Verdicts due in Kercher murder trial

30 January 2014 Last updated at 04:41 ET

A court in Italy is due to announce new appeal verdicts for two people accused of the murder of UK student Meredith Kercher in 2007.

US citizen Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were acquitted of the crime on appeal in 2011, after four years in custody.

But that ruling was dismissed as flawed last year by the supreme court, and a new appeal ordered.

Ms Knox has not returned to Italy for the case. Both plead their innocence.

The court in Florence has been hearing from Ms Knox's defence team and is now deliberating on a verdict.

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If Amanda Knox is convicted again, Italy is likely to file an extradition request to bring her back to the country. Ms Knox has said "common sense" tells her not to return to Italy of her own accord, despite her innocence.

Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at American University in Washington DC, says whether or not Ms Knox is extradited to Italy is a question of the request's legal basis and America's political interest in the case.

Once Italy makes a request, the US will have to decide whether it falls under their extradition treaty. While there is "no reason to think the US has a specific interest" in blocking her extradition, Mr Vladeck says, countries can effectively stand in the way with a variety of "creative" interpretations of extradition treaties.

If the US does grant Italy's request, Ms Knox can fight her extradition in a US court.

But Mr Vladeck thinks the US protection against being tried twice for the same crime - known as double jeopardy - does not apply in this case: "There's nothing in the treaty that requires Italy to uphold the US legal system."

If they are convicted again, they can lodge appeals with the Court of Cassation (as the supreme court is known formally), which will have the final say.

The Court of Cassation overturned their acquittals last March after an appeal by prosecutors, who argued that important DNA evidence had been disregarded.

If Ms Knox is convicted, Italy may face a legal battle to extradite her from the US.

Prosecutors have asked for a 30-year prison sentence for her and a 26-year sentence for Mr Sollecito.

DNA evidence

Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon in south London and 21 at the time, was found with her throat cut in a flat she shared with Ms Knox in the college city of Perugia, in the central region of Umbria.

She suffered a "slow, agonising death", a coroner's report found.

Ivorian drifter Rudy Guede was convicted of her murder at a separate trial and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

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The Meredith Kercher murder retrial explained - in 60 seconds

Prosecutors sought to prove Miss Kercher had died in a sex game involving Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito, that had gone wrong.

They pointed to a bra clasp belonging to Miss Kercher where Mr Sollecito's DNA was allegedly found.

They also maintained that Ms Knox's DNA had been on the handle of a kitchen knife used in the attack, with Miss Kercher's DNA on the blade.

In addition, traces of Ms Knox's blood and footprints were allegedly found in the house.

Arrested days after the murder, Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito were tried and convicted in November 2009.

'I didn't kill'

In 2011, an eight-member jury cleared both defendants of Miss Kercher's murder after doubts were raised over procedures used to gather DNA evidence.

Ordering a retrial last year, the Court of Cassation moved proceedings from Umbria to Florence, in the northern region of Tuscany.

Last month, Ms Knox, now 26 and living in Seattle, sent a five-page email to the court to explain her reasons for refusing to return to Italy from the US.

"I didn't kill," she wrote.

"I didn't rape. I didn't rob. I didn't plot. I didn't instigate. I didn't kill Meredith. I am not present in court because I am afraid.

"I am afraid that the vehemence of the prosecution will make an impression on you, that their smoke will get in your eyes and blind you."

If she is reconvicted of the murder, Ms Knox could fight her extradition to Italy in a US court.

Mr Sollecito, 29, has been in the court room awaiting the verdict. If he is reconvicted, the court could ask for him to be arrested or placed under a travel ban pending the Court of Cassation's decision.

He told the court in November that it made "no real sense" for him to have committed "such an atrocious act".

Members of Miss Kercher's family are expected to be in court, the agency adds.

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Fast turn led to speedboat tragedy

30 January 2014 Last updated at 02:51 ET

A TV executive and his daughter died after he tried to execute a fast turn in their speedboat, investigators have said.

All six members of the Milligan family, from London, were thrown out of the boat in Cornwall last May.

Nick Milligan, 51, and his daughter Emily, eight, died as the boat circled out of control, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said.

The MAIB said an emergency "kill cord" to cut the engine had not been worn.

Mr Milligan's wife Victoria, 39, and son Kit, four, were severely injured in the accident.

The report said that Mrs Milligan had taken the helm of the speedboat Milly on the Camel Estuary near Padstow when BSkyB sales boss Mr Milligan said she should make a turn.

