:00:19. > :00:28.evacuated from their homes. I can't even think about it. I would have
:00:29. > :00:30.done anything to have saved my home. The Prime Minister visits the
:00:31. > :00:39.marooned residents and promises action. We are facing extraordinary
:00:40. > :00:43.weather events, from the coast and from the quantity of rain, but the
:00:44. > :00:45.government will do whatever it can to coordinate the response.
:00:46. > :00:47.And there's flooding across other parts of southern England too, from
:00:48. > :00:50.Cornwall to Oxfordshire. Also tonight: The Prime Minister
:00:51. > :00:52.says the UK would be deeply diminished if Scotland votes for
:00:53. > :00:55.independence. Did a Briton drive this suicide
:00:56. > :01:01.truck bomb into a Syrian jail, sparking a battle to free hundreds
:01:02. > :01:03.of prisoners? A spectacular opening ceremony for
:01:04. > :01:09.the most expensive ever winter Olympics.
:01:10. > :01:19.And 50 years ago today Beatle-mania hit the USA.
:01:20. > :01:22.In Sportsday: A tribunal rejects West Ham's appeal against Andy
:01:23. > :01:51.Carrol's suspension. Good evening.
:01:52. > :01:57.Large parts of southern England are enduring another battering from
:01:58. > :01:59.heavy rain and winds of up to 80mph. Marines are on stand-by to step in
:02:00. > :02:04.again tonight amid concerns more people may have to be evacuated from
:02:05. > :02:07.the Somerset Levels. After days of complaints from residents there,
:02:08. > :02:11.today they received not one but two visits. First, the chairman of the
:02:12. > :02:14.Environment Agency, Lord Smith, took the flack. Then David Cameron
:02:15. > :02:18.arrived in Somerset, pledging to tackle the flooding, but warned it
:02:19. > :02:26.could take some time. Jon Kay reports from there.
:02:27. > :02:31.The people of Moorland tried to defend themselves, but they have
:02:32. > :02:37.been beaten. Villagers who were told to evacuate their homes will now
:02:38. > :02:47.return to waterlogged properties. Thank you. It is the call she has
:02:48. > :02:51.been dreading. Briony's house is among those that have gone under.
:02:52. > :03:00.She and her family had to leave last night as the water rose. It is in.
:03:01. > :03:15.In the house. I would have done anything to have saved my home. What
:03:16. > :03:18.do you do? This afternoon, the Prime Minister came to see things for
:03:19. > :03:23.himself, to see the differences that have failed, the pumps that did not
:03:24. > :03:29.do enough, and the families who believe they have been let down by
:03:30. > :03:32.the outside world. The resources are there, the money is there, councils
:03:33. > :03:36.will get the money from central government, the military are on
:03:37. > :03:39.stand-by to help where they can. We will go as fast as we can but these
:03:40. > :03:43.things will take some time to get right. We are facing extraordinary
:03:44. > :03:49.weather events, both from the coast and in terms of the quantity of
:03:50. > :03:52.rain. It emerged today that Mr Cameron was called by Prince Charles
:03:53. > :03:59.earlier this week, after he paid his own visit here. Another high-profile
:04:00. > :04:03.visitor today, Lord Chris Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency,
:04:04. > :04:10.the body many here blame for causing this crisis by not dredging the
:04:11. > :04:14.rivers. Our house is going under, as simple as that. Moorland has gone.
:04:15. > :04:20.It is nice to see that this time you actually have a pair of wellies on.
:04:21. > :04:24.Lord Smith agreed to meet the handful of locals behind closed
:04:25. > :04:31.doors. Briony was among them. What is going through your mind? Let's go
:04:32. > :04:35.and see what happens. They talked for more than an hour in what
:04:36. > :04:39.appeared to be a tense meeting. Lord Smith told them he had no intention
:04:40. > :04:43.of resigning, but afterwards he revealed dredging would begin
:04:44. > :04:47.shortly. These people have told you they feel let down by you. Do you
:04:48. > :04:54.agree you have let them down not just recently but over years? I can
:04:55. > :04:58.absolutely understand the distress and concerned local people have. The
:04:59. > :05:04.sort of weather we have been seeing over the last two months has grown
:05:05. > :05:08.more water at the Somerset Levels than it has ever experienced
:05:09. > :05:15.before. So, was Briony satisfied with what she heard? If they are
:05:16. > :05:20.going to dredge, we can go on and rebuilt our lives and it is a fight
:05:21. > :05:26.worth fighting. Are you more confident? Yes. Going home will not
:05:27. > :05:30.be for a while, but she was reunited with her horse, who she thought had
:05:31. > :05:32.drowned. Back together, but miles from home.
