03/02/2018 BBC Weekend News

Six people are injured in a series

of drive-by shootings in Italy -

which targeted immigrants.

One victim is critically ill -

the authorities say a right-wing

extremist carried out the attacks.

They arrested a supporter of the far

right Northern League

movement at the scene.

Italy's Prime Minister has

called on his nation

to unite against extremism.

Also tonight: No new

spending on services -

Northamptonshire County Council

imposes emergency

financial controls.

More sexual assault allegations

against Harvey Weinstein -

police say another two women have

made complaints about him in the UK.

And Wales thrash Scotland

in the opening match of this year's

Six Nations Championship.

While Ireland secure victory

with the last kick of the game -

in their match against France.

Good evening.

Italy's Prime Minister has insisted

that hate and violence will not

divide his country -

after a series of drive-by shootings

which the police say

were motivated by racism.

Six people, all of African descent,

were injured in the town

of Macerata, in central Italy.

Police have arrested a 28-year-old

man, who is a supporter

of the far-right, anti-immigrant

Northern League.

From Italy, James Reynolds reports.

One man, a young Italian armed with

a pistol, turned the Italian city of

Macerata into a terrifying place.

The gunman drove and fired at anyone

who appeared to be a migrant from

Africa. There was no time for his

targets to hide.

I was passing by at

this point to go and buy cigarettes,

when they shot me on my legs this

morning, you know, so the person

inside the car was shooting, you

know. I didn't see his face.

During

the attack the authorities posted

warnings instructing the city's

residents to stay inside. The gunman

was arrested when he got out of his

car. He was draped in an Italian

flag. Witnesses say they'd seen him

give a fascist salute. He is

identified as a 28-year-old man. The

Italian media reports he had been a

candidate for the anti-immigrant

Northern League party in local

elections held in 2017.

TRANSLATION:

Heinous crimes will be

punished. Criminal behaviour does

not have any ideological motivation.

Criminals are criminals. The states

will be particularly severe towards

anyone who feeds a spiral of

violence.

This attack comes at a

time of high anxiety in the city of

Macerata. Earlier in the week the

dismembered body of a young Italian

woman was found. The Nigerian

migrant was arrested in connection

with her death. Now migrants have

been injured in this drive-by

shooting. The country now heads into

next month's general election with

always on its mind.

And James Reynolds

joins us from Rome.

These attacks coming at a time when

the country is divided over the

issue of immigration?

Immigration

has now become the central issue in

the Italian general election

campaign. Voters will have to pick

the government on March four. The

right-wing opposition, a coalition

of forces which includes the

anti-immigrant Northern League, has

decided to make migration its main

issue. It reminds people that over

the last four years around 600,000

migrants, most of those from Africa,

have made it across the

Mediterranean onto Italian shores.

Not all of those migrants have

stayed. Many of them have left. But

the community respect of so many

years of boatloads of arrivals has

been powerful here in Italy -- that

she related effect of so many years

of boatloads of arrivals has been

powerful here in Italy and this

takes place against the background

of that debate.

A local council has taken the highly

unusual step of imposing

emergency spending controls,

after saying it's facing severe

financial challenges.

The move, by Northamptonshire County

Council, means a ban

on all new spending -

apart from what's used

to protect vulnerable people.

The council's Conservative leader,

Heather Smith, says the move

is a result of rising demand

for services and cuts

in government funding.

Our political correspondent

Matt Cole reports.

Like so many others across Britain,

people in Northamptonshire have

watched their council manage

multi-million pound budget

cuts since 2010, and now

they've run out of cash,

meaning a host of services

from subsidised buses

to libraries are threatened.

I'll be absolutely

devastated if it closes.

We've been here for just over a year

and I was delighted that this

is kind of ten minutes down

the road from us.

We just feel, I suppose, let down,

and why wasn't anything in place

to prevent this situation happening?

There will now be no

new spending save on services

to safeguard the vulnerable

until the next financial year.

We've been in what you might call

a perfect storm of huge increases

in demand for our services,

at the same time, significant

reductions in funding coming

from central government.

But is this a one-off?

