24/07/2017 BBC News at One

Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner,

denies colluding with Russia, during the President's

He also says he's never relied on Russian money,

to finance business activities in the private sector.

Mr Kushner issued the denials in a statement, hours before

appearing before a Congressional panel, investigating Russian

meddling in last year's Presidential election.

Also this lunchtime: A High Court judge will hear new evidence

from an American doctor, in the case of the terminally

The government promises an energy revolution,

investing hundreds of millions pounds, in battery technology.

Human material has been discovered in soil samples taken in Greece,

by British police searching for Ben Needham.

And Princes William and Harry are joined by friends

of their late mother, paying tribute to Diana,

Princess of Wales, 20 years after her death.

And coming up in the sport later in the hour on BBC News:

Champions again, England's cricketrs have won

the Women's World Cup for a fourth time after a thrilling

Good afternoon and welcome to the BBC News at One.

Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner,

says he didn't collude, nor know of anyone who did collude,

with any foreign government, during Donald Trump's run

He's also made it clear he hasn't relied on Russian money,

to finance business activities in the private sector.

In a statement issued before appearing in front of special Senate

investigations panel, he did admit to four contacts

with Russian officials, but denied any wrongdoing.

Our correspondent Andy Moore has the details.

Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law...

The person of interest has a name, and that name is Jared Kushner.

Jared Kushner is not used to being centre stage.

As one of Donald Trump's closest advisers, he's been at his side,

But he has done some talking with Russians.

First, with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak.

And then with this man, Sergei Gorkov.

He's the head of a Russian bank tied to the Kremlin.

When asked by the BBC about the subject of that meeting,

The revelations made Mr Kushner front-page news.

His father-in-law didn't seem too pleased.

I appreciate everything that Jared...

Jared has actually become much more famous than me!

LAUGHTER I'm a little bit upset about that!

Now, in a statement before his committee appearance,

Mr Kushner has said he had four contacts with Russian officials,

Mr Kushner was also part of a meeting with a Russian lawyer

arranged by Donald Trump Jr in a series of e-mails,

which promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.

He's bound to be asked about it in Congress today.

I want to know whether these meetings

took place, whether other meetings took place.

Some Democrats have described Mr Kushner as a threat

to national security, but Republicans say this is his chance

The whole purpose of the meeting is for the guy to explain.

"Here's how I met the Russian ambassador, here's what

"we talked about, here is how I met the banker guy,

"Here is how I found the e-mail about the meeting," and once

he gives his side of the story, then we can make an informed decision.

Yesterday, the White House said it hoped Mr Kushner's appearance before

Congress will be the last time he would have to talk about Russia.

That's very unlikely. Andy Moore, BBC News.

Laura Bicker is in Washington for us.

