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17/03/2015

Morning news and current affairs. Including Sports Desk, Yesterday in Parliament, Weather and Thought for the Day.

3 hours

Last on

Tue 17 Mar 2015 06:00

Today's Running Order

0645

India is once again convulsed in protest and anger over sexual violence after the rape of an elderly nun in a convent in Kolkata over the weekend.Β  It comes as the controversy over the Indian government's ban on a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ film about a notorious gang rape in Delhi rumbles on.Β  An appeal against the ban will be heard in the High Court tomorrow. And, as our South Asia Correspondent Justin Rowlatt has been discovering, attitudes to rape aren't just being challenged in the court.

0650ΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύΜύ

Later today, several thousand people are expected to gather in London for a rally calling for more homes in the UK. Its organisers say the event will be the biggest event of its kind. Speakers include the film director Ken Loach, whose film "Cathy Come ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ" examined the housing crisis and homelessness in the 1960s - Mr Loach is expected to say that another Cathy Come ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ is needed to address the current situation. David Orr is Chief Executive at the National Housing Federation - they are the instigators of this campaign, and Prof Danny Dorling is Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford.

0655

We want to ask our listeners - what particular pieces of music make you happy? And then we’ll discuss whether there any pattern to it – any formula to making a song that creates happiness? The United Nations is marking International Day of Happiness by creating "the world's happiest playlist". Stars including Ed Sheeran, David Guetta, John Legend and James Blunt have contributed to the playlist, as have United Nations Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon nominated Signed Sealed Delivered by Stevie Wonder, who is himself a UN Messenger of Peace, advocating on behalf of persons with disabilities worldwide.Β 

0710

The people of Israel are voting in a parliamentary election where Benjamin Netanyahu's prospects of winning a fourth term of office are hanging in the balance. The final opinion polls published at the end of last week suggest that his Likud Party is trailing to a left-of-centre alliance called the Zionist Union which is headed by Yitzhak Herzog and Tzipi Livni. Under Israel's system of proportional representation he may still be able to form the next coalition government. Β Jeremy Bowen is our Middle East Editor

0715

The ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ has been told a police investigation that uncovered child abuse by the Liberal MP Cyril Smith and a member of the intelligence agencies was scrapped - and the detectives involved told never to speak of the operation again. The new claims are understood to be among those being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Nick Hopkins is Newsnight Investigations correspondent.

0720

More pharmacists should be based in doctors' surgeries to help reduce waiting times for appointments and to provide advice on day-to-day queries on medicines, according to the Royal College of GPs. Doctors say the plan would also help address a shortage of family doctors and an oversupply of highly trained pharmacists. Dr Maureen Baker is the Chair of Royal College of GPs.

0725

Scientists are trying to get to the bottom of one of nature's most distinctive walks - a penguin's waddle. A team from the UK's Royal Veterinary College and the University of Texas have been studying the birds at London Zoo. They believe a running track could help them solve the mystery of the way the bids move. Β Rebecca Morelle is a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Science correspondent

0730

It's the biggest change to border controls for 20 years -- exit checks are being re-introduced at all major airports and ports in the UK.Β  From next month, every passenger will be asked to show their passport when they leave Britain - to give the Government more information about people who are in the country illegally as well as helping track the movements of criminals.Β  But serious concerns are emerging that the new system will lead to long delays at ferry terminals -- and, as our home affairs correspondent, Danny Shaw, reports, at Folkestone, where ten million people take the Shuttle to Calais each year, and James Brokenshire is the Minister for Security and Immigration at the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Office.

0740

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have charged a millionaire from one of America's wealthiest families with murder, after he apparently admitted his guilt in muttered comments to himself. The words of 71-year-old Robert Durst were picked up a film-maker's microphone during the making of HBO’s The Jinx, and broadcast in the series’ finale on Sunday evening. The mic had been left switched on while Durst was on his own in the bathroom. But would such an audio recording, made when Durst had a reasonable expectation of privacy, be admissible in court? Matthew Galuzzo is a defence lawyer with a New York law firm).

0750

HSBC is closing the Jersey-registered bank accounts of customers who live in the UK. Enquiries by this programme suggest it's part of industry-wide efforts to check on the identities and address details of Channel Island customers, to make sure off-shore accounts aren't being used to hide money from the British tax authorities. Tom Bateman reports.

0810

The ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ has been told a police investigation that uncovered child abuse by the Liberal MP Cyril Smith and a member of the intelligence agencies was scrapped - and the detectives involved told never to speak of the operation again. The new claims are understood to be among those being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Roy Ramm is former Commander of special operations at Scotland Yard and Roger Graeff is criminologist and film-maker

0820

James Corden is due to make his debut as anchor of one of America's top talk shows The Late, Late Show next week.Β  But there are reports that rehearsals haven't gone down well with test audiences because Americans are struggling to understand his British estuary accent, English mannerisms and also don't appreciate his humour.Β  What is it about some British presenters that Americans find hard to digest, and why doesn’t our humour always translate across the Atlantic? Tania Bryer is a CNBC presenter (she’s British) and Lewis Schaffer is an American comedian who has been based in the UK for 15 years.Β  Β Β 

0830ΜύΜύΜύ

Who killed the Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.Β  Five Chechen men are in custody butΒ  several of the suspects reported that they were beaten, after their detention, and pressured to confess. Our Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford has been to their home village to talk to relatives.

0840

Eight former British Army soldiers are preparing to leave Britain to join the fight against ISIS in Syria, it was reported in Monday’s London Evening Standard.Β  But how do fighters there and in Iraq feel about westerners travelling to join them? And is it right that Brits returning from fighting for Peshmerga are dealt with in the same way as those who go and fight for IS? Falah Mustafa is Foreign Minister of the Kurdistan government.

0845

Over $100 million will be invested in a new global Dementia Discovery Fund, the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will announce at the World Health Organization's first ever conference on dementia in Geneva today. The fund will concentrate research on the early signs of dementia with a view to finding a cure. Major pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly and Pfizer have all committed to investing in the project, along with Alzheimer's Research UK and the UK Government. GSK will invest Β£17m ($25m) in the project. Why has the pharma industry signed up to this now, following a decade and a half of little investment in Dementia research? Patrick Vallance is President of Pharmaceutical R&D at GlaxoSmithKline.

0850

We may think of dogs as man's best friends but for Bob Skinner from Dorset his best friend was a pig, until the RSPCA killed the animal without telling him due to concerns over its health. Bob was taken to court accused of animal cruelty and has since been cleared of malicious intent. The RSPCA says that it did attempt to contact Mr Skinner, and β€œMr Pig” was suffering from a horrible and painful injury. Β  Β 

0855

We want to ask our listeners - what particular pieces of music make you happy (see 0655)? Liz Coombe is a music therapist.

All subject to change.

Broadcast

  • Tue 17 Mar 2015 06:00