:00:13. > :00:18.Nigel Evans, the deputyer of the House of Commons denies allegations
:00:18. > :00:21.of rape and sexual assault. He was questioned about alleged attacks on
:00:21. > :00:25.two men. The complaints are completely false and I can not
:00:26. > :00:32.understand why they have been made, especially as I have continued to
:00:32. > :00:42.socialise with one as recently as last week. Huge blasts in Syria, as
:00:42. > :00:48.the ray geem says is -- regime says Israel has struck at a research
:00:48. > :00:51.centre. Tragedy on the Cornish coast n a speedboat accident T UKIP
:00:51. > :00:56.leader says he can work with the Conservatives but not David Cameron.
:00:56. > :01:06.A win for Wiggins, as Sir Bradley and Team Sky celebrate in style at
:01:06. > :01:18.
:01:18. > :01:22.Good evening. Nigel Evans, the Deputy Speaker of the House of
:01:23. > :01:26.Commons has denied allegations of rape and sexual assault. Mr Evans,
:01:26. > :01:30.a Conservative MP was released on bail last night and said he had
:01:30. > :01:37.been through the worst 24 hours of his life. He insisted the claims,
:01:37. > :01:42.by two men he considered friends, were completely false.
:01:42. > :01:46.Stepping up to give his account. Conservative MP and Deputy Speaker,
:01:46. > :01:50.Nigel Evans, emerged from his constituency home this morning to
:01:50. > :01:54.defend himself against allegations of rape and sexual assault. Good
:01:54. > :01:59.morning. Yesterday, I was interviewed by the police
:01:59. > :02:03.concerning two complaints, one of which goes back four years, made by
:02:03. > :02:07.two people who are well known to each other. Until yesterday I
:02:07. > :02:10.regarded address friends. The complaints are completely -- as
:02:10. > :02:17.friends. The complaints are completely false. I cannot
:02:17. > :02:22.understand why they have been made, especially as I socialise with one
:02:22. > :02:30.last week. He was questioned on suspicion of raping one man and
:02:30. > :02:35.sexually assaulting another. He was bailed until 19th June. He was
:02:35. > :02:39.elected as MP for Ribble Valley 21 years ago. In 2010, he came out as
:02:39. > :02:43.gay. The same year he became one of the three Deputy Speakers of the
:02:43. > :02:50.House. One member of the Cabinet says that job may be difficult to
:02:50. > :02:55.fulfil with this investigation on- going. We should treat people as
:02:55. > :03:00.innocent as -- until proven guilty. It is difficult to carry out his
:03:00. > :03:05.role under this scrutiny. Since 2010 Deputy Speakers have been
:03:05. > :03:09.appointed by MPs. He has no management role. Nigel Evans is
:03:09. > :03:17.popular with MPs of all parties and his solicitor says he has no
:03:17. > :03:22.intention of standing down, either as a Deputy Speaker or as an MP.
:03:22. > :03:29.After lunch, Mr Evans admitted the last 24 hours had been among the
:03:29. > :03:34.worst of his life. The support I have had - I am so grateful. It is
:03:34. > :03:37.that that is helping me get through this. I would like to thank
:03:37. > :03:41.everybody. Nigel Evans has been excused from chairing any of the
:03:41. > :03:46.Queen's speech debates due in Parliament in the coming week.
:03:46. > :03:54.Syria has called last night's attack by Israel on targets around
:03:54. > :03:57.Damascus an act of war. It has accused Syria of giving support. It
:03:57. > :04:07.is thought the targets were missiles bound for the militant
:04:07. > :04:12.
:04:12. > :04:16.A series of huge explosions that were impossible to ignore. The
:04:16. > :04:22.whole of Damascus shock as Israeli missiles hit military installations
:04:22. > :04:27.on the edge of the Syrian capital. After downplaying a previous attack
:04:27. > :04:35.two days ago, Syria condemned the strike as a deliberate attempt to
:04:35. > :04:38.influence the conflict. The information minister accused
:04:38. > :04:44.the Israelis of co-ordinating with opposition groups or terrorists and
:04:44. > :04:50.said the attack had opened the door to all possibilities.
