:00:11. > :00:15.student Meredith Kercher say they are still on a journey to the truth.
:00:16. > :00:20.Raffaele Sollecito is now in custody after the murder verdicts against
:00:21. > :00:26.him and Amanda Knox were reinstated. I'm going to fight this until the
:00:27. > :00:30.very end and it's not right and it's not fair. Why bring the other
:00:31. > :00:53.stories making the headlines this lunchtime. Why are some police
:00:54. > :01:01.forces are so bad at dealing with allegations of rape. No meeting of
:01:02. > :01:06.minds at the UK from summit on changing Britain's relationship with
:01:07. > :01:09.the EU. And six Nations Rugby returns to Wales at the weekend. Can
:01:10. > :01:17.they make it an historic three championships at the role? Five men
:01:18. > :01:21.who stabbed a teenager to death in Pimlico are being sentenced at the
:01:22. > :01:23.Old Bailey. And figures suggest a rise in new homes being built in
:01:24. > :01:49.London but is it enough? A very good afternoon and welcome to
:01:50. > :01:54.the BBC News that one. The sister of Meredith Kercher has said the family
:01:55. > :01:58.still on a journey to the truth, following the reinstatement of
:01:59. > :02:01.guilty verdicts against Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito for the
:02:02. > :02:04.student's murder. An Italian court has ruled that Knox should serve an
:02:05. > :02:10.increased sentence of 28 years for the killing in Perugia in 2007. Ms
:02:11. > :02:14.Knox, who refused to leave America to appear in court, can launch an
:02:15. > :02:18.appeal against the sentence. She said she was saddened and frightened
:02:19. > :02:25.by the verdicts. Her co-defendant, Raffaele Riva Sollecito, is already
:02:26. > :02:30.in custody. Luisa Baldini reports. They have done this twice before,
:02:31. > :02:34.after the previous two trials and once again today Meredith Kercher's
:02:35. > :02:38.brother and sister faced the media in Italy to give their reaction to
:02:39. > :02:46.last night's verdicts. We are still on the journey to the truth and it
:02:47. > :02:50.may be the fact we don't ever really know what happened that night, which
:02:51. > :02:54.is obviously something that we will have to come to terms with and as
:02:55. > :03:00.you asked before about the repetition and the length that is
:03:01. > :03:03.also hard to deal with. Meredith's brother has now called on the
:03:04. > :03:07.American authorities to extradite Amanda Knox, who has been in the
:03:08. > :03:13.United States since her acquittal two years ago. If an extradition
:03:14. > :03:16.Lurex this -- exists, and I don't see why it wouldn't, I imagine it is
:03:17. > :03:19.a difficult president of the United States since her acquittal two years
:03:20. > :03:21.ago. If an extradition Lurex this -- exists, and I don't see why it
:03:22. > :03:24.wouldn't, I imagine it is a difficult president if a country
:03:25. > :03:28.such as the US did not when extraditing convicted criminals.
:03:29. > :03:32.Within the last half an hour, Knox has spoken live on American
:03:33. > :03:35.breakfast television. She has reiterated that she would have to be
:03:36. > :03:46.caught and taken the King and screaming back to prison in Italy. I
:03:47. > :03:53.will never go willingly back to the place where... I'm going to fight
:03:54. > :04:00.this until the very end and it's not right and it's not fair and I'm
:04:01. > :04:07.going to do everything I can. Granted, I need a lot of help. I
:04:08. > :04:11.can't do this on my own and I can't help people understand this on my
:04:12. > :04:16.own. She also spoke about Meredith's family of their ordeal.
