02/04/2014 BBC News at Six

care over fears for their health. I cannot walk very far or breed very

easily and it is very scary -- breeze very easily. We'll ask how

long it will last and question the longer-term impact. Also tonight: A

last-minute appeal on behalf of the Mauritian A-Level student about to

be deported despite high-profile calls for clemency.

The Welsh Government considers a ban on the smoking of e-cigarettes in

public places. Why loneliness is bad for the health

- we have a special report. And David Weir aiming for a

magnificent seventh victory at the London Marathon. On BBC London:

Latest figures show a record house price gap between London and the

rest of the country. And victory for the workers who took

on the car giant Ford in a battle over lost pensions.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. Millions of elderly

people, as well as people with health problems, have been advised

to avoid heavy exercise as high levels of pollution affect areas of

England. These were the regions forecast to be hit today, with the

areas in purple, red and pink having either high or very high levels.

It's all being caused by a mix of dust from the Sahara and local and

European emissions. Those with asthma and other breathing-related

conditions are at the highest risk. Our science editor David Shukman has

more details. A thick haze descended this morning

and it was not fall, it was pollution. This was Ipswich,

shrouded in air with the highest level of warning. Cars were covered

in a layer of dust, adding to an already serious problem. For an

asthma sufferer like this woman, these are tricky times. She only

goes out when she has to and it is quite an effort. The poor quality of

the air means using an inhaler has become essential. Walking from the

house, I was having to stop more frequently, more tight chested,

getting a little bit breathless. My voice is going now. That is not

normal. Where has the pollution been coming from? Some of it is home

grown, from our traffic and power stations. The rest has built up over

European cities and industries and then blown across the Channel. On

top of that, there is a third source from the Sahara. The winds carrying

dust our way. Fast storms in the desert lift dust into the air. Even

though this is 2000 miles away, the dust can be swept through the

atmosphere all the way to Britain. You could just make out the towering

landmarks of London this afternoon. Over the past half-century,

Britain's cities have become cleaner. But their pollution is

still estimated to cut six months from the average life expectancy.

Sometimes you can see the pollution. But the best guide is

instruments like these, part of a network across the country which

regularly record our air being dirtier than recommended limits.

What is unusual this time is the mix of pollution and dust from the

Sahara. Let me show you how striking it can be. Here is a filter paper

before it is used. Here is one after just 24 hours. For anyone at risk,

the health advice is clear. If you have heart disease or lung disease

such as asthma, reduce the amount of strenuous physical activity you take

outdoors and the word you may need to use your inhaler more. App so far

conditions have not been as severe as forecast. This episode is not

over. And it will not be the last. David joins us now. What are the

predictions? The forecast is for bad conditions tonight and tomorrow. A

slight shift in the regions affected. From the east to the

Midlands. The good news is with our changeable weather, pollution

episodes like this never last long. With wind and rain, that will sort

the problem out by Friday and certainly by the weekend. The

findings were stark. How Bardot problem do we have with pollution

question at -- how bad a problem? There at over 4000 premature deaths

across the EU due to pollution. The British Government says it is doing

all it can. There is a massive problem because so many of our

vehicles are diesel and it is particularly bad for generating this

kind of pollution. It wants a longer time to sort out the problem than

Brussels is happily delete macro happy to give us. -- Brussels is

happy to give us. Clearly there are things that can be done to try to

sort it out. Thank you. Within the past hour, police in Edinburgh have

confirmed that a 12-year-old girl who died at a school when a wall

collapsed onto her was Keane Wallis-Bennett.

In a statement, her family said Keane was a princess who dreamt of

being Prime Minister. She was a pupil at Liberton High School and

throughout the day, pupils and teachers have been laying tributes

in her memory. Our correspondent Lorna Gordon reports.

A family in mourning, a mother supported by relatives, laying

flowers at the school where her daughter studied and where she died.

A child's that in such a unforeseen circumstances, the pain hard for any

family to enjoy. Keane Wallis-Bennett's family spoke of a

daughter who dreams of being Prime Minister or a beautician. She had

recently attended her first disco. The 12-year-old was popular. Her

death has left pupils and teachers at her school in shock. She was a

lovely girl. Excellent pupil. Very popular with the staff and her peers

alike. She loved sport. She loved contributing to the school, most

recently involved in a project planting flowers. She really cared

about the school. She had been changing for the one wall in a

changing room collapsed. She was trapped underneath. Police are

investigating why it happened but on a steady stream of people leaving

tributes today were parents concerned that the condition of the

freestanding wall had been ignored. They knew it was wobbly. They could

fell down a lift shaft a couple of years ago. -- a kid. Here there is

grief but a desire too for answers. The school will remain closed until

after Easter. Across Scotland, schools will be carrying out checks

on similar structures to ensure they are secure.

