27/03/2017 BBC News at Six

a statement from the Westminster attacker's mother.

She says she was numb when she discovered

what Khalid Masood had done and calls his actions an atrocity.

More details of how the attack happened,

the killer drove across the bridge at more than 70 mph.

The family of one the victims killed on Westminster Bridge speak

He was an amazing individual who loved everyone,

and tried to make the world a better place.

We'll have the latest on the Scotland Yard investigation.

Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon

meet just days before historic Brexit talks are triggered,

as Iraqi forces renew their offensive there's growing

for the tempo of the military operation,

but it isn't necessarily good for preserving civilian lives.

Giving evidence, the surgeon accused of putting women through unnecessary

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.

The mother of Khalid Masood, the man behind the Westminster

attacks, has expressed her anguish about the actions of her son.

In a statement in the last hour, she said she did not

condone what he'd done, or the beliefs that led him

It emerged today that Masood had driven the car that

The moment Khalid Masood began his attack, we now know that he was

driving at more than 70 kph, drew the crowd, killing and injuring as

he drove. -- over 70 mph. -- through the crowd. His mother has leased a

statement, saying that she does not condone his actions or support his

beliefs. Janet Ajao said: those victims included American

couple Kurt Cochran and his wife, it had been their first visit in London

and their first time ever out of the USA. They were celebrating their

25th wedding anniversary. He was killed by being thrown to the

pavement below. A single bunch of flowers marks where he fell. Melissa

suffered multiple injuries and is still in hospital. Today, 13 members

of their family spoke publicly. From Utah, they are a Mormon family, who

have found strength in their faith. It is hard for most of its ear to

imagine what it must be like to lose somebody in this way, can you give a

sense of the impact on the family. It has brought us closer together.

-- it is hard for most of us here to imagine. We love and support each

other so much. It has made us that much stronger. Kurt Cochran ran a

music studio back home. Enthusiastic supporter of local bands. Their

assault was featured, they are about to get going right here! Tribute

concerts have taken place in his honour. His family say that they

have been comforted by the thousands of messages they have saved. What

the families have shown today is what happens when you are suddenly

affected by an event of this magnitude, that had brought with it

trauma, grief, and for them, forgiveness. None of us harbour any

ill will or harsh feelings towards this. We love our brother, we love

what he brought to the world. Today, Tobias Ellwood was in parliament

square to pay his respects and see the tribute. The Foreign Office

minister had tried so hard to save the life of PC Keith Palmer last

week. This was a chance for him to remember all of those killed.

STUDIO: Let's speak to our Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel

Daniel, what are you hearing about the investigation so far? It is not

going on at the frenetic pace that it was last week when they were

arresting all of the known associates of Khalid Masood, but you

sense they are still making good progress. The BBC has been told that

the police have established that Khalid Masood's car was captured on

CCTV in the Westminster area before the attacks, not as he launched the

attack but before, so detectives trying to work out whether that was

some kind of reconnaissance or otherwise why was he driving around

in the Westminster area. Release have said that communications that

he had on that day are a main line of enquiry. They are making a direct

appeal to the public, if you heard from the lead message, please come

forward. That is because police are saying they are trying to establish

what his state of mind was at the time of the attack. That said,

police have rolled out at the moment saying they have no evidence that he

discussed the attack with anyone else, no evidence he was radicalised

in prison and no evidence of him communicating with associates in

so-called Islamic State or Al-Qaeda, what they think that he had an

interesting jihad, -- they think he had an interest in jihad, so this

may be a violent Islamist inspired attack.

And tonight Panorama has an in depth look at Khalid Masood,

That's at half past seven, on BBC One.

It's the start of a historic week for Britain.

On Wednesday, Theresa May will trigger the Brexit process

but that hasn't stopped the political row between the prime

minister and Nicola Sturgeon over another independence

They met in Glasgow today but apparently ended their hour-long

Mrs May said this was a time for the whole of the UK

But as our Scotland editor Sarah Smith reports,

Nicola Sturgeon doesn't see it that way at all.

Nicola Sturgeon did not see it that way, did she. She certainly did not,

and I get the impression that she came away from the meeting a bit

frustrated about the lack of detail that she is getting from the Prime

Minister about the "Brexit" negotiations and also about any

specific powers that may be transferred to the Scottish

Parliament. The Prime Minister, who does have the power to block another

referendum on Scottish independence, that she was very clear, saying now

is not the time to discuss it. VOICEOVER: Theresa May knows that

this could be awkward, she is here to talk about her Article 50 letter.

