:00:00. > :00:07.Tonight at Ten: The worst fears are realised in the city of Brussels
:00:08. > :00:11.after 31 people are killed and dozens injured in a series
:00:12. > :00:33.Two bombs were set off in the city's main report.
:00:34. > :00:37.At least 11 were killed and more than 80 injured as crowds
:00:38. > :00:39.of passengers were checking in for their morning flights.
:00:40. > :00:42.You saw glass falling down and people were running like crazy
:00:43. > :00:46.but you don't know where to run so you go on the ground.
:00:47. > :00:48.The third bomb exploded inside a train carriage
:00:49. > :00:56.At least 20 people died here, many more were injured.
:00:57. > :00:59.It's a dark day for Belgium says the country's Prime Minister,
:01:00. > :01:05.as some of the survivors described what they'd seen.
:01:06. > :01:14.I saw an explosion, a flash of light and then the whole Metro exploded.
:01:15. > :01:17.So-called Islamic State said it was responsible.
:01:18. > :01:22.These men were seen on CCTV at the airport before the attacks.
:01:23. > :01:28.Belgian police say they're still hunting the man on the right.
:01:29. > :01:30.And in the heart of Brussels tonight, many Belgians
:01:31. > :01:34.are paying their own tributes to all the victims.
:01:35. > :01:45.Also on the programme tonight: The Chancellor,
:01:46. > :01:49.And unthinkable for so long, the American and Cuban presidents
:01:50. > :01:53.side by side at a baseball game in Havana.
:01:54. > :01:56.And coming up in the sport on BBC News - former World Cup-winning
:01:57. > :01:58.captain and coach Franz Beckenbauer is one of six men investigated
:01:59. > :02:25.for their part in Germany's 2006 World Cup bid.
:02:26. > :02:28.Good evening from Brussels, as the people of Belgium start three
:02:29. > :02:31.days of national mourning for the victims of today's terror
:02:32. > :02:42.At least 31 people were killed at a Metro station not far
:02:43. > :02:47.from here and at the city's main airport.
:02:48. > :02:52.A few hours later, the so-called Islamic State group said
:02:53. > :02:57.Today's events have prompted security alerts in other
:02:58. > :03:03.This was how today's events unfoldled.
:03:04. > :03:07.The first bomb went off in the departure hall of Zaventem
:03:08. > :03:09.international airport at 8.20am local time this morning.
:03:10. > :03:14.As people fled, a second, much bigger explosion,
:03:15. > :03:15.happened, thought to be a suicide bombing.
:03:16. > :03:19.At least 11 were killed and many were injured.
:03:20. > :03:24.Around an hour later in the city centre during the morning rush hour,
:03:25. > :03:27.an explosion tore through a train at Maelbeek Metro station,
:03:28. > :03:36.Belgian police say they're still searching for one of the men
:03:37. > :03:41.The attacks come just a few days after the capture,
:03:42. > :03:44.here in Brussels, of the main suspect in the Paris attacks last
:03:45. > :03:49.In a moment, a report from our correspondent who was one
:03:50. > :03:53.of the first on the scene after the airport attack.
:03:54. > :03:55.Plus, the latest on the investigation.
:03:56. > :04:06.But first, our Europe editor Katya Adler reports.
:04:07. > :04:16.When a shaky voice tries to sound reassuring,
:04:17. > :04:21.calling out from clouds of smoke that it is OK,
:04:22. > :04:24.out of the debris of devastation, you know it is not all right.
:04:25. > :04:44.Seconds before this mobile phone footage was filmed,
:04:45. > :04:46.these suitcases were in the firm grasp of crowds of travellers,
:04:47. > :04:52.A busy morning for businessmen and women and families setting off
:04:53. > :05:11.This evening, Belgian police released this photo
:05:12. > :05:22.This is what the desks look like now. Julian and his partner were
:05:23. > :05:25.about to check in when the blasts happened. We were running over the
:05:26. > :05:33.debris from the ceiling and broken glass from where the windows had
:05:34. > :05:39.exploded. There was people's baggage lying on the floor. Watch this
:05:40. > :05:47.father grab his baby before running for cover he is not sure exists.
:05:48. > :05:53.For survivors here bags and belongings no longer held any
:05:54. > :05:59.importance, just their nearest and dearest and their own lives.
:06:00. > :06:07.You have to go outside! And then there were the selfless and
:06:08. > :06:17.the brave. This man is a baggage handler at Brussels airport.