An A-Level student from Mauritius who's been at the centre of a

dispute over whether or not she should be deported is due to be

flown out of Britain tonight. The Home Office says Yashika

Bageerathi will leave from Heathrow in the coming hours, but lawyers

have lodged a last-minute appeal. Our home affairs correspondent Tom

Symonds has more details. Yashika Bageerathi is in some ways a

typical 19-year-old, working hard towards her A-levels. But tonight

she was on her way to Heathrow accompanied by four officials. The

plan is she will be flown back to Mauritius at 9pm. But at her school

this evening, we will briefly able to speak to her from an immigration

service van. What would you say to people about how you are feeling? I

am really angry. She said she had exams, it was not fair she was being

removed from the UK and she would be prepared to leave the UK voluntarily

for a safe place if she was allowed to finish her A-levels. What makes

this different is she is so close to doing her A-levels. She has worked

really hard for two years. She has six weeks till her first exam. For

her to be able to complete her A-levels, even if she has to go back

and leave the UK, it would make such a difference to her life. Yashika

Bageerathi's asylum application is one of 23,000 UK receives every

year. But her case has attracted strong support from fellow students

who protested at the weekend. A Twitter campaign and an online

petition which has reached 150,000 signatures. She arrived in the UK as

a temporary visitor in 2011 and entered education. She applied for

asylum in the summer of 2013. But because she turned 18, her case was

dealt separately with that of her family which is why she and not they

now face removal. The legal process involved five separate immigration

hearings and a judicial review. When they failed, she was held at Yarl's

Wood immigration removal centre. The Home Office says her case is not

exceptional. Her family, her mother at the school this afternoon, they

have stressed their concern about returning to their country because

they said they had been threatened air. They have tonight lodged papers

to attempt to get an injunction to prevent the 9pm flight out of the

UK. We will hear later whether it has succeeded. Officials at the Home

Office say they are not quite as though the -- they are not

criticising her campaign, but they say her cases not exceptional, it is

like many of the 23,000 radio with every year and they believe, they

said, that she would be safe if she returned -- like many of the 23,000

they deal with every year. The coroner in charge of the new

inquests into the Hillsborough disaster has said the 96 people who

died should not be blamed. Lord Justice Goldring has instructed the

jury not to consider that as a possibility. But he said they would

have to examine the conduct of other fans and whether that had played any

part in the tragedy. Britain has formally handed control

of military operations in the Afghan province of Helmand to the

Americans. It marks a significant moment in the UK's withdrawal of

combat troops from the country, due to be completed by the end of this

year. Nearly 450 British servicemen and women have died in Afghanistan

since the start of operations in 2001. Should the use of electronic

cigarettes be banned in public places?

The Welsh Government thinks so and has put forward proposals which it

says will help reduce smoking-related deaths. Our Wales

correspondent Hywel Griffith has more details for us now. Why are

they doing it? The Welsh Government was the first in the UK to suggest

banning tobacco smoking in pubs. It is a change which ultimately went on

to transform pubs like this one of land on the country. Now the same

government wants to go a step further, banning the use of ease

cigarettes. It has triggered a wider alderman. Does it harm or help the

health of users? -- the use of electronic cigarettes. Vapour trails

hang in the air. At this pub, the rise of the electronic cigarette has

been rapid. The thought of running them fires they debate. I think it

is ridiculous. There is no harm in it. All of us using them, not

bothering anyone. I think they are nicer than cigarettes but I do not

use them. They do not bother me. I do not like the idea of banning

things but I am concerned there is a fashion with younger people starting

on these things. The Welsh Government wants a ban because it

believes electronic cigarettes are a gateway to the real thing. Those who

sell them argue what they offer is a way out of smoking. I would say 95%

of people use it as a gateway to exit smoking regular cigarettes. I

would have to say that we do not get any people coming in saying, I am

thinking of taking up the habit. Britain's cigarette habit is

changing. The latest figures show went to % of adults in the UK smoke.

