:00:00. > :00:00.Police say there's no evidence to link the Westminster attacker
:00:00. > :00:12.But they say Khalid Masood, who was described by IS as one
:00:13. > :00:16.of their soldiers, had clearly been interested in jihad.
:00:17. > :00:18.Masood drove his car at over 70 miles an hour
:00:19. > :00:23.hitting dozens of people in his path.
:00:24. > :00:28.I would more describe him as somebody who's been exploited,
:00:29. > :00:31.and a man who is clearly a lone actor, who has come up
:00:32. > :00:34.from the basement, so to speak, to commit a murderous and cowardly
:00:35. > :00:40.The family of one of the victims - the American tourist Kurt Cochran -
:00:41. > :00:44.say they bear no ill will following the atrocity.
:00:45. > :00:46.He was an amazing individual who loved everyone, and tried
:00:47. > :00:55.And during the day, the attacker's mother has spoken for the first
:00:56. > :00:58.time about the atrocity, expressing her shock and sadness.
:00:59. > :01:04.Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May hold their first face-to-face
:01:05. > :01:07.talks since the demand for a new independence referendum,
:01:08. > :01:13.and two days before the Brexit process is triggered.
:01:14. > :01:15.In Iraq, as the battle for Mosul intensifies,
:01:16. > :01:20.we report on the plight of thousands of civilians.
:01:21. > :01:29.It might be good for the tempo of the military operation,
:01:30. > :01:35.but it isn't necessarily good for preserving civilian lives.
:01:36. > :01:39.In Northern Ireland, the political parties get extra time
:01:40. > :01:44.to try to reach a deal on forming a new power-sharing executive.
:01:45. > :01:47.And - is this the kind of show that could transform the world of county
:01:48. > :01:53.And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News:
:01:54. > :01:57.England Under-21s continue their preparations for
:01:58. > :01:59.the European Championship this summer, with a comfortable 4-0
:02:00. > :02:26.The Metropolitan Police says there's no evidence of any link
:02:27. > :02:27.between Khalid Masood, the man responsible for
:02:28. > :02:32.the Westminster attack last week, and the Islamic State group
:02:33. > :02:39.Officers said that Masood "clearly had an interest in jihad",
:02:40. > :02:41.and they were still investigating the circumstances that
:02:42. > :02:42.led to the attack, which claimed four lives,
:02:43. > :02:46.Masood's mother has broken her silence today,
:02:47. > :02:55.Our home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford has the latest.
:02:56. > :03:03.Ploughing across Westminster Bridge at speeds of up to 76 miles an hour,
:03:04. > :03:08.Khalid Masood, using his hired 4x4 as a weapon.
:03:09. > :03:12.Going back through CCTV, detectives have discovered that he
:03:13. > :03:16.drove around Westminster sometime before his
:03:17. > :03:19.attack too, possibly on a reconnaissance mission.
:03:20. > :03:23.Today, Masood's elderly mother, Janet Ajao,
:03:24. > :03:41.Detectives have established that the Westminster
:03:42. > :03:44.attacker had a clear interest in jihad, but have so far found no
:03:45. > :03:49.evidence that Khalid Masood discussed his attack with others or
:03:50. > :03:51.had contact with Al-Qaeda or so-called Islamic State, who had
:03:52. > :03:53.described him as a soldier of the caliphate.
:03:54. > :04:05.I would more describe him as somebody who has been exploited, and
:04:06. > :04:08.a man who was clearly a actor who has come
:04:09. > :04:15.up from the basement, so to speak, to commit a murderous
:04:16. > :04:19.In the last three minutes before the carnage, Masood's
:04:20. > :04:29.phone used to be encrypted messaging service WhatsApp.
:04:30. > :04:31.As the mountain of flowers and wreaths grow,
:04:32. > :04:33.detectives made it clear today that the communications that Khalid
:04:34. > :04:37.Masood had in the immediate build-up to the attack were a main line of
:04:38. > :04:40.They are asking anybody who heard from him that day
:04:41. > :04:43.to come forward to help them to establish what his state of mind
:04:44. > :04:47.There is little doubt that Khalid Masood had a violent past.
