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