The numbers have been falling since the 1970s -- the figures show that

20% of adults in the UK smoke. The number of smokers has reduced

further by 2% since 2006. It is estimated 1.3 million people now use

electronic cigarettes. There are no long-term studies on the potential

risks of electronic cigarettes. But the Welsh Government wants to send

out a clear signal and use its powers to intervene. There is a risk

it is normalising smoking. I recognise people are saying it has

helped them quit. In some situations. However, there is some

emerging evidence that suggests it may be drawing new smokers in to a

nicotine habit. The ban on sales to under 18-year-olds is likely to come

in across the UK. But Wales is looking to push further to put an

end to puffing in public. It is only a suggestion at the moment and it

took four years for the smoking ban to go from an idea to reality in

Wales. It is a reminder that the four governments can take very

different approaches to tackling their priorities. Thank you. Our top

story this evening: Health warnings are issued in England as air

pollution reaches worrying levels. And still to come: why these

students in India may not be choosing Britain for their

university studies. Later on BBC London: protesters claim London's

councils are failing to do enough to improve safety for cyclists. And a

Met firearms officer accusing the force of sexual and racial

discrimination denies exaggerating her claims.

The emotional problems associated with loneliness have long been

acknowledged - but now there's evidence that being lonely has an

impact on your overall health. Researchers found that lonely people

are more likely to be heavy drinkers, smokers and to be

overweight. But a poll of more than 1,000 family doctors suggests that

only around half of them consider loneliness to be a public health

issue. Campaigners are now calling for a shake up. Our social affairs

correspondent Alison Holt has more details.

Where everyone else seems to be busy, it is all too easy to feel

alone. 87-year-old Kathleen finds walking difficult, and often feels

she is watching life pass her by from her armchair. She has friends

and family who check on her but still feels lonely. Winter nights,

yes. Those are very lonely. Once the curtains are shut and it has gone

dark by four o'clock, it is a long, long night to get through. We all

know that drinking too much and smoking is bad for us, but there is

growing evidence that loneliness has a direct impact on our direct

physical as well as mental health. One study suggests it is the

equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. We need to see this in a

different light. Campaigners say the strength of the evidence means it is

vital that GPs are more involved in tackling the issue. People who are

lonely are more likely to drink more, find it harder to give up

smoking, they don't eat as many fruit or vegetables or take as much

exercise, so across a whole range of measures, loneliness is harming our

life. # Happy birthday to you.

# Here in Staffordshire, this day centre run by Age UK offers a chance

for people to socialise. Without it, many would be isolated. The GP who

chairs the group that commissions health services locally wants to see

doctors taking more account of loneliness, but she does recognise

the difficulties. I think a lot of GPs probably simply don't have the

time or resources to look into that. I think GPs would like to be able to

do that, but even if they were able to identify it, it is knowing what

they can do about it and what services they are out there. The TV

presenter Esther Rantzen says loneliness is a constant theme

amongst those calling ChildLine, and the new helpline for older people,

Silver Line. We are losing people's lives, losing their quality of life.

Looked at its most basic and practical, we would save an awful

lot of money, and save people from a lot of unhappiness if we did more to

counteract loneliness. Later this year, the government will publish

data showing how many people there are in each area who feel lonely

like Kathleen, and for many that is a sign that loneliness is finally

being talked about. 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. Mr Farage was preparing

for the debate earlier today. Both men will get a minute to make an

opening statement before facing questions from an audience at the

BBC Radio Theatre. Our Political Editor Nick Robinson is outside the

BBC Radio Theatre where the debate is taking place in less than an

hour. Well, his choice of leader will no doubt come up but what else

can we expect? Round two of that bout between a man who is presenting

himself as the leader of those who want to stay in Europe and the

champion who want to get out will be different to round one. In the first

round it was about measuring up the opponent, dancing around each other.