'Violently' rolled

"Mrs Milligan was reluctant to do so as she did not consider there was sufficient space between the boat and the beach," said the report.

"However, due to encouragement from the children and Mr Milligan she began a slow wide turn.

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"Mr Milligan then reached across, in front of his wife, took the helm in his right hand and the throttle in his left, and then increased the engine throttle setting to full as he turned the helm to starboard.

"The boat immediately accelerated and heeled into the turn and then suddenly, and violently, rolled back to port and ejected all its occupants out over the port side and into the water.

"The boat then continued to circle under full power.

"The family were on the surface of the water, supported by their lifejackets and buoyancy aids, and the boat circled back towards them, striking several of them."

The report said Mr Milligan's actions appeared out of character, adding: "It cannot be established whether the wine he had consumed about one-and-a-half hours earlier adversely affected his judgment or fine motor skills when he reached across and took the controls, but his alcohol levels were well below the drink-drive limit for UK roads."

MAIB chief inspector Steve Clinch said a kill cord attached to the person at the wheel was an "essential item of safety equipment".

"I most strongly urge all powerboat drivers to ensure one is fitted and correctly worn at all times when under way, and to regularly check that it is functioning correctly," he said.

He called it a "tragic accident" and hoped lessons would be learned.

"Avoiding an accident by knowing your boat's and your own capabilities and limitations is essential, as is ensuring that all on board are safely and securely seated whenever manoeuvring or travelling at speed," he said.

Recommendations have been made to the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to include advice on the potential hazards of high power operations in its tuition and for the boat's manufacturer, APV Marine Limited, to reduce the design's steep angle of heel in tight turns.

Richard Falk, the training manager of the RYA, said: "If one good thing can possibly come from this tragedy it's that this issue of kill cords has received a great deal of media scrutiny.

"We would like to hope that has made more people aware of the hazards of operating a more powerful craft without a kill cord attached."

The family said in a statement: "We are still coming to terms with this tragic accident which has left us without Nick, a loving husband, father, son and brother, and Emily, whose life was only just beginning.

"We sincerely hope that awareness of this accident will mean that another family does not have to go through anything similar."

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Peanut allergy treatment 'a success'

29 January 2014 Last updated at 21:01 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

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Catherine Tooley and her daughter Elizabeth on their part in the study

Doctors say a potential treatment for peanut allergy has transformed the lives of children taking part in a large clinical trial.

The 85 children had to eat peanut protein every day - initially in small doses, but ramped up during the study.

The findings, published in the Lancet, suggest 84% of allergic children could eat the equivalent of five peanuts a day after six months.

Experts have warned that the therapy is not yet ready for widespread use.

Peanuts are the most common cause of fatal allergic reactions to food.

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"Start Quote

The trial has been an experience and adventure that has changed my life and I've had so much fun, but I still hate peanuts"

End Quote Lena Barden Age 11

There is no treatment so the only option for patients is to avoid them completely, leading to a lifetime of checking every food label before a meal.

Build up

The trial, at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, tried to train the children's immune systems to tolerate peanut protein.

Every day they were given a peanut protein powder - starting off on a dose equivalent to one 70th of a peanut.

The theory was that patients started at the extremely low dose, well below the threshold for an allergic response.

Once a fortnight the dose was increased while the children were in hospital, in case there was an reaction, and then they continued taking the higher dose at home.

The majority of patients learned to tolerate the peanut.

Lena Barden, 11, from Histon in Cambridgeshire, said: "It meant a trip to the hospital every two weeks.

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"Start Quote

This large study is the first of its kind in the world to have had such a positive outcome, and is an important advance in peanut allergy research"

End Quote Dr Pamela Ewan Cambridge University Hospitals

"A year later I could eat five whole peanuts with no reaction at all.

"The trial has been an experience and adventure that has changed my life and I've had so much fun, but I still hate peanuts!"

'Dramatic transformation'

One of the researchers, Dr Andrew Clark, told the BBC: "It really transformed their lives dramatically; this really comes across during the trial.

"It's a potential treatment and the next step is to make it available to patients, but there will be significant costs in providing the treatment - in the specialist centres and staff and producing the peanut to a sufficiently high standard."

Fellow researcher Dr Pamela Ewan added: "This large study is the first of its kind in the world to have had such a positive outcome, and is an important advance in peanut allergy research."

