and the BBC News

Channel. And there's all the build-up

throughout the afternoon, and then the reaction and analysis afterwards

on the BBC News Channel. The gap between house prices in

London and the rest of the country has risen to record levels. London

prices are now on average more than double those elsewhere, according to

the nationwide building society. Property values are increasing

almost everywhere, with the average house costing 9.5% more than a year

ago. The jury at the Hillsborough inquest

has been told their task is to inquire "fully, fairly and

fearlessly" into the deaths of the 96 people who died in the disaster.

The judge said part of that would be to determine whether police amended

some of their statements in order to put the blame on the crowd and

deflect criticism from themselves. Our correspondent, Judith Moritz,

has been at the inquest this morning.

Yes, that's right, and the Hillsborough disaster happened on

the 15th of April 1989, when the terraces at the Sheffield ground

became overcrowded. In the intervening 25 years, there has been

a catalogue of enquiries and investigations. This morning, the

coroner began by telling the jury about some of that history.

For the families of those who died at Hillsborough, coming to court

each day is starting to feel like a routine. Today, they came to hear

the coroner finishes opening speech. He spoke about the previous inquest

which were quashed and make way for this new hearings. He explained that

the last coroner had decided only to hear evidence from before 3.15 on

the afternoon of the disaster. It meant that the emergency response

was not examined. The court also heard about the

police statements which were made by South Yorkshire officers after the

disaster. The jury was told that a large number had been amended. The

coroner said: Tomorrow, the court will begin

hearing the stories of the 96 men, women and children who died at

Hillsborough. Their relatives have asked to speak about their

characters and personalities. I am hoping I will be brave enough to do

it. It is the last tribute I can give to my brother. I have done

loads of things over the 25 years, and that is probably one of the most

fickle. To keep it reasonably short, but to get the essence of the person

across, or in our case two people across, it is extremely difficult

and a few people have said it is very moving. The families will now

prepare themselves for the emotional experience of making their

statements over the coming days. Finishing his speech, the coroner

gave the jury selection of different topic areas that he suggests they

consider during this inquest, which could last for around a year. He

suggested they may want to think about questions such as whether more

could have been done to prevent the overcrowding and look at the

emergency response. Good more have been done by the police and

ambulance services? Judith in Warrington, thank you very

much. Our top story this lunchtime: There

are warnings of severe pollution warnings across some parts of

England because of vehicle emissions and dust blown over from the Sahara

desert. And still to come: Is it time to

stub out the e-cig? Wales considers a ban in public places.

Later on BBC London: Picking up the baton, the new move to encourage

more women to take the musical lead. The political crisis in Ukraine is

having repercussions way beyond its borders. Other countries bordering

on Russia are looking nervously at their larger neighbour following its

annexation of the Crimea. In the Baltic states, all now members of

NATO, that's meant stepping up air patrols along their borders with

America sending extra warplanes to bolster their defences. Our defence

correspondent, Jonathan Beale, has been to Lithuania to watch NATO's

forces on exercise. Every moment of every day NATO

warplanes are on alert. This is an exercise, but here in Lithuania, it

really matters. The Baltic states are increasingly nervous about the

behaviour of their big neighbour Russia. I can't say Cold War because

it is a very hot war. The Russians have occupied part of Ukraine and

concentrated their forces and I think we should be ready to defend

our states if this continues. These F15s can be scrambled within minutes

and it is not just about reassuring the Baltic states. It is also about

sending a clear message to Russia, too.