:06:18. > :06:21.TRANSLATION: I heard a gunshot and what sounded like Arabic, then I
:06:22. > :06:26.heard boom. An ex-enormous explosion. Afterwards people ran to
:06:27. > :06:32.the left and others took the escalators. Two old people who cave
:06:33. > :06:36.towards me I saved them, I put them in the lift. I couldn't take them
:06:37. > :06:41.with me there were too many people there.
:06:42. > :06:43.But while he was saving lives, elsewhere in the city another group
:06:44. > :07:00.of bombers was busy taking them. A nightmare come true for every
:07:01. > :07:07.train traveller. People here were in between Metro stops when a bomb went
:07:08. > :07:10.off in the central carriage. Panic survey sriefrs had to --
:07:11. > :07:17.panicked survivors had to pick their way through the darkness.
:07:18. > :07:20.Praying they would get to safety. Only once they got back to daylight
:07:21. > :07:26.did the horror of what happened really hit.
:07:27. > :07:31.TRANSLATION: I am in shock. I was in the first carriage. I saw an
:07:32. > :07:36.explosion. A flash of light. And then the whole Metro exploded. The
:07:37. > :07:40.windows came in. The doors opened. Everybody dropped to the ground.
:07:41. > :07:43.TRANSLATION: When the people came pouring out of the Metro there were
:07:44. > :07:45.children, people with burns and other injuries, some very serious.
:07:46. > :08:02.People were in shock. The dazed and the injured covered
:08:03. > :08:05.the pavements here, usually trodden with civil servants. This bombing
:08:06. > :08:11.took place near European Union headquarters minutes from the
:08:12. > :08:16.European Parliament. Brussels has turned into a city of
:08:17. > :08:20.sirens and a centre of fear. These police cars are rushing to the Metro
:08:21. > :08:24.station where the explosion went off earlier, unconfirmed reports of
:08:25. > :08:30.casualties there, including deaths are mounting.
:08:31. > :08:33.Questions for Belgian security apparatus supposedly on high alert
:08:34. > :08:37.after perpetrators of last year's Paris attacks were found in
:08:38. > :08:42.Brussels. As the number of dead and injured
:08:43. > :08:48.rose, so-called Islamic State said it masterminded the attacks. The
:08:49. > :08:56.bombers presumed message today - no one is safe, not here, not anywhere
:08:57. > :08:59.in Europe. TRANSLATION: In this black moment
:09:00. > :09:04.for our country, now more than ever, I call on everyone to show calm and
:09:05. > :09:12.solidarity. We are facing a difficult challenge. We have to face
:09:13. > :09:15.it together. TRANSLATION: This attack has struck
:09:16. > :09:18.Belgium but it was Europe that was targeted and the whole world is
:09:19. > :09:23.concerned. We have to realise the gravity of this terrorist attack.
:09:24. > :09:27.Belgians are in no doubt as to the gravity of the situation today. As
:09:28. > :09:32.in Paris after the attacks there, people here in Brussels say they're
:09:33. > :09:36.determined not to give in to terror but many are scared. How are you
:09:37. > :09:40.feeling as a mum, how are your children? As a mother it was very
:09:41. > :09:44.scary because when we found out about the news our children were
:09:45. > :09:49.already at school. When they're not with you you really are scared
:09:50. > :09:56.especially since the attack was near our school. This man told me he is
:09:57. > :09:57.now too scared to use public transport. He would rather walk
:09:58. > :10:02.around Brussels, he said. transport. He would rather walk
:10:03. > :10:09.But many Belgians don't have the option. Brussels is a commuter city.
:10:10. > :10:13.Just hours after today's attacks, mainline train stations reopened,
:10:14. > :10:18.with extra security checks. Because the Prime Minister here has
:10:19. > :10:21.warned of more attacks to come, police tonight launched raids around
:10:22. > :10:24.the city centre. They found explosives and chemicals.
:10:25. > :10:34.But Belgians want them to find the people prepared to use them.
:10:35. > :10:38.The main airport serving Brussels, Zaventem, is one of the busiest
:10:39. > :10:42.in Europe, handling more than 25 million passengers a year.
:10:43. > :10:45.The airport will remain closed until Thursday at the earliest
:10:46. > :10:47.which means that thousands of flights will be cancelled.
:10:48. > :10:53.Today's attacks happened at the height of the morning rush hour.
:10:54. > :10:57.Our correspondent Ben Wright was at the airport as people fled
:10:58. > :11:04.the scene and he spoke to some of them.
:11:05. > :11:08.They arrived here for holidays and work.
