we this is bbc news. the headlines at 4. theresa may makes an impassioned appeal to preserve the united kingdom ahead of her first meeting with nicola sturgeon since the snp proposed a second independence referendum. when this great union of nations — england, scotland, wales and northern ireland — sets its mind on something and works together with determination, we are an unstoppable force. the family of the american tourist killed in the westminster terror attack say he would not have borne any ill will towards his attacker. he was an amazing individual who loved everyone, and tried to make the world a better place. police investigating last wednesday's attack believe khalid masood was driving up to 76 miles per hour on westminster bridge where three were killed. in the next hour. life under is control — we hear from the people of mosul who have witnessed jihadi fighting

and threat of coalition air strikes. god will have revenge on isis. entered those who helped isis entered those who helped isis entered the city. the deadline forforming a new devolved government in northern ireland hasjust expired with no agreement. this is scene in stormont, where the secretary of state for northern ireland will be speaking shortly. the new £1 coin is released tomorrow, but are everyday machines ready for it? good afternoon and welcome to bbc news more on theresa may's meeting with nicola sturgeon in a minute or $0.

first, let's go over to stormont house in northern ireland, where we're expecting the northern ireland secretaryjames brokenshire to make a statement on the political deadlock in the province. the deadline to form a new devolved government has just passed without an agreement. we expect the northern ireland secretary to emerge in about ten minutes to tell us about his plans. there is no sign of any deal being done by the deadline lipm. the dup and sinn fein appear to be blaming each other and the decision now falls to the northern ireland office to determine the way ahead. we expect the northern ireland secretary to emerge in roughly ten minutes and we will bring that live on bbc news. theresa may will meet nicola sturgeon in scotland

for the first time since the snp announced their proposals for a second independence referendum. at the beginning of a week that will see article 50 triggered on wednesday, the prime minister will say she wants to build a more united nation. tomorrow, the scottish parliament is expected to pass a vote in favour of seeking a new scottish independence referendum, which ms sturgeon wants to hold in autumn 2018 or spring 2019. theresa may, though, has said that now is not the time for it. let's go over live now to glasgow, and our scotland correspondent lorna gordon. it is an historic week when it comes to politics with the spotlight on the two unions, the eu, which theresa may is in the process of triggering article 50, on wednesday, the process. where the uk leads the eu. and the vote in the scottish parliament tomorrow, which is likely to pass, calling for a second referendum. theresa may is here today and she has been meeting

nicola sturgeon. we think the meeting is now wrapping up. they are meeting is now wrapping up. they are meeting in a hotel across the river clyde behind me. numberio has talked of the hope this meeting would be constructive. it is hard to see where the consensus lies on the keyissue, see where the consensus lies on the key issue, the timing of any possible second referendum on scottish independence. the prime minister reiterating her belief that now is not the time for such a vote. when this great union of nations england, scotland, wales and northern ireland, sets its mind on something, and works together with determination, we are an unstoppable force. that's why the plan for britain i've set out, a plan to get the right deal for britain abroad as well as a better deal for ordinary working people at home has at its heart one over arching goal — to build a more united nation. because i believe when we work together, there is no limit to what we can do. theresa may talking about what she

thinks, kingdom having a large role on the global stage post brexit the focus has been on the beating with nicola sturgeon this afternoon. nicola sturgeon this afternoon. nicola sturgeon this afternoon. nicola sturgeon calling for the right to hold a second referendum in a charged press conference a couple of weeks ago. she said her government has met a brick wall of intransigence on government has met a brick wall of intra nsigence on negotiations government has met a brick wall of intransigence on negotiations to protect scotland's place in europe and the position backed up by members of the assembly at holyrood and mps in westminster at what they see as an unreasonable position taken by the prime minister. theresa may needs to treat scotland as a partnership of equals and that has not been the case. she will not disregard the will of the people of

scotland when it comes to the relationship with uk. it is up to the uk government to respond to the compromise. we think the meeting between the first minister and prime minister is wrapping up. we understand nicola sturgeon will comment in the next hour. thanks. we can show you pictures of theresa may arriving for those talks with nicola sturgeon. the first meeting since nicola sturgeon announced her wish to hold a second independence referendum, either in autumn of next year, or by spring the following year, or by spring the following year, 2019. theresa may arriving for those talks, which havejust year, 2019. theresa may arriving for those talks, which have just about wrapped up. that is what happened earlier. we can speak to be scottish conservative msp. liam kerr — he's in our aberdeen studio.