The Baltics don't have much of an air force, so they rely on NATO

partners to take turns patrolling their skies. Normally, there are

just four warplanes, but this time the Americans have sent ten and

there are offers of more planes, too. NATO has a great responsibility

across the entire spectrum of its airspace. Maintaining sovereign

airspace is very important to any nation. When you are part of the

strongest alliance in history of the world, our sovereign airspace, that

is where it all begins. Have you had the chance to see any Russian planes

up there? I have the same answer. I can't comment on operational

specifics of the mission. But at one of NATO's command centres, they have

seen increasing Russian military activity. At this base, they can

track every aircraft from the Alps to northern Norway, and practically

every week they are spotting Russian warplanes that appear without

warning. We have seen a slow increase over the years consistent

with Russian ambition, if you like. Their air forces now receive more

money and we know that everybody knows that and so we see more

activity. Does that worry you? I would say it is not worrying but we

need to be sure we are aware of it, yes. This is still a modest military

response and NATO officials are playing down talk of a new Cold

War. But out on the Eastern front, the Alliance's smaller members are

looking for assurances and a stronger show of force. Jonathan

Beale, BBC News, Lithuania. The Malaysian authorities say

they've ruled out any passenger involvement in the disappearance of

the airliner which vanished more than three weeks ago. Police are now

focusing on the crew after concluding that the flight path was

probably altered by someone on board. A Royal Navy submarine has

now arrived in the southern Indian Ocean to join the search operation.

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has called the current

outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa an unprecedented

epidemic. So far more than 80 people have died in Guinea and four in

Liberia. Our world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge has

the latest. Ebola, now in West Africa for the

first time, is one of the world's deadliest diseases. It can kill up

to 90% of those that become infected and the threat to health workers

dealing with patients means they must wear fully protective

clothing. The World Health Organisation is shipping extra

supplies to Guinea and sending in more personnel. Top priorities are

to stop the disease spreading further and to chase contact with

those already infected. Evo laptop breaks are already of high concern.

-- Ibo virus outbreaks are all ways of high concern. It can never be out

of control until 40 days have passed since the last case. This outbreak

in the democratic Republic of Congo in the mid 1990s killed 200 people

before it was over. It was 20 years previously that the disease first

appeared in Sudan, with a similar outcome. The disease can be caught

from both humans and animals such as the fruit bat. The poorer the

country affected, the greater the challenges, but as the battle to

contain this outbreak intensifies, any's President has called on his

people not to panic. Wales could become the first part of

the UK to ban the use of electronic cigarettes in public places.

Ministers say they're responding to concerns that the devices which can

contain nicotine make smoking appear normal and undermine the smoking

ban. Here's our Wales correspondent Hywel Griffith.

A harmless puff in public or a gateway to greater harm? In pubs and

cafes once filled with clouds of smoke, the vapour of an e-cigarette

is now the new norm. For these users, the idea of a Government ban

is unthinkable. It has got nothing to do with them, has it? If you want

to smoke, you smoke. I think I would still smoke. I wouldn't go back to

cigarettes. I would still stick to the vapour. The potential risks of

using vaporisers like these are still being investigated, but the

Welsh Government says it is certain they cause harm. We are fearful that

e-cigarettes are a gateway to real cigarettes, that once people get

used to using those, and they are nicotine products which are highly

addictive, then that will make it easier for them to move onto real

cigarettes. The growth in the e-cigarette industry has been

enormous in the last few years, with shops like this one popping up on

every High Street, serving an estimated 1.3 million users across

the UK. Retailers argue many of those are people trying to improve

their health by swapping smoke for vapour. I would say 95% of people

use it as a gateway to exit smoking regular cigarettes. I would have to

say that we don't get any people coming in saying, "I am thinking of

taking up the habit". A ban on sales to under 18-year-olds is likely to

come in across the UK, but by pushing even further, the Welsh

Government is sending out a signal that it knows what is best for

public health. Hywel Griffith, BBC News, Cardiff.

Six people have died in bomb blasts in the run-up to the presidential

elections in Afghanistan this weekend. Hamid Karzai is standing

down as President and for the first time there is a real possibility

that a woman could become the country's Vice President, a major

change in a country with an international reputation for its

lack of women's rights. Our Afghanistan correspondent David Loyn

reports from Kabul. Handing over a box of toys, Habiba Sarabi is

campaigning to become the most powerful woman in Afghanistan, as

vice-presidential candidate in one of the three teams that stand a

chance of winning. This politician trained as a doctor and has been

seeing for herself the plight of malnourished children in hospital.