:04:17. > :04:25.Just the very fact that they don't know what happened is horrible. Her
:04:26. > :04:29.co-accused, Raffaele Sollecito, who was in court before but not during
:04:30. > :04:33.the verdicts, is considered a flight risk and has had his passport and
:04:34. > :04:38.driving licence confiscated. The verdicts uphold the -- the original
:04:39. > :04:43.convictions from the first trial. They were found guilty in 2009,
:04:44. > :04:47.after prosecutors said Knox, Sollecito and a third man, Rudy
:04:48. > :04:50.Guede, who is still in prison for the murder, tried to involve
:04:51. > :04:55.Meredith Kercher in a sex game. Meredith had been in Italy for just
:04:56. > :05:00.two months when she was sexually assaulted and stabbed in her own
:05:01. > :05:03.bedroom in November 2007. When Amanda and Raffaele Sollecito were
:05:04. > :05:06.seen kissing within hours of her body being found it was deemed
:05:07. > :05:10.suspicious and they became the focus of attention. At first Knox
:05:11. > :05:16.implicated an innocent local barkeep and said she had covered her ears
:05:17. > :05:21.while him murdered Meredith, but she changed her story and said she was
:05:22. > :05:25.then with her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito. The prosecution said her
:05:26. > :05:29.DNA was on the knife they believed to be the murder weapon and
:05:30. > :05:34.Sollecito's DNA was on Meredith's bra clasp, though that DNA evidence
:05:35. > :05:39.was highly contested. Now the Kerchers, Knox and Sollecito have to
:05:40. > :05:43.await a report which will be published in 90 days to find out the
:05:44. > :05:49.exact reasons for the judge's decision. They will bent almost
:05:50. > :05:53.certainly be an appeal. You can find background information
:05:54. > :06:03.on the trial and in-depth analysis on the BBC website. Storm battered
:06:04. > :06:06.parts of Britain bade -- bracing themselves for another pounding as
:06:07. > :06:11.more rain, high winds and high tides of that to hit the south and west.
:06:12. > :06:14.The Met office is warning of heavy rain in southern England including
:06:15. > :06:19.the already flooded Somerset Levels as well as South Wales and parts of
:06:20. > :06:22.Northern Ireland. The Environment Agency has issued numerous flood
:06:23. > :06:26.warnings and says that many coastal areas will be affected by high tides
:06:27. > :06:30.in the coming days. In a minute we will get the latest on the situation
:06:31. > :06:35.in Wales. First, to Clare Marshall, who is in Somerset for us.
:06:36. > :06:40.You can see what it is like here. It had been looking better a couple of
:06:41. > :06:43.hours ago. The river levels were dropping. The Environment Agency
:06:44. > :06:47.said we are pumping out the water as fast as we can, then about an hour
:06:48. > :06:53.ago the weather front started moving in. It is relentless here. The
:06:54. > :06:57.people are tired of it all. The wettest winter here in a century
:06:58. > :07:03.and the effort to shift well over 1 million tonnes of water goes on.
:07:04. > :07:07.Now, more urgent than ever. We have got more pumps operating than we
:07:08. > :07:11.have before. Pumping the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool every 90
:07:12. > :07:16.seconds. Even with no rain it would take weeks? Even with no rain it
:07:17. > :07:21.would take weeks and that was the experience in 2012. These could be
:07:22. > :07:26.coming in handy, bales of used tyres. This company just down the
:07:27. > :07:29.road is in urgent talks with the local council. They can be laid out
:07:30. > :07:33.to make a road which normal cars can drive on. No more tractors and
:07:34. > :07:39.boats. Imagine we are in the flood waters here, how come these help?
:07:40. > :07:45.These are about one metre high and they will lift the access about over
:07:46. > :07:49.the water level and have track way on top so that people can access
:07:50. > :07:54.their homes. So you can drive on top of these? Drive straight over them
:07:55. > :08:00.with access track on top and they free draining so the road will dry.
:08:01. > :08:03.As the government calls get more emergency COBRA meetings, those
:08:04. > :08:06.living on the saturated Somerset Levels wait to see what the weather
:08:07. > :08:11.does next. The flood waters have been sitting here for about a month
:08:12. > :08:15.now and they are stagnant and horrible. Just look at the kind of
:08:16. > :08:19.things washed up. The pumps are pumping and they are doing what they
:08:20. > :08:23.can, but the rain is starting to fall again. There is a spring tide
:08:24. > :08:29.coming this weekend. The wind is picking up. The army is on stand-by.
