these are some excuses for why they have not pointed more women to senior positions. we showed them to this executive, and campaigner. i'm outraged to hear there are bosses criticising and saying why men do not want to be in the role, it's nonsense. we are dismissing 50% of the population and brilliant women and opportunities to create diverse businesses, which we have proven work —— will businesses, which we have proven work — — will create businesses, which we have proven work —— will create better returns financially and a better world socially. the government wants women to make up a third of board members at big companies by 2020, and some research shows that bridging the gender gap can add £150 billion to the economy, if there is a changing culture. often it's in the mid—career point actions need to be taken to more candidates are available for boardroom appointments, but i don't see any reason why men and women should be treated differently at all, we not —— just need to challenge prejudices

that exist. progress is being made, eight years ago there are 152 countries of all—male boards, now there are only ten. but these explanations from the bosses are being released to shame the seem to seem being released to shame the seem to seem to refuse to change. quotes like we are arty have a woman on board, so we are done and all the good women have already been snapped up. women don't lack confidence, what they do lack his confidence in leadership model when they look above, they don't see how they fit into a predominately male environment and the culture, that is there. the review is due to publish there. the review is due to publish the latest findings next month. companies to resist the idea that women aspire to reach the same height as men, could risk fines. it's 2018, don't you know? it's one of the nation's best—loved comedy moments: the classic two ronnies sketch in which ronnie barker walks into a hardware shop looking for fork handles. now, the original hand—written script is being sold at auction

in bristol tomorrow. asjon kay reports, whoever winds will have themselves a little bit of comedy history. there you are. four candles. no, four candles. well, there you are, four candles! no, fork 'andles! 'andles for forks! laughter. four candles. fork handles. and here it is, ready for auction. ronnie barker's script. every word so familiar. there you are, four candles. it's all written by him in his own hand in red pen across four pages of blank writing paper. four pages? four pages! but to many people it's much more than that. something that's made millions and millions of people laugh over a 40 year period. oh, you mean panty ‘o's, panty ‘o's! no, no, 05! 05 for the gate. mon repose!

'0's! laughter. let's have a look at what we've got. the script was featured on the bbc‘s antiques roadshow 12 years ago, after being found in a bag of rubbish and verified by an indisputable source. it was a surprise, yes. yes, i mean not horror, shock, god, "come here, anne, and see what's on the television!" but it was a surprise and quite sweet really, for me to see that handwriting again. when i first saw it and first opened it up, it was kind of like a light bulb in a briefcase moment, kind of like it shone out of the box at me. why does this matter so much? it's the sketch, really. it's the comedy sketch that kind of epitomises british humour. it's got a bit of everything. it's got some wordplay in it, it's got the character acting, and it's kind of a tightly made sketch, and everybody loves it, everybody knows it, it's completely iconic. you know, it's part of the british conscience. written under ronnie barker's pseudonym gerald wiley, there are production notes suggesting this was a first draft. now, four pages, for sale, if you're willing to fork out. jon kay, bbc news, bristol. now its time for meet

the author with jim naughtie. two political murders, more than three decades apart and a web of conspiracy, 01’ so some say. "the shape of the ruins" takes us into the cauldron of politics in columbia and assassinations in 1914 and 19118 that became emblems for much of the violence and chaos that enveloped the country. the author, juan gabriel vasquez, is also a character in his own book exploring the history of these bloody events in a labyrinthine story where the truth is elusive in a dark and conspiratorial world. welcome. what made you decide to put yourself in

the novel, as a way of bringing the story to life? yes, well the origin of the novel has a very personal and direct important for me. in the year 2005, much as is told in the book, my twin daughters were being born in bogota. and right at that time, i met this doctor. who invited me to his house, telling me he had something to show me. he had something that nobody else had in the world and he wanted to show me. this mysterious thing. it turned out to be a vertebra of a colombian liberal leader murdered in 19118. and not only that, but also a part of the skull, of rafael, another colombian leader murdered in 1914. so having these bones in my hands, and then going back to the hospital to take my girls

in the same hands. yes. that was the origin of the novel, that assisted the idea of the inheritance of violence and i thought how could i protect these girls from the past violence of the country. and it was such an important thing that i decided that inventing the narrator to tell this would just ruin the whole idea. because you couldn't take yourself out of the story after that experience. exactly, exactly. i had to putjuan gabriel vasquez as a narrator in order not to undermine, i guess, the personal importance the whole thing had for me. because one of the powerful things about the story is that sense of, you know, a piece of information being passed and a quest beginning. yes. which becomes something that has to be satisfied. it has to be completed. they can't be left. yes, the idea of investigation is very important to the novel. my novels are always built in the shape of a quest, but this one, much more so than

the other ones because became an obsession for me personally. to know first of all, how had these human remains, really, the human ruins of the title, how had they been inherited from generation to generation until they ended up in the hands of this person who is able to show them to me. but also the whole thing, it turns around, the whole novel turns around to a mystery, historical mysteries, places where history has lie to us. and so we have to try to use storytelling to shed some light on these dark places. well the two impulses, i suppose, that collide and that people will be familiar with this and other settings, our first of all the urge and responsibility to dissect something rationally, factually, to establish a history. but the second thing is a constant attraction to conspiracy theories, to mysteries, dark explanations, which to some extent we all have to some degree.