:04:48. > :04:50.Danny Smith got into an argument with him in 2003, when Masood
:04:51. > :04:58.And he just pulled a knife out, and he sort of flinched to see
:04:59. > :05:06.I thought, surely he ain't going to stab me for this.
:05:07. > :05:11.Full-on punched me, stabbed me straight in the face.
:05:12. > :05:17.On Wednesday, one week on from the attack,
:05:18. > :05:19.the Westminster coroner will formally begin the inquests
:05:20. > :05:21.into the four people killed before adjourning them for
:05:22. > :05:24.On Thursday, she will do the same for
:05:25. > :05:28.the man who murdered them, Khalid Masood.
:05:29. > :05:35.Detectives trying to work out when Khalid Masood was radicalised have
:05:36. > :05:39.ruled out for now his time in prison and they can't find any link with
:05:40. > :05:43.the extremist group during his time when he was living in Luton. In
:05:44. > :05:47.fact, while he was clearly a very violent young man, he seems to have
:05:48. > :05:50.calmed down at around the time he converted to Islam and it was only
:05:51. > :05:57.much more recently that he descended into a world of jihad on terror.
:05:58. > :06:00.Thank you very much. Daniel Sandford at new Scotland Yard.
:06:01. > :06:02.During the day, the family of an American tourist
:06:03. > :06:10.who was killed in the Westminster attack said they bore no ill will.
:06:11. > :06:13.Kurt and Melissa Cochran, from Utah, were on the final day
:06:14. > :06:15.of a trip to London to celebrate their 25th
:06:16. > :06:17.wedding anniversary when they were hit by the car
:06:18. > :06:18.on Westminster Bridge, killing Mr Cochran.
:06:19. > :06:21.The family said they wanted to focus on Mr Cochran's
:06:22. > :06:23.Our correspondent Daniela Relph reports.
:06:24. > :06:26.It had been their first visit out of the USA -
:06:27. > :06:30.a tour of Europe to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
:06:31. > :06:33.But on the final day of their trip, Kurt Cochran was killed
:06:34. > :06:42.His wife, Melissa Cochran-Payne, seriously injured.
:06:43. > :06:48.Today, 13 members of their family spoke publicly for the first time.
:06:49. > :06:50.From Utah, they are a Mormon family, who have found
:06:51. > :06:55.I think it's hard for most of us to imagine here what it must be
:06:56. > :07:00.Can you give us some sense of the impact on the family?
:07:01. > :07:03.I think it's brought us really close together.
:07:04. > :07:06.Our family's been always close together, and we've
:07:07. > :07:09.always had some wonderful, wonderful times together.
:07:10. > :07:13.We just love and support each other so much, and I think it's made us
:07:14. > :07:16.Kurt Cochran ran a music studio back home, an enthusiasm
:07:17. > :07:23.Their song was featured and they're about to get going right here...
:07:24. > :07:27.There have been tribute concerts in his honour.
:07:28. > :07:28.His family overwhelmed by the thousands of
:07:29. > :07:35.What the Cochran and Payne families have shown today is what happens
:07:36. > :07:39.when you are suddenly affected by an event of this magnitude.
:07:40. > :07:44.It has brought with it trauma, grief and, for them, forgiveness.
:07:45. > :07:51.None of us harbour any ill will or harsh feelings towards this.
:07:52. > :07:56.We love our brother, we love what he brought to the world.
:07:57. > :08:00.That lack of resentment or bitterness - a feeling shared
:08:01. > :08:07.We should sort of try and unify through love and compassion,
:08:08. > :08:11.rather than through our hatred and anger about what happened.
:08:12. > :08:15.Today, Tobias Ellwood was in Parliament Square to pay his
:08:16. > :08:21.The Foreign Office Minister had tried so hard to save the life of PC
:08:22. > :08:25.This, a chance for him to remember all of those killed.