:05:33. > :05:35.It's not just Somerset that's suffering. Great swathes of the
:05:36. > :05:38.south of the UK reported flooding today, from Cornwall to Kent, and
:05:39. > :05:40.with more heavy rainfall hitting part of southern England and Wales
:05:41. > :05:43.again tonight, the Environment Agency is warning of more flooding
:05:44. > :05:55.misery to come. Our Science Editor, David Shukman, reports.
:05:56. > :05:58.For mile after mile after mile, the endless vistas of flooding that have
:05:59. > :06:05.transformed so much of Britain this winter. Between Bristol and Exeter
:06:06. > :06:10.today, a train forced to a halt, stranded amid a vast and spectacular
:06:11. > :06:16.ocean covering the fields, just one of countless examples of what
:06:17. > :06:22.extreme weather can mean for us. Have another check on Riverside. For
:06:23. > :06:26.the second time in a week, the village of Bridge in Kent has been
:06:27. > :06:31.flooded. There has been so much rain that water is now bubbling up
:06:32. > :06:36.through the ground, but unlike in Somerset, people here do not think
:06:37. > :06:39.anyone is to blame. The real worry is the water coming up from ground
:06:40. > :06:46.water actually through the flooring now. So there is not a lot we can do
:06:47. > :06:50.with that, I am afraid. People keep coming round but there is no use
:06:51. > :06:56.pumping it now because as soon as they pump it, it still keeps coming
:06:57. > :07:00.up through the floors. In Surrey this afternoon, we found water
:07:01. > :07:05.spilling over the roads. The River Thames is rising again. You might
:07:06. > :07:11.expect this kind of thing every few years, but not nearly as often as we
:07:12. > :07:14.are seeing now. This lane has become something of a river. There are
:07:15. > :07:17.scenes like this up and down the country and the real challenge is
:07:18. > :07:21.the sheer scale of what is happening, and it is going on on
:07:22. > :07:26.multiple fronts. There is flooding from swollen rivers, and from
:07:27. > :07:31.intense rain, and from the sea. And the real difficulty is that it has
:07:32. > :07:37.just been going on for so long. Two months so far and the worst is that
:07:38. > :07:41.it is not over yet. Yet again, the Environment Agency's flood map is
:07:42. > :07:45.crammed with warnings, including two severe ones meaning life is at risk.
:07:46. > :07:51.The last two months have seen over 5000 homes flooded, but across the
:07:52. > :07:56.country well over a million homes have been protected. Many defences
:07:57. > :08:00.have worked. If we look at the aftermath of this and start to learn
:08:01. > :08:03.the lessons, one question to ask is how many homes would have been
:08:04. > :08:07.flooded, properties affected, if there had not been the work that has
:08:08. > :08:16.been done over the past five or six years. An effort to save Chal Grove
:08:17. > :08:19.in Oxfordshire. More storms are forecast. The country faces
:08:20. > :08:21.difficult choices for the future about where to defend and how best
:08:22. > :08:24.to do it. Duncan Kennedy is in Dawlish in
:08:25. > :08:30.Devon where the railway line was washed away earlier this week. It
:08:31. > :08:39.looks like the weather has set in again already. Absolutely, another
:08:40. > :08:43.storm rattling through tonight. You can see it pounding against the
:08:44. > :08:53.promenade behind me, wave after wave, smashing into the promenade,
:08:54. > :08:56.just like on Wednesday. The same kind of waves coming into night. It
:08:57. > :09:00.must be worrying for the people in those properties, which were damaged
:09:01. > :09:06.and flooded on Wednesday. We are seeing the same to night. 60 mph
:09:07. > :09:15.gusts rattling through. Tipping down with rain. The same conditions they
:09:16. > :09:25.had on Wednesday. One man was going to watch it from his bedroom window
:09:26. > :09:30.just over there. It is all adding to the chaos.