:11:09. > :11:21.Two explosions ripped through this hall. Survivors described the horror
:11:22. > :11:27.inside. Yes, I was immediately on the ground
:11:28. > :11:32.because we were in the one So you saw glass falling down,
:11:33. > :11:36.and people were like You do not know where to run,
:11:37. > :11:41.so you go on the ground. The man who was with me
:11:42. > :11:44.was like looking, what is happening? All morning we saw ambulances,
:11:45. > :11:53.fire crews and police pour Some of the injured were bussed
:11:54. > :12:02.away for treatment. It is about three hours
:12:03. > :12:04.after the explosions Emergency vehicles continue to go
:12:05. > :12:09.towards the terminal. There is a constant stream of people
:12:10. > :12:12.coming the other way, pulling bags - holiday-makers,
:12:13. > :12:18.commuters, airport workers, who had a Tuesday morning up-ended
:12:19. > :12:21.in terror and chaos. I had a dog and because of my dog,
:12:22. > :12:34.they said to me, go And there we were when it
:12:35. > :12:46.exploded behind us. It is a frightening experience.
:12:47. > :13:02.were a basketball team from Antwerp You think it happens only in other
:13:03. > :13:05.countries but now it is in Belgium. We have to make the best
:13:06. > :13:10.of it and just stay calm, This woman and her family
:13:11. > :13:20.were heading to Venice for a cruise. Although suffering minor injuries,
:13:21. > :13:45.she is just relieved to be alive. Hundreds were taken to a sports
:13:46. > :13:50.centre offered medical treatment. Howevers before, they had planned to
:13:51. > :13:55.be far away from here. Outside, the sobering sight of cars
:13:56. > :14:03.for the victims of this Tuesday morning of terror.
:14:04. > :14:08.Ben, we will talk in more detail about the general challenge of
:14:09. > :14:11.improving security in places like airports and stations. As someone
:14:12. > :14:17.who uses this airport frequently what is your sense of the
:14:18. > :14:22.arrangements that have been there? Well, people arriving here to check
:14:23. > :14:25.in this morning will have seen heavily armed police, the Army in
:14:26. > :14:29.military uniforms patrolling the terminal. They've become a familiar
:14:30. > :14:35.sight in Brussels since the Paris attacks at airports, stations on the
:14:36. > :14:39.streets, in the Metro, a reassuring if a nerving sight for many, the new
:14:40. > :14:42.normal. Yet, three people could still walk into this airport and
:14:43. > :14:47.cause the sort of carnage that we have seen today. It shows how
:14:48. > :14:50.vulnerable airports are before people go through the security and
:14:51. > :14:55.the gates. During the afternoon police said they had found a device
:14:56. > :14:58.that had not gone off, it had not detonated. They're looking for a
:14:59. > :15:01.third attacker who may well have slipped away from the airport along
:15:02. > :15:09.with terrified passengers and airport staff.
:15:10. > :15:17.Thank you. Apologies there, we have lost the
:15:18. > :15:23.link to Brussels. World leaders have condemned
:15:24. > :15:26.the attacks and conveyed their sympathy to the
:15:27. > :15:27.people of Brussels. President Hollande said that a war
:15:28. > :15:30.against terror was being fought And David Cameron urged
:15:31. > :15:34.Europe to stand together. Our correspondent Lucy Williamson
:15:35. > :15:37.has been talking to some of the residents of this city
:15:38. > :15:55.as they react to what's happened. In the departure hall of Brussels
:15:56. > :15:59.international airport, at least in 11 dead and dozens wounded. The
:16:00. > :16:05.European Union, created in the name of peace, confronted in its heart I
:16:06. > :16:12.scenes of war. At this Metro station, it was the emptiness which
:16:13. > :16:16.spoke of violence there. Just blood and class to mark the path of
:16:17. > :16:21.Brussels commuters heading not for office blocks today but hospitals.