:08:30. > :08:33.You can see those differences here. They are a lot higher than the last
:08:34. > :08:36.time this was flooded, so they are better prepared, but the people here
:08:37. > :08:41.are fed up the reaction has been too little, too late. Over the last hour
:08:42. > :08:45.the BBC understands the government now says that it will grab this
:08:46. > :08:50.problem by the scruff of the neck. Whatever that means, people here are
:08:51. > :08:55.waiting to see. Now over to Aberystwyth.
:08:56. > :08:59.Yes, whether winds have really started to pick up in the last few
:09:00. > :09:02.minutes and while it is low tide and we can be on the beach safely at the
:09:03. > :09:06.moment the concern is over what the elements will bring tonight at high
:09:07. > :09:09.tide and tomorrow through the weekend. You may remember a few
:09:10. > :09:16.weeks ago Aberystwyth took a real battering. There is still a hole in
:09:17. > :09:19.the sea on the beach. They have been trying to rebuild the historic
:09:20. > :09:23.front. There is work ongoing. But there is fear that while they have
:09:24. > :09:28.to spend thousands and thousands of pounds making repairs, that work may
:09:29. > :09:32.be undone by the conditions yet to come. Already pre-emptive action has
:09:33. > :09:38.taken place this morning. We have seen around 600 students being
:09:39. > :09:43.moved, with the student halls being evacuated and some 400 or so being
:09:44. > :09:48.moved other locations. 200 have taken up the very generous offer of
:09:49. > :09:52.a free Thame ticket -- freak train ticket home to see their parents and
:09:53. > :09:58.relatives, as long as they are safe and dry out of these conditions.
:09:59. > :10:03.Both of you, thanks very much indeed. There is much more on the
:10:04. > :10:06.latest storm to hit the UK throughout the afternoon on the BBC
:10:07. > :10:12.News channel. You can keep up-to-date with events in your area
:10:13. > :10:16.on BBC local radio. New figures show wide variations in
:10:17. > :10:19.the way that police record and classify rape allegations in England
:10:20. > :10:22.and Wales. The Inspectorate of Constabulary said in some areas,
:10:23. > :10:26.where the number of recorded rapes is far lower than average, as
:10:27. > :10:30.victims may be unwilling to come forward because they feel they will
:10:31. > :10:36.not be believed. Our home affairs correspondent Matt Prodger reports.
:10:37. > :10:40.A specialist medical Centre, where victims of rape can find help before
:10:41. > :10:47.they decide to report the crime to police. But what happens after
:10:48. > :10:51.police get involved varies widely from force to force across England
:10:52. > :10:56.and Wales. The number of recorded rapes of adults is below average in
:10:57. > :11:03.29 out of 43 Constabulary is. Depending on where you live, as few
:11:04. > :11:08.as 3%, or as many as 33% of reported rapes are later designated as no
:11:09. > :11:13.crime by the police. And in some forces there may be a culture of
:11:14. > :11:16.disbelief of rape allegations. It does cause me are concerned there
:11:17. > :11:20.are inconsistencies because my priority is picked in confidence to
:11:21. > :11:25.come forward and report of the police and those inconsistencies
:11:26. > :11:29.could have victims causing concerns. There is increasing doubt about
:11:30. > :11:33.crime figures. A whistle-blower told MPs that forces were fiddling them
:11:34. > :11:37.to meet targets. This would finish up with trying to persuade a victim
:11:38. > :11:43.they were not raped, for example? Effectively, yes. You are nodding at
:11:44. > :11:47.this. The UK Statistics Authority questioned the numbers recorded by
:11:48. > :11:51.police. Campaigners are particularly concerned about how many rape
:11:52. > :11:55.allegations are being struck off the recorded figures. The no crime
:11:56. > :11:59.levels have been an issue for some time now. Previous reports have
:12:00. > :12:03.highlighted this as an issue. When we know that's oof -- so few
:12:04. > :12:09.survivors of sexual violence report to the police, we know -- we need
:12:10. > :12:15.some reassurance these figures will be scrutinised and investigated.