:04:50. > :04:54.Exactly what was hit is not clear. Daylight images suggest weapons
:04:54. > :05:02.dumps had exploded near this research centre, already targeted
:05:02. > :05:06.by Israel back in January. The Israeli Government has neither
:05:06. > :05:16.confirmed nor denied the attacks. Here, on the tense northern border
:05:16. > :05:23.
:05:23. > :05:31.with Lebanon, Israel accuses the arch enemy, Hezbollah, of the
:05:31. > :05:41.attacks. It is -- al-Assad is so reliant that he cannot say no to
:05:41. > :05:41.
:05:41. > :05:48.any demand of Hezbollah to supply them weapon systems that are more
:05:48. > :05:53.modern. This afternoon Israel confirmed seven Iron Domes.
:05:53. > :05:57.Anticipating, if not expecting a Syrian response. Israel is taking a
:05:57. > :06:03.calculated risk. On one hand it is determined to stop Hezbollah
:06:03. > :06:09.getting hold of advanced weaponry. But on the other, it is now bombed
:06:09. > :06:15.Syrian territory three times this year. That may push the Assad
:06:15. > :06:19.regime into some form of retaliation. Israel's Prime
:06:19. > :06:23.Minister left for a schedule trip to China. Given the crisis, many
:06:23. > :06:26.leaders in his position might have chosen not to travel. In the short-
:06:26. > :06:32.term, the Prime Minister is perhaps banking on a period of relative
:06:32. > :06:36.calm. A father and his eight-year-old
:06:36. > :06:40.daughter have been killed and four other members of their family
:06:40. > :06:43.injured in a speedboat accident in Cornwall. A major Search and Rescue
:06:43. > :06:51.was launched at the incident in Padstow Harbour. Our correspondent
:06:51. > :06:56.has the latest. An eyewitness recorded the empty
:06:56. > :07:01.speedboat out of control shortly after the fatal incident. It was
:07:01. > :07:06.finally recovered and brought into Padstow Harbour this evening. The
:07:06. > :07:12.south western ambulance service was told the boat collided with
:07:12. > :07:16.kayakers before 4pm. All those injured had been thrown from the
:07:17. > :07:20.speedboat itself. The rescue involved two local lifeboats,
:07:20. > :07:24.coastguard teams and Search and Rescue helicopters. There was two
:07:24. > :07:29.helicopters. One at first, a couple of minutes later another helicopter
:07:29. > :07:33.came over. And then there were several ambulances, a few Land
:07:33. > :07:36.Rovers. Then lots of paramedics running from all directions from
:07:36. > :07:40.the harbour. It happened very quickly. Lots of people came over
:07:40. > :07:44.to help. That was it. When you are from a distance and then the police
:07:45. > :07:50.cordoned off the area. When ambulance crews arrived, they found
:07:50. > :07:53.two people dead. Four others, children and adults were airlifted
:07:54. > :07:58.to hospital in Plymouth with leg injuries. Some of them serious.
:07:58. > :08:03.There were six people in the boat, all of whom appeared to end up in
:08:03. > :08:09.the water. Wol wholing that there was inter-- following that there
:08:09. > :08:12.was interaction which has resulted in a result of injuries which have
:08:13. > :08:18.been taken to Derriford Hospital. Two people have sadly lost their
:08:18. > :08:21.lives. Part of Padstow Harbour was closed off this evening, as an
:08:21. > :08:26.investigation began into how this happened.
:08:26. > :08:32.Police in Manchester say they have arbszed one of the two men who --
:08:33. > :08:36.arrested one of the two men who escaped from a prison van.