English councils say by the end

of the decade they will have seen

£16 billion cut from their core

central government funding.

They say by 2020 there will be

a £5.8 billion annual shortfall.

What's more, they say they need

an additional £1.3 billion

now for social care.

Ministers will point

to much-needed efficiency savings

made in the same period,

but Labour says it's

time for change.

After nearly eight years

of Conservative government

councils have lost 50% of their

funding from central government.

And yesterday we found that Tory run

Northamptonshire Council is

effectively bankrupt.

In Northamptonshire,

government inspectors are now

investigating the council's

financial management,

but the Conservatives have responded

to Jeremy Corbyn's proposals,

saying they would deliver less money

to people's pockets and hit

communities with higher council

taxes and worse public services.

The Government has plans

for a new funding system for local

authorities to come in at the start

of the next decade.

Alongside that, proposals

for councils to be allowed to keep

more of the business

rate raised locally.

But with this year's finance

settlement for authorities due

to be announced in the coming week,

the Local Government Association

is calling on the ministry

here to provide new funding

for all councils now.

Matt Cole, BBC News, Westminster.

Thousands of people have taken part

in a march on Downing Street,

calling for an end to what they

describe as the crisis in the NHS.

Health workers and unions were among

the demonstrators demanding more

government funding to help ease

pressures in the health service.

The government has announced

a package of financial support

for small companies affected

by the collapse of the construction

company Carillion.

The state-backed British

Business Bank will allocate

£100 million in loans.

Customers worried about repaying

mortgages will also be offered help.

Thousands of suppliers were left

unpaid, after the firm went

into liquidation last month.

Scotland Yard have confirmed that

two further women in the UK have

made allegations of sexual assault

against the Hollywood film

producer Harvey Weinstein.

Our correspondent Ben Ando

is at New Scotland Yard.

What more do we know about this?

These latest accusations were made

late last year, but I've only just

come to light. In one woman alleges

she was attacked by Harvey Weinstein

in the Republic of Ireland in 1991.

In another, a different woman

alleges she was attacked in London

in 2011, and in an unnamed foreign

country in 2010. This all comes as

the actress who must serve and has

given an interview in the United

States in which she says that after

the release of the film Pulp Cup

fiction, which was reduced by Harvey

Weinstein, she accuses him of trying

to attack her in hotel rooms in

London and Paris -- Uma Thurman. She

says she managed to wriggle away. A

spokesman for Harvey signal says any

incident was a result of him

misreading her signals and he

unequivocally denies any accusations

of nonconsensual six. --

nonconsensual sex.

President Trump says a classified

memo released yesterday

vindicates him of any charges

of collusion with Russia.

The memo, written by Republican

members of Congress,

accused the FBI of bias

against the president,

and abuse of power.

In a tweet, Donald Trump

said the investigation

into his ties to Russia

was an "American disgrace".

David Willis sent this report.

CHANTING:

USA, USA, USA.

His supporters believe

he struck a blow for justice.

But by releasing a secret memo

alleging bias on the part

of officials who are currently

investigating him, others believe

the president is undermining a vital

branch of government.

This memo totally vindicates Trump

in probe, he tweeted today,

but the Russian witch hunt goes

on and on.

There was no collusion

and there was no obstruction.

The memo, written by Republicans,

describes a politically biased

Justice Department and FBI,

which was determined

to ensure Donald Trump lost

the presidential election.

They got a warrant on someone

in the Trump campaign

using opposition research paid

for by the Democratic party

and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

The man the president appointed

to lead the FBI was fiercely opposed

to the memo's release,

having questioned its accuracy.

In an e-mail to his beleaguered

staff, Christopher Wray

wrote, talk is cheap.

The work you do is what will endure.

We're going to keep doing that work,

because we know who and what we are,

and because we know our

mission comes first.

The American people come first.

Democrats accused the president of

recklessness in releasing the memo.

It's appalling.

It's a misrepresentation.

It isn't even the release

of intelligence material.

It's a release of

a distortion of it.

What is its purpose?