She knows that Afghan women have a long way to go. We have to work very

hard for the other women who are at the village level. Convince them

that they are human beings like others and they have to promote

themselves. Dr Sarabi became prominent as the reformist governor

of Bamiyan in the centre of the country. She is from the Hazara

community, where women have relatively more equality than in

other places. Another woman candidate, Safia Siddiqui, is a

Pashtun, the same as the Taliban, and has had a harder struggle. She's

used to being in meetings where she's the only woman, but has not

heard criticisms when she's been campaigning this time. Even from the

Taliban side, I haven't heard that. It does mean that people are

accepting the woman's presence even at high level. This is one part of

the issue. But for the other side, if the women cannot come forward to

vote, then there is no need for a women to be in the high level.

Intimidation and the threat of violence could prevent women voting,

even if there are now women to vote for. On a Kabul street on a normal

busy morning, there are hardly any women among the people bustling to

and fro. Life for too many women remains very pinched. They remain

property in the view of many Afghan men. 13 years after the fall of the

Taliban, so many promises were made but so little has changed for

women's rights in Afghanistan. And these few women who are aiming for

the top could begin to make a change for the better. David Loyn, BBC

News, Kabul. Police in Italy say they've

recovered two French masterpieces stolen in London 44 years ago. The

works by Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard were taken from a house in

Regent's Park in 1970. Police in Italy showed off the artworks at a

press conference this morning and revealed they'd been found in the

home of a pensioner in Sicily. Sarah Campbell has the story.

Thought to have been lost four decades after they disappeared, two

masterpieces are back on display. They still life by Paul go again is

worth an estimated ?8.5 billion. This work was stolen from a private

address in London in 1971. According to Italian police, they were left on

a train at one point and bought for a fraction of their real value by an

Italian worker. It was his son who spotted they could be genuine

artworks and alerted the police. The potential financial rewards from a

successful heist can be staggering. In 2008, in Switzerland, pieces by

money, Van Gogh and Cezanne with a total value exceeding ?80 million

were taken in a robbery lasting minutes. All were eventually found,

as was The Screen, one of the most famous thefts in recent years. It

had suffered damage but was able to be put on display. As countless

thefts have shown, as long as artworks retain their multi-million

pound price tag is, they will be targeted by gangs who see their

value purely in financial terms. Time for the weather. We are

normally concerned about the temperature but I suspect today it

is about air quality. Yes, we start with pollution levels. We are

expecting pollution levels to reach a high through the course of today,

particularly through the East Midlands and into East Anglia, but

it is for today only, as we had through the week, the pollution

levels will drop. This area of low pressure is gathering force in the

Atlantic, and we have wings coming off the near continent. -- winds. A

band of rain has been spreading North, heavier in northern England.

By the middle part of the afternoon, it should lie across northern

England and one or two getting into the South East. Largely dry in the

South East and warmer temperatures already peaking at 21 in Kent. It

will be warm across southern areas but more cloud in the South West

with some showers through the afternoon. Similar picture for Wales

with most showers into North Wales and pushing towards the Isle of Man

at four o'clock this afternoon, and getting into southern parts of

Northern Ireland as well. In Scotland, an east-west split with

glorious sunshine in the West but more low cloud and a chilly breeze

in the East. That is how big is looking in the afternoon. Overnight,

that band of rain will continue to advance North with showers following

behind. Rumbles of thunder with that. In the South West, the next

batch of rain pushes into the South West and it could be heavy. Mild in

the South and quite chilly in the North, especially in North East

England. The morning will be damp and misty, especially in eastern

Scotland and North East England. The rest of Scotland, Northern Ireland

and Wales and the South West of England was the heavy, persistent

rain, thundery at times. -- will see heavy rain. In the South East, with

warm air, we could see 18 or 19. On Friday, we see the main change. The

rain becomes confined to Scotland and we lose the southeasterly winds,

which will be replaced by the Atlantic south-westerly feeding in

sunshine and showers. A snapshot of the weekend, looking cooler and

fresher with the winds and an improvement for South East England.

Rain at times and some sunny spells, so not a wash-out by any means.

Thank you. Our top story this lunchtime: Pollution is that story.

Air quality over parts of southern and eastern England is expected to

deteriorate through the day because of dust from Sahara and polluted air