:08:37. > :08:40.Stevie McMullen was arrested today. The second man, Ryan McDonald, is
:08:40. > :08:43.still on the run T leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage,
:08:43. > :08:46.has said he would consider a deal with the Conservatives but could
:08:46. > :08:51.not work with David Cameron as leader. Mr Cameron is under
:08:51. > :08:57.pressure over the timing of a referendum on Britain's EU
:08:57. > :09:04.membership n the wake of UKIP's success. This report now from Ian
:09:04. > :09:08.Wattson. In the few days since UKIP have come to greater political
:09:08. > :09:12.prominence, Nigel Farage now wants to influence who leads other
:09:12. > :09:15.parties too. If David Cameron gets removed and I suppose given we have
:09:15. > :09:18.a European election coming up before the next general election,
:09:19. > :09:23.that's not impossible. If he was removed and somebody else was put
:09:23. > :09:27.in place, who wanted to talk to us and say shall we find accommodation,
:09:27. > :09:31.we would consider it. What most Conservatives are discussing is not
:09:31. > :09:36.a deal with UKIP, but how to deal with them. There is a debate over
:09:36. > :09:41.the timing of a referendum. There is a recognition that Nigel Farage
:09:41. > :09:46.didn't just get votes from bashing Brussels. For his ability to reach
:09:46. > :09:50.parts of the electorate which the main parties can't. The concern is
:09:50. > :09:55.more, are they paying attention? Do they understand the things that I
:09:55. > :09:59.face as an ordinary person? The fact I am having trouble making
:09:59. > :10:03.ends meet - the fact I cannot afford the taxes, the growing cost
:10:03. > :10:08.of food and so on. All those things, the public have got to believe the
:10:08. > :10:13.Government understands. I think, at the moment, a fair chunk of them,
:10:13. > :10:16.25-30% of them don't believe that. This is not just an issue for the
:10:17. > :10:21.right-wing of British politics. This is one of the most tightly
:10:21. > :10:24.contested pieces of turf in Britain. At the last general election, fewer
:10:24. > :10:29.than 100 votes separated the Conservatives from Labour in
:10:29. > :10:34.Thurrock. It is unlikely that UKIP will win here. Their impact could
:10:34. > :10:38.determine who will become the next MP. So Labour councillors here say
:10:38. > :10:42.they have begun to reassure those who might be tempted by UKIP. For
:10:42. > :10:45.example, the housing policy was changed to give priority to long-
:10:45. > :10:49.standing residents. I think something that we have missed a
:10:49. > :10:54.trick on before is addressing the concerns of people. What do local
:10:54. > :10:59.people say? What is important? It is local property and local houses
:10:59. > :11:03.for local people. So, we looked at the allocations, one of the things
:11:03. > :11:08.is you must have lived or worked in Thurrock for the past five years.
:11:08. > :11:13.UKIP has not caused a sea change in British politics, but it is causing
:11:13. > :11:19.the main parties to reflect on their policies.
:11:19. > :11:24.There have been violent clashes in Bangladesh, with three killed in
:11:24. > :11:32.protests in Dhaka. The protestors are campaigning for stricter
:11:32. > :11:35.implication of Islamic values, including tougher blasphemy laws.
:11:35. > :11:43.The BBC could face compensation claims from the victims of Stuart
:11:43. > :11:53.Hall, according to the chairman of the BBC Trust. Hall admitted
:11:53. > :11:58.
:11:58. > :12:01.Once a huge TV star, this week Stuart Hall was described as an
:12:01. > :12:05.opportunistic predator. He admitted 14 charges of indecent assault
:12:05. > :12:09.against girls, the youngest of whom was nine. Today, the chairman of
:12:09. > :12:13.the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, was asked whether the corporation may
:12:13. > :12:20.have to pay compensation to any of Hall's victims. I imagine so. That
:12:20. > :12:23.will be a matter for the lawyers and for the courts. Have you
:12:23. > :12:27.thought about how much? No. It would be incredible to do that now.
