10/05/2017 BBC News at One

Political shock waves in America as President Trump sacks the head

James Comey - the country's most senior law enforcement official -

was investigating links between the president's

If an at independent prosecutor is appointed we can get too the bottom

of this. If not everyone will suspect cover up.

But President Trump claims James Comey had lost the confidence

of almost everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat alike.

We'll be looking at the impact his decision could have.

The 11-year-old girl who died on a school trip to a theme

park in Staffordshire - her family say their world

No Conservatives will face charges for breaches of expenses rules over

the 2015 general election "battle bus" says the CPS.

Education election pledges - both Labour and the Liberal

Democrats say they would invest billions in schools over

And 50 years after Pink Floyd's debut album - the new exhibition

at London's Victoria and Albert museum celebrating one of

And coming up in the sport on BBC News: England are handed a tough

They'll play France and Argentina in the tournament in 2019.

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

President Trump has defended his decision to sack the head of the FBI

without warning, saying he'd lost the confidence of almost

James Comey learnt of his fate last night when he was handed a note

as he briefed FBI agents in Los Angeles.

Mr Comey had been leading an investigation into alleged links

between Mr Trump's election campaign last year and Russia.

But the White House insists he was dismissed for mishandling

an inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails last year.

From Washington, here's Aleem Maqbool.

Absolutely explosive news out of Washington tonight...

FBI Director James Comey has been fired by the president

Americans have learned to expect almost anything

from their president, but this really was high drama.

FBI Director James Comey wasn't even in Washington.

He was addressing FBI staff in Los Angeles

A short while later, a letter arrived at FBI headquarters.

"You are hereby terminated and removed from office,

While I greatly appreciate you informing me on three separate

occasions that are not under investigation, I nevertheless concur

with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you're not able

Except the Trump campaign was being investigated by the FBI

James Comey was leading the investigation, and now he's gone.

Are people going to suspect cover-up?

If an independent special prosecutor is appointed,

they still can be some faith that we can get to

If not, everyone will suspect cover-up.

Speaking on US TV, the president's adviser dismissed that notion.

This has nothing to do with Russia, it has everything to do

with whether the current FBI director has the

And can faithfully and capably execute his duties.

The shock waves from this decision are not just

being felt here at the FBI, but across the city and beyond.

For his supporters this is evidence that Donald Trump

But for many others this just adds to the perception that this country

is now being run by a man who is intolerant of those

who disagree with him and who do not entirely do his bidding.

Aleem Maqbool, BBC News, in Washington.

Well the shock sacking of James Comey has led to US

Democrats and some Republicans intensifying their calls

for an independent investigation into links between the Trump

presidential election campaign and Russia, as Richard

James Comey's impact on the American presidency has been profound.

Democrats say he swung the election against Hillary Clinton. Trump

supporters say he has undermined the White House. But the question is why

now? I made a mistake using a private e-mail. When days before the

election Mr Comby re-opened the investigation into whether Mrs

Clinton had compromised national security by using a private e-mail

server, trump was thrilled. It took guts for director Comey to make the

move he made in light of opposition he had. Then came this. Although

there is evidence of potential violations of statutes regarding the

handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable

prosecutor would bring such a case. Is but even months on, the justice

department has decided Mr Comey had no right to announce the case was

closed. The deputy Attorney General said:

Democrats think it is another announcement from Mr Come that got

him sacked, that efs investigating Russian support for Donald Trump.

That includes investigating the nature of any links between

individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian

Government and whether there was any co-ordination between the campaign

and Russia's efforts. Mr Trump's first national security advisor

Michael Flynn had to resign after lying about talks with Russian

officials. But one Republican believes this sacking could

jeopardise the investigates by the Senate.

There ends up being nothing there, I will be the first to acknowledge

that, but boy oh boy with the president's actions and his

comments, his whole approach to our investigation, really raises a huge

level of concern with me. But Donald Trump said today Comey lost the

confidence of all everyone in washton. When things calm down they

will thank me. But for many, this sacking will raise more questions

than answers and an the day he is due to meet the rush foreign

minister, this controversy will continue.