What more do you think we can expect on the hearing later on today? Jared

Kushner in his statement is very clear. He believes there has been no

collusion with Russia by him or any member of the Trump campaign. That,

he will reiterate to the Senate panel today. He said he had hardly

any contacts with Russia during the campaign, or even afterwards. But he

will be asked and quizzed about the meeting he took alongside Donald

Trump Jr with a Russian lawyer, a Russian lawyer who had promised

incriminating evidence about Hillary Clinton. Now, in a statement, Mr

Kushner said that in the meeting, he said it was a waste of time. He

tried to find a way out of it. But he will be asked a bit more about

why he decided to take it. And then when it comes to his meetings with

the Russian banker and Russian ambassador, he said he did not seek

those meetings, and he said he did not put them on his White House

clearance forms, because it was a draft form. Expect more questions

about that. Donald Trump has described this investigation as a

witchhunt and a hoax. He's clearly infuriated that it is overshadowing

his agenda, and it may feel close to home. Donald Trump Jr will be giving

evidence in here later this week. But Congress has bowed to go

wherever this enquiry may lead them, and at this point, it is down

Pennsylvania Avenue, down the White House gates and into the inner

circle of the president. Laura, thank you for that. Laura Bicker

live in Washington. A High Court judge is hearing

new evidence, in the case of the terminally ill baby

Charlie Gard. It follows an assessment

by an American doctor of his condition, after his parents

launched a legal challenge, to prevent their son having his life

support switched off. Doctors at Great Ormond Street

Hospital, say Charlie, who has a rare genetic disorder,

should be allowed But his parents say their son should

to travel to America, Charlie Gard, the little baby at the

centre of what has become a complex and emotive case. Today, his parents

will once again be back at the High Court. Charlie suffers from a rare

genetic condition. It causes muscle weakness, and has lead to

irreversible brain damage. There is no cure. His parents want to take

him to America for experimental treatment, but Great Ormond Street

Hospital say Charlie should be allowed to die with dignity. There

is absolutely no clear right or wrong. Much of the time in medicine,

we deal in shades of grey. And in terms of making a decision and the

right way forward is, ideally, it has to be a collaborative decision

with doctors and parents. Clearly, that relationship has broken down so

it has gone legal. This afternoon, the judge here will go over new

evidence, crucially what happened at that meeting between this Doctor,

the American urologist offering treatment, and medical staff at

Great Ormond Street last week. Reports on new scans for Charlie,

including an MRI on his brain, may also be revealed. The judge, Mr

Justice Francis, says he expects to give his final judgment this week.

Charlie's parents will either be able to allowed to take him to

America, or will prepare for his treatment to be moved to palliative

care. Our medical correspondent

Fergus Walsh is at the High Court. The judge has already said in the

past that it would have to be compelling new evidence to make him

change his mind. He has said that, and what is crucial today is the

outcome of the meeting between the American urologist, a very senior

doctor in the United States, and the team from Great Ormond Street. He

made his offer of help before he had examined Charlie. He got the chance

to examine Charlie last week, and to go through his medical records, and

now we have had new MRI scans, new EEG scans measuring Charlie's

current brain activity, and we will have to wait and see now whether

there has been any kind of mediated settlement between this American

doctor and another from Italy, and the team at Great Ormond Street. It

is dependent on what the two sides say on the way forward. Fergus,

thank you. Fergus Walsh at the High Court.

The government is promising what it calls a revolution,

in the way electricity is generated, used and stored, saying

households could save up to ?40 billion by 2050.

A special fund to award hundreds of millions of pounds to companies

researching battery technology, is being created, part

of a broader strategy, to help the UK become much more

Here's our Environment Analyst, Roger Harrabin.

The future of motoring looks electric as governments strive to

combat. It needs a solution. In Birmingham, the Business Secretary

put batteries at the heart of his industrial strategy. Joining

together, the research, development, application and manufacture of

energy storage technologies, and specifically battery storage, is a

huge opportunity for the energy sector and the automotive sector

alike. Catching up with big Chinese firms, like the makers of this car

will be tough. They have had years of huge support from their

government. But batteries of all sizes will be needed. This one, near

Leighton Buzzard, holds energy generated by wind power for the

National Grid. Our washing will play a part in the future energy system.

People will be offered cheap power to clean their clothes when solar

energy is plentiful on a sunny day. Even fridges of the future will play

a part in the energy system. When there's a surge in demand

on the grid, an internet signal will ask your fridge to switch off

for a few moments. If enough people are switching off,

it will save a power station being built, and in turn,

it will save you some cash. There is a massive opportunity now

to go from a system where the only job of the consumer is debatable, to

a system where energy flows to and from consumers. Need a flexible

electricity will and grow. Overnight, this floating wind farm

made in Norway was being towed to be moored off the east coast of

Scotland. It will store energy for when we need it.

Britain's economic growth forecast has been downgraded,

It follows a weaker than expected performance

The Treasury says the forecast highlights the importance of a good

Well our Economics Correspondent Andrew Walker is here.

Back in April, the International monetary fund forecast growth this

year of 2%. In an updated assessment of the global outlook, the new

figure for the UK is 1.7%, somewhat slower. You may remember, in the

days ahead of the referendum last you, the IMF was well known, some

may say notorious, for having warned of adverse economic consequences if

the UK left the EU. You may wonder if this downgrade is connected with

that. The IMF says it is due to the weak start the British economy got

off to Abba star of the year, with growth in the first three months of

0.2%. Having said that, BBC Radio 2 is told this morning that they

maintain their view that over time it is likely to be negative for the

British economy if we do leave. Looking ahead to next year, the

forecast is 1.5%, so that is somewhat lower again. Turning to the

global outlook, the phrase the IMF uses is "A firming recovery" with

growth projected this year at 3.5%. That would be an improvement over

the last few years, but is still below the average for the years

before the financial crisis. It is a non-changed view compared with the

April forecast. There have been downward revisions. The UK and the

United States have been offset by favourable changes for a number of

countries, including several in the Euros own. Andrew, many thanks.

