:00:00. > :00:09.Good afternoon. Ricky here with everything you need to know this
:00:10. > :00:13.Wednesday. Here's what's coming your way: Why Facebook's paid over a
:00:14. > :00:26.billion pounds for 3D gaming technology.
:00:27. > :00:30.I am happy that he's doing it but I am sad that he is gone.
:00:31. > :00:31.We hear from a front line family about missing their Dad fighting in
:00:32. > :00:35.Afghanistan. First up, lots of kids in England
:00:36. > :00:38.and Wales have been off school today after thousands of teachers went on
:00:39. > :00:41.strike. Members of the National Union of Teachers have been out of
:00:42. > :00:45.the classroom protesting over how much they work and changes that the
:00:46. > :00:48.Government wants to make to their pay. The Government says by going on
:00:49. > :00:51.strike, teachers are damaging children's learning, but the union
:00:52. > :00:56.says they've been forced into it because talks about the issue were
:00:57. > :00:59.not working. Next, later this year British forces
:01:00. > :01:03.will pull out of Afghanistan, where they've been fighting for more than
:01:04. > :01:06.12 years. For the families of those serving in war zones, it can be a
:01:07. > :01:10.worrying time but modern technology helps to stay in touch. We asked
:01:11. > :01:14.three sisters what life is like for them when their Dad is away in
:01:15. > :01:19.Afghanistan with the Royal Air Force.
:01:20. > :01:24.Sisters Emily, Keira and Lucy are used to their dad working away with
:01:25. > :01:28.the RAF, but sometimes life in a military family is hard. My dad is
:01:29. > :01:35.in the RAF and when he is in Afghanistan, it is surrounded by
:01:36. > :01:43.Pakistan and Iraq, which are desert places. His job is to make sure the
:01:44. > :01:49.runways are safe before certain aeroplanes fly off. I am proud of
:01:50. > :01:56.him but I wish he was here, that's the thing. I am happy that he is
:01:57. > :02:01.doing it but I am sad that he has gone. It is hard to cope with him
:02:02. > :02:08.being away. Lucy and Keira have the charts that they look at to show
:02:09. > :02:13.where he is and we look at that once in a while. The girls can keep in
:02:14. > :02:17.touch with letters, phone calls and video chats. Their dad even managed
:02:18. > :02:23.to make an appearance at Christmas dinner despite the fact he was in
:02:24. > :02:28.Afghanistan. I miss you all. We miss you, too. On Christmas Day, we tried
:02:29. > :02:31.not to look at the down side of things and be happy. We were lucky
:02:32. > :02:36.to get through to him. Even with the help of technology, the girls say
:02:37. > :02:41.that missing their dad and worrying about him is difficult. We love
:02:42. > :02:45.you. Goodbye. I don't like watching the news because I don't like seeing
:02:46. > :02:50.what is happening there if something bad happens. I get upset. He might
:02:51. > :02:54.get hurt or injured. When they are feeling upset, the girls pull
:02:55. > :02:59.together to cheer each other up. I tell him not to worry because he
:03:00. > :03:03.will be home soon. We all have a big hug and say that he will be all
:03:04. > :03:10.right and we are very proud of him. At last the waiting is over. Their
:03:11. > :03:12.dad is arriving home early from his tour but the girls don't know he is
:03:13. > :03:27.back so soon. And for some people, serving in the
:03:28. > :03:30.forces is a family tradition. We've been to meet Army Cadet Baz who
:03:31. > :03:38.comes from a family of soldiers going back generations.
:03:39. > :03:45.It feels right to be in the army. It is so easy for me because my brother
:03:46. > :03:50.and sister are in the army and they told me what to expect and what not
:03:51. > :03:54.to expect. My grandad definitely inspired me to do it because of the
:03:55. > :03:59.stories I have been told of him. They are just amazing and that is
:04:00. > :04:04.what I want to be like. I want to pass it down to my kids and for them
:04:05. > :04:07.to pass it to theirs. It is protecting my family, everyone
:04:08. > :04:14.else's family, and protecting the people in Afghanistan. And you can
:04:15. > :04:22.catch front line families, our special programme all about children
:04:23. > :04:27.from military families, here on see BBC in just over an hour.
:04:28. > :04:30.Next, Facebook has been spending lots of money again. The social
:04:31. > :04:33.network giant has announced it's buying Oculus, a virtual reality
:04:34. > :04:37.company, for ?1.2 billion. Their big product is a headset where users
:04:38. > :04:40.enter a virtual gaming world. So why would Facebook want to buy into this
:04:41. > :04:44.kind of tech? We don't see Facebook as a gaming company, certainly, but
:04:45. > :04:48.some people think that as well as playing games, then if you are at
:04:49. > :04:53.work you can go to a meeting and feel like you are in the room even
:04:54. > :04:57.if you are not, rather than using a webcam when you feel removed. You
:04:58. > :05:01.can use something like this and feel part of the action. That is what
:05:02. > :05:07.many people think face pack will use the technology for rather than
:05:08. > :05:10.games. -- Facebook. Last up, Chelsea and England footy
:05:11. > :05:14.legend Frank Lampard has been telling us that he likes scribbling
:05:15. > :05:17.stories as much as he does dribbling past defenders. Not only has he
:05:18. > :05:20.written his own kids' books, but he's teamed up with the Premier
:05:21. > :05:23.League and National Literacy Trust to encourage more boys to start
:05:24. > :05:27.reading. He says that even top football stars can be into books. I
:05:28. > :05:30.loved my football and I was younger. I was lucky that my parents always
:05:31. > :05:34.guided me and told me to do reading and basic own work and the basic
:05:35. > :05:40.skills. I did enjoy my reading and I always try to do an hour with my
:05:41. > :05:44.children, whether it is an hour or 20 minutes a day, very small bits,
:05:45. > :05:52.reading is so important. I was a good boy and I used to read. I will
:05:53. > :05:53.be back just before seven o'clock. But stay