:12:28. > :12:33.First, what needs to happen is we need to get a grip on what happened
:12:33. > :12:39.and we need, of course, in the mean time, to co-operate fully with the
:12:39. > :12:45.police. Hall abused girls between 1968 and 1986. Until the mid-1970s,
:12:45. > :12:49.he worked at the BBC's old offices at Piccadilly in Manchester. It was
:12:49. > :12:56.not alleged that any abuse took place here. Today, one former staff
:12:56. > :13:01.member did say that a floor manager at the time, called Peter Barlow
:13:01. > :13:07.helped Stuart Hall to bring women on to the premises. He would kind
:13:07. > :13:12.of act as Stuart Hall's Batman. He used to, as far as I was concerned
:13:12. > :13:17.go down to the door, pick up women and take them in to meet Stuart
:13:17. > :13:22.Hall in what was the medical room. It has become translated as Stuart
:13:22. > :13:25.Hall's dressing room in the newspapers. I have spoken to
:13:25. > :13:29.several former colleagues and managers who all say that Stuart
:13:29. > :13:32.Hall enjoyed the company of women and they visited him on the
:13:32. > :13:37.premises. They have also consistently said that the women
:13:37. > :13:41.they saw here were both above the age of consent and were here
:13:41. > :13:46.willingly. The BBC has also said there will not be a separate review
:13:46. > :13:50.into Stuart Hall's activities, but instead investigations will form
:13:50. > :13:55.part of the on-going inquiry into the BBC's culture and practises
:13:55. > :13:58.following the Savile scandal. Tonight, the BBC confirmed the
:13:58. > :14:02.corporation was in conversation with the police on a number of
:14:02. > :14:09.inquiries relating to Stuart Hall before he was arrested and says it
:14:09. > :14:13.is offering its full assistance. Now, a look at all the day's sport.
:14:13. > :14:16.Here's Olly Foster at the BBC Sports Centre. There were games in
:14:16. > :14:21.the English and Scottish Premier Leagues today. Depending on where
:14:21. > :14:26.you are watching Match of the Day 2 or Sportscene follows the news. If
:14:26. > :14:30.you watch me you will find out the results. Chelsea have taken a very
:14:30. > :14:34.big step towards securing Champions League football, after beating
:14:34. > :14:39.Manchester United. They are up to third in the table after Juan
:14:39. > :14:44.Mata's late, deflected strike gave them a 1-0 win. There were no goals
:14:44. > :14:49.at Anfield n the Merseyside Derby. The point for Everton means they
:14:49. > :14:53.should finish above Liverpool. Cardiff will of course be a Premier
:14:53. > :14:57.League club next season. They had their victory parade today, as they
:14:57. > :15:02.showed off their championship trophy. It is over 50 years since
:15:02. > :15:07.they were last in the top division. There was an all-Welsh conference
:15:07. > :15:10.playoff at Wembley. Newport County will be back after they beat
:15:10. > :15:16.Wrexham. Dundee have been relegated from the Scottish Premier League,
:15:16. > :15:22.after drawing 1-1 against Aberdeen. Celtic were held 1-1 at Ross County.
:15:22. > :15:25.That was the at Rugby Park, when the match had to be abandoned
:15:25. > :15:29.between Kilmarnock and Hibernian. The referee took the players off
:15:29. > :15:32.five minutes into the second half after a mill mar knock supporter
:15:32. > :15:37.chanced with a suspected heart attack and had to be treated on the
:15:37. > :15:41.pitch. The man, in his 50s, later died in hospital. Sir Bradley
:15:41. > :15:45.Wiggins is well placed at the Giro d'Italia. He helped his team win
:15:45. > :15:51.the second stage - a time trail, on the island of Ischia. That has
:15:51. > :15:58.moved him up to second overall. A bottle of chasm pang for Bradley
:15:58. > :16:04.Wiggins and Team Sky. It is -- chasm pang for Bradley Wiggins and
:16:04. > :16:14.Team Sky. They have been consistent in time trials over the past few
:16:14. > :16:18.years. The island of Ischia provided the location. Their
:16:18. > :16:28.performance means Wiggins is 14 second clear of the man expected to
:16:28. > :16:35.
:16:35. > :16:40.be his rival to win the race out right. Cavindist's team finished in
:16:40. > :16:46.17th place. The Italian is a team player though. Surely Wiggins will
:16:46. > :16:50.be in the pink soon and Sky are bubbling along nicely.
:16:50. > :16:54.Ronnie O'Sullivan leads Barry Hawkins by 10 frames to seven after
:16:54. > :16:59.the first day of the World Championship final. It was closer
:16:59. > :17:04.than many predicted. The defending and four-time champion O'Sullivan
:17:04. > :17:09.pulled four frames clear. It is the first to 18. They will resumed at
:17:09. > :17:15.2.30pm tomorrow afternoon. There was a thrilling Finnish the 200th
:17:15. > :17:20.running of the 1,000 Guineas. Sky Lantern gave Richard Hughes his
:17:20. > :17:24.first British classic success. The race is for three-year-old fillies