You may have noticed some foods, particularly chocolate bars,

Manufacturers say it's because ingredients like cocoa

and sugar are costing more, and they've had to put up prices,

Economists call it "shrinkflation," and the Office for National

Statistics says more than 2500 products have shrunk in sizein

the last five years, and yet are being sold

Scientists say they've found human material,

in soil samples taken in Greece by British police, who've been

He was 21 mths old, when he disappeared

Our reporter Marta Newman has the details.

Ben Needham was 21 months old when he disappeared

on the Greek island of Kos in July, 1991.

In the years that followed, Ben's mother Kerry pleaded

with anyone who knows anything about her son's disappearance

Last October, an extensive 21 day search was conducted of land around

the farmhouse where he was last seen, and a second site close by,

after it emerged the toddler may have been crushed

And now, on the 26th anniversary of his disappearance,

Signs of blood have been found on items recovered by police

Some of the items that we brought back we submitted for further

forensic work, and the result that to date, I'm led to believe,

shows signs that there is some human decomposition around those items

The sandal and toy truck believed to have belonged to Ben will now be

About 60 items in total were brought back to the UK for analysis.

What we're providing is information that there's a strong indication

from this chemical profile that we were able to ascertain,

there's a strong indication that this was present on these items

South Yorkshire Police hope that this latest development will go

some way in proving what happened to this little boy.

Top story: Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner

denies colluding with Russia during the President's election campaign.

we've caught up with England cricket star Anya Shrubsole,

central to the team's spectacular victory in the Women's

After the success of the world parrot championships, London

organisers say they want to post it again next time as well. -- para.

The people of Mosul in north eastern Iraq, are slowly

returning to the city, after it's liberation

from the brutal rule of so called Islamic State.

The fierce nine-month battle to end IS occupation claimed tens

of thousands of lives destroyed whole neighbourhoods,

and forced 700,000 people to flee their homes.

Yalda Hakim has been to meet some of those now hopeful,

The Isis reign of terror is now over, but this

is what liberation looks like: the city has been flattened.

Nual has returned to her neighbourhood with her two children

They had attempted to get away during the battle

but were captured by Isis soldiers and imprisoned.

She says that she may now be liberated, but it means nothing

Life, she says, has become even more difficult.

At the local hospital, there is chaos.

Every day, people queue up, the injured, the sick,

The battle is officially over, but it is not safe in Mosul.

Isis rigged houses and buildings with booby traps.

All over this city now, Iraqi forces work day and night to clear

the areas of unexploded devices and booby-traps so that families can

This particular unit has been working for the last two days

TRANSLATION: There was a car bomb over there, today, we detonated it.

there were also IEDs nearby and IEDs in the school.

Sheikh says that his Sunni tribe did not support Isis,

but when the Iraqi military fled the city, they have no choice.

The Iraqi military controlled all of Mosul, when Isis came,

they ran, we had no weapons to fight them, he says.

I blame what happens to our city on politics, and the leaders.

The people of Mosul remain the same, the politicians need to strike

to strike a deal, he says, if they don't come up

with an agreement, we will be victims again.

Laughter is once again allowed in Mosul, and children leap to take

Many have known nothing but life under Isis.

The Iraq they will inherit has arguably never been more divided.

STUDIO: When so-called Islamic State fighters swept through northern Iraq

nearly three years ago they targeted the country's oldest ethnic

They expelled thousands of them from their homes

Women and children were kidnapped, taken as hostage and raped.

Some managed to escape and the German government stepped

in to help by re-settling many of them in secret locations.

Fiona Lamdin has sent this report from a psychiatric

some of the details are upsetting and graphic.

VOICEOVER: Seventeen Yazidis are living on this

corridor in the middle of

a psychiatric hospital in Germany. It's a long way from their home

in northern Iraq but at least they are safe here.

She was 14 at the time, she and her family tried

to escape up the mountain, Mount Sinjar, but they could not run

fast enough, and she was then kidnapped, torn from her mother,

She told me she saw things which will always haunt her.

Would you like to go back to Iraq, to live there?

Leading this team, Jacqueline Isaac, an American lawyer.

She met with her just days after she had escaped.

When I first met her, her head was down,

There was no eye contact in the beginning.