Our washington correspondent Gary O'Donoghue is outside the FBI

President Trump is defiant, how much of an impact could his decision

have? Sophie, they have seen some things here at the J Edgar Hoover

building, but the sacking of a director less than four years into a

ten year term has rocked Washington. The president has been out there on

social media defending his decision, saying people will thank him and

lambasting the democrats saying they were not keen on James Comey and now

they play so sad. The question now is the timing. Why now? Because the

things that were cited in all the letters released yesterday talk

about the way James Comey handled the Hillary Clinton investigation.

There is this over riding issue - the links with Russia and the

possible co-ordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. Subpoenas

potentially flying around. People asking for immunity from

prosecution. It is something that had got unther the president's skin

and there are few here who believe that was not a major factor in his

summary dismissal of jachls Come -- - James Comey yesterday.

An eleven-year-old girl who died after falling from a water ride

at a theme Park in Staffordshire yesterday has been named

She was on a school trip to Drayton Manor park when she fell

Our correspondent Phil Mackie is at the theme park now.

This time yesterday you would have heard a lot of noise - the park was

filled and there would have been screams from the school-children

enjoying that are rides. Now, things are much quieter. The park is

deserted and an investigation has begun into how an 11-year-old died

24 hours ago. The Jannaths had come

to the park on a school trip. The emergency services arrived

quickly, staff and paramedics tried to save her, but she was pronounced

dead after being airlifted to Today investigators are examining

the Splash Canyon ride and are trying to work out how

she fell into the water. There is a height restriction

which means that young children who are between three

and 3.5 feet tall have to be Although people are not strapped in,

they are told to remain Four years ago another young boy,

Patrick Tracey, fell into the One hand was still

holding onto the bar and And at that point the boat

bumped against the And he was just tossed

headfirst into the water. I panicked and I did

not know what to But luckily there was a member

of the public, a lovely lady next to me who just said hold

on, I've got him. And jumped over the fence

that we were leaning on. She jumped over a second

fence and dragged Patrick Drayton Manor says it is checking

through its records and liaising with the Health

and Safety Executive. Staff and pupils have been

offered counselling. She was a lovely,

sweet natured girl. And she was loved by

everyone at the school. As a school and as a community

we are trying to make sense of this Our thoughts and prayers

are with her family. Myself, I could not sleep last night

thinking about this. I have got kids that probably

in the future will be The park is shut today

as a mark of respect. No decision has been made

on when it will reopen. We are expecting an announcement on

the re-opening soon. We have a statement from the family that said,

yesterday our world was torn apart by the news that our daughter lost

her life in tragic circumstances. She was a beautiful girl, full of

love and always smiling. Words cannot describe the pain and loss

that we feel. Thank you. No Conservative politicians

or officials will face charges for breaches of expenses rules

during the 2015 general election. The Crown Prosecution Service said

it had examined evidence from 14 police forces in England but it

did not "meet the test" But it is still investigating

the Conservative campaign With me is our Home Affairs

Correspondent, Tom Symonds. Remind us what this was about. It

goes back to the 2015 election campaign and the allegation then was

that the Conservatives nationally were sending battle buses full of

activists out to marginal constituencies to help the

candidates campaign. And the claim was that wrongly that spending, the

cost of that, was being put on a national spending release that has

to go to the Electoral Commission, rather than the local commission.

The claim is that was done deliberately. The Crown Prosecution

Service said it is an offence to knowingly make a false declaration.