:12:16. > :12:17.Morph people are reporting rape allegations to the police. The
:12:18. > :12:21.government says the assumption in every case should be that the crime
:12:22. > :12:27.has been committed until proven otherwise.
:12:28. > :12:31.The United Nations mediator leading the Syrian peace talks in Geneva
:12:32. > :12:34.says they made a modest beginning towards ending the conflict,
:12:35. > :12:39.provided both sides have the political will to do so. Speaking on
:12:40. > :12:41.the final day of the first round of negotiations Lakhdar Brahimi
:12:42. > :12:47.announced they were expected to resume on February the tense.
:12:48. > :12:50.Differences have emerged between David Cameron and the French
:12:51. > :12:55.President Francois Hollande about the future of the European Union.
:12:56. > :12:58.The two men have been holding talks at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
:12:59. > :13:03.Mr Hollande citywide -- while he wanted improvements in the wake of
:13:04. > :13:05.the EU was run, he couldn't see the need to revise the treaty is at
:13:06. > :13:10.present, but Mr Cameron said he would achieve in -- he said he would
:13:11. > :13:16.achieve a change in Britain's relationship with the EU. Carole
:13:17. > :13:18.Walker reports. It was an occasional or official escort is only though
:13:19. > :13:22.President Hollande must have known there would be no escaping the
:13:23. > :13:25.questions over his split from the former First Lady. The relationship
:13:26. > :13:29.with David Cameron is not exactly easy either but the socialist
:13:30. > :13:35.president and Conservative Prime Minister know how important it is to
:13:36. > :13:39.ensure the Entente remains cordiale. So they have released -- reached new
:13:40. > :13:44.deals to cooperate on defence, nuclear power and space, a two-year
:13:45. > :13:48.project to develop a new armed drone, joint military exercises and
:13:49. > :13:53.investment in new nuclear reactors. David Cameron is under real pressure
:13:54. > :13:56.from many of his own MPs to win back significant powers from Europe
:13:57. > :14:01.before the referendum he has promised by the end of 2017. Bids to
:14:02. > :14:07.do that he needs the help of big players, like the French, but the
:14:08. > :14:09.last thing they want is to open up EU treaties for renegotiation
:14:10. > :14:13.allowing other member states to come up with all the demands and leading
:14:14. > :14:17.to a lengthy wrangling over the way the EU is run. At their joint news
:14:18. > :14:21.conference the differences were stark.
:14:22. > :14:28.TRANSLATION: Fans would like the eurozone to be
:14:29. > :14:39.better coordinated, better integrated. And if there are going
:14:40. > :14:44.to be amendments to the text, we don't feel that for the time being
:14:45. > :14:53.they are urgent. We feel that revising the treaty is not a
:14:54. > :14:56.priority for the time being. We want to see that renegotiation which will
:14:57. > :15:02.involve elements of treaty change. And then there will be a referendum
:15:03. > :15:08.in Britain before the end of 2017. That is an in out referendum. What
:15:09. > :15:11.about other big issue? The British press don't share the French
:15:12. > :15:15.reluctance to pry? Do you think your private life has made France an
:15:16. > :15:19.international joke? Are you still having an affair and do you wish she
:15:20. > :15:22.was here? TRANSLATION: In regard to your last
:15:23. > :15:27.question, I decline to answer. There were lots of warm words sharing
:15:28. > :15:36.their belief in a more competitive Europe when it comes to achieving
:15:37. > :15:41.that, there is a difference. Norman Smith is at Brize Norton for us. I
:15:42. > :15:44.think they are going to a pub lunch now but I don't figure will be
:15:45. > :15:50.easier to get agreement over this whole reform of the European Union?