But she said further studies would be needed and that people should not try this on their own as this "should only be done by medical professionals in specialist settings".

The research has been broadly welcomed by other researchers in the field, but some concerns about how any therapy could be introduced have been raised.

Caution

Prof Gideon Lack, who is running a peanut allergy trial at the Evelina Children's Hospital in London, told the BBC: "This is a really important research step in trying to improve our management of peanut allergy, but is not yet ready for use in clinical practice.

"We need a proper risk assessment needs to be done to ensure we will not make life more dangerous for these children.

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How to spot potentially life-threatening allergic reactions and how to deal with them

He warned that 60% of people with a peanut allergy were also allergic to other nuts so a carefree lifestyle would rarely be an option.

Prof Barry Kay, from the department of allergy and clinical immunology at Imperial College London, said: "The real issues that still remain include how long the results will last, and whether the positive effects might lead affected individuals to have a false sense of security.

"Another issue to address is whether there will be long term side-effects of repeated peanut exposure even where full allergic reaction does not occur, such as inflammation of the oesophagus.

"So, this study shows encouraging results that add to the current literature, but more studies are needed to pin down these issues before the current advice to peanut allergy sufferers, which is to avoid eating peanuts, is changed."

Maureen Jenkins, director of clinical services at Allergy UK, said: "The fantastic results of this study exceed expectation.

"Peanut allergy is a particularly frightening food allergy, causing constant anxiety of a reaction from peanut traces.

"This is a major step forward in the global quest to manage it."

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Mum and boy's deaths 'preventable'

30 January 2014 Last updated at 03:48 ET

The partner of a woman murdered with her toddler son insists their deaths could have been prevented despite a serious case review's findings.

Andrew Cairns stabbed his pregnant ex-partner Rachael Slack and their 23-month-old son Auden in 2010 at their Derbyshire home before killing himself.

The review found authorities could not have predicted the deaths with the information known at the time.

However, Ms Slack's partner Robert Barlow said more could have been done.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of national domestic violence charity Refuge, said the findings of the serious case review "contradicted" the outcome of last year's inquest.

"The coroner at the inquest found that, despite making an assessment that Rachael and Auden were both at high risk of homicide, Derbyshire Police failed to discuss with Rachael adequate steps that could have been taken to address the risks to Auden.

"The police also failed to inform Rachael that they had assessed her and Auden as being at high risk of homicide.

"As a result, Rachael was denied the opportunity to make an informed choice about her and Auden's safety."

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• March 2010 - Andrew Cairns' family, ex-partner and clinical psychologist find him living in squalid conditions
• 26 May 2010 - Mr Cairns is detained under the Mental Health Act
• 27 May 2010 - Mr Cairns is rearrested after threatening to kill Rachael Slack
• 28 May 2010 - He is released on bail and told to stay away from Ms Slack
• 2 June 2010 - In the morning, Mr Cairns visits his GP
• 2 June 2010 - Neighbours hear screams from Ms Slack's house. Police find her body and those of her son Auden and Mr Cairns

Cairns, 44, made threats to kill her hours after being detained by police under the Mental Health Act.

Ms Slack, who lived in Holbrook, had driven him to the police station because he refused to get out of her car and she was worried about his behaviour.

He was assessed by mental health workers and released after he was found to have no major mental illness.

But Ms Slack's partner at the time, Mr Barlow, said if information known about Mr Cairns had been better shared between professionals, the deaths could have been prevented.

He said: "There were too many mistakes made throughout Andrew's care and too many mistakes made with Rachael's safety back at home after he was arrested.

"Agencies and individuals didn't have, or didn't share information - it meant they couldn't make whole judgements on decisions," he said.

"Their safety relied on those decisions being made properly."

He added he hoped action would now be taken following the review and officials were not "just paying lip service".

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Robert Barlow, the partner of a Derbyshire woman who was murdered in 2010, has said more could have been done to save her.

The report by the Derby Safeguarding Children Board (DSCB) found Cairns had become increasingly depressed in the months leading up to the deaths.

It said his behaviour had become more worrying for Ms Slack, who continued to check on him even after their relationship broke down in late 2008.

It also examined Mr Cairns's involvement with mental health workers and his history of depression, which dated back to 1999, when he had attempted to kill himself.

On 27 May he was arrested after making the threats to kill Ms Slack but released on police bail after denying the accusations.

