Beckham to launch MLS team in Miami

5 February 2014 Last updated at 18:24

David Beckham 'living a dream' with MLS franchise in Miami

Former England captain David Beckham said he is "living a dream" as he outlined his plans for a new Miami-based Major League Soccer franchise.

The 38-year-old, who retired as a player last May, wants to recruit some of "the best players" to help make the club "loved by millions".

He said a world-class stadium would be built to host the franchise, which would be the 22nd in the MLS.

"I want to make this my own team," said the ex-Manchester United midfielder.

No date has been set for when the side would enter the MLS.

Beckham's option to purchase a franchise is believed to have been part of the financial package he negotiated when he joined LA Galaxy in 2007. He played for the MLS club until 2012.

The former midfielder, who also had spells with Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris St-Germain, added: "This is an exciting time for myself, my family, my friends and partners, and it is something we are really looking forward to bringing to Miami.

"We're planning to bring a team that will be a global team. I want to create a team that we can start from scratch and I am going to work hard for this city to make this team very successful. It is an exciting time.

"I have worked with some of the biggest clubs and greatest players and this is a dream."

Beckham, who won the Champions League, the Premier League, La Liga and Ligue 1 as a player, would not confirm any names of players he wants to attract to Miami.

"We will bring great players in," he said. "The fortunate thing about my career is players are already interested in coming to Miami.

"The one thing I want to achieve is to set up a kids' academy. We want local talent, not just great players from abroad.

"The way the US team have improved has been incredible and the only way that will continue is to have good academies."

Beckham has long had an ambition to own a team in the US.

His representatives held talks with the MLS about the possibility of him buying a franchise shortly before his retirement, while basketball superstar LeBron James said in November that he was in discussion with Beckham about investing in the planned Miami club.

The MLS currently consists of 19 teams, but the league announced in 2013 that two further sides  would join in 2015.

Those will be Orlando City SC and New York City, which is part-owned by Manchester City.

The last MLS team in Miami folded after being in existence for four seasons. It struggled with sparse attendance and had the lowest revenue in the league.

Also related to this story

• Watch video Can Beckham bring soccer to Miami? 22 Jan 2014 Magazine
• Brand Beckham can boost the Sunshine State 30 Oct 2013 Football
• Beckham chooses Miami franchise 30 Oct 2013 Football
• Beckham 'excited' by Miami franchise 02 Jun 2013 Football
• Beckham in talks to buy new MLS club 18 May 2013 Football
• Get Inspired: FOOTBALL 19 Jul 2013 Get Inspired

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5 February 2014 Last updated at 18:13

Nazi stag-do Tory MP to step down

Tory Aidan Burley, at centre of row over Nazi-themed stag party, to step down as Cannock Chase MP at next election

More to follow.

5 February 2014 Last updated at 18:10

Hoffman body tests 'inconclusive'

Tests on body of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman inconclusive, New York city medical examiner says

More to follow.

Volgograd 'bomb plotter' shot dead

5 February 2014 Last updated at 18:01

Volgograd 'bomb plotter' shot dead in Dagestan

Militants suspected of terrorist attacks are buried in anonymous graves on the outskirts of Makhachkala, Dagestan

Security forces in Russia's troubled Dagestan region have shot dead the suspected organiser of the Volgograd suicide bombings during a house siege.

Dzhamaldin Mirzayev, 30, died along with another man after opening fire on security forces surrounding the house, Russian security sources say.

A third man surrendered during the siege in the town of Izberbash.

Two attackers killed 34 other people in the bomb attacks in Volgograd on consecutive days in late December.

The bombers, both male, were officially identified last week as Asker Samedov and Suleyman Magomedov, members of an Islamist militant group based in the Dagestani town of Buynaksk.

Two men suspected of helping them were arrested in Dagestan. According to one Russian news website, Life News, they are suspected of having driven the bombers hidden in a cargo of hay, acting under duress.

Russia is conducting the biggest security operation in Olympic history for the Sochi Winter Games opening on Friday.

