tv BBC News BBC News March 24, 2017 8:00pm-8:11pm GMT
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this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 8:00: the westminster attacker — police make two more arrests, as they try to find out if khalid masood was working alone. four people are still being questioned, while seven have been released, one on police bail. in the us, president trump is battling to get his new healthca re bill through congress. and sportsmen and women join industry insiders in ten minutes, for a bbc debate on the state of british sport. there's confusion in washington tonight, after republican party leaders in congress postponed a vote on president trump's controversial healthcare plan — the measure designed to replace what became known as obamacare. it had apparently been
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heading for defeat — and there are reports that the president has now withdrawn the legislation altogether. we are expecting the speaker of the house, paul ryan, a republican, to hold a press conference very soon, but we are reading there will not be a vote as planned tonight on this bill. according to reports from the reuters news agency, the president has said he wants to see if there are democrats who will help work on are democrats who will help work on a future health care bill, but the effo rts a future health care bill, but the efforts for now are over and there is no suggested timetable for when they might bring it back. they are done with obamacare, say republican lawmakers, so for now obamacare stays in place. and efforts will be made to look at the issue of health
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ca re made to look at the issue of health care in the united states at a later point. we will go back to their press c0 nfe re nce point. we will go back to their press conference when it starts, if able to. detectives have released the first image of the attacker, detectives have also released the first image of the attacker, image of the attacker, 52—year—old khalid masood, — who was born in kent and named adrian elms at birth. they're appealing for information from anyone who knew him. here's our special correspondent, lucy manning. the face of khalid masood, the face that confronted police officers, and parliament. the face that looked out of the car at pedestrians as he knocked them over. the 52—year—old was known by a number of names. born adrian elms in kent, by the time he was at this boys‘ secondary school in tunbridge wells, he was called adrian ajao after his mother got married. school friends remembered him as a sporty pupil who liked to party, "a very nice guy". adrian was a very nice lad,
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a fun guy, always laughing, always joking, worked reasonably hard, good at sport, played rugby very well. just an unassuming guy. but masood was soon developing a reputation for violence. in this sleepy sussex village, where he lived in his 20s, at the local pub he slashed a man in the face with a knife and was sent to jail. didn't have a very good reputation, definitely. i remember he was a bit of a troubled character, i think would be the way to describe it. a family friend said this wasn't the only time he turned violent. a chap was looking at him, and i was sitting at the pool table, and he took umbrage against the landlord for looking at him like he was, the landlord
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was looking at him, and he flew over the bar, he got a glass, he was going to do him. khalid masood spent time in three prisons. around ten years ago, he worked in saudi arabia. it is not clear when he converted to islam, but he started using the surname masood at least 11 years ago. his mother now lives in a remote farmhouse in camarthenshire, which detectives searched yesterday. they have not been in any sort of contact with their son for well over 20 years, i understand. and when it comes to terrorism, unfortunately, nobody can be responsible for the action of their children. masood, we now know, launched his terror attack after staying overnight at a hotel in brighton. he stayed in room 228. he seemed happy, staff said,
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untroubled by what he was about to do. but he was about to leave his hotel room, to drive to london to kill. he was joking and smiling and friendly. he was a very, very friendly person. he was a lovely guest, and he even put comments in the system as a nice guest. there was nothing in his conduct or demeanour which would have given me a feeling that there was something weird about this guy. and he'sjust on his way to commit mass murder. detectives have searched the hotel, and there have been more raids and arrests. police are still trying to build a picture of the man who came here to attack westminster. they say their main aim now is to try and work out if he was acting alone, inspired by terrorist propaganda, or if they are others still out there who encouraged him, supported or even directed this attack. but it's clear there are still gaps in the police‘s knowledge. we are appealing to the public today to say, if even in hindsight now
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you realise something about khalid masood, something about his associates, his movements, now is the time to come forward to speak to us. a bright student, turned violent man, turned terrorist. no—one is quite sure how, or why. the fourth victim of the attack, who died last night, has been named as 75—year—old leslie rhodes from clapham in south london. he was crossing westminster bridge on his way to or from a hospital visit, when he was hit by masood's car. 50 people, from 12 different countries, were injured in the attack. three remain in a very serious condition in hospital. 0ur correspondent sarah campbell reports. as the number of tributes continues to grow, so, too, the number of people killed in the attack. friends and neighbours here in clapham are mourning the loss of 75—year—old leslie rhodes. he was a retired window cleaner. he would clean the windows, take your rubbish downstairs, he would do anything for you. to be there at that precise time
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and get hit by that maniac, i mean, it's unbelievable. he'll be sorely missed. aysha frade, who was on her way to pick up her two daughters from school, lost her life on the bridge, as did kurt cochran from the united states, in london celebrating his wedding anniversary. and pc keith palmer, pictured here with an american tourist in the hour before he was stabbed to death. an online appeal by the metropolitan police federation for his family has reached more than half a million pounds, double its target. among the seriously injured is police constable chris davies, who was hit by the car along with two other police officers. in total, up to 50 people were injured in the attack.
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most have been discharged from hospital. some are well enough to talk about what happened. i didn't want to die, so i wasjust like, "i'm going to be ok, "i'm going to try and convince myself that i'm going to be ok "but i was horrified." i was scared for my life. i didn't want to die. andreea cristea, the romanian woman who was pushed over the barriers by the attacker‘s car, is still unconscious but is now stable. she was in london with her boyfriend, and the country's ambassador told me today that the fact she survived at all is a miracle. they were coming to london to celebrate her birthday. he intended to ask her for marriage the same day. for marriage the same day, and this was unfortunately the destiny. prince charles, with 19—year—old student travis frain, pictured today during a visit to king's college hospital. this is one of several hospitals
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across london which are continuing to treat the injured. staff too are coming to terms with the magnitude of what they had to deal with. it was inspiring, the way people just worked together and communicated to deal with the patient in front of them. it didn't matter how many more were coming, you knew that you would just keep working. it was really quite something. today at westminster abbey, in a show of solidarity, religious leaders joined together for a minute's silence, to remember the four who were killed and the many more who were injured. oui’ our correspondentjoins us from washington. here we have scenes of political drama, where millions of people are wondering exactly what their health
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insurance will be and what it will become. —— people outside washington. the future of health ca re washington. the future of health care in this country is now uncertain, because they cannot make a deal. donald trump, who made his name as a campaigner to say that he would get deals done on this hill, has not managed to do it, and it is an embarrassing defeat for both party and the president. there will be more on that story at 9pm. now, all this week across the bbc we've been running a series of stories and features as part of our state of sport week. to round it all off, and tackle some of the topical issues within sports news, it's time for the state of sport debate, hosted by presenters david eades and jessica creighton.
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