:09:31. > :09:33.The rain causing problems with our link there.
:09:34. > :09:37.For all the latest on the weather, you can visit our website. It has
:09:38. > :09:41.live updates on the situation across the country and a link to the
:09:42. > :09:45.Environment Agency's website. David Cameron has said he fears the
:09:46. > :09:47.UK would end up "deeply diminished" if people in Scotland voted for
:09:48. > :09:50.independence in September's referendum. He said people living in
:09:51. > :09:53.the rest of the UK should call on friends and family in Scotland to
:09:54. > :09:56.reject independence. The Confederation of British Industry
:09:57. > :09:58.has echoed his view that the UK is stronger together. But Scotland's
:09:59. > :10:02.First Minister, Alex Salmond, said Mr Cameron should debate the issue
:10:03. > :10:06.with him instead of, as he put it, delivering a "sermon from Mount
:10:07. > :10:14.Olympus". Our Political Editor, Nick Robinson, reports.
:10:15. > :10:20.Summoning up the spirit of the Olympics, David Cameron is calling
:10:21. > :10:30.on Britain's quiet patriots to save Team GB. Two summers ago, a Scot,
:10:31. > :10:33.Sir Chris Hoy, became Britain's greatest ever Olympian. The Prime
:10:34. > :10:38.Minister celebrated at London's velodrome that night. Today, he
:10:39. > :10:45.returned there to issue a warning about what might happen in seven
:10:46. > :10:51.months. If we lost Scotland, if the UK changed, we would rip the rug
:10:52. > :10:55.from our own reputation. There are 63 million of us who could wake up
:10:56. > :11:00.on September the 19th in a different country with a different future
:11:01. > :11:04.ahead of it. This plea to keep Scotland in the UK was delivered
:11:05. > :11:08.from England. David Cameron called on those who thought they were mere
:11:09. > :11:15.spectators, who don't have a vote, to join him in the cause. Frankly, I
:11:16. > :11:19.care too much to stay out of it. This is personal. This is our home
:11:20. > :11:25.and I could not bear to see it torn apart. Scotland's destination, he
:11:26. > :11:30.said, was a decision for those living there, but he wanted everyone
:11:31. > :11:35.else, including 800,000 Scots who have moved south, to help them make
:11:36. > :11:40.up their minds. You don't have a vote, but you have a voice. Let the
:11:41. > :11:46.message ring out from Manchester to Motherwell, from Pembrokeshire to
:11:47. > :11:51.Perth, from us to the people of Scotland, let the message be that we
:11:52. > :11:57.want you to stay. David Cameron came here in order to claim that Team GB
:11:58. > :12:02.represents a set of shared values. But he knows all too well that Alex
:12:03. > :12:10.Salmond is portraying him as an English Tory lecturing the people of
:12:11. > :12:14.Scotland from a long way away. Sir Chris Hoy is now leading the
:12:15. > :12:19.celebrations of another Games, the Commonwealth games in Glasgow.
:12:20. > :12:24.Scotland's First Minister says David Cameron should make the journey to
:12:25. > :12:28.debate with him. The Prime Minister of the UK against the First Minister
:12:29. > :12:32.of Scotland is the debate that should happen and people want to
:12:33. > :12:36.see. David Cameron cannot enter into that but not actually have it in a
:12:37. > :12:40.democratic fashion. He wants to pronounce from the Olympic Stadium,
:12:41. > :12:45.from Mount Olympus in London, instead of having the democratic
:12:46. > :12:51.debate. What if the rest of Britain joins the debate? What will they
:12:52. > :12:54.say? If they feel they can be independent from the rest of the UK
:12:55. > :12:59.and that is most important of them, they should go for it. I would
:13:00. > :13:04.rather Scotland stays as part of the UK. I believe we are stronger
:13:05. > :13:13.together. What difference would it make to me? You don't care? No. What
:13:14. > :13:16.made the Olympics special were the crowds who came. Today, David
:13:17. > :13:25.Cameron seemed to say, if Scotland won't listen to me, maybe they will
:13:26. > :13:29.listen to you. Lorna Gordon is in Glasgow for us.