'Lip service'

The report said: "The question is therefore whether the mother's report, in the context of other information available to professionals, provided a basis on which the eventual outcome could have been reasonably predicted.

"There are a number of factors which suggest that this would not be the case."

It said officers had no contact with Ms Slack or Mr Cairns about his mental health issues. They were also not told of his behaviour after his release from custody or that he had been hanging around outside Ms Slack's home after his release.

"Other agencies and professionals had, at most, partial information regarding these events," the report said.

"Furthermore, research shows 'only an extremely small number' of individuals who share the characteristics of depressive mental illness and involvement with mental health professionals go on to commit such acts."

The review said Derbyshire Constabulary received about 150 to 160 reports of threats to kill each year and its analysis identified this case as the "only one of those reports over at least a three-year period which has been followed by enactment of the threat".

The DSCB has made a number of recommendations, which include better sharing of information and monitoring of informal carers who provide support to people with mental health problems, particularly where children are involved.

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Military flood plan meeting to begin

30 January 2014 Last updated at 03:54 ET

Military planners have met council officials in Somerset to see what support is needed to help the flood-hit county.

On Wednesday Owen Paterson announced amphibious vehicles could be deployed to help flood victims within 24 hours.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the meeting with Somerset County Council would take place "at first light".

The Somerset Levels have been badly hit by flooding in recent weeks.

"The military officers will help plan what support is needed and where they need it. We will then work to make that happen," an MoD spokesman said.

Villages such as Muchelney have been cut off for almost a month and about 11,500 hectares (28,420 acres) of the Levels are flooded by about 65 million cubic metres of water.

More heavy rain is expected over the next few days.

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Dredging, flood barriers, natural flood management and sustainable drainage are recognised methods of preventing or alleviating flooding. BBC News looks at how these methods work and the scientific principles behind them.

Councillor David Hall, deputy leader of Somerset County Council, said: "We've been promised that we'll have access to whatever we need in terms of personnel and military vehicles at very short notice.

"What it potentially means is that we will have military personnel to supplement what we are doing already to help people.

"The second biggie - we are expecting more rain, high winds, and potentially some tidal surge problems this weekend so it's very reassuring we are going to have extra support on hand if needed."

He said the primary aim was to keep people safe.

"There are a lot of supplementary things, like getting fuel and supplies to people who haven't had access to them," he added.

"Making sure if people need to come and go, or there are medical emergencies, there is back up for them which will be very helpful."

David Heath, the Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton and Frome, said it was "very welcome news that the military are going to lend a hand".

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Military planners have been sent to Somerset to decide how they can help to prevent further flooding

"It is simply getting people in and out and goods - if they can give us a few extra pairs of hands to help the people who have been working so hard down on the Levels for the past few weeks.

"We are expecting another high spring tide at the weekend along with a lot more rain.

"Where there is specialist equipment I would certainly like to see the engineers see what they can do to improve access."

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Homes 'deliberately razed' in Syria

30 January 2014 Last updated at 04:01 ET

The Syrian government has been "deliberately and unlawfully" demolishing thousands of homes, a new report by Human Rights Watch says.

Satellite images appear to show large-scale demolitions with explosives and bulldozers in opposition strongholds in Damascus and Hama in 2012 and 2013.

The report says the apparent wanton destruction of civilian property and collective punishment are war crimes.

It comes as government and opposition delegates attend peace talks in Geneva.

On Wednesday, UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi admitted he did not expect there to be any substantial progress during the current round of negotiations, which are scheduled to end on Friday.

But Mr Brahimi said the ice had started to thaw between the two sides, though the gap between the two was still "quite large".

"Wiped off the map"

Human Rights Watch's report, Razed to the Ground, documents seven cases of large-scale demolitions which it says took place between July 2012 and July 2013.

Satellite images, online videos and eyewitness reports suggest they were carried out by government forces, it concludes.

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The satellite images show seven districts of Damascus and Hama before and after the demolitions.

In many of the images, buildings - many of them blocks of flats several stories high - have been reduced to rubble.

HRW said it had documented the destruction of at least 145 hectares of building land - a total area equivalent to about 200 football pitches.

Thousands of families had lost their homes as a result of these demolitions, it added.

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Wiping entire neighbourhoods off the map is not a legitimate tactic of war"

End Quote Ole Solvang Human Rights Watch

"Wiping entire neighbourhoods off the map is not a legitimate tactic of war," said Ole Solvang, an HRW emergencies researcher. "These unlawful demolitions are the latest additions to a long list of crimes committed by the Syrian government."