Since the Volgograd attacks, there have been frequent shoot-outs in Dagestan, which has been the focus of Islamist insurgents in recent years after the wars in neighbouring Chechnya.

'Present' for Putin

In a video posted online by a group calling itself Vilayat Dagestan, two men who appear to be Samedov and Magomedov warned President Vladimir Putin to expect a "present" at the Olympics.

Eighteen people were killed at Volgograd's railway station along with the bomber

On Sunday 29 December, as Russians were preparing for the New Year holiday, one of the suicide bombers detonated his explosives near a metal detector at the entrance to the railway station, killing 18 people.

According to Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, Samedov carried out the station bombing.

The following morning, the second bomber blew himself up in a trolleybus, killing 10 people outright and fatally wounding six others.

More than 60 other people were wounded in the attacks.

5 February 2014 Last updated at 16:39

Kevin Pietersen's career in numbers

Continue reading the main story

Kevin Pietersen has been told that he is no longer part of the England Cricket team's plans, bringing his 10-year international career to an end.

We took a look back at some of Pietersen's key stats since his first one-day international.

His highest score of 227 against Australia, at Adelaide in 2010, was made in just 308 balls.

He leaves the national team as the all-time leading run-scorer across all formats. His total of 13,797 puts him ahead of Graeme Gooch (13,190) and Alec Stewart (13,140).

Continue reading the main story

Pietersen's England career

All forms (Tests, One-Day and T20)

• Matches
  277
  Between 2004-2014
• Runs
  13,797
  Leading English batsman
• Centuries
  32
  England record

Source: Cricinfo

GETTY IMAGES

His final total of 23 Test centuries leaves him second only to Test captain Alastair Cook.

When you include his one-day centuries, he overtakes Cook and heads the list of hundreds made for England.

Continue reading the main story

England's honours board

Batsmen with the most centuries

Kevin Pietersen

32

• Tests: 23

  ODIs: 9

Alastair Cook

30

• Tests: 25

  ODIs: 5

Graeme Gooch

28

• Tests: 20

  ODIs: 8

Source: Cricinfo

GETTY IMAGES

He scored 8,181 runs at an average of 47 in 104 Tests. Only six other players have played more Test matches for England.

He amassed a further 4,440 runs in 136 one-day internationals and 1,176 runs in 37 Twenty20s with his hard-hitting and improvisatory batting.

He is regarded by some as England's greatest player and by many more, who may not agree with that assessment, as the most entertaining.

Five leading run-scorers for England
		Pietersen	Stewart	Gooch	Gower	Strauss
TESTS	Appearances	104	133	118	117	100
	Runs	8,181	8,463	8,900	8,231	7,037
	Average	47.28	39.54	42.58	44.25	40.91
	Centuries	23	15	20	18	21
ODIs	Appearances	134	170	125	114	127
	Runs	4,422	4,677	4,290	3,170	4,205
	Average	41.32	31.6	36.98	30.77	35.63
	Centuries	9	4	8	7	6

AUDIO: Dad 'proud' of Robbie's Stoke honour

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Robbie Williams' father: Stoke honour is 'amazing'

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:42 GMT

The father of Robbie Williams says Stoke-on-Trent Council's tribute to him is "amazing."

A blue heritage plaque has been unveiled on the street where the singer lived as a young boy.

His father, Pete Conway, said that Robbie was "still a Stokey at heart" despite living in LA.

He told BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast: "He never forgets. He always promotes Stoke."

Aston Martin recalls 17,000 cars

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:41

Aston Martin recalls 17,000 cars over possible defective part

The firm is based in Gaydon in Warwickshire

Aston Martin is recalling more than 17,000 cars because of a potentially defective part.

The Warwickshire-based luxury car maker said the recall accounted for most of its sports cars built since late 2007.

It follows the discovery that a Chinese sub-supplier was allegedly using counterfeit plastic material in part of the accelerator pedal.

There are fears the pedal arm may break, although there have been no reports of accidents, the firm said.