There were councillors we had brought, stood

on the right-hand side, to give counselling,

"this is not the time for counselling yet,

this is the time to recognise them as human beings."

More than two years on, she and her friends are starting

to live again, living with deep scars.

It is estimated between 2000 to 4000 Yazidi children, women and men

STUDIO: More than 30 people have been killed, and around 50 others

injured, in a suicide bomb attack in the Afghan capital, Kabul. It's

understood the attacker detonated the car bomb, close to a bus

carrying government workers in the west of the city. The Taliban, has

claimed responsibility. Three men have been given

suspended prison sentences, disqualified from driving and fined

after being filmed racing at 134 mph on a dual

carriageway near Birmingham. Amar Paul, Tejinder Bhuee

and Zafar Iqbal were being followed The Judge at Birmingham Crown Court

said they avoided being sent to jail VOICEOVER: Driving conditions were

horrendous, dark, torrential rain, that did not stop this terrifying

illegal street race. Tejinder Bhuee and Zafar Iqbal Were

driving their Mercedes at breakneck speeds alongside Amar Paul, in a

Volkswagen golf, they seemed oblivious to the risks being taken

with their lives and the lives of others. What are you doing in excess

of 120? They seemed disinterested when we spoke with them. No? This is

the stretch where the races usually occur. Among the officers in

pursuit, PC Mark Hodgson. Literally these people drive their cars like

they think they are in a film or on a video game. Of course, it is not

like a film or a video game, because it is real life, things do go wrong,

they go wrong all the time, when people drive in this manner. The

consequences are just tragic and we have to pick up the pieces. -- Mark

Hodson. Illegal street racing in the West Midlands has already cost

lives, student Rebecca McManus was killed while waiting at a bus stop

with a friend on the way to a hen party. There is now a permanent

memorial at the place where she died. The complete stupidity of the

whole thing, to race like that, with no thought of the consequences, and

the consequences can be so devastating, Rebecca lost her life,

we have lost our daughter, Rebecca has been lost to so many people.

They lost their liberty for a bit, and... They brought ridicule on

their own families for doing such a stupid thing and it is a stupid

thing to do. Local authorities have begun to take out a High Court

injunctions like this, giving the police greater powers to stop

motorists gathering and taking part in a legal racing. There is some

evidence they are working, in places like this the problem has declined

but there is still a hard-core of motorists willing to take part in

illegal street racing, putting bears and other people's lives at risk.

Police believe that if the three men had been sent to jail, it would have

sent out a strong message to street racers. An operation targeting them

has already seen the number of incidents fall dramatically, more

than 20 drivers have been disqualified and more than 60 cars

have been seized. STUDIO: Prince William has revealed,

how he tells his children stories about their grandmother,

Diana Princess of Wales, Next month marks the 20th

anniversary of her death. Our Royal Correspondent Nicholas

Witchell's report contains some VOICEOVER: She was once one

of the most recognised constantly, or so it seemed,

in the headlines, at 20 years after Diana's death

there is now a generation Among them, her two grandchildren,

George and Charlotte, so how does William keep his mother's memory

alive for his son and daughter? I think, constantly talking

about Granny Diana. So, they have more photos

up around the house, and we talk about her a bit,

and it is hard because obviously Katherine didn't know her,

she cannot really provide that So I do regularly, when I put George

and Charlotte to bed, talk about her and try to remind her

that there is two grandmothers, there were two

grandmothers in their lives, it is important they knew

who she was and that she existed. Perhaps the most effective way

of keeping Diana's memory alive One of her most significant

contributions was to break down the stigma then attached to people

with AIDS, in 1987 during a visit in 1987 during a visit

to Middlesex Hospital, by all those who have campaigned

for greater understanding of AIDS. -- she shook hands

with an AIDS patient, a small gesture but one

which is remembered today by all those who have campaigned

for greater understanding of AIDS. It was considered

to be a gay disease. For someone who was within the royal

family, and who was a woman, and who was straight,

to have someone care, from the other side,

was an incredible gift. You look back to these

days, when the reality The reality then was doom and gloom

yet everybody in that Twenty years after her death, it is,

as William himself has said, a tribute to Diana from her two

sons, and an opportunity STUDIO: England's women cricketers

have been back at Lords today after their World Cup winning

performance against India. It was the fourth time

they've won the tournament, with Anya Shrub-sole the heroine,

taking six wickets. Our Sports Reporter David Ornstein

joins us now from Lord's. VOICEOVER: With a single delivery,

England were champions of the world, a thrilling end to a momentous

tournament. Possibly the greatest day for English women's sport, and

the morning after the historic night before, the hero, Anya Shrubsole,

returned to savour the scene of triumph. Probably the greatest day

of my life, I'm not sure if I could find any better days than this.