In advance of the debate, Nick Clegg has already focused on Nigel

Farage's decision to praise Vladimir Putin as the international statesman

who we most admired. The UKIP leaders said he did not like him or

agree with them but admired him as a statesman. In the last few hours, he

has gone further in comments to the BBC, praising Vladimir Putin over

his handling of the war in Syria. I did admire him. We were about to go

to war in Syria. Poison gas was about to be used and everybody

assumed it was a sad. It turns out it was the rebels who were using the

gas and if Putin had not intervened, we would be at war in Syria. There

is Nigel Farage, the UKIP leader, answering questions about those

comments. The UN did not take a decision about who was using

chemical weapons in Syria. Nigel Farage, are you still arguing that

Mr Assad did not use chemical weapons in Syria? We may get an

answer soon enough. This is a question now no longer about which

politician he prefers in the world but about global diplomacy, about

peace and war. Indeed, thank you. Reminder that you can watch the

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

countries bordering on Russia and now looking nervously following the

annexation of the Crimea. All members of NATO have stepped up air

patrols along their borders with Americans sending extra planes to

bolster their defences. Our defence correspondent has been to Lithuania

to watch NATO forces on exercise. Every moment of every day, NATO

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

really matters. The Baltic states are increasingly nervous about the

behaviour of their new neighbour, Russia. The Russians occupy the part

of Ukraine, and they are concentrating their forces and we

should be able to defend our states. These F-15s 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. The Baltics do

not have much of an air force so they rely on NATO partners to take

turns patrolling the skies. Normally, there are just four

warplanes but this month, the Americans have sent ten, and there

are offers of more planes as well. We have a great responsibility

across the entire spectrum. Maintaining sovereign airspace is

very important and when you are part of the strongest alliance in a

history of the world, our sovereign airspace, that is where it all

begins. Have you seen any Russian aeroplanes up close? I cannot

comment on operation specifics. At one of the command centres, they

have seen increasing Russian activity. At this base they can

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

every week the spotting Russian warplanes that are appearing without

warning. We are seeing a slow increase over the years consistent

with Russian ambition if you like. The air force has seen more money

and therefore we are seeing more activity. Is that worrying? I would

say it is not worrying but we need to be sure we are aware of it. This

is still a modest military response and officials are playing down

reports of a new Cold War. On the Eastern front, the Alliance's

smaller members are looking for assurances and a stronger show of

force. There are just ten days to go until

this year's London Marathon and the Paralympic champion David Weir is in

the final stages of his training. He's aiming to win the wheelchair

race for a record seventh time. Weir was a star of the London 2012's

Paralympics, winning four gold medals, and he's been talking to our

sports correspondent Natalie Pirks. It was the 2012 Paralympics that

rust David Weir into the living rooms. His four gold medals were

seared into the memory. Away from the euphoria of the Olympic Stadium,

all roads they'll lead to London. For the last seven months, David

Weir has pounded Richmond Park with a singular focus, to beat his record

of six London Marathon winds. It has been bugging me for years. Is it an

obsession? Yes everything is 666 at the moment. It feels like a stuck on

six. I would love to get that seven win. It is going to be a tough race.

He should know. He was a surprise winner back in 2002, celebrating

alongside Baroness Thomson. Five winds later, he equalled her record

of six in 2012. Winning is prestigious and also big business.

Mo Farah half a half ?1 million for running this year. That is the kind

of cash that he can only dream of now. We were on equal par in London

in terms of crowd and support, and the next stage is funding and money

and everything else. We are moving forward. It will take a bit of time

but we will be on equal par with everyone else. That optimism is

shared by his coach. She is convinced that a seventh win will

seal legendary status. He will not settle into Lee gets it, and

hopefully I will be by his side when he does achieve it. He has that

determination and one sees in the chair and in the racy as a guy. He

knows when he is going to retire but he is not telling us. While there

are titles at stake, the man who has won everything is still driven to

win more. Good luck. Time for a look at the weather.

won everything is still driven to win more. Good luck. Time for a look

Good evening. A quick update on the pollution, and it is going to get

lower over the next couple of days. The winds are coming in from the

south at the moment and that is why the pollution levels are high. As we

head towards the end of the week, you can see the Atlantic rings in

fresh conditions so the air quality will improve. -- the Atlantic rings

in fresh conditions. The clouds have been streaming in across western

Britain from the South, moving northwards, and this has brought

rain and thunder in one or two places. Let's have a look at the

details for this evening and overnight stop you can see spot of

rain and, in fact, the East is going to stay dry, it will be mild in the

South with double figures, but in the north-east of Scotland it will

only reach four or five Celsius so certainly a chill in the air.

Tomorrow, across the west and north, there will be rain. Across Wales,

that rain could be heavy and that could reach parts of Northern

Ireland. Across the Midlands, and East Anglia, it will stay dry for

most of the day but there could be some spots of rain. Here is the

confirmation of the forecast for Friday. You can see the winds coming

in from the Atlantic which means it will turn pressure but it will not

be sunny. The end of the week and into the weekend will be unsettled

with some rain at times, but as always, there will be a glimmer of

brightness between the clouds. The outlook is mixed. Thank you. That is