The firm is recalling a total of 17,590 cars, including all of its left-hand-drive models built since November 2007 and all right-hand-drive models built since May 2012, affecting about 75% of all vehicles built in that period.

Police win forced retirement claim

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:35

Police win forced retirement tribunal claim

Hundreds of older officers have been retired using regulation A19

Five police forces could face paying out millions of pounds after officers who were forced to retire after 30 years won an age discrimination claim.

Nottinghamshire, West Midlands, Devon and Cornwall, North Wales and South Wales officers were among hundreds made to retire under regulation A19.

Nottinghamshire Police Federation secretary Mick Taylor said their case had been "vindicated".

The forces have 42 days to appeal against the decision.

The London Central Employment Tribunal made the ruling on behalf of 250 officers who were made to retire under A19, which said those below chief officer rank could be required to retire after 30 years "in the general interests of efficiency".

'Financial challenges'

Mr Taylor said: "Our legal advisor will be writing to each former officer involved in the case.

"At the same time we are acutely aware that during a period of severe budgetary cuts, any prospective or potential financial burden on the force is no cause for celebration, particularly at a time when many colleagues will be worrying about job security.

"We shall make every effort in assisting the force to the best of our ability, to manage the continuing financial challenges over the coming months and years."

Last year, the High Court ruled A19 was lawful.

But the ruling was criticised by members of the Police Superintendents' Association for England and Wales (PSAEW), which argued that the retiring of older officers would not result in major savings.

'No alternative'

The government said in October 2010 it was cutting police funds following a spending review.

Nottinghamshire Chief Constable Chris Eyre said the force was "actively considering" an appeal.

He said: "It was necessary for the police authority to consider the use of regulation A19 as a result of the wide-ranging austerity measures affecting public services.

"This was a very difficult decision for the authority and one which was taken after extensive consultation with officers who had 30 years' pensionable service and the relevant staff associations.

"Had there been other viable alternatives the police authority would not have made the difficult decision to implement A19.

150 jobs go as clothing chain shuts

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:33

Gino and NV: 150 jobs lost as NI clothing chain shuts

Gino and NV, the Northern Ireland chain of clothing retailers, has shut down with the loss of about 150 jobs.

Gino and NV had more than a dozen branches with a presence in most of Northern Ireland's large towns.

The shops closed last week when a liquidator was appointed to the Nath Bros Partnership, which operated the business.

Nath Bros Partnership has a registered office at the Mahon industrial estate in Portadown, County Armagh.

Gino and NV specialised in casual fashion for teenagers and young adults.

In 2010, it took over some of the shop units that were vacated by the downsizing of the Clockwork Orange chain.

Seamas Keating of FPM Chartered Accountants is acting as liquidator.

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:24

Military spending: Balance tipping towards China

By Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent

China now spends more than neighbouring Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam combined

It is tempting to see statistics for overall defence spending as providing an image of sorts of the ranking of the major military players around the world.

So this year's edition of the annual reference book - The Military Balance - published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) will be eagerly scrutinised to see who is up and who is down, and what this might mean for the global balance of power.

The United States remains by far the world's largest military player spending $600bn (£370bn; 440bn euros) on defence in 2013.

China, the next most highly ranked player, spent some $112bn in the same period, though there are complex debates about how far Beijing's figures encompass all of its defence-related spending.

One striking fact is that Britain has fallen from third place to fifth, behind Russia and Saudi Arabia. This is a reflection of both the Russians' and Saudis' efforts to modernise their military machines while British defence expenditure is falling.

Broad trends

But caution is needed here. The IISS itself accepts that factors like exchange rates can muddy the picture.

It says that while it is true that the UK has been cutting its defence spending levels, this fall to fifth place is partly due to exchange rate effects: if sterling-dollar exchange rates from last week were applied to UK defence spending levels instead, these would rise from $57bn to $61.1bn in US dollar terms, above Saudi Arabia and into fourth place.

Even without the exchange-rate effect, IISS analyst Giri Rajendran notes, the fall in the UK's ranking is not nearly as significant as it might first appear.