India were stunned by the produced Shrubsole a record spell of six

wickets in 46 runs to produce an astonishing triumph. Before the

match, her father posted photos of her visiting Lourdes in 2001, in the

future she wanted to play there, now she has done that and so much more.

You kind of dream of these moments, obviously when we knew the

tournament was going to be in England and the final at Lord's, you

dream you would be at the final, at Lord's. -- Lord's. You never really

dream that you will take the final wicket. It is a reality now. So

happy, the whole team, to have done this. The fact that yesterday's

final was a sell-out, with almost 27,000 spectators here at Lord's,

speaks volumes for the success of the tournament, and the interest it

has sparked. Now there is a genuine belief that this could prove a

turning point for the progression of the women's game. It does feel a

little bit like a watershed moment in terms of the coverage we have

had, the ECB are in a great position to maximise our success, and get

more girls playing the game, it has never been a better time to play

women's sport or women's cricket in this country. The celebrations

continue long into the night, but today, the team were back inspiring

future generations, because for all they have achieved so far, arguably

the biggest question will be the legacy they leave.

I'm delighted to be joined by one of the heroes, the only player to score

two centuries in this, tournament, a half-century in the final, is it

starting to sink in, what you have achieved? Yes, little bit more so

today, I woke up with a massive shiner, I think my cheek will start

hurting soon! How far have England women cricketers come, and how far

is there still to go for women's cricket and women's sport?

In the last few years it has really been growing, but this tournament

has been a massive step for us. In terms of cricket but also women's

sport, I think we can use this and really go places. Fourth title for

the England women's cricket team but possibly the most important, for

what it could mean? Yes, I think in this day and age, that is definitely

the case. I think we can use it to inspire as many people as we can.

Clive, the front and back page news, television, radio and social media

sensation, the England women's team World Cup winners. -- Bay are front

and back page news. Time to take a look at the weather

forecast, decidedly chilly. Western and northern parts of the country

are basking in sunshine, take a look at this stunning picture from

Scotland, it will be the hotspot today, south-western parts of

Scotland. Looking at the East, no, grey skies, around 11 or 12 degrees,

on the Yorkshire coast line, so a massive difference between the East

and the sunny West. Tomorrow should be better almost

everywhere, this is the forecast for the week ahead, very changeable,

forecasting a changeable week, heavy rain on the way on Wednesday, but

there will be some sunshine around, on Wednesday a bit of sunshine

around. All the rest of today, the East remains cloudy and dreary, not

a pretty picture. Looking at Cornwall, Devon, throughout the West

Country and Wales, right now in Cardiff, temperature 24 degrees.

Still basking in sunshine at this stage, light winds, beautiful

summery day, sunny weather in Northern Ireland and throughout

western Scotland. I will point out, if you happen to be up in the

Highlands, there is just a chance of a shower, but that is pretty much

it, other than that, looking fine. Eastern areas stay fine through the

evening and into tonight, then a tendency for all of that Merck and

drizzle to push away towards the east through the course of the

night, not immediately, still first thing in the morning, might be

cloudy in the east, but clearer skies in place across western areas

of the UK. Tuesday, overall, looking like it is going to be the best day

of the week, because we will all have at least some sunshine, a

couple of showers dotted around, on balance, it is going to be a very

nice day. And then, all change from Wednesday. Very powerful jet stream

from the Atlantic is going to shunt this low pressure and the weather

front in our direction, so there will be rain sweeping across the

country quite swiftly, a good few hours of heavy rain, five, six,

seven hours. In the east you can see it is still dry, the weather front

wishes across, then we have the fresh Atlantic air coming, and late

on Wednesday and into Thursday, the low approach, even a chance of gale

force winds across western coasts. -- whooshes across. A blustery

Thursday, on the way. You can see some showers on Thursday, Friday

looking a little mixed, certainly the wettest day will be Wednesday.

Up and down the hill through this week.