thursday and friday. that's all from me. goodbye. more more this is bbc news, i'm shaun ley. the headlines at four. work and pensions secretary amber rudd warns company bosses they could be jailed for up to seven years if they "wilfully or recklessly" mismanage their employees‘ pension scheme. theresa may will ask mps for more time to rework her brexit plan — and offer parliament another vote , but labour says the prime minister and offer parliament another vote, but labour says the prime minister mustn't keep running down the clock. it seems to me we are now at the point where we could have meaningful talks to get a deal between the main political party leaders, or the only way to break the impasse is a public vote, and that remains our policy. kurdish—led forces — backed by the united states — have launched a final push to defeat the so—called islamic state group in syria. the scientist who discovered the link between eating too much processed meat and bowel cancer accuses the government of not doing enough to encourage people to cut their consumption. the duke of edinburgh gives up his driving licence, weeks after he crashed his car near the queen's sandringham estate. and monkeying around at belfast zoo — visitors were surprised to find a chimpanzee wandering

outside its enclosure after it managed to make a ladder out of branches to escape its pen. and i'm live on the red carpet at the royal albert hall where the stars are just arriving for tonight's baftas. coming up at 16:30 — a programme dedicated to a tennis star and pioneer of women's sport and equality — billiejean king. good afternoon. company bosses could face longer sentences of up to seven years in prison if they mismanage employee pension schemes. that's the warning from the work and pensions secretary amber rudd. plans outlined last year , for a maximum sentence of two years in prison , have been toughened up of two years in prison,

have been toughened up after public consultation. our business correspondent rob young reports. when the unprofitable construction giant carillion collapsed a year ago, its pension pot had a black hole of hundreds of millions of pounds, as did the bhs pension fund when the high—street retailer went into administration in 2016. bankrupt kodak's uk scheme had an even bigger deficit when photographers switched to smartphones. there are many reasons pension schemes end up in the trouble, and now the government is proposing a new law to try and make sure that poor behaviour by bosses isn't one of them. work and pensions secretary amber rudd says she will make wilful or reckless behaviour relating to a pension scheme a criminal offence, with jail terms of up to seven years and unlimited fines, but some experts are not convinced the proposed law will be effective. proving a business person sat down, put some money into investment or dividends instead of the pension fund and that was reckless

and wilful is tough to prove, and to make it a criminal offence, the standard of proof is even higher, so there is a danger that although it sounds great nobody ever gets convicted of the offence. plans for this offence to carry a maximum two—year prison term were outlined last year, and politicians have since examined the issue. after public consultation, the sentence has been beefed up. there is already a pensions regulator. the problems being addressed are more about the mismanagement of the companies rather than the pension schemes themselves, and we have got a system for addressing these problems in place. it is estimated more than a0 million people are members of occupational pensions. most savers needn't worry, and the regulator says the majority of companies and pension trustees do the right thing by their members. the government says it will give mps another chance to vote on brexit at the end of the month, even if theresa may has not been able to negotiate a deal by then.

but the housing scretaryjames brokenshire also admitted that that vote might not be what's known as a "meaningful vote". to approve or reject an eventual deal. a little earlier our political correspondent tom barton told me that time is running out for the prime minister. moving towards the deadline, 29th of march, brexit day, less than 50 days. this thursday there is a key moment in parliament. another key moment in parliament! mps will hold a series of votes to get their say on what should happen next. the government is really worried because several ministers have indicated they might resign in order to give their support to backbench moves to force a delay in brexit in order to allow more time to try to avoid no deal. the government is obviously keen to avoid that and so has offered another vote at the end of this month.

this is whatjames brokenshire said. the government will commit that if the meaningful vote, in other words the deal coming back, has not happened by the 27th of february, we would allow a further motion to take place in parliament to give that sense of assurance as to the process moving forward. to be clear, there will be a meaningful vote this month or not? if the meaningful vote has not happened, so in other words, you know, things have not concluded, then parliament would have that further opportunity by no later than the 27th of february. the crucial thing there is james brokenshire accepting the realistic possibility that the meaningful vote, this vote on approving or rejecting the prime minister's deal, may well not have happened by the 27th of february, in other words four weeks out from brexit, they may not yet reach a deal with the eu to put to parliament.