:08:26. > :08:32.Daniela Relph, BBC News, Westminster.
:08:33. > :08:34.Theresa May has held talks with Nicola Sturgeon, for the first
:08:35. > :08:36.time since the Scottish government demanded a new
:08:37. > :08:41.The First Minister wants a referendum within two years.
:08:42. > :08:44.She says that Brexit has transformed the situation since voters voted
:08:45. > :08:51.But the Prime Minister has restated her view that now is not
:08:52. > :08:57.Our Scotland editor Sarah Smith reports.
:08:58. > :08:59.Theresa May knows this could be awkward.
:09:00. > :09:04.She's here to talk about her Article 50 letter.
:09:05. > :09:08.She's here to press her demand for a referendum on independence.
:09:09. > :09:12.So no handshakes, no press conference, just a couple
:09:13. > :09:17.of souvenir photographs that neither woman looks like they're enjoying.
:09:18. > :09:21.By stark contrast, their first meeting just eight months ago.
:09:22. > :09:24.Then they said they had a good working relationship, not now,
:09:25. > :09:27.as Mrs May says she will reject any request for a vote
:09:28. > :09:34.My position isn't going to change, which is now is not the time to be
:09:35. > :09:38.talking about a second independence referendum, because it wouldn't be
:09:39. > :09:41.fair on the Scottish people to ask them to make that decision
:09:42. > :09:47.Also because now is the time when we need to pull together,
:09:48. > :09:50.to make sure we get the best possible deal for the UK -
:09:51. > :09:54.The meeting, which took place on the 15th floor of this
:09:55. > :09:56.hotel, was, I'm told, businesslike and cordial.
:09:57. > :09:59.Probably the longest meeting between Nicola Sturgeon
:10:00. > :10:03.and Theresa May yet, but very little was agreed.
:10:04. > :10:06.The Scottish Government had been expecting to hear
:10:07. > :10:08.about new powers to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament
:10:09. > :10:11.after Brexit, but there was no detail on that,
:10:12. > :10:14.and when the First Minister told the Prime Minister how she intends
:10:15. > :10:17.to formally request another Scottish referendum she was told simply,
:10:18. > :10:24.The First Minister says Mrs May agreed -
:10:25. > :10:28.the shape of the Brexit deal should be clear in 18-24 months' time,
:10:29. > :10:30.which is when the Scottish Government want to hold that
:10:31. > :10:36.I've said that I want people in Scotland to have an informed
:10:37. > :10:38.choice when the terms of Brexit are clear.
:10:39. > :10:41.She has confirmed to me today that that will be in a period from autumn
:10:42. > :10:46.We both agree, now is not the time to ask people to make that choice,
:10:47. > :10:50.but since we both appear to be in agreement as to when that term,
:10:51. > :10:53.the terms of Brexit will become clear on her timetable,
:10:54. > :10:58.then that would underline my view that that is the right time.
:10:59. > :11:00.Visiting Police Scotland, Theresa May announced a major
:11:01. > :11:07.The message - the importance of coordinating security across the UK.
:11:08. > :11:09.When this great union of nations, England, Scotland, Wales
:11:10. > :11:12.and Northern Ireland, sets its mind on something, and
:11:13. > :11:19.works together with determination, we are an unstoppable force.