He added: "This was collective punishment of communities suspected of supporting the rebellion."

HRW demanded the Syrian government immediately end the demolitions, saying they were in violation of international law, and provide compensation and alternative housing to the victims.

It also urged the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

'Illegal construction'

Government officials told HRW that the demolitions were carried out in order to remove illegally constructed buildings.

However, the New York-based group found that there had been no similar demolitions in pro-government districts.

The demolitions were also supervised by military personnel and often followed fighting in the areas between government and rebel forces, it said.

Several residents also told HRW that they had all the necessary documentation for their homes.

They added that government forces had given little or no warning of the impending demolitions, and that they had not been allowed to remove their belongings.

"No-one should be fooled by the government's claim that it is undertaking urban planning in the middle of a bloody conflict," Mr Solvang said.

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Tory rebels defiant over immigration

30 January 2014 Last updated at 04:40 ET

David Cameron faces possible rebellion in the Commons as Tory MPs push for a ban on foreign criminals using European human rights law to avoid deportation.

It comes despite ministers unveiling their own last minute amendment to the Immigration Bill to strip terror suspects of UK citizenship.

But about 100 Tory MPs want to go further and curb the power of judges to block deportation of foreign criminals who have family links to Britain.

The debate begins at about 11:15 GMT.

Some Conservative backbenchers could also vote against the government by backing a demand to reintroduce the working restrictions Romanians and Bulgarians that were scrapped on 1 January. A vote on this originally due before Christmas, with some critics claiming it had been delayed to avoid a rebellion.

Last-minute proposal

But support for this amendment to the bill is thought to be waning, with the focus shifting instead to the foreign criminal and human rights issue.

Some Conservative MPs fear the government amendments to the Immigration Bill could deprive them of the chance to debate proposals that could bring Britain into conflict with the European Court of Human Rights.

Home Secretary Theresa May has come up with a last-minute proposal that would see terror suspects stripped of their citizenship even if it left them stateless.

It would not apply to British citizens but could see foreigners who have become naturalised citizens whose conduct is deemed "seriously prejudicial" lose their nationality.

People with dual nationality can already lose their British passports.

The Home Office insists the powers would be used sparingly and in strict accordance with the UK's international obligations. It also has the support of the Lib Dem leadership, who accept it would only apply in a tiny number of cases.

'Government trick'

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: "Citizenship is a privilege, not a right. These proposals will strengthen the home secretary's powers to ensure that very dangerous individuals can be excluded if it is in the public interest to do so."

But the legal charity Reprieve has described the plan as an "alarming development" saying it would give the home secretary power to "tear up people's passports without any need for the kind of due process".

Mrs May's proposal has been added to a list of about 50 government amendments to the Immigration Bill - making it less likely that rebel amendments will be debated.

Downing Street has insisted it is up to Commons Speaker John Bercow to decide the order in which amendments are debated.

But Tory rebel Dominic Raab said: "It's a classic government trick. They try and concertina the agenda so that they have got the power to talk out amendments that they find inconvenient. Then they blame the Speaker for it. The Speaker actually has very limited powers."

Mr Raab said his amendment calling for foreign criminals to be deported more easily is "vital" to make Theresa May's proposal work, as there was no point in stripping someone of their citizenship if they could not then be deported.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The point is we need to be much more robust about this. It's not illegal. It's totally enforceable. The government legal advice is that the courts would enforce it and, actually, its what the public want to see."

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Barclays to close 400 UK branches

29 January 2014 Last updated at 03:58

Barclays plans to close a quarter of its branches in the UK and cut hundreds of jobs in its investment banking division as part of a restructuring, it confirmed to the BBC.

The lender is likely to replace about 400 branches with smaller outlets in Asda supermarkets.

The job cuts come on top of 3,700 layoffs announced early last year.

Chief executive Antony Jenkins is also expected to unveil new five-year financial targets next month.

He has been looking to improve profitability in the face of falling trading revenues and tougher regulations.

Mr Jenkins, who took over from Bob Diamond following the Libor rate scandal, plans to cut £1.7bn ($2.8bn) from annual expenses by next year.

The new cost-cutting plan will entail closing branches and encouraging customers to use new banking technology, such as smartphone applications.

The London-based bank is also restricting international travel to "essential" external meetings, in an attempt to control expenses.