there is nothing you can do to stop this vote tomorrow. the vote will go ahead and we will have a debate that will conclude with a vote but the key thing to remember is that if the vote goes the way nicola sturgeon wa nts to vote goes the way nicola sturgeon wants to it does not give her a mandate to seek a second independence referendum. how do you think theresa may has approached the talks? the criticism is she has not listened. i don't accept that. i think theresa may has approached this appropriately. the scottish government has been... going to the uk government and demanding answers and this and that and theresa may has trod a careful line, to say the devolved administrations have to be

pa rt devolved administrations have to be part of these negotiations, they must play a full part in these negotiations, but ultimately it is the uk that has to deal with europe. it is the uk europe wishes to deal with. if you are confident of the position theresa may and your party take, are you afraid of another independence referendum, because you talk as though you would not expect the scottish people to back it? we are certainly not afraid of a second independence referendum. your point the scottish people do not back it is the right one because polls have made clear that the people of scotland... that has to be the right situation. until they know what brexit looks like and it is bedding m, brexit looks like and it is bedding in, if you like, and untilyou brexit looks like and it is bedding in, if you like, and until you know what the scottish government is putting forward as an independent

software, they cannot possibly be expected to vote on an independence referendum. it always comes back to this. the people have signalled they do not want to go with an independence referendum now. the meeting between theresa may and nicola sturgeon is something you would wish to be a fly on the wall in because it will be important, the relationship between the two women in the coming months. absolutely. i think theresa may is dealing with this absolutely appropriately. what we have is tia hart —— what we have is two skilled ladies who will work closely together. there is no reason to suspect they cannot do that. thank we are going to take you to the scene at stormont, where we are waiting for the northern ireland

secretary, james brokenshire, to make a statement on the political deadlock in the province. the deadline to form a devolved government hasjust deadline to form a devolved government has just passed at apm. that is without any agreement. we are expecting james brokenshire to come out and make a statement and also to take questions. the two parties in the power—sharing government, the dup and sinn fein, have each blamed each other for the political deadlock. it now falls to the northern ireland office to determine what is now to happen. a lot at stake in this decision for james brokenshire. the voluntary and community sectors say they are severely impacted by the lack of an agreed budget and by uncertainty overfunding. we

agreed budget and by uncertainty over funding. we heard agreed budget and by uncertainty overfunding. we heard earlierfrom the dup and ian paisley overfunding. we heard earlierfrom the dup and ian paisleer, the dup mp in northern ireland. criticising sinn fein‘s approach to these talks. ina sinn fein‘s approach to these talks. in a press conference earlier, the democratic unionist leader arlene foster blamed sinn fein for the lack ofa foster blamed sinn fein for the lack of a breakthrough, saying they have not come to the talks in the same spirit as the dup. we entered the discussions after the election in good faith. and, as we indicated, we wanted to see a new executive formed. our position throughout the talks was that we wanted to see a successful outcome based on recognition of all mandates. during these discussions it appeared to us that sinn fein were not in agreement—finding mode. indeed, their refusal to have the secretary of state chair the talks resulted in a total lack of structure. any further discussions will have to be built on more solid foundations. not so, says michelle o'neill, the

leader of sinn fein at stormont. she defended her party's actions in the talks. we came at the negotiation over the course of the last three weeks fully engaged, our full team were there wanting to deal with all of the issues. we said consistently throughout the course of that that we needed to see implementation of issues that were previously agreed. that was a major stomping block. that was a major stumbling block. the dup did not approach it with the right attitude. they were not prepared to bring forward mechanisms and deal with the issues and make sure we had full implementation. the british government did not play their role in the way that they should. they should have ensured that we had delivery on what has been previously been agreed. that is the scene at stormont where we are waiting for the northern ireland secretary to come out and make a statement. just to recapture, the main political parties have spent three weeks talking to each other, trying to break the deadlock

that at the moment threatens devolution. with that deadline now passed, the threat of another snap northern ireland assembly election looms large. we may hear about in the next few minutes. it has been a sticking point of political talks. the legacy of the troubles, one of the biggest issues is, the dup believes investigations into killings during the troubles focuses on the army. even though police say figures say otherwise. several issues and as we have seen there is an impasse which will lead to the statement from james brokenshire. we will return to that when he comes to the podium. labour says it will oppose the prime minister's plans for brexit unless she meets what the party says are six key tests, including protecting people's rights at work and ensuring britain

keeps the same benefits it currently has within the single market. meanwhile, ukip‘s leader paul nuttall said his party would be the "guard dogs of brexit", making sure theresa may did not backslide on her promises. our chief political correspondent vicki young spoke to us a little earlier from westminster. many will say the debate that was not held in the referendum itself, that is what we are hearing now, and as theresa may heads towards wednesday, the triggering of article 50 after these months of waiting. she will be focused on what deal she can get. lots of people chipping in with ideas. she will get a lot of advice and she had some today from the labour party who set out six rules they say they will judge her by. keir starmer the brexit spokesman saying the crucial one is that he thinks there should be the exact same benefits the uk has as a country now in the single market and customs union.