:15:51. > :15:55.John, it's clear both men came here desperate to avoid a public falling
:15:56. > :16:00.out over Europe so initially it was all first names, praising each
:16:01. > :16:05.other, and there were deals on defence and energy policy, but as
:16:06. > :16:09.soon as Europe came up, the gulf became clear with Mr Holland saying
:16:10. > :16:16.David Cameron's plans for renegotiation when not urgent, not
:16:17. > :16:24.urgent, the dramatic speak for a no-no. David Cameron says we want to
:16:25. > :16:28.happen. It underlines the scale of the challenge Mr Cameron faces in
:16:29. > :16:36.convincing key EU partners to hand back powers. One rather suspects Mr
:16:37. > :16:41.Holland's lack of interest in this wasn't helped by the question about
:16:42. > :16:46.his rather crowded home life. Mr Cameron has taken throb pub lunch
:16:47. > :16:51.now. I think it will take more than a pint and a packet of salt and
:16:52. > :16:56.vinegar to win Mr Holland over to Mr Cameron's approach to Europe. That
:16:57. > :16:59.would be quite a picture to see them eating salt and bigger crisps
:17:00. > :17:02.together. Some breaking news now. The BBC understands that the England
:17:03. > :17:04.coach Andy Flower has stood down following England's disastrous Ashes
:17:05. > :17:12.tour. Our Sports Correspondent Andy Swiss has more. Tell us what we
:17:13. > :17:17.know. Andy Flower 's's position has been under scrutiny ever since that
:17:18. > :17:21.Ashes whitewash in Australia. It wasn't just the result but the man
:17:22. > :17:24.of the defeat, as well, with England showing no real sign of fight. This
:17:25. > :17:28.was a series they went into as red-hot favourites, remember. There
:17:29. > :17:32.were problems off the pitch, too, with players returning home and talk
:17:33. > :17:38.of a rift between Andy Flower and Kevin Peterson. After the series,
:17:39. > :17:41.Andy Flower said he wanted to continue as England coach, he still
:17:42. > :17:45.had the appetite, but he did have to have this curtains, he said, with a
:17:46. > :17:49.new header dangerous cricket, Paul Downton, and it seems as though
:17:50. > :17:53.those discussions have ended with Andy Flower losing his job as coach
:17:54. > :17:56.although we are still waiting for official confirmation from England
:17:57. > :18:00.and Wales Cricket board, but it is the end, it will at the end of one
:18:01. > :18:04.of the most successful ever the cricket history. He took over in
:18:05. > :18:08.2009, guided England to three Ashes victories, guided them to number one
:18:09. > :18:12.in the world ranking. Ultimately, it seems that he may have paid the
:18:13. > :18:18.price for the disastrous performance in Australia. OK, Andy, thank you
:18:19. > :18:20.very much for that update. Our top story this lunchtime. After murder
:18:21. > :18:23.convictions are reinstated against Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox,
:18:24. > :18:31.the family of Meredith Kercher say all they want is the truth. And
:18:32. > :18:35.still to come. Let the battle commence. Six Nations rugby returns
:18:36. > :18:43.to Wales at the weekend amidst fears it risks being torn apart by
:18:44. > :18:46.disputes. Later on BBC London, we meet the capital's rugby captains
:18:47. > :18:51.trying to lead their countries to Nations glory. And Russell Toby
:18:52. > :18:52.tells about his latest stage role playing a celebrity footballer
:18:53. > :19:04.struggling to keep a secret. Six Nations rugby returns at the
:19:05. > :19:07.weekend with Wales trying to win the championship for the third year in a
:19:08. > :19:11.row. Something that has never happened before. But rugby union in
:19:12. > :19:14.Wales, the national game, risks being torn apart by division and
:19:15. > :19:18.dispute, with deep concern for the future and talent draining away from
:19:19. > :19:28.Wales to France where the big money is. Our Sports Correspondent Joe
:19:29. > :19:31.Wilson has more. Is this flattering to deceive? On the face of it,
:19:32. > :19:38.Cardiff Castle seems just the right symbol of strength for Welsh rugby.