When the UK was third, in 2012, it was only spending about 1.5% more than Russia in US dollar terms, meaning that a relatively minor currency depreciation or decline in spending levels would produce a fall in its ranking.

Only last month, British Prime Minister David Cameron was championing Britain's defence budget as still the fourth largest in the world, so maybe he was right after all.

But spending alone is a crude indicator of military capability.

What does money actually buy you? How much funding, for example, goes on salaries and the housing of large conscript armies? What about a country's willingness to use force?

All of these factors cannot readily be encompassed in the stark numbers of a military balance.

Broad trends, though, can be identified and this year's Military Balance shows the continuing growth of China's military machine.

And China's rise is driving defence expenditure elsewhere in the region. Defence spending in Asia is up by 23% since 2010.

China has ambitions to become a major maritime power. China now spends about three times as much as India on defence and more than neighbouring Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam combined.

Japan announced last year it was increasing its defence spending, investing in a new marine unit

In the Middle East, defence spending is also going up significantly, with Libya trying to reconstruct its security forces, Iraq re-equipping and some significant expenditure by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States.

They are alarmed particularly by Iran's potential nuclear programme and especially by its missile forces.

Missile defence is a key priority for Gulf states. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have all bought or are buying Western missile- and air-defence and strike systems , including stand-off air-launched munitions.

The IISS notes that one of the key factors facing the Gulf States is how to improve defence co-ordination between them.

Ambitions

Overall, though, the Military Balance shows the continuing shift in global military power away from the West - especially from Europe where real defence spending fell in 2013 in 57% of countries - towards Asia.

Asian countries are increasingly buying capabilities that were previously owned only by Russia and Nato countries.

But spending alone is not everything. Britain and France remain, for example, the only players with real expeditionary capabilities after the United States. European capabilities are, though, declining in real terms and much will depend upon the economic future if this trend is to be halted.

Much of the discussion at the IISS press conference focused on when China might rival the US in defence expenditure.

The mid- to late-2030s was one suggested answer. But this obscures a more fundamental reality.

The US is a superpower with global ambitions. On present evidence, China's ambitions are more limited.

It wants to be the major player in its own strategic backyard, and to contain US forces there might potentially only require a more limited outlay.

And China's military build-up - its goal of denying access to areas it sees as its strategic approaches - is tailored specifically to do this.

UK storms destroy key railway line

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:24

UK storms destroy railway line and leave thousands without power

The railway line in Dawlish is hanging in mid-air, as Jon Kay reports

Continue reading the main story

Parts of Britain are being hit by a powerful storm which has washed away a stretch of railway line and left thousands of homes without electricity.

A section of the sea wall in Dawlish, Devon, collapsed and left the main railway line suspended in mid-air.

Residents of more than 150 homes at Fordgate and Northmoor on the Somerset Levels have been evacuated amid fears flood defences could be overwhelmed.

David Cameron has announced an extra £100m for flood works.

At Prime Minister's Questions he pledged £75m for repairs over the next year, £10m for urgent work in Somerset - where several rivers have flooded - and £15m for maintenance.

Mr Cameron has chaired his first meeting of the Cobra emergency committee this year to discuss the floods, following widespread criticism of Environment Secretary Owen Paterson's handling of the crisis.

After the meeting he said he would "ensure that everything that can be done to get stricken communities moving is being done: there are no restrictions on help".

'Force of nature'

Forecasters say there will be an "improving picture" on Wednesday evening. But there will be rain moving up from the south coast on Thursday morning which will spread to south-west England in late morning. About 20-30mm of rain is expected throughout the day.

More heavy rain and gales are forecast for Friday night into Saturday.

Dawlish resident Robert Parker said the storm was "like the end of the world".

He said: "It was like an earthquake. I've never experienced anything like it. I've been in some terrible storms in the North Sea, but last night was just a force of nature."

Western Power Distribution said about 44,000 customers had been affected by power cuts since Tuesday afternoon and 9,680 were still without power across the South West. In Cornwall, 7,800 are cut off.

The company said around 800 staff were working to restore supplies.