that could be tricky, given that theresa may has made it clear the uk will leave the single market. this is what he said about that. once a small minority in the conservative party, the brexiteers are now in office and in power. this ideologically driven approach to brexit would be disastrous and divisive. and it would stand as a roadblock to continued cooperation in the important fields of technology, research, medicine, security, science, art and culture. the prime minister needs to face down these brexiteers. on the other side of the argument ukip and their leader paul nuttall, he laid out six rules, very different, as you can imagine. he says ukip will be the guard dogs of brexit.

they have had a difficult couple of days, with their only mp douglas carswell deciding to become an independent mp in the commons. paul nuttall is saying they do not need the presence in the commons to hold the government to account. he said brexit must be done by 2019 and that the uk must not hand over any more cash in the next couple of years all once we have left and he said there must be control of immigration. we wish mrs may well in her negotiations. she must know and understand ukip will be there, as the guard dogs of brexit, to ensure that the people are not betrayed, to ensure there is no bartering, to ensure there is no backsliding. we will be there to ensure that brexit really does mean exit. after all the talking, the arguments, the only

talking that matters, the negotiations that will get under way in the next couple of weeks and all sides will keep a close eye on it and those in the european commission saying they will be open about what they are asking for. we will have to see if the uk government is the same and this commentary on what theresa may is up to is sure to continue. and all this week here on the bbc news channel we'll be putting your questions to our bbc editors on the triggering of article 50. today at 5:30, we'll be speaking to our economics editor kamal ahmed. you can get in touch via twitter using the hashtag bbc ask this, or text your questions to 611211. you can email us as well at askthis@bbc.co.uk. the headlines on bbc news: theresa may makes an impassioned

appeal to preserve the united kingdom ahead of herfirst appeal to preserve the united kingdom ahead of her first meeting with nicola sturgeon since the snp proposed a second independence referendum. the family of the american tourist killed in the westminster attack said he would not have born ill will towards the attacker. this is the seed in stormont where the deadline forforming this is the seed in stormont where the deadline for forming a new devolved government expired at 4pm without agreement. the secretary of state for northern ireland is set to speak shortly. and in sport — andy murray is unlikely to be fit for the davis cup tie against france a week on friday. his brother jamie revealed that the world number one has a tear in his elbow and needs rest. the women's fa cup semifinal draw has been made — manchester city face liverpool, while birmingham will host chelsea. ties will be played on easter monday. and india are closing in on a series victory against australia after the tourists collapse on the third day of the fourth and final test in dharamsala. we will take you straight back to

just outside stormont house in northern ireland, where we are waiting for the northern ireland secretary james brokenshire to waiting for the northern ireland secretaryjames brokenshire to come out and make a statement. that was meant to be around apm. running late, but we can talk to our correspondent, who is there. chris, what are his options? he basically has three. number one, as the law stands, he has to call an election to the stormont assembly within what is described as a reasonable time frame. he is not regarding that is a good option. number two, frame. he is not regarding that is a good option. numbertwo, he frame. he is not regarding that is a good option. number two, he would pass emergency legislation in the commons that imposes direct rule, basically westminster takes over the running of northern ireland and devolution is suspended. i do not

think he would think much of that option. option three, perhaps more appealing. when you look at the law on the timing of the new election, he has wriggle room because there is a phrase he has to do it within a reasonable period of time. nobody has defined how long a reasonable period of time is and it means he could call more talks. it is clear this phase of the talks to restore power—sharing have failed but he could say let's have some more days 01’ could say let's have some more days or weeks and everybody get around the table and let's see if we can work out an agreement. nobody can be sure, as he has yet to speak much but i think option number three, certainly the parties at stormont would prefer. while we wait for him to make the statement, how has the business of government being conducted all this time the talks have been going on? northern ireland has basically been without a functioning government almost three

months. government departments have been able to do some things but only low—level tasks. journalists will get news releases from the department of agriculture about fines levied on farmers who have done something wrong, but beyond that there has been no major policy decisions because with no ministers in place the government cannot do that sort of thing. the deadlock, vacuum, is continuing. there will be a key juncture on vacuum, is continuing. there will be a keyjuncture on wednesday. that is the time the budget at stormont will basically run out, which means senior civil servants will have to ta ke senior civil servants will have to take over the purse strings from the politicians and the most senior official in the department of finance will have the responsibility to write the checks to keep public services going. that will not be a problem initially because the money will be there, but it underlines the uncertainty, and given northern ireland is a place where people work

in the public sector, a higher average than the rest of uk, that concern among people here. meanwhile there is not just concern among people here. meanwhile there is notjust deadlock, but a souring of relations between the two main parties. no surprise that the differences between the democratic unionists and sinn fein have not been sorted out within three weeks, the time period allowed in law for talks to restore devolved government. a key disagreement is irish language. at the moment irish language activists have begun to hold a protest in front of the main building about what they see as unionist intransigence. nationalist parties want legal recognition for irish language, a language acts that would generate funding for people to learn irish and allow perhaps irish to be spoken in the assembly and in the courts but some unionists regard

