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09/04/2015

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

3 hours

Last on

Thu 9 Apr 2015 06:00

Today's running order

0640

Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the SNP, has said her party would only press for another independence referendum if something "material changed", giving the example of Britain quitting the European Union against Scottish opinion. Sturgeon added that the party was in favour of Full Fiscal Autonomy for Scotland. Paul Johnson is Director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

0645

The police officer involved in the shooting of a black man has now been fired and the man who took the chilling mobile phone footage of the incident has come forward to describe what he saw. Our North America Correspondent, Aleem Maqbool reports.

0650

UK researchers have shown that the shorter you are, the greater your risk of heart problems. The University of Leicester study also found sections of DNA that control both height and heart health. Sir Nilesh Samani is BHF Professor of Cardiology at the University of Leicester and led the research.

0655

The Conservative manifesto is to include a commitment to renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent with all four Vanguard submarines. In an article in today’s edition of the Times, the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said it provided the ultimate guarantee of the country's safety and claimed Labour would be prepared to barter away the nuclear deterrent in a deal with the SNP - which is committed to scrapping Trident. Sir Nick Harvey is the Liberal Democrat Defence spokesman.

0710

Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the SNP, has said her party would only press for another independence referendum if something "material changed", giving the example of Britain quitting the European Union against Scottish opinion. The subject was raised - again- at the second of the televised debates between the leaders of the Scottish parties last night. Derek Mackay MSP is the SNP Business Convener (Chairman of the Party).

0715

Today sees the unveiling of the first newly designed electricity pylon which has been more than three years in the planning and design phase. The new pylons are smaller, slimmer, white in colour and less environmentally intrusive than the old 1950s style. The final piece of the new design will be put in place today in Eakring (Nottingham) when a crane lifts the top section of a pylon into place. Kevin Rendell is head of Major Infrastructure Development at National Grid.

0720

US President Obama and Cuban President Castro are set to meet formally for the first time in Havana. They met informally at Nelson Mandela's funeral in late 2013. There are reports that Cuba may be taken off the US state sponsors of terrorism list which, if it goes ahead, could pave the way for the establishment of embassies and banks, among other things. Obama is due to arrive on Friday afternoon, after which there will be a state dinner and a family portrait.

0730

Great Yarmouth is one of the marginal seats where the old two candidate battle is no more. Tom Bateman reports now in the latest of our visits to 100 constituencies.

0740

France’s far right Front National has been plunged in an all-out war between its Head, Marine Le Pen and her father Jean-Marie – who founded the party - after he belittled the Holocaust and defended the French wartime leader Marshal Petain in a radio interview. In an unprecedented attack, Marine Le Pen said her father "seems to have entered a veritable spiral between a scorched earth strategy and political suicide". She also added she will try to stop him from standing in polls later this year. Sir Anthony Seldon is a writer, historian and headmaster of Wellington College and Philippe Marliere is Professor in French and European politics at University College, London.

0750

The Conservative manifesto is to include a commitment to renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent with all four Vanguard submarines (see 0655). Michael Fallon is the Defence Secretary.

0810

The family of a Syrian Imam found shot dead in North London say he was "the most peaceful man you could ever wish to meet". Counter-terrorism detectives have taken over the investigation into the murder of Abdulhadi Arwani, who was shot dead in his car in West London on Tuesday. Mr Arwani, who was an outspoken critic of the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad, had spoken of being placed under sentence of death by the regime at the age of 16 before escaping the country. Zoe Conway reports from a gathering held in his memory in Wembley last  night and Mohammed Khaliel is a special advisor to the Met Police and director of the community cohesion organisation Islamix.

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The Conservative manifesto is to include a commitment to renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent with all four Vanguard submarines (see 0655). Douglas Alexander is Shadow Foreign Secretary.

0825

The woman who invented Monopoly has been written out of history by the game’s producers and marketers. Mary Pilon, author of The Monopolists- Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favourite Board Game told Justin Webb about Elizabeth Magie.

0830

A new study suggests genetic factors may play a role in determining how likely someone is to commit sexual offences. Research published in the International Journal of Epidemiology indicates that brothers and fathers of men convicted of sexual offences are up to five times more likely to be convicted of sexual offences than men in the general population. The report authors concluded that genetic factors were found to make a substantial contribution to this increased risk, with the shared family environment having a relatively small influence. The study, conducted by researchers from Oxford University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, used statistical methods to analyse data on all 21,566 men convicted of sexual offences in Sweden between 1973 and 2009.       Seena Fazel  is the report author and Professor of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Oxford and Dr Bradley Hillier is a consultant in Forensic Psychiatry (working with mentally disordered offenders at South West London and St Georges NHS Trust).

0840

This year marks 150 years since the publication of Jules Verne's classic science-fiction novel Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Author David Whitehouse was a fan of the original book, but noticed that – perhaps understandably given its age - the science in it was somewhat out-of-date. He has now written a new book with the same title, which travels to the heart of the planet and includes much more detail about what lies below the earth’s surface.

0845

All teenagers in England would be guaranteed one to one careers advice under Labour's education plans to be published today. The party argues it will help make sure children know more about vocational courses and apprenticeships as well as university. The 50 million pound cost each year would be taken from money universities currently use for bursaries and outreach work in schools. Tristram Hunt is Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary.

0850

Tonight the talk radio station LBC is hosting an all-female election debate. The participants are Conservative Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, Lib Dem Crime Prevention Minister Lynne Featherstone, Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman and Deputy Chair of UKIP Suzanne Evans.  So far women leaders have been praised for their performance in the debates (Nicola Sturgeon, Natalie Bennett, Leanne Wood), so what will the dynamic be - and are women just a token presence in the election campaign? Isabel Hardman is assistant Editor of Spectator Magazine and Belinda Phipps is chair of the Fawcett Society which campaigns for equality between the sexes.

All subject to change.

Broadcast

  • Thu 9 Apr 2015 06:00