A section of rail track dangles over the sea after the wall collapsed at Dawlish

Waves continued to lash the seafront

Earlier, First Great Western said all lines between Exeter St Davids and Penzance were closed because of the collapsed track at Dawlish and adverse weather conditions.

Patrick Hallgate from Network Rail, who assessed the damage at Dawlish, said it could take between four and six weeks to fix the line, which is the main rail link between south Devon and Cornwall.

Robert Parker, from Dawlish, was evacuated from his home overnight

"This is probably the biggest structural engineering feat we've faced in the South West for at least the last decade," he said.

Speaking after the Cobra meeting, the prime minister said he was "determined to ensure a proper alternative service" was provided while the railway line at Dawlish remained out of use, with a solution found to fix it as soon as possible.

First Great Western said some branch lines in Devon and Cornwall were now operating.

The Environment Agency has six severe flood warnings in place, meaning "danger to life", covering much of the south coast from Cornwall to Dorset and two areas of Somerset. It has also issued about 60 flood warnings and more than 200 flood alerts.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued four flood warnings and several flood alerts.

The Met Office has issued an amber severe weather warning - meaning "be prepared"- for wind for south-west England and south Wales until 19:00 GMT on Wednesday, and for rain from 15:00 GMT on Thursday until 23:00 GMT on Saturday.

High winds and stormy seas have led to further damage to the Grade I listed West Pier in Brighton, East Sussex

In other developments:

• Twenty people were evacuated from Kingsand in Cornwall because their homes were being damaged by stones washed ashore and coming through their windows
• Devon and Cornwall Police received 300 emergency calls overnight. About 100 trees were reported blown over
• In Brighton, a significant section of the West Pier skeleton collapsed in high winds and stormy seas
• Homes were evacuated on the seafront in Torcross, Devon, after waves smashed the front of four buildings
• Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was closed because high winds were causing roof tiles to blow around
• Southern said trains were suspended between Bexhill and Hastings after high tides and winds caused flooding at Bexhill
• South West Trains said a speed restriction of 50mph would be imposed on some routes between 10:00 and 19:00 GMT on Wednesday
• Winds of up to 92mph (148km/h) were reported in the Isles of Scilly
• Labour MP for Exeter, Ben Bradshaw, said damage to the railway infrastructure could "absolutely devastate" the economies of Devon and Cornwall
• Coastal areas of Devon suffered severe damage
• Looe quay, in Cornwall, is awash with sea water
• In Wales, a number of main roads were closed by fallen trees or flooding

Firefighters have also been called out to deal with dangerous structures. There have been two incidents in the Tenby area of Pembrokeshire with roofing being blown off buildings.

Are you in the flood-affected areas? Have you been left without power? Send us your experiences using the form below.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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CAR troops lynch 'Seleka rebel'

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:13

Central African Republic soldiers 'lynch Seleka rebel'

A group of uniformed government soldiers took part in the killing, eyewitnesses say

Continue reading the main story

Central African Republic soldiers have lynched a man accused of being a rebel, eyewitnesses allege, as violence continues to afflict the nation.

The man was stabbed and beaten to death and then his body burned in the capital, Bangui.

It happened just moments after interim President Catherine Samba-Panza finished speaking at an army ceremony.

Separately, reports say rebels from the Seleka group are trying to re-group in the north-east of the country.

The militants were engaging in "a new wave of horrific attacks against civilians", Human Rights Watch said. It added that in some cases Seleka were being helped by Chadian peacekeepers.

The Central African Republic - one of Africa's poorest nations - has descended into religious violence since Seleka seized power in a coup last March.

Thousands of people have been killed in since then.

The violence between the mostly Muslim rebel group and Christian militias - widely knows as anti-balaka (anti-machete) - has continued even though President Samba-Panza was inaugurated last month and Seleka leader Michel Djotodia resigned as part of regional efforts to stabilise the country.

'Burning corpse'

The victim's body was dragged on the streets in Bangui and then set on fire

Eyewitnesses in Bangui said a crowd accused the man of being a Seleka member, before members of the Central African Armed Forces (Faca) stabbed and kicked him and pelted him with rocks.