She is here to press her demand for a referendum on independence. No

handshakes, no press conference, did a couple of souvenir photographs but

neither woman looks like they are enjoying it. By stark contrast,

their first meeting, eight months ago, then it was called a good

working relationship, now, Nicola Sturgeon says the PM has not

listened to her on "Brexit", Theresa May says that she will reject any

request for a vote on Scottish independence. My position is not

going to change, now is not the time to be talking about a second

independence referendum, because it would not be fair on the Scottish

people to make them make that decision when the facts are not

clear and also because now is the time when we need to pull together

to make sure we get the best possible deal for the UK and

clothing the people of Scotland. I'm told the meeting inside this hotel

was businesslike, cordial, probably the longest meeting yet between

them, the Scottish Government were expecting an offer of more powers

for the Scottish parliament after "Brexit" but they say they got no

detail on that. When Nicola Sturgeon told the Prime Minister how she

plans to make a formal request for a Scottish referendum, the Prime

Minister said simply, you know my position on that. The First Minister

says Theresa May agreed, the shape of the "Brexit" deal should be clear

in 18 to 24 months' time, which is when the Scottish Government want to

hold the referendum. We both agree, now is not the time to ask people to

make the choice, but since we both appear to be in agreement as to when

the terms of Brexit will become clear on the timetable, that would

underline my view that that is the right time. Visiting police

Scotland, Theresa May announced a major counterterrorism exercise, the

message, the importance of coordinating security across the UK.

-- Police Scotland. When this great union of nations, sets its mind on

something, and works together with determination, we are an unstoppable

force. In a speech to staff at the Department for International the in

East Kilbride, she said she wants to build a more United Nations. It is

Scottish independence on the agenda at the Holyrood parliament tomorrow,

where they will almost certainly vote to call for a second

referendum. -- Department for International Development in East

Kilbride. STUDIO: Let's speak to our Political

Editor Laura Kuenssberg, who's in Westminster. Theresa May is about to

embark on a period of wheeling and dealing, negotiating and bartering,

with no less than 27 countries, all with different agendas and

priorities. Very different populations and economies. All

wanting something different from the UK. You might have thought that the

easy part would be dealing with relations at home, between different

parts of the UK. Well, not a bit of it, it is clear from today's meeting

that neither Nicola Sturgeon or Theresa May is in any mood to back

down, they fundamentally disagree on the notion of whether or not Scots

should have another vote on going for independence during this process

of upheaval. What too many people looks like opportunity, too. For

Theresa May this is clear, it is a problem for her politically that is

going to hang around for quite some time. It is part of a patchwork of

problems which face her here, before she even gets to the negotiating

table in Brussels. Today, Labour set out its list of wrecks it demands,

Ukip did the same, warning her that they will hold her feet to the fire

if there is backsliding. In private, this pressure on her inside the Tory

party too. Theresa May faces problems and challenges and

opportunities right now that no Prime Minister has realistically

faced in generations. Scotland is one of them that is hugely

significant but it is clear in number ten that it is not the only

issue. Northern Ireland's political parties

have failed to meet the deadline to form a power sharing

government at Stormont. Three weeks of talks couldn't bridge

the deep divides between the Democratic Unionist Party

and Sinn Fein. The secretary of state

for Northern Ireland, who has the power to impose direct

rule from Westminster, But it's not clear if of

when powersharing will return. Here's our Ireland

correspondent Chris Buckler. VOICEOVER: There has been a lot of

talk in Northern Ireland about restoring power-sharing but at times

it has felt like Sinn Fein and the DUP have been speaking a very

different language. Much of the funding for this class for migrant

workers in Dungannon comes from storm on. With no government, no

budget. That means this community group cannot be sure how much money

they will have, once the new financial year begins, just next

week. If there is no funding coming through, it would mean imminent

closure within two months, and all jobs lost. That is how serious it

is. Those concerns about budgets retch across all departments,

including health and education. At 4pm, the deadline for an agreement,

the politicians were not electing a first and Deputy First Minister, the

assembly chamber was empty. I think there are a short few weeks

in order to resolve matters. The reason I say that is

because of this issue, the stark issue in relation

to public services here in Northern Ireland,

and the lack of a budget The Northern Ireland Secretary has

limited number of options, he can call another election

but he has indicated However, because he has to call

a vote within a reasonable time period, that does allow more time

for further talks. The other option is what is known

as direct rule, whether Westminster government would take control

of the running of Northern Ireland Last week at Martin McGuinness'