:16:22. > :16:26.Round the back, a hotel turned field clinic took in the 20 dead and 100
:16:27. > :16:32.injured, sent to hospitals across the capital and beyond. 15 are being
:16:33. > :16:38.treated here at this hospital not far away. Five are in intensive
:16:39. > :16:47.care. We never know if there will be a second, a third, a fifth or sixth
:16:48. > :16:50.attack. That is the reason why they spread patients across the
:16:51. > :16:55.hospitals. So you are prepared for more attacks? Yes, we are. Last week
:16:56. > :16:58.the same hospital treated Salah Abdeslam, the man arrested for
:16:59. > :17:05.involvement in November court in Paris attacks. The risk of reprisals
:17:06. > :17:08.has meant no-one is above suspicion. But are reprisals in fact what
:17:09. > :17:12.Brussels is dealing with now? In front of the Brussels stock exchange
:17:13. > :17:18.tonight, a vigil for those unsure of where to meet or how to mourn. The
:17:19. > :17:24.loneliness and confusion of this city, sketched in the messages left
:17:25. > :17:29.here on the ground. TRANSLATION: What happened today was very
:17:30. > :17:34.serious. It hit my country. It is unbelievable, really. I laid down a
:17:35. > :17:39.Belgian flag because we are Belgian. To stay inside today is not an
:17:40. > :17:47.option. It sends out a bad message. Why do we have to stay inside? If we
:17:48. > :17:52.do, these guys have won. The stories and faces of those who died here,
:17:53. > :17:56.those whose lives have changed. But before the litany of names come the
:17:57. > :18:03.tributes and the candles, those universal gestures of defiance and
:18:04. > :18:07.hope. As the night has worn on, more people have come here to this square
:18:08. > :18:12.to light candles and chalk their messages on the ground in front of
:18:13. > :18:16.the stock exchange. One thing which is really striking when you read
:18:17. > :18:19.these messages is just how many languages people are expressing
:18:20. > :18:24.their emotions in. Italian, German, English, Arabic. President Hollande
:18:25. > :18:30.of France said this morning that this attack hit the whole of Europe.
:18:31. > :18:36.And it feels as if the whole of Europe is represented here in this
:18:37. > :18:43.square tonight. Lucy Williamson, thank you very much. Right in the
:18:44. > :18:46.heart of Brussels. As Lucy mentioned in her report...
:18:47. > :18:49.As we mentioned, today's attacks happened four days after Salah
:18:50. > :18:52.Abdeslam, a key suspect in last November's attacks in Paris,
:18:53. > :18:56.There have been suggestions that these
:18:57. > :18:59.latest attacks were carried out, either in response for his arrest,
:19:00. > :19:02.or by members of a terror cell who feared they were about
:19:03. > :19:05.The authorities here in Brussels have warned that the terror threat
:19:06. > :19:09.is as menacing as ever, as our security correspondent
:19:10. > :19:25.A manhunt is under way tonight. The man in the white, either,, seen in
:19:26. > :19:29.this CCTV from the airport, shortly before the explosions. The two
:19:30. > :19:32.figures next to him are thought to have blown themselves up, their
:19:33. > :19:36.bombs hidden in bags on their trolleys. But his device did not
:19:37. > :19:41.detonate and he escaped. Belgian police have been carrying out raids
:19:42. > :19:43.today. In win Hartman and in the Schaerbeek district, they found a
:19:44. > :19:49.flag belonging to the so-called Islamic State and a nail bomb. -- in
:19:50. > :19:53.one apartment. In a statement, Islamic State says it was behind the
:19:54. > :19:57.attack today. The Belgian capital has been described as the epicentre
:19:58. > :20:01.of the terrorist threat in Europe - and it has now become its target.
:20:02. > :20:05.When you look at the number of foreign fighters who have gone out
:20:06. > :20:08.to Syria and Iraq, the number from Belgium per capita is higher than
:20:09. > :20:12.anywhere else across the continent. They have a unique and pointed
:20:13. > :20:17.problem. It was only last Friday that a key figure in the Paris
:20:18. > :20:21.attacks, which were organised from Belgium, Salah Abdeslam, was finally
:20:22. > :20:24.caught. He was found in the Molenbeek stripped of Brussels, a
:20:25. > :20:29.notorious part of the city, seen as a hotbed for jihadists. It is
:20:30. > :20:35.something critics say the authorities have failed to deal
:20:36. > :20:40.with. He had been hiding their foot off the months. Authorities are
:20:41. > :20:44.still looking for two men linked to him. Authorities say it is not clear
:20:45. > :20:49.if today's attack is linked to the events in Paris. It could have
:20:50. > :20:52.resulted from the remains of the Paris network hastening their plans
:20:53. > :20:59.to attack amid fears the authorities were on their trail, or that Salah
:21:00. > :21:02.Abdeslam was talking. The other today's strikes could have been
:21:03. > :21:07.carried out by a completely separate cell. Either way, there remains
:21:08. > :21:10.concern over the threat in Belgium, whether the authorities have a grip
:21:11. > :21:14.on it and whether the intelligence is good enough. The security
:21:15. > :21:19.services and Brussels have a bit of a problem. Clearly they have not got
:21:20. > :21:23.a lot of intelligence. In fact it appears they are operating almost
:21:24. > :21:28.blind and deaf. Tonight, France lit up the Eiffel tower with Belgium's
:21:29. > :21:34.national colours in a show of solidarity. But yet again, a
:21:35. > :21:36.European capital is dealing with the aftermath of a deadly attack, asking
:21:37. > :21:37.questions about whether it could have been stopped and hunting for
:21:38. > :21:46.those responsible. As we heard, Belgian police have
:21:47. > :22:01.been carrying out a series of raids Could you bring us up to date on
:22:02. > :22:07.what police have been telling you about the raids? Yes, we are right
:22:08. > :22:11.behind the police cordon here in Schaerbeek. It seems as though the
:22:12. > :22:15.under terror operation which has been going on all afternoon is just
:22:16. > :22:18.winding down. Behind us there are still police patrolling the
:22:19. > :22:23.periphery of this cordon with submachineguns. Use of the street
:22:24. > :22:26.where, as we understand it, the raid took place earlier. Coming around
:22:27. > :22:31.here, we can show you down this road. We have been speaking to
:22:32. > :22:34.neighbours, some of whom have been evacuated. You can see people
:22:35. > :22:38.waiting on the edge of this cordon. One of them showed us some mobile
:22:39. > :22:42.phone footage which he said he filmed on his camera, which shows
:22:43. > :22:46.police approaching an apartment behind us here with a battering ram.