But there was no evidence that the suspects in the case, MPs, agents,

acted dishonestly in making inaccurate returns to the

commission. So there can't be any charges that. S. The Conservative

Party are pleased and say they were politically motivated and unfounded

complaints. But there is a sting in the tail. One of the files relating

to Kent has not been considered yet and there could still be

prosecutions there. The problem is that tomorrow is the closing date

for any candidates in the election to pull out. So you can see that we

won't hear about that by tomorrow and that will cause a headache for

the Conservative Party. Thank you. A man who was arrested close

to Downing Street last month has appeared in court charged

with preparation 27-year-old Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali

from London is also charged with two counts of making

or having explosives. Our Home Affairs Correspondent,

June Kelly, is outside There two explosive counts relate to

alleged activity in Afghanistan in 2012. Khalid Omar Alli spent a

number of years abroad and then came to Britain last year. A member of

his family became concerned and contacted the police. He was put

under surveillance, followed through London and arrested in Westminster

close to Parliament Square. And a number of knives were recovered from

the scene. Today, at this hearing, he wore handcuffs and they were kept

on. Unlike the rest of court he didn't stand up when the judge came

in and it also emerged he has refused to have a lawyer. Now when

the charges were put to him, he said that he did not recognise the

charges and so would not be entering a plea. So pleas of not guilty were

recorded. He has been remanded in custody and his next court

appearance will be on May 19th at the Old Bailey.

Political shockwaves in America as President Trump sacks the head

Mr Trump says James Comey had lost the confidence

It looks great but it sounds terrible.

Sydney Opera House gets a makeover to improve

Fifa start an inquiry into the transfer of the world's

most expensive player - Paul Pogba to Manchester United.

They want to know who received what from the ?89 million deal.

Billions of pounds invested in schools -

that's what both Labour and the Liberal democrats

are promising if they win the general election.

Labour says it would plough five billion pounds more

The Lib Dems are going further than that -

they say they would invest an extra seven billion across

Our Political Correspondent, Leila Nathoo, has been

It is an issue that has galvanised parents and teachers across England.

Now school funding is firmly on the election agenda. Labour is pledging

to transform an education system it says has been starred of money.

Every child whatever their background will be given the

opportunity to unlock their full potential. We will give further and

technical education the parity of esteem it deserves not just with

warm words but bold actions. Labour are promising to create a national

education service, schools in England will get a ?4.8 billion

boost over the next four years with ?335 million to cushion losses from

changes to the way government money is allocated. Under the plans

Education Maintenance Allowance for college students and grants for

university students would both be reintroduced. And adults would be

able to retrain for free. Pouring more money into the mix is also the

Liberal Democrat plan. ?6 billion for schools in England over five

years and extra for the devolved administrations. Two thirds of

schools it now turns out today are planning to lay off at least one

teacher in the next two months and under that kind of pressure do need

to be a response, a fully costed response, to build a future for all

our children so we can have a decent education and be confident in that.

But big plans come with big bills. Both parties said they would reverse

cuts to corporation tax to fund schools, Labour says the rate would

rise from 19 to 26% by 2020. The Labour Party proposals would raise

more than enough corporation tax to pay for these increases in school

funding but of course an increase in corporation tax has significant

economic effects, it will reduce investment by companies in the UK

and in the long run it will not raise as much as it might in the

short term as companies change their behaviour. Hadgee dues have

protested their facing the biggest squeeze on school budgets for

decades. They said would mean cuts to subjects and bigger class sizes.

Because Abbas said that schools have received record levels funding and

wants the opposition parties cannot deliver on their promises. 1.8

million more children in good and outstanding schools. And education

in England has been improving while education in Scotland and Wales has

been moving backwards. You'll also note that the free schools we have

created have created good and outstanding school places where they

did not exist before. The government plans to open new grammar and three

scores and change the formula used to calculate school funding have

both proved controversial. It is given the opposition parties

ammunition to take their electoral battle to classroom.

Our Assistant political editor Norman Smith is in Westminster.

Labour and the Lib Dems pledging bidding war for schools. To the

figures add up? Under both of their plans it is business that will have

to pay up. And under the Labour plan to pay up an awful lot more because

Jeremy Corbyn, his plans for schools are hugely ambitious, talking about

a national education service to mirror the National Health Service.