Its purpose is of course

to thwart the investigation,

the Mueller investigation.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller

is thought to be nearing the end

of his investigation

into allegations of

collusion between the Trump

campaign and Russia.

And there have been reports

here that he may soon be looking

to interview the president himself.

The White House, for its part,

has consistently denied suggestions

that the president may be

about to sack Robert Mueller,

but Democrats have warned that

such a move could prompt

a constitutional crisis.

David Willis, BBC News,

at the White House.

It's been a very exciting day for

rugby fans. Let's catch up with all

the day's sports news. Carthy is not

-- Karthi Gnanasegaram has that.

Wales and Ireland showed

off their title credentials

on the opening day of rugby union's

Six Nations tournament.

Wales' win was a comfortable 34-7

victory over Scotland.

While a dramatic drop goal

in the final minutes in Paris gave

Ireland a 15-13 win over France.

Joe Wilson watched the action.

The Six Nations is designed

to stir you, but does it

inspire or overwhelm?

Josh Adams was making his

debut for Wales here.

Steady now.

If you get a chance, snatch it.

Interception, opportunity for Wales.

Scotland could see their pre-match

optimism disappearing after just six

minutes, as Gareth Davies,

legs and lungs, reached the line.

Wales led 14-0 at half-time.

Scotland tried the fancy

stuff and failed.

Wales did basics brilliantly.

Leigh Halfpenny scored two tries.

Who saw this coming?

Not the Scotland coach.

Now the Welsh flourish to finish.

Four tries in a match means

a tournament bonus point.

At its best rugby is power,

pace, and agility.

In other words, Steff Evans.

34-7 final score.

So many injured players

were missing from this Welsh

team, then they produced

a performance like that.

Wales really made everything

about home advantage count.

In Paris not a lot happened for 71

minutes, then everything did.

Teddy Thomas broke free to win

the game for France, it seemed.

One sprint to lift a nation. France

led by a point.

They still went when

the clock had gone red. Time up.

Ireland had one chance to win it,

one kick, get the ball to Johnny

Sexton. Drop goal. Watch and wait.

COMMENTATOR:

It looks good. He likes it.

It was

there, what a moment, what a day.

Joe Wilson, BBC News.

Great Britain trail Spain 2-1

in their Davis Cup World Group tie

after losing today's doubles match.

Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot

were beaten in straight sets

by Pablo Carreno Busta

and Feliciano Lopez in Marbella.

Britain must now win both

singles matches on Sunday

to reach the quarterfinals.

Several of the January transfer

window's new signings made an impact

in today's Premier League games,

but if you don't want to know

today's results it is time

to pop out of the room,

because Match of the Day

follows soon on BBC One.

It was an emotional day

for Manchester United,

as they commemorated the 60th

anniversary of the Munich air

disaster with a minute's silence.

The game was won by United.

They beat Huddersfield Town 2-0.

Arsene Wenger's new signings

were integral to Arsenal's

5-1 win over Everton.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal's

club record transfer this week,

scored for his new club.

But it was a familiar face,

Aaron Ramsey, with his first

hattrick in this, his tenth

year at Arsenal.

Manchester City's lead at the top of

the Premier League

Manchester City's lead at the top of

the Premier League has

Manchester City's lead at the top of

the Premier League has been cut to

13 points after their 1-1 draw with

Burnley. There were important wins

the Bournemouth, Brighton and

Southampton, while Leicester City on

Swansea drew 1-1.

Celtic were beaten 1-0

by Kilmarnock, only their second

domestic defeat since

Brendan Rodgers joined

the club in May 2016.

Kilmarnock's goal came

from Youssuf Mulumbu,

his first for the club.

Kilmarnock move up to sixth place,

while Celtic are eight points clear

at the top of the Scottish

Premiership.

There were also wins for Aberdeen,

Ross County, Hearts and Hibernian.

All of the day's sports news

is on the BBC website.

Including the latest

from the Women's Six Nations,

where Ireland are taking on France.

Ireland are trailing fans 17-0. --

France.

You can see more on all of today's

stories on the BBC News Channel.

That's all from me.

From everybody here this evening,

good night. Goodbye.