13/05/2014 BBC News at One

the boss of Pfizer defends the US firm's proposed takeover of the

Ian Read fended off tough criticism but couldn't guarantee that

the ?63 billion takeover would not result in British job losses.

We will be efficient by some reduction in jobs that I cannot tell

you how much and how many and where. A 59-year-old man has been arrested

on suspicion of murdering Claudia Lawrence who disappeared from her

home in York five years ago. The Nigerian Government says

its considering all the options after militants release a video of

schoolgirls kidnapped by terrorists. At the Rolf Harris trial an alleged

victim is cross-examined over claims Scientists warn that we've become

supremely arrogant by ignoring the importance

of sleep and the body clock. The London hospital whose A

department is declared not fit Residents in Surrey accuse Thames

Water of misleading information over Good afternoon

and welcome to the BBC News At One. Executives from the American drugs

firm Pfizer have faced a grilling by MPs over their planned takeover of

the British-based firm AstraZeneca. The chief executive Ian Read said

the ?63 billion takeover would strengthen the UK's scientific base,

but couldn't guarantee it would not Our industry correspondent

John Moylan reports. It would be the biggest ever

take-over of a British company by a foreign business, but Pfizer's ?63

billion plan to buy AstraZeneca has worried unions, politicians, and

scientific community. So Pfizer's chief executive Ian Read arrived at

Westminster knowing he would face a grilling of the likely impact of

this huge deal on the strategically important pharmaceuticals sector.

Drug companies spend billions on research and development but MPs

wanted to know how much of the ?12 billion currently spent by the firms

would remain. It is not the percentage of sales spent on

research it is how productive it is. I do not expect that the combined

total will remain the same. I expect it will be lower. How much lower? At

this stage, I cannot give a figure on that. There was no clarity either

on jobs. Pfizer has cut 60,000 in takeovers over recent years but how

many would go in Britain? Two previous sizeable increases in

company size have meant a sizeable reduction each time in the number of

jobs. That is the major area of cutting, is it? I am not sitting

here saying we can be more efficient without reduction in jobs. We will

be efficient by some reduction in jobs. What I cannot tell you is how

much and how many and where. The boss says the company has made a

series of commitments linked to this there is a five-year commitment to

UK research. Pfizer will also guarantee some jobs in laboratories

at the quayside of Macclesfield. And he says his promises are legally

binding. But one of the country's leading scientists said the promises

of Aix and with too many caveats. I don't think that is strong enough.

Research is a long-term business. I have researched for 40 years of my

life and I know five years is not a long enough often to be committed

to. They need to look at a 10-year horizon at least if they are going

to make an important impact on this area. AstraZeneca employs 2000 staff

at this site in Macclesfield in the North West of England. Pfizer's boss

told the committee that the firm would keep a presence here but they

are not convinced. I don't feel reassured. What does substantial

mean? We asked Ian Read and he said we would know it when we see it but

that is not good enough. AstraZeneca has so far rejected Pfizer's

advances. They told MPs that the take-over was a distraction and the

firm could go it alone. We actually think we are successful. We think we

can continue implementing our strategy and go it alone. And

there's potential merger would create a certain worry for me. The

Government insists Pfizer's commitments would have to be

meaningful and binding but that might not satisfy critics. This

highly controversial plan still has a long way to run. Our chief

political correspondent Norman Smith is in Westminster. It got quite

heated at times. Did MPs get the guarantees they wanted? I think the

blunt answer is no. There was one telling moment at the end of the

hearing when a Conservative MP turned to the boss of Pfizer and

said to him, we have not had the level of straight talking that we

need. This was despite the warm words from the American executive

about what a good company Pfizer was, how it was devoted to science,

how it was bringing forward life changing treatments for patients.