:13:30. > :13:34.How has the speech by David Cameron gone down in Scotland? Much of the
:13:35. > :13:40.debate so far has been framed in economic terms. Today we saw a
:13:41. > :13:45.slight shift in the language. Every time he makes the case for the
:13:46. > :13:49.union, the Nationalists focusing on his refusal to engage in a debate
:13:50. > :13:57.with Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, going so far as to call him
:13:58. > :14:04.afraid for not engaging in this debate. They have the wind in their
:14:05. > :14:08.sales at the moment. There have been a few calls since the Scottish
:14:09. > :14:13.government published its White Paper in November, and they have shown a
:14:14. > :14:17.very small but perhaps significant shift towards the yes camp. An
:14:18. > :14:21.increase in the number of people who would vote in favour of
:14:22. > :14:26.independence. It is still a minority, but it is a shift, so they
:14:27. > :14:29.will continue to hammer away at this. David Cameron says he will
:14:30. > :14:33.come to Scotland in the coming months to make his case. He will
:14:34. > :14:40.make it directly to the Scottish people, and not in the gladiatorial
:14:41. > :14:43.arena of a TV debate with Alex Salmond. Thank you.
:14:44. > :14:46.A terror group in Syria claims a British citizen has become the first
:14:47. > :14:49.to blow himself up in a suicide truck bomb attack. The claim by the
:14:50. > :14:53.Nusra Front, a terror group linked to Al-Qaeda, was made as people were
:14:54. > :15:00.evacuated from the besieged city of Homs for the first time in 18
:15:01. > :15:05.months. Paul Wood reports. The siege of Homs isn't over. These
:15:06. > :15:12.are the first people to escape in a very long time. Weary and hungry,
:15:13. > :15:18.some 80 women, children and old men were allowed out through the Syrian
:15:19. > :15:27.Army's cordoned. They had in George 600 days of siege in the Old City of
:15:28. > :15:34.Hamas. -- of Homs. Food and water is so short inside, he says. Look at
:15:35. > :15:39.me. There are only bones. The Syrian regime has pursued a policy known as
:15:40. > :15:44.surrender or starve. The rebels want to keep people inside besieged
:15:45. > :15:49.areas. The regime has promised to allow some aid supplies in
:15:50. > :15:57.tomorrow, but not if any goes to the rebels. This cease-fire is extremely
:15:58. > :16:03.fragile. No cease-fire in Aleppo. A rebel commander tells his men, a
:16:04. > :16:08.suicide bomber just left. The whole Islamic nation will hear him raw.
:16:09. > :16:17.The bomber was British, driving this truck packed with explosives. He is
:16:18. > :16:22.thought to be the first British suicide bomber in Syria. The war
:16:23. > :16:28.continues, then, with no end inside. The Syrian regime's very
:16:29. > :16:33.slight easing of the siege of Homs might be seen as the first fruits of
:16:34. > :16:37.the UN sponsored peace talks in Geneva, but the jihadis are not part
:16:38. > :16:41.of that dialogue, and they are doing most of the fighting now in Syria.
:16:42. > :16:43.The 22nd Winter Olympics are officially under way, after an
:16:44. > :16:45.opening ceremony in the Russian resort of Sochi combined spectacular
:16:46. > :16:48.effects with the customary questionable team outfits. They are
:16:49. > :16:50.the most expensive Olympic Games ever. Building the infrastructure
:16:51. > :16:55.from scratch, as well as intense security, is estimated to have cost
:16:56. > :16:59.more than ?30 billion. 3000 athletes from 88 countries are set to take
:17:00. > :17:03.part. Another 700 will compete in the Paralympic Games next month.