it as the courts but some unionists regard itasa the courts but some unionists regard it as a weapon in a cultural war would be against legal recognition. another disagreement over agencies to investigate hundreds of unsolved killings on the troubles. designed asa killings on the troubles. designed as a result of previous negotiations but not running because of disagreement over the details, particularly a row between the nationalists on one side and unionists and the british government on the other over how much sensitive information should be made public. that has rumbled on over several negotiations over a number of years with no resolution and that in particular is probably the most complex and contentious issue still unresolved after these talks. we are seeing a live shot outside stormont where we are waiting forjames brokenshire, the northern ireland secretary, to hold a press conference. we should remember this crisis was triggered by the green energy scheme, the row surrounding

that, and sinn fein's refusal to accept arlene foster as somebody they would negotiate with. that is right. the demand of sinn fein was they would negotiate with arlene foster but not serve in a power—sharing executive as long as a public enquiry was going onto the green energy scheme. arlene foster was the enterprise minister when the scheme was set up an dup ministers took it over from her. the scheme was a disaster and went almost half £1 billion over budget. the dup say there is no corruption involved. they have come up with a plan that will result in the body being restored to the public purse, but other people are sceptical about that. that issue has been prominent in the media over the last six months. the crisis grew to the point

sinn fein asked arlene foster to temporarily stand aside as first minister over her role.|j temporarily stand aside as first minister over her role. i will stop you there and listen to the northern ireland secretary. good afternoon. it is extremely disappointing that an executive has not been formed in northern ireland today. there will be widespread dismay across the community. over the past three weeks, we have been engaged in extensive talks and progress has been made on a number of issues. these include work to set a budget, a programme for government, and ways of improving governance, transparency and accountability of politics in northern ireland. we have made further moves forward on agreeing a way to implement the stormont house

legacy bodies to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the troubles. in addition, there was progress made around how northern ireland interests would be represented in negotiations to leave the eu as article 50 is triggered on wednesday. yet, it is also clear that there remain significant gaps between the parties. particularly over issues surrounding culture and identity. throughout this process, the uk government has been active in making positive proposals to try to bridge these gaps and help the parties to move things forward. despite these efforts, agreement at this stage has not proved possible. this will have impacts. we are

rapidly approaching the point at which northern ireland will not have an agreed budget. this is not sustainable and will have consequences for public services. from wednesday, financial resources to allow northern ireland departments to deliver key public services will fall under the control of the northern ireland civil service. i believe that there remains an overwhelming desire among the political parties and the public here for is strong and stable devolved government. i have spoken to the leaders of each of the main parties this afternoon and there is no appetite for any alternative. i will make a statement in parliament tomorrow on next steps. we now have a short window of opportunity to

resolve outstanding issues and for an executive to be formed. everyone owes it to the people of northern ireland to grasp that and provide the political leadership and the stability that they want. i will ta ke stability that they want. i will take questions. mark devenport from bbc. you referred to a short window of opportunity. will you make a call on whether we go to fresh elections or you introduce direct rule before the end of april and what do you say to those who say the talks process was the worst there has been?” to those who say the talks process was the worst there has been? i do not think there is an appetite for any further immediate snap election. the public have only recently gone to the polls and delivered what i think is a clear message in wanting to see devolved government back on its feet. we are focused on how we support the political parties to reach that agreement. equally, the

uk government feels its responsibilities keenly in terms of providing political stability here in northern ireland. ultimately, this is about agreement between the main political parties in northern ireland. forming that understanding, forming that connection with each other to be able to see strong, inclusive, stable government here in northern ireland, that is what i think has laid at the heart of talks that have gone on, discussions between the parties themselves, and asi between the parties themselves, and as i have indicated we have actively supported them and playing an important part in providing those ideas and proposals to help them bridge those gaps. we are not there yet but we are determined to see the devolved government is restored at the earliest opportunity. we recognise the prime minister has other things on her mind but given

the peace process is arguably facing its greatest crisis in a decade, why has she not been here? the prime minister has been actively informed of all the steps going on. she has been part of that and has been kept up—to—date throughout this process. i think it is important to recognise ultimately this is about agreement between the political parties in northern ireland. ensuring they have that understanding and connection with them to be able to get on and governed. we have played an active pa rt governed. we have played an active part in supporting them through that process , part in supporting them through that process, but as indicated, we are not yet there but we remain resolve to see a positive outcome, to see what people of northern ireland want, which is devolved government working for them and acting for them and getting on with things like the delivery of public services, which is what they voted for in that

election a few weeks ago. reporter: you said there is no appetite for elections. you have ruled elections out. if it is not possible to reach agreement will you have to look at some form of direct rule? as i've already indicated there are consequences as a result of there not being an executive formed today. in relation to the budgetary arrangements on issues such as the inability to set a inial rate and for rates bills to be issued here in northern ireland. it issued here in northern ireland. it is those issues that we feel very keenly and therefore, the sense of the need for us to be focussed on our responsibilities in assuring good governance here in northern ireland. it is that focus that obviously we continue to have, but obviously we continue to have, but obviously wanting to see devolved