Howard had made unprecedented commitments on these commitments

were legally binding and would last for five years. The problem was a

lack of detail. There were no specifics on what sort of jobs might

be lost and which sites could be closed down and the level of RND and

investment, and tax advantages for Pfizer. Nothing. I think that left

MPs profoundly frustrated and sceptical. Why this matters in the

bigger picture is it is very hard to see the Prime Minister giving the

go-ahead for the deal if we have a cross-party select committee coming

out and saying actually we don't trust these guys. Secondly the Prime

Minister has said very clearly that he wants more reassurances from

Pfizer. Today he got nothing. And wide that matters? It is

questionable whether Pfizer will want to go ahead with a deal without

Government backing. Ian Read was asked if it would still go ahead

without Government backing and he did not give a categorical answer,

but you sense they would be reluctant to proceed in the teeth of

Government opposition. Thank you. Detectives investigating

the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence have arrested a 59-year-old

man on suspicion of murder. The 35-year-old chef disappeared

from her home in York in 2009. Our correspondent Danny

Savage is there for us now. In five years since Claudia Lawrence

disappeared, this is by far and away the most significant development in

this investigation. She used to live in the house behind me with the

Green door and it has always been the working assumption of this

police inquiry that she set off from here early in the morning in March

to her job as a chef at York University, and at some point along

that route, she disappeared. No trace of her has ever been found.

Until recently it felt like the police investigation had stalled,

and was not going anywhere. Then a month ago we had a high profile

appeal on the fifth anniversary of her disappearance on the BBC

Crimewatch programme. The police then found new evidence using new

forensic techniques. Things like DNA on a cigarette found in her car.

Fingerprints in the house. Calls from the public. The CCTV that

showed a mystery vehicle in the area at the time. Police seemed to

advance that inquiry from that point to this significant development

today, the arrest of a 59-year-old man from the York area. Police say

that forensic examinations and searches are being conducted which

are respected to be on-going over a number of days. A car has also been

seized as part of inquiries. Significantly police say they cannot

rule out the possibility of further arrests in the future as this

continues. Her father has campaigned in a high profile way over the years

and he has welcomed the developments today. He also acknowledges this is

the most significant development in the inquiry into the disappearance

of his 35-year-old daughter in five years. Police are questioning the

man and arrest on suspicion of murder and their inquiries continue.

Danny Savage, thank you very much. The United States is flying manned

surveillance missions over Nigeria to help search for hundreds

of schoolgirls kidnapped Yesterday, a video was released

apparently showing more than security experts are now examining

the footage to look Our world affairs correspondent

Nick Childs reports. These first tantalising images of

the abducted schoolgirls have stirred a mixture of emotions.

Desperate relatives and friends have been scanning them, hoping to

identify loved ones. But could they also reveal important clues from the

vegetation, the surroundings, the shadows, for the international

effort to find and free these children? From Washington, more

details of its team of experts on the ground in Nigeria, now numbering

nearly 30. I can report to you that our interdisciplinary team with

representatives from the State Department, the department of

defence, the FBI and others, it up and running now from the embassy in

Nigeria, helping to support the Nigerian Government by providing

military and law enforcement assistance as well as a surveillance

and reconnaissance support. And the latest from the Foreign Secretary is

that the British team deployed on Friday has had meetings with the

President and the families and is working with the United States and

how else to help. The Americans say they are also conducting mantis

surveillance flights, possibly with aircraft like these. -- man. But the

challenge is still huge. North East Nigeria from where the girls were

taken is a troubled region. Sambisa Forest Reserve is three quarters the

size of Scotland, which is where they are thought to be now. The

vegetation means you cannot see if you are a drone, which negates the

advantage of Western forces. The authorities say all options are open

to secure the release of the girls but should that mean negotiating

with the lead of Boko Haram for the release of his imprisoned fighters

in exchange? That could complicate the broader struggle against Boko

Haram and international support for Nigeria from countries are uneasy

about such bargaining with a terrorist group. Nick Childs, BBC

News. Mark dial is in Abuja for us. The fact that they are not ruling

anything else means that negotiation is still possible. Yes, that is

certainly the case. The Government put out a statement late last night

saying they were studying the video, and specifically in the video

the leader of Boko Haram says that he is prepared to perhaps release

these girls in a prisoner swap with the Government handing over Boko

Haram prisoners that they have got. The Government statement says that

all options are open. That clearly indicates that negotiations are one

option which the Nigerian Government is considering. Thank you.