:22:47. > :22:51.He says that two people were arrested. Unconfirmed reports coming
:22:52. > :22:55.from neighbours here. What we do know, as has been confirmed by the
:22:56. > :22:58.Belgian prosecutor, is that during the course of those raids earlier
:22:59. > :23:01.today, they found three the course of those raids earlier
:23:02. > :23:06.significance - an explosive device containing nails, amongst
:23:07. > :23:08.significance - an explosive device things. Also some chemicals. We saw
:23:09. > :23:12.earlier when we arrived two helicopters circling overhead with
:23:13. > :23:20.searchlights coming down on the rooftops. A decontamination unit
:23:21. > :23:23.also left the scene, and Red Cross vehicles going in. And perhaps most
:23:24. > :23:26.poignantly, vehicles going in. And perhaps most
:23:27. > :23:28.also found one of those black standard flags associated with the
:23:29. > :23:44.so-called Anna Holligan there on those raids
:23:45. > :23:47.which have been taking place in the district of Schaerbeek.
:23:48. > :23:50.Security has been stepped up at airports and railway stations
:23:51. > :23:53.throughout Europe, including the UK, but security officials say attacks
:23:54. > :24:02.on targets that are open to the public with little or no
:24:03. > :24:09.security are almost impossible to prevent.
:24:10. > :24:13.Our transport correspondent Richard Westcott reports on how
:24:14. > :24:18.security at these targets, including airports
:24:19. > :24:20.and train stations, might be improved, and what impact that
:24:21. > :24:29.They are images that will inevitably frighten travellers.
:24:30. > :24:31.The attackers focusing on soft targets - airports,
:24:32. > :24:42.But can you ever make the
:24:43. > :24:50.We are all familiar with airport security checks like these,
:24:51. > :24:51.but, critically, the Brussels bombers
:24:52. > :24:57.The thing is, there are still large parts of airports before you get
:24:58. > :25:00.to security that are effectively big open public places where anybody can
:25:01. > :25:05.walk in, carrying a bag and posing as a passenger.
:25:06. > :25:09.It's the underground network, as well.
:25:10. > :25:16.The reality is, it's nigh on impossible to keep the whole
:25:17. > :25:22.Already you will see more police patrolling Britain's railway
:25:23. > :25:28.The Prime Minister insisting they're well prepared.
:25:29. > :25:33.If there is information that implies there is a direct threat
:25:34. > :25:35.to the United Kingdom, then we'd raise the security threat
:25:36. > :25:38.level even higher than it is today.
:25:39. > :25:41.But it already stands at severe, which means we believe an attack
:25:42. > :25:43.is highly likely and that has been the case for sometime.
:25:44. > :25:47.So we will continue to keep the situation under review.
:25:48. > :25:52.Some airports, especially in the Middle East, screen
:25:53. > :25:55.passengers before they are allowed into the building.
:25:56. > :25:58.Every time you come up with a solution...
:25:59. > :26:05.The former head of security at airport says that can
:26:06. > :26:07.The former head of security at Heathrow says that can
:26:08. > :26:12.Then you would be building up queues outside the terminal.
:26:13. > :26:15.You are then massing a group of people which are another perfect
:26:16. > :26:17.target for a bomber or a drive-by shooter.
