World Briefs

Screen veteran John Hurt – famed for classic performances in films such as Alien and Midnight Express which was filmed on location in Malta – is to be honoured by Bafta for his outstanding contribution to cinema.

The 72-year-old, who featured in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, will be presented withhis award at next month’s film Baftas.

He said: “I know that film means a great deal to me but I had no idea that I meant so much to film. I feel very honoured.”

Mr Hurt – who recently starred in BBC1 family drama series Merlin – came to prominence with his award-winning portrayal of Quentin Crispin TV film The Naked Civil Servant. He went on to play a huge number of acclaimed roles, including performances in The Elephant Man, Nineteen Eighty-Four, A Man For All Seasons and Scandal. But possibly his two most unforgettable performances were as Kane in Ridley Scott’s Alien where, in a harrowing scene, the creature bursts out of his chest and in Alan Parker’s Midnight Express as the bespectacled Max who guides Brad Davis’ character Billy Hayes in escaping from the Turkish prison.

Tea ‘may cut heart disease rates’

Heart disease rates could be reduced by 10 per cent if everyone took to drinking large amounts of tea, a study suggests.

Researchers found that consuming the equivalent of around eight cups of black tea a day led to a significant lowering of blood pressure. They estimated that in the general population this would result in a 10 per cent reduction in high blood pressure prevalence and a seven per cent to 10 per cent reduction in the risk of heart disease.

A group of 95 men and women aged 35 to 75 were given three cups of powdered black tea solids each day for six months, or a flavour-matched non-tea “placebo” drink. Each tea drink contained 429 milligrams of polyphenols, plant chemicals that are said to have health benefits.A regular cup of black leaf tea contains up to 150mg of polyphenols, so the total dose consumed by the volunteers was equivalent to 8.58 cups of tea a day. Participants had normal to high blood pressure readings at the start of the study. After six months, their blood pressure levels had reduced by between two and three millimetres of mercury.

Long wait for WWII medal

A Second World War veteran has at long last received a medal – 70 years after he was wounded in the Battle of Okinawa.

Aaron Narvol of Pittsburgh was awarded the Purple Heart medal on his 93rd birthday for the bullet he took to his leg while trying to save a fellow soldier.

He made numerous claims but only received the medal after a US senator researched military records. Mr Narvol said he never thought he would get the long-awaited medal. Now he refuses to take it off.

Gorilla art

Orang-utans, gorillas, chimpanzees and an elephant are among animal artists being given their own exhibition of paintings.

The event, taking place next week at University College London’s Grant Museum of Zoology, will feature works from zoos in the USand Thailand.

One of the highlights is a painting of a flowerpot by Boon Me, a former Thai logging elephant. Another is a finger painting entitled Digit Master by a chimp called Bakhari. The Art by Animals exhibition runs until March 9.