:19:39. > :19:43.Six Nations champions for the last two seasons, rock-solid am a
:19:44. > :19:47.dominant. So why then would a player tried to escape? Leigh Halfpenny was
:19:48. > :19:52.the man of the tournament last year, match-winning talent, a star,
:19:53. > :19:57.and now off to earn big money Lane club rugby in France. Other Welsh
:19:58. > :20:05.have already relocated. It hurts enormously. We want our icons, our
:20:06. > :20:07.ambassadors, our role models, metaphors for a modern world, to be
:20:08. > :20:12.walking around our villages and towns and cities, and that's why the
:20:13. > :20:16.heart of Welsh rugby union's ambition in our discussions with our
:20:17. > :20:21.partners is to say how do we retain our talent in Wales? The partners of
:20:22. > :20:25.a four professional club teams in Wales, the regions, who feel they
:20:26. > :20:30.must secure a better future somewhere. The red bee media has
:20:31. > :20:33.overflowed with tales of Civil War. The four regions openly exploring
:20:34. > :20:40.previously unthinkable notions like joining the English league. There's
:20:41. > :20:45.professional rugby share, but the issue, basically, is money. I guess
:20:46. > :20:53.the reality is our core product is rugby, rugby on the field, and right
:20:54. > :20:57.now, we don't know who we are playing. When we're playing. And by
:20:58. > :21:03.how much. In just five months time, beyond May. So, the reality is we
:21:04. > :21:08.have absolutely no certainty of our revenues at all as a business.
:21:09. > :21:11.Meanwhile, the captain stands alone. Sam Robertson, the first
:21:12. > :21:17.player who will be paid directly by the governing body, the Welsh union,
:21:18. > :21:20.to stay in Wales. I think most players would consider those
:21:21. > :21:26.options. I certainly considered the options of moving away. I stressed
:21:27. > :21:29.from day one, preference would be to stay home. Worrying about those
:21:30. > :21:32.external things won't help is so everybody is very focused on the job
:21:33. > :21:39.ahead. Everyone in Wales expect Wales to beat every other country.
:21:40. > :21:43.That seems like a simple bit. A British man accused of murdering his
:21:44. > :21:46.wife while they were on honeymoon in Cape Town has lost his High Court
:21:47. > :21:49.attempt to block his extradition to South Africa. Shrien Dewani claimed
:21:50. > :21:53.he was unfit to stand trial because of his mental health problems. His
:21:54. > :21:57.wife, Anni, was shot while in the back of a taxi in November 2010.
:21:58. > :22:07.Angus Crawford has been following the case. Newlyweds, they seemed the
:22:08. > :22:14.perfect couple. With an extravagant wedding, and the glittering future.
:22:15. > :22:20.The days after this was taken, Anni was dead. Her body found in this car
:22:21. > :22:23.on the outskirts of Cape Town. Their honeymoon was at a luxury hotel in
:22:24. > :22:29.the city. They seemed relaxed and happy. But late at night, on the way
:22:30. > :22:35.back from a restaurant, their taxi was hijacked. Anni was shot dead.
:22:36. > :22:40.The South African police became suspicious when CCTV showed Shrien
:22:41. > :22:43.Dewani meeting a taxi driver a couple of days later. Shrien Dewani
:22:44. > :22:48.said he was giving him money for driving. But the taxi driver told
:22:49. > :22:56.the court he was paid for arranging the killing. He has been jailed for
:22:57. > :23:01.18 years. The South Africans have been trying to extradite Shrien
:23:02. > :23:05.Dewani ever since. His lawyers say he has severe depression and is too
:23:06. > :23:10.ill. But today, the High Court decided he could be extradited. But
:23:11. > :23:17.only if Victoria agrees to send him back after a year if he is still too
:23:18. > :23:20.unwell to face trial. The South African authorities have two weeks
:23:21. > :23:24.to make such an undertaking. And then, in theory, seven days after
:23:25. > :23:29.that, Shrien Dewani could be on a plane to Cape Town. His legal team,
:23:30. > :23:36.though, still have an option of an appeal to the Supreme Court. Members
:23:37. > :23:40.of Anni's family were in court to hear the ruling today and gave a
:23:41. > :23:43.cautious welcome. We have been waiting three years for this and it
:23:44. > :23:47.just seems like we are a step closer to getting the extradition process
:23:48. > :23:51.finalised, and getting justice for Anni, really. But all we wanted.