government back at the earliest opportunity. as i've said, i think there is that strong continuing desire from the parties to see that, to see continued engagement around that, but obviously we do recognise that, but obviously we do recognise that need for assurance in relation to those basic public services, and thatis to those basic public services, and that is what we will be keeping under very close and careful revau and therefore, ensuring that stability, that sense of delivery for people here in northern ireland. reporter: two questions, the first is in relation to legacy issues. money for inquests as suggested by the lord chief justice. money for inquests as suggested by the lord chiefjustice. you are the person who controls the purse strings. can you tell us what progress was made on that issue? and according to your statement, you said there was progress made about how northern ireland's interests would be represented in our negotiations to leave the eu as article 50 is trigger on wednesday? does that involve a triangular

approach involving london, belfast, and dublin? thank you. thank you, tommy. well, i'm not going to go into the details of the discussions that did take place over the last three weeks, but what i can say is that the northern ireland executive has recently received £120 million from the recent budget and therefore, its ability to set priorities around how it spends funds on things that fall within that devolved responsibility, but i can say that there has been progress in relation to dealing with some of thoseissues in relation to dealing with some of those issues of the past, on moving towards a public consultation around the implementation of institutions that will help support that, support better outcomes for survivors and victims of the troubles and that remains my core focus on delivering on that. in relation to brexit, yes, i think there have been some

constructive discussions on the role that the northern ireland executive can play in relation to that ongoing process , can play in relation to that ongoing process, ensuring that northern ireland's voice is heard loud and clear in relation to those discussions ahead, but obviously amplifying the work that i have already been doing in talking to business, talking to communities, getting out and ensuring that that voice has been heard as we look towards the triggering of article 50, that is what i intend to continue to do in the weeks and the months ahead, but it also underlines the importance of having an executive in place. the importance of having that direct ability of an executive to make representations to us as executive to make representations to us as the uk government and also to make those points at an eu level as well as working with the irish government in addition. so it is that earnest desire that i see in having that executive into place in ensuring that it can strengthen the work that we do in seeing that we get the best possible outcome for

northern ireland, and while we remain focussed on seeing devolved government restored. and david young. reporter: you indicated the parties have a short window in which to reach agreement. can you give us any indication of how long that window is. some people called for an appointment of an independent mediator to facilitate the talks. is that an option you're willing to consider? i think on timing, i think there are a short few weeks in order to resolve matters. the reason i say thatis to resolve matters. the reason i say that is because of this issue, this stark issue in relation to public services here in northern ireland. and the lack of a budget having been set. and therefore, it is the impact on public services of having an extended period that is very much at the fore front of my mind in terms of the responsibilities that we have as the uk government to provide that assurance that the public here in

northern ireland. in terms of what happens next, well, ultimately, this will be resolved by the parties themselves getting round the table, being able to bridge the gaps that are there, in respect of the differences that we know still exist. we as the uk government will be playing our key role in supporting, in encouraging and in facilitating and doing our absolute upmost to get the outcome that the public want to see here in northern ireland which is devolved government andi ireland which is devolved government and i will be making a statement in parliament tomorrow on next steps. reporter: some describe the talks as shambolic and there has been criticism towards you and how you've dealt with that. do you agree that? do you think an independent person should be brought in to chair the talks? well, as i have said the uk government played a very active and positive role in the discussions,

but ultimately, the issues at stake here are about the main parties themselves coming together and therefore, the inevitable focus is on those parties. on their engagement and their ability to come to agreement and it is about bringing those parties around the table that remains at the heart of this continuing that discussion that they themselves have indicated that they themselves have indicated that they want to see. and so, it is with that intent that we will be approaching the days ahead, but equally knowing that there are these stark issues that are there for public services in northern ireland. therefore, that time is short in relation to that. and i do underline, i think, relation to that. and i do underline, ithink, the relation to that. and i do underline, i think, the constructive role that we have played and indeed the irish government have played in supporting the parties to find their differences, resolved and we will continue to do so in the days ahead because ultimately, that's what the

public in northern ireland want to see. that's what the people out there want to see delivering for them which is those public services and getting on with government which is what they voted for just a short few weeks ago. thank you very much. thank you. the northern ireland secretary, james brokenshire. a short window for an executive to be formed. huge pressure on that short window. the sta kes pressure on that short window. the stakes have just been upped to another degree. james brokenshire expressing his disappointment there was no deal. he emphasised that progress had been made, but he said there was significant gaps around culture and identity issues. that's a nod to the problems over legal recognition for the irish language which has been one of the major sticking points for the parties. he talked about a short window to form