"They proceeded to mutilate his body and then set the body on fire," Peter Bouckaert, Human Rights Watch's emergencies director, who was at the scene, told the BBC.

"It was yet another horrific scene - one of many we've seen over the last few days in the capital Bangui."

Mr Bouckaert said that as he was taking pictures to document what he described as a "crime", a group of uniformed soldiers "rushed to the body to pose smiling with the burning corpse in front of us".

He added that African Union peacekeeping troops at the scene were "unable or unwilling to intervene to stop the killing".

A French contingent later arrived and fired warning shots in the air to disperse the crowd. The French then guarded the body until members of the Red Cross appeared.

Mr Bouckaert said that even after the French troops arrived, one local man walked up to them "casually, holding the severed leg of the lynching victim".

UN warning

Just minutes earlier, President Samba-Panza had been addressing the soldiers at the ceremony attended by thousands of military.

"Within a month, I would like to fully secure the greater part of the country, and I aim to stick to my word," she said.

"At a certain point, everyone will be held responsible for their acts, I am warning troublemakers who continue to sow disorder in the country," she pledged.

Seleka rebels are blamed for a series of deadly attacks on Christians in the country in recent months.

There have also been widespread reports of revenge attacks since the rebels withdrew from Bangui in January.

France, the former colonial power, has 1,600 troops in the country, working with some 4,000 troops from African countries to help end the violence which has seen about a million people - 20% of the population - flee their homes.

In December, the UN said it believed at least 10,000 troops may be required in any force sent to end the unrest.

MEPs back more air passenger rights

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:09

European Parliament backs more air passenger rights

Among the proposals is a passenger's right to to have a spelling mistake corrected free of charge

A bill to strengthen the rights of air passengers in the European Union has won the backing of the European Parliament at its first reading.

MEPs passed the bill to give travellers better rights to information, care and re-routing, when stuck at an airport.

The bill, which also boosts complaint procedures and enforcement measures, will be discussed again in June.

Currently just 2% of passengers are compensated after filing a complaint against an airline, MEPs heard.

"Air passenger rights concern practically every citizen of the European Union," said Georges Bach (EPP, LU), the European Parliament's rapporteur.

"It's a David versus Goliath story... I believe that the text we have voted today strikes a reasonable balance between the airlines and the passenger rights. We improved consumer protection on the one hand while recognising the flexibility that this industry requires, on the other."

Among the measures proposed by the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, are several new ones including

• the right to information about a delayed or cancelled flight, 30 minutes after its scheduled departure

• a complaint form common to the whole EU

• the right of a passenger to have a spelling mistake in a name corrected free of charge

The parliament differed with the Commission in several areas. For instance, it proposed that technical faults could almost never be exempt from compensation complaints.

Detailed negotiations between the parliament, the Commission and EU governments are expected to begin after the European Elections on 22-25 May.

Holidays 'rant' prompts MPs' debate

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:10

Father's Facebook school holiday price 'rant' prompts MPs' debate

Paul Cookson's Facebook complaint about holiday prices went viral

MPs are to debate the issue of travel companies raising their prices during school holidays following a disgruntled father's "rant" on Facebook.

More than 160,000 people have signed a petition, mostly since Paul Cookson posted that he was "sick to death" of being "ripped off" by companies.

This prompted the Commons Backbench Committee to bring the Westminster Hall debate for 24 February.

Lib Dem MP John Hemming, who proposed the debate, said it was a "big issue".

Mr Cookson's initial post, entitled "school holiday rant", asked why parents should be "penalised" for not taking their children away during term time.

The 41-year-old, from Chillington, Devon, set up a Facebook group called Holiday Price Increase, where people have shared examples of price changes.

The post went viral and the reaction helped push up the number of signatories to an existing campaign on the government's e-petitions website to almost 161,000, as of 15:45 GMT on Wednesday.

Campaigns that reach 100,000 signatures can be considered by the Backbench Business Committee for parliamentary time, as long as an MP suggests them.