A teacher who was stabbed to death in her classroom died from shock and

haemorrhage following an injury to her neck, an inquest has been told.

Ann Maguire was attacked during a Spanish lesson at

Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds on April 28th.

A woman who claims she was sexually abused by Rolf Harris

when she was a child has been cross-examined today in court.

The alleged victim was questioned about a trip to Hawaii in 1978,

in which she claims she was assaulted by the television star.

Our correspondent Sangita Myska is at Southwark Crown Court .

That is right. The woman who has accused Rolf Harris of repeatedly

abusing her from the age of 13 today faced gruelling question from his

defence about the truthfulness of that story. His defence team put it

to her that she had been a wilful teenager who had had plenty of time

to get her story straight. Once again, tightly holding the hand of

his daughter, and supported by his wife, veteran entertainer Rolf

Harris arrived at court under the gaze of both the British and

Australian media. He was here to launch his defence against

accusations that he had indecently assaulted a family friend when she

was just a girl. Representing him, his defence counsel. She told the

alleged victim that as a teenager she had had a temper and could be

strong minded, wilful and argumentative. She questioned the

witness's claimed that the abuse had begun on a holiday with the Harris

family in the 1970s. She said: You were going across the world with

Emmanuel scared and who was creepy. Why on earth did you go? -- with a

man you were scared of. The victim replied because I wanted to go with

Bindi and I knew Rolf Harris would not be around much. At the time, he

was a mainstay of children's television. The QC repeatedly asked

about the notes from the holiday. She said there was no mention in

your diary or any hint of unhappiness

about the notes from the holiday. She said there was no at all in the

diary. Alleged victim replied, no, because if someone saw my diary I

would not want anyone to know about it. Rolf Harris is charged with 12

counts of indecent assault against four women. He denies the charges.

Seven of those charges related to this one victim. In the last hour,

the defence counsel has been repeatedly questioning her about her

claim that she was driven to alcoholism as a result of the abuse

meted out by Rolf Harris. The defence has put it to her that she

willingly experimented with alcohol as a teenager. The prosecution QC

has gone on to put as a teenager. The prosecution QC

has gone on to it to her that at your house

has gone on to it to her that at your drink was freely available.

There had been a problem with alcohol isn't in your family. The

case continues. Thank you. Our top story this

lunchtime: Quizzed by MPs. The boss of Pfizer defends the firm's

proposed take-over of AstraZeneca but could not guarantee there would

be no job losses. Coming up: We are at Headley Court

rehabilitation centre where we will meet soldiers sowing the seeds of

recovery with a new gardening therapy.

Later on BBC London: The benefits of being late for class. How one school

in Surrey is changing its timetable to suit its students.

And QPR are just one game away from a return to the premiership after

booking their place in the play-off final.

Now, what makes you tick? Time dominates our lives.

Do you relish that alarm in the mornings, or do you just grapple for

the snooze button? Leading scientists are warning that

we are increasingly ignoring our body clock, and that could have

serious consequences for our well-being. Our health and science

reporter, James Gallagher, has been looking at the issue as part of the

Time dominates our lives. Whether it is the mechanical ticking of these

cogs and pendulums inside the bell tower at Manchester Town Hall or

simply the phone in your pocket, a clock is never far away. Are we

paying attention to the right one? We have all got one of these deep

inside our brains. It might not look this spectacular but it rules our

lives - how strong we are, our brain function - even the odds of having a

heart attack are ruled by our own body clock. In hectic rush of modern

life and 24-hour society, have we forgotten its importance? An

ordinary tea time in the Griffiths household. This is a family working

This is a family working on a military schedule. A smartphone is

keeping Phoebe up late into the night. The parents share the exact

same job. That is why he is in bed in the middle of the afternoon while

his wife is working. He has a night shift still to come. The daughter is

at karate class. Steve has to get her there, disrupting his sleep.