an executive. he wasn't specific about that, but he talked about a few short weeksment under the law, whenever there is no government in place, three weeks after an election and we've got to that point, the northern ireland secretary must call an election within what is describe as, "a reasonable time frame." it sounds like he is taking the judgment that that reasonable time frame he is allowed will be a few weeks before he is legally obliged to call an election, but he said the parties don't want any alternatives to devolution, they don't want direct rule and they don't want another election. it looks like he is holding out for a deal. if one is not forthcoming he will have to look at the other options passing some legislation in london perhaps that would enable northern ireland to be governed because the way things are going on, you heard him say that civil servants are going to take over the purse strings of stormont on wednesday because somebody has got to take responsibility for that and it can't be politicians while there is no ministers in place. so there is no ministers in place. so the stakes are getting higher. the consequences for northern ireland are becoming more serious and james brokenshire putting pressure on the

parties in that statement there to try again, to get round the table and to get a deal which will restore the devolved government here at stormont. chris page, thank you very much. thousands of people are escaping the city as iraqi forces continue their offensive to drive out so—called islamic state fighters. earlier i spoke with caroline gluck from the un refugee agency in baghdad. she said the agencies were working all hours of the day to build new camps. it is happening and the numbers coming out are getting higher and higher. all the agencies have been working around the clock to do what they can to ensure that everybody coming out gets help almost as soon as they get out. that means getting some water, a hot meal, getting shelter, getting medical assistance and in some cases some psychological assistance too. people come out very traumatised. they've witnessed in

many cases, killings, executions, they have gone through perilous journeys to safety and especially children, you can see are very highly traumatised. what are the numbers that you're hearing on the ground? since the events have started around 350,000 people have come out of mosul and where your reporter was, where i spent most of last week, is seeing the greatest numbers, around 180,000 people so far. everybody now from west mosul goes to that site and are security screened. the camp itself is full. unchr has almost completed a new camp abouta unchr has almost completed a new camp about a kilometre away and we hope by the end of the week thousands of families will be able to move there, will have a tent of their own and have more secure services and better services than many are getting because the site is

overcrowded. many families, three or four are sharing overcrowded. many families, three or fourare sharing a overcrowded. many families, three or four are sharing a tent at the moment and the conditions have been very difficult. last week, it was heavy rain and very muddy and very cold. how would you describe the international response?” cold. how would you describe the international response? i think everybody is really working flat—out to help people. everybody knows that this was and always was predicted to be an enormous humanitarian crisis. it has been difficult though particularly when you get so many thousands of people coming every day at this camp, between 8,000 and 15,000 new arrivals every day. it has been a struggle, but there has been good co—ordination between the agencies and the government departments too. everybody has one goal — to try and ensure that civilians who come out get emergency assistance as quickly as possible. companies owned by foreign governments will soon be involved

in running three—quarters of the uk's rail routes after the new south west trains franchise was awarded jointly to first group and hong kong—based mtr. the new company which takes over in august is promising a fleet of 90 new trains and says some journey times will be cut. with me is anthony smith, chief executive of transport focus, an independent transport user watchdog. we have heard promises before. what do passengers most want to see? as the independent passenger watchdog we talk a lot to passengers about what they want to see. three main things. a more reliable service and better handling of disruption when it happens. more trains. so more frequent trains and very importantly, more seats on those trains and longer trains so you have got more chance of getting on and secondly of getting a seat or standing in comfort. this means south west trains has what, failed? they were outbid. they were outclassed. the bid from first and

mtr, a lot of private money on the table matching some of the government money that's been invested. and a real attention to detail, i think, invested. and a real attention to detail, ithink, on invested. and a real attention to detail, i think, on what passengers on that busy route were looking for. what is that? yes, everybody wants their train on time. the record in their train on time. the record in the south—west wasn't as bad as others? no, the performance has been a bit patchy recently, but it has been run well. waterloo busy. what is happening is there is lots of improvements being made at waterloo to free up the platforms. the old eu rostar to free up the platforms. the old eurostar terminal will be brought into use. at last there is more capacity so more trains. let's look at the promises, what is it, do you think that will catch the eye mostly? for passengers it is the reliability. get it reliable day in and day out. a lot of people use these services eight and nine ten times a week and they want to be able to rely on it. and passengers will believe it when they see the promises on the day. we are looking

an airyaft promises on the day. we are looking an air yaft south—west that's going to be run by a scottish and hong kong, chinese conglomerate? you are looking at a lot of expertise being concentrated here. it has been looked after. this is simply about gradually slowly improving it and bringing it up to standard. you seem quite optimistic about this? there seems to be a will the of money on the table and what's importantly, what's been listened to is what passengers said what they wa nt is what passengers said what they want the improvements to be. how long do you give it? about ten yea rs! long do you give it? about ten years! i hope to see you before then. anthony smith, thank you very much. in a moment a look at how the financial markets in europe closed the day, but first the headlines on bbc news: theresa may makes an impassioned appeal to preserve the united kingdom ahead of her first meeting with nicola sturgeon since the snp proposed a second independence referendum.