:26:18. > :26:21.Is the reality there is only so much you can do to make these kinds
:26:22. > :26:24.Wherever you get a large volume of people it's very difficult
:26:25. > :26:28.to protect them from an unknown attack.
:26:29. > :26:31.Intelligence is the key, but we don't always have that
:26:32. > :26:37.intelligence and sometimes that intelligence
:26:38. > :26:41.isn't shared to all of the people that should have it.
:26:42. > :26:44.Tonight, the Government is warning Britons not to travel to Brussels
:26:45. > :26:54.I'm joined now by our Europe Editor Katya Adler.
:26:55. > :27:00.Just a matter of months ago, we were talking about those dreadful attacks
:27:01. > :27:04.in the centre of Paris. You know this city very well, you live here.
:27:05. > :27:10.Has this city responded in the same kind of way? Well, tonight, Huw, you
:27:11. > :27:14.have that sense of anger and fear and sadness, like you had in Paris.
:27:15. > :27:19.But what is very different is the absence of shock. This city has been
:27:20. > :27:22.in a state of public jumping is an high security alert since those
:27:23. > :27:27.Paris attacks, and the massive manhunt here for key suspects linked
:27:28. > :27:32.to them. Back in November, the city was in lockdown for days, no Metro,
:27:33. > :27:34.schools closed. That is not to say that there is a sense of
:27:35. > :27:40.inevitability tonight about the bombings today. There is a sense of
:27:41. > :27:43.public anger, to a certain extent, a feeling that there are government,
:27:44. > :27:47.the security forces, should have done more to keep them safe and
:27:48. > :27:50.should do more now. This evening, the Belgian Prime Minister said,
:27:51. > :27:56.there are more attacks to come. It is when and not if which is haunting
:27:57. > :27:59.people in Brussels tonight. We will speak later about the broader
:28:00. > :28:04.European response, but that will be in a few minutes.
:28:05. > :28:08.For more on the Brussels attacks you can go to our website which has
:28:09. > :28:12.the latest developments and further analysis.
:28:13. > :28:15.We'll be back in Brussels before the end of the programme.
:28:16. > :28:17.But now it's time for the day's other news with Sophie.
:28:18. > :28:21.The Chancellor, George Osborne, has admitted that proposed cuts
:28:22. > :28:24.to some disability benefits in last week's Budget were a mistake.
:28:25. > :28:27.He told the Commons that he had "listened and learned" and had now
:28:28. > :28:40.dropped plans to make any more welfare cuts in this parliament,
:28:41. > :28:43.following the resignation of the Work and Pensions secretary,
:28:44. > :28:46.Tonight, MPs voted to approve the Budget.
:28:47. > :28:47.Here's our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg.
:28:48. > :28:51.There he is - the former military man who has fallen spectacularly
:28:52. > :28:54.Quietly walking through Westminster today -
:28:55. > :28:58.While his old political pals were at their weekly Cabinet meeting
:28:59. > :29:00.trying to agree answers to his list of accusations.
:29:01. > :29:05.getting used to the new ministerial car.
:29:06. > :29:07.And George Osborne dealing with the biggest problem of all -
:29:08. > :29:14.trying to make his Budget sums add up.
:29:15. > :29:26.A Chancellor less than a week since his Budget having to explain
:29:27. > :29:30.why he's already junked part of his plans and answer a political
:29:31. > :29:37.I'm sorry that my right honourable friend chose
:29:38. > :29:41.And let me here in this House recognise his achievements
:29:42. > :29:43.in helping to make work pay, protecting the vulnerable
:29:44. > :29:46.and breaking the decades-old cycle of welfare dependency.
:29:47. > :29:53.There was no apology for confusion over capping
:29:54. > :29:55.There was no apology for confusion over scrapping
:29:56. > :29:58.disability cuts, or an answer on where cash will come
:29:59. > :30:01.George Osborne DID acknowledge mistakes, but there wasn't much
:30:02. > :30:06.And if you want a Budget for working people that helps them
:30:07. > :30:08.save for their future, that freezes their fuel duty,
:30:09. > :30:11.cuts income tax so they keep more of the money they earn -
:30:12. > :30:13.that's the Budget we are voting on tonight.
:30:14. > :30:16.It's a Budget that delivers security, that helps the next
:30:17. > :30:20.It is a one-nation, compassionate, Conservative Budget and I ask
:30:21. > :30:31."More, more," they cried on the Tory benches.
:30:32. > :30:34.But Labour knows this Budget has hurt the Chancellor's reputation,
:30:35. > :30:39.and is only too happy the push the bruise.