Life does not let you have the sleep any more. Kids want extra curricular

activities. You need to cram it all in. I could do with more sleep. I

would like there to be a 26 hour day, rather than a 24-hour day. This

lifestyle comes at a cost. Pioneering studies have said that

activity of our DNA is changed and how our bodies run. These pathways

can be underlying links to the negative health outcomes, such as

cardiovascular disease, obesity and potentially cancer. There have been

calls for doctors to stop prescribing sleep to tackle these

problems. When life is so busy, that might just be the hardest pill to

swallow. Well, with me is Russell Foster is

a professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford University.

In terms of the body clock, what price ignoring it? Element with 60%

of our lives will be spent asleep. It is the single most important

behaviour we experience. Quality of life joined the day is dependent on

the quality of sleep we get at night but did forget the fact that so many

important things are going on. The ability to come up with new

solutions to complex problems are all going on in the brain at night.

The body is rebuilding metabolic pathways. You cannot have a

functional day without a good night's sleep. How much is our

function is dominated by sunlight? It is critically important. What it

does is set the internal day, the body clock, to the external world.

Morning light exposure is critical in allowing us to align our biology

appropriately to the demands of working and resting.

And you can find out more about how your body clock changes through

Pregnant women are being encouraged to give birth in units run by

midwives rather Proposed guidelines for England

and Wales from the advisory body, NICE, say new evidence suggests

that midwife units are as safe as labour wards led by doctors if

the woman is considered a low risk. Our health correspondent,

Branwen Jeffreys, reports. than working out where to have your

baby is a big decision. Report Today's says low risk women should

be encouraged to choose a unit led by midwives. Research shows it is

just as safe for them as a hospital ward run by doctors. The advice is

being updated for women. Some hope this will also send a clear message

to the NHS. Make absolutely sure that all the different facilities

are there, so that women really can make a choice. Nobody is trying to

push women into having a baby where they do not want to. Deciding where

to have your baby is an intensely personal choice. Some women will

want the experience of a midwife led unit, others will prefer the

reassurance of a traditional hospital ward, just in case anything

goes wrong during labour. This midwife unit is just down the

corridor from the labour ward. The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

added it to give women more choice. Midwives say, in some areas, the

rise in birth rate means that are not enough options. The provision of

maternity services are very patchy. In some parts of the country, they

are under pressure and there is a need to expand availability of

services in those areas to meet the needs of the local population. For

most parents, a safe arrival is what they want most. These guidelines

will increase pressure to offer real choice, giving them in greater

control over a precious experience. Britain's two busiest airports,

Heathrow and Gatwick, both submit their bids today to be

allowed to build a new runway. The Airports Commission will choose

between a second runway for Gatwick, a third

for Heathrow or an extension to one But it won't make a decision until

after the next general election. Our transport correspondent,

Richard Westcott, is at Heathrow. Richard, what's the likelihood

of these actually getting built? It is a good question. There is a

good chance we will never get a new runway built, no matter what

happens. If you think of this process like the journey, it is like

long haul to New Zealand but stopping across at lots of point

along the way and having a bit of bad weather thrown in as well. We

have to wait till September before we even know if a project for a

huge, new airport in the Thames estuary, is going to be included on

the short list. That error of London once. Then we have to wait until

after the general election before we get the final recommendation and

then it is down to the new government to make a decision.

Interestingly, the boss of British Airways has often said he does not

think that will ever be a new runway.

The internet search engine, Google, has been told that it must remove

some sensitive information about individuals if it is out

The ruling was made by the European Court of Justice.

Our technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones, is here.

Football, in the last hour it's been announced

This has been a long-running saga and a sting in the tail for Google.

What it concerns is a Spanish man. He is the original complainer. He

banned when he put his name into Google, very old story from the

1990s came up about his house being repossessed. He did not like that.