the family of the american tourist killed in the westminster terror attack say he would not have borne any ill will towards his attacker. the northern ireland secretary has said there will be no snap election after the failure to reach a deal to restore the power sharing government. hello. now a look at how the markets in europe have ended the trading session. european markets have been lower today on the back of the us president donald trump's surprise failure to deliver swift healthcare reform. the dollar has now fallen to its lowest level since mid—november. so what we're seeing here is nearly all those gains since mr trump won the us elections being wiped off. that's because investors are concerned that he won't be able to fulfil those promises he made on lower taxes, spending and regulation. markets here in london have largely

been in the red today, tracking losses seen elsewhere in european markets. the pound is up almost 1% to a seven—week high against the dollar after that failure of the republican healthcare bill. republicans have a majority in the house and the senate so in theory passing through changes should be relatively easy. so that's why we're seeing lower markets in the us as investors lose faith in the president's ability to push through through pledges. now oil exploration firms have made what its described as the "largest undeveloped discovery" of oil in uk waters. hurricane energy said one billion barrels of oil could be contained within the greater lancaster area, 60 miles west of shetland. the company hopes to begin production in 2019. the discovery is significantly larger than the average find in recent years which has been about 25 million barrels. bt has been fined £112 million by the telecoms regulator ofcom

for delays in installing high—speed lines. it's the largest fine the regulator has ever imposed. it comes after bt‘s openreach division cut how much it paid telecoms providers for delays in installing lines between 2013 and 2014. let's get detailed analysis of all those stories with lawrence gosling editor—in—chief of investment week. let's start off with bt. now, we saw shares fall about 1.5% roughly this morning. they have recovered. they are down 0.3%. how significant is this? i think it is significant by the sheer size of it, the £112 million fine. it is a large cheque that bt has got to write out and we are seeing a period, there is a news flow, you talked about openreach where sentiment is beginning to push against bt a little bit and the markets are unsure as to the

direction the company is going to be taking over time and having over the last couple of years seen it as a little bit of a darling on the back of the football rights that it bought up. oil, the find near the shetland islands. the company that discovered it said it is the largest undiscovered find for a while. is this significant in terms of the uk oil industry? it is significant. it is estimated to be about one billion barrels, largest previous field is the 40s one. it is a large amount of previously undiscovered oil. that's good for the uk economy in the long run and could be good for scotland as well. ironic given that the prime minister was in scotland today again talking around the whole brexit issue and clearly when the scottish independence vote was going on, we we re independence vote was going on, we were hearing about the importance of oil to the scottish economy. i this think this is a significant find.

markets, the dow opened lower, ftse, the cac are down because of this failure of president donald trump being able to push through the reforms. how sustained will these be going through the rest of the week? in the uk we're getting towards the end of the tax year and professional investors, and private clients and stockbrokers like to tidy up their portfolios, they have had six to nine months worth of really good performance from the uk, stock market, the us stock market. a lot is professional investors taking their profits so they can say to their profits so they can say to their clients, "we've made you money over the last six months." laurence, thank you very much. us markets down as are european markets. sterling there rising 1% against that weaker dollar. that's all from me, there is a roundup of all the other top business stories on our website — bbc.co.uk/business the one £1 will be unveiled

tomorrow. tim muffett has been finding out if the vending machines and lockers are ready for the change. since 1983, the pound coin has flowed through our economy. down high streets into shops, vending machines, shopping trolleys, parking meters. but the days of the round pound are numbered. from october 15th, these will no longer be legal tender and from tomorrow, these, the new 12—sided coins, will enter circulation. it is pretty. i can see the double tone on it. it's nice. can i keep it? no. i like it.

it reminds me of the old threepenny bit. feels like monopoly money. the new coin's shape and structure make it harder to forge. it is thought that 3% of the old pound coins were fake but it's thought the total cost of switching over will exceed £100 million. think of all that expense of changing every vending machine, shopping trolley, everywhere you put a pound coin will need to be changed and it costs someone money. it's ridiculous. the industry did not know until we saw it on the news. paul runs one of the uk's largest suppliers of vending machines. he says upgrades to 4,000 of them have cost his company £200,000. we've been quite blatantly told, thank you, we're having a new coin and it's yourjob to update the mechanisms. we have not been given a time frame to do this. it will not be completed until the end of the year. the treasury made the decision to switch.