Mother-of-two Donna Thresher from Essex set up the petition in March 2013 after being "outraged" at the £600 difference in the cost of taking her family away for a weekend during the school holidays.

Earlier this month, a Shropshire couple who took their children on a week-long holiday during term time were ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and fines by magistrates.

New rules which came into force in England in September mean head teachers can grant absence outside school holidays only in "exceptional circumstances".

Mr Hemming, MP for Birmingham Yardley, said the move had not been debated enough in Parliament, adding: "It's a big issue for parents and my concern is that they haven't been heard."

He added: "The problem is half-terms all tend to be the same, leading to a very big demand for holidays all at the same time. And reducing the flexibility of people to take their children out of school adds to that."

Asked whether the law needed to change, he replied: "I don't have hard and fast views. But people have come to me with stories, including a case where a child wasn't able to go to an aunt's funeral."

Defending the new rules, the Department for Education (DfE) said children who missed school lost out on "valuable learning time".

The UK's most scenic rail line?

5 February 2014 Last updated at 15:12

Mourning the UK's most celebrated stretch of railway

Magazine Monitor A collection of cultural artefacts

Much of the railway line along the coast is stunning

Continue reading the main story

The storms battering the West Country have badly damaged the railway where it runs right by the edge of the sea at Dawlish in Devon. It's part of one of the UK's most scenic stretches of line, writes Richard Clinnick, assistant editor of Rail magazine.

The Dawlish Sea Wall stretch of railway is one of the best-known sections of the UK rail network. Designed and built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it opened in 1847. It follows tidal waters for 13 miles - four miles of sea, and nine miles alongside the Rivers Exe and Teign - on the main Exeter-Plymouth line.

As a Devonian who lived only metres from the wall when I was small, there is something magical about this stretch of line. But it's not just me who feels this way. It is also popular with enthusiasts, who regularly submit pictures of trains running along the coast to our magazine. There is, perhaps, no other rail location in the UK that attracts such a high level of interest.

The route has featured in many adverts over the years, as well as posters and literature produced by companies such as the Great Western Railway. And they really spark the imagination, transporting people from the hustle and bustle of the city or town right to the beach. Dawlish station overlooks the beach, while Teignmouth's station is only a short walk from the sea. Millions of holidaymakers will have been enthralled at the sight, as the twin-track railway swings past Langstone Rock (west of Dawlish Warren station), and hugs the shore at Dawlish, with the English Channel stretching out as far as the eye can see.

On the footpath that also forms part of the wall, people will merrily wave as the trains pass. Below, many will be basking in the sun, within feet of a fast-moving train. Brunel claimed the stretch of line would cost no more to maintain than anywhere else in the UK. But back in 2009, Network Rail told me: "Mile for mile it is the most expensive piece of railway in the UK." There are five tunnels on the section, which sees trains run along the wall until they reach Teignmouth, where the line then sweeps inland along the banks of the River Teign.

And there is more to the line than the sea. The iconic red sandstone cliffs that tower over the line, the picturesque seaside town of Dawlish and the lush greenery above the tunnels all add to the magic of this stretch.

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VIDEO: Learning to play underwater rugby

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Learning to play underwater rugby

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:03 GMT

With the opening of a club in London for underwater rugby late last year, the BBC's Peter Okwoche decided to don his flippers and give it a go.

The sport, which originated from a German diving club during the early 1960s, is growing with a World Championship held every four years.

Each team has six players, with an underwater goal at each end of a swimming pool.

Dave Lee Travis 'very professional'

5 February 2014 Last updated at 15:57

Dave Lee Travis 'professional' when taking naked photos

Mr Travis asked Ms Birks if she would model for him after seeing her tattoos

A woman has told a court that DJ Dave Lee Travis was "very, very professional" when he took naked photographs of her at his house.

Elisabeth Birks told Southwark Crown Court she had met Mr Travis at a charity event and he asked her to model for him after seeing her tattoos.

The court has previously heard that he was a keen photographer.