:30:40. > :30:45.The behaviour of the Chancellor over the last 11 days calls
:30:46. > :30:49.into question his fitness for the office he now holds.
:30:50. > :30:59.What we've seen is not the actions of a Chancellor,
:31:00. > :31:02.a senior Government Minister, but the grubby, incompetent
:31:03. > :31:05.manipulations of a political chancer.
:31:06. > :31:07.But I certainly think for the sake of the country,
:31:08. > :31:10.it's time for him to go.
:31:11. > :31:12.Yet the Tory party managers seem to have done their job.
:31:13. > :31:18.George Osborne and Michael Gove, relaxed enough to share a laugh.
:31:19. > :31:22.No sign of the very real Tory doubts and frustrations about the Budget.
:31:23. > :31:26.Had he listened to the advice of the party opposite
:31:27. > :31:30.in the last five years, our national debt would be
:31:31. > :31:35...13 years in Government was a Post-it note saying there's
:31:36. > :31:39.We've taken 3 million people, the lowest paid workers,
:31:40. > :31:41.out of tax altogether.
:31:42. > :31:47.He or she who shouts the loudest will always be heard,
:31:48. > :31:51.MPs leapt to the defence of George Osborne today,
:31:52. > :31:54.but they cannot repair his reputation in one afternoon.
:31:55. > :31:57.And there are still serious unanswered questions
:31:58. > :31:59.about the Budget that he can't escape for ever.
:32:00. > :32:03.Nos 10 and 11 do tonight have their party under more control.
:32:04. > :32:07.But after a dramatic few days, ministers would be wise to keep
:32:08. > :32:15.I'm joined by our economics editor, Kamal Ahmed.
:32:16. > :32:25.There's a ?4.5 billion black hole - how can the Chancellor fill it?
:32:26. > :32:30.I think it is becoming increasingly clear to the Treasury, and to the
:32:31. > :32:34.Government, that it is going to be very difficult to cut their way to a
:32:35. > :32:39.budget surplus in 2020, which is their target. Why is that? Because
:32:40. > :32:46.really he is boxed in. He has said there will be no cuts over the NHS,
:32:47. > :32:51.to schools, to defence, to pensions, to overseas aid. He has not got much
:32:52. > :32:54.further to further to go to see things he can cut. Yesterday, the
:32:55. > :32:58.new ban on further welfare cuts means there is little further he can
:32:59. > :33:02.go there. He has two other leaders, one of which is raising taxes.
:33:03. > :33:08.Instinctively he is not keen on that. He has set himself whole load
:33:09. > :33:11.of rules there. No income tax rises, no rises to VAT or national
:33:12. > :33:17.insurance. His one big hope is that the economy actually picks up and
:33:18. > :33:22.that news about the economy is not as gloomy as forecast, and that that
:33:23. > :33:29.will increase government income and tax receipts and enable him to get
:33:30. > :33:32.to his budget surplus on the back of better economic news.
:33:33. > :33:35.Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party has said it won't implement
:33:36. > :33:39.the Chancellor's tax cut for higher earners
:33:40. > :33:41.if it wins the Scottish elections in May.
:33:42. > :33:43.Mr Osborne announced that the threshold for the 40p
:33:44. > :33:45.rate of income tax would rise to ?45,000 in 2017.
:33:46. > :33:48.But the SNP says it would only increase it in line with inflation.
:33:49. > :33:54.Our Scotland editor, Sarah Smith, is in Glasgow.
:33:55. > :34:00.So, what does this mean in practice for Scottish taxpayers? It would
:34:01. > :34:04.mean that some people in Scotland would for the first time be paying a
:34:05. > :34:08.different rate in tax to people in the rest of the United Kingdom.
:34:09. > :34:13.Specifically, anyone earning more than ?43,000 would have a tax bill
:34:14. > :34:17.which was ?323 higher than people living in England, Wales or Northern
:34:18. > :34:22.Ireland. The SNP say that over five years, this would generate more than
:34:23. > :34:26.?1 billion to invest in health and education. First Minister Nicola
:34:27. > :34:29.Sturgeon says she is pretty confident that Scots would not mind
:34:30. > :34:32.paying a bit more tax as long as they see the money being invested in
:34:33. > :34:35.better public services. This would be a historic change, but
:34:36. > :34:39.nonetheless some of the opposition parties in Scotland have called the
:34:40. > :34:43.move to timid. Scottish Labour and the Liberal Democrats both say that
:34:44. > :34:47.they would put taxes up across all the bands of income tax in Scotland,
:34:48. > :34:50.which leaves the Scottish Conservatives as the only major
:34:51. > :34:54.party in Scotland saying that they do not want to increase tax and in
:34:55. > :34:59.fact, they would cut it if they could.