in a statement it said it worked with business every step of the way to help them prepare for the new pound coin, which it says it will be the most secure of its kind in the world. at the royal mint in south wales, three million of them are being produced every day. we had some issues with the old pound coin. the technology was about 30 years old. it is made from two different coloured metals. there is a white coloured metal inner and a brass coloured outer. in addition there isa semi—hologram. when you look in one direction, you will see one image, and in the other direction you will see the figure for a pound. i think it is important that the public can feel confident, that they know that when they hand this from me to you it is worth a pound and it is genuine. the beeches leisure centre in birmingham where the lockers need upgrading. daryl gregory has been a busy man. we have done nearly 4,000 now across the country. things could soon get even busier. there's still a lot of work and a lot of lockers out there that

need to be changed over. as of tomorrow there will probably be a wave of leisure centres waking up to the fact that their coin—operated locks will no longer work with the new coin. the treasury admits this is a major transition but says it's confident most businesses are ready for the change. and that the long—term benefits of the new pound coin are worth the short—term cost. thieves in germany have stolen one of the world's biggest gold coins from a museum in the capital, berlin. it measures half a meter across and weighs 100 kilogrammes and it was taken in the early hours of the morning. the coin is known as the big maple leaf. it has a face value of $1 million and it is worth

about $4 million for bullion alone. they're famous for building dams and now it's claimed that beavers could be used to provide a low—cost solution to the problem of flooding. a trial at a secret location in devon has monitored the activity of a group of beavers over the past six years. adrian campbell has been looking at the results. the return of beavers to the river in east devon has grabbed everyone's attention, but in another part of devon, at a secret location, sealed off by electric fencing, another group of beavers have been busy. the results of their hard work over the past six years can be seen from the air. there is a been a dramatic change in the landscape where they have been living and working with the cre agencies of a network of pools and dams. this is one of 13 dams along a 200 meter stretch of this water course and you can see there is evidence of recent activity here by the beavers and when you look closely, you can see just how big and how deep these dams are becoming. researchers from the

university of exeter have been monitoring the way the beavers have changed the water course. the black lines represent the new dams and the areas of blue are new pools which all slow down the flow of water. mark elliot from devon wildlife trust says this project has shown how beavers can provide cost effective flood defences. when water surges in at the top of the site during a flood, those ponds and the dams hold the water back and it comes out here much, much slower as the dams are slowing the flow of the floodwater as it passes throughout the site. the university of exeter's data shows flooding can be slowed by beavers. conservationists are keen to persuade politicians that areas of intoing such as the somerset levels might benefit from this type of natural engineering. now the weather. john hammond has

the forecast. is it good weather for beavers? i really don't know! for some of us beautiful sunshine today. earlier we were shivering atjust seven celsius across parts of east midlands with scenes like this in northamptonshire, but it has brightened up. the highest temperatures yet again today as we have seen all the way through the weekend have been up across the highlands of scotland where some places have hit 19 celsius. and some fantastic views ta ken places have hit 19 celsius. and some fantastic views taken by some of our weather watchers. this one looking west across the sea in ayrshire. a fine end to the day. some of that low cloud will become sprayed spread and some of that pushing westwards. some places will stay clear and where that does happen as we have seen a where that does happen as we have seen a lot recently temperatures falling like a stone.

a bit of brightness here, but more cloud in the sky for many of us through tomorrow. some brightness and hazy sunshine, but showers turning up initially across western parts of england and wales and northern ireland. heading in the direction of the south—west of scotla nd direction of the south—west of scotland later on. this is 4pm. ahead of that, a cloudier day for scotland. nothing like as warm as it has been for some particularly near the north sea coast. parts of england hit and miss, but the odd sharp one, the odd heavy, thundery one maybe a and temperatures in the high teens and it does brighten up after early showers across south wales and south—west england. as we head through tomorrow evening, another batch of damp weather spreading up from the south—west, a murky night to come. some wetter weather pushing into western areas. some gusty winds as well across some western parts of the uk. further east, mostly dry. a lot of cloud around. and late brightness for

northern ireland, but forfronts come in from the south—west. you getted idea it will turn more changeable. however this warm front will introduce warm air from the near continent. on thursday one or two places in the london area and east anglia could be hitting 19 or 20 celsius. further north and west, it is cloudier and it is cooler and it is breezier and some ran around too. so to end the week, i think, some ran around too. so to end the week, ithink, showery some ran around too. so to end the week, i think, showery theme continues and thot weekend by which timele be turning coolerfor all of us. that's it. i'm back in half an hour. today at 5, theresa may and nicola sturgeon,

face—to—face for the first time, since the snp's demand for a second referendum on independence. the prime minister outlined her vision of a post—brexit britain, saying it means keeping the uk together. when this great nation of england, scotland, wales and northern ireland sets its mind to something and works together with determination we are an unstoppable force. we'll have the latest, live from glasgow and speaking to scotland's minister overseeing the brexit process. the other main stories on bbc news at 5... the car driven by khalid masood , the westminster attacker , was travelling at over 70 miles per hour when he killed three people. as iraqi forces continue their offensive to recapture mosul from so—called islamic state, we hear from some of the thousands