:11:20. > :11:22.In a speech to staff at the Department for
:11:23. > :11:24.International Development in East Kilbride, she said she wants
:11:25. > :11:28.But it is Scottish independence on the agenda at the Holyrood
:11:29. > :11:31.Parliament tomorrow, when they'll almost certainly vote
:11:32. > :11:43.Live to Westminster and our political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
:11:44. > :11:50.With just two days until the start of the Brexit process, was any
:11:51. > :11:54.realistic prospect of meaningful progress today? I think these two
:11:55. > :11:58.leaders are at a stand-off. It might not be personally bad-tempered but I
:11:59. > :12:02.think it has become politically bad tempered. There has even been spat
:12:03. > :12:07.tonight over what was or wasn't agreed between the two behind closed
:12:08. > :12:11.doors at their meeting. Number ten has disputed the SNP and Scottish
:12:12. > :12:14.Government's suggestion that somehow the Prime Minister accepted their
:12:15. > :12:18.version of what would be reasonable timetable. I think what we're
:12:19. > :12:23.seeing, just a few weeks since Nicola Sturgeon put forward her
:12:24. > :12:27.demand to press ahead with a second referendum, it seems abundantly
:12:28. > :12:31.clear that in the first ages at least of this whole process, this
:12:32. > :12:34.complicated path of taking us out of the European Union, that the
:12:35. > :12:36.tensions between the Scottish Government and Westminster
:12:37. > :12:41.government are going to be a constant feature of that as it
:12:42. > :12:47.unfolds. This potentially that adds an extra layer to every decision
:12:48. > :12:50.taken in this particular process, how will that decision go down in
:12:51. > :12:55.Scotland? Also a reminder of how much this is not just a conversation
:12:56. > :12:59.between us and the rest of the continent, it's conversation as well
:13:00. > :13:05.between the shape of our country, how will decisions be seen in
:13:06. > :13:09.Cardiff, in-store Mont, how will decisions be taken in the south-west
:13:10. > :13:13.or right around the country? I think this whole issue between Nicola
:13:14. > :13:18.Sturgeon and Theresa May is a very timely reminder of that. If they had
:13:19. > :13:21.been in any doubt, for Downing Street the consequences of the
:13:22. > :13:25.decisions they take, the path they navigate, which starts formally,
:13:26. > :13:30.finally you might think, on Wednesday, will have consequences in
:13:31. > :13:34.every corner of our country, not just around the EU. Laura, thank you
:13:35. > :13:36.very much. Laura Kuenssberg at Westminster.
:13:37. > :13:38.The Pentagon says it places the "highest priority"
:13:39. > :13:40.on investigating claims that coalition air strikes,
:13:41. > :13:43.led by the US, killed large numbers of civilians in the Iraqi city
:13:44. > :13:48.In western Mosul today, Iraqi forces have been
:13:49. > :13:52.intensifying their assault against so called Islamic State.
:13:53. > :13:58.But thousands of people are fleeing the city,
:13:59. > :14:00.and they're warning that many civilians are still at risk.
:14:01. > :14:03.With the city still divided between IS and the Iraqi army,
:14:04. > :14:05.our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen reports from the front
:14:06. > :14:14.This is the Iraqi solution to an offensive that's
:14:15. > :14:24.stalled over the last week or so - attack again.
:14:25. > :14:27.It feels as if the air war over Mosul is intensifying.
:14:28. > :14:36.They seem confident they won't get shot down.
:14:37. > :14:42.And every day, a few thousand more people come walking out of the areas
:14:43. > :14:48.of Mosul still held by the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State.
:14:49. > :14:52.Many said IS used them as human shields, shooting out from the cover
:14:53. > :14:56.of their homes and streets, but the response -
:14:57. > :15:07.TRANSLATION: They destroyed our homes, our cars, everything.
:15:08. > :15:18.Entire families are gone, they are under the rubble.
:15:19. > :15:25.TRANSLATION: A lot of people died, children, women and men.
:15:26. > :15:38.Some very sophisticated modern weapons are in this
:15:39. > :15:41.fight, and so are these - locally made rockets
:15:42. > :15:47.over a short range - a blunt instrument.
:15:48. > :15:53.It might be good for the tempo of the military operation,
:15:54. > :15:59.but it isn't necessarily good for preserving civilian lives.
:16:00. > :16:02.But they want to win this battle, and they're
:16:03. > :16:11.This family's saved some of their favourite things
:16:12. > :16:16.now that the jihadists have been forced out of their area.