funeral, the leader of the DUP and Sinn Fein did reach out

to each other. But any signs of friendship

were missing at Stormont, today. When Arlene Foster and Michelle

O'Neill spoke separately. There is a gulf between the parties

on a whole range of issues from Sinn Fein's demand

for legislation to give official status to the Irish language to that

thorny old problem of how to recognise and deal with

Northern Ireland's troubled past. That all leaves major worries

about the future of power-sharing and in places like this Dungannon

community group, another generation affected

by Northern Ireland's old divides. A surgeon, who's accused of carrying

out unnecessary operations in order to earn extra cash,

has been giving evidence in court. Ian Paterson denies 20 counts

of unlawfully and maliciously wounding ten patients

between 1997 and 2011. Our Midlands Correspondent

Sima Kotecha is at Well, this trial has been going on

for more than a month now. Ian Paterson took the stand for the

first time this afternoon and told the jury he'd been practising

medicine since 1981. In a statement, he said any suggestions I carried

out completely necessary breast operations for financial gain were

up orange. Ian Paterson, the breast surgeon accused of carrying out

unnecessary operations in the West Midlands. Nottingham Crown Court, he

is on trial for causing grievous bodily harm to ten patients over a

14 year period. Today, the 59-year-old took the stand. He told

the jury not ... Over the last few weeks, the

court has heard the surgeon operated unnecessarily on patients at two

private hospitals. The prosecution alleges his motives were obscure and

may have included a desire to earn money. Ian Paterson denies 20 counts

of wounding with intent. The trial continues.

The Westminster attacker's mother has called her son's

A record haul at the Rio games, so why has wheelchair tennis

Coming up in Sportsday on BBC News, why age isn't an issue

for Jermain Defoe as the England manager Gareth Southgate

labels his return to the national team a great story, three years

after his last appearance for his country.

Iraqi forces are intensifying their assault against so called

Islamic State, as they attempt to drive them out of western Mosul.

They're deploying helicopter gunships and crude rocket launchers

But thousands of people are fleeing the city claiming civilian

are being killed because the assault is too indiscriminate.

With the city still divided between IS and the Iraqi army,

our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen is in western Mosul.

This is the Iraqi solution to an offensive that's stalled over

It feels as if the air war over Mosul is intensifying.

They seem confident they won't get shot down.

And every day a few thousand more people come walking out of the areas

of Mosul still held by the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State.

Many said IS used them as human shields, shooting out from the cover

But the response, more air strikes, horrified them.

TRANSLATION: They destroyed our homes, our cars, everything.

Entire families are gone, they are under the rubble.

Some very sophisticated modern weapons are in this fight.

Locally made rockets used over a short range, a blunt instrument.

It might be good for the tempo of the military operation but it

isn't necessarily good for preserving civilian lives.

But they want to win this battle and they're

Most of the people arriving in government-held territory

Many said IS fighters forced themselves into their homes.

Nine of this woman's family were killed in a big raid on the 17th.

She said she wasn't escaping the jihadists but air strikes that

used tonnes of bombs on a single sniper.

TRANSLATION: They destroyed the houses when there are one or two

or three so-called Islamic State men inside them.

My children, nine of my family killed.

They call them smart bombs but this is stupid.

The people of Mosul have been left with impossible choices.

Risk death in their own homes or risked death

Iraq has been shattered by the years of war and sectarian conflict

that followed the US and British invasion.

It might be too late to put this country back together.

One of the largest investors in the UK has committed ?5 billion

to invest in transport, property and digital technology.

The Middle Eastern state of Qatar said it is optimistic

about the future of the British economy and that the UK leaving

the European Union had little bearing on its decision.

It has already invested ?40 billion, owning Harrods and the shard.

A Hong Kong-based firm is to help run one of the biggest rail

South West Trains, which operates out of London Waterloo,

is to be taken over by MTR, the operator of the Hong Kong Metro,

The two companies are due to take over from Stagecoach,

which has run the franchise for 20 years.

Unions have expressed concern about the decision,

but MTR says it will create more capacity.

BT has been fined ?42 million by the telecoms regulator Ofcom,

for failing to pay proper compensation for delays

in installing high-speed broadband lines.

It's a record fine, and relates to BT's Openreach division,

which installs cables and lines for other companies.