He complained and wanted it taken down. Google says it just links to

stuff on the internet and does not actually control the data will up

the final ruling from the Court of Justice said, it is up to you. That

has extraordinary consequences, according to lawyers. They now say

it will be open to anyone who does not like anything about them on the

internet to go to Google and say, I want to take that down and Google

will have to do it. Google is saying that could have severe consequences

for freedom of speech. What can people do? This has put

extraordinary power into people 's hands and giving Google a huge,

bureaucratic challenge. They could have thousands of millions of

requests from people asking for the information to be removed. The

information might still be there on a newspaper website that you would

find it a lot more difficult to get to Google removed it from its search

listings. Football,

in the last hour it's been announced that the Tottenham manager,

Tim Sherwood, has left the club. He'd been in charge for six months

and led Spurs to sixth-place in the Premier League and qualification

for the Europa League. The 45-year-old took over from

Andre Villas-Boas and had signed And innovative gardening unit has

been opened at Headley Court. Some of the plants are going to be on

display at the Chelsea flower show. Heads Court has treated over 500

seriously wounded soldiers and others from the conflict in

Afghanistan. At least 200 of them are amputees and before that the

wounded from the war in Iraq. For most of them, the treatment can go

on for several years. It can be very tough physical and rehabilitation.

For those being treated here, the chance to learn gardening therapy is

also the chance to learn some news -- skills. A row is planted to mark

a new beginning and the opening of a gardening centre with a difference.

-- a rose. These soldiers are both at the rehabilitation centre and now

learning horticulture as part of their therapy. Hayden was injured in

a car accident. This is a nice change from clinical physio that we

do. It is nice and relaxing. Not only is it mentally relaxing but it

also gets you up and about without realising it, which is actually good

physio. Horticultural therapist Carol is working with Guardsman John

Dawson. He was shot in the head while serving in Helmand. He has

been a patient here since September 2012. I love doing it. You come down

here and it is peaceful and relaxing. You do what is asked and

once you are done you go back to the ward and just relax. There is no

stress, it is just relaxing. There is no one having a go at you. No

Sergeant Major standing behind you telling you what to do. Carol and

soldiers have been growing the plants for the Chelsea flower show.

She firmly believes in the healing powers of gardening. It is also

being engaged in purposeful activity, that there is a reason

behind it, it is not just the gym equipment and they have to focus on

what you are doing. The number of all winded from Afghanistan is going

down although some soldiers are still being treated here many years

on. This gardening therapy can help to sow the seeds of recovery and the

start of a return to normal life. HighGround is keen to help

soldiers, winded or otherwise, in their transition back to normal

life. -- wounded or otherwise. The charities say the experiences may be

mirrored in the experience of soldiers leaving the Army today as

they transition back into civilian life.

Things are warming up. Today, we aren't dodging the downpours. The

showers have got going again. Yet again, some of them are heavy. Hale

is mixed in again. It is not raining all the time. You get to see a bit

of sunshine. It may not be too long until the next one comes along. A

lovely end the afternoon across western Scotland. To the east, some

heavy showers. Maybe a rumble western Scotland. To the east, some

thunder. A few showers continue in old an island. They are still with

us across northern England, the Midlands, the East of England and

into the sap is. Some heavy downpours. -- into the South East.

Not quite as breezy in south-west England. The showers tonight are

still with us into the first part of tonight, across eastern areas before

finally easing. We will keep some patchy cloud and breeze. Light

winds, clear skies and temperatures dip away. It'll be colder than this

in countryside. Maybe a touch of ground frost. Some spots in Scotland

will be down to freezing. A chilly start in the morning. As we go on

through the morning, you will think, where are the showers? There

are not any developing. For England, Wales and the use of Scotland, it is

mainly dry. We do get cloud and outbreaks of rain in Northern

Ireland and the West of Scotland. It will hold the temperature down.

Elsewhere it will be warmer and a sign of things to come. High

pressure is building in. Coming into Thursday, shunting away the rain

bearing weather fronts in Scotland and Northern Ireland. More of us

will be dry and warm on Thursday. There will be cloud around. Sunny

spells, maybe hazy at times. Many parts of the UK will be into the

high teens and low 20s going Thursday into Friday. The best of

the sunshine will be across southern areas. Into the weekend, the chance

of showers and becoming areas. Into the weekend, the chance

of showers unsettled. Until then, dryer, warmer weather, some

occasional sunshine. Still fairly chilly. Plenty of time for me to

keep this tie on for a little time yet. Thank you very much. Now a

reminder of our top story: The boss of Pfizer defends the proposed

takeover of AstraZeneca but could not guarantee there would be no