:16:17. > :16:18.IS banned television and made them stay through the worst
:16:19. > :16:29.Hassan Abdelfatah showed how their flat, still near the front
:16:30. > :16:36.line, was virtually destroyed with them in it.
:16:37. > :16:39.He said that men from IS stopped his neighbour taking six
:16:40. > :16:41.daughters to safety, threatening to hang him
:16:42. > :16:52.The people of Mosul have been left with impossible choices -
:16:53. > :16:54.risk death by staying in their own homes, or risk death
:16:55. > :16:59.taking their children across a front line.
:17:00. > :17:02.The Iraqi authorities advised them to stay put.
:17:03. > :17:07.Yassir Mohamed Ahmed brought his family onto their front
:17:08. > :17:10.doorstep to watch the battle a couple of hundred metres
:17:11. > :17:24.Euphoria at liberation from IS had stripped away his sense of danger.
:17:25. > :17:28.Most of the people arriving in government-held territory
:17:29. > :17:39.Many said IS fighters forced themselves into their homes.
:17:40. > :17:50.But Hamoud Suleiman said "Don't bomb them with us there".
:17:51. > :17:55.Nine of this woman's family were killed in the big raid on the 17th.
:17:56. > :17:59.She said she wasn't escaping the jihadists, but air strikes
:18:00. > :18:05.that use tonnes of bombs on a single sniper.
:18:06. > :18:09.TRANSLATION: They destroy the houses when there are one or two or three
:18:10. > :18:13.so-called Islamic State men inside them.
:18:14. > :18:26.My children, nine of my family killed.
:18:27. > :18:32.They call them smart bombs, but this is stupid.
:18:33. > :18:36.Using more firepower may well speed up victory over
:18:37. > :18:38.the jihadists in Mosul, but it is bad.
:18:39. > :18:43.Killing civilians is bad for the future of Iraq.
:18:44. > :18:46.These people are Sunni Muslims and they already feel like victims
:18:47. > :18:54.If Iraqis are to have any chance of better lives,
:18:55. > :18:57.then all of them need to feel as if their lives matter,
:18:58. > :19:05.Iraq has been shattered by the years of wars and sectarian conflict
:19:06. > :19:08.that followed the US and British invasion.
:19:09. > :19:11.Even when this war against IS is over, it might be too late to put
:19:12. > :19:23.In Northern Ireland, the political parties have
:19:24. > :19:25.been given more time to try to form a power-sharing
:19:26. > :19:27.government after failing to meet today's deadline.
:19:28. > :19:31.After three weeks of talks, there's still no sign
:19:32. > :19:32.of agreement between the Democratic Unionist Party
:19:33. > :19:42.The Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire said he believes
:19:43. > :19:44.there is no appetite for yet another election, as our
:19:45. > :19:46.Ireland correspondent Chris Buckler reports.
:19:47. > :19:48.There's been a lot of talk in Northern Ireland
:19:49. > :19:50.about restoring power-sharing, but at times it's felt
:19:51. > :19:59.like Sinn Fein and the DUP have been speaking a very different language.
:20:00. > :20:02.Much of the funding for this class for migrant workers in Dungannon
:20:03. > :20:07.comes through Stormont, but with no government, there's no budget.
:20:08. > :20:11.can't be sure how much money they'll have once the new financial year
:20:12. > :20:19.If there's no funding, it would mean imminent closure
:20:20. > :20:25.Those concerns about budgets stretch across all departments including
:20:26. > :20:32.But at four o'clock, the deadline for an agreement,
:20:33. > :20:35.the politicians weren't electing a First and Deputy First Minister.
:20:36. > :20:44.I think there are a short few weeks in order to resolve matters.
:20:45. > :20:47.The reason I say that is because of this issue,
:20:48. > :20:49.the stark issue in relation to public services here
:20:50. > :20:56.and the lack of a budget having been set.
:20:57. > :20:58.The Northern Ireland Secretary has a limited number of options.