In other words free, lifelong learning for everyone from cradle to

grave. So getting rid of fees for adults who want to return to

college, reintroducing, or sorry, scrapping, sorry, reintroducing

maintenance grants for students and a massive building programme which

alone cost around 30 billion. Add onto that possibly scrapping tuition

fees as well, it comes to nearly 50 billion and to pay for that Labour

are suggesting business should face an increase in corporation tax of

more than a third. That is probably the biggest hike in business tax we

have seen in an awfully long time. Labour said business will benefit

from a more productive workforce but if you're a businessman or woman

cuddling with the uncertainties of Brexit you might think that a huge

tax bill is the last thing that you need. Norman Smith, thank you.

One of the most hotly contested battlefields during general

elections is the West Midlands - with its clusters of marginal seats

which have a habit of swinging back and forth between Labour

A succession of senior politicians have already beaten a path

to the region's doorsteps as our West Midlands Political

Where once they built Spitfire fighters in Erdington, they now make

One reason why the Midlands is the only UK region

But if having a prize business asset like that on its doorstep really

does much for Erdington itself, well, there is precious little

evidence of it here in and around the high street.

It is one of the most deprived constituencies in

Britain, 63% of the electorate here have voted Leave in the

And for many voters here there is no doubt about the number

Now we know that it is actually going to go ahead and we

Well, I think we should have more say in our

The EU didn't give us that, did they?

The election last week of a Conservative Midlands

Metro Mayor sent out the clearest signal yet that some old political

Walsall has two marginal Labour constituencies.

Those of us with long memories recall Margaret Thatcher

telling her supporters exactly 30 years ago that they still had to win

All but one of Birmingham's ten constituencies are

This time, though, Erdington is one of at least

four seats in the city where the Conservatives reckon

It is also where Theresa May's Joint Chief of Staff Nick

So Erdington is also code for those ordinary working

More jobs, more living accommodation.

And more apprentice jobs you know, for training young people.

There are too many young people being wasted.

To me it is health, education, and employment.

The way the NHS is going, yes, that is

So it is not mainly about Brexit as far as you're concerned?

You can see Birmingham's changing skyline from out here too.

But which party has the best plan to drive all that economic energy

towards the places barely three miles away that need it most?

Forget Middle England, it is in the city that you

It has killed nearly 100 dogs in the UK since it first

Yet little is known about the disease called Alabama Rot.

First discovered in America in the late 1980s -

it causes lesions on dogs' legs and paws.

But there's still no known cure - which is why vets and animal welfare

groups are meeting in Reading today for the first time

It is that time of day. The walk, run, the fun. Repeated by 8 million

dogs across the United Kingdom. But for Gabriel Williams from

Monmouthshire those joys came to an end earlier this year. Her dog, a

family pet for five years, caught Alabama Rot and died. It is still

hard to get your head around it, she's not here because it happens

quickly and she was quite young, just five and a half. It was hard to

see. So it has been difficult and very sad. Alabama Rot was first

recorded in the United States in the 1980s. And it gives dogs nations,

ulcers and in many cases kidney failure. So it is very unpleasant

disease and luckily Lola has avoided it. But 15 dogs in the UK have died

from Alabama Rot so far this year, bringing the total to almost 100

since it was first noticed in 2012. Those first cases were seen in

Hampshire but there have now been examples in 29 counties. There's no

obvious pattern to the location or breed. Today's first-ever conference

on Alabama Rot in the UK has been organised by David Walker, of that

was studied it for five years. What is your gut feeling of what this is?

I would say my gut feeling is that intrinsically within the dog they

have a predisposition to this disease process and then perhaps

there is an environmental trigger on top that means they develop the

disease later in their lifetime. It is certainly a disease that these

owners in the new Forest are aware off now. Until I see any signs again

or anything appearing I just keep going like normal. They do not know

what is causing it so you just have to continue as normal. Let's say

that this need not be alarmed. Alabama Rot remains extremely rare.

