24/11/2012 BBC Weekend News

A Government inquiry after three children are removed from Foster

parents because they're members of the United Kingdom Independence

Party. Rotherham Borough Council said it was protecting the cultural

and ethnic needs of the children. Strong winds and heavy rain across

England and Wales bring dozens more flood warnings tonight.

And Larry Hagman, best known for Good afternoon. The Government has

strongly criticised the decision by a Labour-run Council to remove

three children from their Foster parents because the couple are

members of the UK Independence Party. Rotherham Borough Council

said it was concerned about the party's imbraigs policy and

opposition to multiculturalism. Michael Gove described the move as

arbitrary and indefensible. Daniel Boettcher reports. The three

children, described as being from an EU migrant background, were

placed in Foster care with the unnamed couple by Rotherham

metropolitan Borough Council. It's now looking into how, within eight

weeks, that placement was stopped. The couple, experienced Foster

parents, say a social worker came to tell them the children were

being removed because the couple were members of the UK Independence

Party. The Council says there was no issue about the quality of care

but that UKIP's view on immigration had to be taken into account.

needs sts children are paramount. The children were EU migrant

children. We have been severely criticised in the past for not

meeting their cultural and ethnic needs. I had to take that into

consideration. The couple are reported to be upset at being told

that their party's views made them that their party's views made them

unsuitable as carers. They said: "We feel we were meeting the

cultural needs of these children. We were actively encouraging these

children to speak their own language and teach us their

language." The leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage,

in Rotherham ahead of next week's by-election said the decision to

by-election said the decision to remove the children was appalling.

They were giving those children love and stability and all the

things they need so that they can go on and proceed in life and they

have been discriminated against by a Labour-run Council on the basis

that they support a party that says we shouldn't be part of the

European Union and we should control our bordz. That's the most

appalling prejudice. The Labour leader Ed Miliband said being a

member of a political party like UKIP should not be a bar to

fostering children and the Education Secretary, Michael Gove,

said the Council had made the wrong decision in the wrong way for the

wrong reasons. We need to encourage more parents to come forward to

adopt and Foster. If we say that you cannot Foster children because

you're a member of a mainstream political party or because you have

views on multiculturalism, that's utterly wrong. Council says it is

to hold an investigation into the decision to see the correct

procedures were carried out. Heavy rain and strong winds are

expected to bring more flooding across England and Wales tonight.

Dozens of flood warnings are in place. Robert Hall is at Langport

in Somerset. The latest we have is that this weather system is

proching on track and on time. It's going to affect all the south-

western England, central England, the West Midlands and North West

England and pretty well the whole of Wales. People in this area are

used to flooding. But they've been doing what they can to prepare for

what's coming. It's raining again and along the roads of Somerset the

water is creeping forward once more. At Langport the flood plain is

saturated and slowly reaching towards the town. Every vulnerable

home and property along the High Street is as ready as it can be.

it comes over, that's it. You're never going to stop it. You have to

do damage limitation. This area has been devastated with the water.

Near Taunton, Fiona Scot showed me the damage to her pub, ruined by

two floods this year and now threatened by a third.

extremely worried. I know what's going to happen and we will

probably be as we are now under water again. These are pictures of

what it was like on Wednesday. Neighbour Mark Chadley told me the

speed of the last flood was unprecedented. Quite a surprise.

We've seen it on the corner. It's never filled the garden or the

garage or anything. It was a surprise. As I left, the situation

across Somerset was worsening. What's changing now is another

heavy band of rain coming across tonight. The rivers are going to

respond incredibly quickly. The flood plains are filling up. That's

the change for us now. We need to get prepared. The storm is

approaching, in areas like this, it will bring a long and testing night.

This is a natural flood plain. The Environment Agency norblly would be

able to pump water around to decrease the risk of flooding. But

the rivers can't do as much of that work as they would like. A 90-year-

old lady has been rescued from a house, from the first floor, by

boat, from a village just down the road from here. Really all we can

do is wait now. The situation is deteriorating. The wind is also

increasing. That too could cause extra headaches for the emergency

services in this area. Northern Ireland's First Minister

has dismissed calls by Sinn Fein for a Scotland-style referendum on

the future of the union. Speaking at the Democratic Unionist Party's

annual conference, Peter Robinson said the peace process had secured

Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. And he said a

majority of Catholics wish to remain in the UK.

Rugby and England have lost to South Africa at Twickenham this

afternoon. In the other Autumn international there was a loss for

Scotland, but a win for Ireland. Wales are still playing against New

Zealand. Here's Rob Heath. England's pursuit of a top four

world ranking ahead of the 2015 World Cup draw was throne off

course by Australia last weekend. Initially they matched South Africa

here in a first half dominated by the boots. Toby Flood scored two

penalties and also missed two. Patrick Lambie's kicking was

flawless. South Africa led 9-6 at the break. The rugby was hardly

free flowing. The only try of the match owed more to luck than

judgment. A spell of pin ball and then the Springboks Willem Alberts

touched down. It turned from messy to ugly soon after. No such thing

as a friendly international these days. With time running out, 12-16

down, England kicked through the posts rather than go for the corner

and the chance for a match-winning try. They needed to be brave. The

captain's decision might have cost them the match. Ireland produced a

commanding performance. They ran in seven tries in a 46-24 win over

Argentina. There were two each for Tommy Bowe and Jonathan Sexton.

Scotland's dismal form continued though. They slumped to a first

defeat against Tonga, going down 21-15 in Aberdeen.

Football and Queens Park Rangers have confirmed the appointment of

Harry Redknapp as their new manager. The former Tottenham manager was in

the stands to watch his new club lose to Manchester United in the

Barclays Premier League. He replaced Mark Hughes, who was

dismissed yesterday. The club are currently bottom of the league.

Tributes are being paid to the actor, Larry Hagman, who has died

at the age of 81 after suffering from cancer. He was best known for

playing JR Ewing in the hit TV series Dallas. Linda Gray, who

played his on-screen wife described him as an original, who lived life

to the full. Lizo Mzimba looks back at his career. In one of the

biggest shows of the 80s he was the undoubted star, playing the

cheating JR Ewing, a man who constantly mistreated those around

him. I don't have anything to apologise for. You gambled and you

lost. You think you're going to blackmail me? You're out of your

league. None month so than his long suffering wife. You're a drunk. An

unfit mother. The sooner we have you put away the better off you're

going to be. Don't leave me here. I'll do anything you say. Take care

of her now. Who Shot JR? Story line made him a global star. With the

tapes revealing the killer's identity being delivered to the UK

under heavy security. This is my son. When the series was revived

earlier this year, he reprised his famous role. In an interview just

three months ago, he reflected on JR's long-stand ago peel. Everyone

in the world has a jerk like JR in the family. Everybody can identify

with that. Audiences certainly did relate, watching for years in their

millions, a character who was hated as much as the actor who played him