:20:59. > :21:01.He can call another election, but he's indicated that there
:21:02. > :21:08.However, because he only has to call a vote
:21:09. > :21:10.within a reasonable time period, that does allow more time
:21:11. > :21:15.The other option is what's known as direct rule,
:21:16. > :21:17.where the Westminster government would take control of the running
:21:18. > :21:25.of Northern Ireland, at least for a time.
:21:26. > :21:28.Last week at Martin McGuinness's funeral, the leaders of the DUP
:21:29. > :21:30.and Sinn Fein did reach out to each other.
:21:31. > :21:32.But any signs of friendship were missing at Stormont
:21:33. > :21:34.today when Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill
:21:35. > :21:39.There's a gulf between the parties on a whole range of issues,
:21:40. > :21:42.from Sinn Fein's demands for legislation to give official
:21:43. > :21:45.status to the Irish language to that thorny old problem of how
:21:46. > :21:47.to recognise and deal with Northern Ireland's
:21:48. > :21:53.That all leaves major worries about the future of power-sharing,
:21:54. > :21:55.and in places like this Dungannon community group,
:21:56. > :21:57.another generation affected by Northern Ireland's old divides.
:21:58. > :22:06.Hundreds of Syrian rebels and their families have
:22:07. > :22:09.left their last stronghold in the city of Homs.
:22:10. > :22:11.They left the district of al-Waer under an evacuation deal
:22:12. > :22:14.Rebel fighters boarded buses out of the city,
:22:15. > :22:17.bound for another rebel-held area in the north,
:22:18. > :22:20.Our chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet is in Homs
:22:21. > :22:31.They held out as long as they could, fighters now leaving their last
:22:32. > :22:39.Their families go with them, taking whatever they can carry.
:22:40. > :22:51.Forced to leave behind the only homes they've ever known, it's hard.
:22:52. > :22:54.And the rebels have to leave behind their biggest weapons.
:22:55. > :23:03.Russia's military police also keep a close eye today.
:23:04. > :23:05.This agreement was negotiated with Moscow's help.
:23:06. > :23:07.In the weeks to come, thousands more will board these
:23:08. > :23:14.buses and head to an opposition area in the north.
:23:15. > :23:18.Despite the deal, a government cleric suddenly shows up...
:23:19. > :23:23.pleading with a Muslim leader from the other side.
:23:24. > :23:31.If you go, you'll end up like a refugee in a tent.
:23:32. > :23:45.The governor insists this is a good deal for Homs.
:23:46. > :23:51.TRANSLATION: The rebels had such a terrible impact
:23:52. > :23:55.Once the armed men have gone, the city will be stable.
:23:56. > :23:58.Restoring safety here will make all of Homs safe again.
:23:59. > :24:01.Time and again over the course of Syria's war, this is how
:24:02. > :24:04.battles have been ending, in these local deals.
:24:05. > :24:07.The government calls them reconciliations which they say
:24:08. > :24:20.But for the rebels, this amounts to surrender
:24:21. > :24:23.and a forced displacement, many of them leaving their homes.
:24:24. > :24:25.Thousands of people will remain here.
:24:26. > :24:29.These pictures were filmed for us inside the rebel enclave.
:24:30. > :24:37.It's still encircled by troops, so we can't go in.
:24:38. > :24:40.What was once a vibrant community of 75,000 has been hollowed out
:24:41. > :24:42.by nearly four years of bombardment and siege.
:24:43. > :24:52.Food and medicine are scarce, but life goes on.
:24:53. > :24:55.Abdul Hafiz tells stories to young schoolchildren.
:24:56. > :25:03."Will you be the mouse or the fox", he asks, "or the tiger?"
:25:04. > :25:05.He has been teaching in Al Wa'r since 1964.
:25:06. > :25:15.TRANSLATION: Forced evacuation is a war crime.
:25:16. > :25:17.People have been forced to surrender because of the siege,
:25:18. > :25:23.which has lasted for months. Even baby milk couldn't get through.