Banking cuts

Barclays' investment banking division - which employs a large percentage of the bank's 140,000 global employees - is reportedly set to bear the brunt of the planned new job cuts.

Up to 400 senior managers, mostly in London and New York, are expected to be made redundant.

Last year, Barclays announced 1,800 job cuts in corporate and investment banking and 1,900 in its European retail and business banking.

Many major banks have been undergoing structural shake-ups due to the impact of the weak global economy and changing regulatory environment.

Earlier this week, Lloyds Banking Group said it would terminate 1,080 jobs as part of a business overhaul announced in 2011.

Co-operative Bank also announced that it would shrink its branch network following a recent £1.5bn capital-raising exercise.

Mr Jenkins has been looking to reform some bank practices after Barclays was implicated in a series of scandals, including the manipulation of key interest rates.

The firm has since ended speculative trading in certain asset classes and reduced its investment banking pay.

During the earnings release next month, Mr Jenkins is expected to also lay out several objectives aimed at improving the bank's reputation.

This includes ways to restore public trust and increasing the number of woman in senior positions.

Barclays is scheduled to release its annual results on 11 February.

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Obama pledges action on inequality

29 January 2014 Last updated at 04:53

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US President Barack Obama: "Whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do"

US President Barack Obama has promised to bypass a fractured Congress to tackle economic inequality in his annual State of the Union address.

He pledged to "take steps without legislation" wherever possible, announcing a rise in the minimum wage for new federal contract staff.

On Iran, he said he would veto any new sanctions that risked derailing talks.

The Democratic president is facing some of his lowest approval ratings since first taking office in 2009.

"Let's make this a year of action," Mr Obama said.

Noting that inequality has deepened and upward mobility stalled, he would offer "a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class".

"America does not stand still - and neither will I," he said. "So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do."

Time running out

Just over a year after his re-election, Mr Obama must contend with determined opposition from the Republican Party, which controls the House of Representatives and has the numbers in the Senate to block his agenda.

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Gone is the audacity of hope. This State of the Union address didn't promise big changes on anything - there was no transformation on offer here.

But this address had the virtue at least of touching on bread-and-butter issues that genuinely affect millions of Americans - savings plans for workers who don't have them, health insurance, training schemes and the minimum wage, just to name a few. For poorer Americans improvements in any of those would make a huge difference.

This was Mr Obama's last best chance to reset his presidency. I'm not sure he managed a major shift. But he showed where his focus is and made a compelling case for at least trying to improve social mobility - with or without Congress.

Time is running short before Washington DC turns its attention to the 2016 race to elect his successor, threatening to sideline him even with three years remaining in office.

During his address, Mr Obama appealed to Congress to restore unemployment insurance that recently expired for 1.6 million people, and asked Republicans to stop trying to repeal his signature healthcare overhaul.

The botched rollout of the website on which Americans could sign up for healthcare has dented the president's popularity.

Mr Obama stressed the importance of early childhood schooling, better value university education, and equal opportunities in the workplace for women.

He also appealed to Congress to approve a rise in the national minimum wage, currently $7.25 per hour. His executive order raising the hourly rate of federal contract workers to $10.10 (£6.10) will only apply to future contracts.

House Speaker John Boehner said the impact would be "close to zero" and warned that such a move would cost jobs. He told reporters his party would watch to ensure the president did not exceed his authority through the use of such executive actions.

Republican rebuttals

The president also urged the Republican House of Representatives to support a broad overhaul of the US immigration system, saying it would "make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone".

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One American child in five lives below the poverty line - the BBC visits Washington DC's deprived Anacostia district

Last year, the Senate passed a bill that included a path to citizenship for some of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US.

The House has thus far declined to hold a vote on that legislation, although in recent days US media have reported the chamber's Republican leaders are weighing a series of more limited measures.

On foreign policy, Mr Obama pledged to:

• support a unified Afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future
• back the opposition in Syria "that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks"
• make sure any long-term deal on Iran's nuclear programme is "based on verifiable action".

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Rand Paul: "Government spending doesn't work"

He also said that, with major US operations in Afghanistan due to end, "this needs to be the year Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we close the prison at Guantanamo Bay".

After Mr Obama's speech, three Republicans are offering several rebuttals, a departure from the tradition of the opposition choosing a single voice to follow the president.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington gave the official response on behalf of the Republican Party, calling on Mr Obama to take action "by empowering people, not making their lives harder with unprecedented spending, higher taxes, and fewer jobs".