:35:00. > :35:02.On the last day of his historic visit to Cuba, President Obama has
:35:03. > :35:04.urged Cubans to look to the future with hope.
:35:05. > :35:07.Mr Obama said it was a moment to "bury the last remnants
:35:08. > :35:12.He ended his trip at a baseball match in Havana, where he sat
:35:13. > :35:13.side-by-side with Cuban President Raoul Castro.
:35:14. > :35:15.From Havana, here's our North America editor,
:35:16. > :35:23.President Obama has flown out of Cuba after a two-day visit that
:35:24. > :35:25.has put relations between the US and his Communist hosts
:35:26. > :35:36.President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.
:35:37. > :35:38.Here is a vivid symbol of that - his keynote speech,
:35:39. > :35:53.carried live and uninterrupted into every Cuban home by a network
:35:54. > :36:05.I have come here to extend the hand of friendship to the Cuban people.
:36:06. > :36:08.The President has met dissidents while he's been here and he spoke
:36:09. > :36:12.candidly about the need for Cuba to open up.
:36:13. > :36:17.The internet should be available across the Islands so that Cubans
:36:18. > :36:20.can connect to the wider world and to one of the greatest engines
:36:21. > :36:28.Baseball is a near religion in this country, and so huge excitement that
:36:29. > :36:31.an American pro team, the Tampa Bay Rays, had
:36:32. > :36:41.But with Barack Obama's visit to Cuba, he's hoping it's a win-win.
:36:42. > :36:52.And these two men might have just pulled that off,
:36:53. > :36:55.entering the Stadio Latino Americano to tumultuous cheers,
:36:56. > :36:58.dressed down and ready for the first pitch.
:36:59. > :37:01.But before that, the stadium fell silent for the victims
:37:02. > :37:05.of the Brussels attacks over 3,000 miles away.
:37:06. > :37:09.Two nations, who 50 years ago stood on the edge of nuclear war,
:37:10. > :37:21.More now on our main story - the Brussels attacks.
:37:22. > :37:34.Here in Brussels, King Philippe has urged Belgians to stand together.
:37:35. > :37:42.He said they would refuse to be cowed by today's terrible events.
:37:43. > :37:48.At least 31 people have been killed in attacks,
:37:49. > :37:52.apparently carried out by the so-called Islamic State group.
:37:53. > :37:57.Two explosions hit the city's main airport early this morning.
:37:58. > :38:00.An hour later, a bomb was detonated at a Metro station in the heart
:38:01. > :38:08.Police say they are still hunting a man seen here on the right on CCTV
:38:09. > :38:10.pushing a luggage trolley at Zaventem airport
:38:11. > :38:20.So, that is a summary of where we are tonight.
:38:21. > :38:23.Our Europe editor, Katya Adler, is with me.
:38:24. > :38:31.Looking back at the atrocities of last year, and we were talking about
:38:32. > :38:35.what response it would prompt across Europe. The same questions today?
:38:36. > :38:39.Except that we are a big step further now. We have had what
:38:40. > :38:44.European leaders have long been fearing, an attack on a main
:38:45. > :38:46.European airport, close to the main European institution buildings,
:38:47. > :38:50.where we are standing now. You say what next? Absolutely. Whether it
:38:51. > :38:56.was the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January last year, or the wider
:38:57. > :38:59.attacks in November, and now, there are promises with the European
:39:00. > :39:06.security services that they will work better together. On the other
:39:07. > :39:09.hand, what really concerns European leaders are the thousands of
:39:10. > :39:13.Europeans who go to Syria and comeback radicalised. There is the
:39:14. > :39:17.worry about how to monitor them. While they worked that out,
:39:18. > :39:20.Europeans across the continent go to bed tonight feeling that much more
:39:21. > :39:25.exposed and that much more vulnerable. Catcher Adler there.
:39:26. > :39:28.That's it from Brussels tonight, after the city's worst fears
:39:29. > :39:36.were realised in today's terror attacks.
:39:37. > :39:40.So far we know that at least 31 people have died. Probably 200
:39:41. > :39:46.people or more have been injured. There's more coverage on the BBC
:39:47. > :39:49.News Channel overnight. Here on BBC One, it's time
:39:50. > :39:52.for the news where you are. But before we go, the latest images
:39:53. > :39:55.of the Place de La Bourse, where people here in Brussels have
:39:56. > :39:59.been gathering tonight to pay their respect
:40:00. > :40:03.to the victims of today's attacks.