kurdish—led forces, backed by the united states, have launched a new push in syria to defeat the group that calls itself islamic state group. more than 20,000 civilians have been evacuated from land still held by is near the iraqi border. 0ur arab affairs editor sebastian usher reports. the us—backed sdf has played a key role in the war against is in syria. its biggest victory was to drive the jihadists out of their de—facto capital, raqqa. in the past few months, it's picked off one town, village or hamlet after another in the corner of north—eastern syria to which is fighters have been driven. all that's left for the jihadists there are a few square miles next to the iraqi border — a far cry from the caliphate the group once declared across huge swathes of syria and iraq. the sdf delayed its final attack until thousands of civilians in the area had been able

to get out. now they say the decisive battle is under way. the united states military, our coalition partners, and the syrian democratic forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by isis in syria and iraq. last week, president trump said the total defeat of is could be announced within days. that certainly suits his agenda of withdrawing all us troops from syria. but he's been criticised before for declaring final victory over is prematurely. caution is still needed. is holds another sliver of territory in syria further west, while its sleeper cells remain active, and it's the same story in iraq. the group's ability to continue a guerrilla insurgency persists. the fate of his hostages, such as the british journalist john cantlie, remains unclear, as does that of its leader, abu bakr al—baghdadi. its most effective foe, the sdf, faces an uncertain future, if and when its us backers leave.

sebastian usher, bbc news. firefighters in new zealand are continuing to battle wild fires that have been burning for almost a week. 3000 people have been moved to safety on the south island, as strong winds push the fires closer to the town of wakefield. a state of emergency has been declared. it's thought the blaze is the worst forest fire in the country since 1955. the scientist who discovered the link between eating too much processed meat and bowel cancer has accused the government of not doing enough to encourage people to cut their consumption. the department of health says it's committed to ensuring that all food products are as safe as possible. ben ando reports. the cancer risks in eating too much processed meat, like bacon and ham, were first exposed four years ago, but since then, says the man who discovered the link, nothing has been done to warn people or reduce consumption. four years ago, when i was

in the who committee, deciding this was carcinogenic, we were not sure there were alternatives. now firms in france and the uk are making good bacon, good ham, without any nitrate. this is safe and we know it can be done. the government should really work with the industry, the meat industry, to get rid of nitrate. so what and how much is safe? processed meats include sausages, bacon, ham, corned beef, and deli meats. nhs guidance says to eat no more than 70g a day — that's the equivalent of about two sausages or three thin slices of ham. cancer campaigners say there are other much more risky factors. we know the link between processed meat and cancer is not well—known, especially compared to link with smoking, but it is putting it into context — that smoking is inherently much more

risky when it comes to cancer. but with ham a staple of many school lunch boxes, professor corpet says parents in particular need to think about how much processed meat their children are eating. ben ando, bbc news. a woman who was injured in the car crash involving the duke of edinburgh has welcomed the news that he's giving up his driving licence. buckingham palace said prince philip, who's 97, made the decision voluntarily after the collision with a car carrying two women and a baby. the crown prosecution service will take the duke's decision into account when considering whether to bring any charges against him. andy moore reports. it was an accident everyone was lucky to walk away from. the duke of edinburgh's land rover freelander was turned over by the force of the impact and landed on its side. a baby was unhurt in the other car, a kia, two women were taken to hospital. one of them, emma fairweather, has told the sunday mirror that the duke was right to take the decision to surrender his licence but he could have done it sooner. she said...

just days after the accident, the duke was seen driving on public roads near sandringham without a seat belt. norfolk police said they had spoken to him about that. he also sent a letter to mrs fairweather saying sorry for his part in the accident and said he had been dazzled by the low winter sun and was very contrite about the consequences. the police say they have now finished their investigation into the accident and a file has been passed to the crown prosecution service. the duke could be charged for driving without due care and attention. the cps said the file will be reviewed carefully before a decision was made. but they also said the duke's decision to surrender his licence would be taken into account. andy moore, bbc news. violence erupted in france last night during another series

of demonstrations by the country's the gilet jaune or "yellow vest" movement. 0ne protester lost his fingers during clashes in paris. it's the 13th weekend of marches, which began in mid—november. caroline rigby reports: seen here in black, holding his arms and running for shelter, the protester‘s fingers were ripped off by a rubber pellet grenade which exploded in his hand as he tried to threw it away. according to one eyewitness, the man had been attempting to take pictures of demonstrators breaking down the barriers outside the national assembly. for a 13th weekend running thousands of gilets jaunes demonstrators once again took to the streets of paris. police responded to pockets of violence with tear gas and anti—riot munitions. what began as a protest over fuel tax in november has broadened into a sustained revolt

against the rising cost of living and the policies of president macron‘s government. translation: for decades now we have seen our elected representatives have not been working in the interests of the people. they have been working more for lobbies and other interests. when i see poverty in france, when i see the people abandoned by our government and notjust this one, for decades, whether it be sarkozy and the others, i say to myself we must act. elsewhere in france, tens of thousands of demonstrators turned out in other cities from nantes to bordeaux and toulouse to marseille. according to french government figures, more than 51,000 people joined the protest on saturday, 4000 in paris. but that number is down on the nearly 59,000 of last weekend when almost double took to the streets of the capital. the representatives of the yellow vests dispute the official figures,