some of course much more than others. i agree. yes, one of the main intentions of the book is the tension that exists between the narrator, juan gabriel vasquez, who doesn't believe in conspiracy theories and who has a very division of history that relies much more on times and coincidences of human passions. and the other main character, who was this guy called carlos. who deeply believes everything happens for a reason, there's always someone pulling the strings. and that's a very fundamental schism that we try to have in ourselves. some people have solved it, some haven't. the other aspect of it, of course, is that it is not an investigation that is purely for intellectual interest. no. it's an investigation into two events, oddly connected, are they connected or aren't they, what do they have in common or not. that had a great deal

to do with shaping the future of your country. yes. at a rather chaotic time, so it's one of the intense importance, you know, to someone of your background. yes, the murder in 19118 really shaped the second half of the 20th century. because he was supposed to be the progressive former and so on, and attractive figure. the politician who is going to change columbia forever. in a good way. and his murderfor many historians, as we agree on, is the origin of the violets we are trying to finish right now, we are trying to end right now it negotiates and have been going on. between the colombian government and the other side. this violence it comes as a direct line from that murder. but if they're something that we all agree upon as colombians, is that we don't know the truth about the murder.

still. still, still. it's still a mystery, a place of shadows and our past and in colombian history. and i think all countries share this. there's a moment in their past where in an act of violence, the future is shaped and, but what actually happens there, remains in the shadows. it's as if those in charge of telling history were editing the story and for me, novels have always been a way to try to contradict that falsified version of history or try to illuminate it a little bit. yeah, and the fact that you've got to assassinations that 30 years apart, but of which were pivotal in the way the country developed. and appear to be quite different in character. because it's very difficult not to become obsessed as you reveal in the story, about possible connections. yes, yes well the ideas of

the session is very important to the book. yes. my character and my narrator are both obsessed with the idea of finding the truth behind these murders, but also the conspiracy theories that have used or been used by colombians to explain these murders. because we have a deep desire, and they need to explain things, even if they are not explainable. even if the facts are not bear to produce an explanation. we have to find them, so we have to import the fax from somewhere else. this is an unavoidable characteristic of society, human beings. we would rather take a lie and no explanation at all. and of course, the conspiracy theories take advantage of this, of this trait of human beings and societies. the feeling that history has lied to us or that there are secrets or mysteries or dark places in the

history and the versions of history we have inherited. and literature, imaginative literature, fiction, just raises its hand and says hey, i know how these might have happened. or i can tell you a version that we may have as citizens, to eliminate to find a different kind of truth, not a factual truth, and emotional truth, moral truth about these events. this is what i tried to do. which means it's a very contemporary story. i hope so, yes. and in a curious way, it always will be. because these are impulses that will go away. thank you very much for allowing me to say that this is not historical novel about the history of colombia. it explores the history of columbia, from a present contemporary point of view and in that way, it's an investigation about the past and investigation about memory, which contains, yes, at its core a version of colombian history.

but it's very important for me to underline that in a historical novel. juan gabriel vasquez, author of the shape of the ruins, thank you very much. it was a pleasure, jim. today house once again brought sunshine for some the storm clouds and other areas, they have in burst —— buta and other areas, they have in burst —— but a heavy rain warning, torrential thunderstorms particularly affecting the southwest of england and the south of wales, radar picture showing how the storms developed through the latter part of the afternoon. continuing to go north and west as we head through the night. still potentially enough rain and a sure enough space and time to give issues with localised flash flooding, elsewhere dry

weather, but misty conditions. another muggy night as well, minimum temperatures between 12 and 60 degrees. we go tomorrow, starting off with lots of cloud, should break up off with lots of cloud, should break up with the spells of sunshine, but then the showers and thunderstorms break out and once again particularly this time across western and northern parts of the uk, and wherever you are, it'll feel warm and muggy, high getting up to 24 warm and muggy, high getting up to 2a degrees. hello, i'm karin giannone, this is 0utside source. are we seeing the start of a global trade war? the us hits its trading partners with tariffs on steel. canada responds in kind — and the eu's not happy either. it is totally on acceptable that a country is imposing unilateral measures when it comes to world trade. summit preparations continue — north korea's has been meeting the us secretary of state for a second time, in new york. and second time lucky —

italy's president has given this man guiseppe conte, the chance to form a new government at the second time of asking. and if you want to get in touch — the hashtag is bbc os