:23:52. > :23:57.Another small step on a legal journey which is far from over. The
:23:58. > :24:00.number of people applying for university places has increased 4%
:24:01. > :24:02.this year, and school leavers in England are now more likely to apply
:24:03. > :24:06.for higher education than ever before. But the university
:24:07. > :24:08.admissions service UCAS warns that young men are becoming a
:24:09. > :24:11.disadvantaged group as they are far less likely to apply for courses
:24:12. > :24:22.than women. Our Education Correspondent Gillian Hargreaves
:24:23. > :24:25.joins me now. Just take through some of the statistics that stand out
:24:26. > :24:30.from the support. Record numbers of people are now applying to
:24:31. > :24:35.university, even though they are paying up to ?9,000 a year for an
:24:36. > :24:40.undergraduate course. 580,000 applications so far this year. As
:24:41. > :24:44.you said, that is a 4% rise on last year, so I think it shows people are
:24:45. > :24:48.not being deterred by higher fees, they do think it's worth going and
:24:49. > :24:51.getting a university degree, because their lifelong work prospects are so
:24:52. > :24:55.much better. The other interesting thing is we are seeing a big gap
:24:56. > :25:00.emerging between men and women applying to university. Many more
:25:01. > :25:08.women, 87,000 more women have applied, this year than men. That is
:25:09. > :25:10.a 7000 rise on last year. It is particularly acute in some
:25:11. > :25:14.communities for the white working-class boys and black and
:25:15. > :25:16.ethnic minority boys are not applying in the same sorts of
:25:17. > :25:22.numbers that their female counterparts are. Why? Well, girls
:25:23. > :25:27.have outperformed boys since the 1990s at GCSE and A-level is, doing
:25:28. > :25:31.much better in most subjects, and I think they have got much more
:25:32. > :25:34.confidence to apply for university. OK, Gillian, thank you very much.
:25:35. > :25:36.Now, with just hours to go until the football transfer deadline closes,
:25:37. > :25:41.the Premier League has already beaten last year's spending record.
:25:42. > :25:43.With ten hours still to go, the combined transfer sum has already
:25:44. > :25:50.passed the ?700 million mark for the first time, with spending currently
:25:51. > :26:00.at a cool ?725 million. Let's cross to our Sports Correspondent Natalie
:26:01. > :26:05.Pirks who's at Arsenal. Natalie, what a beanie eye-catching deals so
:26:06. > :26:10.far? What are we expecting to come in these last few hours? Well, there
:26:11. > :26:15.are no jaw-dropping deals, it has to be said, but is under ten hours to
:26:16. > :26:20.go. Anything can happen, it often does. Arsene Wenger's handers been
:26:21. > :26:22.forced due to injuries and suspensions to key personnel and he
:26:23. > :26:30.said this morning he needs to bring a body in and we believe it to be
:26:31. > :26:36.31-year-old Swedish midfielder Kim Kelstrum. He is already in London
:26:37. > :26:44.trying to get that deal finished. Manchester United, they have loaned
:26:45. > :26:50.back to Cardiff their deal from last January's transfer window, Wilfried
:26:51. > :26:54.Zaha, and no one else is coming in. They have done the big deal of
:26:55. > :27:00.January transfer window so far last weekend, club record ?37.1 million
:27:01. > :27:05.spent on Juan Mata, so the is therefore clubs. It just seems,
:27:06. > :27:10.whatever the circumstances and the state of the economy, these Premier
:27:11. > :27:14.League clubs have money to spend. They always seem to find the money,
:27:15. > :27:19.don't they? 100 million spent in January. That is an increase on this
:27:20. > :27:22.time last year where 120 was eventually spent in January, the
:27:23. > :27:27.fourth biggest January window of all time. This window was loved by fans
:27:28. > :27:31.for the drama but loathed by managers. Arsene Wenger reiterating
:27:32. > :27:34.he just wants it to stop, they don't feel bad value for money but some of
:27:35. > :27:39.the Premier League Mac boss biggest players like Luis Suarez have come
:27:40. > :27:42.in in January and the teams know the players brought in by 11 o'clock
:27:43. > :27:52.today, could make all the difference in May. OK, thank you. Time now for
:27:53. > :27:56.a look at the weather. Those isobars looked very tightly packed.