:25:24. > :25:25.The rebels could have stayed, but they don't trust
:25:26. > :25:26.the government's offer of an amnesty, fearing
:25:27. > :25:29.that they would end up in detention or serving the army
:25:30. > :25:35.They leave behind the city they once called the capital
:25:36. > :25:41.Syria is moving away from war, but it's no closer to peace.
:25:42. > :25:49.A brief look at some of the day's other news stories.
:25:50. > :25:51.The Qatari government is investing ?5 billion
:25:52. > :25:53.in the British economy, mainly in property
:25:54. > :25:57.It says the vote to leave the EU doesn't affect its optimistic
:25:58. > :26:03.Thames Valley Police are to install new security barriers
:26:04. > :26:07.around Windsor Castle ahead of the next Changing of the Guard
:26:08. > :26:11.Officers said the measures weren't in response
:26:12. > :26:13.to specific intelligence, but followed a review in light
:26:14. > :26:19.A leading surgeon has denied carrying out unnecessary breast
:26:20. > :26:24.surgery operations in order to make money.
:26:25. > :26:28.Ian Paterson is said to have exaggerated the risks of cancer
:26:29. > :26:30.and faces 20 counts of wounding with intent against
:26:31. > :26:39.He's on trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
:26:40. > :26:43.Russia's opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced
:26:44. > :26:46.to 15 days in prison for organising the biggest
:26:47. > :26:48.anti-government protests in the country for several years.
:26:49. > :26:51.Tens of thousands of people attended the anti-corruption rallies
:26:52. > :26:54.The Kremlin said the demonstrations were illegal, describing them
:26:55. > :27:01.Our correspondent Steve Rosenberg reports from Moscow.
:27:02. > :27:04.It wasn't difficult to guess what this verdict was going to be.
:27:05. > :27:07.The police bus, ready and waiting to take Russia's main
:27:08. > :27:15.Inside the courtroom, Alexei Navalny was upbeat.
:27:16. > :27:17.He had called Russians onto the streets yesterday.
:27:18. > :27:20.There'd been tens of thousands of protesters, he told me,
:27:21. > :27:22.but there were millions of Russians who backed the fight
:27:23. > :27:29.When the verdict came, he was guilty.
:27:30. > :27:33.The crime - disobeying police orders.
:27:34. > :27:42.As Mr Navalny emerged, his supporters held up good luck
:27:43. > :27:47.messages, hoping he'd see them through the window.
:27:48. > :27:52.The police saw them and took them away.
:27:53. > :27:54.Yesterday's anti-corruption protests were the largest
:27:55. > :28:02.In Moscow, riot police moved in to clear the crowds.
:28:03. > :28:05.More than 1,000 people were detained.
:28:06. > :28:11.But why had they come out in the first place?
:28:12. > :28:17.One reason is this film, posted online.
:28:18. > :28:20.In it, Alexei Navalny accuses Russia's Prime Minister of
:28:21. > :28:26.He alleges that Dmitry Medvedev had used charities
:28:27. > :28:36.to conceal vast assets, mansions, yachts, even a vineyard.
:28:37. > :28:37.Propagandist attacks, says the Prime Minister's office,
:28:38. > :28:40.but the film has gone viral, with 13 million views.
:28:41. > :28:44.Mr Navalny called the protests to demand an official investigation.
:28:45. > :28:48.Today, the Kremlin complained that many of yesterday's protests had
:28:49. > :28:55.been unsanctioned and were therefore illegal, but the fact that one man,
:28:56. > :29:00.one Kremlin critic, had been able to bring so many protesters
:29:01. > :29:03.onto the streets, shows that Alexei Navalny is now a force
:29:04. > :29:08.Mr Navalny has been opening campaign offices across Russia.
:29:09. > :29:22.He's under pressure, though, from the authorities,
:29:23. > :29:25.and he's come under attack, here sprayed with green ink.