claiming the turnout was higher. in brittany, there was an arson attack on the home of the head of the national assembly but it is not clear whether this was linked to the recent protests. in response, emmanuel macron tweeted nothing justifies intimidation and violence towards an elected representative of the republic. the president remains under sustained pressure to quell the wider unrest in france but while the gilets jaunes continue to claim the political classes are out of touch with the wider population, there seems little chance of a rapid end to the country's longest running protest in decades. the headlines on bbc news... work and pensions secretary amber rudd warns company bosses they could be jailed for up to seven years if they "wilfully or recklessly" mismanage their employees' pension scheme. theresa may will ask mps for more time to

rework her brexit plan — but labour accuses the prime minister of trying to run down the clock. kurdish—led forces — backed by the united states — have launched a final push to defeat the so—called islamic state group in syria. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here'sjohn watson. england have scored five tries and claimed a bonus point against france, they lead 37—8. they made a blistering start scoring the opening try after just 66 seconds after great work from elite daily. this ca ke great work from elite daily. this cake putjonny may through to score. may score another and then complete his hat—trick with less than 30 minutes played in the first half. england? women on course for the

grand sum after beating france. a total of seven tries mac for england who also claimed the bonus point. tottenham remain in the title race after their 3—1 win over leicester, a result that leaves them two points off second placed manchester city, before their game with chelsea. hopes of being a major part of the title race are still alive despite

no sign of leaving wembley this season. no sign of leaving wembley this season. harry maguire's header tipped over the bar. christian eriksen is always the orchestrator. sanchez his first goal for totte n ha m. sanchez his first goal for tottenham. leicester started to pose problems but with a lack of bite up front, perhaps the answer was on their own bench. a weaving run from james maddison got the foxes a penalty. time for the heavy artillery but for once jamie vardy passed my aim was off. a mistake was $0011 passed my aim was off. a mistake was soon punished, christian eriksen again to good.jamie soon punished, christian eriksen again to good. jamie vardy did pull one back but son put the result beyond doubt. 20th win of the season, beyond doubt. 20th win of the season, same as beyond doubt. 20th win of the season, same as manchester city and liverpool. manchester city have made

the perfect start with sterling and aguero with a double. celtic are through to the quarter finals of the scottish cup after an empathetic 5—0 win over stjohnstone at celtic park. scott sinclair got the scoring under way after just 2mins latching onto 0liver burke's cross. then just six minutes later scott brown scored the goal of the day with this long range effort. james forrest added number three after the break before sinclair added his second and third of the day to finish the scoring... elsewhere today auchinleck talbot‘s fairy tale run looks to be coming to an end. they're 3—0 down at hearts. aberdeen v queen of

the south is goalless. reigning champions chelsea came from 2—0 down to draw with women's super league leaders manchester city. tessa wallaert opened the scoring for city before georgia stanway made it two, finding the corner from 18 yards but chelsea rallied back in the second half withji so—yun pulling one back early, before scoring a deflected free kick with just minutes of the match remaining to claim a point. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. including how england are getting on in the third test against the west indies. another poor batting performance. at least they have the consolation... 0f

performance. at least they have the consolation... of being humiliated there, not the worst place to be. as has become traditional, the duke and duchess of cambridge will be the guests of honour at this year's ceremony, and it's a royal drama, the favourite, which many expect to live up to its title and win the prestigious best film award. while its star, 0livia colman, who plays queen anne, is the favourite for best actress. look at me! how dare you — close your eyes! she has tough competition from the wife star glenn close, after she won at the screen actors guild for her portrayal of the wife of an award—winning author. you were seducing the luscious linnea ? nothing happened. don't you dare insult my intelligence! four years out of the last five, best actor has been won by someone playing a real—life character. now the vice presidency is mostly a symbolicjob. this year, christian bale, who plays former us vice president dick cheney in vice...