But symptoms should not be ignored. It's one of the most iconic opera

houses in the World but it's famously NOT a great place to hear

music because of its high ceiling. The Sydney Symphony Orchestra says

the sound is like "playing on a football pitch that's

shrouded in fog". After 40 years of these notoriously

bad acoustics work to try and improve them will finally start

later this month. Our Sydney Correspondent

Hywel Griffiths reports. It's the building that

defines not just Sydney, Bold and bathed in sunshine,

the opera house's tall But inside, the sound is,

well, not so stunning. For its resident Symphony Orchestra,

is a regular frustration. The shape of the concert hall makes

it hard to hear themselves, It's a bit like playing football

on a pitch that is sort of shrouded in fog and you know your team-mates

are out there somewhere, And for us I guess the issue

is they are a bit hard to hear. Often I don't feel like we are

really always playing together. And then with some of the other

sections of the orchestra, we can actually have time delays

at times as we are trying The problem dates back

to the very beginning. Changes were made to

the original design. The architect fell out

with the engineers and never saw After decades of trying

out different fixes, a new system of reflectors

and risers has been tested and, it is claimed, will finally deliver

crystal clear sound. It was honestly like someone had

just lifted a Perspex box off And you could hear

them so much better. The sound sounds

a lot closer to you. You feel as if you're actually

hearing, you can hear The famous tall sails that form

the outside of this building have always placed a limit

on what can happen inside. The concert hall is too big for

orchestral concerts, for example. The real challenge for the next four

years is making sure what happens inside here matches the quality

of what people see out there. This will be the first time

the opera house will close any But they will still be

music within these walls. As they try to fine-tune one

of the world's best loved buildings. It's 50 years since Pink Floyd

released their debut album. And to mark the occasion

a new exhibition is opening at London's Victoria

and Albert Museum this weekend It features memorabilia

including instruments, Our Arts Correspondent David Sillito

has had a sneak preview. The Queen Elizabeth Hall,

a classical music venue, hosted what was to become a landmark

in rock history. The lights, the surround

sound, the psychedelia. The Pink Floyd, they have

an audience, and people who have an audience ought

to be heard. Perhaps it's my fault that

I don't appreciate them. 50 years on, this exhibition tells

the story of how Pink Floyd helped turn rock music into a visual

spectacle by retreating It was a gradual

slide into obscurity. We just found that it worked better

to utilise sort of effects and video and strange lighting devices

and so on to augment the music. It was an era of massive

experimentation and there was a whole generation of designers

and architects creating things that they thought no

one would ever built. The stage designs,

the giant inflatable pig. All vital visuals for a band

that liked to say no. I do remember that when we went

on the road there was a big I think we were a bit

po-faced and snotty. It is in many ways a record

of an era which is now past. When albums ruled and no one was

counting the cost of rock excess. Good afternoon. The big UK headline

today is that the eastern side of England is finally seeing some

sunshine. This is from a weather watcher in North Yorkshire are

showing virtually unbroken blue skies. But for the North West and

West of Scotland we have more clout around. But all the eastern side of

England based in sunshine and the cloud you can see across the

northern half of Scotland plaguing many parts with even a bit of light

rain for the far north and in towards the Northern Isles. Any

sunshine will come and go for central parts of Scotland and

Northern Ireland but feeling quite warm in the sunshine. Most of the

sunshine across England and Wales and generally feeling warmer than

yesterday. Most noticeable across eastern areas which have been quite

grave for the past week or so. Top temperatures close to 20 degrees in

the South East. This evening and overnight things turned cool again.

Some frost possible. Signs of change across the South, a weather front

bringing patchy rain and cloud with increasing humidity. So on Thursday

it is a chilly start for most, lots of sunshine once again. The weather

front across the South continues to move north bringing patchy outbreaks

of rain. It introduces more humid air and in the afternoon we could

have some sundry downpours developing. Very much needed rain.

Quite a warm field to things with a top temperature between 20, 20 two

Celsius. Then into Thursday night, early Friday morning, quite a humid

feel to things and more persistent rain moving up from the South. That

weather front continues to move north on Friday introducing some

sundry downpours possibly because the air will be quite warm and

humid. Most public through Wales, the Midlands, northern England and

into East Anglia. Across the north-east quite a chilly feel with

more of a breeze. Then the weekend the community is pushed away so a

bit fresher. And it will feel warm in the sunshine. -- the