:17:04. > :17:06.And, the world is watching. Some three billion people across the
:17:07. > :17:15.globe are expected to see the Games on TV. Our sports editor, David
:17:16. > :17:19.Bond, was watching the ceremony. There are flashing images in his
:17:20. > :17:25.report. After so many years and so much
:17:26. > :17:30.money, this was finally Russia's time. In front of 40,000 people in
:17:31. > :17:38.the Fisht Stadium, and opening ceremony designed to wow the world.
:17:39. > :17:42.It was an avant-garde journey through this country's cultural and
:17:43. > :17:46.political history, but not everything went according to plan.
:17:47. > :18:01.One of the iconic Olympic rings failed to open. Let's hope the
:18:02. > :18:09.president didn't see, for these games are a showcase for Vladimir
:18:10. > :18:14.Putin's modern Russia. For Britain's athletes, the expectations
:18:15. > :18:18.are also high, after the success of London, Team GB are aiming for their
:18:19. > :18:29.biggest Winter medal haul for 78 years. With the athletes parade
:18:30. > :18:38.over, the show returns to the theme of the evening - a celebration of
:18:39. > :18:42.Russia's might. But the significance of this display of traditional
:18:43. > :18:52.family values will not have been lost on those who have attacked
:18:53. > :18:56.Russia for its stance on gay rights. There were concerns that President
:18:57. > :19:08.Putin might try to hijack the ceremony, but in opening the Games,
:19:09. > :19:13.he kept it short. It was then left to two of Russia's most
:19:14. > :19:22.distinguished Winter Olympians to light the Olympic called run, and
:19:23. > :19:28.provide a stunning finale. So the Sochi Games are officially under
:19:29. > :19:31.way, and while tonight's ceremony has passed successfully, the
:19:32. > :19:38.organisers know they still face major challenges in the coming days.
:19:39. > :19:43.But, for now, all the concerns about security, human rights and
:19:44. > :19:47.atmosphere can wait. Tonight was all about Russia's party.
:19:48. > :19:50.Well, the Winter Olympics may have got under way smoothly, but
:19:51. > :19:53.preparations for this summer's World Cup in Brazil have been marred by
:19:54. > :19:56.violent protests in Rio de Janeiro. Among the grievances are complaints
:19:57. > :19:59.that while a huge amount of money is being spent on the football, life
:20:00. > :20:10.for many ordinary Brazilians is increasingly tough. From Rio, Wyre
:20:11. > :20:20.Davies sent this report. Led by the radical hard-core Black
:20:21. > :20:26.Blocs thousands of demonstrators marched through Rio, denouncing
:20:27. > :20:32.excessive World Cup spending. The protesters cry, FIFA, pay my fair.
:20:33. > :20:36.But events soon descended into violence, and the running battle
:20:37. > :20:40.between riot police and demonstrators. These are the most
:20:41. > :20:46.violent scenes we have had in Rio now for several weeks and months.
:20:47. > :20:50.Thousands of protesters have marched into the Central Station, where they
:20:51. > :20:55.are being met by riot police with tear gas and smoke bombs. The
:20:56. > :21:00.situation has become desperately violent. Hundreds of commuters were
:21:01. > :21:09.caught between the two sides, and the clashes spilled out onto Rio's
:21:10. > :21:14.Main Avenue. As what appears to be a home-made device, or improvised
:21:15. > :21:19.firework explodes, a journalist falls to the floor. First to help,
:21:20. > :21:24.we tried to stop the bleeding from a gaping wound to his head. Angry
:21:25. > :21:31.protesters blamed police for the attack, but it quite possibly came
:21:32. > :21:37.from the other side. Six minutes later we managed to get him to
:21:38. > :21:43.hospital, still alive, but now in a deep coma. And the clashes soon
:21:44. > :21:55.resume. These anti-World Cup, anti-government protests have not
:21:56. > :21:58.relented. The US says it's increasing its
:21:59. > :22:01.military operations in the Horn of Africa to try to tackle violent
:22:02. > :22:04.extremism. America's base in the tiny state of Djibouti is the focus
:22:05. > :22:06.for counter-terrorism operations against Al-Shabab in neighbouring
:22:07. > :22:08.Somalia and Al-Qaeda in Southern Yemen, both organisations which have
:22:09. > :22:10.targeted British civilians. Our security correspondent, Frank
:22:11. > :22:16.Gardner, has this exclusive report from Djibouti.