:27:57. > :28:07.I'm afraid we've been here before. This is something special. A very
:28:08. > :28:11.deep area of low pressure. Sunbury Strong wind with some already, and
:28:12. > :28:16.more to come on Saturday. We have an amber warning in place. Across the
:28:17. > :28:21.Somerset levels, we could have 40 million litres distinctive possible
:28:22. > :28:27.across the high ground of Wales and the south-west. Very unwelcome news
:28:28. > :28:33.indeed. Cold air further north which has implications. Perhaps you are
:28:34. > :28:36.travelling later on today across the high-level routes, the top end of
:28:37. > :28:41.the Pennines, southern parts of Scotland, north of the central belt,
:28:42. > :28:45.there is a risk that rain converting into snowfall at higher levels. Best
:28:46. > :28:49.to check if you're travelling later on today into the first part of the
:28:50. > :28:52.evening and then later on tonight 's separate features away from the main
:28:53. > :28:58.rain band which may drag that snow level down to quite low levels. You
:28:59. > :29:03.could wake up to snow in the heart of Belfast and the heart of Glasgow.
:29:04. > :29:07.Again, best to check before you travel. The skies clear overnight
:29:08. > :29:10.and then we have a widespread ice problem across central and northern
:29:11. > :29:14.and western parts of the British Isles on untreated surfaces. I'm
:29:15. > :29:20.going to show the high tides. It's not something we tend to do but they
:29:21. > :29:24.are -not as high as they were in the first part of January, but when you
:29:25. > :29:28.combine it with this amount of wind, and the large waves it would
:29:29. > :29:33.generate, there will be a problem around the channel and Irish Sea
:29:34. > :29:38.coasts, with some localised flooding. So check that one.
:29:39. > :29:41.Saturday, a blustery sort of day with the showers gathering together
:29:42. > :29:44.to give rain across northern and western parts of the British Isles
:29:45. > :29:49.and a little bit of sheltered towards East. And then, thankfully,
:29:50. > :29:52.we get a Sunday, which is a brighter, drier day for many. The
:29:53. > :29:57.wind coming from the south-west. Still quite a bit of it but nowhere
:29:58. > :30:01.near the levels of Saturday, I suspect, so that'll be a quieter
:30:02. > :30:06.day. Temporary relief, I have to say. Overnight, and the startling,
:30:07. > :30:10.there could be a problem with snow in parts of Scotland and Northern
:30:11. > :30:16.Ireland. And then, on Saturday, very strong wind, and in the southwestern
:30:17. > :30:20.quarter we have those high tides, as well. A lot going on, of course. The
:30:21. > :30:23.BBC weather website has the weather warnings and flood warnings to keep
:30:24. > :30:24.you up-to-date through the rest of today and of course through the
:30:25. > :30:31.weekend. Thank you very much indeed. Now a
:30:32. > :30:33.reminder of our top story this lunchtime. After murder convictions
:30:34. > :30:36.are reinstated against Raffaele Sollecito and Amanda Knox, the
:30:37. > :30:47.family of Meredith Kercher say all they want is the truth. I'm going to
:30:48. > :30:53.fight this until the very end, and it's not right. And it's not fair.
:30:54. > :30:56.Flood had parts of Britain are bracing themselves for a fresh
:30:57. > :31:03.onslaught as another storm sweeps in from the Atlantic. In the last few
:31:04. > :31:05.minutes, the BBC has learned Andy Flower will stand down as the
:31:06. > :31:08.England cricket coach after their disastrous Ashes tour. That's all
:31:09. > :31:10.from us. Now on BBC One it's time for the