# so you think you can stone me and spit in my eye...#. and rami malek, who plays freddie mercury in the queen biopic bohemian rhapsody look to be in a close race for that award. dear dolores... d—e—a—r — this is an animal. similarly, for best supporting actor, mahershala ali, who plays a jazz musician touring america's deep south in green book... i'vejust come from having my teeth bleached. and richard e grant, who plays the best friend of a struggling author in can you ever forgive me are thought to be neck and neck. while best supporting actress looks to be the night's most open race, with emma stone and rachel weisz both in contention for the favourite alongside amy adams for vice, claire foy‘s portrayal of janet armstrong, the wife of astronaut neil armstrong, in first man, and margot robbie's queen elizabeth i in mary queen of scots. lizo mzimba, bbc news.

let's go live now to the royal albert hall where my colleague martine croxall is. it looks like you have an acre of red carpet. such a long red carpet, i was going to do a show and tell but i am out of energy! i am out of the studio, though, here for the ba ftas. the studio, though, here for the baftas. blue skies over the royal albert hall. looks beautiful. people do it celebrities will be arriving soon from their carsjust do it celebrities will be arriving soon from their cars just on the way. cirque du soleil will be the opening act. jason solomons, the film critic, what sort of atmosphere is it's going to be this year compared with last year? last year was politically charged. i could not

say it was a pleasant atmosphere. they black — — say it was a pleasant atmosphere. they black —— the black carpet. reacting to the harvey weinstein scandal. #metoo. has things change? i think we are seeing the birth of a new era. sense of relief. two microphones fighting for the top slot, roma, a netflix firm, fighting for top spot, never happened before. the favourite. three people fighting for the power of the country. emma stone with that imperious, funny, touching site performance by 0livia colman. the walk of a homecoming

queen up this red carpet, i think. 12 nominations. i don't think 12 wins. but i think it's could win seven or eight nominations. whether best film and outstanding british film, that is very rare. the kings speech did that last. loving a film about a monarch they can love, the public. i think roma can win best phone. the last foreign—language film to win the double was in 1989, i think. a rare occurrence. i think roma is good enough, big enough, extraordinary enough to do that.“ beale street could talk director barryjenkins on the red carpet, did

very well with moonlight. nominated for adapted screenplay, the novel from 1974 about the love story set in harlem in the 1970s. most beautiful of the year. unlucky not to be in more categories. regina, the actress, at the oscars, regina king, but not nominated here. i think richard e grant, one of the biggest cheers at the royal albert hall. never nominated. withnail and i was hall. never nominated. withnail and iwasa hall. never nominated. withnail and i was a cult film that grew and grew. for him but can you ever

forgive me is a bit similar. we should have awarded you 32 years ago, we will really want you tonight. great performance in green book. the rising star award is an opportunity for the public to say who they think made an impression. people say, our firm and award ceremonies out of touch? do people see roma and the favourite? no these though it they see black punto. ——

panthera. black panther. we will be talking about wild rose next year. lovely evening to look forward to. we will be talking to a costume designer to talk about the fashions. just down the red carpet, i can see cirque de soleil are assembling. some groups are being thrown in the air. we are ready to get started fairly soon. jason will be with us all evening to talk more about all of the nominations and of course the winners when we finally found out later on tonight. —— find out. five red—carpet begins at 5:15pm.

and scientists at newcastle university have started some unusual research — looking into the british love of fish and chips. they want to find the healthiest portion size as megan patterson reports. with salt and vinegar, sauce or mushy peas, fish and chips remains one of the country's favourite takeaways but like all treats we're warned off having too much, newcastle university researchers think they've found a solution. we're looking for options and opportunities to provide customers with the food they love in a portion that's more manageable. packaging plays a crucial role in limiting how much food is there. we asked take away owners and said hey, can you provide your customers with smaller portions? and then seeing the response from the customers themselves. a standard box of fish and chips has around 1600 calories and the smaller light bite is 600. the boxes were made by gateshead based firm henry colbeck and are now being used in more than 250 shops including this one. in south shields.

a lot of people now don't like a big portion of food. you find they take it home, might not eat it, they throw it away, it's a waste. when people come with a smaller box, they enjoyed it, i would rather. got exactly what they wanted and came back for the same again. some people might say it's just common sense, just have a smaller portion. of course, you are totally right, but the thing is, you give people a big portion of food, they will eat until they can't consume any more. if you have big bucket of popcorn in the cinema, you will keep digging away. if you give them a smaller one, they will eat it and be perfectly happy. an extra choice for customers but is it one they really want to have? my mother only has the small bit so i'll get the...you understand? we share it between. so you share it between the two of you? yeah, yeah, yeah. if it was just you,

would you take a smaller box? no, i'd still take a big box. laughs. i probably would, maybe like a lunchtime, then on tea—time i might sort of get one box and share. i would consider if the calories were less. so an option for the more calorie conscious and more good news, mushy peas count as one of your five a day. finally, visitors got more than they bargained for at belfast zoo earlier today... several chimpanzees made an improvised ladder from a large tree branch propped up against a wall, to escape. proves they really are the closest to us in the line of evolution. the council, which runs the zoo, said the apes were now back in their enclosure.