:22:17. > :22:21.In the deserts of Djibouti, the US military is stepping up operations.
:22:22. > :22:25.It is flying long-range missions all over East Africa, determined to
:22:26. > :22:31.counter what it calls violent extremism. These are special forces
:22:32. > :22:37.rescue paratroopers, trained to retrieve troops from deep inside
:22:38. > :22:43.Somalia. From its base in Djibouti, America is extending its reach
:22:44. > :22:51.across this region. It isn't alone. This is a French helicopter
:22:52. > :22:56.refuelling from a US tank. This long-range air to air refuelling is
:22:57. > :23:01.just one tiny part of the huge build up in US and coalition military
:23:02. > :23:06.operations here in the Horn of Africa, and Djibouti is the nerve
:23:07. > :23:10.centre. This former French colony has thrown in its lot with the
:23:11. > :23:16.West. Its Foreign Minister tells me it makes it a target for Al-Shabab,
:23:17. > :23:20.so he supports controversial US drone strikes launched from this
:23:21. > :23:26.country. These people are very dangerous, Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabab
:23:27. > :23:31.elements, so whatever it takes. If we can contain them, OK. If we can
:23:32. > :23:39.get rid of them, it's better, but we don't have to waste time in asking
:23:40. > :23:45.the rest of Africa if we should use drones or not. The US base here has
:23:46. > :23:49.swollen to over 4000 people. Soldiers are sent from here to fight
:23:50. > :23:55.Al-Shabab, seen by Washington as the main threat in the region. The
:23:56. > :24:00.reason we are here is to neutralise Al-Shabab in Somalia. That's why I'm
:24:01. > :24:05.sitting right hip, so I can assist the other nations to neutralise
:24:06. > :24:10.Al-Shabab in Somalia, so it will not leave Somalia or threaten the United
:24:11. > :24:18.States interests, or our country as a whole. America certainly has the
:24:19. > :24:23.tools and its armoury, but does it have the patience? 20 years ago, it
:24:24. > :24:28.rushed to leave this region after getting embroiled in Somalia's clan
:24:29. > :24:32.wars. Now it is trying a different approach, but defeating extremism
:24:33. > :24:36.here could still take years. It was 50 years ago today - that the
:24:37. > :24:39.Beatles conquered the USA. The Fab Four touched down in New York for an
:24:40. > :24:42.appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show that made them instant household
:24:43. > :24:57.names, from LA to Arkansas. Nick Bryant reports from New York.
:24:58. > :25:03.Severally the seventh 1964, and the Beatles arrived in a country that
:25:04. > :25:08.wanted something to smile about. -- February the 7th. Just 77 days after
:25:09. > :25:12.the death of John F. Kennedy. The Beatles were the tonic the nation
:25:13. > :25:21.needed. They lifted the national mood in an instant. Ladies and
:25:22. > :25:30.gentlemen, the Beatles. This was the moment they sang themselves into
:25:31. > :25:35.history. Their performance on the Ed Sullivan Show was watched by almost
:25:36. > :25:40.half the American population. It helped usher in the country's modern
:25:41. > :25:44.age. What happened inside this theatre changed America, from the
:25:45. > :25:50.clothes people walk to the way they style their hair. The Fab Four also
:25:51. > :25:55.set the musical agenda for the rest of the 60s. Memphis and Elvis gave
:25:56. > :25:59.way to Merseyside and the Beatles. Henry Grossman was there that
:26:00. > :26:08.night. It was incredible to be there, to partake in that moment in
:26:09. > :26:16.what we now know is history. This became an iconic image of the 60s,
:26:17. > :26:19.this teenager a symbol of a generation. I thought Paul McCartney
:26:20. > :26:25.was the best looking thing I had ever seen in my life, and I wanted
:26:26. > :26:31.to marry him. The Beatles thought they wouldn't make a lasting impact.
:26:32. > :26:32.50 years on, it is still being felt. That's all from