Republican Kentucky Senator and presumed 2016 presidential hopeful Rand Paul, a favourite of the party's libertarian wing, released a taped address.

"Economic growth will come when we lower taxes for everyone," he said. "Government spending doesn't work."

Utah Senator Mike Lee offered a response on behalf of the populist, anti-tax tea party movement, saying he shared the frustration of Americans with "an ever-growing government that somehow thinks it is OK to lie to, spy on and even target its own citizens.''

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The US has one of the highest income gaps in the developed world

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Child car smoking ban before Lords

29 January 2014 Last updated at 08:48

A Labour plan to ban smoking in cars carrying children is due to be put to a vote in the House of Lords later.

Labour peers are to table an amendment to the Children and Families Bill detailing their proposal for England.

The party says that if it is not passed in this vote, it will be included in its manifesto for the next election.

The Department of Health has said it believes education campaigns are a better way to discourage people from smoking around children.

Smoking was banned in England in workplaces and most enclosed public spaces in July 2007 following similar legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The law prohibited smoking in vehicles used for work.

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Around the UK

• Any vote to ban smoking in cars carrying children would only affect England as the issue is the responsibility of the devolved governments.
• Wales - Ban to be considered if awareness campaign fails
• Scotland - MSP to introduce ban bill
• Northern Ireland - Plans for consultation

The amendment being brought by Lord Hunt, Lord Faulkner and Baroness Hughes would make it an offence for drivers of a private vehicle to fail to prevent smoking when a child is present.

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham told Sky News: "When it comes to improving the health of children, we are duty bound to consider any measure that might make a difference.

"Adults are free to make their own choices but that often does not apply to children and that's why society has an obligation to protect them from preventable harm.

"Evidence from other countries shows that stopping smoking in the confined space of a car carrying children can prevent damage to their health and has strong public support."

Campaigners say the developing lungs of children are much more vulnerable to the effects of second-hand smoke - which can be concentrated in cars - increasing their risk of illnesses that range from asthma and colds to lung cancer.

'Completely unnecessary'

But the pro-smoking group Forest disputes such claims.

Director Simon Clark said: "Legislation is completely unnecessary. Most adult smokers accept that smoking in a car with children present is inconsiderate and the overwhelming majority choose not to.

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History of anti-smoking measures

• 2003 - Banned in indoor public spaces in New York
• 2006 - Scotland introduces similar law
• 2007 - Wales, Northern Ireland and England follow
• 2011 - Australian pilot scheme introduces standard packaging - that is without branding
• 2013 - Government launches independent review of cigarette packaging in England

"Education, not legislation, is the way forward."

Forest also argues that banning smoking in private vehicles would be almost impossible to enforce and a serious invasion of people's private space.

Calls to prohibit smoking in private vehicles when children are present have been raised in Parliament on several occasions since the 2007 ban came into effect.

In 2011, proposals from Labour MP Alex Cunningham cleared their first legislative hurdle, before facing significant opposition from MPs of all parties.

The following year, Lord Ribeiro introduced a private member's bill to make offenders liable for a £60 fine or attendance at a smoke awareness course. It won approval in the House of Lords, although supporters admitted they did not have government backing for the move.

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Damage caused by smoking

• Smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers
• Smoking contributes to coronary artery disease which increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke
• It does huge damage to the lungs and massively increases the risk of lung cancer
• Smoking also increases the risk of other cancers such as oral, uterine, liver, kidney, bladder, stomach and cervical cancer
• Exposure to second-hand smoke can reduce lung function, exacerbate respiratory problems, trigger asthma attacks, reduce coronary blood flow, irritate eyes, and cause headaches and nausea
• Smoking in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage and is also associated with lower birth weight

The Labour amendment before the Lords later was initially proposed by Croydon North MP Steve Reed last April.

He was backed by organisations including the British Heart Foundation, Asthma UK, the Royal College of Paediatrics, and Child Health.

Children's minister Edward Timpson said at the time that a ban "would not be easy to enforce" but the government was researching the issue, and Mr Reed withdrew his amendment.

The Welsh Assembly has said it would consider a ban should an awareness campaign not lead to a drop in children's exposure to second-hand smoke.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, Lib Dem MSP Jim Hume has indicated he will be presenting a bill this year to bring in a ban, while Northern Ireland's health minister has announced plans for a consultation on the issue.

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