Mr Travis, 68, from Buckinghamshire, denies 13 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault.

'Comfortable'

Ms Birks, a musician, said the former BBC and Classic Gold DJ had tapped her on the shoulder at the event in London and said he liked the tattoo on her back, which was visible because she was wearing a backless dress.

She said Mr Travis - who is being tried under his real name, David Patrick Griffin - was polite, "very friendly" and "seemed lovely".

She visited his home in 2010 with her husband and the couple had tea with the DJ and his wife before the photo session.

Ms Birks said she "felt comfortable for the whole thing" and Mr Travis would always ask if he wanted her to change position.

Asked if he did anything inappropriate, she said: "No, not at all. Everything was fine."

The jury previously heard that Mr Travis took nude and semi-nude shots of women but he denied such photographs were "tacky", adding that he was a fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photographers.

'Big hug'

Another witness, Kevin Howlett, who worked on Radio 1 roadshows and produced Dave Lee Travis's Saturday show from 1985 to 1987, said the DJ was a "gentle giant of a man".

He said he associated him with "warmth, friendliness and jollity" and recalled receiving a hug from the DJ when they worked together.

Mr Travis's style was to "just be friendly and give somebody a big hug", he said.

Asked if it would have become known if someone was being sexually inappropriate at the BBC, Mr Howlett said: "Yes, there would probably have been whispers or rumours.

"I never heard anything to do with that with Dave. Not one whisper or rumour."

Former Radio 1 producer Timothy Blackmore said he was not aware of any inappropriate behaviour by Mr Travis while they worked together at the BBC.

He said Mr Travis was "gregarious, warm hearted, entertaining and professional".

Rescued from crowds

Mr Blackmore said he had only heard "stories" of a complaint against the DJ at Classic Gold radio where Mr Travis worked in the early 2000s.

The producer, who left the BBC in 1977, said Radio 1 DJs were "elevated in the national consciousness" in the 1960s and 1970s and idolised by fans.

He could not remember any specific incident involving Mr Travis meeting fans but said he had had to rescue fellow DJs Tony Blackburn and Noel Edmonds from crowds on separate occasions.

On another occasion he had travelled by train to Blackpool with an unnamed Radio 1 DJ when they were spotted by a "couple of girls".

"The end result was that when we got into Manchester he got off the train with them.

"I tried to persuade him not to get off... but he insisted and went off to do with these two young ladies, I do not know what."

Mr Blackmore told the court that the DJ involved was not Mr Travis, Mr Blackburn or Mr Edmonds.

Sandra Lillywhite, who worked as a secretary at the BBC from 1964 to 1985, said Mr Travis was "very professional, very friendly" and "enjoyable to work with".

Asked if she had heard any complaints about the DJ, she replied: "No, never."

Asked if "star" DJs at Radio 1 were too big for complaints to be made against them, she said: "Not at all."

The trial continues.

Baghdad bombings leave 33 dead

5 February 2014 Last updated at 17:08

Iraq violence: Baghdad bomb blasts kill 33

Smoke billowed from several shops and stalls in Khilani Square after the car bomb explosion

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At least 33 people have been killed in a series of bomb attacks in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, officials say.

Two car bombs exploded outside the foreign ministry, near the heavily-fortified Green Zone, while a suicide bomber struck a restaurant nearby.

Another car bomb went off in Khilani Square in the city's commercial heart. Later, three car bombings were reported in the south-east of capital.

There has been a surge in sectarian violence in Iraq in the past year.

Iraqi government data says more than 1,000 people died in January, which would be the highest monthly toll for almost six years.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's bombings, but al-Qaeda-linked Sunni militants have been waging a campaign of violence against the Shia-dominated government.

"Iraqi political leaders should show national unity in dealing with such threats and unite against terrorism," the UN envoy to Iraq, Nikolay Mladenov, said in a statement.

On Tuesday, at least seven people died in a series of bombings, while two rockets also exploded inside the Green Zone, which houses parliament, government buildings and some foreign embassies.

On Monday, 23 people died in car bombings in and around the capital.