Our Correspondent Simon Gompertz has the story.

Demand for moving the information we need using high-capacity

So businesses, hospitals and schools can keep pace BT's supposed

to connect them up within 30 days of asking.

If BT Openreach, which does the work, misses that deadline,

it has to compensate people like Paul, who manages phone

But BT's been finding ways not to pay.

Poor service delivery's incredibly frustrating.

Sometimes, they are left waiting for months longer

The result is it's damaging for us, and consequently financially

Excuses heard by telecom firms include the Openreach team

was running late elsewhere or they thought it was complete

but six kilometres of cable were forgotten.

Another team forgot the temporary traffic lights they needed.

What we're talking about our optical fibre cables which we need

for carrying huge amounts of information, from office

to the exchange, from one office to another office,

even from mobile phone masts, carrying our calls and information.

And BT's being accused of delaying up to a year to install these cables

and then trying to wriggle out of responsibility

So, for not paying up, BT faces a ?42 million fine.

There is now a compensation bill of ?300 million which has to be met

and an extra ?300,000 fine for keeping back information.

It's the biggest fine Ofcom have ever levied,

and it comes at a time when Openreach is under enormous

pressure to not only maintain existing network infrastructure

but they also need to invest in the next generation

of technology, which is fibre, and that pressure is, obviously,

causing issues for the group, in terms of being able to deliver.

BT says it's sorry, it's already agreed that Openreach should be run

as a separate operation amid an explosion in

Rivals say BT's workrate is holding them back.

It was the sport that beat all expectations at the Rio Games,

smashing targets and contributing to Great Britain's

But six months on wheelchair tennis has had its funding cut despite its

Gemma-Louise Stevenson takes a look at the sport,

Wimbledon's singles champion, Scotland's Gordon Reid!

Best at Wimbledon on wheels, and best in the world.

Wimbledon winner, seven time grand slam champion,

The only rule change between somebody playing

on their feet and me playing in a chair is that we get two

In 2016, I played matches which were watched by literally

And a few years ago, nobody within our sport

would ever have dreamed that would have happened.

He and fellow Brit Andy Lapthorne are just two of many successful

British players dominating the world rankings.

Full-time athletes who train and compete alongside

Maybe not as fast as we would like but we're getting

there and I see it being, in 20 years' time,

the biggest disability sport in the world, bar none.

Up until Rio, the game had been supported by a mixture

of National Lottery and taxpayers' money.

Now the funding that goes towards the Olympic training

The chief executive of UK Sport explained to me why,

despite the sport's strong medal potential.

We know that they merit our investment.

But the first question we always ask is can they sport have access

to support from and resources from other sources?

However, UK Sport will still support the athletes until Tokyo 2020

through individual performance awards.

But some people are still concerned about the effect it will have

Rio was a big success story for wheelchair tennis.

So we should be looking at building on that,

creating more opportunities, inspiring more people,

getting them ready for 2024, really, in the long-term plan,

and this will dissuade a lot of people from actually wanting

to do that because they don't think financially they can do it.

On court, the sport continues to grow and get more and more

exposure and the world stage, with players like Novak Djokovic

And the trophies, medals and silverware keep multiplying

at least for this generation of British players.

After a Bellini 's start, most of us brightened up nicely but some did

not. The cloud persistent across the East of England, 7 degrees,

distinctly chilly. This was the drab scene at Bridlington this afternoon.

For most of the rest of us, it was another glorious day, no more so

than across Highland Scotland. It again, that's where the highest

temperatures were, 19 degrees in some spots. This was the view

westwards in Ayrshire, a fantastic evening here, and a dry evening

everywhere. Overnight tonight, the low cloud becomes extensive, misty

in eastern spots. Where the skies are clear, it will be cold.

Temperatures dipping down to as low as minus two, just where we saw the

highest temperatures in the daytime. In the south-west, some showers

pushing into Wales, and central areas. One or two showers in

Northern Ireland going into the direction of Scotland. More cloud in

Scotland tomorrow so it will be a lot cooler than it was today. The

odd shower pushing through the Midlands into eastern England but

many places will avoid the showers and it will be worn with mid to high

teens where it brightens up. There should be brightness across South

Wales and England but there is more rain in the evening. It will turn

drab tomorrow night and as we go into Wednesday, some heavier rain

turning up into northern areas. Further south and east, it should

stay nice and dry, albeit cloudy. Temperatures up to the mid-teens.

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me,