:29:26. > :29:27.But he remains determined, he says, to clean up Russia.
:29:28. > :29:30.He may be spending tonight in jail, but these protests have reinforced
:29:31. > :29:32.Alexei Navalny's reputation as Vladimir Putin's
:29:33. > :29:39.More details have emerged about a new 2020 competition to be
:29:40. > :29:46.introduced into domestic cricket in England and Wales.
:29:47. > :29:48.It's hoped the tournament would rival the popularity of T20
:29:49. > :29:50.competitions in Australia and India and feature fewer
:29:51. > :29:57.But critics fear it could spell the end of 130
:29:58. > :30:11.For more than a century, English cricket's been built
:30:12. > :30:13.on the foundation of the counties, but a brand-new tournament
:30:14. > :30:15.that does not involve them is getting closer.
:30:16. > :30:18.With its glitz and glamour, the soaring success
:30:19. > :30:23.of the Indian Premier League and Australia's Big Bash have shown
:30:24. > :30:25.just how popular the shortened Twenty20 format of the game can be,
:30:26. > :30:27.and today the man who's masterminding English cricket's
:30:28. > :30:31.equivalent told me why there now needs to be a revolution.
:30:32. > :30:34.The evidence that we have suggests that cricket exists
:30:35. > :30:37.in a bubble and we've got to get outside this bubble
:30:38. > :30:45.to be relevant to the broader consumer and actually say,
:30:46. > :30:47.to cricket fans, we have the ability to make that
:30:48. > :30:50.proportion of cricket fans that care about our sport much,
:30:51. > :30:54.We need to be more open, we need to be more representative,
:30:55. > :30:56.and we need to connect more with more people.
:30:57. > :30:58.This is how the new tournament may look.
:30:59. > :31:01.From 2020, there will be eight teams, as yet unnamed,
:31:02. > :31:02.based around regions instead of counties.
:31:03. > :31:04.Each will field a squad of 15 players, including
:31:05. > :31:06.three from overseas, and in a crowded schedule
:31:07. > :31:09.the competition will consist of 36 games over the 38 days,
:31:10. > :31:12.The counties, meanwhile, are preparing for the new season -
:31:13. > :31:14.Yorkshire taking on Lancashire in a friendly this week
:31:15. > :31:22.These two clubs know they'll at least host matches
:31:23. > :31:25.of the new tournament at their grounds.
:31:26. > :31:27.Others, however, will miss out.
:31:28. > :31:29.I think they might be quite disappointed that they've
:31:30. > :31:32.not got a franchise, say it is one of the smaller
:31:33. > :31:35.grounds, but on the other hand, I think I'll be getting quite
:31:36. > :31:38.a hefty severance package anyway, so at the end of the day
:31:39. > :31:44.Tomorrow, here at Lord's, the ECB's board will formally begin
:31:45. > :31:46.the process of changing their own rules to allow this tournament,
:31:47. > :31:48.with final ratification possible as early as next month.
:31:49. > :31:51.Such is the sensitivity around it, the counties have been told not
:31:52. > :31:58.to comment at this stage, but some traditionalists
:31:59. > :32:00.are concerned that it could do lasting damage to the status
:32:01. > :32:07.I think what we're doing here is future-proofing county
:32:08. > :32:14.Cricket has been a sport which has always had the ability to evolve,
:32:15. > :32:17.to actually innovate and change where it's needed to.
:32:18. > :32:20.With most of the counties struggling financially,
:32:21. > :32:24.resistance has been eased by the promise of more
:32:25. > :32:26.than ?1 million per season to each in extra revenue.
:32:27. > :32:28.The ECB says this is the biggest project it's ever undertaken,
:32:29. > :32:31.but it's also a gamble that will change the cricketing
:32:32. > :32:46.Tonight, we have the UK television exclusive, with the black activist
:32:47. > :32:48.who turned out to be white. Here on BBC One, it's time
:32:49. > :32:58.for the news where you are.